We spun Marty G.’s latest story idea this morning, going back and forth on various notions as the room argued containment fields, points of science, and hot vs. cold air masses. The thematic shift of his story has turned out to be a good new/bad news situation for me. Good news: HE is now writing “A Very Special Stargate: Atlantis”. Bad news: He takes the #16 slot which means I’m writing #15 which will have to be ready to prep on the day we get back from our summer hiatus. It would be great to have a story locked some time before then, but it’s been mighty slow going. And I’m getting mighty anxious. By the way, best exchange of the day:
Brad: But that contradicts the laws of thermodynamics!
Martin: Laws are made to be broken!
After lunch, we watched the director’s cut of Whispers. It’s five and a half minutes long and much of that is going to come out of a bloated first act because once the fog moves in, thingsmoveveryquickly!
Speaking of Whispers, I received an email from Christina Cox (aka Major Anne Teldy) over the weekend who touched base to inform me she had a great time working on the show and was fighting the urge to order a case of Vosges peanut butter bonbons. She included a bunch ‘o pics from her time with us and kindly consented to my request to post them here. Check them out.
Also, check out two items I received in the mail. A veritable treasure trove of lint brushes and dog fur removers compliments of AmyFo (thanks, Amy). And a copy of the Ark of Truth soundtrack compliments of Joel Goldsmith (Go to freeclyde.com to order your copy and find out what Joel is up to. Oh, and tell him I said hi.)
So, are you finishing up The Blade Itself? I hope so. We’ll be starting our discussion on Monday!
Ah, just follow the links:
Anyone else seeing a video of a moonless night?
Thanks for the pictures from Christina Cox! Will she be back… or did that Space Cow get her in the end?
WOW… Lintbrush Heaven! Now that is nice switch from receiving chocolate!
What is the video…nothing plays???
Cheers and Happy Monday!
Patricia
Hey Joe, will we find out what happened to Weir (as a replicator), in S5?
Yes! You’ve finally gotten the soundtrack. Trust me, it’s BRILLIANT. Easily the best movie soundtrack I’ve heard in a very long time.
Hmm…I don’t think you’ve ever really talked about your favorite kinds of music or favorite bands and what not. Care to enlighten us with your tastes in music?
Oh, and will Ladon Radim appear in Season 5?
Meanwhile, I’ve continued with my marathon:
Need: The episode only shifted into high gear when Danny starts going dark side; after that point, the story was extraordinary, mainly thanks to Michael Shanks’s brilliant acting. Loved the withdrawl sequences. Poor Danny…
Thor’s Chariot: Another “WOW” episode. The revelation of the Asgards’ true form and the sheer power of the Beliskner was a spectacular sight to behold. Loved it. Back then, this kind of effects were hard to come by on SG1, so it was a treat anytime it showed up. And boy, this episode was a treat.
And did I hear the Fifth Race theme? Yes, I believe so, and this time, it fits the context.
Who is Clyde and why do we have to free him? Can I work on the freeclyde.com campaign? I have experience! 🙂
Please, please reassure me/us that Paul’s hair has faded a bit more. It makes him look so different.
Have fun!
🙂 🙂
Is there a video clip? I pressed PLAY and nothing happened.
Joel did a wonderful job i with the music for AoT and I like the cover art.
It must be very satifying to see something you’ve created come to life in such a way as Whispers and your other projects.1 I bet it makes all the hard work needed to create the next project that much easier, knowing the kind of results you can get.
Couldn’t get the video to work for me.
Hey Joe!
Thank you for showing us the photos taken by Christina Cox, but I am curious about something. Do the actors/actresses ever get hot/exhausted under all of that military gear? It looks pretty bulky, and, being in the gear all day, it would seem exhausting.
Also, Brad is starting to sound like Carter. 🙂
Thanks as always!
– Enzo Aquarius
Do all of the writers on the show have an above average understanding of the physics concepts discussed? (Any of you have degrees in theoretical astrophysics?)
Or do you write in the script “insert confusing science concept here” and then let a consultant fill in the blanks?
“Brad: But that contradicts the laws of thermodynamics!
Martin: Laws are made to be broken!”
