Why Stargate SG-1 Switched to the P90 (Dial the Gate)

[@SheldonAdama17]

SG1 without P90s is like Star Wars without lightsabers

[@godsfamilyhomechurch7215]

That's 100% correct

[@tobilenzen3565]

C4 too

[@tyrannicpuppy]

@@tobilenzen3565 better use two.

[@Sci-Fi-Mike]

Perfectly said!

[@lawrencespruyt5053]

Yea, it always feels weird to me watching the first few seasons without the p90.

[@madmax404]

The P90 is so cool. It fits Stargate exactly, being a weapon that is a little bit futuristic, smart looking, but obviously human and without any kind of "baggage". All that while being perfect in the utilitarian sense too. The cast training in the locked gateroom was the icing on the cake. I guess they probably didn't have the role uniforms on but I can imagine lol.

[@postjm9]

I think you hit the nail on the head with the idea of 'baggage.' The show would have looked odd with M4s or M16s, for example.

[@madmax404]

​@@postjm9 Yep. They are cool guns, but especially considering how prominent the weapons tend up being, MP5's, M16's, M4's fit better in Predator than on the main cast of Stargate. Though many episodes with replicators do well in utilizing the full complement for maximum firepower, with SPAS-12's, M249's, etc. Smartly the unique German G36K also took the role of the long gun in Atlantis, though of course there the idea of the team being international was already the norm.

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Same reason Battlestar Galactica chose the Beretta Storm with its look

[@haravikk]

@@madmax404 I always liked how they mixed it up from time to time; the P90 very much had the look of a weapon you could take anywhere as a small squad and be able to hold your own, but of course they'd be trained to handle a variety of weapons for when they need something more specialised, or when working with bigger teams, so it was always good to see the differences.

[@KaptifLaDistillerie]

It's funny you mention trigger discipline, because in your favorite scene Richard Dean Anderson did not respect the muzzle discipline and Amanda Tapping got scared lmao

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

I was a young man who loved stargate and I want this man to know he had the right idea. Not only was the inteligence behind his decision wise and true; the P90 itself is just cool as hell. I REMEMBER the transition between the MP5 and P90 so hearing this story is very cool

[@smalltime0]

I think I first saw stargate sg-1 in season 4, I would've been about 11 (whatever the airing episode was) and stargate =p-90 to me. Forward a few years there was a P90 in Cod4MW multiplayer and I immediately picked it. And it ruled in the the urban warfare maps.

[@Devillin]

You are a more observant person than me. I remember them having the mp5 in the movie, but I never really noticed when they switched over to the P90. All I remember was that their bullets weren't bouncing off the Jaffa anymore.

[@mho...]

iconic & handy weapons! fun to know FN wanted the P90 "used for good" ... welll they eradicated multiple interstellar despotes & saved earth with them, like what? 9 times? FN truly got what they asked for!

[@tyrannicpuppy]

Teal'c could tell you. He is definitely counting.

[@Sci-Fi-Mike]

Indeed.

[@cheetor5923]

FN definitely would have made their money back on how cool that show was with the P90

[@marxel4444]

"THIS IS A WEAPPON OF WAR! ITS MEANT TO KILL THE ENEMY!"

[@screeny30]

depending on the definitionof "used for good" when talking about firearms, made to kill humans, but yeah...

[@chrisisteas]

It became the iconic gun of Stargate. That's some interesting background info.

[@Liberty4Ever]

I'm a science fiction fan and firearms enthusiast (aka gun nut) so I particularly enjoyed this episode. I've sent the video of Major Carter demonstrating the P90 to the rebel Jaffa to countless people. It's actually my favorite Stargate scene, despite the technical inaccuracies. It's just so funny and cool on so many levels. Runner up was the scene where Burke blows up the zombie reanimated by Telchak's device using a 40 mm grenade from an M203. Rob Fournier deserves a lot of credit for the very realistic firearms depictions on SG-1. The actors were very credible. Most big budget movies have actors covering friendlies with muzzles, no trigger discipline, and basically treating a prop gun like the harmless prop that it is rather than acting as if it's a loaded firearm. The firearms sequences in SG-1, and there were many, all looked very real... other than the above referenced scene where a P90 cuts a log in half, which was a forgivable excess for dramatic/comedic effect.

[@obliviouz]

"Weapon of intimidation vs weapon of war" love it.

[@Liberty4Ever]

@@obliviouz - "Hey! You! In the dress. Get that target swinging." "Major, demonstrate the weapon in single fire mode." "Those of you who went up against us and lived... and you know who you are...."

[@TommygunNG]

One caveat: Watch the demo scene carefully again. When the kernel is talking at the end, he holds up his P 90 and almost covers Carter. She actually catches it and jerks her head back a bit. Richard dean Anderson is definitely not a fellow gun nut.

[@TommygunNG]

And an addendum to my previous reply: During that scene, there were personnel down range during live fire. Oops.

[@Firecul]

​@@TommygunNGI just went back and watched that to see, I had never noticed that before. There was a definite twitch from her when she saw it

[@obliviouz]

I love that he put practical considerations and not just the futuristic aesthetics in the reasoning for the change from the MP5 to the P90.

[@davepusey]

Futuristic wouldn't make much sense anyway, given that Stargate is set in present day.

[@DragonTigerBoss]

​@@davepuseyWell, the weapon pre-dates the show and even the movie, lol, hence the 90 designation. It still looks "futuristic" with the lack of sharp corners and all. 🤷‍♂️ Like Star Trek if they were still using ballistic weapons.

[@carsonm7292]

@@davepusey Before the P90 became well-known in pop culture (and I believe Stargate had a big hand in that happening), it was a pretty exotic-looking device. On a technical level, it's the perfect fit for a team like SG1, being compact and ergonomic for the actors, and having high range and armor piercing capabilities for the class of weapon that it is for the fictional characters. But on an aesthetic level, it looked really futuristic at the time Stargate introduced it.

[@maxmuster2898]

But isn't the P90 a submachine gun with a limited range as well? I can't quite follow that argument.

