It's a sad day for 'Stargate' fandom. After only two seasons, the third series from the sci-fi franchise, 'Stargate Universe,' is coming to an end.

The cancellation of 'SGU' leaves the TV landscape without a 'Stargate' show for the first time in 14 years. The series finale, titled 'Gauntlet,' airs tonight (Mon., May 9, 9PM ET on Syfy).


'SGU' experienced a creative upswing in its second season, but the show fell victim to low ratings following Syfy's decision to move it from Fridays (AKA, nerd TV night) to Tuesdays last October.

Still, it's hard to pin down exactly what led to the show's cancellation. Perhaps a better timeslot, a more profitable year for cash-strapped studio MGM, or a more patient audience could've saved the moody, ultra-serialized 'SGU' from the chopping block.

But there's still one more hour of spacefaring fun to be had with Eli, Rush and the rest of the Destiny crew before 'SGU' flies away from our TV screens forever.

Tonight's series finale ends on what could be described as a cliffhanger, but the episode offers an appropriate sense of finality while also staying true to the show's spirit of exploration (both personal and the "final frontier" kind).

'SGU' co-creator Brad Wright and star David Blue chatted with AOL TV recently about the series finale, the cancellation and about that rumored 'Stargate' TV movie.

About the Finale
The cast and crew of 'SGU' wrapped filming on the current season before learning of the show's cancellation. But Wright says he crafted 'Gauntlet' to work as both a season finale and as a series finale.

The episode's ending would have led into "a great opener for season three," Wright said. "But when we saw the Tuesday night ratings on Syfy, we knew it might be the end," he added, saying tonight's episode brings the series "full circle" and features elements that "make it feel like a finale."

'Gauntlet,' which pits Destiny against the sly, tech-eating Drones, features a few shining moments for Blue's slacker-genius character Eli Wallace.

"I'm really proud of how I feel about Eli having now finished the show," said Blue about Eli's arc in the finale. "I'm really proud of where he grew to and where he went, and I would love to see it further, but, to me, it was a cool place to end it."

Blue, who says he still sleeps in Eli's 'You Are Here' T-shirt, promised that the under-confident character would start "stepping up and speaking up" in tonight's episode.

"I feel like he's really trying to find his inner confidence, and you'll see that, I hope."

When asked about the show's conclusion, which leaves the door wide open for a third season and is sure to leave fans with more than a few questions, Blue said, "At the end of the day I'm happy with it, because it makes me feel like the 'Stargate' universe continues on."

Wright, who revealed that he had crafted a five-year plan for 'SGU,' admitted that saying goodbye to the show wasn't easy.

"Nobody on the crew or in the cast wanted it to be the end. But we knew if it was, it was a fitting end. And I think the final shots of the series are very moving," he said.

What about that TV movie?
Last month, Wright announced that a planned 'SGU' TV movie was no longer in the works.

Wright revealed to AOL TV that the movie would have combined elements and characters from all three 'Stargate' shows, including 'Stargate: SG-1' and 'Stargate Atlantis,' to tell one big, super 'Stargate' story.

"I intended to incorporate elements from both 'SG-1' and 'Atlantis' to make it a 'Stargate' movie and not just a 'Universe' movie," he said. "The combination of elements also happened to be the only way I could think of compressing what was intended to be a longer series arc into one movie."

Blue, a fan of all three 'Stargate' shows, said he was looking forward to the TV movie, as it represented a chance for fans of all three shows to unite in support of a new 'Stargate' project.

"I feel like it would have made a lot of the fans of each series happy all at the same time, which is something I think this franchise has been missing," Blue said about the proposed movie. "I hate to see a schism in fandom, but it seems to be happening more and more these days ... It would have been nice to see everybody congeal and come together in support of one thing."

Is this really the end of 'Stargate'?
The show's cancellation and the death of the movie project still stings for both Wright and Blue. For Wright, the end of the show also means the end of a 14-year career as a writer and producer of 'Stargate.'

"I feel proud," Wright said about the 14 years and 17 seasons of 'Stargate' he's leaving behind. "But I'd by lying if I didn't say it's a shame 'SGU' was canceled. It deserved at least a final season, and where we were going with the story was very cool.

"Shepherding the final episodes through the post-production process, sitting in mixes, etc, I kept thinking to myself This show got canceled? But business is business. And as I said to our crewmembers as we said our final goodbyes recently, 'Time to start typing something else.'"

When pressed to speculate on the future of the franchise, Wright said that studio MGM would most likely bring it back at some point, but he admitted that he was unsure if he would be asked to be a part of 'Stargate' again.

"It's MGM's property. I was just a participant," Wright said. "If they brought it back, I'm not sure if they would get the guy who created the last one that got canceled!"

Blue said that the future held big things for the Destiny crew, especially for Eli, whose personal journey was arguably the heart of the show.

"Would I prefer we were doing more seasons or a few movies? Hell yes!," said Blue.

"But I hope people will continue to watch it. I hope that, a few years down the line, somebody will tell me they just discovered the DVD and they fell in love with the show," he continued.

"I think we told some cool stories. I think we really existed in the 'Stargate' world. And, with the way things end up [in the series finale], I really feel like it's going to continue in the hearts and imaginations of the fans."