No, I’m not referring to some technical glitch, but simply the past few days in the Stargate universe (wait for the pun). Last Thursday, we reported (on my birthday of all days!) that Stargate Atlantis had been canceled. SCI FI Channel also announced that they would be making a tele-movie, but still, one of my favorite series was cancelled.

One of the benefits of that though, was the opening for Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, co-creators of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis to begin work on the third Stargate series.

And it was announced late last week, that SCI FI Channel and MGM Television Entertainment had reached an agreement to begin production on Stargate Universe (pun achieved!).

“SCI FI has enjoyed tremendous success with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and we’re proud to be the home of the new Stargate Universe,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. “Universe will continue the Stargate legacy of vibrant storylines and compelling adventures, but will re-invent the format in a whole new way.”

As for what the story is going to be about in Universe?

“In Universe, we plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humour, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home,” said Wright and Cooper. “Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping off point for telling stories.”

Stargate Universe will debut as a two-hour movie event on SCI FI. Following its premiere, Universe will assume a regular hourly slot in Summer 2009.