[@obliviouz]

@@maxmuster2898 Yes and no. The P90's cartridge was specifically designed to be an upgrade to the 9mm ammunition fired by the MP5 - it's actually smaller and lighter, but in contrast, has higher muzzle velocity, better armor penetration characteristics, and longer maximum (but arguably the same effective) range, because while it's more accurate at range (faster), it also loses more energy at range (smaller).

[@FerretJohn]

I'd heard that one of the chief selling points for the P90 was its ejection system. The MP5 has a side ejector, so when they fired the weapons in a tight group the actors would get pelted by each others spent shells, the P90 had a bottom ejector located behind the trigger, so the shells would go straight down, as Fournier said, so long as they didn't wear flip-flops they were fine.

[@G1NZOU]

Good point, would definitely be appreciated in a confined set.

[@Battusai1984]

Another selling point was that the round it was built for can penetrate body armor from up till 200 meters away, and it has 50 of them, that's another reason it made sense to me as it had the highest amount of stopping power at mid-range when it was made, which is not a bad thing to have when you are walking into god knows what.

[@willyvereb]

​@@Battusai1984 To be fair, that's a myth. Technically 9mm P++ loads with AP round would penetrate armor better than the 5.7 x 28 mm. Bigger cartridge has more energy so there is no surprise. Russians adopted something similar. Of course this myth been floating around and especially during SG1 the rumors of body armor piercing SMG were fresh. A good comparison is to say 5.7mm to 9mm is the same as 5.56mm to 7.62mm (.223 to .308, if you may).The five-seven is more compact than 9mm, it shoots flatter, and is still effective. Although true or not, this would not be relevant for sci-fi. Firearms do odd things in the world of films. Just telling you the above to straighten out some facts.BTW, the misconception comes from the NATO criteria to penetrate CRISAT armor plates. This was actually an effort to eliminate the 9mm (which didn't have the improvements and gargantuan ammo range back then) without explicitly stating so.

[@Battusai1984]

@@willyvereb In that case i thank you for fact checking me. I picked up that tidbit when the P90 first entered production, it hit the news-cycle for a day or two here in Belgium and being quite young at the time it stuck without the scrutiny i typically apply to claims these days.

[@willyvereb]

​@@Battusai1984 No problem. They made the white lie that CRISAT plates were a stand-in for body armor paratroopers invading Europe may wear. So that's where everyone is getting this misconception from. It was also good press so nobody really cared to correct it. More recently gun youtubers put this to the test and also looked up sources. For example Garand Thumb tested those claims on the actual Soviet armors in issue around that time and of course neither FN's 5.7mm or H&K's 4.6mm penetrate those. Also, I should add that P+ and P++ rounds aren't the norm for 9mm. They can get really unwieldy and unless the pistol is rated for it you shouldn't fire them. If you compare it to normal loads of 9mm FMJ then the 5.7mm counterparts beat them in penetrating soft body armor. Plate carriers usually beat both or even 9mm P++.

[@TheBrewjo]

Thank you Rob Fournier! The P90 was a great addition to the show and as a fan of firearms it was great to see SG1 fitted with new kit, and be able to talk with friends about why it mattered. And now hearing the back story it's all gravy to know about the people on and behind the camera who worked hard to make SG1 so damn good.

[@imobius_1i98]

The hero in SG we didn't know we needed

[@robertnewman4854]

I actually got into Stargate backwards. A few years back I picked up a PS90 and after SBRing it all anyone talked about at the range was SG1.... I watched it when I was younger with my folks, so decided to give it a rewatch. Several years later, I have watched SG1, Atlantis and Universe more times than I can count, own a frankly unsettling amount of memorabilia, and have turned not only friends, but also a girlfriend into massive fans of the show.

[@spins321]

I'm still working on my friends. I can't get them to sit down and commit, but it's coming!! :)

[@americancapitalist9094]

The show is definitely one of the greatest sci-fi cult classics. It’s amazing this video has almost a quarter million views in just 4 days.

[@canebro1]

I really love how Rob trained the full cast on firearm training. They knew how to properly and safely use the weapons. None of this negligent discharge bs from another movie set.

[@r1nc3w1nd7]

Bad loading on set.

[@lilaclizard4504]

That's what I was thinking too, along with him ensuring the gun was completely safe before showing producers & I was expecting he was going to pull it out & shock them with it in that meeting story, but nope, highly professional & safety conscious & respectful of weapons, he shows what armours SHOULD be!

[@jason200912]

Just don't allow any live ammo on set duh.

[@lilaclizard4504]

@@jason200912 yes that's a rather good idea too isn't it! In reality though, I think it's obvious that if somehow live ammo did make it onto the SG set, no-one was going to get hurt, cause he would have realised it was there immediately & even if he didn't, he had such strict safety protocols in place & had fostered a culture of such strong respect for guns with everyone on set that there was never going to be a gun pointed at a person to shoot them by mistake. Also, I might be mistaken, since I don't have much gun knowledge, but I got the impression from the video that they were using live ammo in the gate room when teaching the cast how to use the weapon. I interpreted it as him feeling they needed to fire the real thing to really understand the weapon, so that they could act accordingly later when pretending it was shooting live ammo, but that they fired live stuff in training, hence why the room had to be locked. Not sure why it needed locking if there was no live ammo, but maybe he felt there was a need for the ultimate safety? Live ammo in use seems like a more logical reason to lock the room to me though

[@jason200912]

@@lilaclizard4504 no they use blanks only. If they want to do live firing that badly then they're supposed to go to a local dedicated range outside of site to use a full auto p90. But usually the best they'll do is pretend there's recoil on the gun based on what the director expects or they can look up videos to see how much fake recoil to deliberately move the gun when it shoots blanks

[@FrenchyMcToast]

The P90 is so iconic to Stargate that, even having rewatched it a few years ago, I didn't even remember they had anything else.

[@JeremyWamhoff]

The P90 is definiitly an iconic part of the show. Probably the only real reason I even want one. My only problem is having one like in the show = $$$. Thanks for bring us this background info, and congrats on the 107k subscribers. I remember when there weren't that many of us so I was constantly posting links on FB and tagging other SG fans I knew.

