Whenever I start work on a script, I set modest goals and then always surprise myself by exceeding expectations. I’ve done this so often that you would think I’d know better by now but, no, I continue to amaze myself. Take Remnants for instance. I wanted to have a first draft for mid-July but, after some thought, revised the target date to a month earlier – the second week of June which would allow me to get some feedback from the other writers before I head off for hiatus. It usually takes me about two weeks to write a script, so I figured if I had an outline in place by the beginning of the month, June 13th would be very doable. Well, as it turned out I nailed down the outline at the beginning of this week which gave me an extra few days to work with. Add the fact that the first two acts practically write themselves, my wife is out of town, and I have no social life to speak of outside of backyard babysitting duties with the dogs, and June 13th looks very doable indeed. “Joseph,”I said to myself using the name given to me by my parents at birth because, for some reason, it seems to draw less attention from curious bystanders, “aim to have 25 pages completed by Monday morning.” They didn’t have to be perfect. Perfection would come later over the course of the interminable polishes. Good would do for a start. Flesh out the scenes. Hit the beats. Run the dialogue. And, most important of all, really push the envelope. They may ask you to scale back or remove it altogether but, hey, you never know. Remember Teal’c’s appearance at that Vagina Monologuesque reading of the Virginia Dialogues in Family Ties?
Anyway, I hit P. 21 today and, as predicted, it’s fairly smooth sailing. So far. The process of scriptwriting is not unlike suffering from a bad fever. Morning, noon, and night, you’re head is swimming with the same damn images, pieces of some unfathomable puzzle bobbing up and down in the soupy morass that was once your mind, just begging to be recovered and made sense of. And, needless to say, the more you obsess over this conceptual flotsam and jetsam, the clearer the grand picture forms. For instance, just this afternoon a couple of those persistent little notions came together to give me a truly diabolical revelation. The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.
Oh, and I came up with that fifth act twist I’ve been agonizing over. This is cause for celebration. Let’s mark the occasion with a return of the mailbag. Oh, and today’s entry is dedicated to birthday gal crownglass39.
StellabyStargate writes: “Since the back half of S5 seems to be falling into place, does it look like there will be any more episodes with Sam in it or are we going to have to hold out our hopes for Season 6?”
Answer: We’re hoping to have Sam back for at least one episode in the back half.
StellabyStargate also writes: “And I know the movies aren’t your area, exactly, but I have to say, the Sam/Jack shippers’ mojo is running on empty these days…any chance you could give us a wink or a thumbs up that we might have something squeeable to talk about in the not-too-distant future???”
Answer: Sorry. If you’re looking for any sort of confirmation, you won’t find it in Continuum. Still, there is one nice moment that shippers can find solace in.
David writes: “Hey Joe. I wanted to know…what kind of a computer do you have, the one you use to do your blog?”
Answer: I work on a Sony VAIO.
David also writes: “In your opinion would you say it is easier to write a script or novel?”
Answer: In my opinion, writing a novel is much, much harder.
Arctic Goddess writes: “Speaking of skill, you are no doubt aware of the hub bub in the news today surrounding Martin Gero’s screening of “Young People F***ing”. The media is all atwitter about the title and content, and that members of parliament had the nerve to attend the screening today. I don’t know if Martin should be congratulated or consoled. What is your opinion?”
Answer: Oh, congratulations are definitely in order. I remember very early on in the process, he told us the title of his script and we were all unanimous in our response: “You’ve got to change that title. It’s going to hurt your movie’s chances.” Well, Marty G. demonstrated characteristic stubborness and determination by refusing to heed our advice – and, in retrospect, made the right call. His movie has received all sorts of press in no small part due to its controversial title. Thankfully, the politicians making all this noise about the movie haven’t actually seen the film they’re criticizing. And good thing to because if they did, they’d realize it’s not some vapid sex romp but a relationship comedy and wouldn‘t be complaining quite so vehemently. In fact, some of the only criticisms I’ve read of the film are from people disappointed that there wasn’t enough “young people f**cking.” for their tastes. Thanks for the review, perverts!
DasNdanger writes: “Do the writers ever throw ‘gratuitous’ things into scenes just to thrill the fans?”
Answer: Of course. Everything you see onscreen is for the fans.
DasNdanger also writes: “How many episodes is Todd scheduled for so far? Before you said three, but has that changed?”
Answer: So far…nope.
May writes: “…which of the SGA (if any) actors is the most adventurous in terms of wearing the most outlandish costumes – or loves asking to keep trying new clothes?”
Answer: Oh, hell, Jason Momoa, hands down. There isn’t a week that goes by that the costume department isn’t running some weird shirt or crazy pantaloons Jason picked up to add to Ronon’s wardrobe.
PG15 writes: “You know, Joe…er…Joe M.; have you ever considered letting these 2 authors maybe pitch for Atlantis or something?”
Answer: Hey, who knows what the future holds…
Tammy writes: “Will the Atlantis expedition ever find instructions in the city to try and make their own ZPMs instead of always looking for old ones?”
Answer: Not in the foreseeable future.
Sheena writes: “Oh, and just curious- have you ever had chocolate from Rheo Thompson or Chocolate Barr in Stratford, ON?”
Answer: Nay, oh Queen of the Jungle, I have not. Any good?
GoSpikey writes: “The scientist from “The Gift,” is that someone we’ll ever actually see, or was he just a one time mention kinda Wraith?”
Answer: We may see him again.
