The Other End of the Wormhole

Brigid Cherry The Other End of the Wormhole:

The Case of “Stargate SG-1” on British Television

Recent decades have seen increasing convergence between British and American forms of popular entertainment, though signifi cant cultural and national differences remain.1 As Manuel Alvarado states, there is an economically driven tendency to gloss over the differences between British (independent and American fi lms and television programmes.2 from the US-based However, as Marnie Carroll proposes elsewhere, communities) with discussion lists, the production, scheduling, and reception of web rings and other Internet locations as a popular cultural products are subject to national focus for British fandom. The study of national differences which need to be explored further.3 groupings within the fan audience highlights a This not only impinges upon debates about number of problematical issues. In particular, the cultural autonomy of regions and nations a converging international, yet American in Europe and elsewhere, but also impacts the dominated, entertainment industry is important viewing preferences and behaviour of audiences. to debates about cultural imperialism regionally These issues are examined here in a case and globally.5 Audience research carried out study of the science fi ction series Stargate SG- between 2001 and 2004 amongst the Stargate 1, which, like the majority of science fi ction fan communities on- and off-line focuses on programming on British television is produced how the tensions between national identity and in the US.4 A highly rated programme in the global participation are played out within fan UK, where it premiered on the satellite channel cultures. In particular, the fi ndings highlight the Sky One and subsequently began to be broadcast national and cultural differences surrounding on the terrestrial network Channel Four (with Stargate and its fans, known as ‘Gaters. a two-season lag), Stargate has proved to be In general, the majority of Science Fiction- immensely popular amongst science fi ction focused Internet groups and websites are audiences in the UK. The series has generated its located in the USA. This refl ects the overall own highly active on-line community in the UK geography of the Internet with the majority

GET A LIFE?: FAN CULTURES AND CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION 61 Lauri Mullens, editor, Spectator 25:1 (Spring 2005): 61 - 70. THE OTHER END OF THE WORMHOLE of servers and portals—and therefore groups and other interactive spaces serving the fan communities—based predominantly in the USA.6 Non-American on-line fans, therefore, participate in an environment predominantly based in North America. This has implications, especially in the developing nations, for all Internet use, as well as for the nature of the Internet itself. However, this research also raises the issue of the cultural dominance of American media products in the overseas Anglophone marketplace, and it is this context which is addressed here. It is important, as a part of this project, to understand the state of British broadcasting and the position of science fi ction and other related genres (or, as the fans refer to it, telefantasy) within the various generic formulations of television drama, particularly in respect of the prevalence of American product in the marketplace.

A Colonised Television Landscape

Analysis of the UK television schedules shows a preponderance of American-produced drama (see table 1). Of all drama programmes shown during the period surveyed, 40% originated in the UK, Christopher Judge as Tealʼc on Stargate SG-1 whilst 57% are of American origin. However, the ratio varies according to genre. Soap operas A number of issues are raised by these fi gures. are predominantly home-produced, and there is a In terms of quantity, the output of drama on more even split within the ‘cops-and-docsʼ genre. British television may not have declined rapidly in Within the telefantasy genre, however, American recent decades, but generic output on mainstream programmes predominate. Of the total number channels may now be skewed towards soap of prime-time drama programmes, 33% can be opera, medical and crime dramas and heritage classifi ed as telefantasy; of these the majority television. However, there has certainly been a (79%) are broadcast by Sky One and the specialist steep decline in long-running science fi ction genre Sci-Fi Channel. Such narrowcasting illustrates that programming. The few new programmes in this there is a signifi cant niche audience for telefantasy, area have been short run dramas (for example, and further suggests that these audiences are the four-part vampire-crime series Ultraviolet). important to minority terrestrial channels such as This has, to some extent, been a deliberate policy BBC2 and Channel Four as well.7 by programme makers and producers. Although Less than 3% of the telefantasy programmes British science fi ction television has a highly are of British origin; all of the remaining 97% regarded history (Quatermass, Doctor Who, originate in the US.8 It should also be noted that Blakeʼs 7, and series such as The Prisoner and all of the telefantasy programmes broadcast by the The Avengers), in recent years there has been little Sci-Fi Channel were American in origin. There support for telefantasy by television producers is thus a signifi cant scarcity of home-produced in the UK. This has not necessarily been linked telefantasy despite the popularity of the genre, the with low audiences for the genre, but is often part wide range of archive releases on DVD and video, of an ongoing debate about taste which codes and the rich history of British science fi ction. telefantasy as a devalued genre.9 In addition, the

