When Stargate finally ended, I figured I’d take a year off to relax and recharge. As it turns out, 2011 is shaping up to be quite the opposite.
As you all know (or should know if you’ve been reading this blog) my writing partner Paul and I have made the move to Toronto in order to assume co-showrunning duties on Transporter: The Series alongside German wunderkind Alexander Ruemelin. Everyone involved, from the broadcasters to the production personnel, has been terrific so far and I’m very excited about the scripts we have in play. The show is going to be a lot of fun and I have no doubt a lot of you will really enjoy what we have in store for you. Like the movies, we’ve got an incredibly charming hero, high-stakes, eye-popping action, and, best of all, a sense of humor. One of the elements we all loved about the film franchise was the signature fight sequences, like the iconic motor oil fight scene in the first movie (Transporter). They stood out because they were unique and that’s something we’ll be delivering in every episode – clever, colorful fight scenes and car stunts that will have you reaching for the rewind button. And how will we achieve such audacious onscreen exploits. Well, I’ve got to names for you: Cyril Rafaelli and Michel Julienne. The former was the fight choreographer on Transporter 2 and the awesome Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum; the latter the car stunt coordinator on Transporter, Transporter 2, and Transporter 3. They’re the very best in their respective fields and they’ll be working on our show!
Also on deck for me is Dark Matter, my SF comic book series. Originally envisioned as a television series, I spent two years working on the story, fleshing out the characters, developing their relationships, and plotting every surprising twist and turn. Last year, we closed a deal with Dark Horse Comics that will see the series take comic book form. The opening four-issue arc launches in January of 2012. Things are coming together fast and furious now. My editor, Patrick Thorpe, has been forwarding me the preliminary designs and layouts artist Garry Brown has been working on. The other day, I received the early concept sketches for some of the ships Check them out –
Very exciting stuff!
I also got a call from Ryan Copple, writer and Executive Producer of Riese: The Series. Before leaving for Toronto, we got together and discussed the possibility of partnering up to produce a live-action series based on an existing anime property. We tossed potential titles back and forth, narrowed down our list and, today, Ryan reports we have some serious developments on one of my favorite prospects. We get into it next week. Fingers crossed.
When I last stepped off memory lane, I was heading into Stargate: SG-1’s sixth season, a season of change and fan unrest. Michael Shanks had left the show and actor Corin Nemec brought in. Corin’s character, Jonas Quinn, introduced in season five’s Meridian, became the new fourth team member. But it took Jack a while to warm up to the guy. Some fans, on the other hand, never quite warmed up to a character who, in their eyes, could never replace their beloved Daniel Jackson. I sympathized with Corin, a really nice guy eager to impress, who unwittingly walked into a firestorm of fan fury.
One of my fondest memories of Corin was his affinity for food props. Whether it was lollipops, toast, or bananas, Jonas always seemed to be feeling peckish. Maybe he suffered from low blood sugar. I don’t know. Whatever the case, that was his “thing”. One day, Corin decided to drop the food in favor of a mug of coffee. That proved problematic because the drinking mug was Rick’s “thing”. This was a running gag on the show, something we didn’t notice at first but, after someone pointed it out to us, would have us in stitches whenever we saw it onscreen. I wonder if any of you noticed at home? Whenever O’Neill has a cup or mug in hand, there will come a point in the scene where he’ll peer into it, frown, then dip his fingers in once, maybe twice, to retrieve some mystery object floating within – then carry on with the scene. Over the course of Stargate’s run, it happened A LOT. Apparently, Stargate Command had the dirtiest tea in Colorado.
The episodes…
REDEMPTION PART 1 (601)
Appropriately enough, Dr. Rodney McKay makes a return visit to the SGC and takes another giant step toward redemption – a process that would be completed by the time he assumed a lead position in the Atlantis expedition. This episode was also notable for the introduction of the Jaffa Shaq’rel, an otherwise inconsequential but for the fact that the part was initially written for a certain NBA star who, according to Chris Judge at the time, was interested in doing the show. Well, that never worked for whatever reason and while I won’t reveal the name of the basketball player, it really shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
REDEMPTION PART II (502)
Looking back, this was the episode that cemented David Hewlett as a favorite guest star – so favored, in fact, that years later, when we were trying to cast the part of a medical doctor for the new spin-off, Atlantis, he immediately came to mind and Brad and Robert decided: “Screw that! Let’s put McKay on the team!”. And the rest, as they say, is history. Also in this episode, the role of Shaq’rel was played by Aleks Paunovic, who also returned to the franchise years later, but in a different role – playing Ronon’s former Satedan buddy, Rakai, in SGA’s Reunion.
DESCENT (503)
One sequence had Carter and O’Neill trapped in a chamber that was slowly filling with water. We achieved this by actually doing the opposite. We lowered the specially designed set into a pool, giving the impression that the water was actually rising. We shot at Vancouver’s Olympic pool and it was a tough day. Rick and Amanda were very wet and very cold, and had to sport wet suits underneath their clothing to keep warm. This episode also marked yet another cameo by Director Peter DeLuise, this time offering a tip of the hat to his old show, Seaquest, by playing the part of “Lieutenant Dagwood”.
FROZEN (504)
Early in the episode, one of the scientists claims his grandfather was “one quarter Cherokee”. This was an in-joke and poke at actor Chris Judge who had made the same claim. Also, at one point, Jack laments having forgotten to tape The Simpsons. This, of course, paralleled RDA’s love for the long-running animated series. There were many times he would swing by my office to check out the collection of Simpsons talking figures I kept in my office. Eventually, Rick’s love for the show culminated in a guest appearance by the voice of Homer Simpson himself, Dan Castellaneta – which was soon followed by Rick being asked to guest on The Simpsons.
