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February 14, 2013: Happy Valentine’s Day! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past Continues with Brain Storm!

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I celebrated today by going out for dim sum with my buddies Rob and Ivon, and then hopping on a twenty minute “project update” phone call with our business partner, Jay, in Toronto.  Yeah, I’m a hopeless romantic.  Tonight, I look forward to an enchanting evening with my gal, one that will be highlighted by dinner, drinks and, of course, a late work-out while we watch the latest episode of Top Chef.  P.S. Akemi’s Valentine’s Day gift pictured above.  Her favorites!

Speaking of romance – We continue our trip down SGA memory lane with…

1BRAIN STORM (516)

This one was surprisingly controversial when it aired (apparently, certain fans weren’t big on Rodney and Jennifer finally hooking up), but a hell of a lot of fun to shoot.  Originally titled Snow Globe, it was the show’s answer to the network’s request for a green-themed episode. Martin Gero went above and beyond the call on this one, delivering a script that was smart, touching and, above all, fun.  And, I mean, how could it not be fun with guest stars like Dave Foley, Billy Nye, and Neil deGrasse Tyson!

Brain Storm marked Marty G’s directorial debut – and, sadly, his last Atlantis script.  But he went out with a bang.  Of freeze lightning…

Martin hanging out in the Director's Trailer.
Martin hanging out in the Director’s Trailer.
Fan visit
Visiting fans push another SG couple.
Director Marty G. prepares for the deep freeze.
Director Marty G. prepares for the deep freeze.
Behind the scenes with Neil de Grasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Martin Gero, and Mika McKinnon.
Behind the scenes with Neil de Grasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Martin Gero, and Mika McKinnon.
Some day, when Carl passes, we'll erect a theatre in his name, but until that day comes -
Some day, when Carl passes, we’ll erect a theatre in his name, but until that day comes –
WTF?!
WTF?!

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32 responses

  1. Michael A. Burstein Avatar
    Michael A. Burstein

    Tyson and Nye were great in this episode, I agree. How did you get them to Vancouver? Or is the answer to that simply money? 🙂

    Reply
  2. ensredshirt Avatar
    ensredshirt

    I actually really enjoyed Brain Storm.. Never understood the Rodney/Jennifer Hate.. Rodney deserved some love.

    Reply
  3. Duptiang Avatar
    Duptiang

    And it seemed a continuing theme for Martin as he needed a hot babe to give the coup de grace to in his episodes. But Dr. Keller got better. I suppose if Gary had been smoking a cigar in the General’s office would have been over board. I never quite got the attraction between Keller and McCay, but since when was I an expert. I was not aware at the time the two were already TV celebs at the time. Seeing it again, I can enjoy it even more.

    Reply
  4. thornyrose01 Avatar
    thornyrose01

    Keller/McKay is certainly an odd couple, but odd couples can be fun. This was a decent episode, with the highlights of the cameos by Nye and Tyson. I would rather Keller had gone with Ronan, but I certainly didn’t hate the final pairing.
    Thanks for taking the time to share, and enjoy your Valentine Day’s evening.

    Reply
  5. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Not too much to say about VD (that’s Valentine’s Day!) since not having a significant anything, it’s pretty much a non-event to me.

    Shaky meteorology aside, I loved Brain Storm. I remember watching it the first time and seeing Bill Nye and NDT appear on the screen and I nearly plotzed. Just so much fun to watch the whole episode, even this time around. And I laughed my head off at the “Carl Binder Memorial Theatre”. It’s one of those little touches that I always so loved about SG. And I never did get the Rodney/Jennifer hate, either.

    Reply
  6. Alexis Avatar
    Alexis

    Happy Valentines Joe and Akemi 😀

    Reply
  7. Ganymede Avatar
    Ganymede

    HAPPY V-DAY, KIDS!! 😀
    Hope the “Planet” *moves* for You! – And, NOT because some GPS-Challenged ROCK hit it!!
    XX

    Reply
  8. Deni Avatar
    Deni

    I never understood the Rodney/Keller hate; I actually liked them together. Brain Storm was a fun episode, enough so I might watch it again tonight. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Major D. Davis Avatar
    Major D. Davis

    I remember when that episode aired. I personally enjoyed it very much. Some great closure given that it was one of Atlantis’ last episodes.

    Have a happy Valentines day Joe.

    Reply
  10. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    G’day

    I got chocolate for Valentines Day. Yummy.

