Lost City (Stargate SG-1)

Plot

SG-1 travels to an alien world containing a Repository of the Ancients Knowledge, racing against Anubis's forces. The team debates whether to use the device or destroy it to prevent Anubis from taking it. Jack O'Neill, who was nearly killed by the knowledge from an identical device years earlier, decides to use it in hopes of defending Earth.

In Washington, D.C., President Henry Hayes appoints Dr. Elizabeth Weir to replace General Hammond for a three-month review. Vice President Robert Kinsey warns Weir against interfering with his agenda. After SG-1 returns, Hammond informs them of his replacement. Weir halts all Stargate operations.

Bra'tac arrives with news that Anubis's fleet will reach Earth in three days. Kinsey dismisses the threat, but Weir listens to SG-1's proposal to find the Lost City of the Ancients. Bra'tac and Teal'c depart for Chulak to gather ships and warriors.

Production

Brad Wright began discussing a Stargate SG-1 feature film and spinoff in September 2001. By February 2002, he and Robert C. Cooper were writing the script, with Daniel Jackson included despite Michael Shanks having left the show. In June 2002, Wright stated they had submitted a first draft, with the film bridging SG-1 and a new spinoff called Stargate Atlantis. MGM later opted for a sixth season of SG-1, hoping to raise interest and capital for the film.

Richard Dean Anderson, reducing his working days, expressed interest in being part of the feature. Cooper wanted the film to conclude SG-1, complete the search for the Lost City, wrap up the Anubis arc, and reveal the Stargate program publicly.

Believing season 7 would be the last, the script was adapted into a finale. After SG-1 was renewed for an eighth season alongside Atlantis, Wright and Cooper adapted the script into a two-part season 7 finale. Discussions considered a two-hour piece or television movie, but Sci Fi split the story into two parts.

Release

Part 1 of "Lost City" first aired on Sky One in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2003, with part 2 on October 9, 2003. Both parts were the second most popular broadcasts on Sky One that week, behind new episodes of The Simpsons. Part 1 had about 920,000 viewers, making it Sky One's most watched broadcast of season 7; part 2 had about 900,000, the channel's second most watched of the season. In the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel aired part 1 on October 12, 2003, earning a 1.7 Nielsen household rating.

Part 2 aired on October 19, 2003, earning a 2.1 rating, approximately 2.56 million viewers, making it the second most watched episode of season 7 on Sci-Fi, behind "Evolution" part 2. In Canada, Space aired part 1 on January 27, 2005, and part 2 on February 3, 2005. IGN noted the episode offered an entertaining story with humorous dialogue and steady performances, highlighting Ronny Cox's Vice President Kinsey as a weasel character. Darren Rea for Sci-fi Online called it the next best thing to a theatrical Stargate movie, praising the visual effects battles and Richard Dean Anderson's presence throughout.