That was the title of the email I received from Brad Wright late yesterday, an email confirming the worst. Despite his best efforts and a situation so fluid it vacillated from “almost yes” to “probably not” and back to “almost yes” on any given week, final word had come down. There would be no SGU movie. Stargate, that had spanned fourteen years, 354 episodes, two DVD movies – that had helped build a network and establish itself as a studio’s most successful television franchise was coming to an end. It was a terrific ride and, while it would have been great to give the fans that final chapter, that last crossover movie in which Brad had envisioned incorporating elements from all three shows (SG-1, SGA, and SGU), the truth is television is a fickle business. When it comes down to decision time, it’s less”What have you accomplished?” and more “What have you done for me lately?”. Sad but true and still, I look back on my 11+ years on the franchise as some of the best years of my life in that I had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people, writing for shows I truly loved. It wasn’t always easy, wasn’t always fun, but they were happy times and I can’t say enough good things about the people who made it happen – from Exec. Producers and Series Co-Creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper who gave us the opportunity to all the cast, crew, and production personnel who made it happen. I look forward to working with them again eventually.
Especially if this comic book project goes as planned.
And so, SGU episode #220, “Guantlet”, will mark the end of this chapter of the franchise and, while it’s an awesome episode, it’s a heartbreaker all things considered. Before sitting down to watch it, I’d recommend watching the pilot first – if not the three parter then, at the very least, that first episode. It won’t offer closure but does deliver a bookend of sorts.
Given the circumstances and all things considered, probably the most touching episodes the franchise has ever produced.
Once that final episode airs, I’ll take to this blog to answer any and all questions you may have and dedicate at least one entry to discussing aspects of the franchise I’m sure you’re all curious about. “Given the show’s ratings, why didn’t you wrap up the series in the event you WERE cancelled?”, “What stories did you have planned for the show’s third season?”, and “Tell us all about Stargate: Extinction”. Okay. Will field these queries and many more once “Gauntlet” airs.
Nothing ever really ends in the science fiction world…the spirit always lives on…
It’s a sad day for Stargate fans. But I can hold onto faith still. I’m stubborn like that. Again, if X-Files got a major motion picture 10 years after the first and 6 years after the show was over…Stargate has time. 🙂
But thanks to you, Brad, Robert, all the amazing actors of three shows, and the dedicated crews/writers/producers for some of the best TV I’ve ever watched and had the fun of participating in.
I am reminded of a quote by Carl Sagan, “We’ve recently lost a close member of our family. It was very difficult, and this system of belief I’ve adopted offers little in the way of comfort. In fact, it offers none. While this seems like a recipe for despair… in fact, it instills in me a love and respect for life. This life we live that clings as a film to the surface of a rocky ball that orbits an unremarkable star in the suburbs of an average galaxy. It’s fleeting, and the people in it need to be appreciated. We may not be the center of this Universe, but the fact that we exist at all in an environment so hostile is amazing enough!”
Take care Joe, and thank you.
Wayne Hughes
Wow, hard to believe that news about a television show/movie would make me feel sad. I guess the positive benefit here is that any wishful ideas we chose to explore in our own imaginations can never be contradicted. That is consolation of sorts. Pale, sad consolation….but still….
Had a feeling considering how long it was taking to decide. MGM is focused on making the quick easy bucks right now.
I feel without a good ending to SGU it really leaves the stargate franchise a little damaged. Really too bad it had to end on a low note.
I’m thinking the stargate movie ends up getting rebooted 5 or 10 years from now and MGM starts all over.
Good job to all the cast and crew over the years for producing three great shows!
im sad there will be no more new stargate 🙁
look forward to watching the final four episodes of sgu!
Hi Joe:
This was expected, but it always hurts when the nail is hammered in the coffin. This was my favorite TV franchise by far and I am going to miss it.
1) Will there be any type of epilogue after or at the end of the last SGU ep? Or will we be wondering until the end of time about the cliffhanger.
2) Can you tell us what exactly the crew of the destiny would have found at the end of their journey if you had another season or 2?
3) Is it possible that MGM will sell the Stargate franchise like it did the Bond series?
4) Yes or No, in your opinion: Is this the last of Stargate we will see on TV?
5) What would have been the story line of the SGA/SG1/SGU movie if it would have went through?
Good luck with all your future endeavors!
A sad day indeed.
Best case scenario it will re-appear in a few years on the big screen Star Trek stylie.
Was it just a spooky coincidence that French Stewart appeared a few weeks back after being in the original film all those years back. Any more spooky coincidences to look forward to ???
I’m so sorry to hear this news. While Stargate has and still does via DVD provide me with a sense of hope in a culture of bad news, I know how the financial culture today has affected not only consumers but business decisions. Even though we the fans know how much we want a movie and believe it would sell well enough to merit the investment, it is hard for executives to take a chance. they see the history and think it is old news, and new shows are “hot”. Hmmm. I know in my work that executives there think the same thing and they will push us to come up with new products instead of making the investment to market the current ones. ‘then they cut the current products for the new ones, and I am the one fielding the calls for customers wanting the old products. Yes, unfortunately, it happens. I’m sorry about this news, Joe, but you and all Stargate cast and crew have a rich history of great work to be proud of. thanks.
I’m sad for Stargate yes, but more for the SG1/SGA movies not being made.
As much as I loved Stargate Universe, the low ratings worldwide, poor sales, and the fanbase being split over the show pretty much confirmed once Syfy had cancelled the show, this was well and truely the end.
I think you, Paul, Brad, RCC, those that joined Sanctuary, those left behind, and those that joined random shows once their services wern’t required did an incredible job on the francise as a whole.
On the plus side Joe, if The Transporter series proves to be a success, you, Carl, RCC, and Paul would have a job there for a while, and if Echoes proves to be a success the SGU remnants will have a good little show for years, and as Sanctuary looks like its not going anywhere soon, everyone involved with the three shows mostly has a happy enough ending. Just not the ending we all wanted.
Forgot to add, in a way I am kinda dissapointed in MGM for not giving people an ending, they were happy enough to take the money of loyal fans wanting to support their favorite show be it by Itunes, DVDs, Blu Rays, and when the fans really need them, they’re not there.
Yes it is a very sad day in the StarGate Universe. But a great big Thank You to everyone who helped create the StarGate franchise, and to those who tried to keep it going.
Ummm… if you had the chance to write a real ending for Universe, what would a summary of it be like?
Best wishes to you Joseph Mallozzi for a bright future. 🙂
Bitter-sweet. Great tales from a great bunch of professionals, and now the verdict is final from the money folks. At least these ones. For now. For a while. And that’s fine. Down the road, well…fiction tickles the mind, tales touch the heart and the pulse of a mythos doesn’t fade. Sometime, as with so much else…
Meantime – what’s the latest state of play on your own, other, projects, comic book and all?
And, on the comic book, what might be the fit for the gang?
Thanks for your stories.
best, PJR
I am a realist and I know, as you said, “television is a fickle business” but I was still holding out hope. What I sad day. I was a fantastic ride. I have been hooked from the very start.
Thank you again for keeping us informed.
Slam
Thank you very much for letting us all know, it is appreciated.
I’ll look forward to the post-Gauntlet “wrap-up” columns.
Most of all – THANK YOU to everybody involved for all the great times!
I must say that I’m truly saddened by this. I’ve never missed an episode or movie. I started out with the original movie. Wishing that Gate travel would be discovered to actually exist. Who would not be thrilled to the bone to take that first step into the horizon? The “Stargate” franchise filled many hours for my son and I. And now. Now I must say goodbye to any new adventures for the friends (Characters) I have come to know and love. Thankfully we are left with memories and syndication. Thank you my friend for sharing your stories with us, the fans.
woody
Sucks to hear the news, but in a way, not a surprise with the economy, the Bond franchise ramping up, and well, scifi has always been the stepchild in the TV industry.
Question: what will become of the Extinction script for Stargate Atlantis, as well as anything else written for SG-1 and Universe? Any chance for them to go to novelization form?
Thanks to all the cast/crew of the Stargate franchise. It’s been a wild ride! Good luck in the future.
Joe, is there any way that you or someone connected to SGU
could provide closure with some kind of written information about the episodes for the next seasons via a script to wrap it up or a book that would give us closure for the franchise? I know it would sell well.
Thank you to you, Carl, Brad, Robert and the cast and crew of all three series for such an amazing run. You guys are the best. For the nay sayers who had nothing else to say but unpleasantness about the shows, “careful what you wish for, you may get it”.
Patricia
I’m so sad…..a part of my life ended…. Been a fan of the Franchise since the ’94 movie….Best of luck to you Joe, I will still continue to read your blog cause the things you blog about are fascinating. Thank to all the Stargate actors and Crew for the best years of my life! You taught me humor, humanity, about relationship issues, and stimulated my imagination to wondrous possibilities.
Thank you!!!
