Stargate (1994)

Stargate (1994)

Taglines: It will take you a million light years from home.

Stargate movie storyline. In 1928, in Egypt, a strange device is found by an expedition. In the present days, the outcast linguist Dr. Daniel Jackson is invited by a mysterious woman to decipher an ancient hieroglyph in a military facility. Soon he finds that the device was developed by an advanced civilization and opens a portal to teletransport to another planet.

Dr. Jackson is invited to join a military team under the command of Colonel Jonathan ‘Jack’ O’Neil that will explore the new world. They find a land that recalls Egypt and humans in a primitive culture that worship and are slaves to Ra, the God of the Sun. But soon they discover the secret of the mysterious “stargate”.

Stargate is a 1994 French-American science fiction adventure film[7] released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Carolco Pictures. Created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film stars Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, and Viveca Lindfors.

The plot centers on the premise of a “Stargate”, an ancient ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole enabling travel to a similar device elsewhere in the universe. The film’s central plot explores the theory of extraterrestrial beings having an influence upon human civilization.

Stargate (1994) - Jaye Davidson

ate’s metal ring with markings along its outside, and once all seven are locked in, a wormhole opens, connecting the Stargate with a distant planet. Jackson joins O’Neil and other soldiers as they pass through the wormhole, though expresses concern at a nuclear bomb they brought as a last resort.

On the arid desert planet, they find themselves in a pyramid-like structure. Jackson locates the Stargate and its controls, but lacks the coordinates to return home. O’Neil orders some men to stay behind to guard the Stargate. Nearby, they discover a tribe of humans working to mine a strange mineral from the planet. Jackson is able to communicate with them as they speak a variation of Ancient Egyptian, and finds the tribe sees them as emissaries of their god Ra (Jaye Davidson).

The tribe’s chieftain Kasuf presents Jackson with his daughter Sha’uri as a gift, and though Jackson initially refuses her, he becomes romantically attached to her. O’Neil befriends the teenaged boy Skaara and his friends, in part because Skaara reminds him of his long-deceased son. Through hidden markings and discussions with the tribe, Jackson learns that Ra is an alien being who had come to Earth during the Ancient Egyptian period, looking to possess human bodies to extend his own life.

Stargate (1994)

Ra enslaved these humans and brought some to this planet through the Stargate to mine the mineral that is used in the alien technology. The humans on Earth revolted, overthrew Ra’s overseers, and buried the Stargate to prevent its use. Ra forbade the humans in the tribe from becoming literate, fearing another revolt. During this investigation, Jackson comes across a cartouche containing six of the seven symbols for the Stargate, but the seventh has been broken off.

That night, Ra’s ship lands atop the pyramid structure, and O’Neil’s men there are captured or killed by Ra’s soldiers. When Jackson, O’Neil, and the other men return, they end up in a firefight against Ra’s soldiers. Jackson is killed and the others captured. Ra places Jackson’s body in a sarcophagus-like device that regenerates him.

Ra then explains to Jackson that he has found the nuclear bomb the humans brought and has used his alien technology to increase its explosive power a hundred-fold, and threatens to send it back through the Stargate. Ra orders the human tribe to watch as he prepares to execute Jackson and the others to demonstrate his power, but Skaara and his friends create a diversion that allows Jackson, O’Neil, and the others to escape. They flee to nearby caves to hide from Ra. Skaara and his friends celebrate, and Skaara draws out a sign of victory in a wall, which Jackson recognizes as the final symbol.

Stargate Movie Poster (1994)

Stargate (1994)

Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, Leon Rippy, John Diehl, Carlos Lauchu, Djimon Hounsou
Screenplay by: Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin
Production Design by: Holger Gross
Cinematography by: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Film Editing by: Derek Brechin, Michael J. Duthie
Costume Design by: Joseph A. Porro
Set Decoration by: Jim Erickson, Dorn Merrill Kennison, Chris Lisoni, Louis Medrano, Kelly Thompson
Art Direction by: Frank Bollinger, Peter Murton, Mark Zuelzke
Music by: David Arnold
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: October 28, 1994

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