T (for Tokyo) minus three days and counting. With my list of intended targets completed and arranged into wards, I’ve started using the wonderfully handy Google Maps to pinpoint the key areas so that I’ll be able to cover as much ground as possible when the time comes (How many pastry shops can I visit in one afternoon. Thanks to Google Maps = enough to make me violently ill!). I’m loving the feature and am about halfway through cataloguing all of my destinations, but am running into trouble on a couple of fronts. First, all of those little blue pointers show up onscreen, but there’s no lettering or numbering system to tell them apart. Short of clicking on the desires location in the lefthand sidebar, there seems to be no proper way to identify the locations. Second – nearly all of the streets are in, uh, not English. Third – My handy blackberry seems to be completely useless in allowing me to use Google MyMaps. It lets me download the Google Map application (or mapplication if you prefer) but can’t access the maps I’ve created for my trip. Marty G. insists his iPhone can and thereby points out yet one more reason that his phone is superior to mine. I mean, sure his phone has a far superior web-browsing capabilities, allows him to search the internet via voice recall, offers a screen twice as large as mine, has a much better camera, among many, many other functions, but my phone sounds cooler. BLACKberry. As opposed to iPhone. Also, the blackberry has the brickbreaker game. Any blackberry users out there care to rejoin? Anyone? The Google MyMaps functions works wonderfully when I’m on my laptop but I have a feeling this may prove somewhat challenging to pull off when I’m on, say, a Shinjuku walkabout. So I’ve contacted the concierge crew at the Peninsula Hotel and asked them to look into some cool portable gadget I could rent during my stay in Tokyo, one with a wireless function and GPS that will allow me to roam the city while accessing the Google MyMaps function. I’m not entirely sure if such a device exists but feel reasonably confident that if I can imagine it, then the Japanese have already invented it.
Back on the office today for another day of SGU spinning. We skipped episode 9 (While I like the general premise and think it could be a lot of fun and, really, at the end of the day who doesn’t like fun?, I feel that, unlike the other stories we’ve discussed so far, this one is far more nebulous. Fearing we might well spend our final three days trying to spin a story out of this kernel of an idea, I suggested we move on to #10 and #11 which, at the very least, are somewhat more substantial in comparison) and moved on to the two-parter. I hesitate to call it a two-parter because, the way these episodes have developed so far, there are a threads that run through all the stories, in essence making this season one big 20-parter. Now given that some of you have started comparing SGU to existing shows on the basis of what little information has been released thus far, I thought it might be a good idea to help paint a clearer picture of the show. And so, to those of you looking for standing comparisons, I’d say more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.
Check out today’s pics for an inside peek at the exhilarating highs and dispiriting lows of the writers’ room. And also our new refrigerator. It makes ice, has an alarm function, and can send you back approximately fifteen minutes in time provided you can fit inside the freezer tray.
Joe,
I refuse to give up my Blackberry in favor of an iPhone. I just refuse to be that trendy. You stand tough, buddy.
Have a great trip,
Rose
An alarm function? Do you usually sleep in front of your refrigerator?
Oooo, so your fridge is like Homer’s toaster… coool.
Can I try the freezer tray? I’ve hid under the front passenger seat of a car before, this should be a breeze …
I refer back to a previous statement of mine about having the Answer and Reject buttons on the opposite side on an iPhone as a big reason to not have one.
Have you found yet that when people talk to you about places to go you just nod your head because frankly it’s all another language? Then when you get back and you’ve actually been there you end up one of those people that rattles off all of these great places to go and the recipient of the information just nods blankly.
It’s the circle of travel life.
Enjoy counting down another sleep. I’m a counting down the days person personally, but I hear counting sleeps is a big thing amongst the majority of the population.
Have you tried simply printing out the desired maps and keeping them in whatever bag/pocket is handy? I know, not as spiffy, but it may work as a last resort.
I’d say more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.