[@Stolens87]

For me, a good replica would be completely fine, so it would be cheaper. Would be also very difficult to get the permissions for one where I live :D

[@Seasniffer1969]

Yeah the ps90 is about $1500+ $200 more if you want the NFA short barrel PS90

[@InimitaPaul]

Carter demonstrating the P90 vs the Staff always stands out to me, I looked like Amanda really enjoyed that scene.

[@ydna]

I shoot a lot at the local gunshop, they sell FN products, and they have a display model semiauto P90 on the wall. I tell you half the time people walk up to the wall, I hear somebody say "wow look at that stargate gun!" this show from 20 years ago really made it famous lol

[@STho205]

This is how a real armorer speaks and acts. Nice and refreshing to a better time in the industry. I've encountered some "real gems" on sets the last 10+ years.

[@mrknucklehead5882]

It was a great move by the manufacturer to let their product appear on Stargate. I bought a P90 for work and a PS90 (civilian version) because of the show.

[@elultimo102]

I wonder how many PS90s were sold due to SG-1. FN likely made some hefty profits from the US market.

[@sarek8472]

This is definitely keeping SG alive. Star Trek doesn't even have anything like this channel.

[@skylarsayers2429]

The Shuttlepod Show is starting to become like this show. Connor Trineer, Dominic Keating and Mark Cartier host it. It’s a lot of fun to watch. Check them out! There’s also The 7th Rule with Cirroc Lofton that you might enjoy too.

[@BioniclesaurKing4t2]

I mean, Star Trek has several series in ongoing production, so it arguably doesn't need this sort of a look-back channel, but fair point all the same.

[@sarek8472]

@@BioniclesaurKing4t2 that is true but I like all the insights that we get

[@gruffelo6945]

@@BioniclesaurKing4t2 ongoing productions are hardly worth the name StarTrek

[@Chrophiss]

Trekculture is THE Star Trek channel for me though. They also do interviews, episode reviews etc. If you don't know it, just take a look.

[@MaximumWarp2099]

I fell in love with the P90 because of SG1. One of my favorite scenes in the entire franchise is the team running away from the replicators where one fires on full auto while the others reload. Even Daniel got in on that action. Very fun and tense scene where they made it to the ring room to escape and are still firing the whole time.

[@geographicaloddity2]

I was just thinking about that scene and how that may have been the first time I realized how weird they were to put new mags in.

[@hobbitninja]

Lots of forum speculation was that one of the reasons they switched to the P90s was that it ejected the shells downward which was safer for the actors, seems like that was a consideration

[@jasonworlock5113]

I am not a gun person, but I loved this weapon from the first time I saw it on SG-1 and every time I see it in any non-Stargate movie or show.

[@luketurner314]

Same, I also kinda want an Airsoft P90, even tho I'm not that much into Airsoft or guns

[@TommygunNG]

So you know, there is a civilian version available in the United States. It is semi-automatic only, and has a longer 16-inch barrel, but it takes the same round.

[@shanoukgaming6763]

Yeah anyone interested the civilian version of the P90 is a PS90 it's semi-auto and has a longer barrel.

[@Zamugustar]

@@shanoukgaming6763 You can get a PS90 with the short barrel but you need to register it as an SBR and get a tax stamp.

[@jasonworlock5113]

@@luketurner314 I have one, doesn't look 100% like in the show.

[@markclayton8417]

Always loved the P90. great to hear how it was brought on to the show

[@jonathancathey2334]

The P90 was developed as a Personal Defense Weapon (P.D.W.) similar to a M1 carbine of WW2 fame. It was originally developed so rear echelon troops who couldn't use normal rifle, but needed something better than a pistol. Had something to fight with.

[@Knights_of_the_Nine]

Yes, we've all seen the forgotten episode video.

[@danielcostanza4628]

Ah the good old M1

[@georgebeswick7549]

I love how Rob gave the cast a full course of how to operate the P90, which in itself helped the cast act better with them.

[@Battusai1984]

That is somewhat standard practice, you should see how Keanu got ready for John Wick ;)

[@jason200912]

There's only 3 things to teach. Where is magazine release. Where is charging handle. Where is safety selector

[@TheInedibleHulk]

Whether the character or the actor, Dr. Jackson always gets the full name said. "Amanda Richard, Chris ... MIchael Shanks" "Carter, Jack, Teal'c ... Daniel Jackson"

[@kenduncan3221]

Contractually obligated to use full name I guess, lol.

[@MrJJuK]

The scene with Amanda, is one of the best scenes in TV history showing off how awesome a weapon is.

[@captaincruloc3200]

Yep, this confirms it....its 2024, time for another rewatch.

[@rakaydosdraj8405]

The "B5 for the first time" reactors are just starting an SG1 watch, if you can handle waiting for 1 episode a week.

[@blazer666del]

I've just finished the whole franchise today... started in November 23...

[@blazer666del]

p90 is a pdw.. for defence.. they should of had assault weapons.. p90s were for close combat too

[@joemieszczur9735]

to this day! the P-90 is still my favorite gun and it's 100% because of SG-1. every modern CoD game, always, always, i'm using the p-90. 1st thing im unlocking in any game that has it. i love the sound and all the other points you mentioned. it sounds so good.

[@buzzlit]

This show made me fall in love with the P90. I was lucky enough to be able to shoot one full auto at a range once. Amazing firearm, took me off guard a bit at first, easy to adapt to, but massive props (no pun intended) to the cast for handling them so well on screen!

[@humungus3]

Wow that era was really the glory days of tv production. Every aspect seems like it was at such a high level. This was a great breakdown. Knowledgeable guy!

[@wompa70]

Well now I have to watch Stargate again. For the sixth time.