62 SPRING 2005 BRIGID CHERRY high cost of special effects and CGI work required Files due to being broadcast on cable, subsequent for contemporary science fi ction have often left syndication has opened up larger audiences. On British programme makers unable to compete balance, however, it appears that UK audiences with well-funded American series. It is within (despite the much smaller overall population) are this particular set of circumstances that British almost as large as those in the US. This indicates telefantasy fans build attachments to American that Stargate has a relatively large audience in telefantasy programmes, and in this context that I overseas territories. This situation, potentially examine the popularity of Stargate in the UK. larger foreign audiences than domestic, at least in terms of reach, is no longer unusual within Viewing Figures, Transmission telefantasy. It has occurred previously with Circumstances and Screening Babylon 5 and has recently been repeated with Situations Farscape. This is highly signifi cant when it comes to considerations of fan cultures, since a Stargate attracts large audiences for Channel Four variety of factors exist that may cause overseas with the programme frequently in the channelʼs fans to feel excluded.

Table 1: Number of drama programmes on British television in week ending April 19, 2002 by country of origin (during peak hours of 6pm till midnight Monday to Friday, 10am till midnight at weekends). Drama here is taken as scripted, fi ctional programming and includes soap opera, and sitcom as well as telefantasy.

UK US Other Total Total TF Total TF Total TF Total TF Terrestrial 56 2 41 15 7 0 104 17 Satellite 41 0 97 63 1 0 139 63 Total 97 2 138 78 8 0 243 80

Terrestrial = 5 UK terrestrial channels (BBC, BBC2, ITV, Channel Four, C5) Satellite = 5 main satellite cable channels showing fi rst-run drama (Sky One, BBC Choice, ITV2, E4, The Sci-Fi Channel)

TF = telefantasy top ten. BARB ratings show that episodes on A key factor in the development of Channel Four attract an audience of around two international fan cultures centered around million viewers (ranging from 1.7 million for the American programmes is the considerable delay week ending September 9, 2001 to 2.35 million in broadcasting episodes in the UK. As with the for the week ending October 28, 2001), while traditional release dates of fi lms, screening is fi gures for Sky One have risen from over 500,000 often delayed in overseas markets, in some cases viewers per episode in 2001 to over 900,000 in by several years. In the past, British fans have 2004.10 In the US, the Nielsen ratings for US often had to wait some time to see the most recent Showtime runs of Stargate were “averaging a episodes of their favourite American series. This more-than-acceptable 2.8 rating in cable homes is at its most extreme on the British terrestrial on Friday” and have been as high as 3.7 million.11 networks, where American series (including Though American viewing fi gures might be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, various Star Trek titles expected to be low in comparison to other popular and The X-Files) screened in the UK by the BBC science fi ction series such as Star Trek or The X- and independent networks have been between

