An open letter to the producers of Stargate

Today on Gateworld we received news about two Stargate movies that are in the works. As a huge fan of Stargate, I am most excited to hear that the adventure will continue in some form with the characters I and many others have grown to love over the years.

However, I must admit that my heart sank when I read the details of the second movie. To the rumored director (Martin Wood) and writer (Brad Wright) of this movie I saw this: Please, no more time travel.

Time travel is one of the most abused plot devices in Science Fiction today. While at first it seemed like an interesting way to introduce “what-if” scenarios into a story, the over use of it has led to complications that eventually degrade the quality of the series that it is used in.

For example: Star Trek has used time travel many, many times over the various movies and series. More times than not, it has been used to “fix” a problem that has been introduced such as bringing back popular characters, or some other contrived situation (i.e. the writers of Star Trek: Voyager using time travel to help the crew get home in the series finale).

The use of time travel became such a crutch that the writers/producers of Star Trek: Enterprise  wound up introducing time travel (and time shifting bad guys) in the series premier of the show. As soon as I heard the words (and I paraphrase) “they come not from where, but from when” I shut off my TV. I tried to watch a few more episodes, but the venom of “time travel” had already circulated into the very lifeblood of the show rendering it uninteresting and unwatchable to me. Why would I want to invest my time and interest into something that could very well change next week based on the whims of what the writers want bring back or fix?

Some people claim that using time travel in Sci-Fi is a mark of sophistication and it shows that the writers and the audience are “smart” because they are able to follow the intricate web that is spun. For some shows (Dr. Who) I would agree that this is true, but for most shows, movies, stories, games, etc. I will simply call “bullshit” and say that it is the equivalent of the writers/producers reserving the right to revise thier works (George Lucas, I’m looking at you).

Stargate (both SG-1 and Atlantis) have walked a fine line when it comes to time travel. Wormholes are a manipulation of the very fabric of time-space so it is conceivable that time travel of some type could happen as was seen in episodes like “1969″, “2010″ and “2001″. Other episodes such as “Before I Sleep” and “Moebius” were stretching and straining their credibility with their particular usage of time travel (i.e. “we need a ZPM, hey let’s travel back in time and steal one from an enemy we killed a long time ago!”).

The amazing talents that have come together to bring Stargate to life are better than this. The writers, the directors, the actors, the props and special effects departments, and everyone else involved have created so many episodes of both show that are head and shoulders better than the typical TV fare. Especially in the Sci-Fi realm. It would be a shame to tarnish that proud tradition at the end of one of TV’s most enduring shows. From the beginning, Stargate has been about exploration of new worlds, much like the original Star Trek. Please don’t let it end the same way that Star Trek has.
Though I am confident the Stargate universe will not come to halt if a movie centered on time travelling is created and released, I think things would be better if it never happened in the first place. Obviously if time travel were possible this letter would be a moot point.
In all seriousness, please reconsider any plans that are on the table for the use of time travel. There are so many other avenues in the Stargate universe that can be explored that would leave the fans feeling much more fulfilled (and possibly leading to future spin-off opportunities). A few examples would be: Contact with the Nox, a story about a mission that goes horribly wrong, or a story that focuses on the war for a planet other than Earth (such as “Lost City” focused on Aybdos).

In closing, Stargate is an engaging, delightful show of the highest caliber. Please, don’t bring any more time travel into it. There is a reason that butterflies are kept under glass, some things are perfect the way they are and just shouldn’t by touched.