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The endless story possibilities suggested by the premise of the 1994 feature film "Stargate" made the movie a prime candidate for a sequel. Unfortunately, the film's screenwriter, as with so much Hollywood fare, ignored most of the tale's intellectual potential about holes in space in favor of mindless battle scenes between hostile aliens and heroic humans.
Tonight at 8, Showtime premieres a two-hour sequel to "Stargate" called "Children of the Gods." The film is also the premiere episode of "Stargate SG-1," an hour-long dramatic series airing Friday nights at 10, beginning this week. So far, 20 episodes have been ordered by the cable service, with an option for 22 more.
Judging by tonight's opener, "Stargate SG-1" - which also includes an aliens-vs.-humans battle scene - will surpass its predecessor in its grown-up treatment of the fascinating fantasy subject of intergalactic and time travel. But is it a fantasy?
Astrophysicists - real ones, not just the fictional ones in this film or the current theatrical release "Contact" - have theorized about the existence of "wormholes" that would enable humans to travel,...