Yeaaah!  Patriots lose!  Patriots lose!!!  Wide Receiver Wes Welker was the one looking mighty light on his feet on that final drive, first taking that monster hit, then dropping a sure touchdown pass.  Ah, well.  There’s always next year.  As for this year, I’m holding out hope for a Jets-Packers Superbowl.  Or, at the very least, a Steeler-less Superbowl.

Okay, things to get done this week: break issues 3 and 4 of the comic book series, get to work on that pilot script I was supposed to finish before I left for Tokyo, do my banking, box and garage things lying about the house that in all probability I won’t be using anytime in the near future (ie. that straw sunhat), steam clean the carpet in preparation for movie matinee with the gang, movie matinee with the gang, make arrangements with my accountant, clean my home office, clean my work office, find out about what the future holds re: Stargate.  And I’ll probably squeeze some reading and a few work-outs as well.

I’d also like to go back over my vast behind-the-scenes photo archive and see if there were any pics I may have missed.  Like maybe this one –

Or this one –

Or this one –

Or even this one –

To be honest, after 4+ years of daily blogging, I’m not exactly sure what I’ve uploaded.

Mailbag:

Quade writes: “Well here is something more dissapointing than Stargate being cancelled, I didn’t win the lotto.”

Answer: Clearly, you didn’t want it badly enough.  You need to try harder next time.

Lisa R. writes: “Had a question for you. What do you think of Allen Steele?”

Answer: Haven’t read him yet.  Recommended?

Jeffrey writes: “I do have to laugh at the assumption, though, that of course I’m a disgruntled SGA fan out for revenge.”

Answer: Never said you were out for revenge – just, obviously, someone with an axe to grind.

Jeffrey also writes: ” As far as costs go, your telling us in truth that inflation, increasing dollar parity, and rising production costs account for the entire increase in budget that SGU received?”

Answer: Most of it, yes.  It doesn’t take a genius to see the truth in this.

Jeffrey also writes: ” I’m trying to be realistic about the facts as they are, trying to see the best way forward for Stargate in the future.”

Answer: Actually, it sounds like you’re trying to skew the facts to bolster your particular agenda which is, in fact, a step back for the franchise.  You can go on about how Atlantis’s numbers were better than SGU’s and thereby conclude Universe performed poorly in comparison and I could, just as easily, compare SG-1’s superior numbers to Atlantis’s ratings and conclude SGA performed poorly in comparison.  I think this is a simplistic approach that doesn’t take many things into account (like the rise in online viewership and DVR use) but there you have it.

Deni writes: ” If the Harsesis child had all the knowledge and the secrets of the Goa’uld, would one Goa’uld have only half?”

Answer: Not sure I understand the question.  Is the assumption that a singular goa’uld would possess all the knowledge of goa’uldom?

@iom666 writes: “Why was the SGU shooting happening so far ahead of the air date ? I mean there is easily 6-9 months difference. I understand season 1 was done shooting before the pilot even aired, this is insane !”

Answer: It’s not as simple as just shooting the episode, editing it together, and releasing it.  Many layers of post-production are added before we can call it a finished product, from sound and color correction to music and visual effects (which necessitate some significant lead time).  Also, we always started production at the beginning of the year because we were always a summer show.  In fact, when Stargate: Universe was picked up by the network, we were told we would be premiering in July – only to be moved to the fall.

@iom666 also writes: “When is too late too late ? In other words, what is the point of no return, when actors/crew would be committed to other work and could not come back for a season 3? Are we there yet ? And if we are, is this totally irreversible ?”

and Alex writes: “Are the SGU actors all still game for a third season or DVD movie etc? Is there an inherent risk of them getting attached to new projects the longer the show is in limbo or are they contractually obligated for a certain period of time?”

Answer: It really depends on what we’ll be moving forward with be it a third season, a mini-series, or movies.  There will admittedly be issues with some actors, again depending on if and when we finalize a plan and schedule, but they shouldn’t be insurmountable.

Bailey writes: “You probably know this, given my past posts, but I would have rather had one season more of Atlantis!!”

Answer: I would have liked another season of Atlantis as well and, way back when (as I’ve mentioned in previous posts), Brad and Robert were prepared to wait on Universe and launch it after SGA’s sixth season (presuming it got that sixth season pick up), but the network made a big push as it was very eager to premiere SGU in 2009.

DF writes: “Well, whenever Syfy actually decides to air the rest of the season…they are going to air it right?”

Answer: Alas, I have no idea what the network has planned for the back half of season 2.

Alli Snow writes: “I just finished reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and really enjoyed it.”

Answer: So did I.  The second book in the series comes out this Spring.

Tenacious D. writes: “Oh my god. Any of you guys seen Berserk? It’s an anime.”