*Sigh* I’ve got to tell you that when sci-fi writers start ignoring the laws of physics, well, it makes me a little crazy. I have been known to rant at the TV (much to the amusement of my children) when such things occur. If you are going to do it, there better be a darn good explanation for it. Or such a good story that I am willing to suspend my disbelief.
I’ve finished my first read of “The Blade Itself” and am skimming it again to make some notes. I’m looking forward to a good BOTM club discussion.
I enjoyed all of the comic book commentary, but have nothing much to add since I never really read them much after grade school. But once they let me into the upper floors ( the “grown-up sections”) of the public library I discovered a whole new world of sci-fi, fantasy and mystery books and just didn’t have time for comic books any more. But I did love the Iron Man movie!
Not all laws are made to be broken. But, hey, this is scifi right?
Ooo, thank you and Christina for the great pics! Also, those 3M rollers are a godsend.
Not me. All I see is a blackboard in an unlit room.
Hi Joe!
Remember some time ago, you mentioned that there would be an episode in the second half of the 5th season that would contain a good dose of ShepWhump? Is that still the plan and if so, which episode?
Thanks!
Dani
Nothing like getting home late from work, checking the e-mail, letting the dog out, stopping to wonder why your slippers are wet. Backtrack around the house. Carpet squishing. Great – tracking down leak. Thank goodness it’s the hose to the ice maker in the refrigerator rather than a pipe inside the wall or the cement slab under the floor. Never buy a house on a slab again. Emptying closets, no electronics in danger. Vacuuming up water from carpet seriously cutting into daily Stargate Atlantis blog reading/dvd fix time. After 9pm – still vacuuming up water. Check tomorrow’s work schedule – no critical meetings. Plan to call in – keep vacuuming water with breaks to catch up the critical Stargate Atlantis blog reading/dvd fix until unknown hours of the night-yet to be determined. M&M and diet coke buzz. Help.
Its funny you mention thermodynamics.
I have an AP Chem test tomorrow 🙂
Its fun, when ever I have a big test coming up me and my mom marathon Stargate to calm me down. (Its nice because I only recently picked up SG1, so we are only on season 3-everything is still all new and shiny to me!) Nothing like alien attacks to make you realize the small things in life. And maybe with all the science mumbo-jumbo carter talks about I’ll pick up something useful for tomorrow.
Wish me luck!
OH, no, no, no, No, NO!!!
“Everybody knows” that “A Very Special Episode” is when a series Jumps the Shark! NOOOOooOoOoOoOoo!
Thanks Joe – and Christina! The pix of the gals in gear look awesome. They totally look like they could kick some major butt – of the male kind!!
Speaking of male – er mail… I’ve been rewatching the earlier seasons and I wanted to ask…
Is there any chance of seeing Kavanagh in S5? 😛 He’s got that absolutely perfect “love-to-hate” character!
Nika
My review of Iron Man is up, at Sequential Tart, for those interested. Maaan, I want to see it again! 😀
Thank Ms Cox for the pictures! If she’d be intersted in doing an interview to promote her projects, point her my way, ‘ey? 🙂 Or the other gals from that ep? We did a whole series on the female guest stars of Supernatural a couple of years ago ….
Hi Joe!
Cool pics! Thanks!!
pg15 said,
“Narelle from AusM said,
“Anyone else seeing a video of a moonless night?”
Not me. All I see is a blackboard in an unlit room.”
Weird! I saw deep into the heart of a reality TV show producer. 😉
Re: The exchange between Brad and Martin G. Go Martin! Breakin’ the law! Breakin’ the law! *pumps fist in supportive manner*
I’m a weeeee bit concerned about “A Very Special Stargate: Atlantis.” The title suggests that the Team might learn something today…and the audience might learn a little about itself.
*gag*
Breakin’ the law! Breakin’ the law!
Been watching some S3 SGA eps and really loving them – again for the third or fourth time. Having spent a few months away from S3, there’s a freshness to my viewing that helps me enjoy them anew. The Ark and Phantoms both work very well for me as standalone eps, watched out of sequence.
Well, gotta get back to work, then gonna start reading the sci-fi selection for BOTM!
