- Napkin at m:brgr
Hmmm. I’m busier now at home than I was back at work. So much for time off. And with Fondy out of town, my meals have tended toward the uninspired: tuna, chicken, soup, and salad. A far cry from my feasting frenzy in Montreal. That dinner at Restaurant Garcon aside, I’d declare it a fairly successful culinary trek through my old stomping grounds. Some of the highlights:
Lunch at Smoked Meat Pete: If there’s one thing Montreal is known for (besides strip clubs) it’s smoked meat, so whenever I’m in town I make it a point to stop by my favorite lunch spots – Smoked Meat Pete. When you order up a sandwich, make sure to specify between lean and medium-fat (I personally lean toward the latter). Pete’s is known for their fries, a love ’em or hate ’em menu item that is lovingly double deep-fried for extra tastiness. And they ARE tasty.
Dinner at Bronte Restaurant: Now this is more like what I was expecting from the Montreal fine dining scene. The appetizer of braised rabbit pappardelle with porcini mushrooms and olive oil was heavenly, one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in recent memory. For the appetizer route, next time I’m in town I’m ordering a triple portion as my main. My sister really enjoyed her veal tenderloin as well as the salad of chorizo, piquillo peppers, pumpkin seeds and seafood emulsion that accompanied her crispy sweetbread and squid starter. The service was first rate, attentive without overwhelming.
Dinner at Club Chasse et Peche: A cavernous dining room in Old Montreal boasts one of the city’s most revered restaurants not to mention one deliciously buttery lobster dish. My mother adored her kobe beef and short rib.
Continuing our discussion of The Etched City –
Thornyrose writes: “I was constantly reevaluating the world they were in, trying to decide if it was a post apocalyptic Earth, an alternate Earth, or a separate universe.”
And Sylvia writes: “This was another world in the “old west/cowboy settings and medieval Europe” and also middle east/Africa. Technology was not advanced. There seemed to be some skipping around with technology or mysticism or magic and also in timeframes. At first the introduction of newspaper surprised me.”
Answer: Yes, there were a fair number of seeming anachronisms but they didn’t really bother me. Like you, Thornyrose, I vacillated. I imagined their world as a distant future in which rare elements of technological advancement have survived after societal collapse. Either that, or an alternate Earth whose progress has followed a distinctly different path.
Sylvia also writes: “Finally after 2/3 of the book, I think I realized the significance of the title Etched City – all of the drawings that Beth does; the etchings on Gwynn’s sword.”
Answer: Well do tell. Don’t keep it to yourself.
Sylvia also writes: “Still do not have full appreciation of the religion discussion between Rev and Gwynn. Not the first, second, or even the last when Rev does the miracle.”
Answer: I agree. Although I found Rev’s motivations interesting (the fact that he is a corrupt priest who attempts to redeem himself, not by changing himself but by changing Gwynn), I wasn’t sure quite what to make of the sacrifice and renewal at novel’s end.
Sylvia also writes: “Have to admit, I thought Gwynn was going to figure more in Raule’s life, but of course that did not happen.”
Answer: As did I, especially given that the book begins from Raule’s point of view. Still, I give Bishop points for not going down the obvious route of some sort of romantic entanglement between the two. Their relationship was one of the most interesting male-female dynamics I’ve read in a long time.
Thornyrose also writes: “The hardest thing for me to grasp, or follow, was the relationship between Beth and Gwynn. This aspect of the book above all others moved this book into the fantasy genre for me. Like so much else in this novel, I felt off balance, trying to figure out what was happening, or even what was real in the context of the novel.”
Answer: Yes. Beth struck me as almost vampiric, using Gwynne as a muse for her art, drawing on his dark energy to give life to her creations. I found it curious how she seemed impervious to danger, mesmerizing even the most fearsome of assassins and mercenaries, strolling through their turf without a care in the world. It was as though she was exuding a dark energy of her own that held them in awe.
Thornyrose also writes: “Raule’s niche in the city; her rejection by the medical establishment as some sort of quack practioner, and her continued self education even as she was forced to settle for a position she was vastly overqualified for.”
Answer: Yes. I was fascinated by Raule’s determination, first in striving to attain a position as a healer to the city’s destitute and then, much later, striving to attain a similar position of witch doctor to the nomadic tribe she joins. Unlike Gwynne who refuses to change (as Rev discovers the hard way), Raule is always transforming herself – from idealist rebel to wanted outlaw to outsider to respected surgeon to outsider again to respected witch doctor.
Thornyrose also writes: “Elm. His ambitions, his scheming, his willingness to gamble his entire fortune on the outcome of a single battle, his ultimate end.”
Answer: Hmm. To be honest, this was the one element that really bothered me. I had a hard time buying that standing authority would accept such a barbaric means of settling disputes. I was also bothered by the fact that the way the battle swung seemed to imply supernatural forces at work (with Beth as the source I assumed) but this was never pursued or addressed.
AMZ writes: “, The Muqaddimah (I think that’s the correct spelling) by 14th century North African historiographer Ibn Khaldun. Khaldun compares Bedouin cultures within Africa to sedentry civilisation, and a watered-down version of what he says is that Bedouin tribes tended to me more aware, alert, respectful of their surroundings and capable of survival. They also seemed more content. I found it really interesting to compare his philosophies with the development of Gwynn and Raule – how they were before they reached Ashamoil, and how they were once they had settled into life in the city.”
Answer: Interesting, particularly as it relates to Gwynn who, in my eyes, availed himself quite nicely once he was in the city, exploiting the opportunities presented him to secure a comfortable position. That said, in spite of his success he was far from content. In comparison, Raule had a much more difficult time of it and yet, while I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest she was content, I did sense that she derived a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that she was helping others.
AMZ writes: “This connection made me start to wonder – would Gwynn and Raule have ever been friends if they hadn’t needed to be? It seems from their interaction in Ashamoil that the answer could be “no”, but somehow I always seemed to think there was chemistry of some sort between the two of them – a connection that couldn’t be broken by their distaste for each other in the city, possible from their experiences in the desert together? What do others think.”
Answer: I don’t know. I found their relationship fascinating in that they were so very different and yet, beyond those differences, one couldn’t help but sense a mutual respect present in their dealings with one another. As for whether I think they would have been friends if circumstances hadn’t thrown them together? Probably not. Given who they were, I don’t find it very likely that the two would have developed any sort of friendship. However, the experiences they did share, while dire, allowed them to see each other at their very best and their very worst.
If you have any questions for author K.J. Bishop, make sure you get them in soon because I’ll be sending them her way tomorrow night.
Today’s blog entry is dedicated to Kassandra. Hope all goes well with the MRI.
The mailbag returns:
DasNDanger writes: “Are you nervous about the new season and how fans will receive it, or what the numbers will show?”
Answer: Overall, I’m very happy with the way season 5 is coming along and I’m confident that the fans will be pleased with what we have in store for them: our usual mix of action, comedy, adventure, character developments, and surprises. As for what the numbers will show – well, I’ve been fairly philosophical of late. I know our fans will tune in and enjoy the show and I’m certain that the first-time viewers who tune in t check us out won’t be disappointed, but the task of growing our audience rests with the studio and network. Promote the show and people will tune in to see what the fuss is about. It’s as simple as that.
Arctic Goddess writes: “Have you ever read The White Plague by Dune author Frank Herbert?”
Answer: On Brad Wright’s recommendation, I picked up and ended up making it November’s Book of the Month Club scifi pick. My thoughts here:
Wraith Cake writes: “Dear Joe, I have to admit (sheepishly looks around) I typically don’t read anyone else’s comments on your blog except the people who I know from the WDC—I already have enough posts to sift through as it is. However, it looks like my question has stimulated quite a bit of discussion, and taken on a personality of its own, which usually happens with controversial topics.”
Answer: Well, nothing wrong with a little controversy so long as everyone plays nice.
Mrs.B108 writes: “Will Sheppard and Ronon have any significant disagreements this year, something possibly resulting in more than just angry words?”
Answer: Yes they will. Check out season 5’s third episode, Broken Ties.
Mrs.B108 writes: “Beyond motherhood, does Teyla have any strong angsty storylines this year?”
Answer: Mucho angst for Teyla in The Queen and later Prodigal.
Neb writes: “If Vega is the leader, Porter is the Doc, and Dusty is the bodyguard, what’s Cox’s character’s role on the team?”
Answer: Teldy is a Major. She’s the team leader.
PinkSander writes: “Also sorry on the dinner woes. Maybe the kitchen had an off night, do you think you’ll brave it and try it once more? Or did you have enough that night?”
Answer: My time in Montreal is limited and rather than risk a repeat performance, I’d prefer going somewhere I’ve already enjoyed or trying somewhere new. If it was simply a case of a dish or two being problematic, I’d say the kitchen had an off night, but quality was pretty suspect across the board. Also, some of the creations weren’t simple missteps. They were downright disasters.
Rose writes: “I’ve been reading your blog for close to a year now and I can’t help but notice that “Whispers” seems to be very close to your heart, more so than any of the other Atlantis episodes you’ve written. Am I wrong?”