Kay writes: “Will there be changes in the way Keller is portrayed?”
Answer: We’ll see some growth in Keller as she tackles her second year in the Pegasus Galaxy.
Iamjohn writes: “Are there any city specific episodes this season?”
Answer: Yep. Carl is working on one as I file this entry.
Dori writes: “You have read so many books over the last year and I was wondering of them all what would you say were your top three?”
Answer: In the last year? Last Argument of Kings (Joe Abercrombie), The Empire of Ice Cream (Jeffrey Ford), and The Android’s Dream (John Scalzi).
Shawna writes: “This has probably been asked before and I just can’t remember, but is anything in season 5 going to touch on the ability of the wraith to give people back life, as we saw Todd do to Sheppard in Common Ground?”
Answer: That’s a definite yes.
Ascended Tauri writes: “Is that chair and couch really for sale, and how much?”
Answer: Yes and I don’t know. You’ll have to contact the production offices for the details. And, hey, if you’re going to buy his couches, the least he can do is show up to say hi when you swing by to pick ’em up.
Kristen writes: “In your opinion which episode for Sheppard is going to be his character driven magnus opus?”
Answer: Right now? Remnants.
Marc writes: “There is a lot of talk about not leaving our people behind. Does this include the dead?”
Answer: Yes, it definitely includes the dead. In fact, Carl pitched out a story that was to deal with this very issue (The Red Shirt Diaries) but, after much discussion, it was temporarily shelved. Season 6 maybe?
Jmanzione writes: “In your personal opinion, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being unlikely, 10 being ‘announcement on a start date due soon’ ) will there will be more SG1 movies?”
Answer: In MY personal opinion, I’d give it a 9. But I have no idea when.
Eri writes: “I was wondering, out of all the characters that have left the show, which do you miss the most?”
Answer: I miss all of SG-1.
Aw… I miss SG=1 toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Oh Joe…
Hey Joe. I’m going out of town for the day tomorrow, so I’ll have to catch up on Sunday evening. My question today is…. Which actor has a personality most like his/her character? From SGA or SG1.
Thanks Joe….oh, I also have one more: Will there be any episodes with A LOT of fight/action scenes (like Sateda)?
Hi Joe! (Again, so soon!)
As a Shep Thunker, I say, “WooooHoooooo!” Can’t wait!
Ahhhhhh, that is so sweet! *hug*
Before I see the SSDD complaints about Keller, I’m going to throw in another “WooHoo!” and a 🙂 .
Still have a great weekend!
eddy
Wow. It’s not even the weekend yet and you’re churning out the pages. It’s great seeing things fall together. And Shep whumpage….can’t say that I won’t enjoy that, though I don’t consider myself a part of that catagory of fandom. And a delicious mailbag. Finally, great pictures of the canine clan. All that keeps this from being a perfect post is a cameo by the Baron or Cookie Monster… here’s hoping your weekend goes as well as the workweek has.
DasNdanger writes: “Do the writers ever throw ‘gratuitous’ things into scenes just to thrill the fans?”
Answer: Of course. Everything you see onscreen is for the fans.
.
😀
DasNdanger also writes: “How many episodes is Todd scheduled for so far? Before you said three, but has that changed?”
Answer: So far…nope.
.
🙁
GoSpikey writes: “The scientist from “The Gift,” is that someone we’ll ever actually see, or was he just a one time mention kinda Wraith?”
Answer: We may see him again.
.
😀
I am very disappointed that we won’t see Todd in more than three episodes…I was certainly hoping for more. I hope…I hope this doesn’t mean you are done with the character, because…if you are…ugh. Don’t even wanna think about it.
Okay – gonna sit in the corner and sulk now…
das
Well then, does the future look bright, Joe M? I hope it does. 😉
Thank you for the script update. Is it just me, or is this script much easier to write than your earlier ones?
Meanwhile, how about more questions:
1. Hmmm…so The Red Shirt Diaries was shelved? Then what is Prodigal? Are they different stories then?
2. Is Prodigal the episode you’re talking about with Carl writing it and it being set in the city?
3. Any good Carson/Teyla moments coming up?
Thanks a lot, Joe!
Mini-reviews…
The Serpent’s Venom: Darn it, I watched this and The Curse out of sequence! I watched the latter first and the former second, so that Jacob suddenly appeared in The Serpent’s Venom with no explanation of where he was in The Curse! Ah well, my fault. Overall, a very enjoyable episode. The concept of the mines was awesome, and perfectly made to create a sense of peril and tension. I enjoyed that a lot, especially coupled with the floating mines outside the ship. Teal’c getting tortured was hard to watch, though I did enjoy the powerful words he and Terok (wow, talk about overacting…but that was enjoyable too, since it fit the character!) shared. Very nice episode.
Chain Reaction: It must be an effect of watching the last 4 seasons, but I loved this episode much more than when I first watched it, probably because I’ve come to love Hammond. The moment when he said goodbye to the team got me all teary-eyed again (amazing how many times this series has done that so far), while the beginning of the road to redemption of Maybourne as he is teamed up with Jack was brilliantly executed, both written and acted. The bantering was great, the delving into the darkness of O’Neill must do equally so. I loved Jack’s plan at the end to get him and Harry out of danger; they just waved and drove right past those men in black. Excellent episode. Truly.
((((JM))))
Thank you so much for answering my questions! Yay for Sam in the back half of S5! And…well…I’ll take a “nice moment” rather than no moment at all!