Have a great night!
eddy
Please remind Martin that if he truly believes that laws are made to be broken, he doesnt have to worry about hydroplaning in the rain, about 100kpm to 0 in .4 second deceleration without benefit of airbags, or about eating unlimited calories without weight gain. Otherwise I am with sparrow_hawk on the idea that certain scientific laws should not be casually ignored, even in sci fi. The pictures are great, and of course you have our fullest sympathy on your moved-up deadline. And our confidence that you will come through with another classic episode when all is said and filmed. When will you announce the selections for the next BotM club? I’ve actually made some decent inroads into my backlog, so its time to stock up on yet more reading. And like everyone else, I’ve not been able to get the video to cooperate. Perhaps tomorrow?
Ah, the brilliant “Eyelid Check” video. Masterful! When will it be out on DVD?
Joe said “Sherwood Forest Maiden writes: “Hi Joe, could I have blog dedication for Sunday 11th May??”
Answer: Sure, birthday girl, so long as you remind me on the day. ”
Sorry, I didnt get to the pc on Sunday, It was pouring with rain as I left church and I didnt have an umbrella; and apparently my trench coat is only good for light showers, so I got thoroughly soaked. but it’s the thought that counts. Thanks 🙂
@ of my fav people gave me gift vouchers which I used to buy SGa S3.
Hey Joe?? Whats with taping whats going on in my head man!!??!! Thats private!!! 😀
I look at those pics of Paul McGillion and I’m thankful I got a NORMAL photo with him at Collectormania, even after I jokingly slagged him for the hair :-P.
I’m ready for The Blade Itself :-D. YAY!
I was wondering, is your video – or lack thereof – symbolic following photos from Whispers? After that discussion not long back that the unseen is more terrifying than any reveal, your blank video leaves the contents to the viewers interpretation. Thanks for a good scare there, Joe! ;-).
Hi Joe (again)!
Did you see tonight’s ep of House (House’s Head)? What did you think? I didn’t see that coming! (&ntil it was made really obvious, by you-know-who and that-leading-character-guy).
*awed shock*
eddy
Great pix thx for posting
The Blade Itself will certainly not be a boring discussion.
A Very Special Stargate: Atlantis
So, what’s so very special about it? Titles like that make me very nervous. Even working titles.
Not too happy with the Sci-Fi Channel right now, they sure dropped SGA Tuesday fast, too fast for comfort. Thought they were planning on rerunning the whole of s4 before the s5 premiere?
DD
Oh yeah, and meant to say – until someone can explain EXACTLY how you get such a high energy yield from a ZPM, I’ll except any breakage of laws! 😛
My end of year astrophysics project last year was a theory on how a ZPM would work and in the end, it just didn’t work! I even had one of the professors look into it recently and he came to the same conclussion. Not only did it not give a high energy output, it gave a NEGLIGABLE output!!
I then made up a bunch of words for possible power conduits and transforming pathways within the device to try and justify its working. I, as a McKay, could not hand a report in without adequate results!!! 😛
So I have a question, does anyone on the team actually know how the ZPM is meant to work in theory?
I’ve got the stereotypical black cat in a coal mine at midnight. *sigh*
I keep clicking and get NOTHING!!!!!!
Ah the good ol’ lint roller wonder how long it will take you to get through those.
I couldn’t get a copy of “The Blade Itself”….. Gosh Darn It….. I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE with no luck and amzon.ca is out of stock so I’ll most likely get it and read it WAY after next weeks discussion.
Hope everyone’s monday went by fast.
Happy Tuesday!!
Please thank Christina for allowing you to share her pics with us. Very cool.
“Brad: But that contradicts the laws of thermodynamics!
Martin: Laws are made to be broken!”
Heh! Reminds me of something said often in a particular group of my friends: “Rules are like promises and bones…made to be broken.”
No, I don’t know how we stayed out of jail, either.
@Sparrow_hawk…I understand your television venting when a show gets something wrong. My friends are often amused and horrified that I deem it necessary to point out everything wrong with a fake rotting corpse. Damn shame I don’t know more about physics. That’s probably more useful. Heh.
Hey Joe,
I’ve been reading your blog regularly for about a year now and just wanted to say I really enjoy it.
Please wish me luck for my first night shift as an intern in surgery on wednesday!!
take care,su
There’s a certain amount of irony in what we initially saw the video as and what was actually contained in the video.
Man we’re demanding.
Have a good night Joe.
Brad: But that contradicts the laws of thermodynamics!
Martin: Laws are made to be broken!
