Stargate SG-1 Hinted At A Spinoff Back In Season 1

It's common for any sci-fi series to hint at the larger picture. Sometimes these never become important for one reason or another, for example, Firefly was canceled before the "hands of blue" paid off, and sometimes, as with Stargate SG-1, an episode becomes so important it launches a spin-off. That's the case with Season 1 Episode 17, "Solitudes," which quietly introduced the idea of a second stargate. Years later, it was the basis for Stargate Atlantis. The Discovery Of Beta Gate "Solitudes" leaves Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) abandoned inside a glacier after something goes wrong with the Stargate. Carter's spent over 12 hours trying to dial Earth but it's not working which leads her to the assumption that either Daniel made a mistake (unlikely) or the Stargate malfunctioned (which is terrifying). Abandoned somewhere in the galaxy with supplies running low, O'Neill's injury getting worse, and rapidly dropping temperatures. While they try to survive, Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Teal'c (Christopher Judge), and General Hammond (Don S. Davis) try to find them using the Stargate. It takes a lot of trial and error for Jackson to think that if the Stargate isn't able to dial in on them, they must be on Earth. The introduction of the Beta Gate buried in the ice of Antarctica changes everything for Stargate SG-1 going forward. It was a risk introducing it during Season 1. That it paid off as well as it did is a small miracle. A second Stargate raises questions such as why does Earth have two? It's a reminder that it wasn't the Goa'uld that built the Stargate system, it was the Ancients. Was the Beta Gate Earth's original gate? Did it come from somewhere else? It would eventually lead to the discovery of the Pegasus System, the location of Atlantis, and the launch of Stargate Atlantis to explore the new galaxy. The Slow Discovery Of Atlantis Stargate SG-1 was an ambitious series that slowly expanded beyond the "planet of the week" format to tell an ongoing story about an intergalactic war. The introduction of Beta Gate was the first hint at how grand the series would become, though it also served as the focal point of the U.S./Russia storyline in Season 3. At the time "Solitudes" aired, no one knew what was coming. Except for Brad Wright, the co-creator of Stargate SG-1 and the writer of "Solitudes." He had an idea that Beta Gate opened up countless possible stories. The big problem with "Solitudes" is that while fans like seeing Carter and O'Neill survive together, including her telling O'Neill he's "Macuseless," they often ask: why didn't Carter dial a different planet? Abydos wasn't available as the Stargate there was blocked off, but the Planet of Light was dialed in during the last episode, so why didn't she reach out to them? It's likely that the hypothermia, low supplies, encroaching darkness, and stress of O'Neill's injury kept her from thinking the situation through the way she would have normally. That and, she thought they were on another planet, if Earth wasn't accessible, no other planet would be. "Solitudes" is brilliant in its execution. It slowly builds to the reveal of the second Stargate on Earth, leading to Jackson's triumphant presentation to Hammond. Stargate SG-1 kept the importance of Beta Gate close to its chest for the next season, before it became central to Season 3. No one thought a bottle episode would end up indirectly launching the career of Jason Momoa.