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 television series was filmed in and around the city of Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada. The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets and in space.
SG-1 is an elite United States Air Force special operations team, one of about 20 teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld , the Replicators and the Ori. The series was a ratings success for its first-run broadcasters and in syndication and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia. Stargate SG-1' s awards include eight Emmy nominations. Merchandise for Stargate SG-1 includes games and toys, print media and an original audio series.
The plot of Stargate SG-1 picks up a year after the conclusion of the events recounted in the original feature film. It follows the adventures of SG-1, a military team from Earth. In the first eight seasons, the mission of the SG teams is to explore the galaxy and search for alien technology and allies to defend Earth against the Goa'uld , a snake-like parasitic alien race from planet P3X that takes humans as unwilling hosts.
As explained in the series' backstory, the Goa'uld had transported human slaves from Earth to other habitable planets across the galaxy thousands of years ago and now pose as gods of old Earth mythologies, particularly Ancient Egypt. SG-1 eventually learns that highly evolved human-like beings, known as the Ancients , had originally built the Stargate network millions of years earlier, before ascending to a higher plane of existence , after which they pledged not to interfere in the lives of other species.
The pilot episode " Children of the Gods " , set one year after the events of the original feature film, introduces the Goa'uld System Lord Apophis Peter Williams as the main antagonist when he attacks Earth's mothballed SGC military base through the Stargate and kidnaps an airman. The SGC is brought back into action when the Stargate is revealed to be part of an interplanetary network connecting countless planets.
