''Stargate'' literature comprises the novels and short stories in the ''Stargate'' franchise

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

(based on either the original ''

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

'' film or the ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrigh ...

'', ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper ...

'' and ''

Stargate Universe ''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

s) as well as non-fiction devoted to the franchise. ''Stargate'' literary works follow no strict continuity with the series or each other, and are often considered to be non-

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

. This is evident in the fact that there is a period of roughly a year between the original idea for a novel and the finalized product, causing problems for authors as they are unaware as to how the franchise will develop and change during the writing process. Despite this, the editors of ''Stargate'' literature function as the medium between the author and the production company. There are three series of novels based on the ''Stargate'' franchise and short fiction has also been published in the official ''Stargate Magazine''. It becomes difficult to discern what is and what is not canonical because much of the literature is based on the canon, whilst some of even this type of work deviates from the main productions, or is later contradicted. There's no official word from

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

(MGM) about the canonicity of the ''Stargate'' written fiction. However, MGM does approve each stage of novel's production, from initial outline to final draft. It remains up to the fans' discretion whether or not to accept ''Stargate'' literature as part of the combined ''Stargate'' universe. ''Stargate'' literature centers on the premise of a "

", a ring-shaped alien device that creates a

wormhole A wormhole (Einstein-Rosen bridge) is a hypothetical structure connecting disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special Solutions of the Einstein field equations, solution of the Einstein field equations. A wormhole can be visualize ...

enabling personal

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...

to complementary devices located cosmic distances away. Under the control of the United States government, the Stargate discovered on Earth is kept a secret from the public. This allows storylines to present no contradiction between depicted events and

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

, an effect compounded by setting ''Stargate'' in the

present day The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is a period of ...

, and depicting Earth accurately, with any unrealistic technology originating solely from alien civilizations. Most of the time, ''Stargate'' literature follows

SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is ...

and the Atlantis flagship team on their journey through different galaxies.

Film novelizations

Written by the movie creators,

Dean Devlin Dean Devlin (born August 27, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor of film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, and for his work on the The Librarian (franchise), ''Li ...

and

Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of wh ...

, the novelization of the original film, ''

'' was published by

Signet Books The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publishe ...

, an imprint of

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.series of five novels continuing the story the original creators had envisioned, despite the success of the ''Stargate'' television series. McCay used the official notes by Emmerich to write his books. A series of five novels written by

Bill McCay Bill McCay (born April 6, 1951) is an American author and has written over seventy books in total, mostly media tie-ins. Series Contributions Raven League (With Alex Simmons) McCay co-wrote two novels in the Raven League series with Alex Si ...

were published from 1996 to 1999, based on the story of the 1994 film, ''

''. Each book was also produced as a book on tape read by David Fox. These were produced by consulting the original notes made by film director

, in an attempt to envision where the film "would have gone". Neither party has commented on whether McCay's interpretation was correct. The film's producer,

, had his own ideas, but he did not bring them to light until interviewed much later, after the publication of all the novels. The subsequent television series ''

'' was an entirely independent development, making no attempt to reconcile with the plot line of the books. This marked the first major branching of the franchise. The story continues immediately after the events of the film, with the United States armed forces interested in the mineral that is mined for Ra by the Abydans. As conflict arises in many forms on the planet of Abydos, a new threat comes when other gods from Ra's pantheon (namely

Hathor Hathor ( egy, ḥwt-ḥr, lit=House of Horus, grc, Ἁθώρ , cop, ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ, Meroitic: ) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky ...

) come looking. Bits of the Ancient Egyptian myth, The Destruction of Mankind, are acknowledged in the novel's construction. The first three books form one complete storyline: *''Stargate: Rebellion'' (October 1995) *''Stargate: Retaliation'' (September 1996) *''Stargate: Retribution'' (October 1997) The last two continue after the events in the first three books, but move the story forwards by dealing with the Abydans and the events that happen at the climax of the trilogy. *''Stargate: Reconnaissance'' (May 1998) *''Stargate: Resistance'' (October 1999) The book canon of the franchise has many differences with the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

''. In the books, Ra is the last of his race, and all of his lieutenants (such as Hathor and Ptah) are actually loyal humans who pose as the other Egyptian gods created by Ra to enslave the populace. The movie version of Ra inhabits a human body by possessing the human with his soul, rather than as the parasitic snake as seen in ''Stargate SG-1''. The books focus more on politics, with budget issues and human rights considerations playing a large role. The book's version of O'Neil is much more of a straight soldier, while Jackson remains the idealistic maverick scientist. The quartz-like mineral (called Naqahdah in ''Stargate SG-1'') remains unnamed. The city that Kasuf and Sha'uri live in is called Nagada and more cities on Abydos are shown. While the first three books focus on the plight of the Abydan (called Abydonian in ''Stargate SG-1'') people and the war between Ra's humans and the humans from Earth, the last two books introduce other worlds and other races.

