So I was tackling another round of mailbag questions last night when I came across a query that asked how we achieved the Park in Boiling Water sequence for SGU’s penultimate episode, Blockade. In the sequence, Park, sporting a protecting spacesuit, takes refuge in the hydroponic dome’s collection pool as Destiny plunges into the outer surface of a star. She waits out the wild ride, holding on for dear life as the heat intensifies, the plants burst into flames, and the surrounding water boils away. I was going to direct the curious reader to a past entry in which I’d revealed how it was done – only to realize such an entry didn’t exist!
Apologies. Here ya go…
Testing the waters…
And the effect from within the collection pool, looking up at a panicked Park…
Today’s entry is dedicated to all of the long-time lurkers/first-time posters who have taken the time to leave a comment over the past week.
Mailbag:
Jon writes: “Was Park’s submersion in the water in Blockade a practical effect?”
Answer: Thanks for reminding me. See above.
AD writes: “If you had unlimited time to tell the story of Atlantis, do you think they would have rebelled against earth and become independent? They always make me think of the American colonies dealing with Britain pre-Revolutionary War.”
Answer: I would have liked to see Atlantis exert its independence, not so much through a willful severing of ties with Earth but more of an agreement that would have seen it acting more like, yes, an independent colony. Having Atlantis more isolated (ie. without the ability to dial Earth or receive resupply runs from Earth ships like the Daedalus) would have certainly helped as well.
Scott Hander writes: “Are the sets for Universe being struck and stored, or struck and destroyed?”
Answer: I would imagine that certain pieces will be auctioned off and everything else, sadly, destroyed.
SupremeLegate writes: ” In the beginning Eli was a slacker and Chloe, for lack of a better term, was a spoiled daddies girl. But by the end they had both changed a lot. Which leads me to wonder, what was the intent for them, where where they meant to end up?”
Answer: Pretty much where they ended up by the end of season 2: fish out of water who had started to develop the skill set and character that made them valuable members of the Destiny crew.
“Now this next question is a shipper question, previously you gave some insight into the Young/TJ/Varro triangle. So now I am asking for some insight into the Eli/Chloe/Scott triangle.”
Answer: As much as she cared for him, I just never saw Chloe developing feelings for Eli (although the idea of downloading Ginn’s consciousness into Chloe’s body which I outlined in this entry – May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been! – would have been pretty close. Rather – besides the the obvious Young/T.J./Varro triangle – I wanted to explore a possible Chloe/Scott/James angle in season one, but no one else seemed quite as enthusiastic.
Guy writes: “Any chance un-filmed scripts can be published as book or books, or is MGM restricting this option?”
Answer: If you’re referring to the movie scripts (there are no unfilmed scripts for any of the shows), that is again up to MGM. For what it’s worth, I dropped them an email on the subject a couple of weeks ago.
William Francais writes: “My question did anyone ever suggest exploring the history contained in the core? ”
Answer: Nope. It was in the hands of R&D, undergoing extensive testings – like the goa’uld healing device and the time-jumping puddle jumper from Good to Be King – that made it impossible to figure into future stories until research had been completed.
nm writes: “The one thing that’s always bothered me is re s9 and I always wanted to know if it was an oversight and intentionally. Why wasn’t a single mentioned of where O’Neill went and why in all of season 9?”
Answer: I believe it was an oversight at first and then, mysteriously, intentional.
Moritz writes: “Would be great, if you can give some information about the storyline of the moonbase Carter was talking about on Continuum. What was the plan for?”
Answer: I’m not sure if she was kidding or not, but Atlantis is the moonbase – as we reveal in Stargate: Extinction.
@iom666 writes: “Joe, I got the feeling that you wouldn’t go back to a Stargate show even if you had the choice (I mean from your current situation as you now moved to Toronto)? If so is it because you considered you had enough of Stargate or do not want to do business again with MGM/Syfy… or your consideration is purely on business AKA “why not if there is money to make with Stargate again, i’m in” ?”
Answer: I’m simply being realistic. As much as I would love to see the franchise come back with a series in the very near future, I don’t think that’s very likely. Similarly, I don’t really see a movie being greenlit either. If I’m wrong (and nothing would make me happier) then it would more than likely be a movie – in which case Brad and Robert, as the series co-creators, should be the guys to write and produce it.
Anat writes: “1. Ronon’s gun is the same as the Travellers gun (correct me if im wrong) so where did he get it from? Did he trade/steal it from the Traveller’s directly or did he get it from someone who got it from the Travellers?”
Answer: I would imagine he either scavenged it from a dead Traveller or had it given to him by someone.
“2. Also how many technologically advanced races did you guys imagine inhabited the Pegasus Galaxy?”
Answer: The technologically advances races of the Pegasus Galaxy were few and far between. Unless they had a way of shielding their technology from wraith detection, they would have presumably all been culled.
JDale writes: “…we could have seen a earth ship catch up with destiny (using maxed out hyperdrive?) or an earth expidition with a earth ZPM? come to destiny?”
Answer: No, giving a ship that kind of capability would have totally undermined the enormity of Destiny’s long mission. The only way Earth could have reached Destiny was through the gate.
flib writes: “Is it for certain that any novel/comic continuation will be strictly non-canon?”
Answer: I suppose it depends on the fan. Given the fact that it’s unlikely we’ll see any new adventures of SG-1, Atlantis, or Universe, then why not consider the books canon if it allows the characters to live on?
Adam writes: “Anyway, I’m curious, at the beginning of season 7, was it ever considered to keep both Jonas and Daniel around, and have a five-person team?”
Answer: Unfortunately, SG-1’s budget couldn’t support a five person team.
fsmn36 writes: “I admit, I’m a little behind on SGU eps…but why would Destiny have non-aging stasis pods and the later-created ones, like on Atlantis, didn’t?”
