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September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter writers’ room reconvenes!

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Today, we kicked off the third and presumably final week of the Dark Matter second season writers’ room.  We’ve broken eight scripts to date and, tomorrow, we’re going to jump ahead and beat out the BIG season finale.  We figure with so many balls in the air, it makes sense to know exactly where we’re ending up so we can reverse-engineer some of the developing storylines and ensure everything dovetails in dramatically satisfying fashion.

Like last year, plenty of twists and turns, shocks and surprises, humor and pathos, with the added bonus of a more aggressive, kick-ass crew, faster pacing, bigger and better visual effects, new technologies, and cool SF elements underpinning all of our stories.  As my writing partner put it today: “Scifi fans are going to LOVE this season.”

In the meantime, I’ve finished my first draft of Episode 202 (Paul is writing 201).  What can I say?  The final act is CRAZY.

So, what would you all like to see in season 2?  Do tell.

The Galactic Authority storm the ship!  A few behind-the-scenes pictures from the Dark Matter season 1 finale…

September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter Writers’ Room Reconvenes!

September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter Writers’ Room Reconvenes!

September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter Writers’ Room Reconvenes!
Jeff Teravainen as Galactic Authority Lieutenant Anders

September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter Writers’ Room Reconvenes!

September 14, 2015: The Dark Matter Writers’ Room Reconvenes!
Melissa O’Neil (TWO) and stunt coordinator John Stead – on their way to an intergalactic super max.

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23 responses

  1. baterista9 Avatar
    baterista9

    What would I like to see in Season 2? Hmmm…three things jump to mind.
    1. Raccadillos (You knew that was coming, Joe.)
    2. FIVE’s long-lost, fifty-something aunt (dark blue hair with silver streaks, similar fashion sense)
    3. An absent friend (Don’s been on my mind today.)

    Reply
  2. Tom Gardiner (@Thogar) Avatar
    Tom Gardiner (@Thogar)

    What you’ve been delivering is pretty much what I want to see, but if you’re asking for a wish list I have a few. I’d like to see a lot more about the interdimensional tech (and what kind of pocket universes/alternate universes it may reveal), more Android, and One getting a bit more to do (though I know it’s hard with 7 mains).

    Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more light on the sets. I like dark, but sometimes it’s just a little too dark. Maybe it’s my old eyes, but you asked.

    A bigger battery for Bubba would be nice … at least for Three.

    I’d like to learn more about the megacorps and how they work together and against each other. How their massive control works with the Galactic Authority would be interesting to learn. Who’s really in charge in the galaxy? I’m betting it’s the people with all the money.

    More “family moments” with the crew just being themselves. I want to see Four smile at least once an episode, even if it’s an evil, revenge-fueled grin. More Stargate guest stars, please. Anyone would be great, but if I could pick I’d like to see David Blue, Patrick Gilmore, Chris Judge, Joe Flanigan, and, naturally, Amanda Tapping.

    Overall, more about how the universe of Dark Matter works from both political and economic standpoints. Plus more techie stuff, like how does FTL work, how fast can they travel, and do all FTL drives use the same technology to achieve such speeds? If not, what are the different means of achieving warp speeds and how/why are different types used?

    Finally, I’d like a cast shot with everyone wearing welding goggles like Five. It’d be one of the coolest, dorkiest cast photos ever.

    I’m sorry if you’re sorry you asked.

    Reply
  3. Lewis Colbert Avatar
    Lewis Colbert

    I’M SO HAPPY this show got renewed. Season two is coming! Some things I would like to see:

    *The crew disagreeing with each other, I like when they had the votes about disagreements and how they came out of those situations, sometimes closer, and sometimes at each others throats.

    *More of the crews past. 🙂

    *More space zombies.

    *Tight situations for the crew to get out of 😉

    *Two doing some Ronda Rousey stuff (she already does)

    *More situations for Five to use her goggles 😮

    *More dark-side Five. I really like the episode where she was living Fours memories.