Answer: Yep.  http://josephmallozzi.com/2010/05/23/may-23-2010-lets-talk-anime/

Jay writes: “I always find it kinda interesting to watch all the Atlantis support in the questions. The reason I started reading this blog so may years ago was because I enjoyed watching a writer defend your show against angry fans when they apparently hated everything you did on Atlantis. Well, when it was on the air at least. Now that it’s gone apparently it was perfect, and SGU is the real problem.”

Answer: The longer a series is on the air, the more fans will find something to object to.  Also, the longer a series is on the air, the more likely fans are to assume ownership of it.  Stargate has produced 17 season of television and two movies so, yes, it will have accrued plenty of fan entitlement and criticism over the years.

feanor writes: “Well it’s bad that SGU has been cancelled and maybe the entire francise may come to an abrupt end. But think about it. It’s not the end of the world. The sun will shine tomorrow and there are better things to do then complain about who did/didn’t do what. In the end … it’s just TV.”

Answer: True.  While I’d love to see Stargate continue in some form (and chances are it will), the reality is all good things come to an end.

Merced writes: “Was the bashing of SGA as bad in it’s time or was it pretty much the same as with SGU?”

Answer: In my 11+ season with the franchise, there wasn’t a year that went by when there wasn’t some form of organized online criticism against a certain aspect of a particular show.

Flappo writes: “I have just rewatched the episode Sabotage. I have noticed that the repair robot pushes the damaged FTL Section away. Did the crew left this part behind or did they take it with them?”

Answer: Nope.  It’s gone.

Flappo also writes: “How are the dogs?”

Answer: Great.  They’ve been enjoying afternoon naps and occasional walks.  Also, the NFL Football playoffs.

Robert writes: “Apart from your excellent work on the Star Gate franchise,
Is there any current or past Sci fi show’s you would like to or would have liked to have worked on. ?”

Answer: I greatly enjoyed shows like Farscape and Firefly, but given the opportunity to work on another SF project beside Stargate, it would be the series Paul and I are developing now – due tofirst  be released as a comic book in early 2012.

Elliott writes: “Anyway, I was just wondering, assuming everything does go according to plan and SGU is back in production, what form would that take? A third season? A movie? A miniseries? Or is it too early to say?”

Answer: Too early to say but, ideally, all of the above.

Brandon Williford writes: ”

Have you ever come across a book that you’ve really wanted to read but it took a few times to get into it?”

Answer: Yep.  And plenty of books I’ve given up on after many repeated attempts.

Asdasdg writes: “So, making the assumption that the Ancients might of had other ships out in the Pegasus galaxy that were manned (example: Aurora) at the time of the evacuation, it is possible that an Aurora class ship actualy came to our galaxy to settle on Earth. But, someone (say Janus) decides to conceal it using technology similar to the Tech used to conceal Merlin’s treasure stash on Earth. Is it possible that such a ship could exsist only waiting to be discovered by Earth?”

Answer: Sure, it’s possible.

Asdasdg also writes: “What aditional Secrets could Destiny house?”

Answer: What secrets indeed?  Hopefully, you’ll have the opportunity to find out.

flo writes: “SG1 was about discovering the galaxy, and dealing with a much more powerfull enemy, while at the same time, discovering the ancients and humanity’s true origin.
Then Atlantis saw humanity claiming their legacy as the ancient’s “children”.
Finally, in SGU, they had the potentiel to go even farther than the ancients ever went. I really wish we will see in some form what the whole “message in the fabric of the universe” is all about one day.”

Answer: Well said!

Moriel writes: “1. This was bugging me since the first day I saw G36 in the Stargate franchise. It might have been asked before, but since when US Military personnel use the G36? AFAIK it was never issued and only 2 police forces in the US use it at all. So in that sense the M4/AR15/M16 should be used universally, unless the Stargate program doesn’t like standart issue stuff.”

Answer: Well, the Stargate program IS special.  Also, a lot of the weaponry is dependent on actor preference.

“2. Do you have a simple recipe for a quick vegetable salad?”

Answer: Not really.  I do a (somewhat) simple salad of lettuce, avocado, dates, walnuts, green onions, crushed garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and truffle oil.

TheSGC writes: “Do you have any predictions for the Super Bowl?”

Answer: Rooting for the Packers.

max writes: “Seeing that Science Fiction series are dying left, right, and center, do you have any plans to move onto a different genre (read as more mainstream) for writing or directing?”

Answer: We have several different genre scripts ready to go.

Zee writes: “I am just wondering if perhaps, looking soley at the ratings for the 3 shows, there would be more interest from fans in a continuation of SG1 or SGA than for SGU. Would those numbers enter into the decision on which series to attempt a follow up on?”

Answer: If the ratings were a level playing field, then that might into the decision-making process, but they aren’t so they don’t.  If ratings were the sole measure regardless of when the show aired, then they’d still be making Gunsmoke movies.