Answer: What would be the point of having non-aging stasis pods? The whole point of being in stasis is that your body enters a hibernative state that significantly slows down the aging process.
Lyle writes: “1) Will your Transporter series still need to be green-lit after a network has seen the pilot? Any idea, if all goes as planned, when the series will air?”
Answer: Nope. We have a U.S. network on board (as well as a Canadian, German, and French broadcaster).
“2) I know there’s been a lot of people wondering about what would have happened when Destiny reached it’s final destination, but is it possible that Brad/Robert will not reveal anything at all just in case Universe (or another SG show in the future) is revisited? Have they told you whether or not they will?”
Answer: I can’t speak for Brad and Robert. I’ve extended an invitation for Brad to visit the blog and do one final fan Q&A.
David H writes: “Are downloads (iTunes, Amazon, etc) considered at all when looking at ‘DVD’ sales?”
Answer: They certainly are by the studio, but the network doesn’t have anything to gain by increased online sales.
myhelix writes: “I would love to know your opinion about your perfect SGU team that would go through the gate together, like in SG1 and SGA (choose 4-5 people)?”
Answer: I believe I already answered this question in a previous entry: Greer, Vala, McKay, T.J., and Ronon with Woolsey overseeing the action.
Shiny writes: “…but can we now surmise that the reason so many of the gateworld people we’ve met in SG1 and SGA speak English is because they are the descedents of the Destiny crew? Kinda like Destiny descendents are the prequel to everything that came later?”
Answer: Interesting theory but not one that we considered.
Chad: “Were we ever going to get an official name for the blueberry aliens?”
Answer: Yes. From now on, let’s refer to them as the Nakai.
Chad also writes: “Were there plans to encounter human decendents in the next galaxy?”
Answer: Yes, like the military force I mentioned here: May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been!
Tom writes: “Did the writers have any idea what the message in the the background radiation was going to be?”
Answer: Yep.
DatDude writes: “Would Eli and scott have had to take rush and youngs places after a while?”
Answer: When we were originally arcing out season 2, we were planning to have Scott take over when Young hit rock bottom. It would have been interesting to see him run assume command.
Lisa R writes: “For those who are interested in our job news, hubby has two phone interviews tomorrow—one for a job here in town and the other for the job in CT; they have a whole hour scheduled for this one.”
Answer: Good luck!
max writes: “Do the SG fans recognize you by sight?”
Answer: Not usually but I was once recognized in Montreal, in the dead of night, on an almost deserted street corner while looking for a restaurant.
James writes: “Why didn’t Destiny’s Stargate have a security measure in place like the Earth Iris or Atlantis’ Shield?”
Answer: It was an early model.
Duptiang. writes: ” I was left with the impression the Corin Nemec also did not fit into the cast nor some of the upper staff, or am I off the mark?”
Answer: Can’t speak for anyone else but I always found Corin incredibly polite, gracious, and easy to.
dasNdanger writes: “…dated a few lunatics,” Do tell, DO TELL!!”
Answer: Three words – talking teddy bears.
RFVDevil writes: “Where there any plans to follow up on the “Other Rush” who sat in the chair in Twin Destinies?”
Answer: Nope. It was assumed he perished aboard the twin Destiny.
Kevin writes: “Are you going to go over the entirety of Stargate that you’ve worked on?”
Answer: That’s the plan. Next up: SG-1’s Season 7!
JoanieC writes: “Have they cast the series yet, or did I miss that post?”
Answer: Official announcement to come!
trybutez writes: “Maybe I missed it, or maybe it was implied, but what was the ship/craft that detached from Destiny at the end of Air?”
Answer: A scout ship/drone placed there by the Nakai (Blueberry aliens).
PJR writes: “1 – “Of course I’d pitch to the UK. In fact, one of the projects presently on the stack is a potential Canadian-UK co-production.”
Any more info? Heading to UK for it at any stage?”
Answer: Nope. It’s still out there but was a project in development in search of a broadcaster.
“2 – How many Acts (plus Teaser, always?) to an SG episode, or does it depend on which series?”
Answer: Stargate = Teaser + 5 Acts.
“3 – How many for Transporter: The Series? How long will each episode be? How many in a season?”
Answer: Transporter = Teaser + 4 Acts, 12 episode season.
“4 – Being interested in the nut n’ bolts of story creation, what constitutes story spinning, breaking, etc? What are the differences? Only done per episode? Or arcs too? Then, after those, the assigned writer sweats the first draft, submits and awaits the notes?”
Answer: Someone throws out an idea and we proceed to “spin it”, throwing ideas around until we feel we have enough to work with at which point we “break it”, sitting in the room and breaking it down into its story beats, Tease and five acts. Once we’ve boarded it, the writer heads off and works on an outline.
“5 – Transporter’s stories seem to be coming together very quickly. More so than SG?”
Answer: Stargate’s scripts came together quicker than any show I’ve ever worked on. Since Transporter: The Series is a new show, we’re looking at more rewrites than the well-established Stargate.
“6 – What, if any, protection did the Ancients design or put in place for their long chain of Stargates through the cosmos, for, surely, they wouldn’t have expected them to sit unmolested or no-one to suss how to block them (like Destiny suffered)? Were there ideas among writers to address this as a reveal of some kind if the SGU had run on? Hell, the drones weren’t birthed by them? Or, were the Ancients never expecting to take too long out in space and, anyway, way back at that time all other life was too primitive so wasn’t an issue – only became an issue for SGU?”
Answer: Presumably the Ancients intended for the gate network to be used by future generations/species, so I don’t think they would have put “safeguards” in place.
“7 – By the grand end, the cosmos would have been cracked as a mystery enabling the FTL and stargates to be obsolete, in effect, because transfer through space-time would be able to happen instantly, with vanishing and re-appearing, no needs for ships (but can take!) and dimensional explorations beginning, on the fringes of which Rush would have encountered those he’d lost to death – and this yearning, this need, this hunt is what was driving him all along to try to crack the mystery. Big. And, spin-off potential! Any chance of comment on how what chimes with what Brad and Rob dreamed?”