As for Confirmation…guess we’ll just have to wait for the 3rd movie for that. *sends massive hint PTB’s way*
Thanks again, Joe!
Hey Joe
I just read an article, say S5 will have new race.
Will they appear in the first 10 episodes?
Thanks.
I tend to have the opposite problem. I set unreasonably high goals for myself. My goal for this weekend is to flesh out five or six screenplay ideas into short treatments (say, three or four pages each). Given that I have no other plans and my roommates should be gone, I may just accomplish it. Or that may turn out to be just another unrealistic goal. We’ll find out.
Answer: I work on a Sony VAIO.
How’s it working out for you? I’m thinking of getting a new computer soon and I’m looking for ideas of what to get.
Answer: That’s a definite yes.
Awesome. Can’t wait.
(Incidentally, when I think of “celebrity plumbers”, my first thought is not of plumbers to the celebrities, but of celebrities who are also plumbers. Specifically, those guys from Ghost Hunters. As if they actually still work as plumbers now that they’re famous. Well, they like to pretend, anyway.)
I don’t usually ask questions like this, but since you told the shippers that they have a nice moment to look forward to in Continuum, I’m curious if there will be any nice buddy moments, like between Daniel and Jack, Daniel and Cam, etc. All those wonderful buddy moments were what drew me to Stargate SG-1 in the first place. And Stargate Atlantis has always done those nice buddy moments spectacularly well.
(Rats to that we can’t edit our work. I’m a script coordinator, I can’t bear to see typo mistakes — please delete the first copy of this comment.)
Hey Joe, I am new to this blog but have been a Stargate fan for years for both shows. However, is Joe Flanigan really afraid of clowns? Or is that just his character, because he mentions it several times. I was wondering because that would mean that I have two things in common: we are afraid of clowns and we have the same birthday January 5. Thanks for your blog and all the wonderful stories you have wrote or cowrote.
tamijb
Do you get called by your full first name and second name when you are in trouble? And if you do, do you fear for your life when it happens?
I’ve thought of giving the dogs middle names just so I can do that when they do something bad, such as rip the fence paling’s off.
Re the “shep whump” you are an evil man!!!
But I love you!
H
Hey Joe, will there ever be a SGA film?
Joe;
just remember that us shep whumpers love lot’s and lot’s of whumpage, but no no noooo shep deathage…. mmmkay.. :>) Nicole.
joe said: “Sorry. If you’re looking for any sort of confirmation, you won’t find it in Continuum. Still, there is one nice moment that shippers can find solace in.”
i’ll be looking forward to that shippy ‘moment’ in Continuum, and i’ll be looking forward to the next movie for…
thanks, joe. 🙂
sally =)
“Remember Teal’c’s appearance at that Vagina Monologuesque reading of the Virginia Dialogues in Family Ties?”
I read this and it made sense. Yet my mind brought the words together to form images that no person should be subjected to. I read and write horror, but never have I been exposed to or conjured something so terrifying.
I should have gotten a new brain when the warranty ran out on this one.
Well played on accomplishing the writing goal. You are a role model for slackers like me.
And your dogs cuteness could be used for world domination. Just saying.
I haven’t seen this question yet, and it is one that has been bugging me for a bit.
I am a HUGE McKay Fan! Having said that I have to say I also enjoy when he has Radek to play against (it is nice to have someone close enough to McKay’s level of understanding so Radek is able to argue with McKay when he is being too stubborn to take a step back.) . I thought Zelenka was really growing nicely as a character. Needless to say I found it surprising and a little concerning when Keller made the unflattering, even concerning statements about him, (and even MORE surprising, and perhaps even out of character when Carter added to it.) in the episode “Trio”. I am hoping it was meant in a playful bantering way, but it really didn’t feel that way when I watched it.
My question is, will this be a forgotten moment? I would hate to see it revisited, or worse, added to. I would love to continue to see the character of Radek grow in a positive way. He really puts up with so much from McKay, I hate to see his character trashed by others in such a creepy way. (And people who unwontedly smell other peoples hair are creepy and in a scary way.)
I LOVE reading your blog, although I have learn to read it on a full stomach as it can lead to late night binges. 😉
Great to hear that Remnants is coming together so well, and that you might actually have some time to enjoy for yourself this weekend, along with quality puppy time. Do you ever take them for walks?
Also, I was wondering if the storylines have been decided for the last few episodes? And are you, cast and crew itching to take off for hiatus?
@ Das – Here’s the skunk saga. First, in a phone call with a wildlife rescuer be sure to have a common understanding of what “baby” means. These little guys/gals were half the size of an adult, and were playing like frisky kittens. The rescuer’s idea of baby was an infant you could hold in the palm of your hand. My idea of helping was to move cages, wrangle them away from entering the building, again, and learn how to handle them from a pro.
Once she understood how big they were, she offered me the cages, told me skunks really don’t smell that bad, but be sure to wear goggles as they can spray up to 3 feet, and at that age they’re more like hormonally crazed teenagers wanting to test their stuff so be careful, but don’t worry. I admire this woman immensely as she is currently raising 37 baby skunks, but for her, I think odor is relative concept (maybe she smells coffee too?).
I’m a volunteer naturalist with the National Park Service, and have a healthy understanding of skunks, as in I run the other way, especially when faced with four rampaging youngsters. So I declined her offer, and thankfully the little ones haven’t returned, hopefully having found better digs somewhere else. And thank you for your insight. Skunks are fun, smart and amazing creatures, and I share your passion for them. But you’re right, they’re wild and they need to be treated with respect for what they are, and not the pets we’d like them to be.
