The TV series Stargate: SG-1 has concluded its 1-year run into history, coming to a climatic finish with the film Stargate: The Ark of Truth. As we watch this series and its continuing spin-off, Stargate: Atlantis, we see Colonel Jack O’Neill and his team of interstellar explorers using technology of Earth and its extraterrestrial allies and enemies to explore the galaxy around us.

But how much of that technology is here with us today? The world of Stargate is set in the modern realm, with dates in the year 2001 and later in 2004 used in the series. The weapons used by the stargate teams are not the futuristic lasers and phasers of Star Wars and Star Trek, but Earth-like machine guns and rifles. So, in the modern world and near future, how much of the Stargate Program will we see here on Earth?

Most obviously, the stargates themselves aren’t likely to show up any time soon. The “gates in the show use wormholes to connect to one another and allow near instantaneous transmission of matter and sound from one “gate to another, no matter what the distance. They are shown to even be capable of sending a matter stream across galaxies in a matter of seconds. This technology is theoretical at best, involving physics so complex most people can’t even begin to comprehend them. In short, stargates collapse space-time, effectively folding up the universe so that the point of departure and the point of arrive are, galactically speaking, next to one another.

This sort of space-time warping is theorized in high-end quantum theory, and is not likely to be mastered by the people of Earth any time soon. Summing up: Don’t expect to go on a vacation by stargate any time soon.

How about the battleships? The first glimpse we get of the high-tech firepower of Stargate is at the end of Season 1, when we witness Apophis’ attack fleet inbound to Earth. His two pyramid-ships, or Ha’tak, and interstellar warships of immense proportions, packing enough punch to wreck anything Earth can send against them. Later in the series, we see the human-allied Asgard bring warships into the fray, and even later, with the launch of USS Prometheus, Earth itself sends its first space-borne battleship into the massive intergalactic war.

Our current space program is a bit more conservative. The Orion space program is set to launch in the coming years as the old Orbiter space shuttles are retired. While the Orion is top-line technology, it is a far cry from the Prometheus and its followers, the Deadalus and its sister ships. While the hundred-man-crewed battlecruisers aren’t ready to take to space quite yet, the technology is there.

The technology for the actual ships can be seen every clear night with the naked eye. The International Space Station is the crown jewel of the space program, and it is a testament to the power of human ingenuity. The station has been assembled in sections and new houses a crew of three astronauts, soon to be expanded to five and eventually more. While this station is much smaller than a BC-304 battlecruiser, it shows that building large, space-based objects is no longer a matter of science fiction.

The armaments of the starships of the future are also ready for action, or nearly so. USS Daedalus and the following BC-304 cruisers are armed primarily with rail guns, prototype technology in testing phase today. Rail guns use magnetism to accelerate rounds to multiple times the speed of sound, allowing for incredible range and kinetic impact power. The technology is under development for use on modern sea-based battleships and aircraft carriers today.

The other main weapons of Earth’s Stargate ships are already too common in the modern world: Nuclear weapons. Known in Stargate as Mark III tactical nukes, they serve in Stargate as ship-to-ship assault weapons. Here on Earth, they are the ultimate in weapons of mass destruction, with firepower capable of wrecking entire cities and spreading a toxic cloud of radiation over immense areas.

Other civilizations in Stargate tend to have more sci-fi style weapons on their ships. Lasers, energy torpedoes, and plasma beams are the armaments of the extraterrestrial friends and foes of the Stargate teams, and those are unlikely to be seen in the near future. Laser technology does exist, but its uses as weapons are minimal. Most lasers are used for communication or in industry as precision cutters. While lasers are becoming commonplace, don’t expect to see American soldiers carrying laser rifles for many years.

In Stargate Command, we see more arsenals of weapons and more technology to explore. One of the most interesting pieces of technology is the drone plane and missile system used to clear out hostile formations through the stargate. This technology is alive and well in America today. We see Predator, Reaper, and Global Hawk drones as they are used to hunt down enemies of America in Iraq and Afghanistan in the War on Terror. These planes are the same ones used in Stargate. In the TV show, they paint targets with lasers for missile strikes; here on Earth, they can even fire weapons of their own at hostile targets and eliminate them.

Also in the area of drones, Stargate Command uses a series of drones known as MALPs, or Mobile Laboratory Analytical Probes, to scout out new planets before they send in one of their teams. These kinds of drones are again in use today. Drones scout out caves in Afghanistan searching for weapons of mass destruction, fight through rubble in the aftermath of an earthquake searching for survivors, and even tote machine guns and scout potentially hostile regions without endangering soldiers. Drone and robot technology, it seems, is one area where we’ve kept pace with the world of Stargate: SG-1.

Although they look like typical science fiction weapons, all of the firearms used by the Earth teams in Stargate are actually real weapons. The favored weapon is the P-90, a submachine gun with a top-loading magazine and “bullpup” configuration, making it very compact. Also used in the series are MP-5 submachine guns and the Heckler & Koch G-36 assault weapon. All these are real weapons, most in use today.

One last area we can’t overlook is the field of holographic technology. Used prominently by the Earth-allied Asgard, holograms become regularly featured pieces of technology in the series. In the modern world, holograms are beginning to see more and more widespread use. Holograms are used in some companies to provide three-dimensional blueprints for products, and holograms can be found in museums and exhibits around the world as displays of emerging technology. While we haven’t yet reached the level of our friends the Asgard, we’re well on our way.

Stargate features a lot of science fiction technology that will likely stay in the realm of science fiction, at least for the foreseeable future. But there is quite a lot to be found in the halls of Stargate command that could soon be found in the world of scientific reality.