So SGU is about an eclectic group of time lords whose giant communal TARDIS has lost its time-travel capability (making it, I suppose, just a RDIS) and they go about their days bugging the crap out of each other while trying to sell paper to the mysterious unseen monsters of whatever planets they happen across? Sounds awesome.
It has an…alarm?
More Dr. Who than Heroes? Seeing as Dr. Who is my favorite sci-fi show without the word Stargate in it, I’m highly intrigued by this comparison. Does this mean that there’s going to be an over-arching key-word, ala ‘Torchwood’ in Season 2, or plot that will vaguely be hinted at in each episode and then have a big reveal in the two-parter? Or am I totally off-base with this? You have def piqued my interest more in this show though.
“Brad reveals the final episode twist: the entire series was all in some writer”
What? What does that mean?
Is Stargate Universe going to take place in the body of a writer? Like Fantastic Voyages or something? That’s be AWESOME. I can just imagine the episode where the Destiny is slowly being digested by lysosomes and the crew must find the Ancient super hormone to make it cease and desist. Oh, and the episode where the Destiny is thrown forward in “time” by accidentally destroying a few Telomeres, thereby aging the “universe” (aka. the writer), and they must correct their mistake before the “universe” dies of old age!
They can also bring onboard a talking white blood cell as their resident “alien” and “muscle”…or, they can just bring onboard a real muscle. No wait, I got it. They should have an E. Coli bacteria as the alien! The series’s arc will be devoted to fighting off bad E. Coli bacteria (as opposed to the ones that are good for us) that the writer habitually contracts due to poor hygene (and living in Vancouver East Side. Sorry, had to be said).
And then: virses! reproducing faster than ever, they cannot be killed because scientists aren’t sure whether they’re actually alive or not! Then, in a twist near the end of the series, they make an evolutionary jump and become bacteria! Even more insidious, they quickly reproduce into the billions, destroying the “universe” along the way (and obliterating the bad E. Coli population); they will suceed in their conquest to convert all of the “universe” into raw material to create more of themselves, if the Destiny crew doesn’t make the writer take the medicine in time by taking control of the writer, through his brain.
In the climax of the series, the Destiny crew finally arrives at the Brain. However, they must figure out HOW to control him. As the clock ticks down to irreversible “universe” damage, the crew connects random nerves together in hopes of giving the writer enough strength to call the hospital to fetch him (for he has collapsed at his home, where he lives alone; medicines are now too feeble a defense); but, it’s a struggle as the seconds tick away! Then, just as all hope is lost, someone figures out another plan: forget the hospital, how about just wiping out the virus here and now with the writer’s own defenses? Yes! Brilliant idea! The crew gets to work, and at the last moment, before the death of the “universe”, they make the correct connection! Suddenly, the Brain kicks into gear creating a massive amount of a special SuperHormone (like a scaled up version of the lysosome-fending hormone) that sweeps out of the brain, flows across the entire “universe”, reducing the bacteria to mere disconnected, harmless, organic molecules. The only effect on the writer, besides the fact that he’s cured, is a sudden sneezing attack! The Destiny is sneezed out, and returned to its normal size after it flies back to the facillity where it was shrunken.
The crew then become germophobes. It is a bittersweet ending.
….
Huh. That is actually a pretty cool of a premise, now that I think about it. Hmmm…
Joe, consider this my pitch for an Universe story. I think it has potential!
Your fridge is a baby TARDIS! LOL
I love that brickbreaker game. I’ve never been addicted to a game before but I sit there at work in my downtime, totally obsessed. And yeah, I find the GPS lacking. I still haven’t figured out how to get it to work. Instead, I just use mapquest–but on the phone, its transportable, so its works.
Best of lucks with the map planning!
“…more Lost than Battlestar…” Great. I hate both. 😛
(But Lost is a bit better because it has Desmond! 😀 )
das
Has anyone heard from Anne Teldy of late?
