Well, today is the day many of you have been impatiently awaiting. Yes, the day that wunderkind Martin Gero steps into the spotlight to field your comments and queries on his episode, Be All My Sins Remember’d. Is Weir alive? Where are Teyla‘s people? Is there a replicator connection to Carson Beckett‘s rumored return? These are just some of the questions he won’t be answering in today’s blog installment. However, he has taken the time to respond to plenty of other questions.
And so, with out further ado, I turn this blog over to Marty G. –
Martin: First let me just say thanks to Joe for giving me the opportunity to blog crash here. Many people ask me why I don’t blog…well, no one can do it better than this man, so why bother.
Also, I am glad that we were able to keep the major twist at the end of the episode a secret… Now, look, I used to be a spoiler hound like many of you are. And then I realized I was starting to not love movies and TV like a I used to. I like to be surprised…and it’s next to impossible (for me) to get excited about a show I know too much about. I go see Shakespeare even though I know the story, but most movies and TV ain’t Shakespeare (Stargate included). A lot of the excitement comes from the unexpected twists. So, I’m not saying I hate people who read spoilers or I wish the internet would stop giving everything away. I just want to point out how awesome it is not knowing something, being surprised, and would put forth that many of you would like the show more if you didn’t read spoilers. Just a humble opinion from a one time spoiler lover. Ignore it if you wish.
cat4444 writes: “. . . since Carson removed the tumor from Watson’s body before it exploded, it stands to reason that it hadn’t yet reached critical mass, and, once it had been removed, it no longer had access to the raw materials it needed to complete the growth stage. This just begs the question: If the tumor no longer had access to the raw materials needed to complete the process, how could it have reached critical mass and exploded? […] Based upon Joe’s “it becomes highly unstable and can be set off by any number of things”, I rewatched the portion of the episode where McKay is explaining how the tumors are created and when they explode. His explanation was:
“The device emits millions of irradiated particles that have been genetically programmed to enter into our systems and gather behind the lungs. Now, as they go, they collect trace elements from our body that they need to complete an explosive compound, which, once in place, the tumor reaches critical mass and explodes.” He did not say: “. . . which once in place, the tumor reaches critical mass and becomes highly unstable and can be set off by any number of things causing it to eventually explode.”
Martin: This is a great and important question, one that I know many fans have been wondering about, heck, even losing sleep over. And let me thank you for asking it so succinctly. The answer is simply: when the tumor reaches critical mass, it becomes highly unstable and can be set off by any number of things including sudden movements. McKay’s original line was: “…which once in place, the tumor reaches critical mass and becomes highly unstable and can be set off by any number of things causing it to eventually explode.” It was cut for time, ‘cause I thought no one would catch it or care…but you did. Congrats.
Now onto BAMSR:
promogirl writes: “Two questions. 1) Were there any character developing scenes that you had to cut for time? The episode was jammed with so much stuff I imagine something had to go. 2) Will we see a resolution (or continuation) to the Weir storyline in season 5?”
Martin: Hey promogirl…nope…as I recall, we didn’t cut any full scenes for time. I always make inner scene trims here and there to keep the pace going., but we were lucky enough not to cut full scenes. Weir’s storyline will be revisited in season 5.
a. loquita writes: “When you sit down to watch TV at home, do you automatically look at a show much like looking at a Stargate episode you are producing? As in, do you notice little flaws? Or can you just sit back and enjoy as a regular audience member? Secondly, if you don’t mind me saying, from the pictures that have been posted on this blog you are quite handsome. Maybe not at the same level as Mr. Flanigan or Mr. Hewlett but certainly more so than Mr. Mallozzi. Just thought you might want to know that so you can hold it over his head! Feel free to taunt him with that knowledge from time to time J ”
Martin: Stargate is really the only show I nitpick…because that’s my job…they pay me to. Otherwise, I think I’m probably a very forgiving viewer. I always watch a show seasonally, and judge it once I get to the end. Even my favorite shows like The Shield or Sopranos have logic flaws and crap episodes, but if at the end of the season they’ve had more good than bad, than that’s a win. Shows occasionally have runs where they’ll do like seven perfect episodes in a row. That’s rare and should be savored. For the most part, I’m ready for a few duds going in. Second: I’m not at least a tie with David? You’re crazy. Also, Joe M. is better looking in person than all of us combined…seriously…dreamy…I- I-…I’ve said too much.
Jmills writes: “The spacebattle scene, how long did that take to make? Also, when the vfx guys are doing that, what sort of direction (eg. The Apollo needs to kill 5 replicator ships, a traveler ship needs to die, and in the end the good guys win)?”
Martin: That space battle scene took close to four months of work to finish. HUNDREDS of people slaved away to make that happen. As far as direction – in the script I usually lay it out shot by shot. Mark Savela and his team come up with a budget based on my descriptions of those shots, we land on a number (this one was expensive, as I’m sure you can imagine) and shoot the show. (This show had a bunch of effects houses working on the shots. Image Engine, Atmosphere, Rainmaker, and more…)
In the editing room (this show was edited by my dear friend Mike Banas, who also edited my film), Mike and I put in place holders for the shots, cut one here, add a couple there. Then Mark and Shannon (Mark’s right hand lady) come in and we use a lot of hand gestures and make explosion sounds with our mouths and try to make sure we’re all on the same page and have left enough time in the cut for the shots. What a lot of people don’t know is that the show is “locked” (meaning no further editing is done) before most of the VFX’s have even started. So there’s a lot of educated guess work there. All too often I’ve found we didn’t leave long enough time for a shot…something I’ve fixed by leaving longer and longer holes.
I trust Mark and Shannon a lot (they have more than earned it over the years) so, frequently, I’ll just talk about the plot point that needs to get hit in the shot and then let them come up with something cool…more heads the better really.
Then the temps start. These are very basic, usually black and white mock-ups of the shots without a lot of detail. We go back and forth refining the movement of the ships and the camera placement, etc.
Once we agree on temps, better renders and composites (adding explosions and laser beams and such) starts to happen. Again, we see the shot, I give notes, Paul and Joe gives notes, and Mark tells the vendors to make the changes.
Four months later you have your shots…and we’re always done at the very last moment. Shots this big can take DAYS for a computer to output, so congrats to Mark and Shannon and the rest of the team.
Chris C writes: “In this episode, we saw McKay argue for a very narrow view of consciousness. He told us not to be concerned about the ethics of sacrificing Fran because she was only “zeros and ones”, a view Carter quickly agreed with. Was much thought put into this?
I’m mildly surprised McKay doesn’t have a more liberal view of how we can determine whether something is intelligent or conscious or alive. He seems to be saying that anything which resembles a machine can never be an intelligent being worthy of the existential ethical considerations humans merit, by its very nature.”
Martin: I think his view, as is mine, is that a digital consciousness can’t technically die. Fran is a physical manifestation of a computer program. That program could conceivably continue existing even after its physical embodiment is destroyed. I think his feeling early in the ep was: “Look, she’s a program. If we want, we can make her another body once we destroy the one she had. She’ll never know the difference.” A hard line that I think softened once he got to know her. Will he actually do that? We’ll see…
Jenny Robin writes: “There were a lot of moving parts to this episode: team moments, betrayal, revelation, posturing, collaboration, science, friendship, space battles, globs, ethical dilemma, threat of impending doom, etc. How were you able to pack it all into the alloted pages/timeframe without making it dense or hard-to-follow?”
Martin: The hard part in an episode like this, where there’s so much going on, is to really carve out moments for the characters to really interact with each other and not just communicate “pertinent” information. We knew going into this episode that a lot of pots were going to come to a boil. Pretty much every major arc in the series is touched on in this episode, so we made sure to give them all their due screen time – while not forgetting that people also like to see things go boom. I’m particularly proud of how many little moments we snuck into a huge action episode.
vvv0472 writes: “Dear Danger Beckett, 1)Have you mourned the loss of your brother? 2)Do you miss having your brother around? 3)(If answered yes to # 2) what do you miss most about your brother? 4)Has your accent improved?”
