The Stargate Was Originally Black? Here’s Why They Changed It

Before the iconic 1994 movie ever launched an entire story-verse of franchise lore, the original Stargate movie (playing this month on SYFY) struck an indelible science fiction image with its big-screen depiction of a massive, ringlike wormhole portal that opens onto an unknown world.

Watching Col. Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell), Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) and company step through the movie’s huge silver-circle contraption rates as one of Stargate’s most memorable moments. But fans might not know that the space-skipping device has a behind-the-scenes history of its own… or that it almost ended up being a much more boring color.

A last-minute color change: Why the “Stargate” in Stargate is silver

Stargate director Roland Emmerich co-wrote the 1994 film’s screenplay alongside sci-fi creative mastermind Dean Devlin, and together they dreamt up an entirely new science fiction IP — complete with all the first-time creative challenges that entails.

From the windswept desert environments of the far-flung planet Abydos to the cryptic hieroglyphs that only an Egyptologist with Jackson’s skills could crack, envisioning Stargate as a fresh film idea encompassed much more than crafting its clever story. The movie had to look a certain way, too — and when it came time to show viewers the actual Stargate, they realized their first choice of color wouldn’t exactly wow audiences with big visual impact.

Speaking on the audio commentary track for the Ultimate Edition home video release of Stargate, Devlin recalled how the ancient high-tech device ended up with its final, screen-ready silver color. “Originally, the Stargate was painted black,” said Devlin — “and, it looked like a giant tire. So we had to have it repainted at the last moment.”

Though it sounds like a small detail, that single creative decision from the original Stargate film ended up having a much larger ripple throughout the forthcoming Stargate story-verse. Across the trio of subsequent TV series spun off from the original movie (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe) — not to mention two more film-length features (Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum), the Stargate’s silvery color became a visual emblem for the franchise’s identity, fusing the mysteries of ancient knowledge with futuristic and enigmatic technology.

Thirty years on from Stargate’s debut in theaters, Devlin is once again mining his expansive science fiction mind for new story ideas — this time on the small screen. Alongside Stargate SG-1 alum Jonathan Glassner, he’s the driving force behind The Ark, SYFY’s original space series about a savior vessel on a generational voyage to find a new home for humanity.

Catch the original movie that started it all as Stargate airs on SYFY this month (click here to spy the full TV schedule). And while we’re eagerly awaiting the already green-lit third season of The Ark, stream the show’s first two seasons on Peacock right here.