GET A LIFE?: FAN CULTURES AND CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION 63 THE OTHER END OF THE WORMHOLE one and two years behind the American fi rst runs. this audience study complain that the channel Episodes of Stargate on Channel Four have been unnecessarily “hack[s] great chunks out it” until subject to a two-year lag. Fans, who are now episodes no longer to make sense.13 Furthermore, keenly aware (and not just through the Internet, some ‘Gaters object to the fact that the timing of though this is certainly a contributory factor) that the advertising breaks in episodes does not match UK broadcasts are often subject to these lengthy the obvious cues for such breaks built into the delays, are increasingly displeased with this. In narrative.14 Others complain about the scheduling, a message dated July 12, 2001 on alt.tv.stargate- claiming that casual viewers arenʼt going to be sg1 one British ‘Gater complains that this is “surfi ng channels at 5pm on a Sunday afternoon” “so unfair” and asks why games, television and since this is neither peak-time nor a traditional slot technology companies “hate Europe and the UK.” for telefantasy. Other nationalities, including the Australians, However, fans can get around these problems have expressed similar complaints. Such attitudes in a number of ways, primarily by subscribing to indicate that viewers can feel subordinated by dint satellite or cable. Since the rise of satellite and of their nationality even at a time when the Internet cable, UK schedules on Sky and Sci-Fi have invites them to participate in a global community. largely kept up with American transmission. Additionally, telefantasy programmes This situation was reported by fans in the study are often screened on terrestrial networks in as a major factor in their adoption of satellite and early evening slots aimed at family or younger cable.15 Indeed, UK satellite broadcasts are now audiences. Subsequently, they have been cut for occasionally ahead of the American schedules. violence to make them suitable for pre-watershed This occurred with Stargate during the fourth and transmission.12 Screened by Channel Four at subsequent seasons, indicating that the traditional 5pm on Sunday, Stargate has been subject to cuts relationship between national schedules may which have led to fan criticism. Participants in in some cases have become disrupted. Such scheduling disparities are due in part to different production practices. There is no tradition in the UK, for instance, of building in gaps in series runs during which repeats of earlier episodes are screened (in order to allow production to catch up with transmission). Thus, a series will normally be given a continuous run on British television. With the delay between American and subsequent British satellite broadcast being narrowed in recent years, to a few weeks in some cases, the continuous British run of a series can catch up with and overtake an interrupted American run. In the case of season 5 of Stargate, the UK drew ahead of American broadcast with the later episodes. Showtime, which had broadcast Stargate up to season 5, dropped the series in late 2001. With the series having been picked up immediately by The Sci-Fi Channel for its sixth season, Showtime saw no urgency in transmitting new episodes and deliberately delayed the screening of later episodes of season fi ve. In addition, in the US, the screening of reruns between new episodes caused a cumulative delay throughout the season. In Richard Dean Anderson as Colonel Jack OʼNeill the UK, on the other hand, where this practice is in Stargate SG-1 not prevalent, BSkyB delivered an uninterrupted

64 SPRING 2005 BRIGID CHERRY run which overtook the transmission of episodes in the US. This is a distinct reversal of the usual spatio-temporal structure where UK transmission lags behind that in the US. ‘Gaters in the UK with access to Sky One have, therefore, found themselves in the privileged position of being able to watch— from mid-season onwards—episodes of DVDs.” Stargate in advance of Some American viewers. Although British ‘Gaters similar situations occurred also (illegally) download previously with Babylon 5 and complete episodes from the Farscape, it is still unusual for Internet, despite the reduced picture British viewers of any American quality (a drawback frequently mentioned programme or fi lm to fi nd themselves by the fans). A number of respondents state that having such an advantage. However, they download episodes soon after American it may well be that with increasing convergence transmission in order to be able to join in such situations will remain not isolated incidents discussion on the US-based lists. One respondent in the future. typically states: “I download them the day after Other methods for keeping up with American and can talk about it with everybody.” The transmission of favourite programmes include Internet, then, enables fans to develop strategies to having off-air recordings sent by fellow fans and overcome the lag between transmission times that downloading episodes (e.g. from websites such fragment global on-line fan communities. as www.sg1archive.com). This has become less These factors of access have a number of of a concern for those fans with access to satellite implications for the global fan communities and cable networks as the transmission gap has that fl ourish on the Internet. First, broadcasting narrowed, but British fans without access to Sky schedules infl uence patterns of active participation One may still have to work at keeping up with their (fans with access are able to fully participate in counterparts both at home and in the US. Some discussions of the latest episode) and passive British ‘Gaters purchase the DVD releases or have lurking (not only are fans without access unable tapes recorded for them by fans either in the UK or to contribute to discussion, but they tend to self- from the US. Signifi cantly, the DVD releases of censor what they read in order to avoid spoilers) Stargate in the UK, which have preceded releases within international on-line fan communities. In in the US, also refl ect the fact that the programme addition, although the attempts by fans outside the has a large audience in this territory. Thus these US to get around these restrictions are indicative have also been a major source of fi rst viewing for of shifting patterns of consumption in general, British ‘Gaters. One respondent typically said, “it and of the desire for a truly global community, was a pain” having to wait longer than American the temporal lag remains a signifi cant one. This viewers to see new episodes “until I started buying can give rise to confl ict both within the global