Other releases

ROC published four ''

'' novels written by

Ashley McConnell Ashley McConnell is an American author. Her first novel, ''Unearthed'', was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers of America. In addition to horror, she has published numerous fantasy and media tie-in novels, including severa ...

from 1998 to 2001. These novels were available only in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

-based publisher Fandemonium specialises in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''

'', publishing the first book in 2005. The ''Stargate SG-1'' novels were originally only available in the UK,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

because the company did not hold a

licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to distribute them in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

but the ''Stargate Atlantis'' books are available worldwide. The company's license was later extended to North America in June 2006. All books are written as

; that is, they try to recreate the show.

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

reads and approves all the novels. The company held an open submissions policy in November 2004, inviting fans to submit proposals for a ''Stargate SG-1'' novel. This proved popular, and the aim was to find good

fanfiction Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...

writers who would be able to write professional novels. Fandemonium's company runner and chief editor,

Sally Malcolm Sally Malcolm is a published science fiction author and joint owner and chief editor of the Fandemonium publishing company. She started as a fanfiction writer. She has written 3 books, all published by Fandemonium. She wrote the ''Stargate SG-1 ...

, started out as a fanfic writer herself. Several future books are works of authors found through this policy. ''Stargate Atlantis'' novels continue to be written only by professional authors. The official ''Stargate Magazine'', produced by Titan Publishing, began publishing short stories written by Fandemonium authors in their 8th issue. The stories alternate between both ''SG-1'' and ''Atlantis''. The magazine is available in the UK and internationally through

Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. They transport comic books and graphic novels, as well as other po ...

' Previews catalogue. Thomasina Gibson and Sharon Gosling have written official companion guides for all seasons of ''Stargate SG-1'' (seasons 1 through 8 as two seasons per companion guide) and ''Stargate Atlantis'', published by

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...

. ''Stepping Through the Stargate: Science, Archaeology, and the Military of Stargate SG-1'' is a collection of works which are centered around the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

TV series ''

''. The book takes a thoughtful, but light-hearted look at the popular, award-winning television series. It was edited by

P. N. Elrod Patricia Nead Elrod (b. 1954) is an American novelist specializing in urban fantasy. She has written in the mystery, romance, paranormal, and historical genres with at least one foray into comedic fantasy. Elrod is also an editor, having worked on ...

and Roxanne L. Conrad and published by

BenBella Books BenBella Books is an independent publishing house based in Dallas, Texas. BenBella was founded by Glenn Yeffeth in 2001. It specializes in nonfiction books on popular culture, business, health, and nutrition, along with books on science, politics, ...

in 2004. The book is a non-fiction collection of essays, articles, and personal recollections by cast and crew members, scientists, military experts, and various science fiction writers, all of whom are fans of the show. James Tichenor special effects head of ''Stargate SG-1'' and actor

Tom McBeath Tom McBeath is a Canadian actor. He is the winner of three Jessie Awards best known for playing Col. Harold Maybourne on ''Stargate SG-1''. In 2017, he started playing Smithers on '' Riverdale''. Biography He appeared in an episode of ''Street ...

(who played Colonel

Harry Maybourne Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series '' Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the ...

) and ''Stargate'' comic book writer James Kuhoric. Even an Air Force Colonel were some of many who helped to write the collection of works. ''Stargate'' comics are a series of

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s based on the film, ''

'' (1994), and the TV series' ''

'' and ''

''. The initial comics were

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...

s with the 1994 film and the later output by

Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. Avatar Press is most notable for publishing Bad girl art, bad girl comics, such as ''Faust (Avatar Press), Fau ...

has been based on the two TV series. A series of ''Stargate'' film-related comics were published by the independent publishing house Entity Comics between 1996 and 1997, under the creative direction of John Migliore and Bill Maus. Along with a four-part comic book adaptation of the ''Stargate''

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and three-part adaption of

's ''Stargate: Rebellion'', Entity Comics also wrote their own continuation of the Stargate film. ''Stargate: One Nation Under Ra'' and ''Stargate: Underworld'' were later published as a trade paperback titled ''Stargate: The New Adventures Collection.'' There has been no official word as to whether or not the comics are

. ''Stargate'' audiobooks by

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...

, based on the long-running

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...

television franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

''. The "talking books" are each narrated by one of main ''Stargate'' characters and feature a second, guest-star voice along with music and sound effects.

