The cable and satellite-based Sci Fi Channel has announced that it has ordered a tenth season of Stargate SG-1 and a third season of its spin-off series, Stargate Atlantis.  Production on 20-episode seasons for both series will commence in early 2006 with the first episodes for each series set to debut in late summer.  Stargate SG-1 is now the longest-running science fiction drama series in American TV history, having outlasted the X-Files, The Twilight Zone, and any of the individual Star Trek series.  Currently Stargate SG-1 averages 2.4 million viewers per episode while Stargate Atlantis attracts about 2.3 million.

There should be a good deal of new Stargate merchandise available in 2006 with a new range of toys and action figures from Diamond Select Toys (see 'DST Lands Stargate Licenses') and a collectible card game from Comic Images (see 'Comic Images Has Stargate CCG').