Drew writes: “That got me thinking, since you talk about and/or photograph your collegues and friends a lot on your blog, do they get recognised in the street like that often? How do they feel about it, is it weird and odd or are they cool with it? Do you get random people saying “Hi” to you? Any funny stories about it?”

Answer: Funnily enough – yes, they have been recognized.  I think they found it weird but flattering.  I don’t get much “Hey, aren’t you that guy who produces Stargate?” reaction when I’m out and about but, surprisingly enough, I have been recognized.  Once in Montreal, in the dead of winter, in the middle of the night, on an all but deserted street.  Weird.

Sean D. writes: “Is there any connection between the 146 elements mentioned in SG1 and the number 46 mentioned in SGU (beyond the obvious sharing of 4 and 6 ;) )?”

Answer: Not that I know of.  But Brad or Robert may say differently.

76 thoughts on “January 16, 2011: Playoff football! Behind-the-scenes pics I may (or may not) have overlooked! More mailbag!

  1. One questions that is nagging me still goes unanswered. Would it be completely off base to say that the Stargate franchise is dead on SyFy after SGU ends its run? I understand the details involved in making network decisions, but as a viewer, I feel the network isn’t exactly a communication dream. Finding out about a cancellation on Twitter is very unprofessional.

  2. A big thanks to Joe for the latest mailbag responses.
    This is also why I love #SGU: the cast and crew are available and reachable for the fans.
    I do appreciate their commitment and dedication to the show.
    This is also why I DO CARE about them.
    I want the rest of the Destiny’s odyssey and I want that formidable crew and cast to keep their dream job a little longer, they deserve it for their awesome work.
    take care.

  3. Hi Joe, I guess the wording in my question was screwy. Ok, if two Goa’uld mated, supposedly the child born to them would have all the genetic knowledge of all the Goa’uld, right? In “Forever in a Day”, there was a mention that the child would also know all the secrets of the Goa’uld, as well. I guess what hubby wanted to know was if it only the Harsesis would have all that information or if a single Goa’uld would know the same things. Oy, I’m not making any sense. Ok, would the Harsesis be superior to, say, Apophis, then? By the way, I really like the boy that played Shifu. Whoever was in charge of casting back then really knew their stuff 🙂

  4. Hey Joe:
    I asked you this a few days ago , but did not get a response on this. It really has been on my mind quite a bit while watching SGU. Here is my question again :
    I have been wondering about a change that was made in SGU compared to the other shows.
    It is about when someone walks through the stargate.
    In the past (SG1 and Atlantis) when someone would walk through the gate we would see a short little scene where you saw a wormhole and then they appeared to come out of the new gate.
    Now when someone walks through the gate you hear a little noise for a split second then they appear to come through the other gate.
    Did you decide not to do the wormhole scene since these gates dont travel too far compared to the gates in the Mikly Way and Pegasus galaxies ? I really miss seeing the wormhole before they appear at the new gate.
    I also love the sound effects that these new gates make when the chevrons lock (SGU) . It really sounds great coming through a surround sound system with a subwoofer!
    Props go out to your sound effect guys!

  5. Hi Joe, given the finite size of the Destiny.. but potentially unlimited nature of fiction, what pseudo-percentage of the ship remains unexplored? ancient holodeck perhaps? I joke of course. 😉

    Also; does the Stargate production team utilize open source software and/or technologies at all? I remember in early SG-1 days some of the graphical terminals seemed to be using some variety of Unix, I remember once seeing something like ncsa mosaic.. or maybe Mozilla/Netscape.

    What OS do you use personally? traditionalist Windows on PC, OSX on Mac? or something more exotic?

    Take care, eat well, and keep fighting the great fight.. (i.e; the trolls).

    -Bryan.

  6. I really like those pictures, especially…that one. Feel free to post what you got. I’d love to see them again.

  7. See, if I knew you were still doing mailbag questions, I would have asked you more stuff!!! Like…can you sing? Or…do you listen to Sinatra? Or…what’s the worst thing you ever did to your sister? Or…does Todd have any other tattoos that we can’t see? If so, how do YOU know??!

    😉

    das

  8. I’m with you on the “Steeler-less” Super-Bowl, but we’ll have to dis-agree on Green Bay (at least in public, since I live in Chicagoland and I want to keep getting my trash picked up) 😉

    I was rooting for the Ravens (I’m originally from near Baltimore and hence a long frustrated Baltimore-football fan), but now…

  9. @Deni, logically (..for the sake of argument) the Harsesis would contain the knowledge (..memories) of the father and mother and potentially their distinctive ancestors up until the point of divergence.

    Assuming all Goa’uld share a common ancestor, perhaps Apophis and Amaunet have never shared an ancestor, in which case they would have differing genetic memory.

    Then again, it seems very far fetched for genetic memory to span generations like that and not be fragmented..

    So, in the fictional universe of Stargate, even having the knowledge of two Goa’uld means several thousands years of insider info.

