Watch the Stargate film (1994), then Stargate SG-1 (1997 to 2007). Stargate Atlantis starts during SG-1 season 8, so alternate the two from there; then watch the films The Ark of Truth and Continuum (2008), then Stargate Universe (2009). Stargate Infinity is not canon.
- Titles
- 8
- Films
- 3
- Series
- 5
- Watch time
- 275 hours
- Box office
- $205 million
- Avg IMDb
- 6.7
Stargate shows in release order
Here is every Stargate title in the order it came out, 1994 to 2018: 3 films and 5 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stargate | 1994 | Film | 2h 1m | 7 |
| 2 | Stargate SG-1 | 1997 | Series | 157h 16m | 8.4 |
| 3 | Stargate Infinity optional | 2002 | Series | 9h 6m | 3.6 |
| 4 | Stargate Atlantis | 2004 | Series | 72h 20m | 8.2 |
| 5 | Stargate: The Ark of Truth | 2008 | Film | 1h 41m | 7.4 |
| 6 | Stargate: Continuum | 2008 | Film | 1h 38m | 7.5 |
| 7 | Stargate Universe | 2009 | Series | 29h 13m | 7.6 |
| 8 | Stargate Origins optional | 2018 | Series | 1h 40m | 4 |
Stargate timeline: shows in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stargate Origins | 1939 | 2018 |
| 2 | Stargate | Abydos | 1994 |
| 3 | Stargate SG-1 | A year after the film | 1997 |
| 4 | Stargate Atlantis | The Pegasus galaxy | 2004 |
| 5 | Stargate: The Ark of Truth | After SG-1 season 10 | 2008 |
| 6 | Stargate: Continuum | A rewritten timeline | 2008 |
| 7 | Stargate Universe | An Ancient ship, far away | 2009 |
| 8 | Stargate Infinity | 30 years after SG-1 | 2002 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 4 titles here. In release order you start with Stargate (1994); in story order you start with Stargate Origins, set in 1939, which came out 24 years later.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Stargate into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Stargate also runs a separate continuity: Stargate Infinity (non-canon). It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.
Where to start
Start with Stargate and go in release order, skipping the 2 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 6 titles and about 264 hours, 4% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Stargate SG-1 (8.4), Stargate Atlantis (8.2), and Stargate Universe (7.6).
Every Stargate title, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1994 · Film · 2h 1m · 2nd in story order
Stargate
An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.
Why it matters: The film that opens the gate: Jack O'Neil and Daniel Jackson on Abydos.
- Starring
- James Spader, Kurt Russell, and Jaye Davidson
- Director
- Roland Emmerich
- Box office
- $197 million on a $55 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7 · Rotten Tomatoes 53%
No. 02 · 1997 · Series · 157h 16m · 3rd in story order
Stargate SG-1
The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.
Why it matters: Ten seasons of SG-1 against the Goa'uld, the Replicators and the Ori.
- Starring
- Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks
- Creator
- Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4
- Episodes
- 214 across 10 seasons
No. 03 · 2002 · Series · 9h 6m · 8th in story order · optional
Stargate Infinity
This DIC animated action-adventure series follows four exceptional Air Force Academy cadets and a wrongly court-martialed Stargate veteran as they travel planets through gated wormholes protecting a myst. Based on MGMs successful sci-fi franchise Stargate.
Why it matters: A Saturday-morning cartoon set decades on; not canon.
- Starring
- Dale Wilson, Tifanie Christun, and Kathleen Barr
- Creator
- Mark Edward Edens, Michael Edens, and Kaaren Lee Brown
- Scores
- IMDb 3.6
- Episodes
- 26
No. 04 · 2004 · Series · 72h 20m
Stargate Atlantis
With the Ancients' city of Atlantis discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy by Stargate Command, Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Major Sheppard lead a scientific expedition to the ancient abandoned city. Once there, the team not only find themselves unable to contact Earth, but their explorations unexpectedly reawaken the Ancients' deadly enemies, The Wraith, who hunger for this new prey. Now with the help of newfound local allies like Teyla Emmagan, the Atlantis Team sets about to uncover their new home's secrets even as their war of survival against the Wraith begins.
Why it matters: An expedition to the lost city of the Ancients and the Wraith; runs alongside SG-1 seasons 8 to 10.
- Starring
- Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, and Rachel Luttrell
- Creator
- Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2
- Episodes
- 100 across 5 seasons
No. 05 · 2008 · Film · 1h 41m
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
SG-1 searches for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the Ori, and discover it may be in the Ori's own home galaxy. As the Ori prepare to send ships through to the Milky Way to attack Earth, SG-1 travels to the Ori galaxy aboard the Odyssey. The International Oversight committee have their own plans and SG-1 finds themselves in a distant galaxy fighting two powerful enemies.
Why it matters: Wraps up the Ori story from SG-1's last season.
- Starring
- Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, and Christopher Judge
- Director
- Robert C. Cooper
- Box office
- $9 million on a $7 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4
No. 06 · 2008 · Film · 1h 38m
Stargate: Continuum
Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.
Why it matters: Ba'al rewrites history and SG-1 must fix it; the last SG-1 story.
- Starring
- Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, and Christopher Judge
- Director
- Martin Wood
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
No. 07 · 2009 · Series · 29h 13m
Stargate Universe
The adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way Galaxy. They evacuated there and are now trying to figure out a way to return to Earth, while simultaneously trying to explore and to survive in their unknown area of the universe.