Answer: Yes and no. Given the complexities of the episode (and because I had some free time), I made it a point to be on set throughout production so, in that respect, Whispers did garner more of my attention. I’m equally proud of Broken Ties however and, hopefully, I’ll be able to say the same for Remnants.
Montrealer writes: “Now that you are back on the West coast. Did the dogs miss you?”
Answer: They did! The second I walked through the door, they were bounding around me like I bacon in my pockets.
DasNdanger writes: “ I hope this isn’t a prying question, but what part of Italy is your mum from? The reason I ask is because my friend looks so much like her (my mom agrees), and her youngest daughter looks very much like your sister. She told me tonight her family’s from Naples, so I was just curious if – perhaps – your mother is from the same region.”
Answer: Hmmm. Interesting. My mother is from the Altamura (southern) region of Italy. But my father’s family is from Naples.
DasNdanger also writes: “I had a call first thing this morning – mom had a fall and was rushed to the hospital. […]. Fortunately, she only dislocated her shoulder (which is bad enough) and is now home, resting more comfortably.”
Answer: Hope she’s on the mend and on her way to a full recovery. Hopefully she’ll be back to pitching for her softball team in no time.
Toby writes: “Hey Joe. I’m off to Tokyo for 2 weeks in a couple of days and wondered if you’d ever been there? If you have been, do you have any suggestions of places to eat/places to visit?”
Answer: Hey, Toby. Yes, I’ve been to Tokyo a number of times. Check out a place called Gonpachi. There’s one in Ginza and another in Odaiba. Also, get up early and enjoy a sushi breakfast at the Tsukiji fish market. Finally, if you’re willing to spend a few bucks, treat yourself to a meal you won’t soon forget at the Tapas Molecular Bar in the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. Read all about it here: http://josephmallozzi.com/2006/12/05/december-5-2006-part-ii/
AMZ writes: “Hope all goes well with the plasma repairs and, hey, did you ever solve your cell phone problem?”
Answer: Yes, I solved the problem by getting a new phone.
Shadow Step writes: ““That was why I made the rules stringent: No travel into the future, no carrying objects from the past to the present, and moreover time travel is too expensive to do much of it. Sort of setting my Difficulty level at High.”
With the respect to the author (and not having read the book you speak of) that sounds like setting the difficulty level at easy. Surely its when there are no limits it becomes difficult. (Just think how they moan about the teleporter on Atlantis”
Answer: Quite the opposite actually. Having no limits means no rules and THAT puts the difficulty level at easy (a.k.a. lazy).
DasNdanger also writes: “Joe – I’ve often had a sip of Jager to settle my stomach. The main herb in Jager is known for its ‘digestive’ benefits.”
Answer: Hey, ever have an oatmeal cookie? One shot Jaeger, one shot butterscotch schnapps, one shot Goldenschlager, and one shot Bailey’s. Taaaasty!
Thunder writes: “Hey, I finally get to see some captions under the pictures. Have all your previous pictures have had captions under them before?”
Answer: To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what happened. For some reason, the captions just started appearing under the pictures.
Mrs.B108 writes: “Does physical torture play a part in the season to come?”
Answer: Yep. We’ll certainly be surpassing our torture quota this year.
JennyL UK writes: “I’m coming to Vancouver on holiday with some friends on Saturday and I was wondering if you could recommend any good restaurants for us?”
Answer: Sure. Fuel, Vij’s, Tojos, Yujis, Don Francesco, Bristrot Bistro, the Seoul House, Sun Sui Wah, The Memphis Barbecue House, Fortune Garden, Rekados, Tai Son, Prima Taste. Start with those and get back to me.
AutumnDream writes: “ Is the light hearted action-adventure tone of the show too prohibitive for the more heavy literary concepts you enjoy in novels? Even though Stargate has massive scope and story potential, I can see how a writer for the show – or any television show, for that matter – might find himself limited in terms of the “heavyness” of idea he wishes to express.”
Answer: I don’t think there’s anything that prohibits us from telling “heavier” stories. I’d say that season four saw its share of decidedly dark moments (Reunion, Missing, Miller’s Crossing, Last Man). Too often, it’s not the subject matter per se but the way it is executed that gets us into trouble. When the network and studio reads a script, they’re main concern is to ensure that everyone at home “gets it”, which certainly ensures a general understanding of a given episode but, frankly, makes it very difficult to impart any subtlety to a given story.
StellaByStargate writes: “Based on what Martin Gero said in the intro to the scene, would it be safe to assume that it was your intention to go on the record, albeit in your usually deft and subtle manner, in confirming the relationship between Sam and Jack at that point…”
Answer: Yes.
StellaByStargate continues: “…and that, for all intents and purposes, the existence of their relationship is a given among TPTB.”
Answer: Depends which PTB you happen to be referring to. Hey, we can’t even agree on lunch.
Hey Joe I was wondering, have you ever read anything by John Saul? I just started my second book by him and I’m already loving it and I’m only 70 pages in. When I was reading Black Creek Crossing by him I couldn’t put the book down and by the end of it I was a little creeped out. It was the first book (I think) that I’ve ever finished that was listed as horror. Excellent book.
I’m surprised at the lack of promotion SGA season 5 seems to be getting at MGM’s site.
The new season premieres this Friday and the last time they published an SGA news article related to SGA was on June 17th (Close Up: Paul McGillion). After that, all the news articles are about the new SG-1 movie, which gets released more than 2 weeks after SGA s5 premieres.
Wouldn’t make more sense to be promoting SGA s5 a lot more than the SG-1 movie at this point?
No season 5 stills gallery, no s5 videos (except for the superfan ads), not even a trailer for 5×01 Search and Rescue (they still have the s4 trailers). No Close Up on neither Jason Momoa nor Joe Flanigan?
After looking at MGM’s site regularly during these last few weeks, I feel that the promotion of season 5 is virtually zero. It’s like they’ve already decided the show’s future and that they don’t care to promote it anymore because they’re not interested in any more seasons. At least that’s was I feel as a fan.
It’s like SGA doesn’t exist for them anymore.
Hello Joe,
When I met you in Vancouver in April I asked you a question about who among the writers gets to be a specific ‘producer’ in the credits during a specific show. Weekly it seemed like musical chairs. What I would like to ask now is what is the function of each producer listed. You have to agree there are alot of them, ‘supervising’, ‘co-producer’, etc.’
Happy to say that JB HI-FI in Australia has Continuum as their main banner in their DVD purchasing section.
For K.J. Bishop –
1. Do you feel being Australian gives your writing a unique flavour?
2. Could you share about your journey to getting published? Did you have to persevere through a lot of knock backs or did it come easy?
3. Have you earned a degree or doctorate in creative writing? Or have there been any courses or workshops that have been helpful in developing your gift?
I had an interesting conversation earlier this year with a couple of very successful Australian female sci-fi/fantasy novelists. They basically said that you have to have a natural talent for writing to start with but a degree will polish it and teach you how to structure things properly. In their opinion, if you don’t have ‘it’, no amount of uni is going to make you a good writer.
One of these ladies had published over a dozen novels before earning a degree and she said she was subject to a lot of contempt in the writing world because she was not deemed educated enough to write. Kind of elitist if you ask me.
My jealousy knows no bounds – smoked meat sandwiches are heaven indeed, but then most meals in Montreal are heavenly. Have you tried Fondumental on St. Denis Street? Their raclette is amazing. Glad you had a nice trip to visit the family – it is truly astonishing that you stay fit!
Some would say that strip clubs and smoked meat are the same things.
Har har har.
Well, since mailbag’s back, let’s ask some questions:
1. Regarding the spoiler poem, will you be once again giving us the correct lines after each episode’s airing?
2. Will you inform of us of how the production will be affected if/when the SAG strike occurs?
The final marathon review of Season 7:
It’s the end of an era.
I finished Season 7 last night, and I can’t help but feel a little depressed. From here on out, things will be different. Lost City truly marked the end of something. From here, Season 8 just feels like a bonus season, while Season 9 and 10 feel like a completely different series. And why not? There were quite a bit of “finale-esque” things in Lost City: Hammond departs, the team forever changes after this, Anubis is defeated (sort of), and SG1 saves the world once again. Oh, and of course, the line, “Hammond and SG-1 are close to finding the lost city. Let them do their job, sir. Let them save this planet one more time.”. It all felt so…strange.
And yet, what a way to go. As predicted, Lost City Part 2 now ranks #1 on my list, beating Heroes Part 2. More on this later. For now, let’s go in order:
Inauguration: You know me. I’m not a fan of clip shows. And while this was the best of the bunch shown so far, I’m still luke-warm about it. Still, I gotta give it up for all the main players here; William Devine, Ronny Cox, Robert Picardo, and James McDaniel were all great in their roles as the plucky-but-commanding leader, the asshole I’d love to kick in the nuts over and over, the pawn who ultimately showed a sense of integrity (Woolsey was truly the standout character here; loved him), and the military man who understands what SG1 and Hammond have gone through, even if he said no one would, respectively. Those characters saved the episode from the likes of Out of Mind or Politics. The problem with this “first generation” of clip shows is that it’s so unnecessary. The characters will describe one of the past events, and then we see that event. That’s repetition and it gets boring really fast. Luckily, Citizen Joe and Letters from Pegasus departs from this (and hopefully Inquisition does as well), as the former is a very creative plot, and the latter actually have characters refer to their feelings and more general topics, with the flashbacks meant to be EXAMPLES of those feelings, rather than showing exactly what the characters just told us about. You know what I mean?
