
Stargate Infinity is a lesser-known, 26 episode cartoon series, set in the future, after the SGC program has been declassified. Made in 2002, the cartoon is more thought-provoking than other Stargate spinoffs, holds its own against current action-based team cartoons, and is overall enjoyable.
Pros:
*Most importantly, there are a lot more different aliens. It is great seeing them interact with one another as well as with the humans. The live action shows don’t have as much of that interaction among cultures, and it is usually negative, and so this one seems friendlier. Aliens are now living among Earthlings, as humans have been living on their worlds, which is fair: If humans are going to go traipsing through others’ homeworlds, then others should be able to do the same with ours. Some of the aliens have settled, too, and there are diverse families. Team member Ec’co’s is half Tau’ri and half Hrathi.
*The human diversity within SGC is pretty good, with different ethnic looks and both males and females excelling in both combat and sciences. More of Dr. Mason and having her on the ‘gate team would have been nice, though, as well as Seattle’s Native American family not depicted as poor into the future and rich white males leading Mayan archeology digs.
*The clothes, hair, and gadgets they wear are futuristic, such as the winged jet pack, so no dating with fads. Kind of cyberpunk and I like the almost Wraith-like tattoos. The humans are allowed to have any hairstyles and looks they want as long as it does not interfere with their duties.
*At first, I was afraid the velociraptor-like Tlak’kahn were going to be annoying 2D villains, but liked that we got to meet some who were not warmongering and was then able to laugh more at the ones who were just jerks.
*The team has good comradery and humor and they overcome their challenges together, making the episodes upbeat.
*The episodes center around moral lessons and I liked the morality if SGI better than I disliked SGU’s deliberate immorality. Contrast Eli being snapped at for being against lying with SGI’s “The Mother of Invention” where a lie could have caused injury or death. Withholding info from the team can be detrimental. The lessons are also still relevant and a good reminder for adults to not get caught up in stuff like material goods either.
Neutrals:
*Because the cartoon predates the establishment of the Ancients, this show’s creators kind of made their own Ancient race, but left a loophole with the Ancient not able to remember who she is.
*The absence of the Goa’uld is not explained, nor the presence of the Tlak’kahn.
*There are gate bloopers and/or different tech, such as the gate being opened before the dialing had been completed, standing in the way of the kawoosh, and two-way connectivity.
Cons:
*In the first few episodes, there are scenes being repeated, after spaces which were for commercial breaks, but that got better.
*Some of the aliens have stilted speech, mainly the winged ones, while others do not, and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it if they are all aliens.
*The character Harrison still has a lot to learn about appearances and species. Maybe his character could have evolved better in a 2nd season.
*There are a few instances of speciesism, such as calling one alien without human language speaking ability and a dog as “it.” But, this was 2002, pre-social media and its education of intersectionalism, when this show was made. Also, while the team talks about generalized food, such as burgers, I did not see them eating fellow animals and they are put off by spider and polar bear aliens eating whole bodies and also the thought of bovine secretions. Harrison mentions having eaten stuff like this as a kid. Either the disconnect is profound, or, in their adult life, society has moved to plant-based versions of burgers, pizza, and ice cream.
Overall, I enjoyed the show and compare it to current cartoons, such as Voltron Legendary Defender, which also features lessons about looks being deceiving but has way more speciesism against fellow animals who can’t speak human languages. I probably won’t watch it again, as Wraith episodes are about the only stuff I re-watch, but recommend to Stargate fans to find and watch Infinity.
Where to find it? My tiny local library has 2 copies of the DVDs. So, check there. Many libraries will also do regional inter-library loans if the local branch doesn’t have something. Some libraries also offer downloadable and streamable episodes, free on services such as Hoopla if your library is affiliated with Hoopla and your library card is active. (Hoopla tip: Watch it mid-month, because there are 26 episodes and Hoopla allows 25 borrows per month, which resets at the 1st of each month.)