Development

Authors interested in writing a ''Stargate'' book need to send a

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

to the e-mail address of the official ''Stargate'' literature webpage. Known writers need to send their publishing history and a short

synopsis A synopsis is a brief summary of the major points of a subject or written work or story, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work. Synopsis or synopsys may also refer to: * Video synopsis, an approach to create a shor ...

of their planned plot behind the book. German author Sabine C. Bauer wrote the first ''Stargate SG-1'' novel, entitled ''Stargate SG-1 Trial By Fire''. Bauer first noted the ''Stargate'' universe when studying

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

in the

, when she traveled back to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, ''Stargate SG-1'' hadn't premiered yet. So she started to write a ''Stargate'' script (which eventually became ''Trial By Fire''). She spent four years writing the book writing a main

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...

for the character

Jack O'Neill Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the MGM's military science fiction franchise ''Stargate'', primarily as one of the main characters of the television series ''Stargate SG-1''. Richard Dean Anderson played O'Neill in all th ...

. She garnered a few minor awards for her novel and started writing ''Stargate'' novels behind the

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

idea of

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

. Jamie Duncan and Holly Scott have written two ''Stargate'' novels, the first being ''Stargate SG-1 Siren Song'' and second being ''Stargate SG-1 Hydra''. Scott has commented on the writing process for the books, saying that she and Duncan both learned "Several things from ..process" when writing the first book, she felt the most important thing she learnt was "Not to be afraid of revising the draft". She further commented that this became "Very handy" when developing their second book (''Hydra''), since the first draft of the book needed a lot of work, as she said "We had to learn to whack scenes that just didn't work." ''Siren Song'' is set after the event of ''

'' episode, " Deadman Switch", while ''Hydra'' is set between " Tin Man" and "

Shades of Grey Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below. Chart of computer web color ...

". According to Duncan, "Deadman Switch" was a "Relatively stand-alone episode" for the series, which made it possible to make an exciting story and a "Fun secondary character" (Aris Boch) for the book. She further stated that she was able to explore the culture better with the book. Scott called the development of ''Siren Song'' a "wonderful challenge". As Scott explained, she has wanted to write stories for many of the ''Stargate SG-1'' characters, but Aris Boch was at the top of her list, she called her experience in writing the book "Remarkable" to create a back story for the character and write new interaction between the character and SG-1. ''Hydra'' followed the events of "Tin Man", and as Duncan puts it, the episode came with an "unanswered question", a "paradox" even. The main focus of the story was how to live with yourself when you knew that you were not the person you felt you were. The story follows the cloned SG-1 team being ripped off from all their "Heroic qualities" and what the differences are between them and the real team. The novel itself is told in multiples of view points, and it jumps back and forth in time. When writing the structure for the novel, they created a

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

. As Duncan puts it, the story could not been "Told in a linear fashion", if they wanted to achieve certain story effects within the plot. So they felt that if the story was going to achieve an "Emotional" status, it needed to be told in a "Non-linear structure". Scott further stated that some of the "Perspective" of the SG-1 members could not been told because of being to " POV" for the book itself.

Steven Savile Steven Savile (born 12 October 1969) is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer and editor living in Sweden. His published work includes novels and numerous short stories in magazines and anthologies. Career Steven Savile started out ...

, writer of the ''Shadow'' series which consists of the books ''Shadows'', ''Shapeshifter'' and ''Trickster'' were released in 2009. These books were written to stand to true to the nature of ''Stargate SG-1'' and its characters. After writing five about

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

s in three years Savile was looking for a new topic to write about without "Repeating" himself. He then learned that ''Stargate'' writer

was looking for new writers for the

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

. After a few

E-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...

s with Malcolm he got the job as a ''Stargate'' writer. When commenting on how to make a good tie-in novel for the franchise, he said it was "Tricky on a page-by-page level". He further stated that he couldn't create new stories because by the end of the day the ''Stargate'' franchise belonged to

(MGM).

Reception

The book ''Stargate Atlantis Exogenesis'' was nominated in the category "Best speculative fiction novel" in the Scribe awards written by Sonny Whitelaw and Elizabeth Christensen, but did not win the award. Author Elizabeth Christensen won the Scribe award in the category "Best Speculative Original novel" at

ComicCon A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at con ...

2008 for her book ''Stargate Atlantis Casualties of War''. The award was organized and presented by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) which was founded by

Max Allan Collins Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his ''Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the '' Di ...

and

Lee Goldberg Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter, publisher and producer known for his bestselling novels ''Lost Hills'' and ''True Fiction'' and his work on a wide variety of TV crime series, including '' Diagnosis: Murder'', ''A Nero Wolfe My ...

* List of ''Stargate'' literature * List of ''Stargate'' comics * List of ''Stargate'' audiobooks

References

External links

Stargate Novels
Official Homepage
Gateworld Reviews of Books

Stargate audiobooks at bigfinish.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stargate Literature

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...