Answer: As I said, I leave the details of the big end of series reveal to Brad and Robert.
“8 – Dark Matter – what came first to you – a character, or characters, of scenes with potential to weave, or ‘What if…?’ story question. Given that it is original to you and so differs to the pre-existing worlds you are making (Transporter) and have made (SG) into series, it’d be interesting to know how this works for you.”
Answer: I actually started with the ending of the pilot (first episode), a huge WTF?! moment, then fleshed out the rest of the series from there. When you see it (actually, the end of issue #2 in comic book form), you’ll understand.
Thanks for the pictures and the huge mailbag!!! That is always a treat!
The interviews went very well! Next up–the field for the CT job is narrowed from four to two, and hubby will go up for a face-to-face if he is one of the finalists. I will let you all know what happens.
Have a good night!!
Hi Joe,
you’ve already posted BTS pictures for Blockade: http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/march-16-2011-some-sgu-behind-the-scenes-action-okay-gotta-go/
Good night, Joe!
@Diane: Thank for the good luck wishes!!
Hello, Long-time lurkers/first-time posters who have taken the time to leave a comment over the past week, you seem like a decent bunch. See ya’round.
I can’t wait to read your comments about Season 7. I wasn’t looking to getting into another show after the cancellation of SGU, Outsourced and previous disappointments like Studio 60 but I am looking forward to your new show. I was wondering non-scifi what has been some of your favorite television.
Hey Joe,
Nifty that Atlantis eventually becomes a moonbase. Is the moon far enough from earth’s stargate to have its own, or is it too close, and would interfere? In the latter case, how were people travelling from the earth to the moon? Jumper? Asgard beaming?
I have the Transporter movies in my Netflix queue to watch in preparation for the new series!
Cheers,
Connor P
Hallo Mr. Mallozzi,
If my English isn´t perfect plz don´t blame me, im german ^^
OK, so…
There is a Idea in my Head and i realy want to share to someone that maybe can make things happen (well… i know may sounds stupid but, it would be a way. and i think it would be possible to do it) but not by my self, be course im not famous like you =)
ok lets move to the idea:
as far as i know 1 episode of SGU cost 2.000.000 $ so season 3,4 and 5 would cost 120.000.000 $ ok so far so good, now if i or someone else could be able to join 1.000.000 fans together and everyone would donate 120 $ than MGM or Brad Wright or i dont know who where be able to move on with SGU.
I would do it immediately and donation 120 $ if SGU could be continued.
so i could need help in spreading the idea but dont know how, do you have a idea? or someone else?
Answer: I’m simply being realistic. As much as I would love to see the franchise come back with a series in the very near future, I don’t think that’s very likely. Similarly, I don’t really see a movie being greenlit either. If I’m wrong (and nothing would make me happier) then it would more than likely be a movie – in which case Brad and Robert, as the series co-creators, should be the guys to write and produce it.
a movie, covering all three series, giving ~closure~ to all three series? one, hopefully, *finally* giving closure (aka ‘confirmation’) to sam/jack?
oh please x 100!!
Hey Joe,
You do realize SG-1 had a five-person team in Season 10, right? I can’t imagine the Season 7 budget would have prohibited Jonas from sticking around unless RDA’s salary placed that large of a burden on the production budget. It seems like the show could have benifited from an additional member (Jonas, or someone else) to mix things up and add something to the pot as RDA’s shooting schedule decreased to just a few days on set.
Also, at one point in time I remember reading that the producers considered rebranding SG1 to Stargate Command before season 9. Could you talk a little bit about that decision and what might have been different had the change been made? Do you think Stargate Commmand would have gone longer than two seasons (9 & 10) or would it have suffered from the rebranding?
Thanks
Was the idea considered of “adjusting the settings of one of the stasis pods so that it would sustain two people?” That would have solved the one-pod-short problem. I’m thinking that during his time alone, Eli would read the entire owners manual on the pods and discover that there was an option of two-to-a-pod. Just a thought.
“throws…spin it…break it…beats…tease…boarded it…”
You writers are weird people.
@ PBMom – a week or so ago when you told us about getting free tickets to the American Idol final show, I was going to tell you to please storm the stage if James Durbin does not win it all. Well, before I could, he gets voted off!! How wrong is that?!!! He was my favorite all season (maybe all time ever!). Without him, I am no longer interested in the show at all. That vote just freed up my Wednesday nights! But, I hope you have a great time! (Maybe James will be there that night to sing with Steven Tyler. Steven did say he wanted to sing with James.)
BTW, thank you very much for taking such a huge amount of time to answer our gazillion questions. You must live on 3 hours sleep per night. Just wanted you to know that it is appreciated. (and pet those doggies from me, too.)
I noticed you were diplomatic about the guy suggesting that maybe all the english speaking races that have been introduced throughout the series were Destiny’s decendants. Except that Destiny only went back in time 2 thousand years and they wouldn’t have reached a point where they could have affected our galaxy for quite some time. Plus, I thought the reason for the prevalance of English was established as the Ancients contact with Earth and colonies forming from earth people who had been taken as slaves by the Goa’uld.
Answer: Three words – talking teddy bears.
😆
🙂
😐
😕
*shifty eyes…hides Teddy Ruxpin bear…shifty eyes*
das
@Lisa R> Keeping good thoughts for your husband.