    Make sense? No clue.

    -Bryan.

  10. So Joe, could you please re-answer my question so I can get Ron off my back and go to sleep?

  11. I bought a copy of the commemorative SG-1: Celebration of 10 years book from Gateworld. I assume you have it as well and was wondering if yours has like 15 duplicate pages in it right smack in the middle? Because mine does…

  12. let me be the second person to say that if I win the lottery I am giving $40 million for a second season of SGU. just one condition… you have to join me for dinner!

  13. Joe,

    Do you think syfy might be sitting on the remaining episodes of SGU to drum up publicity and viewership? And if so, do you think it could help in getting a renewal or pickup elsewhere?

  14. @Tim. is the Star Trek franchise dead because no movie is in current production? given that we are seeing movie remakes of everything from Brady Bunch to Yogi the Bear, I’m betting that we will eventually see something new from the SG franchise. What that something will be, and if I will want to see it, is the unanswerable question.
    Great pics. You’ve done well this week. Lots of mailbag, fair amount of tantalizing clues, hints, and what does he mean by that. Got to see the doggies, Refuel. And I’m particularly enjoying watching you try to figure out exactly what you will be doing in the next year. Thanks for sharing and keeping us informed.

  15. Will we see the Ancients in some form, either human or ascended in the back half of season 2?

  16. @Kat, you mean third? there is already a second season.. and half of it hasn’t air yet.

  17. I’m surrounded by people who hate the Patriots. It’s hard being a fan of one of the top teams. No respect, I tell you. (Choking today, aside.)

    But, I’m hoping for a Packers Super Bowl, too. I can’t wait to imagine Favre crying in a ball in the corner when Rodgers wins after being a starter for only 3 years.

  18. Sean D., 46 and 146 – pretty sure it is just coincidence.

    46 is the number of chromosomes a human has (Human being the name of the episode….)

  19. Even if you dislike the Steelers, you can’t deny that Antonio Brown’s catch was awesome. Though I will admit a bias. I go to Central Michigan and had a class with him. He seemed nice.

    Not that the niceness of players should be why a person likes football teams. Though that this the reason why I do not like the Bengals.

  20. Hey Joe,

    I think I am still tired just thinking about your to do list. I am very impressed! You are not only busy…but diversified. I love all your picture show-n-tells. Does someone really complain if you load a picture twice? Oh my…

    I am so happy for you and Paul for the comic deal. What a dream that must have fulfilled. Wow…I can’t wait to see it….of course I remember you saying it will be awhile. But…I am sure you will keep us entertained until then.

    Your mailbag…I swear I won’t read it all..but I get sucked in and do anyway. Your comment about airing the back ten is killing me. We have to worry about THAT too? OMG…Note to Self: Do not ask Joe questions and do not read mail bag! I’m kidding…but not…crap

    *sigh* I am glad you are feeling better…and that Jelly is too. I love the idea of you watching football with the pups settled all around you. There…I feel better already.

    Best to you Joe,
    Always,
    Cheryl 🙂

  21. Greetings Joe,

    If you launch your comic book series this year, will you and Paul be attending COMIC-CON in San Diego this year?

    Thanks

  22. Since the Giants didn’t make it, Jeff will be rooting for the Jets. I will be rooting for whatever team is playing against whatever team he is rooting for, just to keep things interesting (and keep him very, very annoyed).

    Guess who crawled out of the cesspool? No, not me. Patrick’s school district. They apparently want to meet with me. Perhaps grovel about how they are now ready to meet all of Patrick’s needs and how I need to put him back in their care (possibly). Perhaps they are just covering their butts legally (probably more like it). Can you say, “Talk to the hand?” If they aren’t going to voluntarily offer to pay for the private placement, then they are wasting 19 people’s time that day. The day I ever let them touch my child again is…um….NEVER. Doesn’t appear I can get out of this one. If I don’t go, it does let them off the hook legally. So go I shall. Bringing my pitbull advocate with me. They can talk to him. I think I’ll bring my IPod so I don’t have to listen to them. A-holes.

  23. So, still trying to catch up on the episodes… Can you explain why Simeon was allowed to just wander around the ship menacing people in a clearly villainous way with only one guy guarding him when everyone else who they had even the least cause to suspect of potentially doing something bad was kept under lock and key?

  24. Never seen those pics before. Nice addition to the blog.

    I go away and the insano people take over the blog. Enough already. Not you, Joe. I wish I would win the lottery too. I never win anything. I’d give you some money, I swear.

    I’d like to see a Packers Superbowl also. It’s been a while since they were in it. Surprised that the Patriots were beaten. Very surprised. Happy that the Seahawks are done. Pete Carroll is sort of a bad word here in California since he basically ruined a whole college football program (I know, I know, it wasn’t just him).