But anyway, this episode was alright, but nothing special save for the characters. I suppose it did setup the finale very well though…and the political intrigue was well done.
Lost City: Once upon a time, when I reviewed Torment of Tantalus, I touted it as the perfect SG1 episode. Well, Lost City is a better version of that. Everything an SG1 episode should have, this one has them: comedy, heart-felt character moments, elaboration on Ancient stuff; cool CGI; revelations of our own past and nature; tension; etc. etc. It’s all there, and I loved every minute of it.
The first half was admittedly slower than the second, but the character stuff there, especially from Jack, was just absolutely wonderful. Right from the teaser, we get that typical Jack humor that we’ve been missing for a lot of this season; he washes his phone, and totally misses the answer with the crossword. Hilarious. That whole beginning part was genius, with Jack doing the crossword and putting “fat” as the atomic weight of Boron (the way Amanda delivered that line was hilarious as well). Meanwhile, we get our first taste of Blonde!Weir. It turns out, besides the fact that this one’s a lot more fidgier and unsure of herself, she’s pretty much the same as Torri’s Weir. For one, when she said “Oh my God” in the scene after the title credits, I had major Torri flashbacks. That was cool.
Hmmm…if I go through every scene like this I’m going to end up with a ridiculously long review. Ok, time to summarize. The Jack-Daniel banter in the briefing was hilarious (oh how I missed Jack’s attitude!), and the sense of old-school SG1 excitement came rushing back during the off-world scene where they’re being shot at. I loved it all, especially the big BIG explosions! The whole head-sucker bit was great; loved Daniel’s “JACK!!” I mean, this is basically the fruition of the whole Anubis arc up to this point, and bringing back the pivotal prop from The Fifth Race…it just felt like a culmination.
From there, things slow down, but at the same time we get one of the greatest team scenes of the series, without even them being off-world. It starts off as an awkward Sam/Jack scene, but with both parties silently acknowledging what’s really going on, and quickly evolves into a hilarious round-table “discussion” on Burns as Goa’uld, and Teal’c’s depth. Daniel being buzzed was laugh-out-loud funny. That whole scene was filled with hilarious lines and characters referencing each others’ foibles (i.e. “Teal’c said to me. Well he didn’t actually say anything. He just kinda looked at me and did that eyebrow raise thing that he kinda does…”). But then, Hammond arrives (it’s serious, but I do love Jack’s “Well. you’re not the usual delivery boy.” and “I hope you like guiness, Sir. I find it a refreshing substitute for….food.”) and delivers the bad news. I think I teared up here, for obvious reasons. One of the big points here is Teal’c’s expression. At once he just seemed so saddened, shocked, and worried. I love the fact that he doesn’t really care about politics, but rather the fact that SG1’s loosing its greatest commander, it’s best friend, and for Teal’c, a great warrior. Truly depressing right here, and it makes for an impacting moment.
And then Weir comes along. I liked her, which is strange compared to the last guy that replaced Hammond, when he resigned. Of course, being a pawn instead of one of the inside-man helps. Weir was geniunely overwhelmed, and at the end of the day, she was an understanding and good person at heart. She just got too deep into the politics. Her conversation with Daniel started off pretty funny, and showed that she doesn’t seem to take herself that seriously (ALWAYS a good thing). But that doesn’t last as Bra’tac arrives (uttering the-now-famous line “Has Hammond of Texas fallen in battle?” It will now be one of those “shiver-inducing” lines, instead of just a hilarious misunderstanding. I had to rewind it a few times just to grasp its new meaning), and tells of Anubis’s plans. The epicness that started with the head-grabbing inches up a notch at this terrible warning.
The Hayes-Hammond conversation was very well done. A laid-back talk between two military veterans with no political bullcrap inbetween.
Oh, and then the briefing room where we get to see Weir’s true colors. Again, loved it. I also enjoyed the reference back to Fifth Race with the “You just said derantis.” “Did not.” “Did too.” “Derantis, what is that?” Just lovely. When the meeting ended and Weir has shown herself to be an objective voice instead of Kinsey’s lackey, I noticed Sam smiling; that was a nice touch. Kinsey just gets more and more hateful of course, and finally Weir stands up to him; I loved that confrontation; it really showed just how dedicated Weir can be when pushed into a corner.
The scene that usually ends Part 1 had me tearing up again with Teal’c’s goodbye. Jack and Teal’c’s bond over the series have been truly solid and this was just such a heart-breaking moment, knowing that it’s possible that they may not see each other alive again. They were brothers, as Teal’c said in “Grace”.
So that was part 1; it was mostly setup for Part 2, but the character moments and the humor were just top notch; and I must give props to the massive action sequence on the planet with the Ancient repository. Of course, Part 2, like with Heroes, blew Part 1 away.
It starts off with 2 of the most hilarious scenes of the series, and some of the best lines, such as “‘Sphere’ — planet. ‘Label’ — name.” “Following — still — you — not!” (this is why RDA is Awesome-to-the-max; the way he just spazzes with his hands above his head on this line… :D) and later “At.” “What?” “At.” “This?” “That.” “That is At?” “You can stop…that.” Genius. This is the kind of inane-but-ultimately-rewarding banter we’ve been missing lately. Loved it.
So, after realizing just how…friendly Weir can become (she joked!) SG1 heads off to Proclarush Taonas. The scene between Jack and Sam in the engine room had me tearing up AGAIN just because of how finale-esque it all seemed. And, of course, it was a truly great moment. They understood each other so well. It also set up a hilarious moment when they get to Taonas when Sam pulls orders (she also pulls a hilariously cute “guilty face” after giving the order). Once we get down into the dome, all hell breaks loose on the Ancienty stuff. I loved it. Everything felt so…sublime and cool, as if you may find out something revelatory any moment now, and we did. At once we are introduced to ZPMs, the Ancient chair, and Atlantis. Jack’s utterances of “Terra…Atlantus” and “Subo Glacios”, along with the revelation of where Atlantis is, all set to the Atlantis title theme sent chills down my spine. It was one of those epic moments SG1 is rife with in the later seasons, but this is probably the most epic one.
From there on, the wheels start turning as the big battle nears. Still, two emotional moments stand out that caused me to tear up again: Bra’tac dying in Teal’c’s arms (poooor Teal’c), Jack healing him, and him expressing his gratitude once more; the music backing that scene was just heavenly and really showed how…I don’t know…important, Jack is. And then there is the short but powerful scene of Teal’c essentially saying goodbye to O’Neill once more, only to have Jack touch his face, signaling once again that the brotherly bond between them is so strong that not even the knowledge of the Ancients can break it. Just…incredible scenes.
On the flip side, the scene that made me extremely happy is when Kinsey finally gets his comeuppance and is fired. I loved that, and I loved Weir’s continued determination to do the right thing. Speaking of which, Hayes was hilarious and truly badass during his “speech” to Anubis. He hasn’t much to lose, does he? So why not make fun of the enemy. It’s the O’Neill philosophy, after all.
And so the stage is set. From here on out it’s one amazing moment followed by another: with a bang the cargo ship drops out of hyperspace and plunges towards the Earth; fast paced music matches the similarily fast paced heart pounding as the ground approached; I simulated the actions of a pilot as I watched that scene, pretending to pull up, as if I can somehow control the ship; Teal’c pulls up and we cruise over an astonishingly-realistic Antarctic landscape; the music grows ever more epic as we reach the location of the outpost (and O’Neill only had to touch Teal’c shoulder for him to understand what to do); the Goa’uld attack fleet arrives, followed by the Earth fleet of 302s, backed up by a blaring fanfare that would cause an adrenaline rush in anyone with a beating heart; then, the dogfight to end all dogfights as the fleets collide in mid-air, and we switch to a panshot of the massive and chaotic battle occuring all around us, while the Prometheus closes in gracefully and commandingly; Hammond commanding her was just perfectly fitting; for a last hurrah, Hammond finally gets into the fray for real and in a massive way and protects his people with everything he can humanly muster – the sign of a true leader; seriously, this was the perfect moment; the entire SG1 nuclear family (the team + Hammond…and Walter!) is there, and together they suceeded in saving Earth; but anyway, we see SG1 beam down, with a wonderful shot of the team standing all cool-like on the ring platform before going down; after they get down there we have Jack “facing off” against Anubis, and I guess it even foreshadows how easily Jack’s weapon will take out Anubis (with a wave of his hand through him, Anubis will be no more); that was just another cool moment – with Anubis acting all menacing (I think I saw him shaking!), and Jack, taller than him, looks down at him with a certainly smugness before pushing him away; then, the climax, with Prometheus going on a suicide run; SG1 trapped by supersoldiers, and Jack doing the chair thing. And then it happens: the ground breaks; lights stream and in an instant the supersoldiers were gone. The stream of drones climb into the sky, taking out enemy ships while Bra’tac watches with glee and awe on his face; the drones climb upwards to Anubis, and as his end comes, Jack opens his eyes down below, his face resolute and purposeful, his mission complete, and the music gongs, signaling the end. Anubis roars, his ship explodes, and everything goes quiet.