Heh. There are some very popular scientific theories which seem to hold just that opinion.
So, this engineer-filled household (well, plus one wayward chemist) wants to know: which law in particular do you want to break?
@Tammy. your plight brought back some painful memories of a whole weekend spent with a vax removing fresh water from my mum’s fireplace, yep a stupid place to keep it and I told her so but it turned out to be the fault of South West Water and after 72 hours of vaxing in shifts and absolutely no sleep they finally got the leak fixed!
Joe, I say break as many rules as you want, they only work in this dimension when it suits them anyway so go on give your imagination free rein.
Lint brushes and dog fur removers, i could use those myself. Especially since I have a whie dog and where mostly black.
And I can’t wait too see whispers! After all the pics and updates, it’s goin to be very exciting to see the end result.
And I would like to ask you a favour if I may. If have been reading your blog now for a couple of months (wow, time moves fast) and I see you often dedicade your blog to someone. This time I was hoping you could dedicade it to my partner, Sebastiaan. I’ve made him a big Stargate fan, and we both read your blog every day.
But last night we had to rush him to the hospital and he’s lying there now with a chemical pneumonia. Witch is very bad, and I’m really hoping he’s goin to be ok.
I am currently just starting to read Old Man’s War (after reading your reccomendation I tried to track it down, but could only get hold of Androids Dream which I loved by the way, and now I have finally gotten hold of a copy) and I was wondering if you’ve read any Jasper Fforde and if so what you though of him?
Hi Joe
I enjoy when you post those little behind the scenes vids. It’s always interesting to see the real-life behind the scifi. I see all these people running around with masks and respirators, etc., in your latest clips. And yet, we know that our intrepid heros walk around in ‘the soup’ sans protection. Do the actors not need any type of breathing apparatus because they aren’t in that fake fog all day? As I recall from a few photo shoots I’ve done where I’ve had to fog a set, the stuff’s not bad if you’re not in it for very long, but it can get irritating to the throat and nose if you’re breathing it for hours at a time. Just curious.
Got my Ark of Truth sound track today….it is GREAT. Did not wait to get home, put it into the car CD player immediately.
Thanks to Ms Cox for sharing her photos with you and us. Great stuff. Makes the anticipation for Whispers and season 5 even greater.
The videos were good – and finally my lightbulb was on as I could screen the back vids. And, to discover I had missed seeing 2 of them. It seemed funny to see crew walking around with the masks because of the fog.
If I recall correctly, Samantha Carter stated in one SG episode that our primitive understanding of some of the laws of one or more of the multisyllable scientific pysical and dynamic rules of nature and the universe does not allow us to fully appreciate what is possible when applying or explaning or determining outcomes to any situation.
And, now back to the book for the book report due next Monday.
Mr M , please thank Christina for sharing the pictures. Hope she will forgive you for the surprise chocolate binge. Think you spoil regular chocolates for her.
Does Major Teldy have any chance of reappearing?
Enzo Aquarius wrote:
…I am curious about something. Do the actors/actresses ever get hot/exhausted under all of that military gear? It looks pretty bulky, and, being in the gear all day, it would seem exhausting.
From experience in the field with even less modern combat gear. The problem usually isn’t getting hot/exhausted, instead it is getting wet from sweating or mother nature. As long as you not expose to direct sunlight for extended periods (30 minutes plus). The typical combat gear use in Stargate is geared toward the spring and fall in a temperate zone climate.
For the “whisper” episode, I think everyone on location was freezing from the unseasonal cold weather. It was overcast, damp and near freezing the whole time during filming. The outfits the girls were wearing isn’t adequately warm or windproof.
“Brad: But that contradicts the laws of thermodynamics!
Martin: Laws are made to be broken!”
Far better had he said: Our limited understanding of the universe is wrong!
🙂
Hi Joe,
You must have fixed the videos that everyone wasn’t seeing because I saw them both… That fog is unreal! If I hadn’t experienced fog setting in like that myself several times I’d just smile and say “The magic of TV”.
Did you notice someone taking your picture in the second video? Who’s blog is that going on?
Sorry Joe, one more question: On the Stargate set who is in charge of everything? Who is the biggest boss?
Question: What happened to the Nanite!Team from “This Mortal Coil”? Did they survive?