Alas, I cannot add to the Blackberry vs. iPhones debate. I’ve barely crawled into the 21st century with text messaging on my cell phone, and i’ve resisted taking internet options out on it. I’m willing to bet a fiver that your Japanese hosts will indeed come up with a device with the capabilities you’ve listed. Fortunately for you English is a common enough second language in Japan. Alas, the average Japanese pronunciation of English words may provide you an interesting challenge. The best of luck on that.
Looking back on Remnants, I feel the need to make a request. Please address at least some of Sheppard’s fear of failure issues in the movie. I don’t want it to be the main theme of the movie, but I would dearly like to see some more of his history to come to the fore. Seems only fair after five seasons of avoiding the topic. And I know, you’ve already started work on the movie, and my request is meaningless. But as a person who is not primarily a Sheppard fan, I think it would be nice to see Sheppard’s character face whatever it is he’s been running from for all these years. Thanks for the pics, and enjoy the rest of your countdown.
Ok, now that I’ve read the entire entry as opposed to just the captions of the first photo…
Universe is sounding…AWESOME. I’ve been waiting for a Stargate show that is essentially “a 20 parter” per season!
I’ve been following Heroes lately and, though I know you said it’s more like Dr. Who than it (which I also like a lot, though I haven’t seen it in a while), I’m finding myself absolutely rivetted and on the edge of my seat every episode, just dying to find out what happens next! That doesn’t happen as much with Stargate, unfortunately, though it does make up for it in other departments (namely the smaller cast of familiar characters, and the humor, and the better dialogue…and the VFX). But anyway, if Universe can do something like this, with continuing story threads that makes you really want to find out what’s going to happen next week, as opposed to leaving you hanging for a while on a story before it being picked back up in the finale, then it’ll be great.
The closest that Stargate has come to this kind of storytelling, IMHO, is Atlantis Season 1. Almost every episode tied into a general thread in some way, and they were all leading to an inevitable Wraith attack at the end of the season, with the feeling of loneliness and desperation that came with it. I think in terms of a “one big story” type of thing, Atlantis Season 1 was the best at it out of the entire franchise so far. Season 4 is up there as well, though that “big story” feeling kind of broke down with the stand-alone episodes in the backhalf, which, though entertaining, didn’t really add much, IMHO, to the arc of the series.
Questions: In your opinion, is Universe looking more arc-based than Atlantis Season 1? Also, do you share the feeling that Atlantis Season 1 is the most arc-based Stargate season? If not, which season do you think was the most arc-based?
Thanks for reading my ramblings, Joe.
I’m curious, now that you’re spinning new stories for a completely new show, and new characters. Has there ever been a time a character has been created with some sort of flaw/backstory/quirk/characteristic that has caused issues later on that you wish wasn’t there? If so, how did you work around it/get out of it?
What!? You guys couldn’t spring for the fridge with the built-in computer screen…? That keeps track of what you have to restock on, your daily to-do list, recipes, screen saves the kids’ school art, stores those middle of the night horror movie pitch ideas [no wait.. that’s the ‘lab experiment’ hiding under the box of baking soda!]… The only downside, I think those cutesy fridge magnets might wipe the hard drive…
Ooooh, you got the 15-min-back freezer tray option! Niiiiice! I’ve put mine to good use. Oh…yes I have!
I’ve been concerned about Episode 9. Such a squishy, nebulous thing. Still, what else you gonna put between 8 and 10?
I like all of the comparison shows you’ve mentioned, but prefer (in no particular order) LOST, Dr. Who, and The Office to Battlestar, Heroes, and My Name is Earl. Sounds good to me!
Have a great night!
eddy
Brad’s Q&A?? Before you guys break? PLEASE!!
Why don’t you have a massage chair in the writer’s room?
It would stimulate you guys.
I wish your time machine refrigerator would take us back to before SGA got canceled and we could figure out a way to change the timeline.
You need to hire a “native guide” while you are in Japan and just forget finding your own way around.
Dear Joe,
Please give me the honor of answering these questions, consider them as a big early christmas gift from you to me.