Wow.
GREATEST. BATTLE. EVER.
And what wraps it up for good?
“What the hell was that?”
“That was SG-1!”
Poweful. That sent a series of chills down the ole’ spine. The perfect line to cap one of the most epic scenes in Stargate history.
From there, we have Hammond getting thanked for his efforts by President Hayes, which pretty much felt like the cast and crew of Bridge thanking Don Davis for all his hard work and dedication over the past 7 years as his regular-status comes to an end. Very satisfying.
Then finally, the last scene. Again, I teared up as Jack is hoisted into the stasis pod, and it activates after he mutters softly “Aveo…amacus.” To end it all, the team realizes that Atlantis is not here while backed by the Atlantis theme, and as Sam stares tearfully at a frozen Jack, who stares sadly back, we fade out on the Sam/Jack theme.
Just…wonderful. Clearly deserving of the #1 episode status. In fact, I don’t think any episode from here on out will be able to topple it…but we’ll see. Lost City was perfect. It had everything.
So that’s that. I’m going to take a small break from the Internet for a while before diving into a 5-episode streak of New Order, followed by Rising and Hide and Seek. Oh yes, I’m going to watch SG1 and SGA concurrently, and in a very strange order as well. It’ll be fun!
Oops…that smilie shouldn’t have been there.
Oh hey, and one more question:
3. Can you be a writer on the SGA staff without being a producer? If so, who produces the episodes?
A fantastic SGA day. Sci Fi’s mini-marathon of season four episodes, including The Last Man, season two’s Conversion, and finally SG-1’s Heroes Part Two kept me at home and nearer the tv than I’d planned. But I still made it to the store long enough to pick up the season 4 SGA dvds. While the dvds go to my dad to watch tomorrow, I took the time to watch some of the special features. Namely the deleted scenes, bloopers, and Carson Returns featurette. A pleasure to see yourself and Mr. Gero playing a prominant part in each, and a perfect way to cheer up after the serious tone of Heroes. I hope that both the deleted scenes and bloopers will continue to be a part of future dvd releases.
Three days until Shore Leave for those of us here on the East Coast, which is the only thing distracting me from going insane waiting for the season premiere. Looking foward to seeing other regulars of this blog at SL, not to mention nominating a certain executive producer/blogger as a guest speaker next year.
Back to the Etched City. In reference to the situation with Elm and the Horn Fan’s battle on the bridge. Elm explicitly stated that it was a trial by ordeal, a “quaint old tradition”. Apparantly it was a case of an old law on the books, one long ignored but that could not be disregarded. The Authorities probably saw it as a way of ensuring Horn Fan’s destruction, given the three to one odds they were granted. And I attributed the victory of the Horn Fan less to supernatural explanations than the simple fact that every man on that side knew that they were dead men anyways, and they fought accordingly. I suspect that the Customs officials simply weren’t prepared for the ferocity of the attack, and that they broke under it because they, unlike the Fan Horn, still had an expecation and desire to live another day.
Just a few questions for Ms. Bishop. When writing Etched City, was it a case of the book writing itself, where you simply started with your characters, or did you outline the novel, including some of the more fantastical aspects of the tale? Are you planning other stories or novels in the “Etched City” universe, examining other parts of the world you’ve potrayed so vividly? Was the epilogue planned from the start to wrap up the story of Gwynn and Raule, or did you decide to add it after finishing the main story? I thought it was admirable and gutsy to close out their stories that way. Though there is still room for sequels involving them, the epilogue seems to seriously restrict such opportunities. Finally, what conditions do you normally write in? Do you prefer music or other distractions in the background, do you set down to write at certain times each day, or do you write when the Muse strikes, so to speak? Thank you very much for your participation in Mr. Mallozzi’s blog, and thanks for a very enjoyable read that still managed to take me out of my normal comfort zone. And thanks once more to Mr. M. for making all of this possible.
StellaByStargate writes: “Based on what Martin Gero said in the intro to the scene, would it be safe to assume that it was your intention to go on the record, albeit in your usually deft and subtle manner, in confirming the relationship between Sam and Jack at that point…”
Answer: Yes.
WOOOOO HOOOO!! 😀
sally =D
Hi Joe:
I am looking forward to season 5 of Atlantis. Will we see any more neurotic Rodney, or has he gotten past that? I am specifically thinking of his concern about getting sun burned in “Runner” and considering forgoing reproducing due to his belief he was over exposed to different forms of radiation. Lorne’s comeback about Rodney not reproducing was wonderful, by the way. Why should Sheppard always get all the good lines at McKay’s expense? 🙂
I’m also thinking of relocating to the Vancouver area. What do you think of Langley?
Patricia (AG)
When the network and studio reads a script, they’re main concern is to ensure that everyone at home “gets it”,
So basically the studio thinks that the viewing audience has the intelligence of a sleep deprived rhesus monkey that’s been on a three week coke binge and goes cycling in wet weather without a helmet. I really wish they’d have a bit more confidence, let you guys tell the stories at the level that you want to, and I don’t know, release a Dummies Guide to Stargate Atlantis that has subtitles and people miming out anything that might be construed as difficult for the average brain damaged simian to understand.
For the dark turn for Sheppard that you mentioned to the other writers that had them fleeing the room and avoiding you in the hallways, how dark is it? On a scale from ‘Sheppard discovers a debilitating intolerance to lactose, stares sadly out of rainy window’, to ‘Sheppard kills homeless people for hobby in order to feel again’? Or does a lightbulb explode in his room – because I’ve got to say, that would be pretty dark.
In talking about the show’s numbers…or any show’s numbers really, does it still really come down to what the Nielsen company has to say? Aren’t they still judging viewership based on a few thousand or so people in certain markets, who watch the show as it airs? With DVRs and online viewing becoming increasingly popular, it just seems like there ought to be a more comprehensive system of counting ALL the viewers. Shows like Atlantis would probably benefit.
Hey Joe.
Would you say it is easier or harder to film on an all-green-screen set like Sanctuary, versus on a regular set?
Thanks Joe.
Dear Joe,
I read an interview somewhere with you and Robert Picardo, I just have a couple of questions on that. RP says that Kannan is Teyla’s husband. So are you going to bring him into more and maybe explain more in depth of their beginning relationship? Will he have some conflict with any of the characters at Atlantis or will they recieve him with open arm… eventually?
The main reason I’m asking, even though I ship Teyla with some one else, is that it would be nice to understand more about man that she chose to be the father of her child. Besides them sharing the “Gift” there’s got to be more to it. IMHO
Thank you.
Hey Joe,
A while ago I asked if at all possible, if you could post your lyrics to the theme song which you hinted at in an earlier post, I am very curious. Also OMG I can’t believe that the season starts on friday!!!!!!!! woohoo. I’m sure that it will be just as great as all the others.
Thanks as always,
-ZPB
I have decided that I could never go out to eat with you, but drinking is another matter, that oatmeal cookie sounds great. I’ve never heard of it before, next weekend when I go out, I will ask the bartender for one and see if he/she knows how to make it.
To the comment of “the first Lily”, I agree with her on the promotion thing, but we can’t think negative thoughts!
Hey Joe, glad to hear your back on the left coast again! Hope your trip home was all you expected!
So was up bright and early to pick up my copy of the season 4 DVD’s, accidentally scaring the staff of my favorite Video store in the process(apparently showing up an hour and a half before they opened may of been a bit much.) Been really enjoying what I’ve seen so far good job to y’all.
On another note, my daughter Mackenzie and I will be in Seattle tomorrow as she has an MRI on her brain, to check and make sure there are no underlying issues causing her speech delay. Unfortunately I won’t be allowed in the room with her while they put her through the test.
My QOTD- When’s Lulu’s birthday? (I feel like its coming up soon, but just can’t remember and am too freaked out at the moment to go digging back through the archives).
I just got SEASON FOUR of SGA!!!!! I LOVE ALL THE EXTRAS!!! The Deleted scenes were so great. I loved seeing Carson’s “Wee little turtles”, and seeing the scene that I have heard so much about regarding Sam and Jack in Trio. The Photo Galleries are awesome; you can see the details of the sets so much better in the stills then you can in the show. And the Stargate Atlantis Bloopers, I know you and Martin do not get it, but we LOVED THEM! PLEASE let this be only the beginning of the bloopers. I am really looking forward to seeing the rest, (I think it will be a late night.) Since I live in Canada, I don’t have the option of seeing it on TV, so this set has been long awaited.
First, me mum thanks you, kind sir! I called her and read her your comment, and it gave her a giggle, and then she said, “Awwww, that was really sweet.” Now, to get her to watch SGA… 😉
“…but the task of growing our audience rests with the studio and network. Promote the show and people will tune in to see what the fuss is about. It’s as simple as that.
Can somebody kick them in the arse? A couple months back the guys on another forum were complaining about how the network pushes their horror flicks, at the expense of their sci fi programming. They were mostly referring to the lack of promotion for BSG and Dr. Who (since they had just started airing their new shows), but I feel SGA has suffered from the same lack of attention, too.
