Stargate is a science fiction/action film released in 1994, directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, with a soundtrack by David Arnold.

It was originally intended as the start of a movie franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted by Independence Day. Instead, it inspired the television series Stargate SG-1, still in production as of 2006, as well as its new spin-off, Stargate Atlantis, and a poorly-received animated series Stargate Infinity (not considered canon). See Stargate for more about this science fictional universe.

Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were sued by an Egyptology student for allegedly stealing the storyline as the student had submitted the story to them about ten years before the movie was made (they "rejected" the story at the time). The plaintiff had a respected Egyptologist from Johns Hopkins University vouch for him, since he had put his own theories into the story. The only differences between the story and the movie are slight name variations. The issue was finally settled out of court.

SOURCE

Editors Note: It is noteworthy that this reference has been edited out of the current page at Wikipedia {as of Aug 28, 2006} As the case was settled out of court calls to the University meet with "No comment" In a way it is sad that this happened, as I would really have loved to interview the student and the professor.
\
Source #2
The creators of the film were sued for allegedly plagiarizing a story written ten years prior to the film by an Egyptology student. The plaintiff's complaints had significant weight and the matter was settled out of court.

Source #3
The film’s writers, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were sued by an Eygptology student who said he had approached them with the storyline several years previously and they had rejected it. An Eygptologist from John Hopkins University vouched for the student and the writers settled out of court.

Source #4
Roland Emmerich and 'Dean Devlin' were sued for stealing the storyline from someone who submitted the story to them about ten years before the movie was made (they "rejected" the story at the time). The person that sued the men (a student of Egyptology) even had a well-respected Egyptologist from Johns Hopkins University vouch for him, since he put his own theories into the story. The only differences between the story and the movie are slight name variations. The issue was finally settled out of court. 

UPDATE

High school teacher Omar Zuhdi claimed in a 1995 copyright infringement lawsuit that virtually the entire film was stolen from a manuscript he began writing as a college student. Zuhdi even had his former Egyptology professor from Johns Hopkins University vouch for him. Contrary to popular belief, Zuhdi never personally submitted his manuscript directly to Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin; he claims he submitted it only once to 20th Century Fox, who rejected it in 1984, five years before Emmerich and Devlin even met. However, the suit alleges that StudioCanal eventually acquired a copy of the manuscript, and some years later hired Emmerich and Devlin to make Stargate using Zuhdi's ideas. Zuhdi sued Emmerich, Devlin, all of the film's other producers, StudioCanal, and MGM for $140 million. In 1997, the case was settled out of court for $50,000. In 2013, Zuhdi published a novel called "Egyptscape", based on the manuscript he says he submitted to Fox.

One of the skeptics at Daniel Jackson's lecture asks who built the Egyptian Pyramids: "Men from Atlantis? Or Martians, perhaps?" Given the plots of this movie, Stargate SG-1 (1997), and Stargate: Atlantis (2004), he was, in fact, correct on both counts.

SOURCE: IMDB

© Info

Other Companies

    * Act One Script Clearance Inc.  script research
    * David Cowan Enterprises Inc.  computer engineering
    * Department of the Air Force  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
    * Energy Film  stock footage
    * Gastown Post and Transfer  post-production services
    * Rainmaker Digital Pictures  post-production services
    * Sharpe Sound Studios Inc.  re-recorded by
    * Stargate SG-1 Productions Limited Partnership  production services provided by
    * U.S. Department of Defense  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
    * U.S. Space Command  we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of

While it is true that the Air Force "may" be there simply to advise on USAF tech, proceedure and uniforms, etc. and while it is true that Stargate SG-1 makes the Air force look like super heroes saving the Galaxy...The addition of the other two departments is at least extremely note worthy!

UPDATE:  * US NAVY See Stargate Continuum

Source

Coincidence?

[quote] Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
Well, Richard Dean Anderson was made an honorary brigadier general by the air force chief of staff. [/quote]

Just in case anyone is interested, here is Richard Dean Anderson at the Pentagon in 2004 being honoured by the USAF.

In the below photo we can see General John Jumper giving Anderson the honourary General stars. 
 