I love how you write… I do the same thing with my goals and expectations. And best of luck with the rest of the script, you have me smiling over the possibilities already, not that i know what any of them really are I just like to think about it. cant wait to read the next blog entry.
Hi Joe,
I love seeing pictures of you dogs they are all so cute!
I am ahppy for you that you have exceeded your expectations on your script writing. Thats fantastic!
Its great when one can give themselves minor goals & when you dont set the bar to high! You can always make yourself happy when you go past your expectations & achieve more that way! I always am happy with myself when I do something that I wouldn’t think I would ever do!
Take Care & happiness always!
Cathie
Hi Joe
I was wondering, when Weir was command Sheppard could override her on military situations. Not the same when Sam Carter. How will the situation be with Woosley since he is a civilian.? Will Shep be able to override him on military situations and will that cause conflict.?
Sue Aka Knightie
Any Shep whump is jus’ fine by me! (also McKay whump, Ronan whump, Lorne whump… I sense a pattern).
Thanks for the exciting and tantalizing update!
Yeh for “a nice moment” for Sam and Jack in ‘Continuum.’
We all miss SG-1.
Janet
So, for a newbs sake… What is whumping? whumpage? etc?
I’ll try again-
Have you guys given any thought to bringing back the original actress that portrayed the Weir character? Would she even be interested? I would assume that she did not take the role originally because she was not available for a long term role. I actually preferred her for the Weir character and it took a long time for me to get used to Terri.
Best,
Alfred
Finished today with 2 more episodes in the marathon…
2010: A fairly enjoyable episode. The method by which the Aschen obliterated mankind was chilling, to say the least, and so very underhanded. The almost…well, Nazi-like look to them helped to define their evil even better. I used to think them boring but now…yeah, I’d definitely want to see more of them. Overall though, I wouldn’t peg this as awesome, as I think you have, Joe. The problem lies in how our future team was portrayed. I guess I was spoiled by just how phenomenal The Last Man was with its portrayl of character evolution in an alternate future; I didn’t get that sense of change in this episode. Everyone was the same except for a few changes in accessories (though Sam did look absolutely STUNNING here). Sure, Jack has had a falling out, but eventually he came around and SG1 was whole again. I think this would’ve benefited from being a 2-parter, with this being the second part (actually, it felt like I’ve missed something when the episode first started; it’s difficult to connect to the events as they were so far removed from what came before). It would’ve been far more satisfying IMHO had we seen how Earth and our characters evolved, thanks to the Aschen, to what we saw in this episode.
Still, that last sequence was spectacular. I was on the edge of my seat, and cringed along with the characters as they suffered a horrible death by those…stinging things. So overall an enjoyable episode, but it could’ve been more IMHO.
Absolute Power: Very nice indeed! Shifu once again reminded me of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the scene between him and Daniel before the latter got zapped in the head was very sweet. Speaking of Daniel, I’ve found him to be different this season; a lot more…flippant. While that was a slight detriment to previous episodes (he used to be much more passionate about things), it was perfect for this. Just the…calm, cold demeanor. It was creepy. The ending was cool also, with Danny figuring out that he must choose a different path…and I think we all know how that will turn out. This was a highly enjoyable episode.
Though I have to comment; this season’s scoring has been a little disappointing; the magnificent, iconic scores of past stories seemed to have disappeared. The days when even average episodes like Spirits got their own episode themes seem to be gone. Oh well.
GoSpikey writes: “The scientist from “The Gift,” is that someone we’ll ever actually see, or was he just a one time mention kinda Wraith?”
Answer: We may see him again.
Yay! If it’s not a new Wraith, then I’m putting my bets on the scientist being Michael. I’m speculating that it’s why he could control Teyla so easily, and that Teyla could control queens because Michael has some pretty strong telepathy, either naturally or otherwise. Plus, it would be somewhat poetic.
Joe, I was wondering if Season 5 will see the Lanteans make things worse due to Sheppard’s knowledge from the future. The whole dropping a building on them in The Last Man seems to nod towards that.
Did you know that SGA was going to be renewed when the decision to have that ending was made? I was thinking that if SGA hadn’t been renewed, the ending would have been a satisfying closure, though a depressing one.
Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention about Absolute Power: the fact that Jack had a loaded gun with him from the beginning when he met with Daniel in the dream, even when they were bantering in that big room with the Rings…yeah, that was nicely disturbing as well, and the fact that he didn’t hesitate to shoot at Daniel. Nicely done, very…well, disturbing.
Hey Joe, I’ve just started driving lessons as a, umm, mature age learner. Wish me luck 🙂 It’s a lot tougher here than in North America and I have to have a blood alcohol count of .00.
As we say Drink, Drive, Bloody idiot.
Marc writes: “There is a lot of talk about not leaving our people behind. Does this include the dead?”
Answer: Yes, it definitely includes the dead. In fact, Carl pitched out a story that was to deal with this very issue (The Red Shirt Diaries) but, after much discussion, it was temporarily shelved. Season 6 maybe?
Oddly enough I was thinking about this topic just yesterday when I was reminded of a fascinating documentary about the work the American military do to find and bring home the bodies of those lost in combat overseas. One of the examples in the film was the attempt to identify the remains of an American soldier from WWI, another the difficulties and political hoops that searching for men lost in Vietnam presents.