Martin: I’ll let Danger himself field this –
Danger: 1) Nyet! (That’s Scottish right?) It’s been a very hard year. 2) Yes and no. He’s dead, which is awful, but that means there’s a Scotsman shortage on the show…which could mean big things for me. 3) I always looked better standing next to him. 4) It soooor heeeesssss.
Charles Schneider writes: “Obviously there was a huge cameo during the conclusion that sets up a new arc (which probably will be paid off near or at season’s end). How much of BAMSR was pure Martin G. and how much of the episode do you credit to the room )or things that you knew “had” to happen)?”
Martin: First off, let me just say that that cameo pays off in Season 5 and is left open for the rest of the Season for a very good reason, explained in Season 5. Second, as I’ve said before many times on my DVD commentaries (you don’t listen to them??), these big episodes are team ventures. It’s weird that only one person gets the credit. I mean, I am the guy that physically writes the script and the dialogue (and cashes the cheque), but the story is very much combed over in fine detail with the other writers. Obviously, because episodes such as BAMSR not only wrap up idea’s from other people’s stories, but they create new arc that other writers will probably have to take on. So yeah, team effort on this one.
anon, good nurse writes: “I know this issue isn’t unique to SG: Atlantis, but how could a beaming device be strong enough to bring McKay et al. back up from the Replicator home world, which by that time must have had a truly incredible gravitational force?”
Martin: Cause those Asgard are so bad ass? Actually they beam out and THEN the planet starts to implode.
Leliana writes: “Are we going to see the replicators again in season four or do we have to wait for season five? Was this Torri’s last episode of the season? Will we see Fran again? Why the leather on Elizabeth? That didn’t look very replicatorish…
Congrats again!
Martin: “1. There is one more “replicator” story, but it doesn’t involve a “replicator”. 2. Yes. 3. Hopefully 4. I personally am not a fan of how the Replicators look. I wanted something different for Weir. Torri loved the jacket.
theufw writes: “Does Carter have any flaws? Other than going by the book (for now)? Do we have to anticipate major character deaths in the future? Do you face problems when writing poetry or do they just come out of your mind instinctively? Because the poem you wrote is superb. I want to learn to write like you.”
Martin: “1. Yes, I think Carter has many flaws, but she’s a utter professional and rarely lets them affect her work. 2. Yes. How else will I maintain my “Angel of Death” moniker. 3. I have no idea what poem you’re talking about, but I usually steal pretty words from dead people.”
Kristen writes: “In “Miller’s Crossing” was there a lot of arguments in the writer’s room about that those last ten minutes? What were your thoughts/intentions concerning Sheppard’s decision at the end? You write the most interesting screenplays with a Rodney focus..why do you think you gravitate to his character so much?
You seem to write the majority of the scenes in episodes exploring Sheppard’s not darker side per say, but a more layered one. Ever think you might do something that explores that aspect of him more in a heavier way like you did Rodney’s flaws/redemptions in “Tao”?
Again not to be picky, but how did a tumor create such force and explosion as we saw in “Sunday”?”
Martin: “1. There was an initial concern that we were going too dark, but we felt like it was the right thing to do. Carl put it bluntly: the second Wallace injects Jeanie, he seals his fate – he’s a doomed man. He must die. 2. I made sure to address what bold a move it was and how Sheppard himself wasn’t comfortable with it in that last scene with McKay. I think seeing our character make hard calls like that is what makes them interesting. Wrestling with the consequences is what makes them good. 3. McKay as a person has the most to learn about himself and others. Like how to be a brother, to trust others, be more accepting, etc. He’s also the type of guy that isn’t going to learn those lessons unless he’s faced with a massive crisis…which makes for great TV. Also David and I are very good friends and I enjoy writing for him a great deal. 4. I think I have done that… 5. Cause it’s a space tumor…duh.”
Fishbaum writes: “Will we ever see Rodney’s reaction to Teyla’s announcement of her pregnancy? (I imagine John practically RAN to the labs to tell him!) I have been loving Chris H’s wraith “Todd” — any chance we’ll see Chris in some other role this season? What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten, and would you have it again if you had the chance?
Martin: 1. Sadly, no. McKay finds out off camera. 2. Chris H is amazing, but I am very glad to see that many of you didn’t notice the little trick we pulled this episode. See, Chris is so amazing that he works all the time, and sometimes he’s too busy to do our show. Like, for instance in BAMSR. That wasn’t Chris in the ep playing Todd. That was a young actor named Brendan Penny. He wore the make up and acted with the cast and then Chris re-voiced the part in post. Kinda like we did with Michael in Allies, but much more effectively. But back to your question: will we see Chris H in another role this season: quite possibly. 3. The most unusual thing I’ve ever eaten…so many choices…we’ll go with the most recent: pigs ears. Not my fav. Second place: gazelle and alligator in Africa.”
Rose (formerly OhioAnne) writes: “What is the significance of the title?”
Martin:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. – Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.
Pauline Says: “Did you consider making BAMSR into a two episode feature?”
Martin: “The thing I like the least about Battlestar (and I like that show) is that all too often they take one episode or an episode and a half of story and stretch it out into two episodes (we do it too every now and again, but it seems like every other episode of Battlestar is a two-parter). There are great financial reasons to do this (like you get to spread the cost of the big VFX over two shows), but the story always suffers. I know parts of BAMSR seem rushed, but I don’t think it would have made two good episodes. The pace is what makes it so fun to watch.
LibKat writes: “I rewatched Miller’s Crossing during the marathon on SciFi here in the US. Both times I saw the ep. I thought that JF’s performance in the final scenes conveyed some ambiguity about whether Wallace really volunteered to be wraith fodder. Am I just nuts or did Shepard maybe feed him to the wraith?”
Martin: I can’t speak to your mental health but no, Sheppard didn’t feed him to the Wraith. Wallace volunteered.
Emily writes: “What’s Joe’s most annoying personality trait? Any other embarrassing stories you’d care to share about him would be great, as well. (You should see what he’s said about you!!)”
Martin: Joe is the greatest boss a person could ever dream of…that is all.
Joe weighing in: I’d say my most annoying personality trait is that I’m too caring.
Jono writes: “One more thing. Can the 100th episode of Atlantis (due in season 5 I believe) be a musical? Pleeeeeeeeease? If Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Scrubs can come up with excuses to have the whole cast singing and dancing then surely Atlantis’ genius writers can too… Like, maybe Wormhole X-Treme! could have a musically-themed spinoff movie or something.”
Martin: We have an amazing idea for the 100th episode of Atlantis, and it doesn’t involve singing. It will be the Season 5 finale. You’ll want to watch it.
KimberlyFDR writes: “1. Great twist at the end! Since (I think) this was the last of her four episodes that she filmed this season will her presence at least be felt in the coming episodes? 2. Did you feel that the ethical implications of Fran should have been touched on more? OR would have been had there been more time (say having this as a two-part episode)? 3. Was the image of Fran (as opposed to Rodney’s “The Game” dream-girl being a Sam tribute) meant to be an homage to Elizabeth in some way? 4. This would be a question for both Joe and Martin since you both wrote episodes with the Larrin character. Was it a conscious decision to create her as the female counterpart to Sheppard because alot of fans have noticed that she’s virtually the equivalent of Girl!John in alot of ways. 5. Was the decision to not have Teyla’s announcement of her pregnancy to the entire team (Rodney included) done so that Rodney’s reaction could be shown later or will we not get to see how McKay reacts to the news?”
Martin: 1. Glad you liked it. 2. The scene was originally much longer, but I cut it for time. Also, see above. 3. Nope. We cast the best woman for the part and didn’t care about her looks. 4. We definitely wanted to create a character that could be a nemesis for Sheppard. 5. See above.
joanieloveschachi writes: “Mr. Gero—Did you know that the McKay action figure looks just like you? What’s up with that?”