Jeremy Maddock
Thank you, Sir. For Everything.
I hope there’s a book deal somewhere. Not sure I’m a comic book person myself, I think I prefer 2-3 novellas to finish up the story of SGU. But I really, really would love an ending nevertheless.
If nothing happens at the end, maybe a few years later, you would write a blog post to us about how SGU was supposed to end (unless you can write that this summer, but maybe NDAs would prohibit you from doing that).
One way or another, books, comic books, napkin drawings, or just a plain blog post, I still want to know how SGU was supposed to wrap up, how it ends. Thx.
You can never really say never in this business. In a few years there will be a group of desperate people sitting around a table brainstorming ideas for a ‘new’ reboot of a perviously successful series and someone will say ‘Hey, remember that Stargate stuff that was on once?? That was pretty good TV.’ And another one will say ‘Yeah, wonder why such a great series disappeared’ and they’ll all agree they’re geniuses and Stargate will return in some form. Hopefully with the same kind of dedication, wit, intelligence, heart and soul that the original cast and crew provided for the ‘original’ Stargate franchise.
I’m in the second half my second all-Stargate marathon, and the episodes for tonight are The Return, parts1-2. Isn’t it ironic?
Hey, Joe!
So sorry to hear the bad news! Thank you though for all you’ve added to the Stargate cannon… you put your heart & soul into the shows & characters and it really showed. The SG-1 character dynamic really picked up once you and Paul came on board. Thanks for your hard work and devotion… and also for your blog. You’ve always kept fans in the loop, which is so rare. Passionate fans will always follow passionate creative teams of their favorite shows, so although Stargate may be over at this time, don’t worry, we’ll still follow ya. Except to Toronto maybe. 🙂
It goes without saying, you and and all of the SG staff over the last fifteen or so years have done an amazing job bringing the universe of SG into our living rooms and hearts.
It is sad that we won’t have weekly adventures into the unknown, but as they say “all good things…”. I hope that one day the pieces can be dusted off and we can once again travel through the gate.
If I could ask one question; what comes of the Destiny crew after the finale? I point to what Joss did after Firefly was canceled, he released notes about what happend to the crew. Just a paragraph or so would be nice.
Again, thank you for our many, many adventures…it sure was fun.
Tradition—what all of the Stargate shows have meant to me. On Friday nights, on Tuesday nights, and now on Monday nights it has always been a special dinner, a baking day for me and my children, and a time to watch shows that explored what the possibilites were. My children have grown up on these shows. (In fact, my older son was looking at the last chapter of his physical science book recently and saw that it was an introduction to astrophysics chapter. He said, “Doesn’t this have something to do with stargate?” That made me smile.) More recently, SGU has inspired me to start writing again. I will always be grateful for that. So, on the day of the final episode, we’ll do our homeschool, bake, eat our special meal, and sit down to watch the episode on tv. At the end, my husband and I will raise a glass of wine to toast what this franchise has meant to us. Thank you Joe and everyone involved with the shows–writers, producers, cast and crew for many many wonderful years of television!!!!!! Best wishes in whatever you do!!!!!
Very sad to hear this news, but it doesn’t really come as a shock. It comes on a very strange day for me though, as I got to meet my first Stargate: Atlantis cast member today. We had a small sci-fi convention here in St.John’s, Newfoundland this weekend and I was lucky enough to get to meet David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka) this afternoon and get his autograph. Very nice guy.
Anyway, while most of them probably won’t read this comment (not sure how many follow your blog or read the comments section), my thanks and best wishes to the casts and crew of the various Stargate shows for so many entertaining years of television.
Joe
Although I knew from the beginning of season 2 and the low ratings then the night shift the show was doomed. We as scifi fanatics have seen it happen many times before. I truly hope someone steps up to the plate and at the very least give us hardcore SGU fans some sort of idea as to what the rest of the story would have been. I hope that one of the many authors out there picks up the phone and calls and asks to put the story in a book or graphic novel. I know that in our house after the last episode of SGU airs I will be removing the channel from our televisions. this was the last straw for me as I have no desire to watch cooking shows or wrestling.
Is there any way MGM (owners of the script – I think you’ve said that in the past) would let you have Stargate: Extinction and make a novel out of it? You would have to write it for even those not familiar with the franchise and introduce all the characters. It could start something like, “the city of Atlantis just splashed down into the San Fransisco Bay from space – undetected – at first”. Would you be interested in writing that book? The novel could be so well received, they might want to make that movie after all.
I wish everyone connected with the Stargate franchise much success in all your future projects.
Well Joe,
That is some horrible news. Wish I hadn’t had to read that but it starts the letting go process. 🙁
Well if you’re going to answer some questions I might as well do my best to think of some worthy ones and keep them concise and brief.
These are pertaining to if the writers if you guys had the full 5 seasons to do this….
1.) If the crew was going to explore the ship some more what would have been some more great areas that they would have found on it? What kind of great technology would they have found on it? Would they find some Ancients in some kind of stasis?
2.) Would the ship ever have regained its full former glory before it got all those holes punched into it? Would it ever be able to take on a gaggle of Blue Alien space ships and beat the snot out of them?
3.) What would they have found at the end of season 5? More advanced aliens or a deity? Would the crew ever live that long (is the distance to the “signal origin” still past the human life time spans)?
4.) Would you have done some flashback scenes with the Ancients designing, discussing or sending the ship out?
Well if we can’t get another season, or a mini series, or movie can we get a book to wrap this puppy up proper? Sad now but tomorrow is going to be harder.
Looking forward to your comments, the remaining shows, and your new show.
-Scott
I have three questions that maybe you could answer in your future blog post after the end of SGU (although I’m not sure if we’re supposed to write these questions now here, or sometime in May — apologies if I’m too early):
1. Was Rush supposed to be the first human to ascend, or would he die at the end? There are many hints on the show about it, it seems that he works sleepless nights just so he can ultimately ascend. Like, the reason he wasn’t on the side of his wife, was so that he could find a way to never die — a way to feel better about his choices. I don’t think SGU was just a matter of “finding the intelligence at the center of the universe”. Or am I completely off?
2. The aliens that built the planet and fixed the shuttle, do they have something important to do with Destiny and/or the Ancients?
3. Ultimately, does the majority of the crew make it back to Earth? Although I’m mostly interested in Rush’s character (one of my favorite characters ever on TV).
I feel sick to the stomach that I may never see any more NEW Stargate after SGU ends… Science Fiction is dying a slow and agonising death while soap operas and so-called “Reality” tv are still booming… WHY?… Are we really getting that much dumber as a race that we can no-longer support and appreciate the beauty that is the Stargate series, Firefly, Caprica, (The list goes on)…
I feel sorry for our children, that the only Stargate that they will see will be re-runs from a by-gone era (as great as they are). I really do feel that Stargate is slowly dying a meaningless death and I have already begun to greive. Stargate is a close friend of mine and I am literally tear-ing up over this.
This is hard for me and I’m sure that i’ts hard for a lot of other people out there.
The inevitable end I suppose but never the less there is comfort in the fact that because of the community of fans the franchise has created it will continue in many forms still for years to come. Thank you Joe for maintaining your blog, interacting and sharing your experiences with the fans, that contribution only made the Stargate experience that much richer for me. Good luck in any and all future projects I will continue to read your blog entries as long as they ping in my email inbox. 🙂
Kindest regards
Kirsty
Joe, thanks for the update. Hope you are having a good weekend. Have you gotten in to a workout routine yet? How are the dogs doing in daycare? Is Akemi still ready to go back home? I hope not. I look at the earthquake activity and its still not too good over there…
Hello Joe.
I know I speak for all Stargate fans when I say that I am sorry to hear that the SGU story will meet its end with a cliffhanger. Maybe like “Dead Like Me” it will get a movie at some point down the line…
Please pass my thanks to everyone who worked hard to bring us this franchise.
My questions when you are ready are:
1. What was the story of “Extinction”? What I mean is what becomes of the main cast: Shepard, McKay, Keller, Ronon, Tayla, Wolsey, and Todd?
2. SGU: Same question.
3. You have said several times that you all had an end game in mind for SGU. Any hints?
4. Any chance of a q&a with Rob to get his thoughts on SGU as well as what’s coming?
Best wishes and thanks for the memories.
Bryan
Thanks, Joe, it was a wonderful ride while it lasted.
Elminster
hi, joe,
i’m sad. i’m saving up my 3rd sg1 movie question(s) for the appropriate time.
it’s hard to move on, when nothing else quite compares to the greatness that is sg1.
(((sg1 AND stargate fans)))
I’m completely heartbroken. I was trying to stay positive about the movies (crossover or standalone SGU and SG1), but I guess it was not meant to be.
Many thanks to all involved who created the franchise and made it successful. I wish everyone all the best.
Joe,
I’ve read your blog for several years now and I don’t think i’ve ever commented. All i can say now is thanks for everything. Thanks for the news and insights about Stargate and your other personal adventures.