[@tyrannicpuppy]

I've had this discussion many times on both the subreddit and a few of the FB pages on this topic. There is always the "why do they use the P90 instead of ?" or the most recent "why don't they use snipers on every mission?" and I always give the long rambling explanation that they better suit the SG-1 needs. Extremely compact (actually shorter footprint than a side arm when firing). Designed for armor penetration which makes sense against the armoured Jaffa, even if it doesn't have killing power after penetration, it is suitable to take that Jaffa out of the fight sufficiently for purpose. SG-1 are a front line exploration and first contact team, not an assault team, them encountering Jaffa usually means a mission has gone sideways and they need to exfiltrate under fire. They aren't charging enemy lines with the P90s. The few times they do make an assault on a known Jaffa position or structure, they tend to take much bigger weapons (including mortars and sniper rifles in Orpheus). Time after time, when you analyze where and how the team use their weapons, the P90 just made so much sense. And now I learn it wasn't an accident or a convenient new purchase that had the production change weapons. But Rob gave it serious thought, analyzed his different options and then had to convince the crew to make the switch. And the methods he used are so similar to the discussions I've had on the subject. Fascinating. Here I thought I was just overanalyzing things. Always so great to see that the crew and cast loved the show so much they put just as much thought into the production as we fanatics do. Now, have you got any interviews where they explain the reasons why the SG-1 were using tanks that also pops up a lot on those sites? Such as Cheyenne Mountain is not built for vehicles much less tanks. And the fact the Goa'uld would just blast them to slag from space before we even had a chance to use them. Or that weilding our biggest weapons against the Goa'uld would have absolutely proven us as a threat not a nuisance and brought the collective System Lords down on us.

[@robertkalinic335]

You were spoon fed all of those explanation and engaged in reddit arguments and this is what you have to show for it... Its definitely not better than 556 carbine in any category whatsoever. M4 is very light as is its ammo, it has superior range, definitely better optics if required and bullet that doesn't require 20 round burst to reliably take someone down. P90 doesn't actually pierce armor except for kevlar vests or flak jackets and jaffa dont wear armor but more like equivalent of chainmail. You say that they are not supposed to fight but thats mostly their bread and butter and p90 isnt the best pick anyway. There would be argument for something like AS val, its light and silent but p90 uses supersonic projectile, it has to. They could use tankettes or armored cars if they wanted to but thats problem more with reality of show production, awesome german Wiesel tankette or maybe even bmd2 for soviet paratroopers if they rearrange the furniture a bit come to mind. Staff weapons never shoved some unique ability to pierce armor, they cant go through people. If its just superheated bolt of plasma or whatever that starts melting whatever it hits then even ceramic tile can stop it. Look up how ablative shields for reentry of space craft are made if u dont believe. P90 has cool factor, thats it, everything else are just ignorant excuses. Remember that in this show, if iris doesn't work, all they do is have two 50 cals and bunch of grunts standing in line trying to defend earth. And i bet someone somewhere made up explanation about how that makes complete sense. Ye they drop some metal doors but there are usually advanced aliens on the other side, again, i am going to assume that building a set like bunkers in normandy would be too expensive.

[@tyrannicpuppy]

@@robertkalinic335 actualy, the only thing there I hadn't developed as an argument myself was the firing footprint. I live in Australia so getting and firing a P90 is kind of hard here. That was news to me, but makes a lot of sense. All the rest is just common sense when you stop looking at it from a gun nut perspective and look from a story based use perspective. If guns are drawn and a fight ensues with Jaffa, a mission has probably gone wrong. The weapons they use aren't the most effective, but they are effective enough without being too bulky, threatening to the people they're actually there to meet and being compact enough to use in any environment they find themselves in. If they're down to fight Jaffa as the mission they generally (not always coz TV budget) bring 'proper' guns to that fight. See Orpheus and Evolution. The SGC do use heavier weaponry when it is prudent to do so. But for basic exploration where combat is not to be expected, the P90 works extremely well. You can argue back and forth about bullet power and the like until we're blue in the face if that's what makes you happy. But fact is the P90 takes down Jaffa just fine. We see it do so on many occasions. So even if it's not the perfect gun by real world stats, it sure is in the show. This interview just explains some of the reasons that the armourer considered for making that change. And most of the fandom love it. The cast sure did. As for the tankettes, you ignored that I said from space. Good luck finding armour plating thick enough to withstand a shot from a Hatak main gun. Tanks were never used because they were already worthless by the time we stepped through the gate. The Goa'uld vehicles were so insanely superior to any modern military vehicle it would just be pissing money down the wormhole. The Goa'uld ships would slag anything we rolled through before we had a chance to start aiming the main gun in their direction. Just look at what the gun off a glider did to a Tanith's Alkesh. And that was designed to take that kind of weapons fire. And all of that is before you even consider how the heck you're meant to get a tank into the embarkation room when the corridors can barely fit the MALP and FREDs as it is. Cheyenne Mountain was never designed for vehicle access to the lower levels.

[@robertkalinic335]

@@tyrannicpuppy I didn't take orbital bombardment into account cause they never actually hit anything that small... besides in the show it looks extremely disappointing but even if i give you that they can delete whatever they wish from orbit, you are underestimating how hard are they to spot. The Wiesel i mentioned can be confused with some AliExpress garden tractor if it wasnt green and didn't carry autocannon or missiles. Its kind of ridiculous that every planet has only one gate and yet goaulds dont give a shit enough to atleast have some guards who are able to stop small exploration team. They have to get spotted first and even our satellites and drone tech is being bottlenecked by how much can their observe, not by how much they can find if they want. If you were thinking that tankettes or any other light armored vehicle is supposed to have armor able to stop something bigger than bullet or shrapnel, thats just completely irrelevant by definition. I mean they would be modified to resist jaffa guns but thats no big deal. By foot they can only explore the vicinity of the gate and can carry stuff on their backs. The utility of small transport vehicle or tankette is in extra supplies, mobility and optics. Vehicle mounted thermal sights and magnification are huge benefit, the autocannon or even anti air missile can cut on those constant last moment escapes from light infantry or planes. They already used stinger in the show against those gliders so... They built big tunnel for gate to be lowered in, i am sure they will manage to find a way how to get something small as dwarf car in also. As far as p90 its just bad except for its looks being all perfect for the show.

[@robertkalinic335]

@@tyrannicpuppy They play it as if by building facility so cramped and accessible only by human size corridors that this somehow works against goaulds when they never even concieved of trying to invade through gate. They just want to blow that place up all the time so not having any way to transport heavy cargo through gate only hurts them.