In an official statement from the Pentagon, a spokesperson commented:

"The Air Force was extremely honored to have Richard Dean Anderson visit the Pentagon on 14 September. During his visit he graciously took the time to sign autographs and have photos taken with anyone that asked, he was a true professional. We are very proud of his portrayal of Colonel, now Brigadier General, Jack O’Neill. Gen. O’Neill may at times be brash and irreverent, but there is no doubt of his patriotism and dedication to his job. We also congratulate Mr. Anderson on his promotion to 'Honorary Brigadier General - USAF.' "
- SOURCE

Comments:
Notice that Richard is also being presented with Air Force Wings. This puts an interesting slant on the fact that Lt Col O'Neill (Richard Anderson) is the producer of Stargate- SG-1.

Another twist... one of the three people who own the Rights to the Minerals on the Moon is Lt Col O'Neill

Coincidence?

History

Missile warning and space operations were combined to form Air Force Space Command in 1982. During the Cold War, space operations focused on missile warning, and command and control for national leadership. In 1991, Operation Desert Storm provided emphasis for the command's new focus on support to the warfighter. ICBM forces were merged into AFSPC in 1993.

Point of contact

Air Force Space Command
Public Affairs Office
150 Vandenberg St., Suite 1105
Peterson AFB, CO 80914-4500

(719) 554-3731 or DSN 692-3731

In Popular Culture

In the popular TV series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, the Stargate Program is run by the Air Force Space Command. The AF Space Command Patch was worn on the uniform of personnel aboard the Prometheus, Earth's first operational deep space battle cruiser.

Coincidence?

YOUTUBE LINK

The story line is that an Alien trapped on Earth that knew about the Stargate Program and the people involved has a memory lapse and becomes the producer of a TV show called "Wormhole Xtreme"

You can read the full script here...

For our presentation the important part of the script is clipped below, right after General Hammond shows the team the episode...

Hammond switches the tape off.

DANIEL
Well that looked familiar.

O'NEILL
I don't see it.

CARTER
Martin's involved in this?

HAMMOND
He sold the idea to the studio. He's currently working on production as a creative consultant.

TEAL'C
Then Martin Lloyd has seriously breached your security.

HAMMOND
Not necessarily.

DANIEL
What? He obviously got the whole thing from his knowledge of the Stargate program.

O'NEILL
If the Air Force didn't want it to happen they wouldn't have let it go this far.

HAMMOND
Plausible deniability. In the event of a future breach of security, we'll be able to point to this television program. That is, if it stays on the air.

O'NEILL
Still doesn't change the fact that Marty sold us out.

HAMMOND
His motivations are of little concern at the moment. Our first priority is to find out everything he knows about that ship. Colonel, you're Wormhole X-treme's new Air Force consultant.

Coincidence?

This episode is a continuation of the Season 4 episode "Point of No Return". A spaceship that had been hidden in the outer solar system activates and begins approaching Earth, and its energy signature is matched to that of Martin Lloyd's escape pod suggesting that this is its mother ship. The military tracks down Lloyd (played by Willie Garson) and discovers that he has become the creative consultant for a television series whose concept he sold to a Hollywood studio, Wormhole X-Treme!. The parallels between Wormhole X-Treme! and the real SGC are uncanny, but the Air Force had decided that while being a breach of secrecy, the show could prevent any future leaks of information about the Stargate program from being taken seriously.

Jack O'Neill is given the position of the "Air Force technical adviser" to the show in order to covertly confront Lloyd about both the secrets he has leaked and the approaching spacecraft. He discovers that Lloyd has resumed using memory suppressants and does not consciously remember his previous encounter with them or his own extraterrestrial origin. O'Neill initially suspects Lloyd's associates of drugging him again, but in fact Lloyd started taking them on his own so that he could feel more comfortable with living on Earth.

Lloyd's associates are indeed nearby, however, as well as another secret government group called the NID that wishes to seize the ship's technology for themselves. Lloyd has in his possession the remote control device necessary for boarding the empty ship when it arrives, thinking it merely another of the many functionless science fiction props used on the show, and both parties want to recover it. His associates kidnap O'Neill and Lloyd, injecting Lloyd with a memory-restoring drug. Before they interrogate him, however, O'Neill and Lloyd escape.

O'Neill and Lloyd recover the remote control just as the spacecraft arrives, with the NID and Lloyd's associates in close pursuit. O'Neill gives the remote to Lloyd's associates allowing them to flee Earth, both because he sympathizes with their plight and to deny the ship's technology to the NID. Lloyd decides that he is comfortable with his new life and remains on Earth to continue consulting for Wormhole X-Treme!.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole_X-Treme!