Martin: In fact I did know that. It’s in my office. I was told they needed it to look “more handsome” than David and made the necessary changes…resulting in it looking like me.
Sagacious writes: “On an episode such as this that has so many actors and moving parts involved, who does the scheduling that keeps it all running and when is scheduling done? Is it at the beginning of the episode or is it done nightly (or daily)?”
Martin: Atlantis has possibly the most complex shooting schedule around. Aside from the fact that we sometimes shoot more than one episode at once, the movies were shooting during much of the year using Carter and many of our sets. John Smith and John Lenic and all our very gifted AD’s plan as far in advance as they can, but every now and again a scene or script is rewritten to accommodate people’s schedules. For instance, Chris H wasn’t available for BAMSR and Ronon was originally in Harmony, but had to be taken out because it conflicted with the shooting of Quarantine.
grapesofwraith writes: “Question about Wier though (For Joe or Marty)- do you have a definite plan of what her ongoing role is going to be, or does this just leave the door open for if the right opportunity presents itself?”
Martin: We have a definite plan. Please tune into Season 5 for more.
susiekew writes: “Hi Joe – I hope it’s not too late to put in a question for BAMSR. Anyway, here it is. We all know the story was written by Martin Gero, but the opening credits also showed “Excerpt Written By: Alan McCullough”. What does this mean?”
Martin: “It’s a dumb legal thing. The scene that cuts inside the Wraith ship during the battle is actually a “pre-use” from “Spoils of War”, a script that Alan wrote, so our union says he gets a credit. I’ll have the same one in Spoils, as they use a scene or two from “Sins”.
ohinnj writes: “1) How did the idea of the character FRAN come about? I’m curious because – while I liked the character – it seems to me she really wasn’t needed in the story – you could have simply allowed McKay to finally figure out how to make the block of nanites work. So I’m wondering if you simply wanted another twist in the already jam-packed story (I’m not complaining!), or if you wanted to create another type of character that might reappear in the future. 2) How did the idea for the “compress not diffuse” solution come about? (I loved it.) And do you have real scientists that you consult to get the science right once you come up with a plotline?”
Martin: 1. I wanted another twist in the already jam-packed story (I’m greedy that way). Also, I thought scenes with McKay and blob of nanite particles would be less exciting that scenes with McKay and Fran.
BAMSR took a VERY long to break (to decide what every scene would be). We usually can do it in a day, two max. BAMSR took five days. There was a lot to discuss and agree on – namely how we kill the replicators in the end. It was just TBD for a while like: yeah, then we get to the planet and kill the replicators.
Out of desperation, Joe and I were in the room throwing idea’s back and forth. I came up with Fran, I think and I said, she could up load the freezing program and then maybe we drop a massive ARG pulse bomb or something. Joe thought for a moment, and then said: “We always break them apart…what if we stuck them all together?” And that was that. I think I called Mark Savela five minutes later and was like: can we do a massive replicator blob? Like as big as a city? He, after a long pause, said: “I have no idea how we’d make that work…but if you write it, we’ll figure it out.” So I wrote it, and he figured it out.
Okay, that’s all for now guys. Thanks for the questions but I need to get back to “Search and Rescue” our season 5 premiere. It’s due Monday and I still have a scene or two to write. Glad you liked the show. Hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
Hi Joe, any cnance of seeing Ford in Season 5??? Maybe with his strength he could be able to get through the Replicators and rescue Dr. Weir???
Loved BAMSR Joe and i’m looking forward to seeing weir in season 5.
question
Do you plan to explore the 5 moons that obit the new planet Atlantis is on
Thanks Martin! You gave us so little but said so much. I think it must be a skill you must have to be a part of the Atlantis team.
Question for Joe: When is Chuck going to get his name at the front of the show instead of in the end credits? He’s been in three seasons now and he’s had more complex lines that “Chevron one encoded”, surely he’s earned it be now!
also will we be seeing fran again ….i am assuming Rodney can re make her at will.
the actress was great
Thanks Joe. Do you think you can ask Martin yo do the same for “Trio”?
Thank you both! Very interesting. And Squall will be delighted with the Season Five tidbits. (He’s always whining at us over on Scifi about SGA season five, sweet thing that he is, he still gets on our nerves.)
Oh, and one last thing about BAMSR that has been bothering me … The colonels greeting bit, that’s an homage to um, help me here? Monty Python’s Doctors of Philosophy skit? Doctor .. Doctor .. Doctor … Doctor … I know it is from somewhere. My friends and I are all ordained ministers in the Church of Light and we do the Reverend .. Reverend .. Reverend .. Reverend .. Reverend thing now and again. Coincidence or Monty Python or am I simply insane? Oh wait a minute … nevermind option C.
As I was watching BAMSR’d, I couldn’t help but notice the large cornucopia of producer credits (I’m sure this is the case with all previous episodes, but I just noticed with BAMSR’d). What the Beelzebub is the difference between all these producers (other than the obvious answer that they’re all different people)? How do their roles differ?
Friday’s episode included:
[In the intro credits]
Co-Producer Alan McCullough
Producer Andy Mikita
Producer John G. Lenic
Supervising Producer Martin Wood
Co-Executive Producer Martin Gero
Co-Executive Producer Carl Binder
Executive Producer N. John Smith
Executive Producers Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
And, of course, at the end of the episode we have:
Executive Producers Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
Crikey!
Are there episodic producers and show producers? And why are some names teamed up while others get sole possession of screen time (when others have the same title)? What’s the difference between a Co-Producer, a Producer, a Supervising Producer, a Co-Executive Producer, and an Executive Producer?
Maybe I’m an idiot for not knowing this, but I doubt it. Does this befuddle anyone else, or is it just me?
Thanks to both Martin G. and Joe M. for the insightful and entertaining blog responses for BAMSR, and other things Stargate. Yeah!
Like others here and elsewhere on this planet, I eagerly look forward to the rest of season 4 and a rambunctious season 5.
Why can’t I find a single photo or screen grab of Joe F smiling? Has anyone realized that he mostly just grins, (sometimes very sexy and slyly) or frowns? I’m sure he has nice teeth. Can’t he smile at least once? Geez…
Hi Joe –
I’m not sure if this has been asked/answered already.
Are any future eps going to involve exploration of the seas/landmasses of Atlantis’ new planet? Other than the fact that there is a giant snakelike nasty there, not much has been said …
Mr. M, thank you for allowing or talking Mr. G into taking the Q&A today. It was most illuminating. BAMSR was a great episode has me way too excited about the rest of the season. Some of the answers today have me equally excited about season 5. Thank you!!
Just wanted to say thanks to both you and Martin for taking the time to answer our questions about BAMSR. Much appreciated.
Can’t wait to see what you have in store for Weir in season 5. It looks like Tori Higginson is going to have some meaty material to sink her teeth into.
By the way, have you mentioned the cast for season 5, yet? I’m just wondering (and hoping) that Keller and Carter will still be onboard.
Many thanks to Mr. G. for his imput, and Mr. M. for hosting. And especially settling the issue of if/when Weir may make a reappearance. Now for the other 23 lines and what they mean about the episodes they portend..I’ll be ready on Tuesday for the book club postings, and will peak in from work on what the early posters have to say tomorrow.
Hey Joe!
Thank you for allowing Martin Gero to use your blog to answer those questions, it was a great read!
Can’t wait to see “Spoils of War”, this is a great season so far and you all are doing an amazing job! I send cyber-chocolates your way. 😀
– Enzo Aquarius
Thanks for the Q&A, Martin! I’m rather sad that you guys didn’t write in Rodney’s reaction to Teyla’s pregnancy, but I’m hoping that we see some team-oriented personal ramifications beyond “oh, Teyla’s pregnant, she’s off the team, next mission, lalalala!” in the next few eps. 🙂
T.
Hey Joe, I have a question about Continuum: How big a part does Jack have in the movie – less or more than 15 minutes?
