When news broke that Amazon moved on from the Stargate project it announced last year, I was only mildly surprised. I was even less surprised when I heard the alleged reason was due to its concept, which was deemed something that could only appeal to dedicated fans and not a wider audience. That's because I think this cancellation points to a larger problem that's seemingly impacting a lot of major sci-fi franchises.
The 2026 TV schedule has been brutal for fans of sci-fi television, as Star Trek has zero shows in active production, Doctor Who will reportedly cancel its Christmas special, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is struggling to fight off being overtaken by a horror movie at the box office. Legacy sci-fi franchises are going through it right now, and there are some common threads between all these situations that I think creatives need to figure out quickly.
Core Fandom Support Is Seemingly Not Enough To Make A Show Successful Anymore
One thing all these franchises have in common is their ties to streaming, and it seems the messaging is clear. While there may once have been a time when a franchise's fandom could support a series on its own, those days are gone. I've theorized that different generations of fans with different beliefs have segmented fandoms and made it difficult to unify what they all want in a series.
A simpler expectation is that older fans are dying, and one Star Trek actor confirmed as much. I guess it makes sense, as some of these franchises reach the 60-year mark and beyond that a few would be lost along the way or simply fall off. Then limiting access to streaming subscriptions feels like it further sections off who can watch, with the bottom line seemingly being that executives aren't keen on relying on the small population of fans who will stream.
Changing A Treasured Franchise Is Not The Key To Success Either
It is frustrating to hear that Amazon allegedly passed on Stargate because it felt too niche and not something that appealed to a wider audience. While I don't know anything about the plot, I do know the person responsible for it, Martin Gero, made the revival of Quantum Leap. That probably landed him the job with Stargate, because he did about as good a job as possible at creating a revival that honored the original show while still being accessible to casuals.
We've also seen plenty of shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Wars: The Mandalorian strive to prove there is a way to walk the tightrope between serving fans and the masses.
However, it sounds to me as though Amazon is seeking someone to take the concept of Stargate and make it something new, and if that's the new corporate playbook for success, I'm worried for the rest of the legacy sci-fi franchises.
We'll see what becomes of Stargate as Amazon reportedly looks for someone else to bring the franchise back to life. As for the rest, we may hear more on Star Trek and Doctor Who when San Diego Comic-Con rolls around, and I'm hoping we'll finally see some good news.