1. How many Wraith Hives can we assume were destroyed due to the brief moment the Attero device was on?
2. Will the Destiny Space craft be comparable to Atlantis city ship or an Aurora class ship?
3. Was Remnants the “a very special stargate episode” you were alluding to in the beginning of season 5?
Safe trip to Tokyo
Joe you are a handsome man. Even prettier than Alan McCullough – in a mafia sort of way.
Have a safe trip. Enjoy.
Brickbreaker is one of the many reasons why I love my Blackberry. Although I have to say between the browser on my Blackberry vs. my LG Dare vs. my iPod Touch… the iPod Touch wins hands down and it’s not even a phone.
What is the alarm for?
…more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.
All shows I don’t watch. Not exactly inspiring confidence. 😛
I think I speak for many fans when I say that I have faith in you guys. You’ve brought us 15 seasons of excellent television and movies and that I and many people are looking forward to SGU. And I’ve been watching since 1997!
PS- When you guys hire a new writer do they have to take a drug test? That Carl Binder guy seems kind of strange to me. One minute he’s running around with Jaffa staff weapons taking people’s wallets and the next he’s making funny faces at the conference table. You might want to test that guy.
Is there cannibalism in the first episode of SGU? Man, I’m always up for some tasty toasted cannibalism in any pilot. It sort of sets the tone for the rest of the season, don’t you think?
Oh – those alarms on these new fridges are so annoying. They are supposed to be part of energy saving…to let you know that you had the door open for more than 10 seconds…but at least you can set it or turn it off. Seriously, its a feature that just screams…”I’m so lazy that I need an alarm to tell me to close the fridge door!”
Ok here’s a challenge for you all – work that into either a SGU ep or Atlantis movie would ya…I’d so laugh my arse off.
Sheppard stepping out of the jumper – “McKay, what is that beeping?”
McKay – “Oh, you’ll love it I installed an energy saving device…to let you know that you should shut down ____ (insert device) before….”
Sheppard – “What you need to install is one of those fridges…to tell you to shut the door.” (pokes in stomach)
McKay – “Hey, I’ll remind you that I have to eat regularly….etc.etc.”
HAHAHAHA
Ok – so I’m up at 2 am and not sure why I posted it…but anywho…good night or good morning…and have fun in Tokyo! Safe Travels!
“I’d say more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.”
Well then I’d say: Perfect combination if that’s where this series will be going.
We in Lithuania like StarGate very much. Now the season 4 of Atlantis goes to an end on TV6. And i am waiting for a SGU.
Good luck!
@ Narelle – About Anne T – I e-mailed her last week (I think), and no word back…I’ve been very concerned. She wasn’t feeling too well, but she was still in good spirits. I am very worried, though…it’s been a while since she’s been here, and I’ve certainly missed her. I hope everything’s okay…
das
@ PG15… you’re freaking brilliant buddy! Loved your pitch a la Fantastic Voyage… just hilarious! Not to mention well thought out! Hey, Joe, think about giving PG15 a chance, his young, spacey mind might be the new blood the writing team needs. Let face it, Marty Gero is getting old and a new infusion of young genes does a body GOOD!
@ Anne Teldy… Shout out! Where have you been lately, haven’t seen you lurking on any of the usual website either? Hope you are feeling okay. Or are you still refraining from posting because Joe still has not sent you that “special” gift after the airing of Whispers?
@General Yogi Bear I don’t see Carl as a druggie type, I see him more as set in his ways… but he does have a bizarre sense of humor! He kind of reminds of a cross between Vincent Price and Jack Palance!
And so, to those of you looking for standing comparisons, I’d say more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.
Oh no!!! LOST as in expect-us-to-kill-your-favorite-character-any-day-now-because-we’re-getting-tired-of-him-or-her-and-want-to-keep-you-on-your-toes or LOST as in truly original premise that goes from totally realistic to “whoa, what just happened???” in six seasons or less??? (I’m obviously hoping and praying for the latter!)
