Allow me to kick off today’s post with a huge thank you to resident Stargate techie and computer fixer-upper Lawren Bancroft-Wilson for helping me get back online. My laptop has been experiencing technical difficulties of late and, for a while there, it looked like tonight’s entry was in peril. But, thanks to Lawren, a band-aid solution has been applied to the critical issue and I am able to squeeze in this better-late-than-never entry.
Hey, back in the office today after the long Thanksgiving Day weekend. “What’s that?”you say. “Thanksgiving? In October?!” Why, yes. Here in Canada we do things a little differently, celebrating Thanksgiving about a month earlier than our southern neighbors. We also observe Easter in June and Fancy Pantaloon Day in July. On a related note, I’ve heard that Americans celebrate Christmas December 25th. Any truth to this crazy rumor? Christmas in winter?!! How bizarre.
I can’t believe the production year has come and almost gone. Nine more days and we wrap the first season of SGU. The ratings for the first three episodes have been solid, so solid in fact that thoughts are now turning to a prospective season two. We’ve started to pitch story ideas and vague notions with the aim to getting five scripts in play before we head off for our hiatus. To do that, however, we need to get all five of us (Brad, Rob, Carl, Paul, and myself) in a room for some extended, interruption-free spin sessions. Easier said than done. However, between now and when I’m Tokyo-bound, I’m sure we’ll find the time to sit down and sort it out. The game plan: 1) discuss the repercussions of our shocking finale, 2) confirm our general season arc, 3) establish our individual character arcs, 4) break some stories, and, most importantly, 5) come up with some good two word titles. Simple, no?
Hey, what ever happened to global warming? Well, it looks like its gone the way of the dodo bird, those wassup guys, and acid rain: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299079.stm
Thanks to Matt Stover for directing me to this interesting article concerning CERN’s Large Hadron Collider being plagued by, of all things, temporal anomalies: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/science/space/13lhc.html?hpw
Want to smarten up? Eat fish (http://www.realage.com/tips/drop-dementia-risk-with-this-protein?kw=ist) and learn to juggle (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17957-learning-to-juggle-grows-brain-networks-for-good.html).
The gang at cracked.com offer up their list of The Worst Movie Accents: http://www.cracked.com/funny-1991-the-worst-movie-accents/. Hey, wait minute what about Nicholas Cage in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin? Or, should I say: “Heya! Whatsa mattta happened to-a Capi-tan Co-relli’s Man-doli-na?!!”
Oh, hey, don’t forget to get your questions in for author Paul Jessup! Book now to avoid disappointment!
hey joe, like you said better late than never you had me worried for a second. Computer issues you say? The gremlins must have reinfested your house, be on the lookout for other glitches in your tech. When it come to computers however, I find that Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D work well at cleaning out those pesky gremlins.
So your beginning to spin ideas for season two…any news on the renewal yet? I can’t imagine it not being renewed but I still have to stress out while we wait.
can’t wait for friday!!
-ZPB
Just read the article on the LHC. My head hurts now and I need to lay down. Also, very cool.
Christmas in Winter? That is crazy.
Although if you’re going to get technical, Christmas isn’t at the correct time of the year anyway.
Most computer fixes are band-aid solutions. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
I think I like the Canadian Thanksgiving better. In America, it was Glorify The Man Who Killed All The Indians Day on monday, but my silly college decided that wasn’t much worth celebrating, so I had class anyway.
Congrats on the awesome ratings. Can’t wait to see what season 2 holds… (did I mention that Hulu seems to be implying you’ve already been picked up?)
I don’t know how things are up north, but down here having something like global climate change is the only sort of scare tactic that works on some people. I mean, talk of soul-crushing coal and oil companies and their intentional disinformation against hitherto accepted scientific data for monetary gain can be rather tedious. Honestly, I’ve seen too many politicians sell out anybody at all to get on board with these modern day anti-Stratfordian cronies. I got a two-word title for you: Precautionary Principle.
As you can see, I’m somewhat on the fence.
