Stargate fans have been going through it. After years of being teased about a possible reboot of their favorite franchise, Amazon finally revealed that reboot was, in fact, happening. And not only that, but a series veteran, Martin Gero, was returning to head up the production. It was beyond what many fans had ever hoped for, and to say they were excited is a massive understatement. But then June rolled around, and Amazon quietly axed the project, canceling it while it was still in pre-production.
But that wasn’t enough to stop the momentum a promised revival had built, and the Stargate fandom chose not to go quietly into the night. Instead, they came together, created a GoFundMe, and used the funds not only to charter a plane to fly over Culver City with a banner that read #SaveStargate, but also to get not one, but two, billboards in Times Square. And not only that, but they’ve now managed to push their #SaveStargate petition on Change.org past a milestone amount of signatures—hitting 110k signatures since it started making the rounds only 4 weeks ago.
The news about the cancellation originally broke on Variety in early June. They reported that the series was given the axe because Amazon MGM Studios didn’t believe Gero’s take on the story would appeal to anyone outside the existing fanbase. And that was news that deeply upset those existing fans. “To the executives involved, you may not realize that people like me have expanded the fanbase to our children and now even our grandchildren. My young, early-20s son-in-law was actually the one who sent the notice about the new Stargate to all of us with great excitement. The word of mouth comes from the dedicated Stargate base, and I believe, no, I know that you have made a mistake,” said one petition signer.
Using a built-in fanbase as the reason to cancel a series that has always garnered a ton of attention—a rare feat for sci-fi in general—is certainly a choice. And while it would have been the smart move for Gero to appeal to that existing fandom, that doesn’t mean it would have alienated new fans in any way. But it does highlight a disturbing trend that’s taken over the media in recent years: studios refusing to take risks with the stories they tell in hopes that the same basic, slightly reworked content will continue to garner viewership and ratings.
Do you think there’s any chance that the #SaveStargate petition will make a difference in the revival’s future? Did Amazon MGM get it wrong with the cancellation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out what’s happening over at the ComicBook forum.