Glad to hear more Dr. Who than Heroes (never could get into that show) and also glad about The Office bit, but just because I’m from the Scranton area.
Interesting thought that just popped into my head (and a valid concern I think):
SGU is designed such that it can be enjoyed by those who have never before in their lives seen anything Stargate related, right?
But if there is going to be one huge overarching story arc, how will you draw in viewers who miss th premiere/first half of the season (like I’m going to if it’s not on iTunes)?
Is it going to be possible to miss one or more episodes and still know what’s going on in the show? (Or is that what you mean by comparing it to LOST? Basically, you miss an episode, you’ll have no clue what’s going on next week?)
I only ask because it was an essentially stand-alone episode of SG-1 (Morpheus) that first drew me into the franchise. I didn’t need to have any advanced knowledge of the Ori or any of the characters: all of them were believable enough for me to accept right off the bat. It took me a lot longer to fall in love with SGA because I had to first get to know the wraith and their backstory before I could understand the everyday operations of the base.
Anyways, that just popped into my head. Sorry if it’s poorly worded: it’s 3 o’clock in the morning where I am!
Best of luck with episode 9… sounds kind of like my NaNoWriMo novel right now… awesome idea with nowhere to go.
Have fun with the snazzy new fridge!!! (And I could totally fit in your ice tray… and I could totally use an extra 15 minutes or so…)
Hi Joe,
I hope you have an lovely time in Tokyo on your hol’s! Take care! I cant wait to see your pic’s & hear all the happenings that went on while your over there!
Joe, are you a Doctor Who fan?
Have you ever been to Singapore or Malaysia(Kula Lumpor)?
I have confidence in you & the other writer that you will bring us more great Stargate!
Take care & happiness always!
Cathie
Hi Joe,
I realise you already have your trip to Tokyo pretty much organised, however I thought you might be interested in this link.
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/tokyo-named-best-city-for-food-by-michelin-guide-20081119-6bfo.html
Maybe you can pick yourself up a copy at the airport!
I’m looking forward to your “Weird Food Purchases” whilst you are there. Just one request though – no Whale meat!!!
Have a great trip.
Hi Joe, what’s happening to the “lost episode” of season 1 of SGA, “Human Error” ? It’s become an episode of a season 2, 3, 4 or 5, and his title has changed?
If not, can you say us his synopsis?
So SGU is about an eclectic group of time lords whose giant communal TARDIS has lost its time-travel capability (making it, I suppose, just a RDIS) and they go about their days bugging the crap out of each other while trying to sell paper to the mysterious unseen monsters of whatever planets they happen across? Sounds awesome.
Regardless of SGU, THIS show, i would definetely watch!
Unfortunately that reinforces my assumption that I won’t like SGU. I hate Dr Who, not keen on The Office and my interest in Lost has waned a lot recently.
Cazz x
15 minutes before the blog I was nestled snuggly beneath 2 cats & a comforter…so, yes, through no fault of yours, I would definitely like to go back in time.
And, yes, I think I just might fit in a freezer tray.
I have neither the Blackberry or the iPhone.
I have a Razor & an iTouch. I have an internal sense of direction. But, I can’t read Japanese.
How about renting a guide of the two legged kind? I thought that was the initial plan to keep you out of trouble?
I have fridge envy…..
Hi Mr M!
RE: The Fridge with the alarm…..You guys must live in one tough neighbourhood!!!
Mr W. looks really Lost in thought gathering his Heroes around to spin some Battles in the Stars, surely everyone in The Office knew his name was not Earl?
@Chevron 7 and indeed Mr M, on the wristband issue, being a child of the 80’s when McEnroe was (and indeed still is king), I love the whole wristband thing!
How did the commentary go on Whispers Mr M??
And Finally…. was watching The Prodigal on Tuesday night, with 2 of the 3 Royal Highnesses… As Zelenka and Shep are discussing ways of shutting off the puddle jumper power source, one of my 5 year olds says..”Daddy, can’t he just sit in the magic chair and send one of those snake lights at it?”…Just as Shep suggests same!! Am I a bad parent or does my little girl have a future at The Bridge?
