“Save Stargate” Didn’t Mean Hand It Over to Jac Schaeffer

Amazon doesn’t need to teach Stargate fans a lesson. It needs to give them a reason to watch. Shelving Martin Gero’s revival and reportedly handing the franchise to Jac Schaeffer isn’t exactly a confidence builder. The “Save Stargate” movement backed Gero’s revival, not the return of a familiar logo slapped onto whatever Amazon wanted to make. Fans wanted to rescue the franchise, not volunteer it for a Hollywood makeover. According to Variety, citing unnamed sources, Schaeffer is developing a new series with executive producers Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell, both holdovers from Gero’s project. There’s no production green light, much less a finished episode. Declaring the show a disaster would be premature. Asking what the hell Amazon is thinking isn’t. Gero’s version reportedly had finished its writers’ room and entered preproduction before Amazon canceled it over concerns that it wouldn’t appeal broadly enough beyond existing fans. That’s an odd business problem: customers already want your product, but you’re worried about the people who don’t. By all means, attract newcomers. Why make the loyal audience nervous in the process? After a 1994 movie and more than 350 television episo...