[@tyrannicpuppy]

@@robertkalinic335 you act like Cheyenne Mountain is the place they specifically built to house the Stargate. It's a Cold War bunker that they simply figured made a good place to hide what they knew as a doorway to dangerous aliens. They didn't expect anymore to come through or they'd have kept a better security detail on it. There is a really good video here on KZbin that details the building of the facility. Quite fascinating imo. And I think the Mountain proved it's worth as a base many times over through the show. Yes, all of that is because the writers wanted the good guys to win, but that's the reality of the show. We do see other realities where the Goa'uld most definitely do invade and take over the base. There But For The Grace of God and Point Of View for example. The SGC can definitely transport heavy cargo. They've sent both a whole rocket off-world and an F-302 both ways through the gate in pieces before. They built entire concrete bunker bases on other worlds. They can send materials through fine. It's just there is no reasonable way to get things like tanks or humvees into the gateroom to ship them off world. Nor is there any real need for vehicles off world either. The gate was placed at the point of interest on each planet by either the Ancients or the Goa'uld. Driving 50kms down the road does nothing but put you 50kms further away from your escape route if an enemy does attack. By the time the SGC has the need to put wheels off world, they can do so via Prometheus or the 304s. A far superior method to rolling through a single choke point very easily guarded with weapons powerful enough to destroy our vehicles if we gave the Goa'uld reason to know we have and deploy such things. We weren't worth the effort when it's just a few people on foot with tiny guns. Playing it as the war so many folks seem to have wanted us to would have made us a genuine threat in need of attention. We were a minor nuisance for most of the series. And that is what saved us. Tanks and heavy weapons would have guaranteed a united System Lord fleet came to deal with their problem a lot sooner.

[@DenethorDurrandir]

O'Neil resting his hands on the P90 slung on his chest is such an iconic look tho. It adds a certain stoic feel to the character.

[@kenduncan3221]

A real "This is one of the tools I use daily" feel to it.

[@joshpetersen5968]

When I first started watching Stargate SG1, I, being someone who at the time knew next to nothing about guns, thought that the P90 was something that the prop dept had come up with to give the team a futuristic/scifi gun. When I learned that it was a real gun that actually existed my mind was blown.

[@jason200912]

Wait till you learn about the steyr Aug which looks like an ugly toy

[@joshpetersen5968]

@@jason200912 Oh I know about the Aug. I first saw Stargate SG-1 when the Scifi channel first started airing it. I'm more familiar with many firearms now

[@paladestar9758]

​@@jason200912 If you were a PC gamer in the late '90s/early '00s, you played the Counter-Strike mod for Half-Life, so you were well aware of the P90 and AUG by the time SG-1 got around to using the P90. The AUG was also heavily used in mainstream movies since the early '80s, first seen in Octopussy (James Bond #13) and in other big movies of the era, e.g. Commando, RoboCop, The Running Man, Die Hard, Predator 2, Point Break, Under Siege etc., so most people should have already seen it.

[@jason200912]

@@paladestar9758 I had a busted ass pc so I could only play some flash games, and a mech fighter one

[@thermalreboot]

The P90 was choice, it is compact, high power, the mag fits flat on top and doesn't create a snagging opportunity. Great choice for SG1.

[@scytob]

This cool, somewhere I have a picture me dual wielding 2 P90s in the SG1 prop van. Was so glad to get a chance to visit set.

[@adhyperdad3027]

The one thing i noticed about the P90 versus the MP5 is that P90 mags looked smoother to carry, to handle and to load.

[@TheRelativy]

Well actually P90 spare magazines are quite tricky to carry, because they are really long, compared to MP5 or M4 magazine.

[@adhyperdad3027]

@@TheRelativy I can definitely see that, especially if you have never handled something like it before. I've played enough paintball, which were same length but MUCH thicker. So that maybe coloring my perceptions

[@Nr15121]

It’s easier to carry but that’s about it, handling is arguable and down to preference but for loading p90 is much slower the mags are long and unwieldy and hard to store hence them shoving them between their vest and jacket not inside a pouch.

[@adhyperdad3027]

@@Nr15121 If you are used to a traditional mag set.up, definitely can see that.

[@obliviouz]

50 round magazine.

[@kingneutron1]

I love this kind of stuff. Rob's thought process brought verisimilitude to the SG series and helped make the P90 a really iconic weapon. They make really good airsoft replicas of them as well, and I'm fortunate to have my own now :)

[@Airwolf-lm9cm]

When I rewatched the show for the first time since watching on TV I couldn’t believe they used MP5s for the first three seasons. I remembered they had them in the beginning but I thought they used them for a few episodes and immediately switched to the P90. It is just so iconic

[@PeterNXavier]

I actually forgot they had the MP5. All I remembered was the P90

[@whuzzzup]

Same. While watching the video I was really surprised when he said how long they had the MP5. SG1 = P90.

[@Meanace208]

I was just watching The Fifth Man where Oneill gets left behind with "Tyler". He was shooting some Jaffa, ran out and changed the mag. It was so quick and natural. He even blew hot air on the open end of the mag before putting it into the P90. It was so cool

[@cainabel6356]

FN-P90 looks great. The design of the gun made it look like it was built for the show, for small and large places. I want an FN-P90.

[@SWOTHDRA]

Same

[@jacobweinstock2180]

My favorite scenes when Christopher Judge (Teal'c) just one hands P90 arm full extended like a pistol or dual wields Loved how the P90 looked futuristic and so effective and efficient in any environment, just what you would want in your main assault weapon in space

[@DomyTheMad420]

I recall this long standing rumor/factoid in the fanbase about this: "nah it wasn't a style or director choice. they needed cool looking guns and someone from prop department saw a p90 and thought it looked cool. next thing you know the belgian company responds with '... no firing pins? that'd be more expensive then just getting actual p90's youknow?' to which the production accountants just shrugged and agreed to pay for a shipment of actual p90's."

[@Andrei5656]

Back when people cared about how believable their movies/series were. Thank you for being part of my childhood.

