Win Gold Tickets to Creation Chicago 2012 con

[probie93]

Stargate has been the most influencial show in my life. It has introduced me to the wonders of scifi. It was the first scifi show I watched and it launched me into the world of science fiction that I cant imagine being without.
It has influnced my life in the most amazing ways, and I thank it for that. I love stargate and everything that it has brought to scifi and my life.

[sg.amanda]

Stargate has not just changed my life but it actually shaped it into who I am today. My father figure growing up was an amazing man named Harlan Harrison Dobbins. He cared for myself, my sister, and my mother while he was in his 70s. When he died all he left me was a Stargate VHS Tape and his curiousity that both my sister and I now share for space and the unkown.

He died shortly after SG-1 began and that's when I started watching it. I never missed an episode and have probably watched every franchise's episodes 10 times a piece. Growing up I wanted to be an anthropologist like Daniel Jackson or a scientist like Samantha Carter, I wound up in the science field but still hold anthropology and mythology close to my heart as a hobby.

Everytime I get down in life I can always return to Stargate as my happy place from childhood and watch it as much as possible. Every convention I have gone to has been the highlight of my year and meeting the celebrities has made me that much more of a fan. I am not only a fan of one franchise but I love them all equally and have nothing bad to say about any of the franchises.

Stargate has introduced me to new friends, shaped my career, and provided me with comfort during times of need. This is how Stargate has affected my life.

[Nayari]

Stargate has affected my life in ways I couldn't even imagine. As I got into it as a fan, it helped solidify my plot writing and aided me in character development. It broadened my horizons in the realm of science fiction, and inspired a wave of real-life influences such as a passion for languages, an interest in Egyptology, and a desire to really get into social media, (believe it or not, I barely did anything on Twitter or Facebook before encountering Stargate).

Were it not for Stargate, I would never have joined Wormhole Riders, an online news agency that I report for and has helped me build a portfolio that I can use to get a jump start into a writing career. I also have become more active socially online, meeting and chatting with people all over the world and making friends in other countries. I've started attending conventions, and even been able to directly support some actors in their work. Stargate got me into the world, and while it may be strange to think a TV show did all that for me - I am just the kind of girl that needed a push in my imagination to open up my reality.

[ZRFTS]

How did Stargate affect my life? well it didn't affect my life in a way that other people claimed but it did introduce me to a variety of worlds, the inner workings of the Air Force and to four guys who were really fun to watch. It was interesting to see the group of Jack, Daniel, Teal'q and Samantha as they went through the Stargate, discovering ancient worlds and ultimately creating relations that led to the world we live in today. It was nice to see the evolution of the world as the show went on; the control crystals, the hologram interfaces, the long range communication, it was nice to see how the world became technologically evolved through the partnerships of various planets instead of taking them by force or etc. truly showed off the philanthropy views of the show.

The way it showed the inner workings of present day government, the way it promoted it's own views and what it wants for the country; it wasn't a focal point, more so it was one of those subtle things that was reflected in the action, reflected in the world itself. It was one of those shows that made a point without having to verbally say it made that point, it painted a picture of what people dream alien-human relations would be like and it put that picture up there to inspire people from all races and ages. I'm sure this show also made a lot of people join the air force, I mean watching this show, one could imagine what it'd be like there; encountering a bunch of loose going people like the four shown, working on technology, using knowledge rather then brute force in serving of the Military; you can say that it was a show made by the Air Force as a promotional tool.

It was nothing like Star Trek in that it wasn't overly serious, it was a show that was mostly for the family; a niche show that was serious some of the time and completely lighthearted another of the time. You got one moment involving violence and the next you get a joke, it didn't tip between either one and it knew it's balance a lot of the time. It was an exhilarating experience to watch as it had people visiting all of those planets, it was like the people trying to recreate Stargate with every episode and mostly succeeding every time; to see these people go to unfamiliar planets and use their wits and brains (without futuristic technology) it was indescribable. It didn't pander to it's audience and it assumed that the audience was smart and dedicated enough to get what was going on-screen; it didn't single itself to one audience, it opened itself up to all audiences niche and general alike though it wasn't promoted or seen as such.