Anyway, somewhere in the muddle of thoughts that is my brain I did briefly wonder if you had considered this aspect of having military off-world – I’m glad to see you have and if we get a season 6 I hope you decide to revisit the idea, it could make for a very poignant episode.
ok so remind me again when it is you’ll find out whether Atlantis has been picked up for a sixth season?
thanks for the puppy pics!
Daggnabbit! my computer desk is falling apart, I’m sat here with a lap full of ballbearings and the keyboard tray. Bugger!
In my work if we try extra hard and get a job done before the time is up they just give us more work. Does that happen with writers aswell?
(PS to my earlier comment)
I was in such a hurry to go to bed early (for me) last night (yey! Wizard World Philly, here I come!)…I forgot to…
1. say how adorable those pictures are…I don’t know how you resist the urge to smush ’em when they look like that! When my kitties are sleeping, I just can’t resist the ‘smush n’ go!’ You know – bury your face in their fur, squish ’em a little and give ’em kisses – then run away, leaving them with that ‘wtf was that??!’ look on their sleepy little faces. Yup, I am their tormentor! 😀
2. Thanks for answering my questions – always appreciate your responses (though you forgot those all important ones from a few days ago concerning Wraith body odor, and Todd’s underwear 😉 ).
3. Speaking of Todd – and your answer regarding writing for the fans – well…the fans want MORE Todd! So, if we can’t hope to see more of him in S5 (besides the 3) – what about S6, if there is one?
And….that’s about it. it’s just after 6 am, not my normal waking time…but got a bit of a haul to Philly. Have a fantastic day…and, you know, smush the pups and smother ’em with kisses, and dagnabit, find some way to wiggle Todd into a fourth episode…maybe even a fifth… 😉
*nag, nag, nag*
das
damn, damn double damn, you were in a chatty ‘answer wraithy questions’ mood and i missed it! i have bad timing. /end temper tantrum, for now.
hello joe
i have to say i am extremely disappointed to hear the Todd episode count is still stuck on three, we need more Todd! Those three episodes better be jam packed full of Todd, Todd in almost every scene!
Interesting to hear we may meet the scientist who was experimenting on Teylas ancestors, i hope it’s one we haven’t met yet.
DAS SAID
Wet Todd. Angsty Todd. Messy Hair Todd. Gaping Coat Todd. Sexy Life-sucking Todd.
if we could get all this in those three episodes i would be VERY happy. Wet Todd could give us the opportunity to get that shirtless wraith scene we’ve all been wanting. Don’t think Todds hair can get any messier, we’ll leave that alone. Gaping coat Todd, another delicious opportunity to get a gander at all that lovely green.
Yum, me like some ‘life-sucking candy’
DAS, i agree with you completely with regards to the ‘gift of life’. A beautiful, wonderful moment completely destroyed by what you writers did in season four. I know there is more to come in season five and i am not happy. I hope you put something in an episode explaining that it is not normal to use the gift in this way and those wraith more like Todd look down on those who use it as a method of torture. Will this be addressed at all? that some use the ‘gift of life’ for torture and others don’t, it is a more meaningful act to them not to be sullied in such a way. /end second rant.
these have more than likely been asked before and that’s why you’re not answering but i wasn’t around way back when and apparently neither was anybody else in the forum cause no one knows the answer.
the slits on the wraiths cheeks- what are they for (i’m not typing the full Q out again)
back in defiant one, the wraith cocconed his victim and dragged him around. Did that material come from the wraith, and where from?
lookie, a non wraith question, (you better not answer this one and ignore all others i’m much more interested in wraith answers) are there going to be any new recurring charaters that are from countries other than America (or Canada). It would be nice to see some other countries represented.
all that sounded a tad more cranky than i usually am.
insanity shall reassert itself shortly i’m sure.
waves to joe and all other posters
Kristen writes: “In your opinion which episode for Sheppard is going to be his character driven magnus opus?”
Answer: Right now? Remnants.
and
Joe said: For instance, just this afternoon a couple of those persistent little notions came together to give me a truly diabolical revelation. The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.
I love you Joe :-D. If you deliver with a “Kick-Arse” Shep episode WITH whumping maybe I’ll have to declare that you’re my favourite writer. Take that Robert Cooper, Carl Binder and Martin Gero 😀
I just got back from my birthday lunch – lovely homecooked meal by my sister (“chicken on a stick”, steamed veggies, roast potatoes and red jello with a white KitKat – the menu was a combined effort of myself and my 7 year old niece – turning 8 on June 2nd :-D) . Sorry I don’t have any fancy photos of the meal.
Cheers, Chev
Love the automatically generated bit at the bottom of your blog – clearly the more salacious titles are working! What ARE your thoughts on Jennifer Hudson’s knowledge of designer labels?
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
* June 6, 2007
* Jennifer Hudson doesnt know her designer labels.
* INterview with Sara Paxton
* Kristin Davis in the July issue of UK Marie Claire
-I continue to amaze myself. Take Remnants for instance.
-Sheppard character driven magnus opus
-The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.
I look forward to an amazing episode. Haha Shep is my co-Number-One fave but I’m no whumper, I just want to continue to see a lot of quality on-screen time for him in s5. All the best for the lead actor!
Answer: I work on a Sony VAIO.
Huh I thought you were a Mac guy like DH! I’ve had Vaios for years, for a PC laptop they are the best IMO. We are, however, gradually shifting to Mac as we are mighty tired of fighting Windows BS on ANY PC.
