Stargate TCG

Stargate TCG licenses the full Stargate television universe (SG-1, Atlantis, Universe) during the late-2000s window when all three shows were simultaneously in production or syndication, giving the game an unusually wide character pool.

The game

Released in 2007 by Comic Images, Stargate TCG is a two-player duel where each player runs an SG team (SG-1, Atlantis Expedition, destiny-era, or a Goa'uld/Ori/Wraith antagonist faction) and plays missions across Gate Address location cards. The Gate-dial mechanic is the signature element: players spend Symbol resources to travel to new locations during play.

The context

The Stargate franchise was in its late-stage creative period when the TCG launched. Stargate SG-1 had just wrapped after ten seasons, Atlantis was midway through its run, and Universe was in development. Comic Images (now part of Rittenhouse Archives) produced the TCG with direct approval from MGM's Stargate rights holders. Card photography came from production stills across all three shows.

The collector angle

Base set and the Gate of the Gods expansion are the main releases. Because the publisher was primarily a photo-card company rather than a CCG publisher, many of the cards use uniquely styled character photography with clean background compositing. Autographed cards with real actor signatures (Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks) are the most-sought items and the autograph authentication process sits inside Rittenhouse's standard television-card practice.