However, you will be happy to know that my sister is now officially hooked – and it’s not just about Ronon anymore! She recorded today’s mini-marathon, and when I ‘warned’ her that Ronon wasn’t in a couple episodes, she said that was okay, she still wanted to see them. Yup. She’s sold. I’m thinking she has a soft spot for Sheppard, too. Oh, and she swears Rodney is Bob Hope. *wonders how often David hears that*
Unfortunately, she does not share my tastes in the toothy albino-types. Yet. 😀
RE: Italy. Have you ever gone over for a visit or stay? My niece is half Italian (her grandmom’s from northern Italy, granddad’s from Sicily), and she just loves the country, and goes over whenever she can. I was in Italy once, back when I was 17 – just a 10-hour bus ride from Nice, France, over the border and up through Turin, then through Mont Blanc tunnel and back into France. I remember two things about Italy…castles on every hill, and really weird toilets that were like sinks in the floor that you had to squat over to use.
Yeah, I didn’t pee the entire time. 😛
“Hey, ever have an oatmeal cookie? One shot Jaeger, one shot butterscotch schnapps, one shot Goldenschlager, and one shot Bailey’s. Taaaasty!”
I will now!!! Sounds yummy! However, I’m really more of a ‘fine wine’ kinda gal…well, ‘fine’ up to $25 a bottle. 😆 Hubby tends to lean more towards the sweet drinks. Once, a bartender absolutely refused to serve him a fuzzy navel, and made him order a more ‘manly’ drink instead. He ordered a beer, and pouted for the rest of the evening.
Speaking of the rest of the evening…I grabbed the S4 box set today, so I’m off now to catch up on a couple of episodes I didn’t pay much attention to first time around (ya know, before I got hooked). I don’t think I’ve seen Adrift, Tabula Rasa or Doppelganger, yet…so some catching up to do.
Thanks again, Joe! Looking forward to the premiere!
das
Sooooo now I feel kind of like an idiot for skimming the early comments(before the mailbag but after the entry), um yeah!
So thank you for the blog entry dedication! :blush:
I liked KJ Bishop’s “The Etched City.” Or perhaps it would be more honest to say, it at various times fascinated me and frustrated me, but ultimately I enjoyed the challenge it presented and the story offered.
I can see why “literate fantasy” comes to mind. Like a lot of literary genre work, this book felt far more character driven than most fantasy/sf and for at least the first half of the book I became convinced that it would be purely character exploration. That was okay for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the vivid writing. Plus the characters are complex and unpredictable and that is always a delight to discover.
For me, this read more like post-apocalyptic Earth fiction than fantasy. I am curious how KJ Bishop categorizes her story.
I just watched the season 4 bloopers. They were really great! Glad they made it onto the the DVD!
About this whole Sam/Jack thing…Possibly one of the most annoying things a show can do is to heavily hint at a particular pairing for a while (sometimes for the whole run of the show), then not pay it off by the end. The biggest example of this that I can think of offhand is Voyager. Now, I’m not generally the type of viewer who will try to ship characters when there’s not at least some reasonable level of attraction between them (which I suppose is a matter of opinion, but I’m pretty dense, so it usually has to be pretty obvious), but it seemed to me that the ships they were teasing us with were Chakotay/Janeway and Doc/Seven, then in the last few episodes of the series they pulled some Chakotay/Seven crap on us and I felt incredibly cheated. Thankfully, that has not yet happened with Sam/Jack. Sure, one or the other of them has dated or been interested in someone else for a time, but that other person usually leaves/dies/becomes unavailable. And there are enough hints continuing along (though not nearly as obvious as back in the days when Jack admitted he cared about her a lot more than he should) that those of us who continue to believe in Sam/Jack can see it going on in the background, if not overtly acknowledged, and can hope that one day before it’s all said and done, they’ll finally, FINALLY, get together.
But I do wonder…It’s been a while since I went back and watched the first season of SG-1, but it seems like one of the biggest Sam/Jack shipper hints came in “There But For the Grace of God”, when we found out that in that alternate timeline, Sam and Jack were married. Then not too long after, we found out that in another, slightly different, timeline, they were also married. Of course, years later, we discovered other alternate timelines where Sam was with/married to all sorts of other people, so in retrospect, the AU Sam/Jack we saw in the first season shouldn’t really have been something to base an opinion of the “real” Sam and Jack off of. Which brings me to my wondering…if the AU Sam in TBFTGOG had been married to someone else, like Daniel or Major Davis or even Kowalski, would the fans have been so eager to jump on the Sam/Jack ship or would they have gotten behind whatever that other ship was and found Sam/Jack as an intrusion when more hints came up later?
Hi Joe,
I haven’t posted much cause life has been really hectic! Been looking for a place to live that allows pets is really hard. Especially when renting. Been working so much getting up at 5am. The sun has even risen at this time yet!
My mum found out that her dog Bess has cancer. So she is really upset. Mum .lives by herself & Bess is her whole world. The vet said she has to have surgery to remove it but there is no guarantee that she will survive it. plus its really expensive. Bess is oblivious to being sick she just plays with her stuffed toys. Wrestles with my dog Molly. They are really great mates. Hopefully there is an alternative to the surgery like a pill or something. Mum is taking Bess to another vet to find out.
Great pic’s as always! Like the one of you eating your surviette/napkin.
Those food pic’s look so yummy, its making my mouth water!
Glad to see you headed home safely & that you had a lovely time with your relo’s.
Take care & happiness always!
Cathie
Never had the “oatmeal cookie” but have had “gingerbread” (one part jager to 3 parts freshly pressed apple cider).
Must be a bad day for parents. My dad (who’s 73 years old) injured his arm at work this morning & will probably have to have surgery on his torn rotor later this week. I keep telling him to cut it back to working only 3 days a week instead of 5 but he’s a workaholic and won’t listen… *sigh* At least he’ll have the Season 4 box of SGA to watch whilst he recuperates — he’s a fan, too!!
Why arent you like, a taste tester or something? 🙂
So it’s most likely been asked before, but what kind of tv shows do you like to watch?
Hey Joe!
Thanks for dedicating the blog to Kassandra! You are the best. My mom says you are the sweetest man she has never met. She reads your blog from time to time.
Speaking of *oatmeal cookies* and *gingerbread*, my friend just got back from a trip to Yosemite. She told me about the best sounding drink ever: A Hot Apple Pie. It is made with cider, apple brandy, cinnamon, and whipped cream and all yummy. So she says. I haven’t been able to get one yet.
HORRAY FOR THE RETURN OF MAILBAG! 😀
My question of the day is: Acutally it’s from my husband, Jeremy. He asked me what you thought about the *transition fix* he made for you. *sigh* I think he’s quite proud of himself and just wants to know what your reaction is. I suggest a snarky answer. Or you can ignore him. That’s what I usually do. 😉
And now I’m off to finish packing for Shore Leave!
Trish 🙂
I’m going to Shoreleave30 this weekend and will be seeing David Hewlett, Kate Hewlett, and Jewel Staite for short but sweet stints. Probably a glance up from the autograph table or a smiling nod.
Anything I should take to prepare me for the brisk meeting? Protective gear? Combat supplies? A helmet? Ear plugs? Just to be on the safe side. Jewel’s the rowdy one, right?
Ok – so the little girl in me that always wanted to be an astronaut is all sentimental after reading the article about NASA setting the date of May 31, 2010 for the space shuttle fleet’s (Atlantis, Endeavor & Discovery) final missions into space.
Read the story here: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/08/1187609.aspx
But at least the future seems interesting with funding the development of its next-generation Ares rockets and Orion crew vehicle.
Enjoy the read.
questions for K J Bishop:
What/why were the ghosts in Raules dreams?
I did enjoy the story, I thought at first it was going to be like a romance/western, boy was I wrong, and thank you.
Was the story/characters from an experience or a dream? A lot of dream reference in the story is why I ask. How do you try to think of ideas for a story? Is a lot of research involved once you get an idea? Was it difficult to find a publisher?
Thanks for taking the time to respond here and answering questions, and thanks to Mr M for inviting you.
The food looks good as always, M M. As for everyone playing nice–that obviously didn’t happen here! Heh heh! Wait a minute…this is your web log…hey?
I’ve sent you an e-mail. I’m sure it’s probably spammed, but now you know I’ve sent you one. 🙂
Cheers man, and hope everything works out with the show the way you hoped it would.
Over and out the Big Cake!
WK
joe, i just watched the ‘trio’ cut scene! in between the great writing, the acting carried it over! *hugs amanda and jewel*
so thank you!! 😀
*squees and faints*
sally 😀
As much as I am looking forward to Season Five,
I am NOT looking forward to the Pegasus version of
Charlie’s Angels. If it turns into what I think it sounds like
from some of the sneaks previews of content for the episodes, I am out of there…….
I despised Charlie’s Angels and would hate to see SGA
go down that trail.
The writers need to spend more time developing Ronon
and something more about Sheppard in is earlier life
in Afghanistan etc., instead of bringing on an all female
team.
I am a former Navy officer and the thought of serving in
an all female unit is as revolting now as it was when I
served. Women do not want to be relegated to an all
female anything. It is demeaning and patronizing at
best.