I got hooked on Stargate almost 4 years ago when I had lost my job and when not out looking was at home bored. It is, bar none, my favorite show.
I have been and will continue sticking around to learn about Transporter, read about all the amazing food out there and enjoy your wit.
One question I do have is you mention being able to talk about Extinction, will you be able to discuss everything about everything unreleased? Or will some mystery be left on the shelf for an eventual future?
According to GW, the SG1 movie is “permanently shelved”. Will it be possible to have the Stargate: Revolution movie be available in a novel form? I know that you’re not involved with Fandemonium, but what do you think of its feasibility? Or, perhaps just publish the script? That’s something I would definitely buy!
Joe,
So sorry to hear about the end of Stargate, it’s delivered some of my favorite TV moments of all time. It will be missed, but we’ll always have DVDs.
Here’s hoping success to you and your partners in The Transporter series, and your comic book endevour. I’ll certainly be checking them both out.
Dave
Hi Joe,
While I’m not surprised, I’m still devastated by this news. Haven’t stopped crying yet. I know…it’s *only* a tv show…but for whatever reason, it’s been an important part of my life these past several years and to finally hear that it’s over and done, with no hope left…well. It takes the wind out of one’s sails.
When you have a chance to communicate with Brad again, tell him thank you–that we appreciate everything he did to try to bring everything to closure for us. The movies would have been awesome, I have no doubt. And thank him for all these wonderful years of Stargate which we can at least relive thru our DVDs and no one…not SyFy or MGM..can ever take them away.
I know the SG-1 movie wasn’t your baby. But if you’re allowed, could you let us know if those of us who followed that certain ship would have ever seen it come to port? Besides the loss of Stargate in general, the missed opportunity to see that confirmation on screen is our greatest regret.
Watching these last four episodes of SGU will be like a slow and painful amputation. But I wouldn’t miss them for anything. Thanks for still being our conduit to this world you helped create and letting us come here to share in the mourning for it’s passing.
Stella
Somewhat changing the subject, just wondering Joe, did you ever watch Heroic Age? It’s a Science Fiction anime series with some incredible animation, lots of drama, space battles, random Scifi stuff, characters with questionable morals(I would explain this point but it’d spoil). Well worth watching when you’re settled and have a big TV to watch on. This is an anime that relys on having a nice big screen and a good sound system, especially on the battle scenes.
You should watch it when you can. I really enjoyed, the ending is VERY touching, very dramatic and I think it’d make even the most hardened person cry.
Since there won’t be any stargate in either TV or movie form for the forseeable future, can we get the plot details for the SG1 and SGA movies?
Hey Joe,
Words cannot describe the sadness I feel about this news. I’m finding it hard to imagine not having any Stargate series on the air. I will entirely grateful for all these years of quality entertainment and thank Brad Wright, yourself and all cast & crews for it.
My questions are as follows:
1). Will we find out what caused the message in the background radiation in the final episodes? and if not can you tell us exactly what the outcome of Destiny’s mission was intended to be and what happens to the crew?
2). What were you’re plans for Rush in the future? Would he of ascended perhaps?
3). Did the alternate Rush in ‘Twin Destinies’ ascend?
4). Since the script for ‘Extinction’ has already been written is there any possibility of it being turned into novel format or perhaps the script itself being released to the public?
5). If the answer to question 4 is unlikely and/or no, what was going to be the story in ‘Extinction’?
A sad day that will hurt for a long time, however I still hold out hope for a conclusion to they story line that is the awesomeness that is #SGU!
;-(
Wow ultra-terrible news.
The biggest problem I have with TV these days is that it is incredibly rare for a series to have an actual planned out real conclusion. I find myself watching less and less of it for this reason.
Well I kind of figured all along that MGM would can the movie idea, but it still hurts to hear the decision all the same. And although I watched every episde of SGU I didn’t even like it nearly as much as SGA. I’m going to miss not seeing Stargate on tv. At least Sanctuary started back up again.
Would you ever be up for putting the script on this blog for Revoloution and Extinction since they are “permanantly shelved” if you get the go-ahead to be able to do that? Because that would be awesome.
It would also be awesome to read some previous scripts you’ve writen 😉
@IggyMing wrote:
Sounds more like MGM have sweep all current non-produced Stargate franchise scripts off the table for future reboot or relaunch of the franchise. We will never get those scripts release by MGM to give the future showrunner a clean slate to work from. IMO
My heart bleeds again…
Oh, dear me, what sad news indeed.
I’d like to add my voice of sincere thanks for all the great work that embodied Stargate and all those humans who worked their particular magic: the wonderful stories, exceptional acting and directing, mind blowing FX, courageous stunt work, gorgeous costumes, amazing props, etc. Surely, such creativity and dedication to craft I have never before witnessed nor enjoyed in any other TV program.
I too hope that in some not too distant future, the “gate” will spin once more and the wormholes will be open for the intrepid to step through into special places and wondrous worlds.
I salute you Stargate the series and the films.
Well done all, well done.
A sad and sobbing, yet grateful,
2cats
😥
Bummer. But perhaps for the best. Everyone can now move on without regret, and who knows what the future holds? While there’s life, there’s hope, and just maybe the story of SG-1, Atlantis and Pegasus Galaxy, and Destiny herself will have a chapter added to their tales. Until then we will enjoy your recounting of your latest projects and any memories you share.
@Steve Jenkins: I have asked myself many of the same questions since I heard earlier today.
Big sigh!!!!
Thanks to you and all involved for the many years of enjoyment. And, wither thou goest Joe, we go – as along as you are willing to take us along for the ride.
Hi Joe-
I read the title of your blog post and my stomach fell. I knew what was to follow. I am saddened by the news of the end of SGU and the Stargate franchise.
I have loved the startgate idea since the original movie and never missed an episode or movie. Oh how thrilled and excited I was that they were making a show.
SG-1, SGA, SGU, I loved them all.
I cheered when O’Neill rescued the prisoners and offered Teal’c a place to stay. I cried when Daniel said his goodbyes and ascended. I cried when Jacob died. I cheered when the replicators and goa’uld were destroyed. So many good times and memories… and that is just SG-1!
I could go on and on… but I won’t.
Thank you and all the cast and crew for all the great episodes and movies!
Caryn
Here’s the plan:
You write Stargate:Extinction the Novel.
It becomes a best seller.
Someone approaches you to make a movie based on it.
The movie is a big hit.
Someone approaches you to make a new series based on the hit movie that was based on your best selling book.
The series is a huge ratings bonanza.
And so a new science fiction franchise is born.
You make tons of money and have several homes.
You are the next Aaron Spelling. Filthy rich.
Okay?
Hey Joe,
Long time no type. Doctoral program is eating my time. So, with the demise of the movies, can we maybe expect to see the novelizaton of the scripts that did not shoot?
Looking forward to your answer,
Pol
@Steve Jenkins
More a question of not enough SGU fans having a Nielson box and tuning in live. 25,000 households make up Americas ratings system, out of a population of several hundred million. Simply put had fate put more Nielson boxes in the homes of SGU fans, the show would be on the air still. It didn’t happen.
Dear Joe,
Words cannot express my sadness and incredulity for these developments. I have waited with the greatest hopes for positive news and the worst has come to pass.
I must ruminate and will write further on this development very soon.
This is truly a sad day and this revelation has affected me deeply.
I hope you know how much this affects your fans and I look forward to your eloquent soliloquy. And I also hope to hear from Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, as well. For that matter, I hope you can solicit tributes from all the Stargate alums – producers (Carl Binder, Jonathan Glassner, Damian Kindler, Paul Mullie and so on), directors (Martin Wood, Peter DeLuise, Brad Turner, Will Waring, Peter Woeste, Jim Menard), actors (Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Chris Judge, and so on), etc. It would be a great memorial to a amazing body of work. The fans would be really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Nick
Disappointed… very… but not totally surprised. I am confused on one point though… I thought MGM did NOT own rights to SGU. What would prevent a webisode continuation? Keep hope alive.
Very sad they went back on SG1 movie… thought pretty much assured of THAT at least.
This sucks.
Hey Joe, any chance you can get the “guys” to add a greet and goodbye at the end credits (the “last title card” I believe the term is?) of the final episode?
Something along the lines of:
“Big thank you to all Stargate fans around the world!
Until we meet again…”
(I kinda liked Brad’s subject line, and it does not rule out the future and what it might bring. and it’s not as definite as a Goodbye would be.)
Oh and I nearly forgot. Maybe superimpose “Big thank you to all Stargate fans around the world!
Until we meet again…” over a photo of the entire cast? (you should have a few of those laying around)
@Debra
Of course MGM owns SGU.
It’s a little like this.
1. Networks buy the rights for their country
2. MGM gets the money
3. Show gets made
4. MGM gets money from DVDs, Blu Rays, and alternate revenue streams.
And with some networks paying a lot more for the show i.e Syfy, once that money gets taken away, MGM can’t do anything.