Random Question: I have a “FreeClyde” sticker too, what should I do with it?? 😀
Dear Sir
I am with sparrow_hawk on the idea that certain scientific laws should not be casually ignored, even in sci fi.
Especially the laws firmly established; for example, that nobody can survives a mili-second in space without a space suit ( blood begins to boil etc ).
But for the laws of an experimental theory, or certain points of physics, chemistry, cosmology not already proved, or to extrapolate the effects of scientifics hypotheses, that’s working very well for me in science-fiction.
I can not wait to have my dvd of season 4 !!
Have a nice day
Is Ms. Cox comming back or has she been WHACKED??
[I’m French ; I hope you will understand me…]
The Stargate’s-totally-mad-french-girl is back !
Thanks for the other pictures about Nicole de Boer, I like this actress !
And what a team ! Only wives ! 🙂 Where are the sexy men ? 😉
Someone spoke about Weir… I love her, why she disappeared ? I want to see her again in Stargate, please !!!
Thanks for all. I will be back again…
Ahh coolness on the pics…Thanks for sharing ’em, and thanks to Christina for passin’ ’em on!
Well, we have confidence that you’ll come up with a smokin’ #15. 😉 Can ya hear the cheerin’ section back here?? lol
Any chance for some new pug pics? lol
ytimynona’s comment “Or do you write in the script “insert confusing science concept here” and then let a consultant fill in the blanks?” reminded me of a question I have long wanted to ask: do you have medical/scientific/engineering consultants or friends to help you and the other writers with the scripts and storylines or do you just wing it and hope for the best?
I am rather forgiving of the handling of medical concepts in sci-fi shows… perhaps because the field is advancing so quickly that things which were unimaginable 20 years ago are now commonplace. However, I prefer that the science be correct or at least believable in sci-fi shows and the medical concepts in medical shows to be correct. But that is just my personal prejudice speaking. 😉
@Christin: I have the same problem with medical shows that you have with forensics, so I quit watching them. I enjoyed House for a while (loved the obscure diagnosis of the week!), until a scene where a surgeon hands off a biopsy from the surgical field directly to the pathologist to examine. The pathologist then puts the whole chunk of tissue on a slide and sticks it under the microscope…. grrrrrrrr. As you can see, I am still fuming about that one. Bad for the blood pressure.
But seriously, JM. Do you have technical/medical consultants?
Sparrow_hawk
Bloody ‘ell! I totally surprised myself today when I finally got my results from a maths assessment test I did last week. There was me thinking the worst and berating myself for being really thick when I did really well and got 82%!!!!! HTF did THAT happen then? Anyway it means that i have a minimum of level 2 standard maths and english which is what I need to get back into work after 20 years of parenting and fostering. Look out life, here I come WHOO-HOO!
I think it’s very cool that Brad knows the laws of thermodynamics. If you told us which one (energy, entropy?), we might be able to infer some of the plot of the episode. 🙂
Hello Joseph =)
Sa va bien? Moi non, j’ai eu une mauvaise note, des gens ont été méchant avec moi et je n’ai dormie que 2 heure cette nuit.
Mais bon j’ai connu pire comme journée^^!
Merci pour toute ces photos! sa me donne de plus en plus envi de voire cette épisode!!
Bon aller gros bisou Joseph, a demain! je vous adore trés trés fort!♥
Joe,
What’s up with SGA getting replaced on Tuesday nights with SG-1? Do you know why this is happening again? The same thing occurred last time Scifi tried to do a SGA Monday rotation a couple of years ago. Does the studio ask them to run SG-1 or something?
Louie Louie
Will there be any exploration of the Traveler’s culture this season?
The reason I ask is that I saw, posted on a Spoiler site, a casting call item for “Katana” a “no-nonsense” Traveler’s ship commander. It stated she must be in her 20’s and VERY attractive. So immediately I thought, “oh great, another leather bimbo.” But now I wonder, could there be some cultural reason that the commanders of these ships are verrrry young and attractive? There are scenarios where it could be more than just the eye candy factor. Such as they are chosen to command for a year or two based on their attractiveness to whatever gods the Travelers believe in, and then sacrificed when their term is over. Or that people over the age of 30 or 40 are considered useless and left on a planet to die? Any reason at all aside from simple T&A attraction would make me very happy!