    I wanted Jennifer with Ronon.

    Still require confirmation on the SamJack wedding though. In my heart and mind they are happily married.

    Reply
  11. majorsal Avatar
    majorsal

    https://josephmallozzi.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/188.jpg?w=450&h=254

    thanks for that, joe, and YAY! 😉 😀

    Reply
  12. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Busy watching the Crippled Carnival Cruise Ship Disembarking Passengers After 5 Days Afloat At Sea With No Power show. Great drama! Tears, cheers, gratitude, anger, horror stories, heroic stories, etc. They made it to Mobile Alabama and will take hours to get all the stinky people off (but they look great!) and on to buses going to Texas or Louisiana to then be flown home. I smell a law suit.

    Reply
  13. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Happy Valentine’s Day you sweet people! I celebrated today by getting an oil change and tire rotation. Awesome!

    Reply
  14. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Okay, I watched Freakshow for the pale dude, and ended up really enjoying the entire show. It felt more ‘documentary’ than ‘reality’, but that may change, and if it does become all stupid drama crap I won’t continue to watch, but for now I’ll give it a try. 🙂

    das

    Reply
  15. bailey Avatar
    bailey

    I still can’t bring myself to watch this one (the only SGA ep I haven’t seen). The McKeller ship was so abhorrent to me, it made a beloved character, Rodney, look like a pervy uncle. Why, oh why couldn’t you have shipped Jennifer with someone else like Ronon or Lorne? Yikes! I cringed everytime I saw them together, an entire episode of it – Nooooooooooooooooooooooo (Darth Vader voice).

    PS – for REAL chemistry check out IO9’s Top Seven Bromances in Space:
    McKay and Sheppard are #5. After all these years!
    http://io9.com/5984030/the-7-greatest-bromances-in-space

    5) John Sheppard and Rodney McKay, Stargate: Atlantis
    Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay are the odd couple of Stargate. Sheppard is laidback, humble, and funny; McKay is uptight, self-centered and fussy. And yet the two complete each other in ways even they admit, when Sheppard explains he lives McKay “in the way a friend feels about another friend.” The two are constantly bickering, drinking together, saving each other’s lives, and even mild flirting – because despite their difference, the two are always together. If nothing else, McKay once rewrote time to save Sheppard’s life — that’s not something you do for a regular co-worker.

    Reply
  16. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    Personally I was alright with the Rodney/Keller thing in Brain Storm, the episode was fun and great to watch. The story was solid and it really does go to show that one persons good intentions to try and save the world can go awfully wrong.

    Anyway personally I’ve been far too tired and busy lately, pretty much asleep on my feet lately lol. I’m good though.

    Reply
  17. Line Noise Avatar
    Line Noise

    I had no problems with the McKay-Keller relationship. Hey, if McKay can get a hot babe then it gives nerds all over the world hope!

    I didn’t notice the Carl Binder Memorial Theatre the first time round but was looking out for it this time! 🙂

    I don’t know who Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson are so their cameos didn’t do anything for me. I knew I was supposed to know them but they never made it to TV in Australia.

    Reply
  18. Skua Avatar
    Skua

    Further evidence that we needed an additional season to close all matters properly.
    Sure Rodney deserved love, even Woolsey deserved. What Ronon fans see it as a defeat by Rodney and it hurts (Lol).
    Last week I did a marathon of the final episodes of SGA and can tell you how sad (very very sad) has. I used to think that time heals everything. Im wrong as usual.

    Reply
  19. Maggiemayday Avatar
    Maggiemayday

    Brain Storm was fun and funny. I miss Rodney and Jennifer.

    My V-Day was spent puttering about the house, hanging with the cats. Larry was flying back from his father’s funeral (which we learned about while in Mexico on our 26th anniversary trip and we couldn’t get back early) … so he just stayed down in SLC in his truck. Minutes from the airport while our home is about 45 minutes away and he has to work in the morning. Yeah, that was romantic. I did eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Greek yogurt instead of supper. My first (and last) jaunt into the Pint Club.

    What? No one has made inappropriate remarks about a “late night work out”? How can you feed us a line like that and no one picks it up? Sheesh.

    Reply
  20. DP Avatar
    DP

    I think it’s funny ya’ll still had to pull out a green-themed episode when your show wasn’t set in this galaxy. As if saving Earth from Wraith doesn’t count. Though, if culling people were good for the environment, Atlantis is an enemy of the environment.

