The basic premise of Stargate Sg-1 is that a secret military team has discovered a network of portals that can instantly transport people all over the galaxy -- so, with typically earnest human curiosity, they set off to discover the mysteries of the cosmos. The show has a very complex mythology: The Stargates were created by the Ancients, an ultra-advanced race that disappeared eons ago, and humans and several other races are slowly figuring out how to use them. One of these is the Goa'uld, a snake-like species of parasites bent on taking over the galaxy; until the Stargate team arrived on the scene to oppose them, they were close to attaining their goal. Richard Dean Anderson (aka MacGyver) starred as Major General Jack O'Neill from 1997-2005; other key personnel include chief researcher Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Lt. Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder), and Teal'c (Christopher Judge).