Hey Joe, I’ve lurked here for awhile and have read the blog for few years now but never really stopped by to comment. buuuut… I’d like to say that SGU has refilled my interest in the Stargate franchise, and I’m very relieved and excited by the breath of fresh air that the new show brings with its new style and direction. Big thanks to you all and props on a job well done!
I do have a few questions (sorry if they’ve been asked in the previous few days.. haven’t read the comments really):
1) In the Pilot, Rush brings up the star map showing the Destiny’s path. Someone (Eli?) notices Pegasus, exclaiming, “There’s Pegasus!” So assuming the Destiny went through Pegasus at one point and that it is following the path of the seeder ships, would the Pegasus galaxy not have already been seeded with Stargates before the Ancients moved there in Atlantis?
2) Does the Destiny’s Stargate have an Atlantis-esque shield or some method of protection? If not, will this ever become a problem for the crew sometime in the future?
Finally, this is more of a thought I guess. Something I think Atlantis really lacked (past S1 at least) was the “mythos” of the ancients–meaning their presence kind of felt lost. It was kind of like the substantiality of Atlantis being this massive Ancient city was transparent. Episodes like “Letters from Pegasus” kind of explored this, but that was an SG-1 episode. The mythology and mystery of the Ancients themselves–why they were there, their history, their technology and all their secrets–was something I felt wasn’t touched on in Atlantis as much as it could have been. It was just, “here’s a laboratory” or “here’s a big ancient ship” or “heres the ancient database”. When attempts were made to satisfy this, it felt kind of cheesy and rushed–for example, The Return or First Contact/Lost Tribe.
I think some of the episodes from SG-1 that had a profound impact on people revolved around the mystery of the mythology that was in the show, and marveling in the things we didn’t understand. Early SG-1 episodes like Torment of Tantalus and Fifth Race, then later episodes like Lost City and Reckoning/Threads kind of revolved around that mythology that seemed transparent in Atlantis. In Atlantis, the galaxy felt so small and it felt like we could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and that this whole lost city and the mysteries of the universe didn’t even matter anymore–it was all about killing bad guys. It got boring and redundant to me.
So.. I really hope SGU dives in and explores the mythology and the secrets in the Destiny, the Ancients and the vast universe itself much more than Atlantis did. So far, it looks like it will.
There is a difference between Canada and the U.S.? How weird. As a Canadian do you run into any challenges for writing a show with primarily American characters? I’m gonna make the assumption that Canadians ,in general, are more aware of American culture than vice versa.
I’m a few days behind here, so I just saw your post about shows you don’t watch but should. I have to comment about Big Bang Theory. I didn’t watch it for a long time either, partly because, as you mentioned, I find comedies like The Office better than your typical sitcom. One night I was in the mood for a comedy and had already watched all the episodes of How I Met Your Mother (the only other current sitcom that I enjoy, though I heard from a crew member that they don’t actually film in front of an audience, so perhaps that helps), so I decided to watch an ep of Big Bang Theory. I picked one with Summer Glau guest-starring. That was a mistake. I hated the show and thought it very unfunny. That happened to be pretty much one of the worst episodes ever. A few months later, my cousins convinced me to watch some more eps, and I got completely hooked. I’ve seen every episode probably two, three, or four times in the past few months. It is so completely hilarious. Probably the funniest show I’ve ever seen. Like many people, my favorite character is Sheldon. Imagine Rodney McKay, only more arrogant and less socially adept, and that’s sort of what Sheldon is. That character alone is worth watching the show for, though the others are good as well.
So yes. Do watch Big Bang Theory, at least a few episodes. I defy you not to find it hilarious.
Ah yes, Fancy Pantaloon Day. I don’t know if you caught it on TV, but I was part of the Pantaloon Parade. I remember it as if it were yesterday; pant legs of people on stilts as tall as skyscrapers covered in patches that blinds the eye with their fanciness; pant-covered parade floats carrying the Fancy Pantaloon Man, pulling out his pockets and saying his trademark phrase “the crotch is wearing out!” Oh how I remember the laughter of the children upon the sidewalk, their usual mundane trousers replaced by pantaloons that can only be matched in fanciness by their new sunny disposition (provided to them by those pantaloons!).