Wonderful episode. I have now watched S1 & S2….and started on S3. I think I will be waiting to watch more of this season until it comes out on DVD. It is slightly confusing to start in the middle of a season.
The space battle was StarWars worthy!
Thanks Martin G for the insights, I really enjoyed the episode and look forward to the rest of the season….as well as season 5 of course
Aw, bless you guys! I came to your blog today to ask if someone else had played Todd in BAMSR with Chris Heyerdahl only voicing it only to find it already answered! My flatmate & I were watching it yesterday, and were wondering why he looked different. I’d wondered whether you guys had done the same as what was done with Michael in a previous episode … and yes! Phew. Glad to know we’re not crazy. Really enjoyed the episode, loved the ending. Wanted to punch Ellis, though. I thought it was great when Rodney called him a tool. Heh. Makes me smile just thinking about it. I can’t wait to get this season on DVD (instead of watching crappy downloads) – I’m very excited about the quality of the visuals, it’ll be awesome on DVD! Thanks for making such an enjoyable show.
Now that you mention it, Joe, I do indeed find you annoyingly caring. Geez, would it kill you to just loosen up and be selfish and snarky for a little bit? I hate caring people, such goody two-shoeses….
Heh, just kidding, of course.
But wow, that wasn’t Chris H?! I never knew. In fact, I thought those who did seem to notice it were simply mistaken or they were picking out things that weren’t there. Incredible.
So, a big thanks to Martin Gero for both the AWESOME BAMSR and for taking the time to answer our questions, and another thanks to you, Joe, for coming up with that “compression, not diffusion” idea which, as I commented yesterday, blew my mind. Great job!
Thanks Martin for popping in, hope you liked the chocolates left for you (crossing fingers our Joe didn’t snavvy them..they’re a sometimes food Mr Mallozzi!).
I imagine we’ll see the rest of the crew’s reactions to Teyla’s pregnancy. I can imagine Rodney’s response.. stuttering:
‘Wh-wha? She – she-s pregnant?? H- how did this happen?”
To which Sheppard will respond :
“How else do you think Rodney? Didn’t you pay attention in sex ed ?”
I reckon Zalenka would be over moon and go and hide the face paints after his ordeal in Critical Mass. Now if Carson were there, he’d be fawning all over Teyla.
“Cun Ah get yae ah wee drink o’ waterrrh? Set doon ahn reeest deerr leddy” (Sorry to Susan the turtle lady, my Scottish sucks). Mind you if Carson were there, he’d be the first to know but…
“….We have an amazing idea for the 100th episode of Atlantis, and it doesn’t involve singing. It will be the Season 5 finale. You’ll want to watch it…” (MG)
Ah, a dance fest then… our team faces off the Wraith in a Riverdance contest… good show!!!
Wow Martin, as if we don’t look forward to each episode as it is. This is going to be excitement plus! Be still mah beating heart..
Thanks again for popping in. xx
Oh and I forgot to add. When I was a kid, I saw the movie “The Blob”… creeped the heck out of me. Thanks for making me relive it… *shudders*.
To Joe & the Bridge Studios Crew –
First – THANK YOU for not killing off Elizabeth. See, I’m one of the many Elizabeth fans who feel that the Elizabeth who will show up in Season 5 is the real Elizabeth. =)
Second – THANK YOU for confirming that Elizabeth will be back in Season 5. I’m very excited to know we’ll get to see Torri again next Season. Although I’m very sad she’s gone for the rest of this season. I’ve missed her a lot this year.
Third – I just want to express my hopes that Elizabeth’s role for Season 5 is as an ally to Atlantis, not an enemy. Actually, my first preference would be that she come home to the team. Bottom line, please allow her to be a friend and ally to Atlantis. I really couldn’t bear it if she were turned into an enemy.
Fourth – I would absolutely love it if Torri came back for a lot more than 4 episodes next season! Full-time would be awesome. She is such an amazing contributor to the cast, it would be a shame to only see her a handful of times.
It sounds like BAMSR was well received. I plan to post my full thoughts on the ep in the GW thread (as many have already done).
Again, thank you for giving Weir fans hope. This Weir fan appreciates it very much.
There are some Weir fans out there who are taking the hints about Weir a lot more cautiously than I am. Some are in the “I’ll wait and see” camp, hoping for some concrete confirmation from Torri or some more news about the kind of role she’ll play next Season. I think, for some, there’s been a lot of water go under that bridge, so they aren’t so sure they want to get their hopes up yet. I understand and respect how they could feel that way.
So, if there is any way to continue to provide tidbits about Torri and Season 5, it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
SMB_BOOKS
SEW Crew Member
http://www.saveelizabethweir.com
Thank you Martin for answering the questions on BASMR, and Joe thanks for allowing Martin to play in your sandbox today.
I’ll throw my hat in the ring for the fans who WERE surprised to see Weir at the end of the episode, and WERE glad that the news was kept a secret. I also appreciated that Torri’s name was not in the front credits, and loved how Torri had a solo credit (with no character name) in the end credits.
Fantastic episode in a superb season!
Best wishes, Morjana
Emily, I’m equally befuddled by the bounty of producer credits. I anticipate remaining befuddled even if Joe explains the matter.
Guys, thanks so much for the team effort in doing a Q&A for BAMSR and other SGA issues. (I say team effort, since even though Mr. G. was answering all the big questions, the Q&A very clearly wouldn’t have been complete without Mr. M. advising us that his own biggest flaw is being too caring. Who’d ever guess that an executive producer could be so modest?)
My own fave Q&A: [a. loquita] “If you don’t mind me saying, from the pictures that have been posted on this blog you are quite handsome. Maybe not at the same level as Mr. Flanigan or Mr. Hewlett but certainly more so than Mr. Mallozzi. Feel free to taunt him with that knowledge….”
Martin: “I’m not at least a tie with David? You’re crazy. Also, Joe M. is better looking in person than all of us combined…seriously…dreamy…I- I-…I’ve said too much.”
No, not at all. Please do go on. Inquisitor Glokta will be highly amused, perhaps even enough to regret his need to use this sort of information for his own purposes.
*wonders if the electronics and cyber-intel specialists succeeded in convincing the front-desk person at Bridge Studios that the writers’ room “is on this here list to get a fresh coat of paint”*
Wow, that was a lot of questions for Martin Gero, please pass on my thanks to him. And thanks to you Joe, for being such a great host 😉
How is the book voting going so far? And also, I’m just wondering if you’ve ever read any of Jennifer Fallon’s books?
I was rewatching Progeny today and was wondering who is in charge of atlantis when Sheppard, McKay, Ronon, Teyla, and Weir were all off-world? Same question in regards to BAMSR? Do Lorne and Zelenka run Atlantis then?
Cheers!
@Annie from Fremantle:
Martin: “….We have an amazing idea for the 100th episode of Atlantis, and it doesn’t involve singing. It will be the Season 5 finale. You’ll want to watch it…”
Annie: “Ah, a dance fest then… our team faces off the Wraith in a Riverdance contest… good show!!!”
ROFL. That’s nothing short of diabolical!
maggiemayday: Actually, I think you’ve got it. You and at least one other person mentioned the pythonesque quality of the “colonel” scene. When you brought up the “doctor” variation, that made me think I’d seen said silly scene in The Meaning of Life. – iirc….
Great Q and A with Martin. Can I say nice writing on the reactions of both Ronan and JOhns reactions to Teyla’s pregnancy. Just as I would imagined each would handle it. Gotta ask any story ideas yet for Daniel coming to Atlantis?
Many thanks to Joe for a great blog site and to Martin for great responses to the many BAMSR questions.
Seattle Seahawks rule!
If MGM and SciFi decided not to renew SGA for financial resasons, but a wealthy fan/admirer offered to foot the bill for the whole season, would MGM/SciFi (or any other production company) rethink their decision? If they had a signed contract with said fan and upfront money, it could be a financial advantage.
