Continuum More Casual

Former Stargate SG-1 star Ben Browder told SCI FI Wire that Stargate: Continuum, the second of two straight-to-DVD spinoff movies, will be accessible to the casual fan. In that it differs from the first film, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, which wraps up the Ori storyline of SG-1 and ties up the series' various bits of mythology.

"I think Ark of Truth is more tied to the last couple years of the series," Browder said in an interview. "Continuum is more stand-alone. That's probably the most concise way of saying it."

Few details have been released about Continuum, though cast and crew are known to have flown to the arctic for some location shooting.

By contrast, Ark of Truth deals with much of the SG-1 storylines, and writer/director Robert C. Cooper wanted to satisfy the fans, Browder said.

"They were thinking of the fans when they did Ark of Truth, it's so dense with the mythology of the show, and it's wrapping up storylines," Browder said. "The producers of Stargate are very appreciative of their audience, and they're aware of the audience. And Cooper's been with the show from the very beginning. He probably ... knows the audience quite well."

Can a newcomer drop into Stargate late? "Look, you can drop into the third season of something without knowing all the backstory and go, 'Wow, this is really interesting. I like this,'" Browder said. " And, yeah, look, Ark is riddled with Stargate mythology, and there's no question about that. I would imagine a reasonably intelligent, discerning audience member would be able to follow the story, though."

If not, look for Continuum, which is expected to be released in July. Ark of Truth is in stores now.