Posted in: NBC, Olympics, Sports, SYFY, TV | Tagged: stargate, Winter Olympics

Stargate Star Saw Something Familiar About Japan's Olympics Entrance

Yes, Stargate SG-1 star Michael Shanks noticed something very familiar about what Japan did for its 2026 Winter Olympics entrance, too.

Published Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:37:06 -0600

by Tom Chang

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Article Summary

Stargate SG-1 star Michael Shanks spotted a familiar "gate-like" ring at Japan's 2026 Winter Olympics entrance.
Japan's Olympic team entered through a golden ring, sparking Stargate memes among sci-fi fans online.
Stargate is returning with a new series from Martin Gero, with updates shared by Stargate producers on social media.
New Stargate show promises next-level visual effects, aiming for a 10-episode season streaming on Prime Video.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics, aka the Milano Cortina, underway, there was something that looked quite familiar to sci-fi fans during the opening ceremonies on February 6th when Japan made their entrance, emerging from a golden ring, proudly waving their flag. A few eagle-eyed viewers, among them Stargate SG-1 star Michael Shanks, who played Dr. Daniel Jackson on the Showtime/SYFY series, wrote on social media, "Yes, I see it too." The ring itself is missing the chevrons that trigger gate travel.

Stargate: Shanks: Something Familiar About Japan's Olympics Entrance — Michael Shanks in "Stargate SG-1". Winter Olympics 2026 Japan opening ceremony. Images courtesy of MGM and NBC

Japan's Olympic Team During Opening Ceremonies Seemingly Evokes Stargate

As we can have a good laugh recreating the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme on the TV, the Stargate franchise is officially making its comeback thanks to creator Martin Gero and consulting producers Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi, the latter providing regular production updates via social media. The process from developing, filming, to release on Prime Video will take about two years, according to Gero. Shanks appeared in 198 of the 213 episodes across all 10 seasons during its run from 1997-2007, two TV movies The Ark of Truth (2008) and Continuum (2008), its TV spinoffs Atlantis and Universe, and other projects, last playing Daniel in the 2013 video game Stargate SG-1: Unleashed, with the original core cast of Richard Dean Anderson (Col Jack O'Neill), Amanda Tapping (Maj Samantha Carter), and Christopher Judge (Teal'c) voicing their counterparts. Richard Epcar voiced General George Hammond, originally played by the late Don S. Davis in the live-action series.

As far as the new series upon announcement in November 2025, Gero explained how the Stargate franchise will have to play catch-up in terms of utilizing what's available now in terms of technology. "We have resources that we haven't had before," he said. "We're talking to some of the biggest visual effects houses in the world … but that work takes time. It's a gift to not have to turn around a shot in three weeks, [but] to have in some cases a year to build out a sequence." The only thing he offers is that it will be a 10-episode season, which is consistent with the format on streaming, and stresses he plans to not only expand into additional seasons, but the primary focus is making "one great season."