Best to all
Shirt’n’Tie
@ Pg15
Maybe the las vegas final episode’s storyline for SGA is going to be inside some writers mind?
@ mr. Joe Mallozzi
Why can’t you use a PDA with (or without, if you’re really confident) GPS and just upload it with a local version of TomTom?
I have the BB 8310 curve, but want one with Wifi. I would trade in for a BB Storm, but that does not have wifi either!!!
So if I travel far I use a Nokia E65 that connects to EVERYTHING on the planet.
Enjoy the trip – get lots of video
We dumped Blackberry for iPhone, sorry. The second gen was definitely better and I’m sure in Japan wifi is everywhere.
SGU season one big 20-parter.
Which is how SGA started IMO, and why s1 remains my fave. I was sorry we lost that much intimate continuity in s2 and after.
DD
Joe! Thanks for the clarifications, seeing as you pitted Dr Who against Heroes seems fair, as to think about it, it might actually be more Whovian. About the notes I was going to leave yesterday (but were too tired to do so), I just hope you , oh wait, this is what I was saying yesterday.
What I was also meant to say/ask:
1] Does the team have control of the ship, or is it going to be like a DV style thing, where the drive charges and discharges while not really being under our control?(And of course, leaves open a plot so we can alter it eventually)
2] Will it be a new galaxy each episode/season? If it’s just a new planet each episode (minus the two/three-parters) or perhaps a new cluster of planets. What are the boundaries per episode?
Ooohhh…
“I’d say more Lost than Battlestar”
I reaaaallly like the sound of that. I’m a die hard Lost fan. Now all you guys have to do to seal any doubts is to play that final “bbboomm” At the end of the episode and then play that freakish bongo-island music for the credits.
Oh and General Yogi Bear, when I first thought of SGU being more Heroes than 90210, that definitely brought me faith in SGU, despite I’ll have to wait longer than the guys in the USA, Curses to Australia not having a large enough Sci-Fi faction that the tv companies care about. So now, with that outlook (and I was also impressed with the recent season of Dr Who, despite me not knowing much of it, just reading through its Wiki), I think I might be excited more about SGU.
Oh yeah, another clarification, would it be the British The Office, or the American remake(both are good actually)
Hey cool, you can have one side of the fridge each. I love my upside down fridge. It can’t turn back time…hey sounds like Cher.
What book are you going to read on the plane? Horror? 😀
Can you please pass on a message to Lawren to sell some more stuff. He’s supposed to add new stuff before the existing stuff gets sold. It’s looking very bare atm.
Cheers, Chev
Sorry Joe, I am getting me an iPhone, but I will admit the new BLACKberry storm looks wonderful. But everyone makes so much cool stuff for the iPhone what is not to love?
Nice fridge! Great fun photos today, I love everyone’s varied expressions. LOL Good times. Have a good day Joe!
Wait a second…my BlackBerry has GAMES on it!? All this time…sniff. At any rate, I want a new Bold over the stinkin iPhone. We did the release party for it in New York last month and after getting to play with one for a couple of weeks prior I am sold.
More Dr. Who than Hero’s huh? Well that sells it right there. Brits make good sci-fi.
Nice fridge!!! You know what would make it really cool????? If the ice maker made ice cubes in the form of the gate or ZPM’s… like the BSG toaster that toasted the cylon on the bread. Very nice!
Initially, I thought alarm meant that the fridge will sound if food-thiefs came. That sounds cooler than the type of alarm is really is.
My fridge beeps at me if the door is left open – while rather weird – I don’t like things that beep at me – it does save the food. I guess they call that an alarm. The first time it happened when I moved into the house – it nearly drove me nuts trying to figure out where origination point of the beeping. Never had one of those before!
Lost, Dr. Who and the Office? That sounds fascinating.
Although, for the franchise’s sake, I hope it’s more like Lost – Season 1.