Though the later seasons didn't exactly have the impact that the earlier ones did; Stargate still made a substantial impact. They took a harshly criticized 1994 movie and they turned it into one of the most successful sci-fi franchises in history with depth, appeal and intrigue that still resonates today. Plus it did make me think somewhat about adventure, it made me realize four people who's names I can't forget today ("RDA" "MS" "AT" and "CJ") and it just made me think more about politics and sci-fi together then any other show could. It didn't majorly influence my life but it did have a part in it, small but important.

[Rizzale]

Well I just,literally, finished the last Atlantis episode, 2nd run , And was thinking what now? Decided to look at some SG1 info in Wiki,when I saw a link to a fan site, ,I've never visited a fan website before this, which lead me to this contest.. Now I'm thinking how freaking cool would it be to go to this convention!

I've been very interested in extraterrestrial mythology since I was young teenager. (early 90's) So when the Stargate Movie came out with Kurt Russell. I HAD to see it..I started watching the shows on Netflix a few or so years ago.. and was hooked.

So its been nice having a series of shows based of topics that interest me. Like ET's, Ancient earth mythologies, physics, human nature.. love, triumph, loss, teamwork, flash brilliance (getting that idea just when you need it).
And its just a great show!! Nicely written, awesome actors. So I was bummed when it ended again.. my second time through. Watching the Stargate shows after work in the real world was great relief. I really wish I could travel the universe, explore and do good things.

So I hope I get randomly picked , because I reeeallly wanna go!

anyway, cya!

[Saevitia]

Stargate was one of the things that brought my family closer together. I began watching SG1 when I was in middle school. Every now and then I would be joined by my mother. Of course that every now and then turned into a regular occurance and she became almost as much of a fan as I am.

Occasionally when we would be watching Stargate my father, who is the epitome of workaholic, would come out of his office and join us. And then proceed to pester us incessantly about characters and plot details.

I only had one friend who enjoyed the shows as much as I do, and she moved away when I was in eigth grade. I had no one else to watch or discuss the shows with other than my parents. None of us followed many shows, and the three of us never followed the same show all together. It became a fantastic way to pass an hour, and, at least briefly, prevented fights breaking out over who wanted to watch what on the television.

While I was the only person who continuously kept up with the shows, my mother will still sit down to watch a rerun with me from time to time when I'm home. Her birthday is in early August and I'm tired of getting her knitting books. In the (unlikely) event that I do win, that second ticket is going to her.

[SPARTEN II]

Stargate introduced me to the world of science fiction. Without it, I never would have discovered many of the other amazing science fiction shows.

[djtech1982]

Stargate has transformed my life in ways I would've never even imagined. I've made some good friends because of that, and found out that my best friend loves it as much as I do (never knew that!). Every day after work, I love coming home and watching a random episode of Stargate. Stargate is one of the few series that has transformed the science fiction genre. I love to research the making of SG1. I'm amazed that, "According to the SG-1 producers, a broadcast network would have cancelled SG-1 after a few episodes, but Showtime put no pressure on the show to 'deliver the meteoric ratings the way network shows do.'"

Stargate has even inspired my friend and I to create a sci fi/fantasy television series, which we will be trying to get produced. When we write down our ideas for storylines, we always like to make homages to Stargate. It would be awesome even to work with some of the people from the Stargate series sometime in the future. But we know we have a lot of work to do in order to get the series sold produced.

[Altarf81]

Stargate was, and still is, for me a lot more than just a TV show. It's a pretty good excuse to sit on my couch and watch my all-time favorite show/franchise. I don't really know where my fascination for Stargate lies, maybe it's the mythology, the numerous serious action scenes (and yet humoristic at some point) or the idea of space travel in our very present, but I just love it. However, the thing that makes Stargate what it is is the entire crew working hard to accomplish the incredible! Indeed those are talented actors and brilliant producers. It has also brought me closer to some friends of mine. Wether it's SG-1, SGA or SGU I'll always have the time to enjoy one or two episode with my best friend who is also a number one fan!