GET A LIFE?: FAN CULTURES AND CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION 65 THE OTHER END OF THE WORMHOLE

bearing on issues of national and cultural identity for British ‘Gaters. In fact the UK-SG1 Yahoo!group was set up in order for British fans, many of whom felt unable to participate in American-based groups, to discuss episodes as they were screened in the UK. This demonstrates that although the Internet has the potential to (and often does) allow fan communities to unify and fl ourish in an international context, divisions in audiences along national lines are maintained in certain contexts. Typically, fan communities fragment along lines of nationality or geographical location since these limit discussion of episodes according to local scheduling differences. However, other factors also apply. In the case of Stargate, which is fi rst broadcast on cable in the US, but is intermittently screened earlier in the UK, the usual patterns of spatio- temporal and network access are disrupted. This leads to a reversal of the usual patterns of subordination in international on-line groups. It has been the American ‘Gaters who on a number of recent occasions have been subordinated. The factors outlined above (episodes screened and DVDs released in the UK before the American releases) have been noted by American ‘Gaters and and local Internet communities (determining the have caused some of the US-based fans to complain extent to which they actively participate or even in much the same way as British fans do when which groups they join) and between the fans they are ‘behind.ʼ For example, the newsgroup and producers of the programmes (fans outside alt.tv.stargate-sg1 carried a thread in April 2002 the US may feel excluded from the production entitled ‘Damn those UK folks ;)ʼ bemoaning the and marketing contexts of a programme). fact that American ‘Gaters had to wait to discuss the fi nal episodes of season 5. Similarly, American Nomadic fans and geographical fans in the e-mail group Stargate_SG1 bemoaned location on the Internet the availability of the DVDs in the UK in a thread entitled ‘DVDʼsʼ during May 2002. With a large audience, and therefore potential fan Moreover, not all American fans have access base, established within the UK, it is important to Showtime, and many fi rst watched the show to study the specifi c factors of national identity only when it went into syndication in 1998. which may play a part within global Internet fan This was the key reason for the formation of communities and the participation by individual the American-based Yahoo!group Stargate-SG1 fans within those communities. Matt Hills (“This list is only for the people who havenʼt seen suggests that a spatially dispersed audience and SG1 on Showtime but are just starting to watch heterogeneous scheduling patterns mean that fans it on syndication.”), just as national scheduling may “fall out of step with [the] spatio-temporal was key for the formation of the UK-SG1 group. rhythm” of discussion dictated by American (and, Similar national differences occur within the UK in some cases, British) broadcast dates.16 Some due to the different schedules of Sky One and fans, particularly those from outside of the US, Channel Four broadcasts. One respondent who fi nd themselves feeling subordinated within the downloads the episodes from the sg1archive hierarchies of on-line groups. This has an obvious website does so because it is “too long to wait

66 SPRING 2005 BRIGID CHERRY for Channel Four, otherwise I canʼt discuss them American member writes: “Youʼd think weʼd get on UK lists.” Spatio-temporal imbalances, then, them at the same time or even before because its can be seen at work within national boundaries based here... itʼs crazy.” Whilst one reply makes as well as between nations. Subscription to niche the correct assumption that this is because the channels can be as crucial a factor as nationality in Stargate DVDs are more popular in the UK, 17 fragmenting the fan community. another poster, who seems unable to believe that Subgroups of fans may come together around an American product would not be available in fan activities other than the discussion of the the US fi rst, speculates that the DVDs available latest episode, for example, a particular genre of in the UK must be bootlegs. She later accepts the fan fi ction or a favourite character or star. Other authenticity of the product and admits to being aspects of identity are key here. Fan fi ction confused, further speculating that it must be communities also tend to divide along lines of related to union or contractual restrictions. There gender (‘Danny whumpingʼ is a predominantly does seem to be a suggestion here of national female community, for example). The fi ndings ‘ownershipʼ of a cult text, indicating that fans from this study suggest that whilst fans actively of various nationalities hold competing claims participate in self-selected subgroups according to ownership. Cultural ownership is not, then, to taste, identity, and nationality, they remain restricted to American fans; a Canadian poster members of larger communities, though often as demonstrates similar feelings of ownership, lurkers. There is no doubt, in such cases, that claiming that because Stargate is fi lmed in Canada some fans fi nd the smaller communities more they should “technically be receiving all these comfortable and feel freer to post and to chat with DVDs fi rst because I live in Canada =).” This similarly-minded fans (in the case of fans attracted fan attributes the situation to economic or political to a particular character or pairing) or those who factors, but again this indicates a sense in which are spatio-temporally co-ordinated (in the case fans feel they ‘ownʼ the cult text by dint of it being of ‘Gaters in the UK, or those who are watching ‘madeʼ in their own country. syndicated re-runs). This suggests that whilst Whilst the use of ‘emoticons,ʼ as in the thread there is fragmentation within on-line fandoms, a “Damn those UK folks ;)” and in the message looser fan community still exists. above, indicate that the posters are not entirely Even where the national bias of newsgroups serious and thus are not intending their comments is clear, national identity may not be the only to be taken as xenophobic, there does seem to be divisive factor. There remains a probability, an element of national pride or patriotism coming though, that the predominance of active American to the fore. It is clear that fans develop a sense of posters on a list creates a biased national focus. cultural ownership of the text. Whilst this is often But even if this is true, is it a crucial factor to all related to nationality, it is not restricted to this non-American fans? Certainly, factors other than alone. Many fans feel they own the text simply geography and channel access can be taken into because of their personal investment in it. account, and fans with other common interests are united across national boundaries, as the following Purchasing the (international) right examples indicate. to participate In the aforementioned ‘DVDʼsʼ thread on the Stargate_SG1 Yahoo!group complaining about As consumers of cult texts, many feel that they the release of DVDs in the UK before the US, an are ‘purchasingʼ the programme in the form of its

