Digital Spy has quoted Stargate Universe writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi as saying that, "the plan is to deliver the ending at the conclusion of season five. Ideally, we'd get five years to tell the entire story in satisfactory fashion.”

Sounds awesome, except that SGU’s ratings have hardly been, um, MacGyver-sized, with SyFy due to announce its decision on the latest SG-1 spin-off in December or January.

But Mallozzi has a plan: “If it came down to it, we could pay it off over the course of a single season," he says, claiming that the reason for the low ratings is that their fans use lots of different, non-linear ways to get their ‘gate fix.

"It would be terrific if the television industry found a way to catch up with the modern media's technological advancements, find a way to make sure everyone is counted in ratings, but barring a major miracle, I don't see that happening anytime soon," he says.