[@thomac]

Back then the gun looked modern and unique. I think that was the main selling point for me as a viewer. It reinforced the idea of stargate teams being special compared to regular military.

[@charleshetrick3152]

Maybe there’d have fewer episodes regarding the SGC’s budget if the ammo wasn’t so expensive.

[@AndersonNeo12]

In the tv version, they cut out O'Neills dialog. "This (holds Jaffa staff weapon) is a weapon of terror, it was designed to intimidate the enemy" (proceeds to throw staff away...) THIS (holds P90) is a weapon of War, it was designed to kill the enemy!" 😊

[@frankanderson5012]

I've always been curious about the clip where the thumbnail for this video is from. O'Neill is talking about the P90 in a demonstration and at one point points his at Carter who flinches briefly, as you might someone trained on a live weapon would do. She quickly get back into character though.

[@GateWorldDotNet]

It's a funny little "Dammit, Jack, you should know better" moment!

[@HemisphereCinema]

idk why but having p90s made it more iconic imo and its design overall

[@SGAtlantis08]

I love the P90's as they are for CQB situations. They are also called a PDW (personal defense weapon). I have a Classic Army P90 Airsoft replica, which I use for airsoft skirmishes. I've been out of airsoft for 10 years, but I still have that airsoft replica P90.

[@Eyes0penNoFear]

First time watching your channel, and I love your interview style! You let him tell his stories and talk about all the details he wanted to talk about. You showcased him and didn't try to steal/share the spotlight. Definitely got a thumbs up from me!

[@panplusk9539]

P90 is my favorite gun ever. I have first seen it watching SG1, had to use a real deal during my mandatory service (somehow they ran out of AK`s). The gun is brilliant. Light, accurate in single fire... If i could own a gun in my country as a civilian, i`d picked P90. Good round, great delivery method.

[@NLP-MrMarioNeo]

This is so insightful! I'm thankful you're out there keeping the wormhole open!

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

As an adult I am saving up for an FN-PS90, get an SBR permit and make it at least look the same. (no auto or burst). I love the P-90 it's such a wonderful weapon for what it's built for. Originally it was designed for truckers behind enemy lines on the front line with a 80's era war in europe. It's good for body armor and easy to get rounds on target.

[@PDVism]

Not just truckers but tank crews, self propelled artillery crews etc...specifically the NCO's and drivers. In short anyone that in general was in close spaces and didn't have the need nor room for a rifle. In the Belgian army the P90's replaced those that previously had Vigneron submachine guns just like FNC replaced the FAL's. Point of interest, P90's have also been used by the US Secret Service because of there easy to conceal and fire power. Side note : The Belgians weapon factory has provided lots of weapons that got adopted by the USA such as the SCAR and the SAW

[@DavidStowers-o7k]

I loved O'Neill's speech on the staff weapon, being a weapon of terror and that the P-90 was a weapon of war.

[@sty0pa]

The fact that realities of tactical utility actually influenced a film production meeting is impressive all by itself. There are quite famous AAA films that could have used that approach.

[@stevenscott2136]

For example, that Chris Pratt movie about the alien invasion. The aliens are big, tough, with thick scaly hides. You basically need a bear rifle. What did they use? Short-barrel M4.

[@demris15]

I loved the addition of the P90, thank you for pushing for it! I always look forward to S4 for when this was introduced... the MP5 just didn't look natural for the actors.

[@sid2112]

I disagree, I love my MP5.

[@IntrexinCustom]

Great video. It's fun hearing the story of the P90. I thought it fit perfectly for the show, just like the producers I thought it was a made up gun, like something they had made from all the tech they gotten over the years. Didn't take long for me to learn it was a real gun. Which was just perfect for what the sg teams did. It's little details like not liking the Mp5 for what the team is actually doing on screen(still a awesome gun) is what can take a show from neat to awesome.

[@RTS907]

Thanks for the video guys! I tried to get Amanda to answer this question on Twitter a decade ago. I just didn’t think the cast would be able to mag dump 5.7s on full auto with blanks. So I asked her if the fireballs were CG, because they looked so real. Thanks for clearing that up!!! 😀

[@jason200912]

Did she ignore you and call you a nerd

[@aaronkoch77]

In the pre-widescreen era the P90 was much easier to fit in frame than most standard military issue weapons.

[@herbderbler1585]

"We'll give you the firearms, but they can't be used in bad taste. They have to be a positive effect." "They're literally going to become the iconic weapon of the show's heroes. Your sales team can thank me later."

[@TiptronicSS]

Fun fact, my grandpa worked at FN Herstal where they made the P90's :-) I always wondered, was it 1 where he worked on when I saw 1 😄

[@Mightydoggo]

P90 was a perfect fit imho. That thing is just super iconic and it fit the SciFi touch optically as well. Not to mention a PDW doesn´t look as aggressive as bigger weapons. Hence why the Jaffa warriors always show up with the biggest boom sticks they can find to scare anyone from even trying their luck. Though I would have loved to see some of the support teams showing up with the bigger cousin F2000 as well, but that thing probably wasn´t even in service back then.

[@sergioaccioly5219]

I often felt pity for the SGC procurement officers, that had to keep all those kinds of ammo available to the soldiers. M-16, MP-5, P-90s...so many calibers

[@kngkunaat]

how have i missed your channel... i was probably busy with a rewatch, just finished another rewatch from SG1 to SGA a few weeks back! so happy to see this pop in my feed!

[@robopam]

the P90 with its armor penetrating capability was a perfect choice to stay light, effective, and ammo efficient.

[@JinKee]

Plus it was the only weapon that could take down a brainwashed Teal’c when he was wearing his upgraded Jaffa armour WITHOUT killing him.

[@robopam]

@JinKee don't remember that episode. We own them all though.

[@JinKee]

@@robopam episode 5.02 “Threshold”

[@heathb4319]

It is also a bullpup design so it is short overall for close quarters yet has a longer barrel for reaching out a little more for longer distances plus you get a rifle barrel feet per second instead of pistol feet per sec. Plus it holds 50 rounds of small caliber high velocity ventilation ouchy things.