I know a lot of people (including me) who absolutely loved Lost the first season – learning the back stories of the characters and trying to figure out what was really happening on the island. Now those same people are asking “What the HELL is going on and why am I killing brain cells trying to figure it out?”
By the way, cool refrig. But you didn’t get the one that tells you when you run out of milk and eggs and then lets you place an order online and have the groceries delivered? Seriously – there is one that does that. I’m sure they have them in Japan.
Love the idea of the season being a big 20 parter.
I am glad that SGU will be more Lost than BSG because BSG takes itself way tooooooo seriously. After watching some of last season, I almost asked the roomie for some of her anti Depressants. I don’t mind things being dark and angsty but would it have kill them to have any sense of humor.
I also prefer Dr. Who to Heroes for basically the same reason. Heroes is just depressing me this season.
I do however prefer My Name is Earl to The Office.
I was wondering if you have an estimated date for when the casting will be completed? I heard you are to start shooting SGU in Feb. 09.
It would be great to see some set photos from the first day of production. Any chance of that happening?
Bonjour Joseph =)!! vous allre bien?
Moi oui sa va, j’ai trouver ma journée trés lomgue, contente d’être rentrez chez moi!!
Sympas les photos, attention sa travail dur^^!
Je suis impatiente d’avoir de nouvelle info sur SGU!
Trop class votre frigo^^!! Haute technologie! j’adore!!! =)
Vivement demain soir et le week end et les vacances pour vous!!
Bisou bisou
Joe,
On November 17 you said the SG-1 DVD movie had been greenlighted. Then on the 18th, you said that there was only a plan to produce one SGA movie next year. Does that mean, even though SG-1 was greenlighted, it won’t be made next year? Or was that an oversight (the question had several parts to it)?
Also, do you know who from the cast will be in the SG-1 movie? When I saw Ben Browder at the Chicago Con last summer he said he might not be in it because it might be all about O’Neill. Any news on that front?
Street addresses in Japan? Lol, seriously? Good luck with it. Oh, some businesses have street addys, but some do not if you’re off the beaten path. In our neighborhood, all 28 houses had the same address. The police did a census every now and then, knocking on doors and carefully writing down who lived in the house. Some years the “map of names” had “Gaijin” in our spot, some years Ki-Ah-So-Ru. Or Ka-Re-Ton, which is my married name. In a way. Sorta kinda.
Of course, we didn’t live on a street at all, we lived on a set of terraces up a windy set of stairs which was reached from a narrow sidewalk you could get a small car down one way if you were determined and didn’t drop into the benjo, and only after you found the small street from the main street, which you couldn’t access from the other side because the tunnel was pedestrians only … I don’t think I knew any of the street names at all, not even after nine years. The one year we had a van (it was a presento) we parked on base and walked the two miles to use it.
Hey Joe!
You say you used Google Maps, did you try the Street View function? I think Tokyo is covered by the Street View feature. It lets you view an area (via roads) from a ground view, so it can let you see what the restaurants you want to go to look like and how the general area is. The quality of the Tokyo street view photos are a lot better than the American ones and it’s a very nifty tool you should try out. It can help you determine landmarks as well to look for in case you get lost. 😉
Thanks as always! Hope the pugs are doing well!
– Enzo Aquarius
Joe,
So what is the deal with the fuel powering Atlantis? So they have one Zpm, but is a half depleted Zpm going to be enough for the longlasting survival of the city? I mean you writers need to have some sort of closure to this intricate and very important piece of technology which plays an important role with regards to the plot. There are what, five more new episodes before we fans bring out our Kleenex boxes, and unless the Zpm issue is adressed there will be a plot hole to this amazing show.
For the love of God, does the Odysey really need the Zpm after the Ori threat? Send it over to Atlantis. The Daganian Zpm could come in handy, to have three functioning Zpms to unlock the full potential of the city.
Mr. Mallozzi I implore you to adress this issue for us…. The avid fans. As the saying goes, a story is only as good as it’s storyteller.