Personally I was hoping MGM would bypass the Syfy requirement and just release a Stargate movie direct to dvd, but they obviously can’t do that.
That kinda upsets me more than anything else, but MGM are a business and after having that huge debt, they’re probably just being more careful now.
Joe,
Sorry to hear the news. I will cherish all my Stargate DVDs. You never know though. Look what happened with Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc. Maybe ten years down the road, some producer will go “We should do a Stargate reboot”. Where is JJ Abrams when you need him? Good luck with the new series. When you have an idea on what network/cable network is showing it, give us a heads-up. I have teenagers that would like to know.
It’s an incredible amount of fine television produced over those many years, more than X-Files, Alias and Star Trek combined. It’s hard to even gauge the effect of Stargate when people are still discovering the shows for the first time and new fans will be made for years to come.
Oddly enough, after watching Star Wars again, I’m OK with this. Like Star Wars was all about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, Stargate for me is all about the return of Atlantis to Earth.
There is no cause for alarm. You guys, like George Lucas, told the story you wanted to tell, and aside from the two extraneous years of SGU, which would have basically been Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, you told a magnificent story.
So thank you for 12 awesome years of Sci-fi awesomeness, and I’ll see you in the proverbial Clone Wars.
Hey Joe,
I’m really sadness by this news, but I guess all good things must end. But I do want to thank you for keeping the viewers in the loop. It was nice not being left out in the cold when things started going south.
Stargate brought me and a bunch of my friends together every week to cheer on SG-1, laugh and enjoy SGA, and dive right into the ocean that was SGU.
Thank you so much for all the years of entertainment! Hopefully, some time in the near future, the gate will light up for action once again.
-Alex
😥
Ah, crap. Well, I could come up with a few choice words for MGM, but what’s in my heart is THANK YOU!
There has never been a show in my life that I’ve felt as strongly as I have for Stargate. Although my favorite will always be Atlantis, I just want to thank the cast and crew on all the shows for their dedication and astounding talent. Through you, it was wonderful to see how Stargate was truly a team effort, and a family. I want to especially thank Brad Wright for putting his soul into trying to keep the franchise alive. I can’t imagine how he must be feeling. And I’m sad beyond measure to know that the sun has finally set. But in endings, there are always new beginnings, and I now have many actors, writers, and directors whose careers I’ll be looking forward to enjoy and support. Thanks Joe for all your hard work. And I can’t wait for your new adventure to begin.
Truth be told, I started to worry as soon as the network did that ridiculous rebranding.
Good luck with your new show, Joe.
I was headed off to book club tonight when I saw your post. I’ll spare you the expletives that came out of my mouth, but being from Brooklyn, you can imagine. I did not make for very good company tonight at all.
To all the cast and everyone who had a hand in making Stargate, from the movie to SG-1 to Atlantis to SGU, thank you for entertaining us, for allowing us to slip into a world where our imagination could roam wild and our sense of adventure and pioneering spirit could flourish, where our emotions could jump from laughter to tears sometimes within just one episode.
I can’t help but wonder if this lack of interest in science fiction comes from the apathy people feel towards space exploration in general right now. It is one of two final frontiers for us to explore. At some point space flight to other planets and other galaxies will become necessary if humankind wishes to avert extinction.
As far as the comic is concerned, while I generally do not like comics there have been exceptions. Jericho continued on for a season 3 in comic form and I purchased those. I’m thoroughly enjoying Agent Mom that Alaina Huffman has produced. And I look forward to seeing what this comic is about.
Still doesn’t quite seem real Joe.
After working on the show (since Children Of The Gods) for fifteen years, we were never really notified that our time had come.
Unlike you, many of us crewmembers found out via the internet and never had a sense of closure, the phone just didn’t ring with somebody giving us a start date to come to work on another season.
The crappiest thing about working on a show like Stargate for so long is that you know deep down inside that it’ll never be that good again. Like you, I’m already back at work on another series.
But its not the same…it aint’ family.
Wishing you all the very best Joe. – Boyd
BTW – Seeing as it’s officially finished, are we now free to write our behind the scenes memoirs?
Like everyone else, I am heartbroken that the best sci-fi franchise on TV will soon be no more. Sci-fi is dying, soon all that will be on TV will be reality televison and sports. I would like to thank all the actors, writers, producers, FX specialists, behind the scenes workers, and everyone else who brought Stargate into our homes. Hopefully the book series and comics will continue so that we still have a piece of Stargate to read. And thank you for bringing so many behind the scenes info to us in your blog. It has enhanced our enjoyment of the series tremendously.
Hey Joe, thanks for letting the fans know about the news – it is appreciated!
You mentioned SGU movie is a no-go, how about SGA or SG-1 movies? (yes, Im that hopeful)
Sigh sad news :(.
Don’t suppose it’s possible to look into doing a conclusion in even animated form? It’s really frustrating when a series ends with no proper conclusion.
((( Joe )))
Having been a Star Trek fan since ’69 I can tell you that any good series will never die and Stargate is one of them.
I do understand all about the business side of things and understand that a show always will have an ending at some point.
As I said to David Blue and Brian Jacob Smith on twitter….they will always be part of the Stargate family forever!
Kriss 🙂
…”until we meet again” indeed. It was a great run, the current rendition of the Stargate franchise. I’m hoping and looking forward to some iteration of the franchise being revived at some point in the not-too-distant future. Anything would be great, even a reboot going back to the original motion picture.
Here are some questions, perhaps you could put them aside and save them for later. It’d be nice to hear your response to these questions after “Gauntlet” airs…
1. Do you, Brad, Robert (et al.) know whether or not MGM (or whoever owns the rights to Stargate) might have plans on reviving Stargate in some form or another in the future?
2. If MGM (or a potential producer) might have plans for a franchise revival, any idea if writers/producers from the Stargate television programs might be involved or if Stargate might receive either a reboot or re-imagining?
3. Did anybody on the SGU writing team come up with an outline of potential stories for 20 episodes of potential 3rd season, similar to the blog entry where you provided an outline of a potential SGA 6th season, and could you post a similar blog entry for a possibly-would-have-been-6th-season-20-episodes-of-SGU?
4. I like the idea of this: Tell us about Stargate: Extinction?
Also…
5. Tell us about Stargate: Revolution?
6. Tell us about the story or idea on incorporating all three shows – SG1, SGA, and SGU – into one movie?
7. Was that 3-in-1 idea separate from “Extinction” and “Revolution” or would it have potentially consisted of merging elements of either or both scripts into a new story that would’ve also provided a complete conclusion for SGU?
8. What do you think about, or how do you feel viewers might respond to, MGM possibly giving a green-light to either a reboot or re-imagining of the Stargate franchise?
9. Have you, Brad, Robert (et al.) or MGM received any fairly recent news on if whether or not Roland Emmerich and/or Dean Devlin still have any plans or interests in taking the original Stargate off the back-burner and re-approaching it at some point in the future?
The last news I heard from Roland and Dean was 2 years ago, around the time that SGU was announced, during which they said that they have Stargate on the back-burner until the television series franchise concluded.
Here’s a quote from Dean Devlin in an interview over at sknr.net: “Roland (Emmerich) and I had always planned to do three films and want to do more. MGM has said they want to play out the television series first so we are on the back burner.”
10. If Roland and/or Dean still have plans on approaching Stargate again, and if they or MGM invited you, Brad, Robert, or et al. to join the writing or producing team, would you be interested (and do you think the others might be interested)?
And just for the sake of saying this, which you can never hear to much of: THANK YOU for all the years of wonderful Stargate that you and the others on the SG crew have provided! 😀 I hope to see more SG shows and movies in the future.
Thanks!
Sean D.
You DID “cash” the *CHEQUE*, right..?
Spent it ALL on *CHOCOLATE*, Macaroons, and hard-core [*cough*!] ANIME…? Eh?
Hi,I,like all these other fans,have watched,(sometimes in Awe),Stargate from the very first Movie.
(By the way,GREAT idea to have Richard-Dean Anderson as Jack o’Neil).
Yes,Stargate will be missed greatly,but not Forgotten.
Sure,it would be nice to have another couple of series of SGU,the storylines really are limitless,but the viewing figures aren’t,and we all know it’s revenue from air-time that pays for the show.
I’m in England and we are four/five episodes behind the U.S.,so I’ll be watching after you have seen it all…
It’s a REAL shame…but when I win the National Lottery,I’ll PERSONALLY FUND SGU until the end of time.
Thanks Joseph for your brains in all this.
Phil.
Thanks for being part of something that I have genuinely loved.