  25. I have a question on the Lucian alliance planned attack on earth. Would earth be in any great danger from a Lucian alliance attack? I mean, they got some pretty nice tech now from Atlantis and from the Asgard, so it almost seems that if the Lucian alliance would decide to attack earth, it wouldn’t really be as big of a threat as everyone is acting like in SGU. Anyway, whats your take on this?

  26. Hi Joe,

    First of all – great blog. Makes great reading as a Stargate and general book fan…..but also love it for all the gastronomy stuff!

    Right, first question:

    1) Sort of touching on a previous post by someone else – is the question of getting a SG-1 or SGA movie into production solely a question of money? If so, with production costs about $7 – $8 million (based on wikipedia info for the previous two movies) it would ‘only’ take 500.000 loyal stargate fans to stump up a measly $20 to get a $10 million kitty together – which should more than cover the cost of a single movie?

    In all seriousness, is there anyway you think this could work? The stargate franchise is pretty big so I would imagine that there should be enough fans (worldwide) to give this a go? perhaps the logistics would be insurmountable though?

    2) Bit random, but i just watched a program about the plight of sharks now that shark fin soup as become incredibly popular. Have you ever tried shark fin soup and if so, what did you think?

  27. Tim wrote:

    …Finding out about a cancellation on Twitter is very unprofessional.

    Skffy (AKA SyFy) was forced into the twitter mode of cancellation confirmation from a news leak posted online. They were playing catch up once the news was out on the web.

    There was a more orderly notification through MGM planned for after holidays in January sometime I guess. But with instant News distribution through the various web interfaces, expect more shows doing it on twitter after online News leaks.

  28. Whoa, that was one lengthy mailbag. 😉 Number of daily hits is very surprising. Never imagined it’s *that* much.

    Speaking of lottery… I should really start playing it. I used to think I’m one of those who never ever wins anything. That all changed after I won the SGU 1.0 DVD set (thank you, Joe!), and a few months later 1.5 DVD set. Crazy stuff.

    After that things have gone uphill. First big downer – in a quite long period of time – was Syfy not picking up Universe for a third season. But there’s hope!

    If I ever happen to win ridiculously lots of money, I’ll surely be ready to help out my favorite franchise. But not before insuring the well being of my family and future. Sorry. Bad fan, I know. 😛

    One thing that’s concerning is the lack of new about SGU season 2.0 DVD/BR releases… :S Usually there’s been something announced by this time, no? If I won’t happen to win the set this time :P, I’ll buy it!

  29. Hi Joe, just to say I really enjoy the blog, I’ve been reason for a while but this is the first time I’ve commented. Sorry in advance for the long question.

    We know that MGM see the Stargate franchise as an important part of their property rights, after all they mentioned it alongside Bond in their bankruptcy case. Now they are out of bankruptcy and have green lit the next Bond movie is their a push, not only from the Stargate team, but also from MGM, to save SGU and continue Stargate in some form?

  30. I most certainly recommend Allen Steele. His stuff is great, and I haven’t even read it all. The ones I have read include: Coyote, Coyote Rising, Coyote Frontier, and Coyote Horizon. Working on Spindrift now. The world he put together (Coyote) was absolutely fascinating, and the characters were wonderfully complex. I think you would enjoy it.

  31. Hey Joe,

    Is it possible that Amanda Perry is not dead? It was very interesting to see the other side of doctor Rush. I loved what you guys did with that love story happening between them.

    thanks and…

    sorry for my English

  32. Hey Joseph,

    I just wanted to say that I think it is really cool how you answer everyone’s questions on here. People attack you but you don’t filter it you just post it like it is. You don’t have an agenda. Have you ever thought of becoming a judge or magistrate? Maybe writing a column on ethics? You should think about it!

    Kat

  33. Hi Joe,
    Love SGU and hope you find a way to continue. I’m afraid you will be disappointed when it comes to a Steeler-less Superbowl;) It’s goona be #7

  34. Hello =) Comment ça va today?

    Moi super, j’ai passée un super week end…et je me suis rendu compte que j’était une pro au bowling lol/

    Je vois que vous suivez encore la nfl^^, moi j’ai regarder un match de rugby du championnat europeen, je suis contente une

  35. ….dsl petit problème, voici la suite//=S

    une équipe française à gagner !! =)

    Lol super vos salades 🙂 …dans les miennes il y’a plus de fromage ou de charcuterie que de salade ^^…tiens ça me fais penser que Samedi j’ai essayée le “Salade Bars” de Mcdo,vraiment miame..!!!

    Merci pour ces questions!

    Gros bisou!!!!
    =)

  36. I have a few questions:

    1. Somebody posted a question about solar flares intercepting wormhole while recharging and we know that episode 2.12 ‘Twin Destinies’ deals with Rush coming back from the future, is this going to happen on the mentioned way?