Shirt’n’Tie said:
I’m just waiting for the day when Mr. M says, “Chev, I bow to your infinite wisdom. I don’t know what I was thinking, maybe I was jealous. The wristband indeed is hot.”
Cheers, Chev
p.s. loved hearing about your little girl and the magic chair and the snake lights. You must be proud.
“I’d say more Lost than Battlestar, more Dr. Who than Heroes, more The Office than My Name Is Earl.”
The Office bit sounds okaaaay. The rest.. uh, not so much. How about some Bones, or Strictly Come Dancing? A smidging of Python or Blackadder?
Spaceballs?
Narelle: Nope.. and was wondering the same just the other day.
I’m kind of disappointed that no one was willing to do a more serialized type storytelling with SGA or even SG1. Well, I’m curious why the decision was made to go in that direction with this new version.
I’m looking forward to the Tokyo trip and I’m not even going. Less stress for me, I’m sure.
apropos of nothing, thought you might be amused by this analysis of your blog by http://www.typealyzer.com:
ISTP – The Mechanics
[ISTP]
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.
The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.
So, you can be a race car driver if this whole writing/producing/show running thing doesn’t work out.
There’s also a pretty picture of what your brain apparently looked like while you were writing.
but my phone sounds cooler. BLACKberry. As opposed to iPhone. Also, the blackberry has the brickbreaker game. Any blackberry users out there care to rejoin? Anyone?but my phone sounds cooler. BLACKberry. As opposed to iPhone. Also, the blackberry has the brickbreaker game. Any blackberry users out there care to rejoin? Anyone?
My Blackberry is awesome. Its the pearl, in Pink, for breastcancer.
Your maps should work….what you might want to try is saving them in your GPS storage to automatically guide you where you want to go.
And Brickbreaker is awesome…though I can’t get passed level 17. Have you!?
Narelle, das, ishshahpat, etc.,
I appreciate the concern. I didn’t get online for a bit because I wasn’t feeling too well, but I’m better now. Just really tired.
Please keep sending good vibes and thoughts my way. It helps knowing people care.
Anne Teldy
No MGM promo for Brainstorm yet, Joe? That’s highly disappointing. Is MGM forgetting all about SGA now what with it ending and all?
Bon Voyage…and if you see any fine silk yarn, pick up about 200 gms, send them here, and I’ll crochet you a new tie or scarf.
@ Anne Teldy: *good vibes*
Well hell, anything with any amount of Dr. Who has got my affection.
And I think I’d have to cry if it was ‘more Heroes than Who’. Considering Heroes teeters dangerously close to tanking, especially after doing so well.
Anne, darlin’… there ya are!
I yodeled for ya a couple weeks ago, too. Wondered if ya wairen’t feeling well. There was one post from ya mentioning that ya lived in a nursing hoom and another saying that ya dinna know if ya’d be around coom this May. Would luv to be mistaken about that! If that was you, and ya feel up to it, fill us in. Or send us a link to blog posts, etc. Tell us what’s goin’ on so we can send good thoughts and prayers yer way. Well, we kinda already have, but ya know what we mean. We blog folk care about ya.
Always,
for the love of Beckett
@ Anne Teldy – *hugs* Good to see you! So glad you’re feeling better. 🙂 Ya had me worried there for a bit, so used to seeing you around these parts, setting Mallozzi straight. 😀 Take care of yourself! My thoughts and prayers are with you, as always!
Deirdre
Car 54 were are you?
Hey Joe,
You never post this late! Hope everything is okay!
Cheers
Patricia Lee
Hi Joe:
Just a suggestion to solve your problem re: getting around Tokyo, and also having someone to enjoy it with. I’m sure you could rent a guide who is fluent in Japanese and English to assist you to get where you want to be. You know, sort of a Sherpa for the city.
Are there any cultural mores you are working on so as not to offend anyone, or is that no longer an issue for tourists in Japan?
Patricia (AG)