Hey when exactly are these blogs posted? I’m missing out on some cool question and answer sessions!
SGA : Be all my sins remembered was amazing!
Football : My husband and I live in Dallas and of course are Dallas fans. Our greatest dream would be to see Dallas whip up on the Patriots at the Super Bowl. What do you think?
Books : I have re-read George R. R. Martins Game of Throne series 3 times waiting for him to finish the next one! My favorite characters are Tyrion, Jon Snow and Arya.
I’ve read the Princess Bride before and have loaned it to my sister. Can’t wait for the discussion!
When is the season four DVD coming out?
How many comments have been left now? Under 90,000, over 90,000?
Great comments Martin! It’s always awesome to get feedback and behind-the-scenes first person info. on the development of an episode. Between your commentaries and Joe’s daily dose, the business of television and professional writing doesn’t seem so bad. Oh, by the way yes I do listen to all your commentaries. I hope to hear just as many on the Season 3 DVD.
Good luck finishing your script for Monday!
Anon/Maggiemayday:
The “colonel” uttering scene actually reminded me of a scene from a movie called “Flying High” (as it was titled in Australia). Over in the US it was called “Airplane”. There was a scene and it went like this.:
Roger Murdock: Flight 2-0-9’er, you are cleared for take-off.
Captain Oveur: Roger!
Roger Murdock: Huh?
Tower voice: L.A. departure frequency, 123 point 9’er.
Captain Oveur: Roger!
Roger Murdock: Huh?
Victor Basta: Request vector, over.
Captain Oveur: What?
Tower voice: Flight 2-0-9’er cleared for vector 324.
Roger Murdock: We have clearance, Clarence.
Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?
Tower voice: Tower’s radio clearance, over!
Captain Oveur: That’s Clarence Oveur. Over.
Tower voice: Over.
Captain Oveur: Roger.
Roger Murdock: Huh?
Tower voice: Roger, over!
Roger Murdock: What?
Captain Oveur: Huh?
Victor Basta: Who?
It just reminded me of that, not the words but the tone … I haven’t laughed out loud in ages when watching telly but the colonel’s scene certainly succeeded
(last post).
Damn, I missed my chance! I’ll be sobbing into my pillow tonight, that’s for sure.
Saw BAMSR and it blew me away, but that may have been a power surge. Once I snapped out of the coma though I flailed my arms in joy – what a fantastic episode! Dear god, you really will be using tiny dogs and sockpuppets against a white background for the rest of the seasons lineup, because you must have blown the budget and then some.
I didn’t have a problem with the whole Fran thing, because essentially she’s a toaster, albeit a toster with a great rack (I mean if we’re going to get squeamish about switching off one, the fact that millions got recalled back to the factory would be a bit of a woops). But bo howdy was Sheppard a Mr Cranky Pants in that episode, though Ronon now officially becomes bestest friend ever. Can’t WAIT for next week, though without a functioning time machine, I will be.
Thank you to Martin and to Joe.
Martin (and Joe) thank you so much for the answers! It was great to hear a little of the insight into BAMSR–especially the answers about FRAN, she was a great character. And Torri liking the leather.
I have two additional questions, if they wouldn’t be a bother.
1) Sorry for picking at straws, but does Weir’s storyline returning in season 5 mean Torri Higginson is returning in season 5? I imagine that sounds a bit silly as the general assumption would be ‘yes’, but I suppose I like things in writing. 2) Martin quoted the “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy as the source of the midseason finale/pick-up titles–was there any symbolism to the lines chosen? “This Mortal Coil” makes sense, but I was curious about the intention of using “Be All my Sins Remember’d”. Were there any particular sins being referred to when you chose it?
Thank you again!
Great Q&A! I love it when these happen. Nice little peaks into the behind the scenes of the episodes.
I thought Sheppard’s and Ronon’s reactions to Teyla’s pregnancy were spot on and was relieved to finally see The Big Reveal. (I was beginning to think the boys were a little bit dim! I guess that’s why we love them, right?) However, I must admit I feel vaguely cheated out of seeing Rodney’s reaction. Now that we know that he is told offscreen, will we at least see any significant Rodney and Teyla moments were he has to recognize the pregnancy? Having seen Rodney around kids in prior episodes, I was really looking forward to his reactions.
All in all, BAMSR was a fantastic episode.
just wondering… does Rachel still wear a wig (as she did in the first season or two) or is that her own hair now? If it is a wig, its a bloody good one and finally one that suits her as the wigs in the beginning were terrible.
and what name did Ronan give to the father of Teyla’s baby? His growl/voice doesn’t lend well to download quality… or my hearing is going the way of my eyesight (quite possibly).. either way, I couldn’t work it out no matter how many times I ran through that part.
Thanks for the Q&A, Martin.
Sounds like there’s a lot to look forward to in season 5. I’m excited already.
I figured the title must be a quote, so it’s nice to hear exactly where it comes from. Some of the titles like that remind me of some Star Trek titles, especially the original series. They always came up with some interesting ones, like, “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” and “For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”. (Kinda have a feeling of being far more profound than they usually ended up, actually.) Other shows, like Smallville, stick to one-word titles. Just out of curiosity, how to you guys think up the titles and how long would you say is too long for a title?
The colonel thing was from M.A.S.H.
All the doctor’s was in an eppy. A very funny moment in BAMSR.
Thanks to Martin for doing a nice Q&A.
Well not much too say here… I’m sad that I had to skip the Q & A on the count I HAVEN’T SEEN it yet.. BOO!!! LOL
Ah well just means i’ll be revisiting today’s entry. Will you possible forward off any questions if they come after BAMSR airs tommrow on TMN??
It’s getting late need sleep.
Have a good one.
Penny
Well, I unfortunately only caught the last ten minutes of BAMSR, but what an ending!!! That was quite the dramatic reveal, and it was way too good to not see Weir in multiple episodes next season. I’ll have to watch Sci-Fi’s repeat this Friday to explain the rest of the episode. And that ending is worth a re-watch. =)
Take care.
This Q&A was great, thank you guys for posting it!
I feel so left out…no BAMSR for me (bloody networks here in Oz…no access via cable/internetz/carrier pigeon.
At least I know what to look forward to when my ‘dealer’ in the eastern states sends me my DVD ‘fix’…
(dovil…”Mr Cranky Pants”? My Shep is a cranky pantser?? Pish…)
Joe, I’ve actually tried search to see if you had answered this question before but I just kept coming up with food entries .. Go figure. Anyway, on Friday evenings do you and Fondy settle in and watch Atlantis like the rest of us? You know just to see how the ep looks on TV? You know with that little SciFi logo in the right hand corner?
Please tell me Torri will be back in season five, not just a mention of the Weir character…
Tru wrote:
Thankfully, my TV is CC-ready. Ronon called the baby’s father Kanan (pronounced “Ka-NAN”). At least, that’s how my CC spelled it.
Mr. M, will it be Christopher Heyerdahl in “Spoils of War”? And, if you’re taking a vote, I say no more Larrin. I like the idea of the Travelers immensely, but dislike Larrin whole-heartedly.
Anne Teldy
I just wanted to remind you that the fans still love Ford, and any news of his return would have us jumping up and down ^_^ Any chance you could write him into season 5 ? An ep or two or twenty?
Be All My Sins Remember’d as a title…
In its source (the Hamlet soliloquy), Hamlet it telling Ophelia to include himself in her prayers. Maybe in reference to the episode it’s a sort of, “Hey, pray for us, we’re gonna need it on this mission!” meaning. Then again, I’ve never been a good literary analyzer.
I see that This Mortal Coil, Be All My Sins Remember’d, and Spoils of War are kind of a 3-parter. Did you guys try to find a line/phrase in the aforementioned soliloquy for which to title the now titled Spoils of War to make it a Hamlet trifecta? You know, like The Proud Man’s Contumely…or With a Bare Bodkin?
Did you know that Newton once stuck a bodkin into his eye socket just to see what’d happen? Apparently nothing serious or lasting. Fyi.