NIGHTWALKERS (505)
This was one of my favorite episodes of the show’s sixth season simply because it was so different from other episodes we’d done – an old-fashioned small-town alien invasion story. Loved the gang all decked out in leather. Vincent Gale, who would later play the part of the cranky Carl Binder Morrison on Stargate: Universe, appears as Agent Cross. The role of Sheriff Knox is played by the terrific Blu Mankuma, a good friend of the late Don Davis (General George Hammond). Blu and I shared an affinity for ribs – lamb ribs in particular. I loved them so much, in fact, that I was “the lamb rib” hotline. Whenever my favorite barbecue joint, The Memphis Blues BBQ Restaurant made a batch, they would give me a call and I’d drive right over. I remember one night sitting down to a platter of ribs. So wholly focused was I on devouring them that I didn’t even notice Blue until he was standing right beside me. “Breathe,”he cautioned.
Mailbag:
BoltBait writes: “Any comment on this? http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/05/an-open-letter-to-stargate-fans-%20%20from-syfy/”
Answer: Back in the last few years of Stargate, I took to giving the network notes on their notes. Essentially, I would go through the notes, address the concerns I could, then specifically respond to ones I couldn’t do or felt I shouldn’t do. As I read this article, I felt like responding in similar fashion. A lot of good points are raised. On the other hand, a lot of baffling points are made as well. For starters, I don’t think an official explanation on the part of SyFy is necessary. While I can empathize with fans who object to the abruptness of the cancellation after ten years on the network, one has to understand that television is a business. If SyFy has alternate scripted programming that performs better on Mondays or Tuesdays in the fall, then it’s understandable why they would choose those shows over a third season of SGU. That said, certain statements in the article had me scratching my head…
“When MGM decided to bring Stargate Atlantis to an end after five seasons…”
Hmmmm. Not to belabor the point (because I have discussed this in past entries) but, at the time, when we asked the studio whether or not there was any interest on their part in producing a sixth season of Atlantis, I was told that, while the increased budget made a season six less attractive for them, there were other reasons to do it (ie. as a lead-in to the new series). I wasn’t privy to the final decision-making process so it’s possible that the studio had an 11th hour change of heart – but I’m not sure why they would have.
“Because Stargate SG-1 and had performed so well for us in the past, we felt confident about SGU and committed to a two-season deal for it, as long as the show met certain milestones along the way. Two-season deals are rare in the TV world because they tie up a huge amount of investment (both time and money), but our great track record with MGM and Stargate made this seem like as much of a sure thing as you’ll get in the TV business. That means before any footage was shot or any actors were hired, we knew there’d be 40 episodes.”
Craig rightly points out that the second year pick-up was contingent on the show’s first season meeting “certain milestones”. Which makes the last sentence: “That means before any footage was shot or any actors were hired, we knew there’d be 40 episodes.” somewhat debatable – unless he’s suggesting that the network was insanely optimistic at the time. If the first season had not met the milestones set forth in the original deal, there would have been no guarantee of a second season pick-up.
“The show quickly moved forward and officially launched on October 2, 2009. The debut was watched by a good if not spectacular 2,779,000 viewers. To give that some perspective, Stargate Atlantis debuted with over 4 million viewers, so SGU was more than 25% below that.”
File this one under baffling. Comparing the SGA premiere to the SGU premiere overlooks is grossly unfair. First – Atlantis premiered during the summer while Universe – originally slated for a fall premiere – premiered in the much more competitive fall. Second the time between the two premiere has seen a significant increase in DVR usage and internet downloads, and a simultaneous erosion in live viewership. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Simply put, back when Atlantis aired, fewer viewers were recording or downloading television and many more were watching television live.
“With untenably low numbers and no sign of growth on Fridays where it had now lost 1/3 of its initial audience, we decided to move SGU for its second season. We’d had tremendous success on Tuesday’s with our breakout hit Warehouse 13, so we paired SGU with Caprica and moved them to Tuesdays, hoping to introduce both shows to a new audience.”
Sigh. Okay, look – while I understood (and supported) the move to Tuesday night and the pairing with Caprica, I nevertheless take exception to the assertion that the network had enjoyed “tremendous success on Tuesday’s with [their] breakout hit Warehouse 13”. While Warehouse 13 certainly aired on Tuesdays, it did so in the summer (where, I’d like to reiterate, SGU was originally scheduled to air).
“We moved the final 10 episodes of SGU to Monday nights where we’d just had success with a new show called Being Human, but the ratings remained flat.”
Okay but, realistically, the series had already been canceled so I’m not sure how much reasonable audience growth could be expected at that point.
Like I said – television is a business and decisions are driven by the bottom line. All the same, we were on the network for ten years. When my last relationship ended after 10+ years, we enjoyed a nice post break-up wrap-up dinner. Just saying.
Mr. Scirev writes: “Will there be a box set of all SGU?”
Answer: Eventually, I’m sure there will.
MNP writes: “My only disappointment (other than the scandal thing, which I hadn’t noticed before now) was that the possibility of uploading was never even brought up in the episode. Surely Rush would think of such a thing?”
Answer: Not sure what you mean. Uploading one’s consciousness to Destiny would be a last resort. Their body would die even though their mind would live on.
Randomness writes: “Just wondering Joe, why wouldn’t you be a part of the shows second season? I highlighted this part of your answer to Tammy as I was more curious in knowing. So are you planning to join another show, or another project? Or is Toronto not growing on you?”
Answer: As I said, I have no doubt Transporter: The Series will go at least two seasons (probably more). That said, I think it would be presumptuous of me to assume I’ll necessarily be along for the long ride. I love the show and the people I work with but, once work on the first season has been completed, our contract is up and no one is beholden to anything. Who knows what the future holds?
stacy fincher writes: ” I did have a question for you did you are the other ever think of the dimities of the Destiny how big it was?”
Answer: Sorry, that’s something I never gave much thought to – although the design team and VFX crew certainly did. Head on over to twitter and ask VFX Supervisor Mark Savela.
David Knowles writes: “Your Dark Matter comic, just wondering if is Scifi and is there anything about the plot, either in one of your previous blogs or somewhere on the web.”
Answer: Yes, definitely scifi and, no, I haven’t really talked about it. As things are moving quickly now and we have an artist on board, I thought I would share in the exciting developments.