@Ponytail: James IS singing with Steven Tyler/Aerosmith on finale night/results show. It will be the highlight of the evening for me. Wish I could take pictures, but they confiscate your cell phones and cameras on the way in. Since my hotel is right across the street, may need to leave it in the room after getting some pictures before I get in, then storm over there to get it after the event to take more pictures. I hear the line to get your stuff back can be very long. Also scheduled to perform is Stevie Nicks (I’m thinking she sings with Lauren), Lady Gaga (pretty sure she sings with Haley), and Jack Black (sings with Casey). I’m looking out to see who else is performing that night. I can’t believe it is just a week away. This time next Tuesday, I’ll be in Los Angeles. I’m being put up in a very nice hotel, too–Marriott LA Live. My friend and I have decided we will sleep on the plane and not sleep any of the time we are in LA. That is, at least, the plan. I’ll be riding on adrenaline; I’ll crash probably when I get home.
Just FYI for all Lou Diamond Phillips fans out there in the United States: His movie he made last year, Transparency (in Canada), aka Takedown here in the US and in Europe, is now available for purchase on Amazon. Michael Blundell and crew from Stargate worked on this movie, and the actors from Stargate in this film include: Aaron Pearl, Kendall Cross, Michael Kopsa, Vitaly Kravchenko, Emma Lahana, Jonathan Walker, Anna Galvin, Aleks Panuovic, Dan Payne, and Bruce Crawford. I got to see it when it premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival (and got to meet LDP) in April of 2010. Really good movie. They had a very tight budget, but Michael Blundell and team made it look like more than a million bucks.
Wait, Corin was “easy to.” ???!
Thanks for the continuing mailbags, very informative. Interesting to hear about Moonbase Alpha (oops Atlantis!)
I think fsmn36 was asking why Atlantis’ stasis pods weren’t non-aging when the Destiny that pre-dated it did. If Destiny had non-aging stasis pods, why would they have stasis pods in which you aged millions of years later on Atlantis?
Just relaying the question… I personally didn’t realize there had been a difference in type, myself. Must have missed that.
Important question, in ‘Enemy at the Gate’ Atlantis landed on Earth. However, we know that each planet only has one stargate. So what kind of problems might occur now that there are two stargates on Earth (the one in the SGC and the one on Atlanis)? Would using both stargates cause some weird time travel again?
Thanks for answering my question, Joe.
Answer: I would have liked to see Atlantis exert its independence, not so much through a willful severing of ties with Earth but more of an agreement that would have seen it acting more like, yes, an independent colony. Having Atlantis more isolated (ie. without the ability to dial Earth or receive resupply runs from Earth ships like the Daedalus) would have certainly helped as well.
Ah, what Atlantis could have been! I liked in the very beginning when it was a refuge for the Athosians, and would have liked to see something like that continue. In my ‘perfect’ Stargate world, Atlantis would have remained isolated, a place of refuge for any who escape the Wraith. The immediate space (including planets) around the station would be under their protection, a relatively small area considering the size of the galaxy. Finding and using an old Ancient ship could have given them the necessary firepower in space. Native inhabitants would have been trained military style, creating a small but effective army to protect Atlantis. Atlantis itself would be swarming with all sorts of people from around the galaxy (a little like Babylon 5 or DS9) – it would be a REAL city.
Beyond the safety of Lantean ‘space’ would be the kingdom of the Wraith. They would be overlords, with most of the galaxy under their control. They would rarely lose a confrontation. This way they could remain menacing, and mysterious. The lyrics to the Raconteurs song, The Switch and the Spur, come to mind whenever I think of what could have been:
Any pour souls who trespass against us,
Whether it be beast or man,
Will suffer the bite or be stung dead on sight
By those who inhabit this land.
For theirs is the power and this is their kingdom
As sure as the sun does burn.
So enter this path, but heed these four words:
You shall never return…
Wraith space would be inhabited by humans, both those willing to take the risk and those who have no other choice because it’s where they were born. The planets would be rich in natural resources, making them desirable places to live or to exploit. But it would be a bit like the ‘wild west’, filled with lawless men, pirate-y types, and self-appointed dictators. In some ways the humans would be worse than the Wraith.
The adventures would include anything from ‘black ops’ missions into Wraith space to save people and bring them to Atlantis, to fighting Wraith, pirate-y types, and other threats from Wraith-controlled space, as well as just general exploration and discovery throughout the Pegasus. Wraith would be an ever-menacing presence, but not the only threat, and not such a black-and-white enemy. Soon the Lanteans would realize that the human populations were so lawless and out of control that Wraith were an important part of keeping the balance. The show would have been a little darker, the Wraith not so cartoonish, and the Lanteans not so infallible.
That’s what I would have liked to see. I watched the first three seasons in just a couple weeks, and I was disappointed to see how quickly Atlantis lost its independence and how unthreatening the Wraith quickly became as soon as Earth got involved. It really watered everything down and took away a lot of the excitement. Of course, right about that time Todd made his entrance, and saved the day. 🙂 Still, I would have preferred it if the show had maintained that menace the Wraith had in the pilot.
Ack! After midnight! Not going to proofread, so excuse my mistakes. Gotta get my beauty sleep, ya know! (Not that it does any good. 😛 )
das
Just echoing what many others have already expressed Joe, thank you so much for taking the time to recap the Stargate seasons and share your unique perspective. I really enjoy reading your insights and the many great questions posted here. That you accomplish this while ramping up a new production is just inspiring. More please?
It is both helpful and a comfort to share our thoughts and feelings for the wonderfully drawn characters and story lines from years of Stargate. I’m not yet ready to let it all go, so reminiscing here does help. Gee, what delicious memories.
Please do persuade Brad to give us a final Q&A?
g’night all,
2cats
In Twin Destinies, the Rush from the older ship seemed to be hiding something, especially when Telford confronted him. Did I miss it being explained, or was I misinterpreting it?