Why it matters: A darker crew stranded on the ancient ship Destiny; two seasons, ends on a cliffhanger.
- Starring
- Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, and David Blue
- Creator
- Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright
- Scores
- IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 70%
- Episodes
- 40 across 2 seasons
No. 08 · 2018 · Series · 1h 40m · 1st in story order · optional
Stargate Origins
Follow Catherine Langford, the young woman who witnessed her father uncover the Stargate in Giza in 1928, as she embarks on an unexpected adventure to unlock the mystery of what lies beyond the Stargate in order to save Earth from unimaginable darkness.
Why it matters: A 1939 prequel web series about Catherine Langford; optional.
- Starring
- Ellie Gall, Aylam Orian, and Philip Alexander
- Creator
- Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Justin Michael Terry, and Mark Ilvedson
- Scores
- IMDb 4
- Episodes
- 10
Stargate box office and budgets
The 2 Stargate films with reported numbers have grossed $205 million worldwide on about $62 million in combined budgets, roughly 3.3 times what they cost. The biggest is Stargate at $197 million, 96% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Stargate: The Ark of Truth ($9 million).
The best and worst rated Stargate shows
Across 8 rated titles, Stargate averages 6.7 on IMDb. The top of the list is Stargate SG-1 at 8.4, then Stargate Atlantis (8.2) and Stargate Universe (7.6). At the bottom: Stargate Infinity (3.6) and Stargate Origins (4). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Stargate, is only the 6th best rated.
- Stargate SG-18.4
- Stargate Atlantis8.2
- Stargate Universe7.6 · RT 70%
- Stargate: Continuum7.5
- Stargate: The Ark of Truth7.4
- Stargate7 · RT 53%
- Stargate Origins4
- Stargate Infinity3.6
Who appears in the most Stargate shows
Amanda Tapping leads with 4 appearances as Samantha Carter and Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, ahead of Christopher Judge (3) and Michael Shanks (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Tapping | Samantha Carter / Lt. Col. Samantha Carter | 4 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Christopher Judge | Teal'c | 3 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Michael Shanks | Daniel Jackson / Dr. Daniel Jackson | 3 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Ben Browder | Cameron Mitchell / Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell | 3 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Beau Bridges | Hank Landry / Maj. Gen. Henry Landry | 3 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Claudia Black | Vala Mal Doran | 3 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Richard Dean Anderson | Jack O'Neill / Major General Jack O'Neill | 2 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Don S. Davis | George Hammond / Lieutenant General George Hammond | 2 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
| Gary Jones | Walter Harriman / Chief Mst Sgt. Walter Harriman | 2 | Stargate SG-1 (1997) to Stargate: Continuum (2008) |
Stargate directors and creators
11 filmmakers have directed or created Stargate; Brad Wright has the most, with 3.
- Brad WrightStargate SG-1 (1997), Stargate Atlantis (2004), and Stargate Universe (2009)
- Robert C. CooperStargate Atlantis (2004), Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008), and Stargate Universe (2009)
- Roland EmmerichStargate (1994)
- Jonathan GlassnerStargate SG-1 (1997)
- Mark Edward EdensStargate Infinity (2002)
- Michael EdensStargate Infinity (2002)
- Kaaren Lee BrownStargate Infinity (2002)
- Martin WoodStargate: Continuum (2008)
- Mercedes Bryce MorganStargate Origins (2018)
- Justin Michael TerryStargate Origins (2018)
- Mark IlvedsonStargate Origins (2018)
How long it takes to watch every Stargate show
All 8 titles add up to 275 hours: 5 hours of film and 270 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 138 two-hour evenings, or 28 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 264 hours. The longest film is Stargate at 2h 1m.
The 3 best rated films: Stargate: Continuum, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, and Stargate.
Everything takes about 9 months; the essentials about 9 months.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Stargate shows can you skip?
2 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 11 hours.
- Stargate Origins2018 · Series · 1h 40m · optionalA 1939 prequel web series about Catherine Langford; optional.
- Stargate Infinity2002 · Series · 9h 6m · optionalA Saturday-morning cartoon set decades on; not canon.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Stargate shows in?
Watch the Stargate film (1994), then Stargate SG-1 (1997 to 2007). Stargate Atlantis starts during SG-1 season 8, so alternate the two from there; then watch the films The Ark of Truth and Continuum (2008), then Stargate Universe (2009). Stargate Infinity is not canon.
How many Stargate movies and shows are there?
There are 8 titles in the Stargate franchise: 3 films and 5 series, released from 1994 to 2018.
How long does it take to watch all the Stargate shows?
About 275 hours for all 8 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (6 titles) take about 264 hours.
What is the first Stargate title in chronological order?
Stargate Origins, set in 1939. In release order the first is Stargate (1994).
Which Stargate titles can I skip?
Stargate Origins and Stargate Infinity. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Stargate title?
By IMDb score, Stargate SG-1 (1997) at 8.4, followed by Stargate Atlantis at 8.2.
What is the highest-grossing Stargate movie?
Stargate (1994), with $197 million worldwide. Stargate films have made $205 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Stargate shows?
Amanda Tapping, in 4 of them as Samantha Carter.
What is the longest Stargate movie?
Stargate, at 2h 1m.
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