Joe Cool writes: “if we gathered fans to donate money and started a project on kickstarter.com for you guys to be able to continue some form of production on the stargate canon (whether it be a movie or a comic book or webisodes or what have you) do you think that could be beneficial at all?”
Answer: Afraid not. MGM owns Stargate and the final decision on what gets produced and when rests with them.
Expletive:BMP writes: “Mr Joe, how much would it cost to have Kino episodes with Just Eli trying to fix the problem with the stasis pod, and other such adventures?”
Answer: Unfortunately quite a bit since, in a matter of weeks, those sets will no longer exist.
William Francais writes: “Was there ever any discussion of resolving the DHD problem Or bringing on races similar to that of Atlantis?”
Answer: I want to say “yes and no” but am not exactly sure what you mean by DHD problem and races similar to that of Atlantis? Are you referring to the crew’s reliance on the remotes and an alien species like the wraith?
Vinci writes: “so right now your saying that is mostly likely that stargate universe will not continue?”
Answer: Yes. Sadly, that is what I’m saying.
Dr. D. writes: “Is “Dark Matter” a comic book or graphic novel (or do you consider those terms synonymous)?”
Answer: It will launch as a comic book series and, somewhere down the line, have its individual story arcs collected in trade paperback form (a graphic novel).
Sparrow_hawk writes: “So are you going to move on to answering SG:A questions next? If so, please tell us: what happened to poor Todd.”
Answer: Will do.
Tammy Dixon writes: “So, at least, two seasons in Toronto but will you get summers in Vancouver?”
Answer: Nope. We shoot summers.
max writes: “Joe, you mentioned that the fate of the SG movies hinged on DVD sales, so given that no SG movies will be made, would you characterise the sales of DVDs as unusually disappointing for MGM and Syfy?”
Answer: DVD sales have dropped significantly over the past few years. They’ve been unusually disappointing for everyone.
Zac writes: “Do you think it would have been possible for either Eli or Rush to use the neural link of Destiny to project her surroundings into her head… kinda like when TJ was doing surgery and saw Amanda Perry?”
Answer: An interesting idea, but I don’t think the neural link works that way.
Balial writes: “now that SGU is sadly over, could you please tell us, who The planet builders from episode Faith were? What kind of civilisation or society they were? Something more powerfull than the ascended ancients, or something different?”
Answer: We envisioned the planet-builders as an extremely advanced race who, while very powerful, differed significantly from the Ancients. They didn’t possess the extensive knowledge of the Ancients nor did they, at any time, evolve from a physical form similar to ours. Brad threw around the idea of having them pay us a personal visit at some point – but, like so many others, we’ll file that one under “season 3 stories that might have been”.
Ulrike Tannenberg writes: “How would Rush have fared later on?”
Answer: I don’t know. We would have continued to develop him as an individual who walks the line between darkness and light, someone capable of touching surprises and crushing disappointments.
scottland7 writes: “On a different topic do you think you could have a guest or two on your blog to take questions?”
Answer: I’ll see what I can do.
My Name Is Scott writes: “Did anyone in the writer’s room have that moment between Teyla and Ronon in mind (can’t remember the ep) whenever Teyla’s lack of mercy in front of Sheppard was devised?”
Answer: Motherhood was just one of several life changes that affected Teyla for the better. Although it wasn’t a conscious decision on our part to do this, it’s fairly obvious that it did change the way we were writing her character. I think that, after the birth of her son, she became more focused, cautious, but also more a realist when it came to threats like Michael.
Marc writes: “do you think a real stargate movie (in the theatres I mean) could be successful and a possible future for the franchise?”
Answer: It’s a possible scenario – but, I imagine, I long way off.
sss writes: “whether it is possible to agree on the extension of the franchise to another channel in another country?”
Answer: Alas, no. Not possible.
Rhyney writes: “Is there a chance that you and the other authors could come together to write Extinction and Revolution as comic books, as well as a continuing SGU comic series with your advisorial support?”
Answer: This might be an option MGM could pursue in the not too distant future, but its doubtful any of the writers involved in the production would be the ones to write any comic book continuation of the series.
DougIndy writes: “On another note, do you think it is impossible that there will ever be another sg1, atlantis, or universe dvd movie? Has the studio closed the door on those 3 shows for good or is it more of a not now?”
Answer: Unfortunately, I have no idea what the studio has planned.
Prior_of_the_Ori writes: “I wanted to ask, was there any talk of who created the Berserker drones?”
Answer: If you’re asking whether we considered the possibility that the crew’s descendants were responsible for creating the drones – yes, that was one possibility floated.
Prior_of_the_Ori also writes: “Also, wanted to ask, would Rob Cooper be able to answer questions like whether there was a Stargate network in the Ori galaxy?”
Answer: Rob has been pretty busy of late. Maybe once his schedule eases up a bit.
Alfredo De La Fe writes: “What are your thoughts of the fan attempts at convincing SyFy and MGM to reconsider?”
Answer: Love the fans and wish them luck!
Hey, Joe.
I have loved SG-1, SGA, and most of SGU. Sorry to see the series end like this.
Could you please give some details about the characters such as: birthdates, birthplaces, heights, weights, etc?
Also I wish there had been more scenes with Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson), so if you could give some Bio for the character, like the above?
I *really* wish you/other writers could have given the “Blueberry Aliens” a actual name, like with the Ursini, so if you have an idea about that could let us the viewers know?
I enjoyed TJ/Varro, but did you guys have to give her a fatal disease?
What DID happen with Franklin?
Does Eli survive the two weeks?
If so, how?
What was the “Blueberry’s” plan(s) for Chloe?
What did they do to her body in the first place?
What was the weird skin thing about anyway?
Why didn’t the crew check out the crates, to see if there were more spare parts for the Destiny?
After all these years, why did you just skip over how the gates are made, like it was not that important to anyone?
How come no one ever really did anything about the Furlings?
Why did you have Lisa get blinded?
How come Lt. James didn’t get more screen time?
I love Lt. James’ way of shutting up whiny civilians, who are endangering the group. I believe that if you had had Lt. James get more screen time your ratings may have gone up! 😉
I’m looking forward to all of you new projects! Can’t wait to hear which anime series might get live action treatment.