Stargate will always hold a special place in my heart. SGA was my favorite, but you and the casts and crews of all the shows have been part of a great franchise that has touched many lives. I am grateful for that, and immensely saddened by this news. (I hope we can someday see the script for Extinction)
Thank you for sharing this amazing adventure with us Jo. Its been such a great 14 years. I can only offer you all my best for your future projects.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHYYYYYYY!!!! (falls on his knees and waves his fists at the sky)
Please let there be at least an epilogue like the one at the end of Caprica. If there is something like that I’m not too worried. Two years of quality television is worth much more than watching something for six years without a satisfactory ending (ie LOST) Of course to most its much more than 2 years so its a little more sad but for me SGU is more special than the other two. To each his own I suppose.
Its a damn shame we wont get a proper ending. However, i think i’ll be glad that i got 17 seasons out of stargate. How many people can say that about their favourite tv show/franchise. So thank you.
Red Dwarf Up, Stargate Down. It’s the Sci-fi Geekdom See-Saw
Thanks for everything so far.
I feel MUCH more connected to this show, than most others. A die-hard Trekkie like myself took the Enterprise news really quite badly.
But now, Stargate.. I’m not so bummed.
I think it’s because, as a Stargate community, we all kinda saw it coming, especially once you started calling for viewers on your blog! That was a pretty big hint.
It sucks that we’ll never get to see what happens onboard Destiny, or see if Atlantis ever gets back to Pegasus, or whatever the hell that Moonbase was all about.
But with all the blogs, and the commentaries, the twitter follows and those forums that I used to frequent before the morons arrived, I feel like I’ve not just enjoyed the show.
It’s been a behind-the-scenes trip for me, too.
Getting to know so much about everything surrounding the show gave me a much more enjoyable show. And with all of that’s still here.
10 SG1s, 5 SGAs, 2 SGUs (once 2’s out!)
Bravo, Thankyou, and most importantly…
I’m gonna pop in SG1-volume1, and watch ’em all over again!
I’m very sad to hear this news. Thank you for all the wonderful Stargate and Stargate-related things you’ve given us over the years. I hope your future projects work out well for you and everyone involved.
Not such a surprise, but it still hurts to know it for sure now. It seems, like other people already commented, that science fiction in general is dying and people turn more and more to meaningless drivel.
I am really to devasteted to write anything more at the moment or formulate any of the many questions I still have. But I very much appreciate your offer to answer questions after the last episode has run and I am grateful for all you have done to keep the fans in the loop.
Bonjour,
Je suis de retour de mes vacances! Je me suis bien reposé!
..ohhh C’est vraiment la fin? =( Je ne peu pas y croire! J’ai toujours vécue avec stargate et j’ai du mal à me faire à l’idée que c’est definitivement finit!
….j’espere qu’un jour, ils vont changer d’avi et que Stargate pourra ressusciter!
Ce week end j’ai vu Micheal Shanks, vraiment super gentil! J’ai passé un agréable moment! …et apparament la relation entre Chris et Micheal ne s’est pas améliorer =S..Michael la même traiter de CON hier.
Je vous fait pleins de gros bisou!!!!
It’s sad to see a franchise end, but seriously, you guys screwed with Atlantis to the point where it was almost sabotage. Big mistake.
I tuned in for a couple of eps of SGU and I know some people loved it. That’s great for them, but to me it tried to be something SG is not. It tried to reinvent the (until now relatively successful) wheel. I’m not surprised it’s all over.
I’m sad for the actors, especially the way they were told they were out of a job. Twitter? Seriously? Not classy, guys. You could have at least told them all in person.
I like Ponytails idea! The pups would like rich. Next time you could charter a jet 😉 .
Yes, it’s sad that the franchise has come to an end, but we still have everything that the Stargate PTB have given us over the years and none of it has been changed simply because we didn’t get the extra movies and now know that there will be no more. I’m grateful for it all and consider myself very lucky to have been in the SG fandom – it’s been quite an experience one way and another, and will continue to be 🙂
So thank you, all of you who have been involved in any way with bringing us all those awesome tv eps, but especially thanks to Brad and Coopie for creating SG in the first place.
And thank you, Joe, for taking the time to give us everything you have through this blog. Long may you continue to do so *hugs*
G’day Joe
Sad, sad very sad day indeed.
Just want to say a great big THANK-YOU to all involved in SG-1,SGA and SGU. The greatest franchise in television history.
SG-1 rules.
Samantha and Jack – SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Married.
Just had to say it.
What about all the fans pool together a bunch of money and donate it to you guys to make the SG-1 movie? I’d like to see the original SG-1 cast back (Teal’c, Sam, Jack and Daniel).
Then if there’s leftover cash or you get good sales from the DVD/Blu-rays you can make the Atlantis one.
Not too fussed about SGU at the moment.
*sad face*
TRÈS TRÈS TRISTE DE LIRE VOTRE BLOG CE MATIN.
Je sais que la TV est une business qui doit faire de l’argent pour ses actionnaires. Encore une fois cela prouve que là où est l’argent là n’est pas le coeur. Ou pour le dire autrement, pour faire de l’argent , il faut ne pas avoir de coeur. Et je ne parle pas ici no de Brad, ni de Robert ni de vous-même mais des studios.
Bonne journée quand même
I just want to thank you and everyone involved with the SG franchise in all its forms for the wonderful weekly entertainment you’ve provided over the years. Bravo!
Deeply disappointed for not having a proper end for SGU.
And again, thanks for all these great years.
Joe, that really sucks. I hate the atmosphere in entertainment now where nothing is given a chance to grow and develop over time. That said, thanks so much to you and everyone involved for giving us so many years of Stargate pleasure; I have made lifelong friends through a shared love of the franchise, and wish you great success with your new gig.
Thanks for posting it Joe. It is not the news we all wanted to hear, but at least we got an answer now. Cant say i did not see it comming but i was hoping for at least 1 movie (crossover or just 1 part of the franchise).
Looking forward to the last 4 episodes and hopefully you can bring some Stargate ‘soul’ to the Transporter Series. Good luck!!!
“Tenacious D
Oddly enough, after watching Star Wars again, I’m OK with this. Like Star Wars was all about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, Stargate for me is all about the return of Atlantis to Earth.”
That why SGA did not need a other film. They bought Atlantis full circle, it home, it here to protect the second generation.
But SGU sadly will get no happy endings. We will be left with a cliff Hanger and if it like Unending then it will be a terrible cliff hangar. All cliff hangars are terrible anyway.
Just a couple of questions:
Would you have ever shown Destiny in her full glory, say when she was first launch.
Is there any chance of a summary of season 3, 4,5 and what the team had plan to include in those seasons.
What was the source of the signal.
Will Amanda and Ginn ever get new bodies or be seen again.
Would we have discover why the lucian Alliance and the blue aliens wanted Destiny, can you tell us now the show would have ended. What have been the final scene
What were the Hope aliens and were we ever going to encounter them again, are they involve with the signal.
What was going to happen to the crew if and when they completed Destiny mission.
Will we ever learn where the Lucian alliance got those door keys from.
What plans did you have laid out for the each of the characters on Destiny. Future story lines.
Will Volker ever get Lisa Park.
Where was TJ and Varro relationship going to end up.
Will Cloe and Young get married. Will Eli and Rush ever get a happy ever after.
Will Telford and Young ever learn to get along, Will Young and Varro ever become friends.
Did you plan to introduce any new characters after season 2.
Were you ever going to allow a stargate connection from earth or a perminment supply lines to be established.
I am sure over the coming weeks I will come up with many more questions before the final episode airs.
It just sucks!
I just want to say THANK YOU to all the cast and crew. I have been a fan since SG-1’s early years.
I, especially want to thank YOU…You have been a pioneer in keeping in touch with the fans and been as open as you could be…and I know it has not always been easy being that focal point….cuz some people are just jerks….
Good luck on The Transporter…I enjoyed the first movie, not sure I saw the sequel or sequels….but I’ll check out the series…
I will continue to play Six Degrees of Stargate, as I support those cast and crew I have grown to love in their new projects…
Sad news indeed. Hopefully it will be back, sometime, later on.
Who to blame, well I blame everyone that is watching “reality shows” instead of living the reality, and watching fantasy. When even Sy-fy have to have shows like FaceOff and such, to have people watch, than it is sad. I want to live the reality myself, and not watch it on TV, in TV I want to see fantasy, made up places and stuff I can’t live myself, like Stargate.
So in short, I blame all NoLifers that don’t want to live the reality, but watch it.
Do you think a incomplete SGU storyline, and the fandom inabilities to accept change will mean that any future Stargate is destine to fail and had MGM decision not to finish up the current shows have damage the future prospects of a new show appearing.
Do you think an incomplete SGU storyline, and the fandom inabilities to accept change will mean that any future Stargate show is destine to fail and does MGM decision not to finish up the current stores damage the future prospects of any new show ability to successfully establish it own identity, especially with the current audience just wanting answers SGU cliff hangar ending.
