‘Remember the Nox’: Stargate: SG-1's narrative structure and the changing form of television fiction

Abstract

Narrative structure in television fiction has moved past the ability to simply categorise programmes by the standard terms series or serial. Vacillation of form where series take on the attribute of seriality in order to facilitate greater narrative complexity has become more common in recent decades. Stargate: SG-1 (1997–2007) achieved a successful balance in this regard and serves as a salient example of the historical changes that have happened within television fiction. Furthermore, the show illustrates what can be termed a negotiation of series and serial form, showing the ways that a programme can effectively integrate the demands of each. This paper analyses the narrative composition of SG-1 in relation to discourses concerning serialisation and complexity in television fiction. Since its formative first season, SG-1 demonstrated a balancing of episodic and serialised narrative demands. These features extended over the series' 10 seasons producing a complex narrative with highly developed characters and an expansive fictional universe. Analysis of SG-1 provides insight into the narrative structure of television fiction and ways in which character and story development are shaped through the combination of series and serial forms.