I just saw Conversion. I think it was one of the best
episodes. It also proves what a fine actor Flanigan
is in serious work. I would love to see him
take on more serious roles like it. Enough of the
recent lolli sucking. He deserves better.
They had a good thing, let it alone!!!!!!!
drldeboer wrote:
The only meaning I know of is that things are a real mess. Ie: the code I am working on right now looks like a dog’s breakfast.
Dovil wrote:
I’ve been pushing for this as a handout for those you are trying to convert.
“Here, just sit down, have a quick look over the main chapters. Might I suggest the chapter on ‘Characters to not get too attached to’. Now, can I get you anything before we start?”
Did that just sound very Misery-ish?
Ha! A guy who knows about my Wraith obsession, and who saw Hellboy II, just posted this on another forum:
“Oh DAS! I was thinking about you during this film… Girl… you are gonna be SOOOO HAPPY!”
So, if S&R doesn’t deliver Wraith-wise, at least I can still get a ‘visual fix’ this weekend…ya know…the flowing white hair, the pale skin, the curious lack of eyebrows… *sigh*
(Does it count as ‘objectifying the Wraith’ if I’m actually objectifying some evil elf dude that just happens to look like a Wraith…??)
With SGA on Friday night, Hellboy on Saturday night…and Sunday night to recuperate…it promises to be a great weekend!!
das
Picked up the Season 4 DVD’s today, of course I had to watch the bloopers first. I loved them. I wish there were more, and I hope this starts a trend to include them every season. I feel bad that poor David H. seemed to bear the brunt of the bloopers, maybe next year they will pick on someone else. I am going to try to rewatch the whole season before Friday, or at the very least the last couple of episodes.
>>>Answer: They did! The second I walked through the door, they were bounding around me like I bacon in my pockets.
Alright, come clean… Did you have bacon in your pockets?
Thoughts on The Etched City: I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the book where they were escaping, it was a rollicking adventure. Unfortunately it went downhill from there. Once they were in the city it was hard going, and not very interesting. The final straw as far as I was concerned was when the religion/religious discussion got to be the main focus of the story…. Sorry, but I stopped reading then – it became tedious, and boring; and, I felt, a betrayal of a story that had started out so well.
Joe – I recently read an interview with one of SGA writer/producers – don’t remember which one – that talked about the McKay/Keller/Ronon love triangle story line in Tracker. The interview must have been conducted earlier in the year, because it said the writers hadn’t yet decided where this storyline was going to lead (i.e. who ends up with who, if anyone).
Now that you’re half way through your production schedule for the year – has this outcome been decided? If so, will viewers find out this season?
I thought about this after watching the commentary for the Last Man on the Season 4 SGA DVD today. Mullie and Wood spend some time talking about the McKay/Keller relationship in the ep.
By the way, I’m loving the special features that I’ve watched so far – especially the one on Carson returning, the deleted scenes and the bloopers.
That smoked meat sandwich looks awesome! I had one of those (I don’t think it was Pete’s) when I visited Montreal some years ago.
Since the issue of viewership has been opened, I do have a silly question: how do the studios ‘meter’ how many viewers they get for the show? I mean… you could have millions tune in and how would anyone know? It must be a mysterious process involving Rodney-like calculations and statistics… and quantum physics, or something. Always wondered.
And by the way, if you feel so inclined, I posted my attempt at a Wraith picture (fighting Wraith) on my webblog. Here’s the link
http://traveler64.wordpress.com/
Just a click away… 🙂
JennyL UK writes: “I’m coming to Vancouver on holiday with some friends on Saturday and I was wondering if you could recommend any good restaurants for us?”
Answer: Sure. Fuel, Vij’s, Tojos, Yujis, Don Francesco, Bristrot Bistro, the Seoul House, Sun Sui Wah, The Memphis Barbecue House, Fortune Garden, Rekados, Tai Son, Prima Taste. Start with those and get back to me.
A bunch of us went to Vij’s tonight for dinner and it was the most fantastic Indian cuisine I’ve ever had! We ordered almost everything on the menu and shared it was great!
Our favourite dish was the lamb “popsicles”. I forgot what was in that curry sauce (we had so many) but it was awesome.
The wait was really long (1.75 hours) but we spent an hour of that at a nearby bar and they serve appetizers for the people waiting for seats! So you wouldn’t really be hungry and the wait was definitely worth it.
Coucou Joseph!!
J’été encore la tête dans mes ^rêve et votre photo ma bien réveiller! Ma journée commence bien. Un jolie photo de joseph tout souriant que me demander de plus pour être heureuse=)!!
Sacher que l’on ma supprimer mon compte youtube, mes 23 video et mes 150 favorie! Mais je suis contente, je vais pouvoir mêttre tout mes création sur youtube, et mes video pas trés légale dans un autre coin du web avec des liens déstiner qu’a mes amis.
Alalala qu’elle délinquante cette fille!….
Yé!! Vous avez répondu a pleins de questions!!
Voici la mienne…
1)John Sheppard, a sauver le monde et a risquer sa vie de cela?
Donc voila^^! Bisou/ Je vous adore!♥
Shawna said:
I’m not sure about Major Davis, however you may be right with Daniel. If they were shown in AU as being married all of the time that may have been the predominant ship.
What I’ve always wondered is, considering the alternate universes that have Sam and Jack married have “gone to hell in a handbasket” with the Goa’uld winning the war etc, is the very fact that Jack and Sam aren’t together in this universe the thing that saves our universe. Hmmm……
Cheers, Chev
drldeboer said:
A dog’s breakfast, as Narelle mentioned, is used to describe something in which you’ve made a complete mess. I hadn’t heard of a dog’s dinner so I looked it up.
A dog’s dinner apparently means:
“Dressed or displayed in an ostentatiously smart manner.”
The Phrase Finder
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dogs-dinner.html
Apparently it was first cited in a play in 1934.
The origin of a dog’s breakfast according to The Phrase Finder is:
“This is a 20th century phrase. Eric Partridge, in the 1937 edition of his ‘Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English’ lists it as “a mess: low Glasgow”.”
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/114550.html
The Phrase Finder
So while we might use these phrases their origin is not in Australia.
It’s OK, I’ll stop being a Librarian now 😀
Cheers, Chev
Hi Joe, haven’t been able to read your blog for the past one and a half weeks and no time to play catch up just a VERY quick skim through. I think i saw cake a page or so back, now THAT, i will go back to.
The reason i have been away is we’ve brought home a furry little beastie, i’ll try and link a pic…
he’s an absolute terror, into everything my little Thomas. We adopted him from the RSPCA shelter. I had such a hard time choosing, i’ve never had to choose a pet before all the others came to us.
The shelter was so depressing, we went down to look at the dogs as well and there were two big, beautiful Alaskan Malamutes in the last chance cages. Others just sat there looking sad or they’d come up to the front of the cage and only slightly wag their tail. I’m working on bringing home a dog now but i’m not sure how that will go with the kitten.
Were your little furkids from a pound Joe? or did you go to a breeder? I’ll always go to a shelter now even though it’s depressing, i don’t like the idea of them being killed. I’ll be back there in 2 weeks, Thomas needs his booster needle.
I saw mention of getting Chris H. in to guest blog, yes please!! or you could just let it slip if there’s a place online where we can hound him instead of you. We won’t say who sent us we swear!
Someone has just woken up and is digging in the claws so gotta go
bye Joe!
End credits of Continuum – Sam and Cam being Lt. Col – just a typo? For the record, I haven’t seen nor downloaded the movie, waiting my copy from Amazon. I know about it thanks to those who have seen Continuum.
Hello Joe,
I wanted to ask a question about the newly developed Hybrids in Atlantis. Will we get to see more development of their society as something different from the Wraith? Also, if a Wraith warrior and Hybrid fought, who would you say is superior? I mean are Hybrids any better then a Wraith? Beyond the lack of the need to feed of course.
Anyway, take care Joe!
@kiltedassassin: ROFL!!! 😆 Now I can’t get the image of Joe having bacon in his pockets! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
I am glad you made it safely back home. Was the flight home less traumatic?
I am off on my vacation tomorrow. I am flying off to Baltimore. I am going to see David and Kate Hewlett at SHORELEAVE!!!
On Friday night they are having a screening of A Dog’s Breakfast at 10 p.m. and then at Midnight we all get to watch the S5 premiere. All on a big screen with 100’s of other fans. This is going to be such fun!!! : )
Well I should get to work. It is almost 9 am. I am finding it so hard to concentrate on my work today.
*Yawn…streeeeetch!*
Gonna be a big day, mostly away from the net…figured I’d get a few things out of the way first…
Narelle from Aus wrote: “…Might I suggest the chapter on ‘Characters to not get too attached to’.”
Oh, I SO should have read that chapter before ever watching SGA. 😛 I’m gonna have a really tough time if they don’t let at least one of Tyler Wraith’s characters survive the season…he has a great, kinda sad, or melancholy, Wraithy look…like a puppy. A big green puppy. I feel sorry for him already… *sniffle*
At least James’ wine-swizzlin’ catfish fella from Condemned got away safe. *sigh* I dream of him roaming the Pegasus galaxy, dining at all the finest restaurants…feeding on bad chefs and corrupt politicians everywhere. What’s so ‘evil’ about that?? Seems to me like he’s doing a public service.