    —

    I’m not impressed when GE hands down the “green” directives. They’re shaping what “green” things people think about and which ones they don’t think about. They’d have governments regulate a greener competitor out of business as quick as having a government subsidize one of their “green” technologies.

    Reply
  21. DP Avatar
    DP

    I think McKay and Keller were a terrible match, but I think lots of people are terrible matches. Who needs all that drama? TV shows, that’s who. You know what’s a terrible match for a TV show (other than the last episode)? A perfect match.

    Reply
  22. Mike from Canada Avatar
    Mike from Canada

    I worked in a hospital kitchen they made food for a number of hospitals and froze it in a large walk in freezer that had one wall covered with condensers and huge fans. You could freeze a fifty lb container of condensed soup in 15 minutes. It went down to 30 degrees below zero. You couldn’t go in it without goggles, hat and parka. Your nose would start running instantly and snot would freeze to your face.

    When it was first installed it malfunctioned and wouldn’t shut off, it got so cold that the plastic floor covering peeled off and the concrete floor shattered to a depth of three inches.

    It was nice during the summer. Really cooled you down quickly.

    Reply
  23. Mike from Canada Avatar
    Mike from Canada

    Oh, for Valentines day I got a Yamaha alto recorder.

    Reply
  24. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Line Noise said: “I don’t know who Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson are so their cameos didn’t do anything for me.”

    o_O

    In other adventures – long story short, I wound up in the hospital this morning after waking up in the middle of the night with most of my left side feeling numb, nauseated, light-headed and convinced I was having a stroke, or something. Anyway, after blood tests, EKG, vitals and a CT scan, I’m… fine, apparently. No heart issues, blood issues, strokes, hemorrhages, tumours or aliens living inside my head. (They actually didn’t mention that last one, but I figured the CT scan would show it if there were.) They said it might be some response to these continuing flu symptoms I’m having. I think it could be stress related, and that occurred to me even as it was happening, but I figured better safe than sorry.

    Back home and resting. Again. Still.

    *sighs*

    Reply
  25. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    G’day

    Am with Line Noise, being in Australia, I have no idea who Bill Nye or Neil deGrasse Tyson are either.
    I remember all the hype surrounding the episode when it first aired and well I just did not understand everybody going gaga over these two.

    I guess it would be like having Dr Karl Kruszelnicki on something or other.
    BTW he is awesome.

    Reply
  26. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Dear God (Not you, Joe),

    I usually stand in awe of your handiwork, but this…THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT!!!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPujnYOX9dc

    😯 😮 😯

    No, no, no, no, no…just NOT right, at all. 😛

    das

    Reply
  27. shane calhoun Avatar
    shane calhoun

    Oh i justfound out on twitter jason mamoa is attached to star in the new marvel movie gaurdians of the galaxy super happy to see a former stargate alum get his career going strong in blockbuster movies way to go Jason.

    Reply
  28. for the love of Beckett Avatar
    for the love of Beckett

    Hope everyone had a decent Valentine’s Day. 🙂

    gforce — What a scary night! You were right to get checked out. Did they recommend a follow-up appt. with your primary care doc/internist? It’s always a good idea, and he/she knows you better than any other health care provider. Tell the office what happened at the hospital and ask for an “urgent” slot. They keep those open in the doc’s sched. for situations like yours. Try to get in on Monday.

    If you feel worse again over the weekend, don’t be afraid to call the doc’s office and talk to the after-hours doctor on call. Will be saying extra prayers! Hope you feel better soon.

    Reply
  29. quade1 Avatar
    quade1

    How’s this for news, http://latino-review.com/2013/02/15/exclusive-marvel-drax-destroyer-guardians-galaxy/

    Reply
  30. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    @for the love of Beckett: Thanks! I feel quite a bit better tonight, so hopefully that’s a good sign. I can usually get in to see my family doctor pretty quick so if I need to that shouldn’t be a problem.

    Reply
  31. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    I enjoyed Brain Storm, especially NEIL!!!!! He needs to run for president of the United States.

    Really, Joe? Dinner, drinks and chocolates? How did this day differ from any old day with you? Every day is dinner, drinks and chocolates. No jewelry? Even a necklace? How about a puppy?

    @gforce Glad you are feeling better even if in small bits.

    Reply
  32. Duptiang Avatar
    Duptiang

    I was mulling it over and was wandering if you planned and waited to post this episode because of this auspicious day? Seemed more than a coincidence.

    Reply

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