When SciFi Channel and MGM announced that both "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate: Atlantis" was going to be renewed for 10th and third seasons respectively, there was a lot of cheers coming from the Stargate fandom.

I was there cheering, too. But my cheering seemed a bit bittersweet.

I am the kind of person that can make a day at Disney World seem like a day in hell, so I decided to keep some of my feelings to myself. I mean, for goodness sakes, the last thing I need to do is write my opinion and piss off an entire fanbase. Not that I've ever done it before. OK, maybe once. Twice? Fine! A dozen times.

But I was holding my tongue. That is until I made my way to Necronomicon, a sci-fi literary convention right here in my hometown of Tampa, Fla. Since 2001, I've been a guest at the convention, one of the few convention appearances I make every year.

I had a great time, too. Nothing like spending a weekend with 1,150 of your closest friends -- which was a record for this nonprofit convention. And it's always a weekend to remember here in Tampa.

Victoria, who goes by the pseudonym of "Rentgirl," invited me to come with with her on one of her panels aptly titled "Fargate." OK, she didn't invite me ... I begged her to let me be a part of that panel, and she reluctantly agreed.

See, you don't know Victoria. And to be honest, that might be a good thing in most cases. But she is pretty well known on the Web for her fan-fiction -- fan-fiction that I guess you can say, hmmm, how can I say this? A bit ... queer?

Anyway, I joined Victoria for her panel, and we talked about the ninth season of "Stargate SG-1" with people like Ben Browder and Claudia Black from "Farscape" making their way over. The room was filled with Fargate fans, many of them dressed up in some of the gear that we see our favorite characters in every week.

I just sat there and smiled, enjoying the fandom, when Victoria said something that kind of really caught me by surprise. This writer who had done quite a bit of work in the Stargate universe, who actually wore a stargate on a chain around her neck, spoke out loud exactly what I was thinking. "SG-1" should not have been renewed.

I can see the e-mails pouring in right now. Why the hell would I ever think that? What do I have against "SG-1"? Why am I so biased toward "Battlestar Galactica"?

"Galactica" has nothing to do with this ... but another show does have a lot to do with it. It's something you might have heard of, something called "The X-Files."

I'm sure all of you remember that series. Mulder. Scully. Aliens. Cancer Man. But you also remember something else -- that show went on way too long. It should've ended after eight seasons, and then went out while it was still on top. Instead, Fox decided to squeeze as much of the show out as they could, in essence, forcing even the most diehard fans to roll their eyes at the show.

I fear the exact same thing is going to happen to SG-1 in its 10th season. While I welcome the addition of Browder and Black to the cast, I simply have to ask: Where on earth is this show going? Has it moved?

"SG-1" worked hard to eliminate some of its worst enemies. You know, the Goa'uld. The Replicators. You name it, they're gone. So what was left? Nothing! And instead of going back on the tried and true, the producers and writers decided to copy something tried and true. They did a watered-down version of the Goa'uld, made a few priests, and gave us the Ori. They are supposedly some super ancients, who much like the Goa'uld, thought they were gods. It's almost like taking the Borg from Star Trek, and repackaging them as Gobots.

Some might be asking how "SG-1" is going to sustain itself for a 10th season. But I want to know how it's going to do it through the rest of the current season. I mean, I'm barely staying awake through the episodes now, and the only thing that keeps my eyes from closing is knowing that "Atlantis" and "Galactica" will be on soon.

I don't want to disparage the fine people that put together "SG-1," or the work of the actors, both new and old. I really like "SG-1," but at the same time, I strongly feel that the show has run its course. And not just for the 10th season, but for the ninth season as well. I really think that it should've ended after the eighth season. And I'm not alone in this. A roomful of Stargate fans crammed into a small convention room in Tampa, Fla., think the same thing.

There are many fond memories of "SG-1" out there. Please, please, please don't cloud it just because you feel there are a few more drops left in the turnip.

Michael Hinman is the founder and news coordinator of Airlock Alpha. He writes out of Tampa, Fla., and can be reached at michael@airlockalpha.com.