You mentioned that DVD sales were slow and I’m not really surprised. So many computer savvy people just stream and watch everything on their laptops these days.
i’m still sad about the non sam/jack confirmation. what could have been… 🙁
~Sam♥Jack~
I’m glad you were able to share some thoughts on the article on GW. I have a lot of negative feelings towards SyFy.
As for Jonas Quinn, I came into the series during S.8 so I had less emotional investment…is it bad that I preferred Jonas over Daniel?? Makes me the odd fan I guess 🙂 I was sorry that we never saw more of him after Daniel descended.
Stargate universe was an amazing show, i don’t really understand how so many people disliked it,
the characters were perfect for the show, and everything about the show made you like it so much more, if you actually took the time to watch it.
i was sad to see it end the way it did, and i would really have liked to see at least one more season, to properly wrap it up.
watching the last minute of SGU Gauntlet i was left with so many questions…
like what happens to Eli, or does the ship drop out of its jump early…
or did they finally escape the drones or were they followed?
i would have loved to see some more in depth battle sequences with the drones, like SG1 did with the Goa’uld or Ori, and like SGA did with the Wraith and The Replicators….
i liked SGU because the characters were Stuck on the Destiny, They have no way home, and there making the best of a horrible situation.
Im hoping that eventually there will be a third season of SGU or At least a few straight to DVD Movies to at least wrap up the show. i would really like to find out what was going to happen next….
SG1 Season 10 Episode 15 Bounty,
i loved this episode, because it was filmed at my high school…..
i remember walking the halls and seeing all of the movie equipment
it was pretty cool to finally see it on tv
There are certainly some interesting notes in that article. I personally think it is a shame that the channel has been so down on ‘real’ science fiction in the last few years and seems to be more of the same going forward. I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon and give my two cents worth.
http://www.robotplunger.com/2011/05/the-sci-fi-channels-identity-crisis/
By the way, the ship concepts look amazing. Did you give the artist a rough idea about what you wanted and they just went with it, or did they come to you with their thoughts and you approved/disproved them?
SyFy. I keep wondering if the network is on its last legs. If they’d just stuck to their summer shows instead of trying to compete with the bigger guns, maybe SGU and a few other shows would still be around? It’s very frustrating. Remember what happened to the WB? Be careful what you cancel. It could come back to bite you in the butt SyFy.
My teenagers can’t wait to see who is cast as the lead in your show. I haven’t seen the movies yet, so I must get on that. Nice that you’ll have the guys who created the stunts in the movies.
Hey, I liked Jonas. The mug thing is funny. Now I have to go back and watch for that.
I am glad that you mentioned my question. It is clear at least to me the ancients goals were different from the SGU mission to the Destiny Mission. However, it is odd to have gates without any DHD’s so my question I guess is, was there ever any intention to have any humanoid races in SGU world?
thanks for anwering our questions, and is good that some things are left to our imagination :D, but I still have hope for some kind of continuation in comic-novel format.
looking forward to your next projects(transporter, the comic and that anime adaptation) good luck 😀
uhm Joe? Arent you risking burning bridges with Syfy executives by rebutting their open letter to fans?
Are the SG production staff really pissed off right now?
Joe, do you believe some of the problems is that the 3 SG series catered to an aging audience? Some network execs openly say they want to attract a younger audience because demographics says they are more likely to buy more toys from the advertisers. An example would be the total Star Trek reboot that went very well.
In hindsight, if this is true, would you have casted even younger actors to make the SG shows more appealing to that younger demographics?
One more time congratulations to three of the world’s best series!!!
I would have some questions:
1. There would have been a chance that way, that Atlantis going after the Destiny with the star-drive?
2. If the destiny is the oldest technology, then how’s that he has a rotating gate? 🙂
3. Why did the blue aliens leave the destiny in peace?
4. What happens then, if from the home dial, while the destiny is between the two galaxies yet?
5. Eli’s smile means that there is not everything yet on his end disappearing regarding the continuation? 🙂
Thanks!
Wow! My head is spinning! I know very little about creating a television or comic book series, but I find it all interesting and enjoy following along. The concept sketches for the comic book are great.
Regarding SG-1, I remember liking Descent, with the water scenes, Jacob’s presence, and the escape.
Nightwalkers had a good vibe. I’m sure the leather had something to do with it! The team always looked cool in street clothes. Even O’Neill, with the legs of his pants rolled up, looked cool.
havnt heard about rob cooper lately… is he still working on the transporter with you and paul?
How much money do I need to win at a lottery to pay myself for another sgu season?
Assuming of course that everything has to be re-created from scratch now that the sets have been taken down.
Just to say, ABC has decided to cancel “V”. So another sci-fi series bites the dust. 🙁
The save sgu movement needs someone to rally behind… I propose bill shatner.. Fans rallied behind his lil show years ago i bet he would help..
Hey Joe,
I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work on all three branches of Stargate; you have worked so hard and gave us some of the best sci-fi television ever. Also, thanks for being so interactive with the fans. It means a lot to us. I look forward to checking out Transporter, but especially your comic series, Dark Matter! 😀
I have some questions though, I hope you have time to answer them 🙂
1.) What happened to Franklin’s body? I know that his mind became part of the Destiny AI (or something to that effect, like you said in a previous post), but I was just wondering what happened to his body.
2.) Can you give us any more information on the blue aliens or the Ursini? Where they came from, what they wanted, would we have seen them again and in what capacity?
3.) You discussed the planet builders in this post; why were they helping the Destiny crew (creating Eden, sending Caine etc back)? What did they hope to gain from it? And if they weren’t helping us, what were they doing?
4.) I understand not revealing what the ultimate end for the show was, but can you talk about how Destiny played into the CMBR message? How did it gather the data, and what role did it play in understand what it meant?
5.) Were there ever any plans to show flashbacks to the building and the launching of Destiny and the seed ships?
Thanks again!
I’m watching the Smallville ending. I’ve enjoyed it through the years, and it’s been an ok show.
