Like Star Trek, the Stargate franchise offers the exploration of alien worlds, but unlike its sci-fi competitors, it also incorporates ancient Egyptian aesthetics via Ancient Aliens. The comprehensive universe is set to be relaunched next year with a brand new film from original director Roland Emmerich.
In addition to the Emmerich film, the franchise is best known for its sci-fi military series Stargate SG-1, which ran for ten seasons starting in 1997. During an AMA on Reddit two years ago, co-creator Brad Wright recalled the filming and emphasized how much easier series like The Mandalorian have it today.
Strange worlds made easy: Star Wars has it so much easier today than older sci-fi series
A fan asked about the challenge of creating alien worlds on a relatively tight budget, which in the case of the Stargate series was on location were filmed. Wright’s answer:
Yes, it was getting harder and more frustrating to go into the forests of British Columbia and pretend it was another planet. Especially as Vancouver grew into the wide open spaces we used. Video walls like those used in the Star Wars serieswould make a big difference today.
We are talking about the StageCraft LED technologywhich projects virtual scenery onto a physical background wall for filming. The effects specialists at Industrial Light & Magic explained in this video exactly how this groundbreaking innovation works:
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The flexible technology was not only used in Star Wars series. Our Flag Means Death, Doctor Who and Percy Jackson: The Series and films such as The Batman and The Fablesmen also made use of it. It also has its critics due to its special look, but the advantages over other practices such as outdoor filming and green screens are obvious.
Podcast: The Acolyte shows Star Wars from a whole new perspective
The latest Star Wars series on Disney+ is a dark mystery thriller that delves deep into the Jedi past. But is The Acolyte worth watching?
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Set 100 years before Episode I, The Acolyte breaks new ground in live-action. We talk about the unexpected approaches that set the Star Wars series apart from previous Disney+ outings and discuss whether Jedi are really as heroic as we thought.