Joe,
About the difference in reporting the series of events surrounding the cancellation of the great SGU. Could the difference between how you described them (as I have been reading your blog a while and have no reason to doubt you) and how the SyFy exec described them be attributed to the information you received (probably filtered down maybe with their own spin from Brad and Rob) and the spin the SyFy exec put on things? Obviously nobody would want to make themselves look like the bad guy. I mean, it’s a big difference between SyFy canceling SGA and MGM pulling the plug. Also, if you know, what’s that bs about SGU signing on for 2 seasons only if they reached certain ratings? Well duh! If the show did well in season 1, it’ll get a season 2. Isn’t that pretty much how every other show works? Trying to spin it as they really signed for 2 seasons is kinda pushing it, no?
Thanks Joe, appreciate the answer. Also apologies for the awful grammar. 🙂
When we found the humans in S2, that opend a lot of doors, like, for series end, if you would have known before, could Desteny maybe be destryed, and the crew could have moved to Novus (and it would not be destroyed)?
Stargate: NG-1? That is a new series called Stargete New galaxy, could that be a good idea for a 4th series if it would sometime be a new one down the line. The people of Novus is trying to find a way to connect to that far world they only have read about called Earth? Looking trou the galaxy for tech that could help them?
And thanks for all years of Stargate! It is sad it has ended, but was 3 great shows!
Hi Joe,
Interesting information from the mailbag. I so do hope MGM decides to use the notes for publishing books and stuff. Anything to help keep the Stargate franchise alive in some form.
1) On the Lucian Alliance, would there been any further appearances from them? Either with an attempt to dial Destiny or causing problems in the Milky Way?
2) If Atlantis continued, would Michael have returned or was that indeed his last appearance? And would the Wraith have remained the main villains or would they have been supplanted by a more dangerous enemy?
3) If a Stargate book/comic was launched and they approached you for writing it, would you consider doing in?
Take care Joe!
Hey Joe, was it ever determined at the start when the crew boarded the Destiny exactly how far it had travelled and for how long? I’m sure in some episodes it was quoted as “hundred of thousand of years” to “millions of years” and anywhere from 1 to 3 or so billion light years from earth.
talking teddy bears.
one word… 5 syllables… ELABORATE !!!
😉
If Syfy wanted to air a new idea for tv you came up with, would you be worried?
I want to apologize.
I’ve been (still am) one of your number one fans. When i first saw the stargate movie…i mean wormholes , piramids (and the x-files on tv); yes i was hooked and craving more. When the tv series started i remember, i think the third episode with the medevil castle, thinking…that is not a piramid…what is this…but i was able to adjust accepting this was something different and as the series progressed even became more addicted ( in a good way) I’m mean it became the stuff most of my dreams where made of (the science, the technobabble, the crew, the magic).(i miss sg1).
When Atlantis saw the light i thought after hearing about the ancients en the things they could do and the discovery of the city “YES” . More technobabble and science and exploration. (of the city)
Wel again it wasn’t exactly all about that and again i felt a bit “misunderstood” but still i stood by it, adapted, got everything i needed out of McKay (seeing him in SGU…, thank you for that) (and the fan fiction) and came to love the series as must as sg1 (i miss atlantis)
Now when sgu aired…you must understand, an ancient ship, stranded, Rush, Eli….again my mind went in the direction of new science, new races, learning more about the ancients (more), i mean the chair…etc.
But this time around i was having a harder time to adapt. There was none of the stargate humor (at first) technobabble ( not like sg1 or Atlantis) and the kino view…wel again its was going to be something different and i felt like it was not going to be for me. To be honest i came to hate it, not for what is was, but for it not beeing Stargate.(so i felt) I admit i frequented and posted on sites like SGUs***s and the likes, asking for it to be cancelled….(shouting in the mass like the morron i am) although in all honesty i just wanted it to change. And there where episodes and scenes i really came to like. Recharging in red dwarves, Rush in the chair, discovery of the command center, Rush’s wall of calculations, Rush and Dr. Amanda Perry relationship, which felt so real.I did not want to see it terminated alltogether. No more movies no more new stargate episodes. This time its different ( not like season endings) and it feels like crap.
I’m sorry i did not gave it the change it diserved.
I’m sorry, i as a sg-fan let you (writers team and crew) down.
I wish you the best in your futur endeavours. (All of you)
I stongly felt like this was something i had to do.
I’m sorry.
Goodbye Stargate
Sincerely yours,
a Belgian fan
Joseph….can you please explain what Ridley
and Tony Scott have to do in connection with
the new Transporter: The Series project.
Are they really involved?…or are they just
somewhat “attached” to the project in name
only via prior production and development deals?
Thank you for the work of these years and the current mailbag.
The idea of Brad come aboard for a final explanation, seems very wise. But if there is not, can you ask permission to reveal the final apotheosis of SGU.
Through your blog I discovered that many of the things that I like in stargate are of your own, so once again a hemorrhaging of thanks.
Remember the episode 17 of the third “A Hundred Days” is supposed to Laira (Michelle Greene) is the great love of O’Neill. I always wait to see them together in the end, not as the widespread hypothesis of Sam & Jack. At the end of SG-1 I thought it had more connection Sam and Mitch. What do You think.
Saludos Maestro.
> Tom writes: “Did the writers have any idea what the message in the background radiation was going to be?”
> Answer: Yep.
I’ve been trying to think what message would be important enough to embed in the fabric of the universe… pi? 42? no, no, needs to be something with broader relevance…
Sh*t Happens
Hey Joe,
did you hear about THAT? They (I don’t know who exactly) confirmed a habitable planet only 20 light-years (road trip?) away.
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4321/first-habitable-exoplanet-confirmed
Just in case you find it as interesting and cool (!) as I do…
Joe,
I’ve been putting it off because I didn’t want it to end…but I finally watched Gauntlet last night. Its was a great and touching episode. And all things considered, a respectable end to the series. Although I was no less sad to see it go.
Thanks again to all of you for a great ride!