Not always great, usually kinda “teenie”, and sometimes kinda dull and talky.
But the finale’s have always been kinda neat, and event driven.
..
This is just pap.
Mindless talky, weepy, lovey dovey, everyone is happy, rubbishy, talk-driven, uneventful garbage.
.. In many ways, I’m glad you didn’t know SGU was an ending!! Makes for less shitty tv!
Although I love Daniel and he is my favorite character, I didn’t mind Jonas. I had loved Corin in My Name is Steven and later enjoyed him in The Stand…
I remember reading a quote by RDA who had been asked about the fans reaction and he said something along the lines of – he wanted to go, it was his choice….
My favorite relationship has always been the Jack/Daniel relationship and those are the scenes I remember most fondly…
I am sad that there is no more Stargate, but am grateful for the time we had….
Hey Joe,
Just wanted to ask if the statis chambers aboard Destiny are different to those found in Atlantis and other ancient outposts?
How come the 3 year idea was considered more then the 100 to 1000 year idea?
Surely with the whole 100 to 1,000 year idea, everything opens up in a writing point of view. List below:
– Does earth exist anymore?
– Did SGC reveal the Stargate to the world?
– Who is the aggressors in this time frame?
– Is there Peace in the galaxy?
– Did Destiny become a icon? (does this introduce extremists who want to protect and destroy Destiny?)
– You could also bring back a lot of SG-1/A/U regulars who could give video diaries about Destiny and others things in general that happened to SGC reveal to the world. You could have speeches from the people on like Eli’s mom saying where he is she is proud of him and Sharon appearing saying that even though she was told to move on, she never did. etc
– You could also bring back Atlantis (in some form), if Earth is destroyed is Atlantis now (which ever planet its on) considered New Earth? Or even what happened to it.
– Without Mckay or Carter, who replace them? If they use the stones do they find the tech on Destiny too outdated and need their technology to do it? (showing that the society is too Dependant on tech)
– The political side.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. and it is without even touching what’s going on where Destiny is and what’s happening there and the affect New Earth has on everything; Eli now holo Eli? Do they even want to go home considering how much has changed? Do they trust new Earth’s commands?
For a writing point of view, its extremely promising to radically change the series, IF there was a third series of course.
(sorry if all those i listed crossed the writing staffs minds and also if i caused offense anywhere)
Also forgot to ask do you know if a OST (soundtrack) for Stargate Universe is coming out soon? Thanks 🙂
Transporter: The Series sounds really awesome! Love the sketches! I’m definitely gonna check it out. 😉
I didn’t watch much of Season 6 of SG-1. It just didn’t seem the same without Michael Shanks/Daniel Jackson. Every episode seemed incomplete without him.
As for the Stargate franchise, I’ve come to terms that the Stargate we have come to know and love is gone. There will never be another like it. Thank you Joe for you contribution to one of the best franchises….EVER! Thank you for sharing your gift and talent. SG-1, SGA, and SGU will always be my 3 favorite shows of all time, and I will never forget them.
I truly look forward to seeing Transporter: The Series! 🙂
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the answers 🙂 I also look forward to reading the notes about Atlantis: Extinction. I will keep an eye out on Dark Matter. Will there be any information about the setting?
Going through the old notes you mentioned on AU Season 6, you mentioned that Atlantis was going to get trapped into a bubble universe whereupon there would be a resurgent Wraith threat due to the actions of a mysterious new ally. Who was this ally going to be anyway? Would this have been seen in Extinction in some capacity? Not the bubble universe but the mysterious new allies.
Anyway, take care!
Thank you for answering my question. Another two questions came in my mind:
Why is nether SyFy nor MGM interested in Extinction an Revolution as well as the two SGU movies, despite the fact the moves cost money and need good viewer ratings?
What would the plot of the Revolution movie have looked like?
Joe, you described Rush as
“an individual who walks the line between darkness and light, someone capable of touching surprises and crushing disappointments.”
– a concept you might want to carry into your new comic book venture (hint, hint). Some of us love characters like that. Just a suggestion. 😉
You have me sold already!
Thank you, for more SG memories. I loved Jonas! I wish he could have stayed on. His character had a lot of potential storylines. After watching Dr. Who for so long, maybe I’m more acclimated to losing main characters. Sometimes actors want to do other projects.
Yes, I think I’m going to like Transporter and hubby will love anything with explosions/car chases. 😀 .
I believe I’d rather spend a summer in Toronto than a winter (burr). Still considering a Japan trip or has the disaster derailed your plans?
Have you heard the latest about Louisiana? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110514/ap_on_re_us/us_mississippi_river_flooding A lot of lives are being impacted today. 🙁
Just read through this and it made me smile:
http://www.capricatimes.com/hey-syfy-excuses-wont-work
We’ve seen a lot of things in The Last Man, what eventually happened in our real time, even if a little bit different ways. Have you planned, that thing seen in the Novus facility from recordings will happen again with our crew? TJ’s ALS is obvious, but I think like Eli and Barnes or Varro and James or the schism between the crew because of something…
Joe, when you say that your idea for the planet builders included that they didn’t evolve from a physical form like ours, can you elaborate on that? Were they energy beings? Mechanical? Or just a lifeform vastly different than humans / humanoids?
Isn’t syfy obligated to produce stargate extinction because they promised SGA would be followed by at least 1 2 hour direct to DVD movie? Is there any legal action that can be taken?
Joe, just for fun, does WordPress give you stats on your posters’ locations? My linguist brain has noticed various “accents” in the posts and, in recent months, there’s been mention of Russia & Ukraine in addition to the English /Spanish /French /German-speaking nations.
Enjoying the memoir. Season 6, broadcast Summer 2002, is where I joined in.
Howdy,
Congratulations on a beautiful ending to SGU, I’m devestated about the end of Stargate Universe though at the same time, I’m sure as most people are.
As I watched the last episode, I kept waiting for a really nasty twist like, Eli sudden change of courage? Could have shown a quick shot of the Telepath Stones and theres one still on the board, and turns out that its a Lucian Alliance member who now has control of Destiny! (That would have been too cheeky in the nature of it being the last episode though!)