At night, the families gather around the Burning Pants (a statue made of the most boring of pantaloons the towspeople possess, set on fire) and share stories of how and why they got their fancy pants. As always, the celebrations will reach a height when the Mayor of the town brings out a replica of the First Fancy Pantaloon: worn by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, it is a sight to behold. Enlarged to about 20 feet in height, it is covered in swirling colors of brown and black, with patches of more black sewn in. Those were simpler times. Those were happier times. The crowd then engage in the traditional “Fling Water-Soluable Paint At The First Fancy Pantaloon” Event (or FWSPATFFP Event for short), where, in order to make The First Fancy Pantaloon truly fancy, the crowd fling water-soluable paint at it! Can you imagine it? Such hilarity and exuberance!
And the music. Oh, the music. As a group we all sang the Official Fancy Pantaloon Day Song as Burning Pants brightened up the night:
Ohhhhhhh
Yippie yippie yay on a tra la la la lay
I got a Fancy Pantaloon today!
It’s blue and green and red and gray
And when I get my inseam done I say…
Oh!
Yippie yippie yay on a tra la la la lay
I got a Fancy Pantaloon today!
It bunches up when on the bed I lay
And when I get my inseam done I say…
Oh!
Yippie yippie yay on a tra la la la lay
I got a Fancy Pantaloon today!
etc. etc.
Good times, good times.
OK, got to ask, Air 1 & 2 – What Sex Scene?
Did anyone else in the UK see this scene? Cause I must of blinked and missed it. Did SKY cut it or something?
Are Sky are going to cut all the ‘adult’ scenes? Verification yeah or nay would be great.
Thanks
G’day Joe
Christmas in winter that is a very strange notion. It is stinking hot here Christmas Day!!
The best to fix a computer is to drop it in the ocean and get a new one.
Hey Joe
Just curious as to the events in Air 3 taking place between the Rush/Greer Desert Scuffle, and Rush Making Greer shoot, without a second thought, that guy going for the gate, especially considering Greers mentioned insubordinance.
did they gain some sort of mutual respect, or was this just to demonstrate Greer’s trigger-happiness, and Rush’s ruthlessness? or something else entirely?
Avatar
I’ve been pushing for a new holiday, or at least a special hunting season, for years. It’s simple enough. One pays a liscence fee and in turn are allowed to hunt a particular politician during that season. The higher level the politican the higher the fee. We get to cull the herds of politician/lawyers and raise revenues at the same time. Win/Win.
Loved the links, especially the CERN article. Talk about mind-twisting concepts….
Just a few quick comments on Open Your Eyes. Certainly, an ambitious tale. Impregnated by a supernova? The book read much like a dream; short scenes, with weird premises that seem normal in the context of the dream, veering wildly in tone and direction. An interesting read, but alas, not one I can say I enjoyed that much. Being a long winded sort myself, I found it difficult to enjoy the short, choppy sentences that dominate the text. The characters never become real to me, despite the lovely artwork. The final twist with the mad computer and the language virus did intrigue me, but I still never felt I was “into” the book. My curiosity on the outcome seemed as remote as the personalities of the characters. I’ll try to have some questions for Mr. Jessup later tonight; time runs short at the moment. thanks for finding the tech support needed to keep your posting streak going, and for the daily dose of fun, silliness, and sometimes bizarre.
@ saltygrapes
You said, “Episodes like “Letters from Pegasus” kind of explored this, but that was an SG-1 episode.”
Letters from Pegasus was an SGA ep. Were you trying to convey a different meaning?
eddy
Hey Joe
Please pass on Happy Birthday hugs to Coopie 🙂
Sorry, Joe…I started reading ‘worst movie accents’, but got totally sidetracked by ‘7 sex tips from Cosmo that will put you in the hospital’!! LOLOLOL!! 😆
And people say I’m a prude… 🙄
das
Hey Joe, can you hire Jennifer Morrison? i read somewhere that shes looking for work.
OK, just checked apparently in the UK the ‘adult’ scenes were cut from the original broadcast but included when they repeated Air 1& 2 later.