Answer: We’ll see some growth in Keller as she tackles her second year in the Pegasus Galaxy.
I hope so, since she is a regular character now I would rather have her gain my respect. If Woolsey can do it, so can she. Vala came close but no dice.
Answer: I miss all of SG-1.
Me too… the original team. Age, I feel thy sting. Change, can’t grow without it.
DD
Hey Joe
Glad you’ve made heaps of progress on ‘Remnants’. I know how satisfying it is to make such leaps and bounds.
I’ve been watching old SG-1 and Atlantis episodes and noticed that sometimes the actors sound very sick. Do the actors still come in to work if they have a cold or something similar? Has there been any instances of sickness or injury preventing the main actors from filming their roles?
Thanks again. Hope the good times keep rolling.
Tim
Has anyone started the daily countdown clock to S5 yet? 🙂
Awesome to hear you’re getting so much work done this week, Joe! I wish I had the peace and quiet to get something done. Alas with a 4 year old and 5 kittens I’m currently fostering… my house is a mess of catnip toys and hotwheels. Quite a combo when you’re stumbling around in the middle of the night for a glass of water.
What are you planning for your hiatus this year? Trip off the continent? Off world? Lots of food tasting? Any new restaurants to check out? Sleeping in (er.. nix that… dogs… riiiiight)… maybe a nice comfy hammock and a beer hat?
Nika
It’s easy enough to get press. The hard part is surviving it.
The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.
Ack. I can’t decide if this is good or bad – will the whumpers be screaming “Nooooo!!” in delighted disbelief at the whump portrayed or in wailing despair at having tantalizing whump dangled in front of them but not followed up on? Are the gloves off on Sheppard (yay!!) or on the whumpers (ack!)?!! *lol*
Anyhoooo… sounds like this is going to be a cracking episode for Sheppard… I look forward to seeing the end results of the soupy morass that was once your mind. 😀
P.S. Completely changing topic here – have you gotten around yet to watching the third Season of new Doctor Who? I know you wait for the DVDs to watch it… any thoughts?
That scene with Teal’c is one of my favourite scenes ever! I think the first time I saw it I actually fell off of my chair. Just you mentioning it threw me into a giggle-fit.
Joe,
Who can I E-Mail in the production company to get a price on Ronons sofa and chair. thanx
[quote]The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.[/quote]
This sounds very ominous…. *whines*
Hi Joe,
Since you mentioned missing SG-1, I was wondering 1) were there any stories before the show finished that you wished you could tell? 2) were there any plans to make more use of the Asgard Loki character? He was the closest thing I could imagine as an ‘evil’ character and I personally wish we saw more of the little guy.
Anyway, take care Joe!
I admit to not being a great fan of excessive “whumpage” regardless fo the character. It can reach a point where it is imply unbelievable that “someone” hasn’t lost an arm or leg (or even fingers and toes) in some of the scenes.
However, there is one scene that I would still like to see involveing Shep. We had a bit of glimpse in the second season opener, but more would be appreciated.
I am speaking of the moment when he was speaking to the officer from Earth who led the defense of Pegasus after that officer had been fed on by the Wraith. He – unrequested/unbidden – gave the man a full salute.
Shepherd doesn’t seem to respect very many people as mentors (coworkers, yes – mentors, no). It would fun to just once see him respond to someone in authority with honest respect. Perhaps if was a former commander or college instructor now a Pegasus galaxy scientist – McKay would undoubtedly get some pleasure out of Shepherd’s “cool” slipping just a bit.
Hey Joe!
Good work with the script, I’m glad to hear that it’s coming along smoothly and a month early too! Nice job!
I have always wondered about this when it comes to script writing. When writing a script, and you need information on a character’s past, technology or something from a previous episode, what do you folks rely on? This has been something I have always thought about since I started to watch Sci-Fi. 😛
Love the photos of the pugs (I think they were shy that day, heh), and I agree with you, I miss SG-1. 🙂
Thanks as always!
– Enzo Aquarius
Oh man Joe! I only wish I could drop by Vancouver to pick up that couch and chair… it’s a shame I live like 2000 miles away. That would be a great experience to chat with Jason. I’m sure it would be amusing, if not all together terrifying! LOL.
Best of luck on Remnants. I would ask about ‘Prodigal’ but it’s already been asked.
Were you a fan of Stargate before you started working on the show?
JOE!
I love the middle picture of your pug on the couch! That is just such a hoot with only one cushion used!!!! Too cute!
Enjoy your dog babysitting duties while the wife is away!
S
Oh Joe, I miss SG-1 too! 🙁
Ah well, at least we’ve got Continuum to look forward to and hopefully more movies to come *crosses fingers* 🙂
It’s a shame “Red Shirt Diaries” has got shelved as it sounded interesting but hopefully it’ll return in the 6th Season.
Have a great weekend all! 😀
Hey Joe!
Do I remember that scene with Teal’c at the V. Dialouges? Are you kidding? Sometimes that scene pops into my head at the weirdest times and I still laugh out loud about it. Priceless television. 😀
I miss SG-1 the mostest, too! 🙁 ALL members of SG-1. Everyone who’s ever been a member of SG-1 is dearly, missed by me, my girls, my mom, my sisters, my dad, and even my husband (but he’d never admit it ;)). So more movies on DVD makes me HAPPY!!!