Thank you for all those lovely years of stargate. And its nice to see you going trough all of the years of stargate 🙂 I love it !
Will deffinatly see what transporter is about as soon as it airs in the netherlands.
Still hoping for a stargate movie. If theres nothing left to hope.. then theres no meaning to life right?
Still around, thx for all the thoughts Joe. I don’t think Stargate is permanently finished but I do agree it might be awhile before it gets another shot. Just hope it isn’t 20 years or Hewlett won’t need elder makeup 😉
I do look forward to checking out the Transporter show.
DD
Hello, Joe!
I have a few questions
1) Can you or Brad Wright write a novel Stargate Universe ,if fans gather money for it and MGM allow you to do that?
2) How many space ships have Earth?
3) Is Destiny older than Atlantis? Was Destiny launched before Atlantis? Because Rush said “Destiny Launched hundreds of thousands of years ago…” ? but we khow that the age of Stargate on Destiny is more than 50 millions years, and all technology on Destiny was a prototype…
4) What the age of Destiny?
“Answer: They certainly are by the studio, but the network doesn’t have anything to gain by increased online sales.”
Hmm, maybe that should be changed? If a network puts up the financial backing to produce a tv series, then maybe the studio should give some money back to the network from other revenues that are indirectly created from the network’s giving the go-ahead to the series in the first place. Other revenues such as online DVD sales, advertising merchandise, etc.
This would encourage networks to be more supportive of the shows they agree to air by rewarding them financially, which is what all networks (and studios) are after = money.
@ Kai I love your enthusiasm for SGU! It’s doubtful that MGM would allow fans to make a SGU season; they won’t want to part with the franchise. That’s something that studios learned from Star Wars; they let George Lucas own all the rights because they didn’t think that Star Wars would be a hit; then Lucas went on to make well, billions. Now all the studios hold onto their properties like a pit bull with a mailman’s leg.
So instead why not use your enthusiasm to write and create films and TV? There are numerous writing competitions that you can enter with your original ideas. I’m putting some links here for your for writing competitions and film interships. Film school is another fun option, and you can also work on film sets and gain experience that way.
Warner Bros Workshop people are very nice, they give new writers training; you can enter with a 1/2 comedy script or 1 hour drama or comedy script. The caveat is you must submit a script for a show that is still airing; no X-Files scripts I’m afraid! Fox, CBS and NBC all have training programs too, and ABC/Disney has a tv, film and directors training program:
http://writersworkshop.warnerbros.com/web/index.jsp
http://nytvf.com/2011_fox_contest.htm
http://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/
http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/new/screenplay
http://www.moviebytes.com/contests.cfm?category=Most%20Significant
https://jobs.lucasfilm.com/internships.html
Woops, didn’t mean to bold everything; sorry!
Encouraged by the dedication to “first time commenters/long time lurkers,” I just wanted to say “hi–and thanks for the longtime fan service you’ve provided (not fanservice, Deo gratias!).” Although “car action sequences with explosions” (the handle I’ve been able to get my head around for Transporter) is not my thing, you’ve still got one viewer willing to give your new show a look when it comes, simply on the strength of your involvement.
Speaking of new shows, however, I’m coming to the end of a year-long SG-1/ATL marathon with my fiancée, and with that ending and Universe ending, I’m realising the large gap in my fictional life that will result–is there a sci-fi show out there that will offer a similar hopeful/serious/comedic take on fantasy/sci-fi adventure?
Also, I’m driving home (Boston to Alberta) in a couple weeks, going through Toronto for the first time: as someone equally biased against the evil “black hole at the centre of the Canadian universe” as me, is there anywhere in T.O. that I should absolutely make sure to visit?
Hey Folks out there!
Since I´ve been following you since.. gosh… I dont really remember.. soooo long… I´ve taken all my guts together and write a reply. I really want to thank you, that you do share your passion about that what you do for a living with us fans. I am writing you from the other side of the gala.. em.. planet. Well, I have a few questions actually 🙂
Since you are so happy to show us the sets, nice drawings, concepts and whatsoever, Would you mind to introduce us to the CG guys? Because they do an awsome job as well. I think their work is kinda under rated by the fandom of these kind of series. They showing us nice worlds, space battles, fancy alienships and our heroships (dedalus, hammond, desteny and so on). I am a hobby cg artist myself and I would die to work as an cg 3D artist myself in the industry one day 🙂
Anyway. The other question is: Why do you make us all cry always at the last episode?! Its an complaint and a compliment at the same time 🙂 I REALLY THANK YOU for the fantastic journeys you have allowed us to join.
On the other hand I just had some thoughts the other day about selling TV shows and how it works on my mind.
I do have SYFY channel here in germany, wich I do pay for (not to less) it. And among me a lot of other people, not only here in germany but all over the world. Do the studios concider how many people do watch a show worldwide or is the US market her the indicator? For instance, a show runs not that good in the states but all over the world people are craving for it, why don´t they keep producing this show. Because from what I have seen here in Germany, a lot of people liked, and watched SGU. Even at the FEDCON (Germanys biggest sci-fi con http://www.fedcon.de) a lot of people responded positive to the show and were very upset and sad that SGU didnt made it into another season. Same with SGA, ended kinda at its peak. Why and how is this working?
Hopefully you´ll respond to this entry, although I know you are a very very very busy man.
So take care, cant await to see more nice stuff!
Greetings, Dominik from Bonn, Germany.
Anytime I think about teddy bears, I cannot get the music video from Muse for “Uprising” out of my head.
Wonderful pics, very enjoyable. Lots to digest in the blog lately, thanks for all the work.
lurk lurk lurk
“Presumably the Ancients intended for the gate network to be used by future generations/species”
How would they be used without a DHD?
Question: Was there any kind of Stargate Bible — a collection of all the lore and canon for the series — or did you guys just wing it each script and try to keep it consistent? I’m particularly curious if the gate tech was fully established, since it seemed to evolve of the course of the franchise.