Rubbish!
Hi Joe!
You receive so many comments on here, I’d understand if you passed right by mine. I generally only read your posts though was curious enough to comment the other day after seeing a universe-related discussion on a forum.
In episode “Threads”, the “Ascended Times” newspaper had an article entitled, “Edge of the Universe Discovered”. I came across the actual article and, while it is actually pretty funny and reminiscent of Douglas Adams’ H2G2 series and “Restaurant at the End of the Universe”, it makes me wonder and ponder:
Do you think the concept of the edge of the universe might eventually apply within the Stargate Universe series?
Do you think that concept might have potential in the show?
Being that it is Stargate “Universe”, it would be really neat to see an actual direct application of the universe – receiving the spotlight – in either key episodes or even as an actual ongoing theme in the series.
Thank you for your time and a thank you goes to the rest of the Stargate writing and producing team for offering the world an enjoyable stargate science fiction experience.
Hi!
I’ve been reading your website for a while but only review on a couple of times, sorry.
I have a question from some members of my website (forgive me if you already reaplied). It’s a stupid question but we all are curious to know if SGU will have a song for it’s opening credit. Cause many of us loved the music in SG-1 and SGA and we noticed their less music in SGU’s episodes so far.
So if the aired episodes have no song for the opening credit , will this be fixed in the DVDs?
I’m sorry if my english is bad, I’m french and I’m still learning.
Joe thanks to you and Matt
for finding and sharing the LHC article w/ us. I guess that explains why the world hasn’t imploded yet, we’re saving ourselves? We’ll have to wait and see what December brings us, I prefer not to implode. Lol hell we all ready sent a rocket to blowup into the moon, Gotta love Science! And we somewhat normal people think we’re crazy.
Just caught up this morning on the doggies’ Twitpics — I was laughing out loud, both at the pictures and the comments about them. KHAAAAANNN!! 😀
Thanks for posting them!
Hey, Joe!
Awesome episode last night. I can see why Fondy was so fond of Greer by the end – Jamil did a fantastic job! My only complaint is that you guys are making it so hard to have a clear favourite among the cast so far!!
I noticed last night that the “Army” was mentioned in the context of Greer. Is he actually an Army Sergeant, or was Rush just generalising, and actually meant Marines?
Is Greer the first Army person you’ve had? I was watching “Whispers” earlier, and wondered if Major Teldy’s team was all Air Force, or if it was a mix of Marines, Army, etc. What about Lieutenant Cadman – was her black beret in “Duet” because she was in the Army, or just because black is a cool colour?
Please sir, may I have some more?(SGU pics and vids)
You can’t have possibly ran out of pics!!! Im going through SGU withdrawl and ive watched the 3 parts of Air so many times im becoming immune to the medicine. I can’t wait till Friday!! HELP!!!!!
9 days. Dang. Already wrapping. I remember reading your blog entry about shooting the first day of SGU. I was in France at the time, parked at the side of the road, using some free unlocked wifi. Now I can’t believe its almost over. I think im going to cry.
Well with all the ratings you guys are getting, i would bet my life you guys are going to get at least another season, so im not to worried, and ive been hearing more and more good comments on SGU. GO SGU!!
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
I have one of those conditional accents. It changes as soon as I cross a certain border.
I keep getting wrong number calls asking for some Christmas Tree Store. I’m glad I haven’t taken to reminding people when Christmas is – I might’ve betrayed my lack of cultural diversity.
@ AV eddy
I think he was saying that Letters From Pegasus was an SGA episode centered primarily around the SGC which is (technically speaking) SG-1’s territory.
Of course I could be completely off and that might not have been saltygrapes’ point at all. If this is the case… sorry! My bad! =0)
@pg15
TRDMFL (tears rolling down my face laughing) at your fancy pants post!
@Saltygrapes:
I think the episode you meant was “The Pegasus Project” where sg1 travels to atlantis to find merlin’s weapon.
Hello Joseph =)
Waou plus que 9 jours de tournage! ça passe tellement vite!! Je suis impatiente que la saison 1 sorte en VF.
