Dr. Janet Fraiser dutifully served the Stargate franchise for seven seasons as Stargate Command's Chief Medical Officer. During her time on Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright's series Stargate SG-1, she saved the lives of every member of the SG-1 team and was a beloved member of the crew. Fraiser was kind and benevolent but unafraid of risking her life if it meant saving the life of another. The latter led to her being killed in the Season 7 two-part episode "Heroes," when she rushed onto the battlefield to stabilize injured airman Simon Wells and lost her own life. Dr. Fraiser died as she lived -- working tirelessly in dangerous situations to help others.

Despite always being credited as a guest star, Teryl Rothery played Dr. Fraiser for 75 episodes. Many fans considered Dr. Frasier an integral part of the core cast. Her death signified the writers' willingness to thrust even their legacy characters into danger. It reminded fans that no one in the SG-1 universe was safe, no matter how integral to the crew's inner workings. However, there was more to Dr. Fraiser's death than the producers' desire to shake up the audience. As with most things on television, there were also budgetary concerns, despite the success of the Stargate universe on Syfy Channel.

Updated March 15, 2024, by Robert Vaux and Joshua M. Patton: The storytelling universe began with a 1994 feature film, Stargate, and spawned three series, two made-for-television films, books, comics and games. Yet, some fans could point to the death of Dr. Janet Fraiser as the beginning of the end of its triumphant run on television. The legacy of Stargate SG-1 is often overlooked in the age of sci-fi and fantasy excellence dominating television and film today. Still, a debt is owed to this universe, which began in the 1990s and lasted into the 21st Century. It was a rich and engaging universe: creatively conceived, well-developed, and holding up quite well decades after the fact. The article has been updated with new information and reformatted to meet current CBR guidelines.

What Was Stargate SG-1?

After the success of 1994's Stargate, MGM sought to expand their potential sci-fi franchise to television. Co-creators Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner pitched ideas for a series to the studio separately, and MGM bought both pitches, provided the two producers worked together. The show was named Stargate SG-1 after Showtime, the network that aired the first few seasons, released a promotional poster before the producers officially settled on the name. The series centered on the US Air Force's Stargate Command (SGC for short), led by Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, played by Richard Dean Anderson of MacGyver fame.

The show's first eight seasons centered on O'Neill and his team's missions through the Stargate to explore the cosmos and discover potential alien allies and technology. The villains are a snake-like race called the Goa'uld, an unambiguously evil enemy. Eventually, the crew discovers that many of Earth's mythological figures, particularly from Ancient Egypt, Norse mythology, and Arthurian legend, are based on real alien beings. The series also examines the Stargates' origins, revealing the "Ancients"- a humanoid race that transcended the physical plane- built them. Eventually, after Anderson left and was replaced by Ben Browder's Cameron Mitchell as team leader, the battle turns towards the Ori, members of the Ancients' race who were perfectly happy to subjugate "lesser" beings.

The series spawned two spinoffs, Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: Universe, which ran for two. There were also two movies set after the end of the series, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. There were plans for a third, but eventually, SyFy pulled the plug on the Stargates for good. Nonetheless, the series was a triumph for a "basic cable" series, with high-production value for the time from visual effects to Joel Goldsmith's score. The characters remain beloved by fans, and there are persistent rumors the Stargate universe is heading for a revival, most likely a ground-up reboot.

Who Was Doctor Janet Fraiser On Stargate SG-1?

Teryl Rothery has appeared in many sci-fi and fantasy dramas like Supernatural, Travelers and iZombie, along with prolific appearances as a voice actor. However, she's perhaps best known as Dr. Janet Fraiser. As the Chief Medical Officer of Stargate Command, she would often use her medical authority to prevent the SG teams from doing anything detrimental to her health. After admonishing O'Neill, he called her, jokingly, "a Napoleonic power monger." While she rarely went into battle, she was capable in a fight. When invaders compromised the men of SGC, she led the unit's women in a campaign to take back the facility.

Perhaps her most important relationship on the show was with Cassandra, the sole survivor of a planet wiped out by a plague. Cassie, as she preferred to be called, was sent to SGC by a Goa'uld leader as a living bomb. When Captain Samantha Carter prevented her from detonating, Dr. Fraiser adopted her. After Dr. Fraiser's death, Carter became more active in the girl's life, bonding over the loss of their beloved friend.

Dr. Fraiser's Death Shocked Stargate SG-1's Cast and Crew

Stargate SG-1 teased a major character's death ahead of the series' transition from Showtime to SyFy (still stylized as Sci-Fi then), hoping the suspense would hook viewers and keep them tuning in to the series after its network change. The series initially hinted that team leader Jack O'Neill would be the character to die, playing on Richard Dean Anderson's popularity from MacGyver and SG-1. However, this was a misdirection, and Dr. Fraiser met her end in the line of duty.

The showrunner at the time, Robert C. Cooper, believed that the characters of SG-1 lived in a world that audiences could identify with and wanted to acknowledge that just as in real-life combat situations, people die. However, killing Dr. Frasier was controversial with the writing staff and the actors. According to GateWorld, Don S. Davis said the choice was made by "some stupid bean counter," likely referring to killing off the character to save money in the production budget. Anderson and Davis also ended up leaving SG-1 before it ended in 2007, though the series continued for two more seasons.

Dr. Janet Frasier's Appearances In Stargate SG-1 by Season

Teryl Rothery Remembers Exactly When She Learned She Was Leaving Stargate SG-1

Rothery told RDAnderson.com that she was not in favor of the move. "There were parts of this particular storyline that made me a little sad, that I didn’t really want to see happen, but it was out of my hands," she said. However, she praised "Heroes," adding that the episode was "a beautifully written story." She would later return to the series for Season 9, Episode 13, "Ripple Effect," in which she played Dr. Fraiser in an alternate universe.

Dr. Fraiser's death shocked Stargate SG-1 fans, but given the series' wartime tone, it made sense that even important and beloved characters would meet their end doing what they loved. Teryl Rothery's character was no exception. The rest of the crew remembered Dr. Fraiser fondly for her sacrifice and for all the times she came to their aid. While Stargate SG-1 lives on through Amazon Prime, Fraiser lives on in viewers' memories.

Stargate SG-1 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and free ad-supported streaming television service Pluto TV.