When I say "Stargate," what do you think of?

Probably one of the first images you’ll conjure up is some olive drab military types facing some bad guys who look like they raided the wardrobe department from Ben Hur.

But this military man you’re picturing - does he have more of a Kurt Russell or Richard Dean Anderson look about him? Is he toting around an MP5 or a P90? Is this RDA with a buzz cut or longer hair? How much salt and pepper do you see? Or are you picturing somebody else altogether - maybe Ben Browder?

That’s the thing about Stargate - it’s such a big franchise it literally can’t fit just one galaxy. And with something that big, everyone you ask probably has a different idea about what this "Stargate" thing actually is. Some love the action. Others love the humor. The adventures on alien worlds. The personal dramas. The spaceships, aliens and ray-guns. The current pop culture references.

When you have a mythology that spans a blockbuster movie, two TV series with another on the way and more than a 10 years worth of stories, it’s a moving target to identify what exactly Stargate is.

But it’s a particularly important question when you’re creating a story and content for the Stargate game.

So how do you craft a Stargate Worlds story? First, you ask what elements you need.

Okay, you need the Stargate. But who is going through it? Military types. Check! Bookish academics. Absolutely!