J’espere que votre ordinateur va continuer à fonctionner!
Plus que 2 jours éhéh =P
Gros bisou bisou!
Hi Joe,
Fascinating article – thanks to you and Matt Stover. I’ll be looking for a follow up story in the NY Times at some point after December. If there isn’t one, what would it mean? The Higgs boson grandfather-paradox worked?
I’m with Thornyrose for the most part on Open Your Eyes. But since I have worked with artists in the past, I am used to conceptual creative approaches. So, I did find this fascinating on an intellectual level and will probably read more of Paul Jessup’s writing. Below are my questions for him. And thank you once again for providing this forum. Cheers.
For Paul Jessup:
Open Your Eyes was a short and challenging read for me. It has stuck in my mind long after I finished reading it and has made me curious about reading some of your other stories. I had alot of questions for you but these are the ones I felt most interested in getting some feedback on. Many thanks to you for your time and thoughts.
1. Your writing style seems anything but traditional story telling with a lot of very fantastical ideas. What are your influences and was there a specific idea that motivated you to write this story?
2. There is a remarkable absence of exposition in this story but it’s a very vivid descriptive style you use to tell it. I am not sure if I “got” everything as I had to make some mental leaps to understand what some things were. As a writer, do you consciously pare down or avoid using exposition and if so, why?
3. Given the little exposition, your descriptions are very vivid and fantastic. After I read this story, I seemed to be recalling the world you created almost more than the actual story. Was this purposeful – or is this just what I personally took away from this book?
4. Puppets, puppets everywhere. What drew you to use puppets as opposed to other Scifi A.I.’s such as androids, etc.? Was it to blur the line between humans and A.I.’s? Or, do you just like puppets?
5. Everyone (the humans) seemed damaged physically and/or emotionally. Some are actually physically dependent on technological devices for survival. Ekhi seems to be the most healthy human. Is this why the Super Nova chose to impregnate her? And, how did you come up with this idea?
6. No one is who they appear to be and everyone has an agenda. In fact, they seem obsessed with their own personally, crippling agendas. Ekhi is the only one who is simply trying to survive. And, she has no fear of her impending galactic childbirth.
Throughout the invasion of the ship; the ship’s AI’s mutiny; and the transmission of the virus – all I kept thinking was – “Yeah, just wait till Ekhi gives birth. All this stuff will seem like baby-food.” But no one, including Ekhi, seemed to be thinking this way. How come?
7. The end of the story was really open-ended. There was little closure for me as a reader. It was both hopeless and hopeful at the same time, at least for me. It was certainly not obvious that mankind would fare well with what looked like a new “galactic” beginning. Was there a broader idea you intended to end the book with that I just didn’t get?
Joe, you serious about the two-word titles for the second season? I had a vague suspicion that might end up happening, but kudos on it if so. But then, that raises the question… what if you get some ten-odd years out of this one? Nevermind that, even five a la SGA? I look forward to ‘The One With Evil Intentions’ and ‘The One With The Furlings’ as much as the next guy, but…
What is the best way to show my support for SGU?
@o6untouchable
Greer is a Marine. His uniform is certinly and marine uniform and an army person would be way out of line to wear a marine uniform with his name on it. So hes a marine. Only army people we saw ever in Stargate that I can recall was in Dominion and in a flashback we see a army team dressed in digital army camo go through the gate. I think it was SG-25.
@clarks’girl
The adult scene was quite adult, if it was just kissing that would be rubbish, but it was pretty graphic and I don’t blame sky one for cutting it.
to the first link…:
There are NO serious (acknowledged) Climate change sceptics!!!! that’s what they want you to believe in North America or Brittan.
human-induced climate change is real and every educated person knows that!!!
I was woundering, why on “Earth” didn’t Icarus base have an energy shield? with all that energy in the core of the planet they’d have been able to shield the entire planet… (According to my calculations- but I never was that great at maths…) I mean i’d have thought the Tauri would have learnt something about defence from all the previous experiences on off world bases. maybe they could have even phase cloaked Icarus base with Merlins tech? I also think that we should have seen 2 of the 3 Hataks being totaly blown to pieces by the Hammond, I mean we have seen what the X-304 can do to ships a heck of alot more powerfull than that of the Hatak… even if the Hataks were upgraded they just can’t be that great! unless of course the Lucian Alliance found technology we don’t yet know about.”