GET A LIFE?: FAN CULTURES AND CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION 67 THE OTHER END OF THE WORMHOLE stories and characters. There is a feeling, voiced SG team. Team members were able to undertake by many, that they have a right of ownership of the missions, but were also able to form their own associated fi ctional ‘universeʼ of the programme. team groups for chat and discussion off-site. Many This extends to the right of free use (including but team members developed strong friendships, not restricted to fan fi ction). Fan fi ction has been which can be seen in the interaction by ‘Gaters at the subject of several signifi cant studies,18 and conventions where some fans adopt personas and there has been much discussion about the breaking dress in detailed Stargate costumes with SG team of copyright law in the fans use of characters and patches indicating their particular affi liation from texts owned by the producers of a media artefact.19 the game. Several respondents indicated that their This can be related to Michel de Certeauʼs concept main creative activity as a fan was role-playing of everyday media use in which fans are seen and its associated costuming. In this respect, as poachers of media texts.20 In this kind of role-playing is an extremely important aspect of poaching, the power imbalance between producers Stargate fandom, one in which nationality has and consumers of mass media is disrupted, and proved to be a subordinating factor. although the fans are breaking copyright when When Showtime relaunched the Stargate they appropriate the text, the power they gain from Command site in early March 2002, many non-US so doing is signifi cant, on both a personal level and ‘Gaters were surprised to fi nd themselves excluded, within fan communities. As with other fandoms, fi nding with a message being displayed informing the Stargate text is subject to reworking, extension, the fans: “Sorry. We at Showtime On-line express and reinterpretation by the fans. However, the our apologies; however, these pages are intended sense of ownership of the text is exacerbated by for access only from within the United States.” the fact that the producers of Stargate have played Several ‘Gaters attempted to contact Showtime, a signifi cant part in the encouragement of active writing letters asking for further explanations fan participation, specifi cally role-playing within or complaining about their severed access, and the Stargate universe. a petition was launched by the list owner of the The offi cial Stargate websites have UK-SG1 group on March 8th. Within three days, encouraged active participation by the fans. At 500 ‘Gaters had left messages at the petition site the outset, the producers surveyed unoffi cial fan (www.petitionon-line.com/SGC/petition.html); pages and recruited web design consultants from by April 12th just under 1,250 signatures had amongst the fan producers. In the UK, the satellite been collected. In addition to UK fans, signatures network Sky One openly invited fan opinion on included many American ‘Gaters complaining its Stargate web page.21 British ‘Gaters, however, on behalf of their friends and fellows outside the were upset in 2002 at losing the Stargate page USA. For example, an ‘operations offi cerʼ in SG- on the Sky website. Very soon after this loss, 5 (from Auburn, Washington) sums up the general the Showtime site restricted entry to domestic feeling that “Showtime are doing a great disfavor American users only. Showtimeʼs offi cial Stargate to themselves … by excluding other nationalities” page, Stargate Command (www.stargatesg-1.com), as they “will be alienating Stargate fans who live had been extremely popular with ‘Gaters in the in other countries,” but more importantly causing UK. One popular feature of this site was a role- negative economic outcomes since overseas fans playing forum where fans could ‘joinʼ an SG team could boycott the companyʼs products “if they feel and enact SG missions, building up their ratings as slighted.” Other ‘Gaters expressed disquiet about they gained experience. The site also contained a being separated from friends they had made on training area with sections for SGC aptitude exams the site. Some were politically emotive: an SG-9 to test the ʼGaterʼs knowledge of planets, cultures, member from Tucson stated that 9/11 “has shown technologies and individuals, where once the us that the world needs to stick together through participant had ‘enlistedʼ they could then develop thick and thin….[Y]ou are breaking apart one of their skills. Participants were encouraged to return the very things that unites us.” daily, earning points which eventually enabled ‘Gaters in many countries, including them to advance through the various ranks in an Eastern Europe, Canada, Australia, New