[littlesquirrel]

The Sci-Fi community as a whole is such an amazing community and Stargate offered so many great stories and characters. You don't have to be an alien like Tealc to understand how hard it is to leave your family and go to a new world (city, state, country, etc.), or to join a new group of friends. Daniel, Rodney, Sam, Nicolas - they made it cool to be a geek. SG gave us unusual but lasting friendships and frenemies, not to mention some fun-to-hate villians. It was sad to see the SG era end on TV, but we keep it alive here on the forum and with the friendships we've struck up through the years.

[1651959]

After having watched the Stargate series from movie length and into the tv series, I purchased the boxed set of Stargate SG1 and rewatch all the series(Atlantis,SGU) over and over and even re-runs on tv, you could say I'm hooked, don't have a day that isn't Stargated.

[luquado]

Well, I got into SG1 first, years ago, after tuning into reruns on SciFi after a knee surgery left me with not much to do for a week or so, and I was hooked. I quickly went back and watched the feature film and then eventually got caught up with all of SG1, finished that out, some of SGA, and all of SGU.

How it's affected my life? I loved, loved, loved the actors, but in particular RDA's, Michael Shanks's, David Blue's, Louis Ferreira's, Robert Carlyle's, Jamil Walker Smith's, and Brian J Smith's approaches to their roles and characters... and if I ever get back into acting, watching how they approached their material will inform what I do. I loved the imaginative expansion of the original film's concept over the many seasons, which has made me try to be that creative and evolutionary in my songwriting and storytelling. The shows were some of the few shows I could watch as a break from long hours of coding/programming and not get taken out of the "zone", probably because they often engaged viewers intellectually as well as tell a fun story.

But most of all, it was cool to watch how, every week, the writers, actors, producers -- heck, everyone on the gig -- constantly stretched the boundaries of what shows on cable, at that budget, were all about and what you could do with them. I mean, it was camp at times, but even then it was good, no, great camp. It was fun to be along for the ride and watch the story unfold, and I was saddened by the end of SG1, the cancellation of SGA and SGU, and MGM's subsequent financial troubles, knowing what that meant for the films and that those stories wouldn't be completed. Other shows have come and gone, but none really captured my imagination the way SG1 and SGU did. They're some of the few shows that have made me think, "man, it would have been a blast to be on / write for that show".

Plus, as an aspiring composer-on-the-side, Joel Goldsmith's (RIP) work, especially combining moody electronic and orchestral elements on SGU, was absolutely top-notch and up there with some of my favorite scoring composers.

I'm truly thankful for the seasons we were able to go along with the cast & crew for the ride.

[Conchobair]

Stargate has changed the way I look at The Simpsons.

[gildor23]

Stargate has affected my life in many ways. The biggest is that it gave me many characters and stories that are as real to me as any in real life. I quote Master Bra'tac all the time. "A warriors greatest strength is his wit." I keep an autographed picture of General Hammond over my bed and I salute it every morning before work. I really want to go to Chicago

[biscuits]

The leadership qualities of the leading characters provide excellent vignettes of how to lead a team through adversity. Stargate has done a better job of demonstrating tolerance and acceptance than other series have been able to achieve, and best of all, it's happening here and now -- not 400 years in the future. The characters are all real and approachable. It's easy to imagine one of them as your neighbor, or your cub scout leader, or somebody who you'd love to have on, or leading your team at work.

Observing and studying the characters has helped me to identify ways that I can be a better leader to my team. Also, how at the most basic level, it's not the mission that's important: it's the personnel management. It's levity, focus, big picture goals, making everyone feel valuable, and making decisions from an ethical and moral platform. You become the type of leader that you would want to have leading you, and Stargate presented those qualities every week.

I think that's what I miss most of all about the series (even SGU) being off the air. It's hit-and-miss to find another series that gets into the same enjoyable focus on characters without wrapping it around so many layers of (procedurals, vampires, betrayal, empty sitcoms, etc ...).