Step into Adventure! Stargate.

Stargate Directed by Roland Emmerich. Written by some unnamed Egyptologist who settled out of court.

”It's not "Door to Heaven"... is…Stargate.” Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Picture it: Egypt, 8000 BC. A village is terrified when a gigantic object shines light down upon them, all but one boy who is more curious than afraid. He goes toward the light…and there in his destiny changed.

Picture it: Egypt, 1929 AD. Two Norwegian archaeologists have discovered something never seen before; a huge ring of an element never seen before. The daughter of one of these men collects an amulet marked by the Eye of Ra.

Picture it: A crowded lecture hall. While Dr. Daniel Jackson’s lecture about how the pyramids could not have been built in the fourth dynasty goes down in flames, a mysterious elderly lady watches with interest. Around her neck, an amulet marked with the Eye of Ra.

Catherine Langford has a job offer for Dr. Jackson, and since he has no prospects, he takes it. Suddenly he is in a decommissioned nuclear missile bunker, examining the cover stones. He quickly proves his worth by correcting the work done thus far, but the key elements they need translated are not hieroglyphics.

But within two weeks, he has a breakthrough; the symbols are constellations. By combining seven of them, you can chart a course to anywhere in the galaxy. This is the break that the team has been waiting for.

Cut to Col. Jack O’Neal. Jack is suffering as few men ever suffer; his son accidentally killed himself while playing with Jack’s gun. Jack is suicidal, and that makes him perfect for the Air Forces purposes.

The military seizes control of Catherine’s project. When Dr. Jackson shows his work, they realize they have everything they need, and they go to the next step. Dr. Jackson is shown the Stargate. The symbols are keys, and as they are dialed in, the wheel spins, and the cartouches lock into place. When the seventh one, the one for Earth, is input, there is a surge of light, and a shimmering wall fills the ring…on the other side, a planet on the far side of the galaxy.

Now the only thing is, can they get back from the other side? Daniel thinks yes. So Col. O’Neal puts together a team to boldly go where no man has gone before…

Of course, on the far side, they do not find the instructions on how to get back home. What they do find is a culture of slaves, descended of the Egyptians, who mine the element of the Stargate for Ra, who is still alive, and decidedly hostile.

Can they learn the codes to get back home? Can they make friends with the population? Can they stop a god from enslaving or destroying them?

The Cast
Kurt Russell ... Col. Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neil
James Spader ... Dr. Daniel Jackson
Jaye Davidson ... Ra
Alexis Cruz ... Skaara
Viveca Lindfors ... Catherine Langford
Mili Avital ... Sha'uri
John Diehl ... Lieutenant Kawalsky
Leon Rippy ... General W.O. West
Carlos Lauchu ... Anubis
Djimon Hounsou ... Horus
Erick Avari ... Kasuf
French Stewart ... Lieutenant Ferretti
Gianin Loffler ... Nabeh

The Analysis
This is a Science Fiction Classic, spawning one of the longest running SciFi series, Stargate SG1, and it’s spin-off, Stargate Atlantis. Stargate SG1 ran for an astonishing 10 years. Atlantis is in it’s fourth year. Stargate won both the Saturn and Hugo awards for best picture. So this is a really influential movie.

Why? Well, it was very well done. The concept is intriguing; chariots of the Gods? No, wormholes. If we are ever going to move around the universe individually instead of in emigrational generation ships, this is the way.

Second, there is the wonderful juxtaposition of the new and the old; Egyptian art and costuming in a sci fi setting makes for a delightful incongruity.

Third, the villain of the piece is great. An alien, inhabiting a human 10,000 years old, holding an entire planet in slavery. And the bit with the half naked kids running around, ready to be a human shield…very creepy and rather disturbing, on a lot of levels. Jaye Davidson only had three roles in his very brief career. The Crying Game was the first, and Oscar nominated. This was the last. As Ra, he had a wonderful air of menace, mixed with elegance, and more than a bit of sensuality. Sexually ambiguous, his hostility held a hint of perversion as well. And Jaye gives really good Seethe. And when they add in the glowing eye thing…(Shudder!)

Fourth, there is a great dichotomy among the heroes. Daniel Jackson is a geek. He’s brainy, and allergic, and awkward. He is also sweet, and accepting, two endearing qualities. Jack O’Neal is a bad@$$ military man on a suicide mission. But he is brave, intelligent, dutiful and loyal, and all those things are admirable. But he bonds with Skaara, one of the boys on this planet. Perhaps he reminds him of his son, perhaps he impresses him with his bright wits and charm. Either way, we see the father inside the killer. Both bond with the people of Abados, (the planet), Jack with Skaara, and Daniel with Sha’uri, his wife. And they learn, through their trails and tribulations that Daniel is not a helpless geek, but a brave and loyal man, and Jack is not a gung ho killer, but a caring and concerned leader. They bond with each other.

Combine a great script, excellent pacing, a good mix of action and intrigue, and stunning production values, and you have a classic.