    2. What happened with Tria (Aurora-class battleship from ‘The Return’)? Is it left between galaxies? Did the Ancients come back and got it rapaired? If it is still out there is it possible that humans can repair its hyperdrive and use it for their own purposes? And finaly was its ZPM brought back to Atlantis or it was left behind?

  37. @PBMom

    Fight the power, girl!

    @Joe

    I’ve lost track of all the new projects you have a’cooking. Can you run through them again for us?

  38. I’m rootin’ for the Steeler’s. I’m still bummed about my Giants not making it to the playoffs. It just sickens me on how they blew their chance. 🙁 I’ve never been a Jets fan.

    Thanks for those BTS pics. David looks great. Ben looks handsome as always. Martin lookin’ good. Will and Jamil look adorable. Awwww…the memories. 🙂

  39. I hear Craig @SyFy is preparing an extensive blog about TV ratings, presumably to provide some evidence to explain its role in channel decisions regarding renewals & cancellations. He has asked for fan input re questions & concerns.

    Of the remaining teams, hope Super Bowl is Bears-Jets with a Bears win.
    DD

  40. So Joe, three mailbags in a row and I can’t get a question answered! I’m not complaining but just wondering if I broke some kind of protocol or weblog rules? Maybe I should criticize you to get your attention, funnily is not a word!

  41. Playoffs: The Bears and the Jets…Yeah!!! Being from Chicago but living in NJ I’d be ecstatic if either of those teams won.

    A few posts ago you mentioned you may plan a foodie trip to NYC. If you do, you MUST make a side trip to Montclair,NJ. It’s only 20 miles away….in fact I think most of the new folks moving in town are from NY – including a lot of actors and writers and musicians…and it’s packed with restaurants. You name a cuisinine, we’ve got it…Thai, French, LOTS of Italian, Ethiopian, Jamaican, Greek, Southern soul food, Japanese, Mexican…I could go on. Seem to me it has the most restaurants per acre of any town its size in NJ.

    So here’s your official invite. Come check it out — and let me know if you do. My husband and I can give you a food tour. Ooo, invite Gero, too.

  42. PBmom: good luck with your meeting!

    Das: I saw the shoe tree in Alabama and made my hubby turn around so I could snap a picture. I love finding oddities 😀 .

    Mr. M.: Thanks for the pictures and mailbag!

  43. @ online criticism against a certain aspect of a particular show.

    Reminds me of when people were objecting/hating on Keller being introduced into Atlantis.

    The incredibly ridiculus death of a Mr Carson Beckett aside. It seemed unfair for people to pre judge/hate on his replacement.

  44. Hi Joe,

    due to the Holidays I have actually gotten to watch a lot of TV lately as I watch the kids and I have come to a realization,

    The episodes of SG1 from 10 yrs ago look crisper and better and much less of a noticeable step down in production quality vs the more current episodes than a certain series by Mr Roddenberry that debuted in the late 80’s and also went through 3 long running incarnations .

    The only other series that I know of that have stood the test of time are Babylon 5 and Farscape (another victim of Syfy…. ). And much like those shows Stargate makes you think and the ending isn’t always pretty and tied up at the end of the hour.

    Regardless of if we liked or hated a particular storylin,e Stargate has always been well written but it took watching a lot of episodes of the other long running series to realize in comparison just how well written it has always been.

    Thank you 🙂

  45. I don’t think anyone will complain about reposts, so please post as many photos as you’d like.

    I’ll put in a request for any shots featuring Amanda Tapping.

  46. if SGU gets another season, movies, miniseries or whatever the plan is, will we find out who the Planet builders are and why did they build Eden? And the nature of the obelisk? Was that some sort of beacon which alerted them because someone arreived on the Eden? I hope SGU gets another season and if not, thank you for amazing series

  47. Hi Joe, I assume buying the SGU S1 DVD set in Europe helps in ensuring either SGU’s or Stargate’s future. Any idea about sales figures?

  48. Lisa R. writes: “Had a question for you. What do you think of Allen Steele?”

    Answer: Haven’t read him yet. Recommended?

    Absolutely recommended from here. Try his first novel, Orbital Decay, and then read all the rest. 🙂

  49. Wow, I just noticed a pattern in the stargate franchise. 10 seasons SG1 5, seasons SGA, and 2 seasons of SGU….. In fact, from the day I watched the first episode, I just knew that Syfy would only want to run SGU for 2 seasons. The ending of SG1 was perfect and the two follow up movies really did a brilliant job in wrapping up the two slightly unfinished story archs (Goa’uld and Ori arcs).

    SGU on the other hand, has recieved uncalled for critisism and hatred from numerous people. (honestly, SGU in my opinion is better then BSG). SGU has tradgicaly had its life cut short and

    The ending of SGA though, was somewhat unsatisfactory because the situation Atlantis is in kinda leavs us dangeling because the government has a ticking clock on when they have to reveal the Stargate Program to the general public.

