Stargate Atlantis Ends, Stargate Universe Begins

MGM and The Sci Fi Channel have now confirmed that Season 5 of Stargate: Atlantis will indeed be the show’s final season; once the current season ends, the show will move to a series of direct-to-DVD movies, similar to what happened with Stargate: SG1. There will be two Atlantis movies first, and depending on how they do, will probably result in more. But have no fear, Stargate fans. After Atlantis leaves the air, you won’t be denied your weekly dose of Stargate — The Sci Fi Channel has greenlit a new Stargate series. Yup, it’s Stargate: Universe, which we’ve heard of before.

THR has more on Stargate: Universe:

The new show will involve more space-based action than “SG-1″ or “Atlantis.” With the “Star Trek” television franchise having folded in 2005 and Sci Fi’s “Battlestar Galactica” airing its final episodes next year, the network hopes “Universe” will become sci-fi fans’ new favorite space-travel series.

“We’ve had great success with ‘Enterprise’ repeats on Monday night, and there’s an appetite for space opera as ‘Battlestar’ goes away,” Sci Fi president Dave Howe said. “There’s an opportunity to keep the space opera as part of our programming strategy.”

“Universe” introduces a team of explorers who find an ancient unmanned ship called the Destiny. Unable to return to Earth, the crew must fend for themselves aboard the ship, which has a preprogramd mission taking them to the far reaches of the universe.

The series will employ a new cast of characters, with the network seeking a known performer for one lead role and fresh faces to play the rest of the ship’s crew. Appearances by former cast members from “SG-1″ and “Atlantis” are very possible.

Howe said the new series will reinvigorate the franchise by targeting a younger audience.

“This is an opportunity to reinvent this franchise and make it relevant to a new generation,” Howe said. “We really don’t want to be more of the same. It’s going to build clearly off the existing franchise but with a cast that gives it a younger vibe.”

Said co-creators Wright and Cooper: “In ‘Universe,’ we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humor, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping-off point for telling stories.”

Stargate: Universe premieres as a two-hour movie in 2009, and will launch into its own weekly series by the Summer.