'Stargate' signs off

Stargate SG-1" has survived through 10 seasons, 214 episodes, two TV movies, two networks (Showtime and Sci Fi) and myriad cast changes.

But it's all coming to an end tonight as the series signs off with its final episode. It's an episode that sort of, kind of wraps things up. But not really.

"SG-1" fans will be able to imagine their heroes are still traveling across the universe fighting the good fight.

There's some grumbling out there among the show's fans, but 10 years and 214 episodes is an incredibly long run for any series, let alone a science-fiction show. To put that in some perspective, "Stargate SG-1" has outdistanced any individual "Star Trek" series by a minimum of 36 episodes. (The original series ran 79 episodes; "Next Generation," 178; "Deep Space Nine," 176; "Voyager," 172; and "Enterprise," 98.)

"Stargate SG-1" has its devoted cadre of fans, but it never made the sort of cultural impact of a "Star Trek." And, at the risk of ticking off that devoted cadre of fans, there's a reason for that. The show is pretty derivative of a lot of shows that have gone before it. And it has become more so over the years.

There are bits of everything from "Babylon 5" to "Time Tunnel." And, most notably, "Star Trek."

Tonight's finale (6 and 9 p.m., Sci Fi) almost looks like it might have been pieced together from old "Star Trek" episodes. There's even a recurring computer-generated image of two starships suspended in time that looks like it was lifted right out of an old "Next Generation" episode.

You could even argue that the plot is reminiscent of the "Next Gen" finale, too. The finale gets off to a promising start — the dying Asgard race turns over all of its technology and knowledge to the SG-1 team, which will come in mighty handy in the battle against the Ori.

But then there're lots of beaming people up, starship battles and the episode turns into a time-travel adventure of sorts — something the various "Star Treks" did ad nauseam, and something that played a major role in the final episode of "Next Generation."

Ah, well. Did I mention that "Stargate SG-1" lasted 10 seasons and 214 episodes?

THE END of "SG-1" doesn't mean the end of the franchise — "Stargate Atlantis" will return for its fourth season in the fall. And it wraps up its third season tonight (7 and 10 p.m., Sci Fi) with a cliffhanger.

Those nasty Replicants are planning to attack Earth, so Earth launches a first-strike attack. But that causes lots of problems for Atlantis.

There are some really cool computer-generated effects and some intriguing ideas — along with some stilted dialogue and wooden acting.

Whoops, there I go ticking off the "Stargate" fans again.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com