Can you tell Jason his Tom Cruise impersonation made me laugh for about three full minutes? A video would have probably put me over the edge! Makes me wanna buy the set just ‘cuz of that! 😀
Trish
P.S. My parents named me Patricia and I am wondering just how many other Patricias are ON here? It seems we keep popping up! 😀 There’s probably a scientific explanation for the unusually large number of women named Patricia that love reading Joe’s blog. It must have something to do with the mix of chocolate, sci-fi, and pugs? It’s created a Patricia magnet of sorts.
Okay, cue fanfare, I’m actually venturing out for the evening going with a mate to see a Pink Floyd tribute band going by the name of Pink Fraud, not gonna be as good as the real thing but at our age it’s about all we can manage PMSL.
Do you like Pink Floyd perchance?
Awww, I love it when you post pictures of your pups!!!
As far as “Continuum”, I’m really hoping for some long overdue character moments between Daniel and Sam. As much as I enjoy Jack/Sam, Jack/Daniel and Daniel/Vala, it’s the friendship between Daniel and Sam that I miss the most, and, tbh, I still haven’t ‘digested’ the cookies and a kiss scene in “AOT”.
Answer: “We’re hoping to have Sam back in at least one episode in the back half.”
That’s great!! I was hopeful that Sam would be able to be in more than one episode. Can you tell us, Joe, if it’s possible for Daniel to come back for another episode in season 5? If not, will his 2-parter leave it open for him to come back as a guest in season 6?
dff
PS: I miss SG-1 too!!!
Hello,
I do not want to waste your time, but is was very kind to tell me what ‘whump’ means.
Many Thanks!
I agree with Whoivan, a.k.a. Patricia… a.k.a. Trish! We Patricia’s feel a kinship with you Joe! Patricia, a name of noble descent, we are automatically pulled toward noble men. Yep, “Joseph” means God Will Increase or he will add. So you see we Patricia’s look to Joe for an increase of knowledge / understanding and no body increases our knowledge of the SGA and a writer/producer’s world like Joe does. And he does it will a humor unmatched. I for one am grateful for the behind the scenes understanding and the inner workings of producing an amazing number one show like SGA!
PATRICIA
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: pa-TRISH-a (English), pah-TREE-syah (Spanish), pah-TREE-thyah (Spanish), pah-TREE-tsee-ah (German)
JOSEPH
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Biblical
Pronounced: JO-sef (English), zho-ZEF (French), YO-zef (German)
From the Latin Iosephus, which was from the Greek Ιωσηφος (Iosephos), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning “he will add”.
Just in case we haven’t said it enough lately, Thank you Joe! You are amazing!
Hugs…
Patricia Lee
Janet wrote: “We all miss SG-1.”
Not all of us. Some of us never cared much for it 😉
Sorry, this is not meant at you in particular, and I lurk most of the time, but this is a pet peeve of mine, if you want.
I started to watch SGA when in premiered and loved it since the beginning. I had never watched SG-1 before, but I decided to give it a try since it was done by the same people, and watched most of the SG-1 episodes from the first 8 seasons during 2004. Didn’t grab my interest and don’t remember anything after 4 years. I tried to watch some newer episodes and didn’t like them either.
I’ve found quite a number of people in the fandom who never watched a single episode of SG-1, or who stopped watching the show X number of seasons ago.
This isn’t a reply to you. No offense intended. Just a pet peeve of mine, that many SG-1 fans (or fans of both shows) seem to think that everybody loves/miss SG-1…
On the same topic, I always felt Atlantis was considered the poor stepchild in the franchise. Which is sad for me, because I think it’s a great show and I love all its 4 seasons. Hope there are a few more seasons left (providing they don’t want to kill it in favor of a new shiny show and/or more SG-1 movies).
“Luna wrote:
I do not want to waste your time, but is was very kind to tell me what ‘whump’ means.
Many Thanks!”””
Hey Luna,
I searched Joe’s previous blogs to find the answer that was provided to me when I asked this very same question! Here is the answer:
on February 15, 2008 at 8:39 pm75 alphawolf6711
For Patricia –
Whump is a fandom term, commonly used by fan fiction authors (particularly in the Stargate genre) to describe physical and/or mental abuse laid on a character in a story.
Rodney and Sheppard are the ones usually ‘whumped’ for example when Mckay is strung up by his ankle in ‘Runner’ or Sheppard is tortured by Todd in ‘Common Ground’. They go through harrowing events and survive and develop from them.
Yea, charachter development
….how this helps!
Patricia
Word on any upcoming emotional Carson/Teyla scenes in S5? Pretty please? 😮
Thanks for working so diligently for us. I love shep episodes, but, since I am fairly new to the blog, I am not entirely clear on what whumpage is. Although, I have a good idea. My favorite shep episodes are the moments with McKay. They are great together and the bond is apparent. Will there be moments that the entire team, including the new characters, will get to bond together not just as a couple characters here and there?
I too set high expectations to get things done, so, I was smiling during the read (been there done that). Although, I tend to wait til the last minute to begin, things seem to come out better and faster that way. I am sure your work will be great as usual.
One of the people commenting mentioned possibly give dogs middle names to call them by the full name when upset. I laughed at that too since my kids did that to my dog when they were younger just to be able to call her by her full name when she didn’t listen obviously to mimic me when I did it to them. The name they chose, Alowishis. Don’t know where it came from, but it was quite humorous to hear as they called her full name out “Nutmeg Alowishis Gagne” get over here now. Found myself doing it without the kids around which was funny. Everyone should try it, even if only for the laugh.
Keep up the good work!