Don’t worry Lt.ColErrandboy, his pants might be cranky, but the sparkly thong that he wears underneath is the epitome of carefree joy.
What I want to know is, if it’s been two months since Teyla found out she’s pregnant, why hasn’t *Keller* restricted her from first contact and combat situations?
I was genuinely surprised and excited by the ending, but I’m disappointed we won’t get to see McKay’s reaction to Teyla’s pregnancy. I have to say that Sheppard and Ronon reacted pretty much as expected.
Gah, losing coherency, Goodnight!
Great Q&A…thanks guys!
🙁 *sulks a bit as not even one of her NINE questions were picked* ;-P
Kimberly
Congratulations, Joe!
Per an article in Variety:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978529.html?categoryId=13&cs=1
SGA’s “Adrifit” is one of the nominees for a VES Award for Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series!
Woo-hoo!
Morjana
KimberlyFDR writes: 4. This would be a question for both Joe and Martin since you both wrote episodes with the Larrin character. Was it a conscious decision to create her as the female counterpart to Sheppard because alot of fans have noticed that she’s virtually the equivalent of Girl!John in alot of ways.
Martin: 4. We definitely wanted to create a character that could be a nemesis for Sheppard.
But why all the “Frat Boy” induced attempts at “humor” with all the sexual innuendo? To me it just makes the Larrin character so laughably cliche for a show that is supposed to be darker and more serious this season. You guys have done humor much better than this so I know it is in you, but you decided the low road with this character. Why?
Sheppard can be funny at times but is serious when necessary. A strong woman character does not have to be spouting cliche- and sexual innuendo-ridden dialogue to be considered “strong,” nor does it have to be a young and attractive actress portraying her unless you are trying to appeal to the young male demographic. Even if this is not entirely true, the impression is there which is almost as powerful as the truth in the entertainment business.
I really think the way the character was constructed in Travelers was a big mistake and had hoped it would be salvaged in BAMSR, but I was wrong. For such an otherwise great episode, I felt this character detracted from the overall seriousness of the episode and was totally out of place. I hope we never see the character again and I hope the Travelers get a different leader or contact for our team to deal with in season 5.
Hey Joe. Thanks for bringing Marty in to face the wolves.
BAMSR was the first episode of Stargate (both SG1 and SGA) that my husband has been able to sit right through (he fears he may turn to the “dork” side never to return so doesn’t want to be exposed for too long) which is a true credit to the episode… and I was even asked how soon until the next episode!
I was wondering what would happen if you tried to go through the Stargate from the other side?
Originally when I watched Sins (as I’ll be referring to it from herein) I was so hyped up I was thinking Martin should be getting a 99% pay rise for his constructing such a good episode to watch. Having spoke to my friend, who is far more critical of the show than I am, it helped bring me back to earth.
His main criticism of the episode is a common flaw of Atlantis since The Siege: there’s an incredible amount of BLOW STUFF UP WOWZY. In a lot of key episodes that push the universe forward, things blow up. It happened in The Siege, First Strike, Adrift, Lifeline, Trinity, The Lost Boys/The Hive, Inferno….. The list goes on.
Is there any ideas to shift away from this from S5 going forward?
The wig. OMG. The wig. If I was Rachel, I’d burn the season one wig. It was disgusting. The poor girl must have dreaded puting that on.
Speaking of which, Amanda should request custody of her uniforms so she can burn those. She looks dreadful in them. They manage to make her took about 30 pounds heavier than she is. Someone with some idea of how to dress women should be looking at those uniforms.
How is it that Jewel and Torri look amazing in theirs, but Amanda’s looks horrible?
Sorry to bring that here, but just saw Stargate – Ark of Truth DVD Screener leaked on the net. The quality will probably be poor and some of the VFX will be missing too… Same happened to Atlantis’ S4 premiere.
Seen BAMSR. Totally surprised by the ending. I finally have hope. Weir is alive!!!!!!!! Thanks for not killing her. I know she is coming back Season 5 thanks for confirming that. Please full time, all 20 episodes.
Thanks to Martin for answering so many questions!
I always find these sorts of insights from the writers so very interesting and informative. I really hope we have the opportunity for this sort of Q and A again.
Thanks again. 🙂
Hi Joe!
Congratulations for BAMSR, what an amazing episode!
The ending is great too, I hope Elizabeth will come back for the next season, because the storyline you have developed for her is too interesting.
Can you tell us something about her future??? Just a very small clue!!
Bye!
JOE, thank you and MARTIN for the BAMSR answers.
I think BAMSR is one of the best episodes of stargate, I really have enjoyed it!
AND it’s good to read news about Weir agian, the fact of have her in the next season is amazing.
I know you can’t tell us nothing about the next season, but what about:
An evil Replicator Weir trying to destroy Atlantis and the good replicator Weir we have seen in TMC working with the team.
I think will be great if you explode more the moral question about if the repli-weir is as the real weir or not. It is too interesting!!!
Lt. Col.Errandboy:
BAMSR is available on YouTube now; several fans have recorded, then posted the entire epsiosde, as well as most of the others of season 4. I assume you have intenet access if you can post to this blog. Good luck sir!
Joe: Any further news about anticipated effects of the WGA strike and SGA (actors/show). I understand the US Directors Guild and SAG contracts BOTH expire this June. If they also strike, or vote to support the WGA, won’t this be during production time of season 5? Sorry to sound doom & gloom, but can’t help worrying… thanks!
I’m going to go ahead and reask this even though you may have already seen it. In a few of your posts you answered questions about Rodney and Teyla having some friendship moments and in particular you said they they’d have a sweet moment in Be All My Sins Remember’d – now that the episode aired I’m worndering if perhaps you were thinking of RONON and Teyla instead? (meaning the scene after John blows up Ronon congratulates her and they walk off to the infirmary together?)
Or IS there going to be a scene between Rodney and Teyla in Spoils of War?
Dear Joe,
It’s interesting that Martin started his blog post talking about the merits of avoiding spoilers and how it adds to the enjoyment of episodes. I have been an avid reader of your blog and visitor to SG related sites since the Showtime days. I don’t post very often, nor am I a member of a shipper or “save someone” brigade. I wager that puts me in the MAJORITY of SG fans. This season of Atlantis is the first that I have stuck by a commitment to myself to avoid spoilers other than the ones you have given here. When I saw Weir at the end of BAMSR I was quite shocked and intrigued. It wasn’t until reading this post that I found out that it had been kept from the spoiler community at large. Congrats on that. My enjoyment of the show has increased this year over the others, I think primarily due to not knowing what to look for. SG1 and SGA were the only shows I watch that I ever looked into the future on, and am glad I stopped. I much more enjoy saying “wow, I didn’t see that coming”, rather than saying, “Ah, so that’s how they pulled it off.”
With Scifi being arguably the geekiest (not meant to be derogatory) of all fandoms, I doubt that the desire for spoilers will ever fully deminish. I for one can say that I am happy though with my decision not to seek them out, and will probably more thoroughly enjoy the SG1 DVD’s when they are released than someone who has seen leaked rough cuts. Thanks for your part in a very enjoyable show.
Kristen: The MASH episode was not the first, the bit is older than that. Trust me, I’m older than dirt. Almost. That’s why I can’t recall precisely where I know it from. Certainly not from MASH, I only watched the TV series under duress or extreme boredom, I’m a huge fan of the movie which I saw in a theater in Japan as an impressionable 13 year old, during some very formative years. Explains a lot.
Annie fF … Airplane, yes, that scene crossed my mind. Oh the quotes I could do, could I do quotes!
Help, I’m commenting on the comments.
Thanks Martin and Joe for doing this – some great answers there!
A pity Rodney is told about Teyla’s pregnancy off screen, but I just guess we’ll just have to live with that (and no doubt the fanfic writers are already busy filling in that gap with various ideas already!! Hmm, is that why you did it? To give the fanfic writers something to write about?!!!).