My quick question is, Is it a possibility to return SGU in a Novel Series perhaps? Or is it just up to MGM?
I would imagine that Novels would be a much better results in the Fans to Downloader ratio, as well, Its Stargate in the palm of your hands, and I dont think anything can beat that, (Besides a Third Season of course!)
Anyway, Best of luck with your future Projects!
I hate you. I don’t want to watch the last 2 episodes. I want to wait til I am not sad. I want the end to last. But thanks to YOU I have to go ahead because I can’t read your blog and the comments without spoilers, and I can’t NOT read your blog, so I am watching them this weekend.
Hence, not sure if someone posted this SyFy gateworld post claiming it is ALL about numbers, so if they did, sorry, I can’t look at comments or blog yet:
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/05/an-open-letter-to-stargate-fans-from-syfy/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
SGU Question: Did aliens really take TJ’s baby and what would have happened with the rest of that baby storyline?
This is completely off topic…I finally tried the chocolate bacon bar & posted about it on my facebook (I bought it at the Sears Tower a couple weeks ago at $10.99 & didn’t ask how much it was, just found out today. It’s $7.50 from the website).
Anyway, I explained that you had blogged about it & I tried to put a link to your blog but it keeps disappearing. Do you know why this is? I wanted to show how you are a foodie & that you posted pics of some of the dishes on your blog.
Also, Stargate in it’s many forms will be missed. I went to a convention in Chicago in ’07 & told Michael Shanks that I had gotten Shotime just so I could watch Stargate (Absolutely true!).
Frankly, I agree with you Joe. A response from SyFy to the fans was not nessecary and IMO is more of an acknowledgement / justification that they screwed up and that the execs are trying to cover their own arse in explaining why the show was canceled. The Stargate Franchise has been airing on SyFy for 10 years and for the most part served as their bread and butter.
It is unfortunate that they never aired the show during the summer months, as I believe the show would have provided better results with regards to viewership. Rather than move the show to Tuesday in the second season, they should have moved it to air in summer. I do understand that they have to have content for fall and winter, but they could have gotten a better return on investment.
It’s also interesting that he suggests MGM was responsible for ending Atlantis, while it’s been my understanding that SyFy was responsible. Perhaps a view from the network’s perspective of MGM not being able to decrease production costs? Either way, everyone has their own take on a relationship. I just wish we got to see how this story ends.
I liked the sketches for your comic book. Looking forward to seeing it debut next year. And the series sounds interesting too. It’s fascinating to hear about the development of a series from the beginning.
My favorites from the batch of eps. you listed are Redemption 1 and 2 and Descent. That was some good stuff.
Have a good weekend!!
Initially I was sad to see Daniel leave, but came to love Jonas too. I was extremely sad that he never reappeared in the last years of the series. (or in Seizure)
Re your take on the Syfy article, I think both of you are just looking at it from different viewpoints, kind of depends on which part of the elephant you are feeling up. No one is wrong, just not the same vantage point.
I really really enjoyed SG-1 and Atlantis but especially enjoyed SGU, i think it appealed to young viewers (given that im 18)
I have some questions that have been bugging me given that there isnt going to be a season 3 :/
1. Do SyFy count live views from other countries such as the UK?
2. Did you have any intention in pursuing TJ’s baby storyline
3. Given that TJ was the only medic onboard destiny why wasnt she making trips to earth to improve her medical knowledge?
4. Would Varro have been a big part of season 3?
Would really apprieciate if these questions were answered 🙂 !!
Good luck to your future !!!
When will you introduce us to all the Joe clones who are going to help you pull off this schedule?
And, where I come from, everyone’s grandfather is 1/4 Cherokee. Double that for mine due to inbreeding. I come from the starting area of the Trail of Tears. Do a little math on the timeline and you see how all these families making that claim were just harboring people who would otherwise have been force marched out of the area. Or they could be full of crap. Either explanation holds water.
Hey Joe,
Thanks for answering all the viewers SGU questions again.
I have to wonder… we hear fron Engler for Syfy every once in a while. We hear from you on Stargate stuff. We caught a glimpse of what Brad’s status was on trying to do something to save the franchise. We see comments in several online SG outlets i.e. Gateworld etc. about SG.
Who would you suggest the fans could go to read comments by MGM? It seems quiet from them (or am I looking in the wrong places on the net for comments by them)?
I’ve seen you’ve post several times that the franchise is in their hands only and are the ones to make the future decisions of the SG granchise. I’d like to know is someone writing comments for MGM with a real online interactive presence with fans? Who wouldn’t mind SG related questions of its future.
Just like a lot of other fans, I’d like to ask them if the SGU show or franchise would continue in some kind of written, comic book form way. I am just not sure where to go to ask questions to MGM and get a response. Thanks for any info. you might have to point me or others in the right direction.
SGU question: Was the introduction of the Ancients considered at any point during the originally planned 5-year run of the series? Up to this point I was caressing the idea that not only those who died in the alien planet winter to comeback in S02E09 but also the consciousness of both Ginn, Amanda and Franklin were somehow “ascended” to a higher plane.
Hello Joe.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts for the potentia third season of SGU. How is the casting for Transporter going? Any chance you could tell us what network or cable channel we can look forward to watching that on?
Best wishes,
Bryan
Wow, I’m blown away that you have the stunt coord. for Banlieu 13, one of my action faves. So no Bam Bam? Bam Bam is up there with Woo-Ping Yuen in choreographing beautiful hand to hand combat.
Exciting stuff too about the live action show based on an anime, and the comic book, whew!
Love the design of the ship, looks very believable as a workhorse of a ship like the Nostromo. The fixed wing pursuer looks fun, I want one.
Hi, just a minor comment; every episode written by Robert Cooper (in all of gatetrek) was gold. Citizen Joe, Common Descent, Heroes, all of it. He’s a fantastic writer. If you could pass along the fact that he’s completely awesome, that’d be tight. Thanks.
