Watch: Richard Dean Anderson returns to 'Stargate SG-1' for cast table read written by A.I.
Last year, several key members of the Stargate franchise reunited for a table read event. The kicker? They were reading from a script that was generated entirely by artificial intelligence. Now, Stargate A.I. is back with a brand-new story, and this time, it's bringing the three original stars of Stargate SG-1 along for the ride.
Sci-fi website and fan event space The Companion announced this week that later in May it will launch Stargate A.I. 2.0, an all-new table read story generated by Google Artificial Intelligence under the supervision of SG-1 co-creator Brad Wright. Joining Wright for this particular journey will be Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter, Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, and Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O'Neill. The project marks the first time in nearly a decade Anderson has done any acting performance.
The official trailer for the Stargate A.I. event features the three SG-1 stars settling into to have some fun with the new script, goofing around on a video call, and remarking on Anderson's unexpected return to acting, all to the delight of host and Stargate superfan Marc Evan Jackson.
Check out the preview below:
Stargate A.I. made its debut on The Companion last fall, with a table read featuring a series of scenes starring various characters from throughout the franchise. The idea was originally generated when Wright realized he didn't want to use a pre-existing Stargate script for a proposed live table read event at The Companion (where he also hosts a podcast), and he couldn't technically write a new story to be performed live without permission from the studio. So, why not let an artificial intelligence take a crack at it?
"I had the notion that if it wasn't me who wrote it, what if we got an AI to write it?" Wright told SYFY WIRE. "My last show, Travelers, was very much about AI, [and] I had another series in development that was heavily into AI, so my head was in the AI space. But I thought, why not put it out there? Why not suggest that we do a read-through science project with members of the cast? I knew that some of them would just fall in love with the idea because I know them and I know how they're wired."
Wright teamed up with Google A.I. Lead Laurence Moroney, who trained multiple A.I. on various Stargate scripts and stories to generate new material. Now, those A.I. have cranked out a new SG-1 story, and The Companion promises they've gotten even more sophisticated in the months since the first event.
Stargate A.I. 2.0 will premiere May 21 in a livestream event hosted by The Companion, and will be available to watch on demand for Companion subscribers for a week after the event. To learn more, and to sign up for a free trial so you can watch the event for yourself, head over to The Companion's website.
Looking for more sci-fi TV? Check out shows like Resident Alien, Brave New World, Project Blue Book, Eureka, Heroes, Intergalactic and more streaming now on Peacock. Looking ahead, SYFY has the new series The Ark in the works from original Stargate film producer Dean Devlin, as well as Stargate SG-1 producer Jonathan Glassner.