I don’t get how Syfy can find the money to pay for some stupid movies with monsters and bad acting and not for a classic that would properly close one of the best sci-fi franchise. Sci-fi is not for everybody as they are trying to be.
Sigh.
@Ella
Wait what? No one screwed with Atlantis, if anything 99.9 percent of Stargate fans will say it got better season after season, such an incredible show.
major suckage…
can you put all the planned SGU & SGA stories into one of your fave media…comic books?
oh well, everything must come to and end incl. Stargate 🙁
but maybe it will come back after awhile like Star Trek. Sometimes distance and a break is needed to rejuvenate a series no matter how good it is…
Still a series that showed the period of the Ancient vs Wraith war would’ve been cool even if the outcome is known…
Thank you the 17 years of Stargate! Keep up the good work on another projects!
Thanks for making my childhood what it was. I grew up with RDA, Amanda, Chris, Micheal, and Don. I knew them. Never met any of them, never went to any GateCon or anything, but I grew up with them. I know the SG franchise will continue; maybe not immediately, but it will, because I believe that it’s inevitable. Eventually it will continue. Hopefully that’s within my lifetime.
So…
…
Now that SGU is over, can you reveal each and every bit of plot that was scheduled after Gauntlet?!?!???!? 😀
Joe, I’ve been a long time reader of your blog but never posted as I tend to be more a reader than a contributor. However, I just wanted to say that I am absolutely gutted that not only SGU will end on a cliffhanger, but also the entire franchise. I have been watching Stargate for about five or six years now and I’ve absolutely loved watching the franchise eventually evolve into Stargate Universe. Maybe now all those idiots will realise that SGU was the one thing that could have gotten those SG1 and Atlantis movies made. I have to say, hearing about a movie involving characters from the entire franchise in one story just makes this news even sadder, as some of my favourite episodes were crossovers. Even though plenty of cancelled TV shows have taught me otherwise, I was optimistic about at least one movie.
You’ve actually been one of my favourite writers on the show, and while I wasn’t fussed on The Transporter sequels, knowing you’re involved means I will definetly be checking it out.
I guess all any fan can say is thank you and all of the Stargate team for all the work you put into Stargate and thank you (as a film & tv student) for all the inspiration you’ve brought me over the years.
I’m sorry to hear the news; I’ve been enjoying the final episodes of SGU and was hoping (as were you, I know) for a chance at a conclusion.
Hi Joe, I’m soooo sorry to hear that. i’m an hardcore fan of the stargate universe since I saw the first film in 1994 in theater and after that I have loved all the franchises that you have helped to create. my favoriti goeas to SG1 but SGA and SGU were so awesome too.
i’m really sad for this news and I can’t stop thinking about something to help the franchise to continue his way.
I’m a french concept artist/illustrator for the video game industry and movies, and I was wondering if a side project such a Graphic novel or an Artbook with several story in it can”t be a good thing to continue the adventure.
a team in montreal did an amazing job with a concept book called exodysey, it’s an artbook about all a universe but it is also a book who tell a story. check this out if you don’t know yet.
I guess many people ask you the same thing but maybe the idea will grow up in your mind or in the mind of Mister Wright. I’m dying to work one day for this franchise. and I miss the goa’uld so much too haha.
I have made a painting for Chris Judge when He was in paris.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cJwUd9_qnoU/TVJVvn11eOI/AAAAAAAAAjA/RIts5m0-vSk/s1600/Stargate%2Bblog.jpg
all my heart is with you and with all those talented teams who worked all thoses years on the SG franchise.
and hope that my little idea will gave you more ideas to explore.
with all my respect and my thanks.
Gary
Oh my, ofc i was already prepared for this but still..i really feel heartbroken. Maybe its because ive lived with the franchise so long. And the prospect of never have a new episode or movie to look forward to is just..ARRGGGGGG!
But hope never dies right? I have to survive on that i guess. And the all-SG-ever-produced-marathon every other year or so.
Thanks for eveeything mate. This blog made this show even greater and epic. But i even tho ill ofc watch the transporter endavours, I really wanna see you write/produce scifi again!!
Can i hope for a “Transporter 2199: The space race” series? 🙂
Joe,
I’m off to hang myself!!
Thank-you and all the Stargate makers, actors and watchers for everything, it’s been AWESOME.
Man I am so disappointingly disjointed.
My jaw is hanging off, who’s got the superglue?
God Bless & Ta Ta Stargate. Legends never Die 😉
Joe,
Though I’ve read your posts here most everyday, I’ve never really had much to say. But upon reading the news from last night’s entry, I just wanted to add my thanks and appreciation for all that you and everyone connected to the Stargate universe have given us over the past many years. It has been a Very enjoyable ride, even if it isn’t ending in quite the way most of us would have hoped for. In any case, my best wishes to you and the rest of the crew in your future endeavors, good luck with Your new series and projects, and I’ll close with thank God for dvds…..
Chuck
Joe, not that it matters anymore… you’ve moved on. But why do YOU feel SGU didn’t succeed in the ratings?
Carlos: How the hell is a big-screen reapperance like Star Trek a best case scenario? You mean reboot the whole thing, go into an alternate timeline, forget about EVERYTHING that made Star Trek and just show a big middle finger to any serious fan? Yea? Is that a best case scenario? Well if this happens to Stargate, I will do the very same thing I did with the new Star Trek – IGNORE IT…
This is the end of pretty well all sci fi ship series on TV. Star Trek and now Stargate is gone.
I fondly remember a time when we had SG-1 and 3 different series of Star Trek on at the same time. I think even Babylon 5 was running too. Those were the times.. Never to be seen again 🙁
We all saw it coming but we always had hope 🙁
Theres always hope…
Have you guys considered continuing it even if temporarily in a book?
Do you think MGM would sell the franchise rights or find another channel?
Anyway thanks for these great years!
I am so terribly saddened. 🙁 No ending to to SGU?? No movie to wrap up the stories?? Now…I suspected that the SG-1 3rd movie and SGA movie are not gonna happen. I totally gave up on those. But…no wrap-up SGU movie?? 🙁 That just sucks. Now…we’ll never no what the true mission of Destiny. I think I wanna cry. 🙁
Hello Joe, I’m greatly saddened to hear this news – Stargate has been a part of my life for the past 9 years, and I have enjoyed all of them. Thank you to you, the other writers, the cast and crew for all of the hard work you put into Stargate over the past years.
Best luck to everyone in their future endeavors, and I’m looking forward to seeing what your work on the Transporter TV series has in store.
I’m also looking forward to the Q&A after SGU completes its run!
David Knowles wrote,
“That why SGA did not need a other film. They bought Atlantis full circle, it home, it here to protect the second generation.”
But…but…but…I really wanted to see Teyla and Ronon walking down the streets of San Fransisco and Ronon darting into a barber shop and getting a hair cut.
JM-
Thank you for all of the entertaining, clever and smart programming.
I was saddened to hear confirmation that SGU and the Franchise were coming to the edge of their existence.
You’ve brought years of entertainment and smiles to a very large, dedicated audience.
The Star Trek franchise rebooted years after some hibernation because of the deep fan base.
I think there’s still a lot of wood behind the arrow that is Stargate to where one could launch or resurrect a network in the future, after some slumber.
The future is still unwritten. There’s a massive fan following that has accumulated.
We are going to be watching for the franchise to come back.
Thank you again!
-Jothan
I’m sad hearing that the “Stargate” franchise is coming to an end…in this current chapter.
Even if MGM brings back the project in a new movie or series years for now, it won’t be with the current people, casts and crew. Their fingerprints will no longer be involved. We won’t get a real SG-1 or SGA adventure (like the movies we were promised).
Any new continuation of the franchise will be with other people. Thank you to everyone involved with the real “Stargate” shows we all feel in love with. You did a fantastic job!
A shame to hear that at least certainly for the near future won’t be able to see your SGA movie. Stargate certainly has had a good run over the years, can still remember watching the pilot on showtime all those years ago.
I must say that I’m sad to see this series end. Like Atlantis, it had a bit of a rough start and I was at first not sure of what to take from it. But by mid season 2 I was really into it! Then I heard the dreaded news that yet another of my beloved Sci-Fi shows was cancelled.
It almost makes me wish I was some rich capitalist who could funnel a few million into supporting another season with a bit of extra marketing. But I’m not and nor will be most of the viewers, sadly!
I really hope this doesn’t signify an end to space-faring Sci-Fi adventures all these shows of humans with super-powers just doesn’t seem to cut it in what I like from the Science Fiction genre. Thanks to you and the team for all your efforts in bringing a wonderful experience to my life!
I guess maybe as the time shortens..I will none the less increase the number of times I watch the entire series before fielding my questions. Thank you for offering to answer questions..I will watch and take notes this time…to be prepared with worthy questions! For now…my stomach feels out of sorts and the daily sorrow keeps increasing over this sad news.
I don’t know why is this happening but despite all that Stargate accomplished, this ending thing is astonishingly.