Anyway that’s just me being picky. I absolutely love SGU, it’s my idea of the perfect show… Stargate + realistic charcaters = EPIC
I’m looking forwards to seing more Aliens, I’m guessing Mr.Sand tornado was one, that or… damn i’ve got to go out into the desert and get me one of those hallucinations! preferably one that don’t contain a priest though hehe.
Joey…
Do you only have the laptop? No desktop at the house? Doesn’t Fondy have her own computer that you can commandeer in an emergency? Aren’t I nosey?? 😀
das
Hey Joseph,
Can I ask who is the cg artist responsible for making the destiny ship for Stargate Universe and does he have a website.
@PG15: PML 🙂
Interesting links. I’ve read that before about global warming. They are slowly calling it something else? Climate change, I think the new name is. Something for the “greenies” to embrace.
Naurelle: So Ralph has a hard head? You suspected he would go after the critter again. Can you trap the critter for relocation?
Sounds like his current wound is on the mend. That spot can granulate in (takes longer) but your vet sounds very competent. The ladies do “dig” scars 😉 . Maybe, you should start paying the vet to build up a credit for other “critter” attacks 😀 .
Mr. M, have you decided which shows to give a chance? Does your wife like to watch shows with you? Maybe, you should let her pick.
Tam
The article on the LHC reminded me of the Chronology Protection Conjecture, which basically says that the universe prohibits time travel from existing. Larry Niven proposed a similar concept earlier. He pointed out that a universe in which time travel was possible was inherently unstable, as the timeline would keep being changed. So like an atom in an excited quantum state, the universe would naturally “collapse” into the most stable state possible – a state in which time travel was rendered impossible.
Hm. Time to go write another story….
@Michael A. Burstein – Niven’s concept doesn’t sit well with me. Atoms do sometimes exist at higher energies than the most stable state possible. The energy level will collapse into a trough and won’t collapse further until a there is activation energy to drive the collapse.
Perhaps only universes destined to have effective time cops can exist.
Any indication yet as to whether or not during the SGU hiatus the SG1 & SGA movies will move into production? & if so will they be effected by your trip to Japan?
PG15 – Stressful day? 🙂
Tammy Dixon Ralph is so stubborn. We’re looking at Pet Health Insurance for Ralph. He’s damn expensive!
The vets were amazing. We ended up seeing at least 5 different vets from the same Hospital. One nurse in particular would see Ralph in the waiting room and let out a big “RAAAAAAAAAALPH!” She’d come over, give him a hug, he’d drown her in licks and all the small dog owners thought she was nuts. But then they’d see Ralph trying to get away from all the scary small dogs by trying to sit on my lap and they stopped thinking Ralph was such a scary dog. Who said it’s just humans that are exposed to prejudice.
Okay, here’s my thought on Open Your Eyes:
I think the little blurb on the back of the book sums the story up pretty well as a “surrealistic space opera.”
Open Your Eyes is certainly surrealistic from the opening scene with Ekhi and her lover on to the space ships made out of some organism that everyone is living inside of and weird goth wax battle “dolls” that are controlled by the “heart” of the ship or whoever is in control of it and linguistic virus that melt your brain.
“ Space opera” – yep, it’s that, too. We have a dysfunctional bunch of individuals all traveling together, each trying to fulfill their own desires and every one of them being manipulated in some way by someone else who is using them to accomplish their own hidden agenda.
The whole story is presented from the perspective of the characters (including the AI) but the characters are hard to get a grip on. The I thought Ekhi, the human impregnated by a supernova and now carrying a galaxy within her was the most normal and easiest to understand. Hodei seemed a pretty average guy until I realized that he had the consciousness of a playboy centerfold stuck in his head. I never could figure out what Mari got out of her relationship with Sugoi, aside from the sex. Sugoi was detestable. And I found Itsasu bizarre but oddly compelling with her quest to resurrect her dead husband. And I honestly felt bad for her when it turned out that the “heart” had be the one pulling her strings all along as it tried to be united with its creator in the Heavenly Lands.