Right??
@ JM and everyone – Have a wonderful day!
das
“Quite the opposite actually. Having no limits means no rules and THAT puts the difficulty level at easy (a.k.a. lazy).”
Well, needless to say I disagree – there are always rules and limits, they can just be harder to see sometimes.
If you have a transporter which can beam the heroes to safety – is easier to write a “good” story with it working or would it be easier if one was to contrive a malfunction?
“Blakes 7” managed good stories with a band of heroes on the fastest ship in the universe, which had beaming technology (unlike others), could regenerate damage, superior weapons, plus the crew managed to find a device which could tap into any computer in the known universe.
Btw, regarding the captions – there is a tech nerdy explanation for that, but long story short; they are the casualties of browser wars, the people who make firefox and opera have refused to do something which internet explorer does – so only Internet Explorer would show them unless WordPress did some tweaking to their code. It appears they have now.
drldeboer wrote: So, a question for the Aussies: what do the phrases “a dog’s breakfast” and “a dog’s dinner” mean Down Under? Narelle: The only meaning I know of is that things are a real mess. Ie: the code I am working on right now looks like a dog’s breakfast.
OK so the meaning isn’t any different than DH meant. Thanks!
but the task of growing our audience rests with the studio and network. Promote the show and people will tune in to see what the fuss is about.
I give em an “F” so far for media promotion. Thank the gods for the Fans.
Cookies, eh? The FU: 1 oz tequila, 1 oz Jack Daniel’s, 1 oz Wild Turkey, 1 oz Goldschlager, 1 oz rum, 1 oz blueberry schnapps.
DD
Hi Joe,
Thanks, yet again, for answering my question. 🙂 I hope you know that your place on the Shippers’ Favorite PTB list has now been secured for all time. 😉
And hey…you know…if the planets ever properly align and the day comes when TPTB all agree on lunch, would you mind making that pitch for on-screen confirmation one more time? You never know…. 😉
Wow Joe… you do love M:brgr… you’re even eating the napkins!
Dag…..
You’ve sprung a leak – I just finished watching Continuum online (in very high quality, too). And might I just say that it is the BEST STARGATE PRODUCTION EVER!!!! (I’m definitely going to buy the DVD when it comes out.)
Um…hi! I’m a fairly new convert to the SG series and I’ve never posted here before but I enjoy reading your blog very much. I’ve also started reading the BOTM selections and have to say that so far, I’ve found them to be throughly engaging and thought provoking. Thanks for that; I hope to even join the discussions one of these days when I’m a bit quicker at finishing the readings 😉
I was reading over the ‘mailbag’ comments today and I had a question if you don’t mind. You responded to a question from AutumnDream that asked about the tone of scripts you (the writers) write and how “heavy” the storyline can be written. I found it interesting that you said the network and studio, when reading a script, require that the audience “gets it”.
I was wondering how you felt about that juxtaposed to the success of shows such as “Lost” where the audience inherently *doesn’t* get it, especially on an episode to episode basis? Though I do realize the nature of such shows is not the same as SGA….
thanks,
jm
Bonjour!
Quel(s) épisode(s) de la saison 5, faut-il absolument regarder, si on aime bien la relation John/Teyla?
Chev said –
>>What I’ve always wondered is, considering the alternate universes that have Sam and Jack married have “gone to hell in a handbasket” with the Goa’uld winning the war etc, is the very fact that Jack and Sam aren’t together in this universe the thing that saves our universe. Hmmm……<<<
I would tend to agree, which is why their feelings for each other are more poingnant. Personally, I think it’s keyed to Sam being military, and as long as they’re in the same chain of command, she can do her thing militarily and help save the planet with all the stuff she does. It’s a lot more problematic if she’s a civilian, because I doubt that they could be on the same team saving the world even if she were a civilian.
Of course, now that Jack is in Washington, well, and perhaps thinking of retiring, THIS shipper’s heart believes that they are together.
Mary
Okay Joe… there’s a question I’ve been working on asking you and doing my best to not have it come out sounding condemning or even whiney, because it’s not how I mean it to sound.
I love SGA, have from the pilot, there’s no doubt about that. My quandary is… sometimes I just love it the way it is… and other times I feel like it hasn’t grown into itself yet.
I guess what I mean is… if we’re lucky enough to get two or three more seasons out of this fantastic show… it still has sooo much potential and I feel as though we’ve barely seen the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.
I really am jazzed about Season 5 and from the tidbits I’ve been hearing about this episode or that one… it sounds like you guys are putting that push on. Reaching for that potential. I personally can easily see another 3 seasons of storyline being set up or has been set up and could be followed through…
I must agree to disagree as well with MGM’s requirement that “everyone at home gets it”. Not everyone “at home” is gonna get it, but the true fans of SGA and SG-1, heck, fans of sci-fi in general WILL “get it”. Cater to us, I say. We deserve to not have the potential of our favorite show “dumbed down” for those who simply don’t want to get it.
I say, pull up the stakes and go for broke. SGA deserves that. The fans deserve that. YOU deserve to be able to do that, as a writer and a producer.
– JS
…as long as he hasn’t corrupted them himself. 😉
Dovil wrote: >>>>>So basically the studio thinks that the viewing audience has the intelligence of a sleep deprived rhesus monkey that’s been on a three week coke binge and goes cycling in wet weather without a helmet.<<<<
Well, someone knows me.
My poor dad, who is 85, just had a large chunk of skin cancer taken from his nose, enough that they had to build him a new nostril from his ear and cover it with a skin graft from his cheek. He looks like he’s been dueling in Heidelberg. Sigh. Wear sunblock, people. I’m going to indulge my paranoid tendencies and crawl off to stare at my skin in a mirror.
Okay, that picture of the Smoked Meat Pete sammich is mesmerizing. The rest of the pics are very interesting although alien looking (is Joe part Kardassian?) but that big sandwich and fries had me drooling on my keyboard. Seriously, how hard do you have to work out to eat like this? Personal trainer hard? Boot camp hard? I’m totally envious of Joe’s ability to eat like this and still keep his figure.
Okay– I can’t find anything on this, so pardon if this is a silly question–was Rachel L. (Teyla) pregnant in real life? and has she had the baby? If not, that was a pretty realistic baby bump!
also–you answered AutumnDream’s question about “heavy” subject themes by commenting that the network’s main concern is to ensure everyone at home “gets it”–
and I understand that concern when it comes to attracting new viewers, but it is a little frustrating for dedicated fans because the networks tend to underestimate the intelligence of the majority of viewers (I’m not the first to say that!) and we like to feel that deeper level of connection that comes with the use of subtlety, double entendre, and reference to past events that a new viewer just WON’T get. So I hope there’s a chance that as a gifted and talented writer, you can still work some of that in and walk that fine line of keeping us hooked while satisfying the network powers-that-be. Thanks.
Update…
Mom’s feeling better. I just told her about the ‘oatmeal cookie’ and her eyes lit up, and she said, “that sounds like a ‘buttery nipple’! Those are great!” 😕
Yeah. There are some things you should never hear coming outta yer mum’s mouth…and that’s one of ’em.
Also…I lied. Instead of watching those early episodes from S4 I hadn’t seen, I’ve watched The Seer 3…no, 4 times. Yeah. I have a crush… 😳
das
@Judy: Yup, real pregnancy and yes, Rachel L. has had her healthy baby. I can’t remember if she had a boy or girl. A boy I think? But yes, she was preggers for real. 🙂
@maggiemayday: I’m so sorry to hear that about your dad. 🙁 My parents have skin cancer removed all the time. It stems from living in so cal for a decade and driving a Wrangler with the top down and no sun screen coupled with then moving to Tampa and driving a Wrangler and now a t-bird with the top down and no sun screen.
I’m a lily-white Irish girl. You better believe SPF 30 and I are best buds! Plus, BOTH parents have had the nose surgery (nothing NEARLY as bad as your poor dad! Oh my!) as well as their forearms.
Listen to Maggie, SUNSCREEN is WAY better than cancer!
*end preaching*
Trish 😀
*waves*
I read the interview and you know… 😉 it was very squee worthy. 😛 Thanks for keeping us up to date, I just hope, you know that Remnants will be everything we hope it is, because you know what the whumpers are like. 😉 You know especially how much we adore the character development. 😉 So any news on what the network said about some of the scenes? Or is that you know a few weeks off before you get the notes back?
Sorry. I couldn’t, you know…. resist. 😉 *giggles* Will you, ya know ever live that down? 😉 Between you and RP I think you may have hit the 100 mark. That’s gotta be a record. 😀
@ Caitlyanna – I really enjoyed John Saul’s books to, and Dean Koontz. Still can’t get into Stephen King, no matter how much I try. 🙁 I wish I had more time to read though, it’s been so long since i’ve picked up a book. 🙁
*waves at Trish* Thanks hon, it’s good to be back 😀
*hugs*
Whew! A break in the day!