To be short i PROPOSE MARKETING RESEARCH so next “parents” of Stargate will know exactly what their child need.
All over the world in the business, the marketing researches also are known as fairy wand for the problems, especially big ones like this one. For the results i can guarantee.
Don’t let the “child” to the social services!!!
Dear Joseph,
I didn’t know how I would be able to privately message you this, so instead I am posting it here where it is relevant. Perhaps some more people can add their input to this as well.
I am a European fan of the Stargate franchise. We are absolutely sad to hear all of this. Stargate has always been very popular with all my other european friends too.
It just seems sad that the european market (over 550 million population) has been discriminated as far as availability goes for your great shows.
I would like for you guys to consider something. Put up a webpage (with proof that it’s by you guys), explain what your goal is for your productions and the amount of money required. I am very sure that the fans are more than willing to donate all the money required and then pay a few euros to download the episodes/movies when it’s released. (covering bandwidth costs and yielding a nice little profit for future projects). Bandwidth/distribution costs can be cut down to almost zero by distributing it via the bittorrent protocol with a private “tracker” which will only allow authorized people (subscribers) that have an active login/password (quite simple for most tech-type people to set up for you, but I believe Bittorrent Inc. is introducing a new type of service that will help companies do just this)
Bypass the archaic distribution methods that have been used so far. As long as you make your intentions clear from the start I believe it will work. The last thing the europeans want to think of is funding a project which will discriminate them by having a launch date later than the US.
I have never been counted as part of your viewership because as far as your distributors are concerned, I do not exist. I had to physically go to the UK in order to buy Stargate DVDs simply because Stargate has never been aired in the country I live in (although I believe that nowerdays a couple of shops may sell it here)
I am not trying to start a flamewar of any kind and I have been to both the US and Canada on vacation.. both of which are great countries except for one common misconception.. that the US is the biggest consumer economy in the world when it has just over half the population of the European Union (+ Switzerland and Norway).
People are practically begging to give money to watch certain things and are being denied the ability to do so by the same type of people who failed Stargate. The times are changing and this is a move forward.. the ball is in your hands now.
The worst day since some years, marked with a big red X on the calendar. I´d the hope that there would be a way to finish the story, but now it ends with a cliffhanger and i´m sure all real fans of SGU are crying 2gether. If there exists a way to answer the open questions (like those what TANITH asked) please do it. Anyway, thanks a lot for all the years of excellent entertaining scifi. Farewell Joe, of course Brad, Rob and all the others who were involved in Stargate, too. Now i swim some rounds in my own tears.
Would it be fair to say «I wish the next show you’re now writing is dumb enough and numbing enough for it to last more than a couple of years» Joe???
Sure, it ain’t kind, and I’d wish that I could honnestly say otherwise, but I think it’s a fair assesment of the state of network television in the 21st century.
And that’s the problem with «PROPOSER» aforementioned marketing based supposed solution. When you want to rally the masses, you ought to level the playing field down to the talent level of your worst players, not the best ones. (Change player with viewer if you don’t watch hockey these days.)
There is no real solution: The masses wanna watch crap, so, crap they air. Best, said crap turns into mountains of gold once aired! Don’t ask the execs to forget that. I’m sure they are pretty aware of the real quality of what they show. And their shareholders don’t even care as long as the money comes in.
«Next week, on SyFy, we’ll see a scientist werewolf cop from Vanuatu racing accross the World trying to bust dancing serial killer ghosts which cook a novel recipe each week and Tha People will have to vote if the werewolf catches them or not by the following week according to their cooking AND dancing.»
I’ll bet all my phone-in money on Michael Jackson if they make that one! :O
And give any of you even the full copyrights to make it if you dare! I myself sure won’t! 😉
Joe,
Will you publish what the endgame plan for SGU is?
That would be awesome.. or are we going to luck out and have it continued in Novel or Comic book format.
I’m going to miss SGU. Not perfect but I loved it.
Jason
@Mandrake: I think Joe’s already talked about why this wouldn’t be possible. Maybe someone else can dig up the relevant post. 🙂 I did want to say that not everyone in the US counts either–only the 25,000 or so households that have Nielsen boxes. That’s pretty depressing. I do hope at some point that the franchise will continue in some form or fashion and would support a revamping of the way it’s distributed and counted too.
This makes me sad. Not a huge surprise, but sad none the less. I have loved all things Stargate – thank you to everyone who has given us so many years of enjoyment and entertainment.
No questions yet…but I am sure I will!
Thank you!
I am very grieved to hear that SGU did not get the movie … that means the SGA movie is also now down the drain *very very very sad* !!!!!
But I am realy realy grateful to you and the others that were involved in the show, to have given us 11 Years of wonder, adventure and a world that I love with all my heart !!!
So … in deepest, heartfelt gratitude and sincerity … Thank You … very very much !!!!!
And thank you that you will be willing to share some insides on the Extinction movie 🙂 … Realy realy appreciate it !!!
Greeting !
Aureah
Great episode last night, which makes the cancellation all the more worse!
I am still holding on to hope that SG:U will be renewed sometime in the near future, when SyFy realizes what a terrible mistake they made. If not, I will forever boycott ALL their shows.
I keep repeating Flogging Molly’s “Worst Day Since Yesterday” since reading about this sad news. Thanks by the way for using this song on SGU – I adore its quirkiness.
I thought SGU was the best of the franchise and I’ve watched all versions. While I loved the adventure/dilemma of the week, I longed for depth of stories.
Much the same way DS9 was the best Trek for its stories, arc and depth of character, I hold SGU as top of the heap for Stargate. I know that’s not everyone’s opinion but to me Stargate was always more than just watching the Gate come on/off.
Thanks to you and all the others that made Stargate a destination for me and my friends for years.
I have never been so sad about anything in my life. This was my favorite show by far. Nothing even comes close.
I will pray for a miracle–A theatrical feature maybe? Hey if Firefly could have Serenity…..Destiny always belonged on the big screen. The world of TV was never meant for one as beautiful as her.
Wishful thinking? maybe.
Thank you for everything. Tonight SGU airs in Canada. I will get myself a big box of kleenex and watch.
I am sorry that the Stargate franchise has come to a close for now. I loved SG1 and SGA. I had a hard time with SGU but hoped it would find its audience. It has been fun for me as a viewer. I hope it was mostly fun for everyone who worked on it. Perhaps after a few years the franchise will return.
I’m curious to see what your new show will be like. Good luck with it.
Joe,
May I ask how much it costed on average per ep of SGU compared to SGA? Did Syfy/MGM lose money on each ep of SGU if it is permissible to ask?
A real shame 🙁 I felt SGU really established itself in Season 2; raising the bar with its story-driven progression, character struggles/developments, and its overall ability to expand without bounds.
This was an extremely well written sci-fi series that seems to have been under-rated by the “higher ups” as well as unnoticed, especially in this second season.
I will remember SGU as the great sci-fi series that died in its infancy – never coming close to reaching it’s full potential. And oh what potential it had!
Season 2 has been amazing, probably the best Stargate I’ve seen since SG-1. My wife and I are loving these last episodes, although bitter sweet since there are only 3 left.
Thanks Joe, for all the wonderful hours of awe-inspiring entertainment.
I can’t believe it’s over. No more Stargate. This sucks. I have never been so sad about anything in my life. 🙁 I wish they would do just one last movie. Even if it’s with SG-1, SGA, and SGU combined. I just really want a good ending. I think we deserve that much, don’t you??
@Lisa R
That’s the most annoying thing about this whole issue isn’t it? If a dozen more Nielson familys tuned into SGU every week, Joe, Paul, Brad, Carl, and everyone else would be working on Season 3, and teasing everyone with snippets of info. Instead the horribly outdated Nielson system has killed off the Stargate francise for now.
I don’t personally believe 25,000 households can dictate the taste of several hundred million Americans.
@Randomness
You are so right. And I share your belief that 25,000 households cannot dictate the taste of many many many more Americans. It’s statistically impossible. There are so many more choices in television viewing today than there was even twenty years ago. Something like the Nielson’s probably was better at determining actual tv viewership when there was only four networks, but I don’t believe it can do it now.
When I told the guy at Directv we would be cancelling our service when our contract was up, I stated the lack of quality tv as our main reason and said that when satellite/cable went to a more choice-oriented format, we might come back. He said he had had several hundred people tell him and his colleagues that so I don’t know. My husband and I figured out that we and our kids only watched about 1/5 of what was available. Is that worth over $100/month for us? Nope.
We want Stargate! We want Stargate!
Seriously, the end of SG had to come one time. But this way of end is undignified. I can’t remember any series that ends with “To be continued”. But now I can say that the only series that end with so damn and messed up end is SGU. As many fans, I expect wrap-up of SGU in any form. It could be a book, comic-book, e-book (that should be perfect!) or something like that. It’s clear there is no movie, 3rd series or mini-series and one episode isn’t enough to wrap-up. So I ask you in the name of all SG fans, tell Brad Wright about e-book SGU wrap-up! It costs only time (maybe little money) and it could made all SG fans happy ;). Please don’t leave SGU with opened end. 😉
Thanks Joe!