    Destiny had a geneticaly based mastercode so I’m assuming that the code was based on one of the designers of Destiny.

    Some more questions (for someone to answer)…..

    Question one:

    Destiny has a subspace link with all the seed ships so is it possible that one or two could have retraced steps to come rescue Destiny while it was being attacked by the Blueberry Aliens only to reach Destiny when it is fighting the Drone Command Ship?

    Question two:

    Why didn’t the Seed Ship have a lockout on the navigational controls like Destiny did with the master code?

  50. Earlier, I gave you my thoughts on what could potentially save SGU. You said that you guys would handle it better, and that’s obvious because I’m an outsider. My question was what you thought of it? Have you guys been doing this stuff? Or are you also an outsider?

  51. Thanks for the pictures and for answering my questions.
    Hope you are having a good day!

  52. Your blog is responsible for me being recognized on an airplane in Australia. I was impressed — my facial recognition skills would epically fail if I were using one profile-picture from the Q&A a few years ago as my basis for identifying someone who wasn’t even supposed to be in that hemisphere!

  53. The way Aaron Rodgers demolished ATL I wouldn’t doubt for a second that they will crush the Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears D is good, and even though I’m loath to say this (I’m a Seahawks fan), Matt Hasslebeck’s receivers let him down. Big Play Babs did NOT show up, he had 2 INTs dropped. With those 2 INTs on TD drives by the Bears, which makes it (presumably) a 14 point game going into the 4th, where the Hawks scored 21 pts.
    Arrrrrgh.
    You think Brett Favre is coming back?

  54. Re: Season 2,

    Was the plan all along from the conception of the series to kill off the potential girlfriend of Eli ,and also Simon the villan?

    Or was that done later on due to budget concerns?

  55. One other question: has most of the non-Canadian cast members moved from vancouver back to their country since the announcement of the cancellation?

  56. @Ian Z.

    Not sure how to say this but.

    Fans don’t save a show themselves, they gain the show attention to networks by doing.

    – Letters
    – Posting on Facebook, whatever that network has.
    – Emails

    If I use Legend of the Seeker as an example, fans created a forum with thosands of members, actively sending networks/studios letters and posting tweets aimed at them and the networks facebooks. By doing this they gained the show a lot of attention.

    Infact they annoyed the Syfy channel and some other channels, so do in moderation but if you want a successful campaign you need to be ruthless and not give up.

    The more attention and demand Stargate Universe gets from fans could prove to networks a fanbase exists. It may not save the show but if someone like Brad Wright for example is trying to sell the show to networks, having thosands of people actively campaigning for renewal would help him to no end imo.

    Just obviously speaking there, but thus far the save Stargate Universe efforts are hardly drawing much if any attention from news sites.

  57. Hello Joe,

    Sounds like it’ll be a great week! 🙂

    I’m interested, what genre is the pilot script again?

    Well, I was gonna ask you a question yesterday but I thought you would be fed up with fan questions by now (You’re very long-suffering with SG fans 🙂 )……. anyways..

    I know the priority is on SGU, which makes sense, but you’ve said several times that Brad’s plan will revive all three limbs of the franchise. However, when asked about SG-1 and SGA, you say you don’t know whether Revolution and Extinction will get made (should SGU get revived)….. Which leads me to wonder, how does BW’s plan include SGA and SG-1?

    Sorry Joe, I’m really not trying to say you’re lying or BSing, maybe its the nasty head cold I have that’s clogging up my brain, but I’m a little confused with this plan….

    Anyways, have a great day,
    Major D.

  58. No more of this harem scare’em talk Mr Mallozi; from now on, use the term ‘WHEN’ STARGATE UNIVERSE AND ATLANTIS AND SG1 CONTINUES, not, IF or PROBABLY!
    One more thing Mr Mallozi,
    1. Why haven’t you addressed the ascension device Rodney discovered? (I’m sure the power drain complaint is at this point moot, seeing as how they’re on earth and I’m sure Atlantis is being powered by it’s own Asgard core, or several hundred naquada generators. And the other point about it killing more people than it ascends is also moot since, sending people through the gate is a life or death risk in of itself. )
    And another thing Mr Mallozzi,
    2. Would Atlantis be tricked out with Asgard beam weapons, and hundreds if not thousands of soldiers from earth and her allies; TOKRA and JAFFA?
    3. Also, it is believable to assume that Asgard teleportation technology is also included on the new tricked out Atlantis, will The Powers That Be address this, and if not why?
    4. Was the construction of the Destiny around the time the ancients constructed the quantum mirrors?
    5. If Rush using the stones connected with someone and used the ascension device on Atlantis, would it affect his original body, or just the person who he switched with if he happened to ascend?
    6. If some one on from earth used Destiny’s knowledge chair and downloaded info into their brains, would this affect their mind and body on earth, or the mind and body of the person’s body they’re inhabiting?
    All for now buddy, keep the fire going, and don’t you dare use “probably”, “if” or “maybe” again.