[@JinKee]

@@heathb4319 a 90rd magazine of 5.7mm would be about two feet long

[@xinixini1826]

The sandals or flip-flops comment. I could have sworn I heard somewhere some time ago that they switched to the P90 because it ejects brass down instead of sideways so they could move in tighter tactical groups and not pelt each other with hot brass. I guess that's also part of it, but wasn't aware it was more practical as a weapon. Good stuff.

[@nathanielroach8722]

Love these videos. Thank you.

[@tl43]

Hearing a Hollywood guy talk about everything he’s covering here is amazing. This was a good show and good weapons handling for a tv show. This is pretty awesome! Good job

[@BlazingOwnager]

SG-1 made me a lifelong fan of the P90 and it was a great choice for a swap up visually and stylistically. However it always drove me nuts because they changed one close quarters weapon for another, ultimately. They should have gone with an Carbine or something for realism. That said, I'd not change a thing, because the P90 is a very, very cool SMG.

[@sid2112]

Yeah for sure, if an AP 9mm from a P90 can do that to Jaffa armor, imagine what the Russian 7.62 did! I liked Stargate because they made humans at a disadvantage for sure, but not helpless. Humans are good at fighting, we proved that over 10k years. It's good when cinema reflects that basic truth.

[@Del_S]

​@@sid2112 "Russian 7.62" Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? :P (I'm guessing you mean 7.62x39)

[@simonhibbs887]

⁠​⁠@@sid2112The P90 fires the 5.7x28mm round. It’s a much faster, about 700m/s compared to about 400m/s for 9mm. This gives it more penetration, a flatter trajectory and a longer effective range.

[@robopam]

P90 is medium range with excellent armor penetration.

[@sid2112]

@@Del_S I'm trying to save keystrokes, but yeah the .308 style Russian rifle round.

[@jacqueschouette7474]

My ex-wife was a big fan of Stargate and more specifically, Col. O'Neil. One time, we were at a gun shop that had an indoor firing range and they had an actual, full-automatic P90 that you could rent to fire on their gun range. It was the long barrel version (which really looks stupid compared to the version on Stargate), but other than that, it was the same. So, she was all excited to fire "Col. O'Neil's weapon" and we took the P90 for a spin. Long story short, she didn't like it. She hated firing in full-automatic mode. She hated it so much that she gave the P90 to me to fire out the rest of the rounds. My impressions were that the P90 was a nice compact weapon. There weren't any normal sights, just a sight that gave you a view of the target, like you where looking thru a telescope. I also thought that the way that the rounds were fed into the weapon from the magazine was kind of strange. But, if all you wanted to do was hose down a target without doing much aiming, the P90 would be your weapon of choice.

[@tomrodgers6629]

You guys got me to buy a PS90 the civilian version of the P90 I had it for a couple of years but I went back to my trusty M-4. The P90 always felt awkward to me. The M-4 is like a part of my body. Bring Universe back. We are all dying to know what happened.😁

[@kjj_photos]

For Universe, I just tell myself Eli took too long to fix the pod so now Destiny is drifting between galaxies with everyone in stasis. Since they're in stasis, there's no communication between SGC and Destiny so therefore there's no show. It's not the most satisfying ending but it's the one I've convinced myself of so I can have some closure at least.

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

​@@kjj_photoscan't always have a happy ending.

[@e.corellius4495]

universe was terrible though. looking back, it was a franchise destroying reboot/remake before it was cool, stargate got the treatment a decade before the rest started to lol

[@gabriel1205]

I just love that he thought them to fire the weapon properly, to clear it, to just work the gun. You could really tell that the actors were comfortable with the weapons they carried.

[@stevenmayer8528]

This explains everything and was one of the best decisions ever. Thank you for explaining 🎉❤🎉

[@elitewolverine]

Thank you for making the switch. As a result I have now owned 2 ps90s because of this show. I fell in love with it for the same reasons, easy to use, love how the brass falls, no sharp edges, etc.

[@camm832]

thanks for doing these. I've just started rewatching sg1 again for the millionth time. and I would love to see one of these interviews with Walter (ie Gary Jones) "Chevron 1 encoded"

[@HDL_CinC_Dragon]

"Sometimes on the last one I like to say 'locked' instead of 'encoded' just to mix it up." I love when Walter was getting interviewed in-show. He was so excited haha.

[@dragoneye6229]

Stargate SG-1 was the show that introduced me to the P90. I never even knew it existed until that show and I always thought it would be a cool weapon in an FPS. Years later Call of Duty had a mission where you defend a house while getting overrun and some of the enemies drop P90's. I really wished I could have had that gun in more games. It was so cool using what I called at that time "The SG-1 gun".

[@keishamalo2199]

Learning this stuff about a show is so cool 😊✨

[@death13a]

I absolutely loved P90 in SG-1, how compact it was for team, and it was very versatile for any situation! Great choice for the series!

[@tomfrommichigan]

I remember seeing Richard Dean Anderson muzzle swipe the Amanda character. She looked very uncomfortable. It was obvious that Anderson is not familiar with firearms in real life, but she is.

[@elultimo102]

I believe that was the P90 used in that demonstration scene. Even loaded with blanks, I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of it at close range.

[@NoBudjetFilms]

This armorer was completely right and is a genius for introducing the P90 to tv and film. I think they used them a lot in the Hunger Games films too and I got so excited when I first saw that. It is a great looking weapon for military/futuristic shows.

[@fightforaglobalfirstamendm5617]

Honestly because it looks good. 5.7 x 28 mm is better at armour peircing because its a spitzer going alot faster than 9 x 19mm but it has less stopping power particularly on unarmoured targest, as it over penertrates.