This is really a serious question…it popped into my head the other day…
Joe, with all you have eaten, have you ever tried witchetty grubs?
(For some reason, I imagined you gleefully sitting down to a plateful of Klingon Gagh…ergo, the witchetty question)
das
Chev said:
It’s like when Superman tries to be a normal citizen. The world turns to chaos.
In SG’s case, the Universe falls to pieces. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a relationship!
I love Jack and Sam as they are. I’ve always enjoyed the sideways glances, the AU situations. It gives you that happy feeling without the show having to turn into how they manage as a couple while aliens are hunting them down.
With the amount of botox some actresses have injected into their faces and the scary looks created by the procedure, I can easily watch The Bold and The Beautiful for that kind of storyline.
Ahhh dans 12heure je vais avoir les résultats de mon éxamen!!
Jespert vraiment l’avoir. Je sens que je ne vais pas fermer l’oeil de la nuit….je suis en plein tress..!
Ps: 800 commentaire aujourd’hui sur mon blog…plus que 2500 commentaire et je suis a !!100000!!
Just have to say that I LOVED the BLoopers…tore into my copy as soon as I got home from a DCI competition…I want more…I would gladly pay 30 even 40 for a whole disc of 14 season of Stargate!
And also in rewatching the first ep of season 4 I actually caught that Carter still had her SG1 patch on. NOw only three weeks til Continuum! YEAH
Hey Joe,
Unfortunately I failed to finish The Etched City to make any intelligent comments. Apparently developing new anti-cancer therapies rates higher on the priority list than my BOTM club, or so my boss tells me. I think he’s full of crap, but that’s just me. However I do still have a question for Ms. Bishop.
Dear Ms. Bishop –
How did you come up with the character, Beth? Was she based on a real life person or was she an extension of yourself? It seems as though you have a casual ease with the character that, in my experience, tends to come from an intimate clarity about that person.
Also do you relate more to Raule or Gwynn or are they two sides of your own personality?
Thanks so much for your time, we appreciate it greatly.
Hello Joe, I’ve been reading for a while but never commented. I’d like to get an answer for a debate over some newly released info on Broken Ties. When Ronon was introduced to Stargate Atlantis, he remarked that he couldn’t be fed upon. The new info (a teaser for the episode) says that Ronon is fed upon and given life over and over as torture. How can this be possible?
Answer: To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what happened. For some reason, the captions just started appearing under the pictures.
Here I was, thinking I’d just finally found a computer it worked on. LOL
The pictures look delish!
Have you heard anymore about an actor’s strike? I have so little time online lately, I haven’t heard anything. I’m crossing my fingers tensions have eased.
BigJ said:
As far as I know, that was never stated in the show. It’s fanon, not canon. In fact I’m pretty sure I remember Mallozzi said last year that Ronon could be fed upon.
In watching the season 4 episodes on the DVD set while listening to the commentaries, I have a couple of questions/comments for you.
1) Do the people who do the commentaries get paid to do them?
2) If the answer for 1) is yes, then please bring back the actors to the commentaries if at all possible, because some of the interaction between the writers and directors are way too technical and boring.
3) Also if the answer for 1) is yes, can the people doing the commentary at least watch the episode ahead of time?
This is so that the commentary is at least listenable without some people mentioning again and again, “this is weird watching it a year after it was shot” or taking 2 minutes to remember something that happened 5 minutes ago because they haven’t seen it in over 6 months!!! If they are getting paid then I think some preparation should be required.
Very disappointing commentaries on some of the episodes because of the reasons I give in questions 2) and 3). The reason I listen to the commentary is to find out more about the story in the episode and not about camera angles and comments about how much this set cost or that effect cost.
In the past, commentaries with the actors usually brought the focus on the characters and the story instead of the technical aspects of the episode. If the people doing the commentary are not getting paid, then I understand why some prep work for the commentary session isn’t done and I guess I should be happy for the few good commentaries we get. I have only listened to less than half of them so far, but it was the same on the season 3 DVD commentaries.
I will say that I thought that your commentary for This Mortal Coil was much more interesting because you talked more about the story and why things happened and why you wrote a scene the way you did. That was far more entertaining than the others I have listened to so far which may have had one or two moments explaining the thought process of a scene. I don’t know if it is because you do this blog and hear more of the fans questions than the other writers do, but it seems like in your commentaries, you are trying to add something to the scene, where others are not. In a perfect world, the commentaries would answer a lot of the questions that crop up a lot in a Sci-Fi show especially when the writer(s) are doing fancy footwork around established canon from earlier seasons that are now convienently forgotten because it doesn’t work in this episode.
Hey Joe,
Do you have wine preference to go with all of this food?
Joe,
Thanks for answering my question about Whispers. I have to confess that Broken Ties is one that I’m really looking forward to seeing. You really have a handle on Ronon’s character — Reunion is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series — and I’m eager to see what you’ve come up with. Also, I hope and pray that what I’ve heard about Remnants is true, because wow, it sounds like a dream come true for Sheppard fans.
Best,
Rose
Hi Joe!
In a recently published interview with yourself and Mr. Bob Picardo, Bob was quoted as stating in reference to Kanan: “…Teyla’s husband–the father of her child…” Can you let us know if this is a major spoiler or just a slip of the tongue error? Thanks! 🙂
On various places on the web, a few people have claimed to be involved in Stargate behind the scenes in some form or another, and have mentioned a number of times that the fans shouldn’t be looking at Continuum’s success (which it will have I am sure!) to bring about a third, or even more movies…but in fact, an eleventh season.
Is there any truth to this? I for one would love to see the series come back for an eleventh (even ‘shorter’ season)….or even for it to be a season for you guys to really close up the series, and possibly even lead into the Universe series.
Oh, and regarding if there’s going to be another movie, I hope you guys delve into alternate realities some more, that way you can give all the different shippers a little taste of their fav ships. You could make most fans happy, then 😉 But eh, I guess it’s just a shippy dream! Never mind me 🙂 Just thinking aloud lol
I enjoyed The Etched City very much. Beautiful writing, a bit confusing, but worth the read. Not much more to add to what everyone else said there.
My questions for K.J. Bishop would be, what inspired the desert descriptions — have you spent time in deserts?
Second, what do you have in the works now?
Hey Joe,
There’s a photo of you and Amanda BTS on MGM’s Atlantis site. Cool photo, you look like Kevin Spacey 😀
Do you remember what you were saying to crack her up so much?
Cheers, Chev
I don’t have time to get my review of “The Etched City” together at the moment, but I’ve enjoyed reading the comments of some JM and some of the other BOTM readers. I have a few questions for the author:
1. What is the significance of the red thread/Beth’s red hair? It seems to attain the significance of a religious relic to Gwynn.
2. Is Beth human?
3. The book gave me the feeling of wandering through an art gallery — from the clean, stark desert paintings of Georgia O’Keefe (Copper Country) into Salvador Dali then on to Aubrey Beardsley, Hieronymus Bosch and M.C. Escher with touches of Paul Gauguin. What was your inspiration for the book?
JM, thanks for recommending a book I would not have normally selected to read. When reviewers compare a book to the works of Jorge Luis Borges, I generally scratch it from my reading list. “The Etched City” was a challenge and sent me to the dictionary several times. I pride myself on my command of the language but “numinescent” and “theurge” are not in my active vocabulary; however, they were “mots justes” (exactly the right word) for the story. There were times when there was so much misery and squallor in the book that I was tempted to put it aside; but the last few pages redeemed it (though I’m not entirely sure how). The book left me bemused and not entirely satisfied, but relatively content.
I’ll try to get my full review together before the week is out. I’m looking forward to the visit from K. J. Bishop.
Sparrow_Hawk
@ noir – Condemned Wraith corrupted no one, he only manipulated established corruption to his own advantage. 😉
@ BigJ & the first Lily – At first I was under the impression that the Wraith could not feed on Ronon, but I soon changed my mind. Ronon only says that the Wraith stopped – no real explanation why – but if you look at the feeding scene…at both Ronon’s defiance and the Wraith’s ‘surprise’, you get the idea that the sucky fella is a bit astonished by how powerful Ronon ‘tastes’ – that he is different from most humans. It could also be that he’s linked telepathically with his commander/queen, and when he starts to feed, his superior is well aware of the exquisite meal he’s partaking in, and orders him to stop because he/she wants to use Ronon for sport.
I now imagine that’s how it all happened. Ronon tasted stronger than most humans, and was thus chosen to be used for sport, and not just a quick meal.
das
Thanks for answering the Sam/Jack question Joe! Loved your answer and am eagerly waiting for on-screen confirmation of their relationship! *hopes*
Take care,
Nikki XxX
Big J wrote:
Mr. M confirmed in his December 4th, 2007 blog entry (quoted below) that Ronon is not immune to Wraith feeding:
It is a common misinterpretation of Ronon’s line in Season 2’s “Runner”.
From the dialog continuity script at the official site:
Anne Teldy
So considering you see Sam and Jack together, when was it, at least in your mind that they got together? At the end of Threads/Moebius when they went to the cabin, when Sam was working at Area 51, or another random moment? In your mind, were they together during ‘200’ which is why they both had strange looks on their face at the end of the ‘wedding’ scene?