68 SPRING 2005 BRIGID CHERRY

Zealand, Malaysia and Israel also signed the common ground of the fans elided national and petition. Many saw their exclusion as a form of cultural difference. discrimination (one fan even equated Showtime On-line with the Nazis) and certainly a breach Local fans and the global community of the unwritten contract that the Internet is a worldwide resource available to all (one Although focusing on Stargate SG-1, this paper, in petitioner complained “itʼs not the America exploring the implications of broadcast practices Only Web”). These comments emphasize for national and cultural identity amongst fan the depth of feeling involved. Many ‘Gaters communities, has relevance for the theorising of fan claimed emotional possession of the site cultures generally and for the cultural implications (“Itʼs our home!” for example), while others of continued American domination of both the expressed anger that their regular viewing of television schedules and the Internet. Global the show and the amount of money they spend media convergence is an important issue affecting on merchandise was being ignored. A fan from the practices and preferences of telefantasy fans Germany stated, “We are customers too! We buy in regional and global communities. There are the videos and DVDs, we watch Stargate on clear differences in the traditions of television and TV-stations which paid MGM for broadcasting broadcasting practices in the UK and US, and these it.” Despite this effort though, access to the differences in turn impact fan communities. Whilst Showtime site remained blocked. such scheduling and access differences remain, Though some sections of the fandom were the Internet allows information on television critical of the petition effort, this does illustrate programmes (and even the programmes themselves) that under crisis conditions members of the to be instantly accessible around the world. Demand community can and do draw together in mutual is therefore generated by the consumers of cultural support regardless of the national or cultural texts, who feel they have a right of ownership of differences and despite the fragmenting of the text, for interaction with that text on an equal fandom into smaller national or other groupings.22 footing regardless of geographical location. This More importantly, it demonstrates that fans do may create temporary or partial divisions between not regard themselves as (or only as) consumers, groups of fans, but more importantly it signals but as end users of a popular cultural product, tensions between the fans and the producers of with a requisite right to use that product in ways the text. Increasingly, media convergence and which give them pleasure beyond the text itself. globalisation are leading to complicated situations This brings into focus the tension that national for both audiences and producers. boundaries can cause within the global audiences that many television programmes, fi lms and other The help and contributions of the attendees mass media texts now attract. The American fans at the Wolf Stargate SG-1 conventions and on have been extremely supportive of their fellows the UK Stargate Yahoo!groups are gratefully in other parts of the world, and the community acknowledged. Thanks also go to Elaine Nicol for as a whole has presented a united face against her assistance in collecting the data on which this the producers of the text. In this instance, the paper is based.

BRIGID CHERRY is a lecturer in Film and Television at St. Maryʼs College, University of Surrey. She has researched the female horror fi lm audience and her recent work is in the area of gender, nationality and identity in science fi ction fandoms, in both online and face-to-face fan communities. She has also written on vampire cinema and the Gothic.