[@hamsta11]

well overpenetration made sense against their primary cannon fodder antagonists jaffa... jaffa were supposed to be significantly stronger than humans so at that point conventional stopping power probably wouldn't hurt them as much so they're hoping for overpenetration for deeper and more lethal impact

[@Nr15121]

It actually doesn’t over penetrate badly it has the rifle round esque concussion effect. And it’s only effective at going through soft armor

[@hamsta11]

@@Nr15121 5.7x28mm is rated to penetrate CRISAT armor which is titanium with layers of kevlar... so its probably fine going thru Jaffa armor especially compared to standard 9x19mm ball rounds (which cannot penetrate CRISAT) the mp5's the units stationed at cheyenne mountain would probably be using during peacetime

[@Nr15121]

@@hamsta11 5.7 has terrible penetration against solid armor look it up there’s plenty of video evidence online. With how thick those plates are I doubt they’d go through, also what level is that armor? Who cares what it’s made of the level is what matters

[@cajunguy6502]

I always thought it was simply because the P90 looks futuristic while still being true-to-life military. Thanks for giving us the full story!

[@sgttau977]

I got to rent a civilian P90 once. The difference is longer barrel and only semi automatic. Loading the magazine was not fun because of the twist and turn.

[@LojikSupreme]

Thank You! Literally was thinking about the P90's the other day!

[@adambrown3918]

I'm not a gun enthusiast but I would love to own one. The show really turned me on to them. 😅

[@Stolens87]

Oh, so this is my hero that brought me the P90 into Star Gate? Awesome, thanks Rob!

[@podsmpsg1]

Higher capacity, higher rate of fire, higher velocity, higher penetration, etc. Also, the thick skin of the Unas, 9mm wasn't effective against Unas and Jaffa Armor.

[@Kriss_L]

That's why they should have gone with an M-16/M-4.

[@lorzon]

@@Kriss_L Not stealthy enough, the M-4 is twice as long.

[@Kriss_L]

@@lorzonAnd a handgun would only be half as long as a P-90. Way stealthier.

[@lorzon]

@@Kriss_L But a handgun wouldn't have the stopping power of a P90, stopping power that is not radically increased by moving to an M-4 it equivalent.

[@Melody_Raventress]

My mom and I both loved Stargate, and she taught me to shoot, so guns were also a shared interest. She LOVED the P90, it's such an iconic firearm, but absurdly expensive, and she never got to own one. I miss her like crazy. 😢

[@AF-we1zc]

The P90 is great and it holds a standard 50 round magazine. So when you see SG1 keep firing and not reloading as fast as they would have to with an AR that's why.

[@mho...]

idk, isnt the p90 rof higher?! im not sure, wich empties a mag faster tbh...50 vs 30 shots, but different rof?!

[@Kriss_L]

5.56mm has way more power and greater range. It made no sense for them use P-90s instead of M-16/M-4s.

[@Nr15121]

@@Kriss_Lsuppressed mk18 would be ideal. But yeah you’re 100000 percent right

[@Nr15121]

P90 cycles faster so no, also it has far less stopping power what would take 3 5.56 rounds to do would take 10 or more 5.7

[@AF-we1zc]

Good point. I didn't think about the ROF. Yes less stopping power but it looks cool. It's a sci-fi show. They needed cool guns lol

[@neobaggins3718]

I started binge watching SG-1 and Atlantis in order last year. In September, I bought a PS90 and registered it as a short barreled rifle. I made it like a season after they adopted the P90 on the show before buying my own...It's such an awesome gun. While researching options for sourcing a 10.3" barrel for my gun, I happened across multiple threads on Stargate forums and subreddits where people had no idea it was a real gun. It's so futuristic looking, they assumed it was created for the shows!

[@lostpupper2632]

the p90's were a fantastic switch over.

[@TCFamas]

I love Stargate and P90 was a dream gun and still is used it games, saw it on TV and one day I finally had one in my hands and damn I love how it kinda melts into you as soon as you shoulder it it's the epiphany of ergonomics as far as firearms are concerned... So thank you for bringing this cool and kinda exotic firearms to the show!

[@dangingerich2559]

This is one TV gun that I really want a real one. Stupid NFA. Stupid FOPA.

[@charleshetrick3152]

Ammo is too pricey, gun is too pricey. Without AP ammo it’s pretty silly. That said I built an exact replica of their MP5…OG Stargate all day long.

[@Castor586]

I was late getting into the SG fab club. I was already an adult, streaming the show in my down time. Back in my younger years, I did a lot of airsoft battles with my friends, and my personal iconic weapon was the P-90. To the day a lot of my friends would reminisce and a staggering number of stories included the words "you and that dang P-90..." Soooo my inner fanboy got incredibly excited when the P-90 was introduced in season four! Loved the airsoft model, love the real thing, and absolutely thought it was an awesome addition to the show!

[@Kycirion]

While the P90 is cool as hell and really fits the SG asthetic. The reasons he gave for thr MP5 being thr wrong weapon ALL apply to the P90 as well. Short range, light caliber bullet. Albiet, with slightly better armor penetration.

[@charleshetrick3152]

I’m sure FN enjoyed all the free advertising too. Sooo many gun nerds bought before looking at the ammo prices. If I could get the same gun but up scaled for 6.8 SPC I’d be happy to lay down some coin, at least the brass would be reloadable.

[@Nr15121]

Only soft armor too 5.7 doesn’t do a thing against any appreciable hard armor. They should have used mk18’s with cans then hk416’s when the 416 entered service

[@VSO_Gun_Channel]

00:50 it does not have stopping power. Stopping power isn’t even a thing, but if it were, 5.7x28mm does not have it.

[@nobilismaximus]

I wouldn’t like being shot by one, let alone a burst. How well would you hold up? Btw, i sub to your channel - love it.

[@ClintonAllenAnderson]

I wish I could have a decent replica of a Stargate P-90 But Canada is stupid.

[@Sci-Fi-Mike]

What about Australia? I dont think they do guns in Australia. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a personal fan of guns (my father is). P90s seem pretty cool, though.

[@pelago_]

It’s so iconic, what a great choice and a ballsy choice to buy a bunch of them ahead of even a meeting to talk about changing the existing weapons.

[@strikeforcealpha9343]

This is what made the show great, people actually knew how to use the weapons.

[@LordFalconsword]

The FNP90 is an iconic gun, and a jam monster. Last time I was at the range shooting full auto, I didn't make it through a single mag without a jam. But they're cool looking.