In the last few episodes of SGU the characters are finally starting gel and a more mature scifi series started to develop. Rush’s relationship with his wife as well as the Greer were subtly woven into the story of the characters actually making them more interesting and 3 dimensional. Overall the series started out slow, but you guys shot yourselves in the foot with about 4 episodes.
We all love it when Captain Kirk or Spock get’s the girl but we don’t necessarily want to see it. Sex is a part of life but I couldn’t watch the program with my teens, so since these episodes came early on people chose not to watch…. It also makes you wonder how far these antics would go on the big screen as well. You guys just didn’t have to go there. In other words who would’a thought Superman would have baby mama drama?
So where will the franchise go from here if they ever decide to resurrect it?
Hi, here in Brazil we love SG1 and SGA, we dislike SGU.
I’m crazy waiting for the continuity of SGA (my favorite), I
I believe that after this wave of vampires can release the film.
If the producers and MGM releasing money to decide the film will have its audience here.
Because has a channel (FX) to broadcast SGA Monday to Friday the series ends and they go again.
Joe,
Here is a possible scenario. A Stargate Atlantis complete Blu-ray edition was recently announced. If the sales of this are good, MGM would have to consider the possibility of making the Atlantis movie, which could lead to other movies for the other shows. Is this scenario plausible or is it just wishful thinking?
I’m disappointed but not surprised. SG1 and SGA were the best shows. After RDA left SG1 it just wasn’t the same, still great but not quite as good, and SGA was even better in my opinion. SGU just wasn’t that great. It had a few good episodes and I kept watching hoping it would get better. The time move was just stupid, that hurt a lot. But my biggest annoyance was the insistence on cancelling mid season every time. I would have loved to see the SGA movie. I need to see one. It was a very cruel way to end the show. You’d think they could at least fund a wrap up ‘episode’ even.
The entire problem stems from the industries reliance on an antiquated rating system. The Nielson ratings need to join the 21st century. In the States they use 25,000 households out of 114 million, that’s 0.0219 % not exactly a large sample. In Canada (if I recall correctly. I found the info by accident about a year ago and now I can’t find it) they only do cable households in Vancouver BC, Calgary AB, and Toronto ON, as though you can assume everyone east of Toronto watches the same shows. The ignoring of satellite households is a big problem.
If you’re on nightshift forget it, PVRs and on demand are out too. That means if 2 shows you watch are on at the same time and you have a PVR or something else that allows you to watch one show and tape another (or similar), you must make a choice of which one will get the rating data even if you really like both shows. The studios only count the Premiere broadcast numbers, reruns don’t count to them.
Today’s viewing technology allows us to do all these things that weren’t around 50 years ago, when the whole family watched one show at a time, and this skews the readings. The industry view seems to be “But we’ve always done it this way and it worked then, it should work now.”
I sorry to hear it finally happened, but I’ll still check occasionally for good news.
good bye, stargate. i’ll always cherish all the good feelin’ i felt everytime new episodes of stargate released.
now, on with Doctor Who season 6. geronimo!
Questions:
1) Why the Stargate was destroyed in episode Common Descent by the dron? Is it possible that this version of Stargate is not from Naquadah , thats why they was destroyed? And that’s the reason why Destiny-style Stargates have a limited range?
2) When Destiny was launched? Destiny is older than Atlantis?
3) Do You have plans to write a book as a continuation of Stargate Universe?
I loved this series and I am very sad to see it end like this. I’ll be the first to admit that season one was slow (and rightly, justified) since it takes time to build the characters. Season 2 has been amazing so far and I can’t believe Sci Fi won’t take up another season of this.
The writers, cast, and crew deserve a huge round of applause for this series. I found the story lines to be engaging and interesting, the acting to be superb (especially Dr.Rush) and the FX to be very clean and well thought out.
I will be very sad indeed when I see the final episode for season 2. May the execs find some logic and not cancel this show for good.
Since ever I wasn’t that deep into SG-1 or SGA although these are entertaining shows as well i don’t like the concept of a story arc in one, two or three episode(s). Some Star Trek shows had the same problem. Simply mounting tension 43min and solving the whole thing in 2 makes the episode scenario somehow unbelievable.
SGU made things different and i know that not every SG fan agrees to that concept but i love it. A darker more realistic approach. More believable. People on the destiny trying hardly to survive and they aren’t superheroes they can’t even steer the ship in the beginning.
I know Dr. McKay probably would have solved that in minutes but that’s what made him look a way too overpowered character.
Medic Tamara can’t do complex surgery. Young despairing of the ship’s command and the decisions he had to make. Chloe afraid of becoming an alien. And of course Dr. Rush which is a deep multi dimensional character who always seems to hide his real intentions. Destiny’s mysterious chair which gives important information only at a price. I like the way Telford was brought physically to the Destiny and back to earth for some action. I’m wondering why the the species he made the first contact with would go on a suicide mission?
It’s a great pity and makes me upset seeing this show dying in the middle of a season and once the production is closed i’m afraid that it will not be continued in the near or far future.
I don’t want a reboot of Stargate. I want that SGU ends properly. The risk of a reboot can be seen at JJ Abrams Version of Star Trek which i dislike. High School Class as an Enterprise crew with an “Action-Jackson”-Kirk char exploding through space. I hope Stargate escapes this destiny. For the sake of the SG fans.
I am really sad to hear of this. My hopes were that if those awesome last episodes get higher ratings, that someone might decide to give a third season a chance. Haven’t the ratings improved ?
I really came to love almost each of those characters…
Thanks for a great ride.
So keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3 years won’t work in getting a 1-shot-ep of Eli’s 2weeks and then another season following the expolits of the crew after their re-awakening… nuts. :(.
I’m glad you didn’t fudge the ending by cramming in ?-number of series into the last few eps. What we got, as you said above, closed the season and the show whilst leaving us with the “their journey will still go on” vibe.
Hopefully books and audiobooks (featuring an all star cast!!) will follow. 🙂
OK, just watched it. Sad how it is ending.
We have watched and loved Stargate in it’s entirety. Now SyFy/MGM have taken it away from us.
Nice one, now you show nothing that we want to watch.
Activate the gate…
All SG fans deserve an ending for SGU…
we sticked with the show from the begining of the stargate franchise and now you guys are just gng to leave us hanging???
Stargate Universe season 2 ending was beautiful. But the cliffhanger is killing me…let us know how the story will end…answer all the question that the show raised…
If i had the cash i would bankroll the entire SGU all through its 5 seasons “planned”…
Do something man!!
For STARGATE!!!
re: the ending. If SGU isn’t going to live on in other form then to just come out and say “this is how it would have ended”, well that just seems #### <- can't think of the word. Like you're climbing a mountain and someone airlifts you right to the summit. Yes that's your final destination but you haven't earned the right to see the view.. or something like that.
facebook group – 500.000 fans á $10 and you got your starting budget for season 3 🙂
i would think about it!
A very sad day for cience fiction… I love SG1 / SGA and SGU…
Thanks to all of sg’s teams…
From Portugal
This is fuckin’ annoying.
What happened to the franchise? What was going on?
Stargate has a fandom. Stargate will have a fandom in the future. The problem is, that the series, that we knew were cancelled. We loved Atlantis and SG1. And we loved the way they were made. but in SGU this special “Stargate-Feeling” was missing(It was quite good, though). The problem was, that all the old Stargate Fans did expect, that there will be explorations to other planets, new races, new technology and so on. But all we found was a dirty, rusty old ship. The Gate was not the central obect anymore. Sure there were more younger viewers, but the old fandom didn’ really enjoy this series.
If there would have been more “Stargate”, the series would have been better.
But you gave me a very nice time with SG1, SGA and SGU…
Thank you and RIP
Germany
Gosto muito da série stargate, sinto muito por ela ter que terminar sem ao menos ter uma conclusão plausivel, mais sabemos que os grandes estúdios depende de lucro para se manter na sua atividade, e sendo assim acho que eles cortaram a série por ter caído de audiência, uma pena, espero que num futuro próximo ela reaparece continuando onde parou.
tedy777 por favor nao termine o stargate os fas do brasil agradencem
oi bom dia moro em belem do Para brasil , desculpe pela minha falha em não falar ingles, mais como fâ das series stargate , e com pesar que tomo ciencia que elas iram acabar , seus filmes são inspiradores e maravilhosos eu adquiri a pouco tempo a 1a serie
stargate universe ela e instigadora e nos deixa com o gosto de querer mais , pena que ate agora e não consegui a segunda serie , espero que futuramente vc realize nos nossos sonhos de ter acesso a novas series obrigado