Hey Joe,
after reading the open letter from the network, I’m curious. IS writing an open letter to the fans of a show explaining why they cancelled it common practice? I think it is an attempt to try to keep the SG fanbase loyal to the network that just screwed them over.
@Before leaving for Toronto, we got together and discussed the possibility of partnering up to produce a live-action series based on an existing anime property.
Please say Eden of the East, please say Eden of the East.
As you know you could do this with ease, well if you could get the license to the property.
Because
1. It doesn’t have expensive CG.
2. It’s modern day(Slightly in the future but yeah)
3. It doesnt have giant robots, magical girls or anything that defys belief.
4. It would be a great character drama, and would give you the chance to delve into the background of each of the Selecao.
I know you probably wont do this series Joe but if you have a company with $$$$$ interested, please do..
Or if you’re wanting to do a Scifi type show, aim for something like Planetes, Crest/Banner of the Stars, or Infinite Ryvius.
Or Black Lagoon, any of those would make me happy to see.
Now I want to watch season 6 all over again, in addition to the few currently on-air TV shows I have episodes to catch up on.
I agree with the commenter who said they missed Daniel but came to enjoy Jonas as well. That’s pretty much how I experienced it.
so . the idea of season three is forever dead? what about of movies?
Wow…are you like on Red Bull, or somethin’? 😉
Thanks for all the info! I’m having a lousy day – was supposed to go out of town, but my tummy said otherwise (I think it’s something I ate…or maybe worms…). So here I sit, miserable, while Mr. Das has all the fun with family and friends. I may have overdone it last week getting the yardwork and housework done so that I COULD go away today…I guess there may be some irony or something in that.
Anyway, to cheer me, and everyone else, up – I call these two Sheppard and Todd:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/05/13/funny-pictures-videos-cat-and-owl-play/
🙂
das
In case the above link doesn’t work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqmba7npY8g
das
Das: I saw the cat/owl video on Cheezeburger.com. Amazing, isn’t it?
I hope you feel better!
I talked to a friend that lives in Tunica, MS. She said local officials estimate that 80% of the deer population have drown from the flood in that county. Terrible!
The good colonel didnt want rush being the last inside hibernation because he felt rush couldnt be trusted.
In your opinion, is Rush’s character capable of murdering the whole crew just to get to the end of destiny’s exploration mission?
I noticed in the ‘Open Letter from Syfy’ that, while they moved SGu to Tuesdays ‘becauce Warehouse 13 found success there’ not only did that letter fail to mention SGU wasn”t airing in the same season, but that it was airing against shows like NCIS on Tuesdays. Why do you suppose the left that out? Also- You won’t reveal what the endgame plan was for Destiny’s mission, out of respect to Brad- that I can respect myself. However, it’s killing me not knowing. Is there anyway to contact- or have myself contacted by- Brad? Some shows I can deal with not knowing (i.e. Firefly, as it didn’t have time to even build up a story arc, or The Sarah Conner Chronicles as we all know how that ends), but with SGU… it had time to build up, it DID build up, and unlike SCC.. we have no idea how it ends.
And Brad (and you) have my word I won’t be plastering any info around the net.
Joe Cooper wrote, “Hi, just a minor comment; every episode written by Robert Cooper (in all of gatetrek) was gold. Citizen Joe, Common Descent, Heroes, all of it. He’s a fantastic writer. If you could pass along the fact that he’s completely awesome, that’d be tight. Thanks.”
I second that and add Runner, Sateda, Vegas…
Completely awesome.
Joe this has been bugging me so I thought I’d ask:
In Common Descent, when Eli plays the kino footage of Young’s speech, did he also show Young the entire set that we saw of TJ giving birth to his son or just the speech? It wasn’t too clear for me. When Young find out that he & TJ did stay together on Novus if he wasn’t show the footage?
In Twin Destinies, Rush stated that he was trying to buy them some time when crew went through Stargate after Telford. Did that mean Rush modified the wormhole direction to have it run closer to a solar flare? Thus enabling the crew to gate to desert planet 2000 years in past?
Hello Joseph, I have a question: Would the Ori Supergate be able to dial Destiny due to it drawing power from a black hole? And does it still exist? (As it was never seen destroyed and I would prefer the notion of it lying dormant in the void)
Joe, I would like to start out by saying that first I have been a die-hard Stargate fan from day one when the original movie aired, and two I have never actually taken the time to post on the blog because I never felt the need until now.
So, on into what makes me speak up now… this continuing situation is really pissing me off!
I am seeing a pattern here; a pattern of cliffhangers, a pattern of broken plotlines and a pattern of unfinished endings. And now to elaborate on what I mean:
—– Stargate SG-1 had a good ten-year run but at then at the end of season 10 you left too much hanging (true, you tied up the Ori plotline in The Ark of Truth, but there was more than that…) We had just received all the Asgard technology, and that was left hanging. Stargate Wiki lists several 304-class ships as having a replicated Asgard Power Control Core like what was installed on the Odyssey, the possibilities were endless and nothing was even explored and that was the first big disappointment. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that you guys destroyed the RSF Korolev at the beginning of season 9 and we have not heard from the Russians since, they would naturally be a little pissed and would some reason to blame Homeworld Command, if for no other reason than to get their Battlecruiser replaced.
—– At the end of Continuum you tied up the Goa’uld plotline, but you left us hanging with yet another unfilled promise, that of a Tau’ri Moon Base.
—– The end of Atlantis leaves us in the middle of San Francisco harbor; Todd is in prison on Atlantis, with the Pegasus model now being the Earths default Stargate the SGC is out of commission at present, the USS Apollo and CSS Sun Tzu are adrift in space and venting atmosphere, the USS Daedalus is still in Pegasus, the USS Odyssey is on a secret mission and the Wraith have not been defeated… not to mention the fact that the Stargate Program should be about to go public seeing as how every Civilian satellite in orbit would have recorded that massive space battle and with the fact that Atlantis was not cloaked in orbit, you just cannot miss a spaceship the size of Manhattan Island. And now the Atlantis movie has gone bust!