Looking forward to Spoils of War and the rest of the season!
Thanks so much for the Q&A, that was great! Could Martin Gero guest again when “Trio” comes out? What about Alan McCullough next weekend? Pretty please?
A little late getting in on this one…it was a BUSY weekend.
Martin, that was simply one of the best hours of Stargate I’ve ever seen. (And I’ve seen them all) I don’t recall ever saying “Wow” out loud before. I particularly liked:
– The Colonel introductions. Laugh out loud funny! “Really?”
– Carter actually being Carter. It was long overdue.
– Bringing the replicators together instead of breaking them apart. Genius. (That’s for you Joe)
– The space battle was indeed Stargate’s finest.
– The ending twist was completely unexpected. Very nice.
Joe, I think Martin would agree with me when I say that he deserves a raise. (Thank me later, Martin)
Elizabeth (real, dupli-, repli- WHATEVER!)?? Really? Well, here’s hoping it’s only an ep or two. There’s entirely too much water under that bridge for me to be at all interested in that character, because I haven’t really liked her since very early S1 (the best Weir was in Lost City Part ! on SG-1) and well, the other reason is pretty trite. (No, nothing about AT, it’s about fandom stuff.)
suse
I’m curious. Was the Shakespeare quote from memory?
I caved and was spoiled and now I await with baited breath BAMSR! roll on tuesday.
hello,
En séparant E. Weir de l’équipe pour ‘en faire le chef d’un groupe de réplicateurs en quête d’élévation (ascension), avez-vous pensé que cela pourrait changer la face de Stagate Atlantis ?
Hey Joe,
Any idea how “BASMR” did ratings wise or is it too early to tell. Thanks. 🙂
Best,
Squall78
P.S. I don’t whine, I just was very optimistic for a Season 5 pickup. :p Being too optimistic can get on people’s nerves sometimes. 🙂
I LOVED BAMSR! I loved everyone’s scenes. Beautifully done. I especially like the Sheppard/Larrin scenes – they have great chemistry, and she definitely makes Sheppard squirm. I laughed out loud with glee at our surprise at the end…’Replicator Weir’. I look forward to seeing her in her new role with the replicators.
I’m so glad Martin decided to put Fran into the episode.
She was interesting in that all the other replicators we’ve ever seen have had 100s (or 1,000s) of years to develop and evolve their personalities. Plus its always nice to see a
super powerful friend to the team. Seems like all the really strong entities are always trying to kill us. Also, her final scene was simply brilliant.
Alright, i’m done praising now.
Thanks for letting Mr. Gero commondeer your blog to field a few questions.
Yeah!! NY won!!! I don’t know if you were able to see the game or not Joe, but I thought Eli did an excellent job.
Thanks again to Martin for stopping by. Appreciate his taking the time when I’m sure he’s really busy.
Not looking..La-La-Lah… we are still a bit behind here – this Wednesday’s episode will be “Missing”. Not literally I hope!
So I skimmed and I skimmed some more and I finally gave up. I’ll have to come back and read what Martin said in a couple of weeks time.
One thing I am happy about is the font – it much larger and far easier to read. Ta muchly Joe!
1)Will Todd’s ultimate goal be revealed soon?
2)Once Carson is discovered alive, will what he has to say be even more surprising than his actual existence?
Good Afternoon Joe,
I just caught a podcast with Amanda Tapping where she mentions that Sanctuary would start filming again in a month. This seems like it would interfere with shooting for Atlantis’ season five. Is Amanda Tapping going to be back, and if so, for how many episodes? Thanks, and thanks to Marty G., too.
Nigel, RAF
Hi Joe, loved BAMSR! and a great Q&A, thanks Martin.
One question about Sheppard’s reaction to Teyla’s announcement though. It seemed a little harsh from him, is there something in his backstory that we will find out in time, or was he just being…uhhh…. conservative in his views of what pregnant women should and shouldn’t do (OK, possibly not the best word … but I’m tired 🙂 ) and Teyla’s ability to make that call (although I realise its his team and he has the right!)? I thought Ronan’s reaction was a lovely counterpoint.
Season four is turning out to be the best season ever. Awesome job on BAMSR and one of the most exciting episodes of the season. I missed Weir’s 10 second appearance as the phone rang so not even aware she was in the episode. Loved the solution to distroying the Replicators and McKay’s idea of creating Fran. It was a great way to end the Replicator threat . I’m not sure I like the idea of Weir popping up again and again. The teams angst over her death will lose its impact if they have to once again act surprised that she is still alive. I hope the Replicator storyline is not dragged out too long either just to fit Weir back in.
Sam is doing a pretty good job as leader and she impresses me more and more. I didn’t think I would like her nearly as much as I am. Kudos to her for doing a great job fitting in. Great to see Teyla’s finally reveal her pregnancy. It was becoming a bit unbelievable that no one would notice her bump. Both Ronan and Sheppard’s reactions were perfect and look forward to seeing how it will continue to effect the team for the rest of the season. I’m very excited with what is coming up for the remainder of the season and would like to say thanks to everyone for an amazing show.
Thanks for an absolutely awesome ‘Be All My Sins Remember’d’. I was wondering though if we’ll see the Brotherhood ZPM in season 5. It would be awesome if we did, but uber awesome if Atlantis kept it, you could think of it, as a present for those of us who love the show, and a way to shut the traps of all those who winge.
I’m not kidding Gateworld forums are becoming bogged down with people just winging and moaning, and yet, oddly enough, still tuning in. Me, I’ve got nothing to winge about, I just gave in my Greek & Roman Slavery essay and am off down the pub. Hope you have an awesome evening, and a godlike day planning season 5.
Also, what’s your view on British Beagles as a breed of a dog? Yay or Nay. My family’s thinking of getting one, either that or a Tabby cat. Odd choice I know, but I’m British, comes with the territory what-what-don’tcha-know.
Thanks
Hi Jo’
have you seen the shooting of X-files 2 (in Vancouver of course) ?
Thank you to Martin to respond the questions : I learned lot of things !
Mr Mallozzi, thanks for the guest bloggers, especially when they don’t blog themselves. It’s a good to see anothers particular take on an episode, shot, etc. Hope you get more visitors in the future or previous guests to join again. Is there one particular cast or crew you want from the show to guest blog, stumbling blocks to doing so?
Love your food ventures, some look great, others look stomach churning. While you run the gambit do you pair the meals with various drinks through out the course? beer, wine, hard liquor?
again great blog,
Hi Joe!
Great episode, and that’s for the guest blogger!!! I’m glad Martin explained about Todd. I was freaking out, because the voice was Chris but the body so definitely wasn’t. Personally, I prefer Chris, whether as Todd, Halling, or another wraith.
I also really liked Fran. Who was the actress that portrayed her? I’ve tried finding a credit for her, but I’ve been unsuccessful.
Thanks!
Irulan
Annie –
Thanks for posting that stretch of dialog from Airplane/ Flying High – that was a really funny scene. – I know there are a lot of references to classic movie and TV scenes that I miss, but the new spin on the material is funny anyway.
[Hawkeye, Trapper, Burns, and Hot Lips are meeting several Majors]
Margaret: Major, Major Houlihan.
Major: Major Houlihan. Major Burns.
Frank Burns: Major. Major.
Hawkeye: Major Pierce. Well, I think we’ve made a “major” breakthrough.
Gotta love IMDB’s quotes.
Hey Joe-
Thanks so much for the double teaming yesterday. It’s always a pleasure to know how decisions are reached. Kudos to Mr. Martin and all involved. I loved BAMSR. Sam rocked!
I know that the blog is running towards a Riverdance revival for episode 100, and I have nothing against Michael Flatley, (he is the Celtic tiger after all), but I think the quailty of the show this year is befitting of a cirque du soleil episode. That’s my vote.