Still lovin’ the blog.
Peace
Thankyou Joe and Christina for sharing those pics with us! 🙂
maggiemayday, you are the most generous lady! Your box with 22 issues of Fantasy and Science Fiction>/i> digest arrived today! Thank you! When I finish this month’s discussion books, I’ll start in on them.
Mr. M, how about a blog dedication for the extremely generous maggiemayday?
Anne Teldy
Another vote for explaining to Marty G that it’s *science* fiction. I really, really want to be a fan of his again – he’s written some good stuff – but sometimes I think he’s forgotten that the audience’s suspension of disbelief has to be earned. Did he learn nothing from the exploding tumors debacle? So, go Brad!
I am now in a race with time to finish The Blade Itself…a friend of mine hit bottom (postpartum plus major depression…not so nice thoughts)…needless to say I have been quite sidetracked. So I have four days to finish…on page 106 now. And then I have to do my marathon read of Andriod’s dream…which in reality I can read six books in a week…i just don’t get much sleep…
I was wondering if any of the crew or cast play hockey against the other shows in the area?
Anny Teldy…can you please tell me your address again…I have something I want to send your way.
Is anyone watching LOST this season? I admire the guy in charge of conitnuity (spelling off today) on that show…
I was surprised by Brad Wrights comments on a newest Gateworld article, he states what the next movie needs, making reference to most of the core SG1 cast, but Vala is absent, I know quite a few people were surprised to hear that.
I know you like Vala since you wrote for her..
http://gateworld.net/news/2008/05/wright_stargate_movies_need_onei.shtml
dyginc wrote:
I appreciate all the cards and letters. My address is
Kelly Hurt
c/o Westpark Rehabilitation Hospital
25 S Boehne Camp Road
Evansville IN 47712
Thanks for thinking of me.
Anne Teldy (née Kelly Hurt)
P.S.: Paloosa, I actually do have a blog on TV.com. I’ve only done a couple dozen entries, but if you want to read it, you can find the latest entry — and the link to the other entries — here.
OMG… You gotta see this B-E-Autiful picture of Rachel Luttrell… love the hair!!!
http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=80
A good article too!
Cheers!
Pet hair rollers, now those are useful. Imagine having two very afectionate GINGER cats! Ginger doesn’t blend in with anything.
Thats a point where are all the ginger haired people in atlantis, the only one I can really remember is Heightmyer (sp?) and I’m not sure thats even her natural hair colour(and no Tayla doesn’t count with her brief red phase). Apart from carter there aren’t many blonds either (all female team and all of them seem to have dark/brown hair). Is there a reason for this or is it coincidental? I’m not criticising casting choices, I would just like to know. A lot of the men too have dark hair – Sheppherd, Mckay, Carson, Ford, Ronon, Lorne, Zelenka, not that i’m complaining about them, very nice. It’s possible i’m just not very observant but it’s a trend I have noticed. I try and think of blond atlantis men and I come up with the wraith and I don’t think I can really count bleach blonds. Of course tall dark and handsom is fine by me, maybe I should just shut up and pretend I havn’t noticed anything.
SFM said:”@ of my fav people gave me gift vouchers which I used to buy SGa S3.”
I did mean to say “2” and not “@”. Sorry, bad habit to use caps at start of sentence.
Thanks for all the pictures. Enjoyed the video too. Tis grand of you to share with us. Will you still be blogging while on summer hiatus? and how long does that last? Have a great day!
🙂
Not a problem Joe! I hope you enjoy being completely lint and dog hair free. And don’t forget to rub it everyones face and throw dog hair at them.
I like how pretty much everyone but the guy right by the fog machine is wearing a mask.
Wow, Christina emailed you – you lucky dog. You can share my email with her anytime! She’s awesome.
How lucky that you A. Got to work with the fantastic Christina Cox and B. she e-mailed you!! Anyway, there is a group of rabid Blood Ties fans trying their best to get this show on some network somewhere..think you could put in a word at Sci-Fi for us? We all plan on watching the eps with Christina in it just to prove her star power and our dedication. Her character is a strong woman role model that we all admire..not to mention she is the best actress I’ve seen in a long time. The chemistry between her and hottie Kyle Schmid is…HOT!! Thanks for sharing her pics with us!