Yay for your ability to do what you set out to. If only I had your persistence. I seem to have lost my ability to drive myself hard after a major illness some years ago.
I really hope that the pictures of the pups means they’re all doing well. They look cuddly and adorable, as always.
I think many of us miss SG-1, too, but probably not in the same way you do. That said, I just (literally, just) finished watching “Ark of Truth”. Someone needs to tell Mr. Cooper that he’s badly in need of some good therapy.
ok, just kidding. We’re all nuts…
In April, you told us that there were plans for two episodes for Shepard in S5 — “CSI: Atlantis” and “Hexed.” Since then you have indicated that “Hexed” was on hold. So, is “Remnants” a new name for “CSI: Atlantis,” or will there be two Shep-centered episodes in the second half of S5?
Wet Todd. Angsty Todd. Messy Hair Todd. Gaping Coat Todd. Sexy Life-sucking Todd.
if we could get all this in those three episodes i would be VERY happy. Wet Todd could give us the opportunity to get that shirtless wraith scene we’ve all been wanting. Don’t think Todds hair can get any messier, we’ll leave that alone. Gaping coat Todd, another delicious opportunity to get a gander at all that lovely green.
Yum, me like some ‘life-sucking candy’
Um… isn’t this starting to go overboard and being quite crass for a very public journal? Reading past entries, I’m bothered how much Todd is being objectified. I’m seeing a double-standard at work here. Swap out Todd with Teyla and it shows how offensive it is. Or even any of the male casts. It’s rather degrading.
Thank you for answering my question even though the way you responded to that carefully edited portion has left me more concerned than ever for season five.
It seems then, that we will be subjected to a large dose of Keller, and that her term as regular will not be similar to the blessedly brief screen time devoted to Carter. I watch primarily for the team (which in my mind includes Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and McKay — most definately not Keller), for Zelenka, Lorne and now Carson again. I’m sorry to see time spent on further attempts to incorporate Keller, rather than on the characters I already know and love.
I’m also concerned that Keller’s “growth” won’t include a growth in compassion, maturity or a lessening of her self-preoccupation. Looks like I’ll be doing a lot of fast forwarding through Keller’s scenes.
This is mainly directed at sgaluv, there’s no question that SG-1 was a groundbreaking show, but I do feel you are being overly harsh, for one if it wasn’t for SG-1 we would have no Atlantis or means of getting ourselves to the Pegasus Galaxy, because of the technology and expertise required.
If anything Atlantis is more like the little brother of SG-1 that is just growing up year by year, getting stronger and stronger, with the help from everyone involved in the show including the fans, and everyone else.
drldeboer said
Well said! Joe F doesn’t get enough credit imho, he’s an amazing actor. The more moments to show it, the better.
and
I bought my first mac last year. I didn’t want to deal with the whole Vista/XP thing. Vista wasn’t quite ready, XP wasn’t going to be supported past this year so I hopped over to Apple. Got a 20 inch iMac. It’s sweet. Well apart from the slot-loading DVD drive – got a disk stuck in it at the moment.
Cheers, chev
kay said: “I’m also concerned that Keller’s “growth” won’t include a growth in compassion, maturity or a lessening of her self-preoccupation. Looks like I’ll be doing a lot of fast forwarding through Keller’s scenes.”
i can’t believe some of the stuff i read about keller. you can’t be talking about the same character i watched.
while i disliked the pete shanahan character because 1- i didn’t want his character getting in the way of sam/jack, and b- he checked up on sam and literally stalked her at one point, i *could* see the nice qualities of the character too.
the way some of you talk about keller, it’s like you’re describing a completely different character. for the rather short time i watched atlantis (s4 because sam came over), keller was one of the characters i related to and bonded with.
i’m not meaning to sound offensive to you, but some of this keller hatred is just so over-the-top that it’s whacked out.
sally =o
Hi Trish,
Sorry to hear about your loss. I’m thinking about you and your family.
Chev
Hey Joe,
Do you know where Kit Lake is (location they filmed SG1’s Paradise Lost)?
We’ve googled and looked on maps etc and can’t find it.
Thanks heaps.
Cheers, Chev
“For instance, just this afternoon a couple of those persistent little notions came together to give me a truly diabolical revelation. The result = a scene that will have all the Shep-whumpers screaming “Yes! Yes!” and then “What?! NO!! NO!! NOOOO!!!” The gloves are off, kiddies.”
*facepalms* Oy vey! Just so long as he’s not dead dead (as in permanently) by the end of the episode. Pretty please, with the good chocolate on top?
I made the mistake of asking a question the day before John Scalzi had his guest spot on your blog, so I’m going to ask again. Did you folks name Todd the Wraith in honor of Todd the AOL intelligence agent from “Android’s Dream”? Considering Todd the Wraith is a bit evil, and AOL is most certainly evil…
Also, thanks for the new pictures of the puppydogs! Jelly looks quite content to be laying on top of the couch cushion like a cat (that is Jelly, right?).
The smell of fresh meat
New episodes in the air!
Be still my small heart!
Joe, those pics of your dogs are just the cutest 😀 They’re adorable.
Gotta say that I love that you keep us updated, much respect.
But my question is, “Will we ever have the Tok’Ra, Nox or any of the other allies from Sg-1 ever come to Atlantis?”
Haha! For a ‘real’ Celebrity Plumber, check out the Celebrity Plumber website, where “plumber to the stars, star among plumbers”, Nigel Breezer, dishes the dirt on his famous clients.