GET A LIFE?: FAN CULTURES AND CONTEMPORARY TELEVISION 69 THE OTHER END OF THE WORMHOLE

Notes

1 See Tino Balio, “Adjusting to the New Global Economy: Hollywood in the 1990s,” in Film Policy: International, National and Regional Perspectives, ed. Albert Moran (London: Routledge, 1996) for example. 2 Manuel Alvarado, “Selling Television,” in Film Policy: International, National and Regional Perspectives, ed. Albert Moran (London: Routledge, 1996). 3 Marnie Carroll, “American Television in Europe: Problematizing the Notion of Pop Cultural Harmony,” Bad Subjects: Political Education for Everyday Life 57 (October 2001), http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2001/57/carroll.html. 4 Stargate SG-1 is produced by MGM with screening rights previously held by the cable network Showtime and currently by the Sci-Fi Channel. It should be noted that Stargate is fi lmed in Canada; the recent trend for shooting US series abroad is largely for economic reasons. 5 Toby Miller, “The Crime of Monsieur Lang: GATT, the Screen and the New International Division of Cultural Labour,” in Film Policy: International, National and Regional Perspectives, ed. Albert Moran (London: Routledge, 1996) provides an analysis of the fi nal round of GATT talks in 1994, for example. 6 See the geography of the Internet at http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/geographic.html, for instance. 7 Peter Chipsdale, Dished: The Rise and Fall of British Satellite Broadcasting (London: Simon and Schuster, 1991). In the early days of satellite and cable networks in the UK, many sci-fi fans quickly adopted the new technology due to the opportunities that satellite and cable channels such as UK Gold and Bravo (re-run nostalgia channels) offered with repeats of Doctor Who, Blakeʼs 7 and other telefantasy programmes of the 1960s and 70s. 8 The nostalgia channels, particularly UK Gold, do provide reruns of older British series such as Blakeʼs 7 and Doctor Who at other times of day. A new series of Doctor Who is currently in production, though it is too early to say whether this will lead to a revival of British telefantasy. 9 On Room 101 (10pm, BBC2, April 15, 2002), for instance, current BBC Chairman Michael Grade, who has been outspoken about his dislike for science fi ction, stated that he cancelled the longest-running British science fi ction series Doctor Who because he did not like it. This accords with a general cultural snobbery towards genres such as science fi ction, fantasy and horror. With respect to genre, this follows Bourdieuʼs account of a cultural economy, Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984). 10 Figures taken from Jason Deans, “When will E4 get an audience? Bet now!” The Guardian (Jan. 14, 2002) and “Why Sky put its faith in cowboys,” The Guardian (Sept. 27, 2004). This represents a little under a 10% share of BSkyB subscribers and places Stargate in Skyʼs ratings top ten. Sky has over 7 million subscribers (fi gure derived from circulation fi gure for Sky Consumer Magazine as supplied by BSkyB). 11 John Dempsey, “‘Foodʼ fi lls auds as Showtime stumbles,” Variety (Aug. 14, 2000). 12 Annette Hill and Ian Calcutt, “Vampire Hunters: The Scheduling and Reception of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel in the UK,” Intensities: the Journal of Cult Media no. 1 (Spring/Summer, 2001), http://www.cult-media.com/issue1/Ahill.htm. 13 The data presented here is part of a study of Stargate fans involving participant observation, interview and questionnaire. Respondents were recruited at Stargate conventions in the UK and amongst members of the online Yahoo!Groups. In total, 47 fans completed questionnaires; quotes are also drawn from online discussion. 14 The latter occurs because of UK and European Union regulations limiting the number of ad breaks allowed on terrestrial commercial networks, and this is, therefore, usual for American programmes shown in the UK. 15 See also Chipsdale, 1991. 16 Matthew Hills, “Virtually Out There: Strategies, Tactics and Affective Spaces in On-line Fandom,” in Technospaces: Inside the New Media, ed. Sally R. Munt (London: Continuum, 2001): 176-7. 17 This was verifi ed by a spokesperson for MGM Home Entertainment (distributor of Stargate SG-1 DVDs in the UK) in a telephone conversation in May 2002. 18 See Camille Bacon-Smith, Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992) or Henry Jenkins, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (London: Routledge, 1992) for example. 19 Buffy the Vampire Slayer websites have been closed down by Warner Brothers over the on-line publication of scripts and transcripts of episodes, and Star Wars slash fan fi ction sites have been forced to close by Lucasfi lm due to the adult content and sexual material in the stories. 20 See Jenkins. 21 Thomasina Gibson, Stargate SG-1: The Illustrated Companion (London: Titan Books, 2001), 152-153. 22 The petition organiser writes: “I actually got a lot of coverage for my petition and with over 100,000 users of the Stargate command site, I really expected a lot more support. I was particularly disgusted by those that choose to whine and lay into me ... on other lists, in the forums and in private emails ... for attempting to help the fandom rather than get off their backsides and do something themselves.” This illustrates that fan communities are not utopias and are subject to the same defi ciencies of human nature as any other community.

70 SPRING 2005