“…vision of a post technological future bereft of a human core…” yeah, that describes the setting pretty well. The world is pretty bleak, but has its moments of stark beauty.
The writing style kind of kept me off balance. Everything was “in the moment.” The perspective shifts from one character to another and the reader is given only what that individual is experiencing or thinking about at that particular time. No words are spent on setting the stage or explaining what any of the oddly named things, like mozorro or thalna are or how they function. They are just there and go about their business. I guess that is what you meant by the lack of exposition, Joe. I found the story was easier to follow on the second reading, but that was mostly because I had sort of figured out what a Patuek, mozorro, egia and thalna were.
Overall, I sort of liked it in a bizarre, surrealistic kind of way. And I found the ending enigmatic, but rather hopeful.
Joe, you said that Ekhi sort of disappeared after her introduction. I can see how you might think that, She so passive that she sort of faded into the background – just an incubator for the little galaxy-to- be.
Questions for Paul Jessup:
1. Where did the idea of a language as a virus that could infect humans come from?
2. Sex with a supernova?
3. Do the names of the things like mozorro and thalna mean something or did you create them? Are they based on a particular language?
4. How do (does) the Patuek work? At first I thought they were some type of implant but in another section they seem to be some kind of nanomachine creeping into Hodei. And Iuski’s brother explains that he sent Iuski’s Patuek out on radio waves. I’m confused.
5. Do you have a favorite character in Open Your Eyes?
That should have been “thoughts” not “thought” as there are obviously more than one thought there…
Hey, Narelle! Maybe that CERN thingie is going to make a rift and we’ll finally get to meet the rocker Elves! ( if you are not Narelle please refer to Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series for clarification)
OK,OK,OK
On the Higgs boson search. Can’t be done. Has anyone seen the proof. no way. no such animal. completely inelegant with too many unknowns.
time is a variable. gravity too. can you ‘catch’ a gravity particle? hmm…light? this boson is called the ‘God particle’, and IMHO cannot be found as a particle because it is a level of vibration. they are looking for ‘God’ in the wrong place.
@pg15. thank you for a gut busting laugh. I fear my own memories of that lovely holiday are immpaired by the head trauma suffered trying to get up on some of those stilts you mentioned.
@TMartin. Actually, one can disagree with the idea of human induced global warming. Bear in mind that climate is not a 2,3, or even 10 componant phenomena. There is evidence to support the argument, and points to counter the evidence. What I find most annoying about the global warming proponants is their assumption that they can in fact manipulate the envirement and climate to meet their unreachable goal of a “stable” climate. I fear the whole issue has been too politicised. In the meantime, perhaps less ad hominim attacks and more presentation of the evidence would serve to make your point better.
I’m watching Dragon’s Den right now on CBC, actually a pretty good show. you catch any episodes Joe?
Entrepeneurs show off their inventions in the hopes that the Dragons (wealthy investors) will purchase an equity share into their company. They aren’t all horrible disasters, some are quite ingenious and actually work!
I think this weekend you may be getting a bit of a ratings bump actually. There are some I know who wait a few weeks to hear the buzz before starting a series and I don’t think they are alone in that as I have done that for some others as well (Castle, Burn Notice, and Lie to Me are examples). I waited a good 2 or 3 weeks before stepping in, but recorded them on the DVR anyway just in case.
I really wish ratings systems would catch up with technology. I am pretty sure you’d already see better numbers.
Anyway, I look forward to this weekend (my B-day) and am excited for the next ep.
Quick three questions, c’mon “Young! The New Mission has Arrived, Save Our Justice, Human Hair, and the Country of Tea!” isn’t a good enough title to bring titles back next season? Hmm? Hmm?
You know it’s gotta be a good show with a title like that!