Question: Where in relationship to Atlantis are Carter’s office and stateroom (bedroom), and the command center located? Are they in the “shoot me out of the sky needle” or located lower, in a more protected area? (If it’s the needle, Atlantis needs to hire a better logistician.)
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Hello Joseph!
Ouffff enfin la journée est finit!! j’utilise mes derniéres forces pour écrire ce commentaire!Sa ne fait qu’une journée et je suis deja fatiguer et bombarder de devoir par mes professeurs…snif..ou sont dont c’est vacance formidable ??..pouf envoler c’est deja bien loin tout sa.
Oh mince avec tous sa, j’avais oublier que Martin répondais a des questions aujourd’hui…de toute façon il ne doit pas savoir parler Français? En tout cas je le remerci d’avoir répondu a toute ces questions, maintenant on en apprend beaucoup plus sur certain points!! Merci Martin:D
Question:
Dans les épisodes de la saison 4 qui arrive, allons nous encors voir les voyageurs (travelers) , Dans combient d’épisode?
Voila Merci, gros Bisou Bisou, je pense fort a vous, Bonne nuit, je vous adore fort fort!!!!!!!
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WayBeyondSoccerMom Says:
[Hawkeye, Trapper, Burns, and Hot Lips are meeting several Majors]
Margaret: Major, Major Houlihan.
Major: Major Houlihan. Major Burns.
Frank Burns: Major. Major.
Hawkeye: Major Pierce. Well, I think we’ve made a “major” breakthrough.
Not really the same thing…at all…but this reminds me of Major Major Major Major from Catch-22. Which, by the by, is a GREAT book…
Hello Joe,
Please tell me there will be more reaction to Teyla’s pregnacy than what we just saw. Great episode, my only quibble is that the humans were very trusting with the Wraiths even though they have a tenuous relationship at best with just one wraith, Todd.
Joe
I love Stargate Atlantis and have watched it since the beginning. I, as you know,especially love Carson but also love all the other characters.
I know that I am slow – but:
I have never really noticed the music.
**I only recently found out that Teyla/Rachel wore a wig.
**I still don’t know where the toilets are in the city.
**I am not sure where the toilets are in Atlantis.
**I don’t understand why there are no ugly people on Atlantis.
**Why do all the aliens speak with an American/Canadian accent?
**Why are there no boats in a city on water?
**Why are there no pets – cats/dogs?
**Why only one TV room for the whole group?
**Do they have baths or showers or both? Do they have fancy WCs?
Ever thought of having your own talk show – like this but you can chat to us face-to-face.
Bruce! Twasn’t doctor or major I was dimly recalling, it was Bruces! Geez I need bifocals.
The sketch:
Second Bruce: G’day, Bruce!
First Bruce: Oh, Hello Bruce!
Third Bruce: How are you Bruce?
First Bruce: A bit crook, Bruce.
Second Bruce: Where’s Bruce?
First Bruce: He’s not ‘ere, Bruce.
Third Bruce: Blimey, it’s hot in here, Bruce. …
and so on …
THANKS MARTIN GERO!!!!!!!
AND THANKS JOE!!!!!!
(yuor sure you won’t reconsider the musical episode though?)
Philly said: His main criticism of the episode is a common flaw of Atlantis since The Siege: there’s an incredible amount of BLOW STUFF UP WOWZY. In a lot of key episodes that push the universe forward, things blow up. It happened in The Siege, First Strike, Adrift, Lifeline, Trinity, The Lost Boys/The Hive, Inferno….. The list goes on.
Is there any ideas to shift away from this from S5 going forward?
BUT I LIKE THINGS THAT BLOW UP – IT’S THE ONLY REASON I WATCH SCI-FI!!! Well. That and the hot guys. And the rocket ships. And I like stars – they sparkle. Also, ray guns. And aliens. But, still – explosions are great! Space battles are awesome! There’s fire! Fire pretty! And there’s debris! I love debris! Jeez, Philly – we’ve already lost Ford, Beckett and Weir – don’t take away our space battles, too!
The Travellers are, in my opinion, a mysterious race. They’re really interesting, will we be seeing them again?
Um, I just told my husband about my recent post about wanting different colors for the villain’s spaceships, and his reaction was along the lines of, “I’m humiliated that our IP address is associated with your comment.” He’s a bit of an aircraft geek, and in my 20 years of knowing him, he has dragged, I mean, taken me to over 25 air shows, and we have visited every major aircraft museum in the US.
So, it’s a definite on the “I’m a girl” thing. However, it did lead to a humorous discussion about possible color themes for Atlantis ships, and the one we laughed at the most was imagining a Plaid Wraith Ship with them saying, “arrgh” a lot. My daughter would like to see “pink with glitter”, though.
My kids did point out that it was easier to identify ships on SG-1, because the Goa’uld had pyramid-styled ships and they were gold.
to answer maggiemayday’s question:
The ‘Colonels’ greeting at the beginning of the ep is very similar to the greetings and goings-on in the cockpit of the first Airplane movie with Roger, Captain Oveur, and some other characters I don’t remember. I certainly couldn’t say if that was what Martin was thinking of when he wrote that part, but that is what first came to my mind.
Thanks Joe for inviting Martin to your blog, and thanks Martin for taking the time to come answer some questions from us pesky fans! It brought some great inside into the making of the episode!
~Rich
“…..I am not sure where the toilets are in Atlantis…”
Welcome to the Poohgasus galaxy! ;D
I would like to say that I am thoroughly enjoying Amanda Tapping as Col Carter this season. I have not watched SG-1 and had no preconceived opinions regarding her character prior to this season. I feel that she fits in very well and is just what Atlantis has been needing for quite sometime – a mission leader with both a science and a military background who can understand the points of view and purposes of all members of the Atlantis expedition; I never could understand the purpose of a diplomat as a leader of a science program in what quickly turned out to be a military ( war) zone. With no disrespect at all to the actress who plays Weir, I never felt she was a real part of the team whereas Carter definitely fits in very easily with both the science guys and the soldiers. It might have something to do with the fact that the writer’s have been writing her character for 10 years, know her very well and know how she will handle the various Gate related disasters that occur. Weir is just a very different character and, in my opinion,did not really work right from the start (as a character, not an actress). That being said, I feel the opposite about Keller. She just doesn’t have the comaraderie with the main team as Beckett did and I find myself wishing he could return. Again, nothing to do with the actress, but with the character.
While I am on the topic of various characters, I would also like to mention Larrin. I have mixed feelings about her- I lked her better in Traveller’s than BAMSR. I don’t really feel she is a good match for Sheppard but like seeing his self-confidence around her turn into the equivalent of Rodney’s when he is with an attractive woman. Does it have anything to do with the fact that she resembles Sheppard’s ex-wife? (based on the pics JM posted on his blog during filming of Outcast). Poor Sheppard really needs a decent romantic interest; he’s been alone in the Pegasus galaxy for too long- even Rodney has found love before Sheppard!
Awesome Q/A. Thanks Martin and thank you Joe for hosting.
Now I’m really looking forward to the episode commentary on the season four dvd!!
And just when I finally found an LJ feed for your blog….
1) Just re-watched Duets and I was wondering a) how is David Hewlett so awesome and b) did Cadman die and I not notice because she’s completely disappeared.
2) Canon-wise, how old is Ronon? Because if he was a Runner for 7 years and was married before that than (relatively speaking) I figure he must have been, like, barely twenty or so? And how long was he married for? Will this be shown in future episodes?
3) When are we going to get some proper character development out of characters who are not Rodney?
4) Why hasn’t Heightmeyer been replaced yet?
Joe said :
“For starters, the lucky winner will be immortalized onscreen by having a character named after them in an upcoming episode. Whether it’s the frazzled technician manning the console, the irritating off-world ambassador with the hidden agenda, or the wraith with the heart of gold – it will be a momentous addition to the Stargate canon; one that will surely be savored, from the character’s awkward introduction to his/her bizarre and untimely demise at show’s end.”
Could you please translate it in french because I am not sure to understand your idea correctly ?