—– Now, on into Universe. Slow start but ultimately decent plotline. Strangely enough, I totally fell in love with Camile. But once again you left us hanging with no conclusion. For instance, at the end of Epilogue we finally got to see the long awaited Tau’ri Achilles-class Battleship, seen as the Descendant Starship (which made since because they arrived on the planet at our technology level and then had 2,000 years to improve on it.)
So I do have to ask a very important question, are you going to actually finish something that you start? Or are you just going to continue to disappoint your fans, because that is exactly what you are doing… with everything that has happened and how you have constantly let your fans down, why would any of us watch the next thing you come up with when we can just expect you to do it again? And you cannot sit there and say that it is all MGM’s fault, if you guys really wanted to continue this, then you guys would have put more into the pitch, you would not have taken “no” for an answer.
You could have pitched it to MGM as a chance to conclude these loose ends, rather than a chance to continue the series. The word “conclude” would have at least shown them you were willing to compromise with them and stop the series but at a time when you did not drop your fans off of a proverbial cliff.
If MGM will not do it then why can’t you pitch it to Fox, Paramount, Rouge, Columbia, TriStar, Universal Studios, Sony or even Warner Bros.?
As I understand it, MGM owns the rights to Stargate, well that’s fine. But if they are shutting the project down then they obviously have no use for it anymore. Stargate was so huge and I would bet my left nut that, in exchange for a long-running contract with the potential for movie deals, any one of those studios would jump at the chance to buy the franchise out from under MGM, especially if MGM is doing even half as bad off as the press makes it sound.
There are dozens of other options and you cannot just let it die. Even if you guys care nothing for your fans, you have spent the better part of twenty years on this… are you really going to throw in the towel and piss it all away?
This comic you’re working on looks and sounds quite interesting and it’s good to know there’s going to be some more quality sci-fi in the future. I also love that you’re going with a bit of “Used Universe” there (I’d post a link to TV Tropes if I knew how). It’s what I loved about Alien (and SG:U for that matter); that a ship that should, by it’s nature or job be dirty, grungy, and beaten-up actually IS dirty, grungy, and beaten-up. Don’t get me wrong, I love Star Trek, but it always bugs the heck out of me when they show the Engineering Deck and all I can think is: “Wow, that place looks like it’s more sterile than the operating room at work.”
If Stargate Universe were to be continued in novel/comic form, is it safe to assume you’d be the first to tell us?
(Please pardon any weirdness in my grammar and punctuation. My English isn’t the greatest.)
now that you’re doing season 6 reminisces, will there be anything on might have happened to jonas if the character had been kept on?
personally i had no problem with him, but i guess i wasn’t as invested in daniel as some people.
Answer: Unfortunately quite a bit since, in a matter of weeks, those sets will no longer exist.
🙁
Joe that comment depresses me!
Hello Joseph,
So I have recently posted on “Syzygy” Facebook wall…its a new channel which is pure sc-fi unlike SyFy.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MGM TO CONSIDER A DEAL WITH “SYZYGY”, thanks looking for a reply soon.
The SGU debut was watched by 2300 million viewers. You are counting live + 7 day in your figures. Atlantis debuted with 4.2million. That is almost 2 million in the difference. I would call that a significant difference.
As to DVD usage and downloading, once again nothing but spin. Internet downloads have AWAYS been popular. I have watched every episode of Stargate by this means. SGA was always number one in the downloads but there was never this hooha about how many were downloading. DVD usage again is not something that has been invented over night. Its been around for years. Neither of these have changed significantly enough to effect the overall viewership. It’s just another attempt to put blame on everything except the show itself.
Thank you for SGU. I’m very sad it’s come to an end, but I look forward to the future works of everyone who was involved with such a great show.
I have some questions that have been gnawing at me for a while now.
Were there ever plans of Lt. James and Eli Wallace starting a relationship, ‘Beauty and the Geek’ style?
Have any actors or actresses from SG-1, Atlantis or SGU shown interest in being on Transporter episodes? Are there some you would be interested in working with?
Was there a particular reason that the cancellation of SGU had to be announced days before Christmas instead of the day after? It seems like a crappy way of ending a franchise to me. Did it coming days sooner benefit anyone in any way?
Who is the tall blonde extra who keeps showing up throughout SGU and gets a partial closeup in ‘Blockade’? Were there ever plans to give her lines or make her a love interest of one of the main or supporting characters? She’s gorgeous!
Will Peter DeLuise direct any Transporter episodes? Are you aware of his future plans after SGU? Do you think he would ever use his ability for creating perfect shots towards making a great Stargate calendar or would such efforts be considered beneath such a talented director?
While I understand that it’s up to MGM, wouldn’t it have made more sense to offer a region 1 SGU, Season 2 on blu-ray dvd in high definition, with cast and crew commentaries for every episode, instead of the standard dvd offer? I love SGU like crazy, and because of that I can’t bring myself to watch it except at its best and believe that others feel the same way. Do you forsee a region 1 blu-ray dvd option being offered in the future or will it be more likely this will be made into a false assumption that the lack of standard dvd sales is due to lack of fans? Does the region 2 blu-ray dvd SGU Season 2 set have cast and crew commentaries?
Hi,
I was just curious (not sure how likely I am on getting an answer but better to ask then not) but was it ever pitched to SyFy to move SGU to the Summer at least for a season. Perhaps the move would boost ratings to the point of being sustainable. At the very least ratings would be able to be compared to other Summer series.
It appears from SyFy’s comments that they are trying to publicly appear as though it’s the audiences fault however reading between the lines and with the comments in the blog above we are getting a truer picture of what’s happening.
Good luck with everything in the future!
Kelvin
I’ve watched every Stargate episode since day one, and really saddened by the ending of the great series. SGU had become my favorite of them all.
My one lonely little question: Is there any hope/chance that some groundwork could be laid for a proper franchise wrap-up sometime in the future?
Even if it’s years – I’m willing to wait, with a little dash of hope. 🙂
I was wondering if you have considered going to Paramount and seeing if they would be interested in purchasing the rights to the Stargate Franchise as they know the value of sci-fi and have worked hard to keep it going over the last 30 years.