Stargate SG-1 creator on Sam and Jack's relationship: 'Deep emotions' since series' end

Amazon's acquisition of MGM may have caused a delay in terms of a long-rumored Stargate revival, but that doesn't compare to how longtime fans of the original series, Stargate SG-1, have waited to see if the romance between then-Captain Samantha Carter and Colonel Jack O'Neill (played by Travelers' Amanda Tapping and MacGyver's Richard Dean Anderson) will be confirmed on-screen.

Fans noticed the way the characters were drawn towards each other from the early seasons, and saw that play out fairly early as a what-if in a Groundhog Day-esque time loop-focused episode that saw Jack seize the moment in one of his many loops, to actually act on his feelings and kiss Sam. However, due to military regulations and his position as her senior officer, neither character ever acted on their feelings during the show's 10-season run, though there were plenty of storylines that hinted at their feelings.

The biggest? An alternate universe where Sam and Jack had actually been together and gotten married, introduced as part of Stargate's early multiverse (take that, Marvel!). 

"There were looks in dailies that we were picking up on," says co-creator Brad Wright tells SYFY WIRE of the pairing and how they came to be. "There was a line in the military, and there still is, where it would be completely inappropriate for there to be any real relationship. But that doesn't mean they weren't burying feelings." 

He continues, "If there was a real relationship, they would be separated. They wouldn't be allowed to be in the same unit so that we could never actually go there. But now, Sam's a general, O'Neill's a retired general. Sure. Why not?"

However, Wright, who wrote the pilot for a proposed revival of the franchise, notes that fans of the couple shouldn't be expecting anything overt on-screen just yet, despite the characters' current professional statuses. "All I can tell you is that they clearly, by the end of, or during, the show had demonstrated deep emotions for each other that would likely have culminated in something between now and then. How far that got taken in my script may not be what actually happens in any eventual show. It may not be up to me."  

Wright's plans for his proposed new Stargate series would see him not only bring back fan favorites like Sam — specifically in her new role as general — but also her science-minded colleague Daniel Jackson (Altered Carbon's Michael Shanks). 

"My goal was to create something that was new that also honored the existing universe, that lived in the canon of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, and therefore included some of those characters." explains Wright. "Bring in a new guard? Absolutely. But not at the expense of the pre-existing characters, who I think would still be very much on their game and still firing on all cylinders." 

Fans looking for new Stargate content can check out a recent reunion featuring different cast members reading aloud from an AI-written script. The video is available on The Companion from November 23rd. You can sign up for a membership here.