Michael Shanks Just Revealed What Amazon’s Canceled ‘Stargate’ Series Was Actually Going to Be About

Few sci-fi cancellations have sparked as much sustained fan backlash as Amazon’s decision to scrap its long-awaited ‘Stargate’ revival. Nearly three months after the show was axed, the franchise’s dedicated fanbase has kept the pressure on, organizing petitions, billboards, and even a banner plane over Amazon MGM’s Culver City lot in hopes of reversing the decision.

That campaign has kept the conversation alive well past the initial shock of the cancellation, and now some of the people closest to the project are starting to share exactly what fans missed out on. With the show’s creative team largely staying quiet since June, any new details have felt like a rare gift to a community still mourning what could have been.

Michael Shanks, who played Dr. Daniel Jackson throughout much of the original franchise, has now revealed key details about what was planned for the new series during an appearance at Ascension Con in Birmingham. According to Stargate-Fusion, Shanks confirmed he was set to reprise Daniel Jackson as a full member of the regular cast, with the character serving as a bridge between the franchise’s original continuity and the new series’ alternate reality setting.

That alternate reality concept, according to additional details relayed by Dial the Gate host David Read, would have blended elements of a reboot and a direct sequel rather than committing fully to either approach. The idea was reportedly designed to give new viewers an accessible entry point while still respecting the established canon that longtime fans have followed since the franchise began.

Shanks wasn’t going to be the only familiar face returning, either. More than half a dozen actors from the franchise’s history were reportedly set to appear across the first season in recurring or guest roles, with some playing alternate versions of their original characters and others, like Daniel Jackson, connected more directly to the franchise’s historical continuity.

The first season was also reportedly planned to run for around 10 episodes, a detail that lines up with comments series creator Martin Gero made earlier in the year about the scope of the project. Gero, along with fellow franchise veterans Brad Wright and Joseph Mallozzi, had been developing the series for more than two years before Amazon MGM Studios pulled the plug in June, reportedly over concerns the show wouldn’t have broad enough appeal beyond existing fans.

That decision sparked immediate backlash from both fans and cast members, with Shanks among the most vocal critics on social media at the time. The “Save Stargate with Martin Gero” petition has continued climbing since then, sitting at nearly 119,000 signatures as of late August and still adding new supporters daily.

The campaign has since expanded well beyond an online petition, with organizers setting up a Times Square billboard, a London Eye rally, and public support from franchise veterans including Robert Patrick and Joe Flanigan. Shanks is expected to keep pushing the cause forward at Dragon Con in Atlanta next month, where organizers plan to continue collecting signatures.

For now, this new information from Shanks and Read offers fans their clearest picture yet of what Gero’s vision for the franchise’s next chapter actually looked like. Whether Amazon ultimately reconsiders or another studio steps in to save the concept remains uncertain, but the fandom’s determination to keep the pressure on shows no signs of slowing down.

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