Hi, a question for your next Q&A:
Robert Carlyle said twice so far in interviews that SGU’s budget was in the range of $2.5mil per episode. As a comparison, how much was SG-1’s and SGA’s budget? And what’s the US TV industry’s average these days?
Hi! I have a question! Were all the Tollans wiped out? Or a few of them survived?
Joe wrote:
—
James writes: “Also forgot to ask do you know if a OST (soundtrack) for Stargate Universe is coming out soon?”
Answer: Sorry, no idea. I’ll drop Joel Goldsmith an email this week and ask him. Remind me!
—
Joe, I second the request for the SGU OST. Consider this a reminder. 🙂 Thank you.
Maybe this will turn off the bold.
So season 7 is next? I have two questions. 🙂
1. After Janet Fraser died, I was disappointed that (except for Ripple Effect) she was never mentioned? It was like she never existed. At least it seemed that way to me. Not even a quick one line about missing her or anyone referencing her research for a medical problem. Not even a mention about what big shoes the new dr (I liked Carolyn) would have to fill.
2. I love that Daniel Jackson came back, Naked on a planet. : ), but I thought his fitting back into his life was a bit too quick. Was there any consideration about having it take a couple of eps longer?
In SGA episode Runner it seems to indicate that Ronen could not be fed upon. (Unless I misunderstood what the Wraith was doing during Ronen’s flashback) Later the Wraith feed on him to the brink of death and bring him back. Was I wrong?
Hello, mister Mallozi. I Alexey from Russia. It is very grateful to you for the Star Gate, you have done huge work! It is a pity that to you haven’t allowed to finish it up to the end.
Mr. Mallozi, at me to you here such question: in general, I have conceived history, some kind of literary branch of a serial. A plot such: in a time interval between a landing on the Earth of Atlantis and pass of earth dwellers on Destiny, on the Earth find out one more Gate which can work simultaneously with other Gate as have cleanliness distinct from them. Somewhere some heroes participate in the beginning of the book at me from SG1 and SGA as there are hungry vampires from SGA. But further at me protagonists absolutely invented, except Russian officers who were in SG1. I.e. from a serial only some facts and a Star Gate. Certainly, I tried not to break serial canons. The question consists in the following, whether it is necessary for me to obtain any permit from legal owners of a serial for release of my novels (I have divided history into three books, one is already ready, the second in a draft variant), or I can publish them? If it is necessary, prompt, where to me to address.
With sincere respect wishes of successes!
P.S. Excuse for English, translated on the Internet.
Thanks! I’d like to ask further:
1 – potential Canadian-UK co-production, which is ‘still out there’ – in what form – script, I suppose? Genre? Format? Tone? What most gives you a buzz about it?
2 – Episode structures (Stargate = T + 5 Acts; Transporter: The Series = T + 4 Acts, 12 episode season): Why the difference – purely commercial break reasons, to suit particular broadcasters (non-scifi, it that matters)? Still same length overall, or are sections the same lengths?
3 – More on Episode Structures: very different challenges to structure for T+4 rather than T+5 or not so much? Particular difficulties? Putting aside the particular show, do you – or most writers you’ve worked with – have a preference?
4 – In the room-style nuts n’ bolts: are the ideas thrown out just brief all-sorts, from classic ‘What if…?’ to just telling about a scene or image in the mind and then seeing what could lead to or come from it…? At that stage, don’t need it to be automatically part of any grand arc but consciously, or subconsciously, the feelers would be out there?
Got some memorable examples of some ideas that then developed into something that fans loved, in any of the three series? Other examples of ideas that took the team in unexpected directions in the kick-about and fans loved though the seed idea then maybe wasn’t used?
Do people get precious over ideas – or only before they work professionally!
5 – More…In the room-style nuts n’ bolts: ‘…we “break it”…down into its story beats, Tease and five acts.’ Do you mean the beats are the T and the 5 Acts, therefore 6 beats? Or are the beats smaller with a few assigned to each – T and Acts? or what a beat constitutes depends on the show or team of writers, you remould to suit?
I’d think the beats would be smaller, classically, and assigned to T and Acts – that would help the boarding? or is that even more fleshed out and detailed?
Boarding – sketches? ~the first shared images being generated?
Any pix of boards (or parts of) from some fav episodes you could put up?
The assigned writer then grabs the board sheets and goes into hiding, except for fine dining, house-hunting and the vets, of course?
6 – ‘Since “Transporter: The Series” is a new show, we’re looking at more rewrites than the well-established Stargate.’ The rewrites are coming about after the first, and subsequent drafts, are coming in? Or some re-beating, re-breaking, i.e. sometime re-thinking too? All part of settling down process for new show and team, not professionally but in aiming for the right tone, pace, flow, etc, and then re-sharing that all out again between multiple scripts and stories in development? Quite iterative, at least early on?
7 – More…on rewrites: the casting stage, and actor(s) for character lead(s) will also lead to tweaking to further establish, or refine, the tone, pace, flow, etc? Chicken and egg to a degree, for the casting will also be seeking a fit?
8 – ‘Presumably the Ancients intended for the gate network to be used by future generations/species, so I don’t think they would have put “safeguards” in place.’ I see your point, and yet there is the possibility of the gates being messed with in so many places, troubling the likes of Destiny. Would seem a gap in the approach – a bit like the US Cavalry leaving all their forts unprotected and hoping all is well at each leg of a journey? Or…they had other ways to bypass, either with some effort (ie the stasis pods & FTL, as used in SGU) for those on long exploration journeys (like Destiny) but more troublesome for shorter hauls (blocked).
Hmmm – on the Cavalry thing there were guns in place to defend. Makes me think, again, about the drones – an auto protection project that went rogue after the Ancients never turned up to trek with Destiny. That’s why the drones know where all the gates are? And they could be in the next galaxy?