Hey Joe,
I was just in Chocoatl with my brother, and they said that they’ve lost their company… There was some deal and someone screwed them over (from what I got – I didn’t want to pry …)…
They’re always amazing when I go in there, and they’re always so nice (which I guess you know already) – can’t believe this happened to them.
Just thought you might want to know…
Nadine
How much time takes place between the series finale of Stargate Atlantis and “Air” Part One on Stargate Universe.
Sparrow_hawk – We can always dream. Mmmmm **gazes into distance**
Joe, you completely made my geek-birthday dream come true! Thank you so much for the birthday shout out (Thanksgiving Day)….I can now die happy, thought I’ll try not to for a long time 🙂 I think that was the most fun gift I’ve had since I still collected Barbie stuff…lol. Now that I’m 38, it’s been many, many years – thank you!
PG15 – thank you too for the birthday wishes! What a birthday!!!
Still smiling 2 days later…*happy sigh*.
Thanks for sharing the link to the LHC article. Nothing clears the mind at the end of the day like an article on temporal anomalies.
Well, that, and maybe PG15’s holiday song helped too. Thanks for a good laugh — much needed after spending a night and a day (and an alarmingly large amount of money) at the pet emergency clinic trying to sort out my cat’s mysterious illness. Happily Sydney cat is doing better today but we still don’t know what was wrong in the first place. If only pets could talk…
– KB
P.S. (and a complete non sequitur) After a few jobless months, I’m officially tired of the “unemployed” word and am now soliciting suggestions for incomprehensibly buzzwordy alternatives. My former employer said we laid-off folks were “retrenched”, but I thought that sounded a bit too… fungal … for everyday use. At the moment I’m leaning towards “workfully-challenged”, but I’m open to other suggestions if any of the creative readers here have ideas. 🙂
Hello Mr. Mallozzi,
Just have to say that I’ve been a lurker for literally years now.
And I thought I’d let you know how much I and a whole heck of a lot of others appreciate all the time that you put into this franchise as well as the time you put into this blog. You don’t have to answer our questions or give us tidbits on SG-1/Atlantis/SGU but you do anyway. Not many people would take that time that they could be spending with their families or pugs and spend it answering fans questions. And you put up with a whole heck of a lot of crap from us fans as well. And get accused sometimes (okay okay a lot) for doing absolutely nothing.
We appreciate so much that you do Mr. Mallozzi, never forget that!
P.S. I’m sure this has been mentioned many many times, but I was wondering if we’d ever be able to see those pictures that Jack has in his office?
Is there any news on the sg-1 and atlantis movies, and is it true; that if Extinction succeeds the SGA series will be picked back up? Question 3: How would the Destiny know that 4 of the 5 available gates were dangerous (when the ancients normally put them on habitable planets)? Can’t wait ’til friday!
@Brian – This is the first I have heard about ” … is it true; that if Extinction succeeds the SGA series will be picked back up?”
But, it would be great if this were true! I hope it is. I have nothing against SGU. I think that according to the ratings, it is off to a good start. And, everyone is looking forward to seeing how SGU progresses this season. But, Atlantis is what drew me into Stargate.
I would buy 3 copies of Extinction on DVD to help SGA come back. Paul McGillion would need to be a main cast member, though. I just love his character, and the rest of the cast he was a part of as well.
Peace and Love,
j
Hi Joe – Now that the SGU premier has been shown, some of us over on Gateworld are quite curious about the photos in Jack’s office at the Pentagon (on the walls, his desk, the credenza, etc.). We’re all very curious as to who and what those photos are of, and would very much appreciate it if you could post them here. Thanks very much. Oh, and was he really playing computer chess while talking to Colonel Young?:)
(I posted this in the wrong month, so if this item pops up in September, my apologies – I copied it and moved it over to October … :))
@DP:
I have to admit that the excited atom analogy was my own affectation, and not part of what Niven actually said. So blame me for that one.
Wikipedia actually has a nice discussion of this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niven's_laws :
@AV eddy
“Letters from Pegasus was an SGA ep. Were you trying to convey a different meaning?”
Meant “Pegasus Project”… GAHH!! lol
Once you go Mac…you don’t go back… 🙂