  59. Joe, you love to drop clues, dontcha? :LOL:

    Something’s gonna happen, cuz now you’re bustin’ a move and working a plan.

    Okay, things to get done this week: …
    * box and garage things lying about the house that in all probability I won’t be using anytime in the near future…
    * make arrangements with my accountant
    * clean my home office
    * clean my work office
    * find out about what the future holds re: Stargate.

  60. Joe, just found your excellent blog. You obviously put a lot of work into it, so thanks for that!

    As for the ongoing efforts to find a new outlet for continuing SGU, have there been any discussions with Netflix? They currently have the full Stargate library on Instant Watch, and with their big push into online streaming, it would seem to be a great partnership opportunity. SGU would get a great distribution outlet, and Netflix would get some great original content and an established audience.

    Just a thought.

  61. Have you seen Dokuro Chan Joe?
    Oh god. the amount of blood in this anime. Basically school boy lives with angel, said Angel kills him in random ways by hitting him with this huge spiked bat thing. Turns out said school boy does something in the future to warrant her being there.

    I admit I did er.. well I was shocked with the amount of blood, she quite happily swings her thing and smashes his head clean off and revives, or hits him making his body split in two.

    It’s more comedy, meets slightly adult situations meets absurd use of blood lol

  62. How did I miss yesterday? Oh, I know, still under the weather with dysfunctional lungs. Bleh. Been lounging (resting, I’m resting) watching junk TV, drinking a metric buttload of tea. A good winter storm should blow out our valley inversion and the Bad Air (we’re under red air quality alert, I’m not supposed to go outdoors) and perhaps I’ll have a chance to recover.

    Very much enjoying the mailbags, thank you. How are you enjoying The Stand? I live in Utah, so whenever we road trip, I look at the black crows/ravens perched on the signs along the interstate and think of Flagg. Large black crows, watching, the ubiquitous sign of the West. I’ve painted them, three paintings so far, more in the series to come.

  63. Hey Joe

    I second the motion, lots of pics of the beautiful Amanda Tapping! And some of Jewel, too!

    Elminster

  64. Any posibility that a major motion picture would be made that is stargate based? As was the case with star trek after it was originally canceled.

  65. Dear Mr. Mallozzi, I will happly take Stargate any way I can. Third season of Universe, Movie or DVD.

  66. @ Jreeths: I’m more concerned about Santonio Holmes coming back to Pittsburgh as a Jet; the drama level has risen from Much Ado to Macbeth. He was a decent guy who made mistakes, but he’s a great dad and has quickly rehabbed himself back into a major player. Kinda bummed that he’s on the opposing team. It’s not like he’s Plaxico or any of the other crum bums (with weird names) that the Steelers have dropped over the past few years.

    I’m hoping the drama won’t stop the Steelers from another run at the Super Bowl.

  67. On “Iron Hunt,” the book was surprisingly dense and I too had trouble getting through it, only because the world was so new and alien to me. I had to reread several passages as I tried to visualize this strange new world. It really does carve new ground, and it’s so rare these days to read something so unique, not when every other bestseller is about shiny vamps and tender werewolves.

    I found that my favorite character was the Maxine’s mother; talk about a bad ass. Now I want to read the prequel story.

  68. @Edwina Karch – I agree completely. SG-1 films were very good and the same can be done with SG-U. Having said that, role-playing games involving the player discovering new parts of Destiny, repairing damaged sections, unlocking the secrets concerning it’s mission and trying to have meaningful relationships with the rest of the crew could also be a good option.

    I so hope those are Louis Ferreira’s costumes and props from an upcoming episode. That’s what ship-based shows need. People in their pajamas, robes and slippers sporting a mug of strong tea, strolling around on the bridge. 🙂

  69. Hi joe,
    Just an observation, but i feel that when SGA was canceled, there was a lot more shock, and that people went crazy just trying to get it back, (i did sign a lot of petitions).

    but now SGU seems, well more organized, like everybody said “hey, lets try and make a difference, lets try and get something done.” for example offering options to people at Space etc.

    Do you detect any noticeable difference between the two?

  70. I didn’t enjoy SGU nearly as much as SG1 and Atlantis, but I have to say you have steadily improved. I felt that BSG ran out of steam halfway through the second season, and SGU felt like that for the first 10 episodes or so.

    But it picked up nicely after the mid-season break, and has been getting better with every episode. More than half the first 10 episodes felt like ER in space, but it’s been growing on me. And I’m pretty sure it’s not just me.

    Is it really so hopeless? The show was looking like it was going somewhere. It was getting better and better! The investment I made in the characters was starting to pay dividends! I must know what happens! I’m missing a piece of my soul here.

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