9 – ‘Dark Matter – started with the ending of the pilot (first episode – actually, the end of issue #2 in comic book form), a huge WTF?! moment, then fleshed out the rest of the series from there.’
Did you approach with the idea, spin, beat, board, etc approach, like on TV?
But with master, long arcs known too? How early did those come about? And how?!
When will we see the story in print? What frequency of publication? A ‘season’ run?
best,
PJR
I agree, if Stargate gets a movie Brad and Robert should do it, if only because they gave birth to the series, and as such they should be the ones to see it’s conclusion.
Although I doubt itd come from Brad, I hope someone brings Stargate back, I was a huge fan of Brads work prior to Stargate, loved his Outer Limits episodes, hope he does something else Science fiction if he doesn’t do Stargate, he certainly has the talent for it.
I was somewhat new to the Outer Limits, well the new series, started watching randomly from about 2007 onwards, his episodes were so awesome.
Question from me.
When is principal photography due to start for the Transporter Joe? Okay being simple here, when will the show start filming?
(Added the other term incase people didnt know what principle photography means) lol
@Shiny: did you make everyone go into bold? 😀
@Deni: no not my pups, a friend e-mailed me the picture. It was too funny not to share.
Thank you for posting the pictures of Park’s water immersion. I wondered how they made it look so realistic.
Talking teddy bears, huh? That is so sweet, it makes my teeth hurt.
I worked at the humane society today. It’s kitten season. I opened a cage with eight kittens and they darted everywhere at once. I had to track those pesky critters down and count heads. Kitten herding is difficult.
Cool blog, found out about it as the SGU came to an end. I was wondering about other possible scenarios… Volker said to Scott that dropping out of FTL in a specific position is extremely hard and requires a lot of calculations so since Eli has 3 years and is very good in math wouldn’t it be cool if he spent for example a year trying to calculate how to drop out of FTL within a star and recharge Destiny? The drones would not be able to follow Destiny into the star because as it was in ep. Resurgence they almost immediately explode. After a year Eli could wake everyone up because the ship would be able to fight and the show would be back where it started. The other scenario I thought about is Destiny finding a planet that is capable of dialing Earth. Also in s01e01 Rush said that the ship is in FTL but is not even in hyperspace its a shame that we wouldnt be able to see Destiny at its best but only when its falling apart. It would be also great if the crew found out that Destiny is only a part of a huge ship that is even bigger than a blue giant. This HUGE ship was supposed to be merged with many other ships and Destiny played the most important role. What I miss about SGU is that it’s lack of mysteries (sure there is a lot but not as much as in SG1), that the crew never got to explore the entire Destiny finding many cool things, weapons etc. that they didn’t explore universe and its secrets and that there were not many cool alien races except from Ursini (the blue aliens are just not my type 🙂 )
Hope one day SGU (despite what everyone says) gets back on its feet. The only thing thats left for us -fans is to wonder about what other possibilities could there be and its all good because we give the writers a lot of stuff to think about. Cheers!
joe, if fans came together, supporting the idea of a combo movie (covering all 3 series), would this make *any* difference at all to MGM? does MGM need to see a more united front, instead of all of us being fractured into our own favored series?
i’m a huge sg1 fan, a mild sga fan, and an indifferent to sgu one. BUT, i have no problems supporting a combo movie, b/c i truly believe *this* is the best chance on making the most fans happy.
sg1-atlantis-sgu need closure. the characters need closure. the fans need closure.
“talking teddy bears”
Joe we were talking about your date’s fetishes, not yours!
🙂
Who broke wordpress? Joe get your elbow off that key! All this bold is hurting my eyes!
Hey Joe, I have some questions!
1. Did Jack and Sam have a relationship after Jack was promoted? Are they married?
2. What should we fans do if we want to get SOME form (comic book, novel, movie, whatever) of conclusion to Stargate?
3. Are the Nakai friends or foes to the crew of Destiny?
4. What do the Nakai want to do with Destiny?
5. Did the ancients find out what the message was in the background radiation when they ascended?
6. Would Parker still have lost her vision due to the light/radiation from the star if she had closed her eyes?
7. How is it possible that a drone weapon does minimal damage to the streets, shops and persons in Blockade when they appear to be doing a lot of damage to Destiny? I mean surely the Destiny hull is stronger than a storefront.
8. Are Vala and Daniel together?
9. What are the Stargates in SGU made of? I’m wondering ’cause a little drone shot was enough to damage it.
Oh, and thanks for all the answers your mailbags, they are really interesting to read!
Sorry all, I will never use bold again! 🙁
My goodness, aren’t Volker and Park adorable? Too bad there won’t be a season 3, I could so ship Parkvole. Volark?
Hello there,
i have something in my mind about Atlantis. They used the Wormholedrive in the last episode for travelling to earth. Was it developed by the ancients to get to the destiny when it reached the end of the journey?
And what about the ascendet ancients? Do they know everything about the background radiation or are they just not interested? I would have liked to see someone descent on destiny to get the control over the ship, like in sga season 3.
Dear Mr. Malozzi,
I think that SGU is one of the best science fiction productions I ve seen in the past 15 years. I liked SGA very, very much but SGU is even better! If there is any way to cotinue this great story in a way that it can develope and grow further into this mystical journey started by an superior race of aliens and completed by a small group of young and in comparison to the Antiker (german translation) inexpierenced humans, this would be worth the struggle, so please go on trying. I believe that stories like SGU make us believe that there might be a future that is an adventure to be livedn, not to be feared. So many scientists have been motivated by stories like this to make things happen nobody would have dreamed about a few years before. Looking at SGU from this point of view, SGU is really great and worth to be continued (ok, I really must be a fan…). And… I should have listened more closley to my English teacher when I was a school kid… sorry.