    *Keep the dark tone, I liked how the crew tries to be good at times but they struggle with their dark past and their true feelings, the airlock scene with Two comes to mind.

    Anyways thanks so much for making the show, I can’t wait for season two!

    Reply
  4. Maggie L80 Avatar
    Maggie L80

    Don’t get me wrong, who doesn’t love a good space battle? But I’m more of a fan of good character development. I’d like to see our intrepid crew fight their way out of the GA’s clutches & how they rebuild their relationships after the finale’s stand off. Adventures on & off the ship. Some of my favorite scenes are the conversations these characters have. Just put One & Three in a room and wind them up…

    Also more kick-ass Android scenes. Maybe an Android vs Android battle. And our Andoid needs a name!

    Reply
  5. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    I want to see Four smile, get happy and laugh every now and then. Loosen up and don’t be so serious. Alex is so animated in those behind the scene videos you have been showing. I want to see more of that.

    Reply
  6. Vixx Avatar
    Vixx

    I’d like to see more balance between character development and storylines. It seemed like One, Three, and at times Two got the lion share of character development and character exposition. I’d like there to be a better balance between the characters. Unfortunately, the Android seemed to suffer the most from this discrepancy in screen time. Zoie Palmer did a great job with what little screen time and storyline she had to work with. So I would love to see a lot more Android intergraded into the storyline.

    I would also like to see more of what the politics and social issues of the time are. While the light episodes were fun, I’d also like to see some more of the darker grittier stuff this season. I’d also like some more world building.

    Lastly, I’d like the dynamics of the crew to be mixed up some more. Last season I don’t think some character pairing worked at all, like One and Two. But I think others worked great Six and Five, Five and Two, Android and Five, Android and Two. I’d be nice to see more of the pairings that worked, but I’d also like some group pairings to be shaken up. Different characters that tend not to interact with each other. There seemed to be a lot of group scenes with the guys, but none with all of the women. I’d like to see a mission or a couple of scenes with Two, Five, and Android together.

    Reply
  7. Drea Avatar
    Drea

    Well, you already know my vote for a comedic ep where ‘3’ drinks something, suffers hallucinations while still on board The Raza, and concludes with, ( once he thinks he’s all better) returning to his room, only to open the door and discover Bubba pup awaiting him on the bed who says aloud,
    “Coming to bed dear”.

    Albeit, here’s something a bit more do-able:

    If you have an ep where the crew is on a busy space station or on a planet where there is a bustling commercial/market place district, perhaps you can treat us to some subtle ‘inside the writers mind’ humor:

    There’s a bookstore style café with an outdoor patio so we see lots of folks sitting around at tables drinking coffee and reading individual books. At one table we see a fella reading The Somnambulist.. A few tables over there’s another reading the works of Data scientist turned SF author Michael Flynn, at yet another we catch a glimpse of someone with a large black book titled : Dark Matter and Other Unseen Mysteries Of The Multiverse. Lying on another near by table we see an Agatha Christie novel Then,….. for the kicker……….

    The camera widens out and we see a shot of the top half of Paul Mullie’s face as he’s walking by the café with his nose buried in a book called:
    “Be Careful What you Wish For” – By the author of Latin For Dummies Joseph Mallozzi Ph.D. And in that same scene we see a fuzzy shot of ‘you’ sitting at a table in the background reading something by your fav author Abercrombie.

    ( yeah!, yeah! I know what you’re gonna say! .Paul doesn’t like being on Camera. But it’d only be for a few brief seconds from the top half of his face up And you can tell him he’s doing it for the team, because his adoring fans demanded it)

    Now…. I bet, if you weren’t quite sorry enough when Tom posted ‘his’ suggestions… I’ve managed to nicely remedy ‘that’, eh! 😀

    Reply
  8. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    Not to be a broken record, since Joe already knows this from my repetitive nagging about it, but my biggest gripe with Season 1 was that for a space-based show, there wasn’t nearly enough actual ship-to-ship combat going on.

    Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but coming from shows like all three Stargate franchises, I’ve gotten used to seeing many episodes with epic space fights in them. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy DM’s 101 missile scene, 102 “shields up” scene and 110 nuclear missile scene, but all of these were more of a “Let’s just fire 1 shot and that’s it” type of scene, rather than an actual space battle taking place between multiple ships.

    I honestly thought 102 and 110 would have more space combat to them, with the Raza firing back in 102, or the Ferrous and Mikkei ships firing at each other in 110, but that wasn’t the case.

    The only other thing that I miss is having an opening theme song, but I suppose I can live without one… Everything else with DM is great. Keep the humor, keep the lightheartedness, don’t make it too dark and gritty like the reimagined Battlestar Galactica was in 2004. Just throw in more of the budget into some epic space battles that remind me of the SG days and everything else can stay the same. 🙂

    Reply
  9. jimfromjersey Avatar
    jimfromjersey

    Three words: space battles!

    Um…wait…

    Reply
  10. Ana Avatar
    Ana

    2 and Anders become a thing! 6 is actually a good guy. Someone give the android a big hug.

    Reply
  11. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    I would like you to continue to write the story that you started so beautifully in Season One and not worry about what the fans want.

    Reply
  12. DALLAS MARSHALL (@MrsTigercat) Avatar
    DALLAS MARSHALL (@MrsTigercat)

    After the 2nd time that Bubba (the gun) ran out of power following only 3 shots, I Tweeted Tony Lemke, “You’d think by now that Three would know to keep Bubba on the charger all the time, and carry extra battery packs.” So, that.

    2nd: Not just *more android*, but LESS of her being out of commission for various reasons. She needs to be modified in some way that any old electrical charge doesn’t put her on a slab.

    Guest appearances by David Blue and Mike Dopud.

    Reply
  13. Drea Avatar
    Drea

    Hey Joe, So long as we’re playing the ‘what’s on your wish list’ game today …

    Am thinking, maybe? just perhaps? possibly? sometime in the not too distant future, you can post a blog talking about some of the ‘books’ that went into the DM story over the last decade ?

    We all know about most of the beloved TV shows that factored in and I am acquainted with “some” of the books/ stories you incorporated, but am sure I don’t know all of them. 🙂

    By the way: if you do decide to do that brief comedic scene featuring the books mentioned above and need a way to explain why all these off world folks are reading books from ‘earth’ – the camera can show an advertisement posted in the window of the bookstore/cafe, hand written in black magic marker, reading:

    Sale Today! 50% off classics from *Mars *Europa & *Earth

    Reply
  14. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    So, what would you all like to see in season 2? Do tell. I don’t have any complaints. Don’t change your formula at all!

    Reply
  15. ceresis64 Avatar
    ceresis64

    How about letting Three have access to a weapons store Guns ‘R’ Us, got to see him have more types of weaponry!?

    The relationship between Six and Lt Anders – not really GA agent/soldier but working together to retrieve the interdimensional key. Turning over the Raza crew was a calculated ploy, to get the crew inside GA HQ (albeit the jail) for another reason.

    Finding out about the ‘mark’ (the guy with the beard) whom Five originally stole the interdimensional key from.

    Also, using the interdimensional key as a great opening for different possibilities – alternate universes/stories/enemies/tech – love that key! 😄

    Finding out what SOLIS Safety Of Life In Space compliant means!

    More David Hewlett as the slick Tabor Calchek.

    Other SG cast – Mike Dopud, Ryan Robbins, Joe Flanigan as recurring protagonists – bring on the Bounty Hunters!

    Reply
  16. Glenda Avatar
    Glenda

    I would love a space battle with the Raza and another ship. I want to see the ship in a really good space fight.

    Reply
  17. Glenda Avatar
    Glenda

    I also want to have a scene between Zoie Palmer and David Hewlett. That would be comedy gold to me.

    Reply
  18. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    I agree with Tam Dixon – just more of the awesomeness, s’il vous plait!!

    Reply
  19. Wb5 Avatar
    Wb5

    I second/third the opinion of Sparrowhawk and Tom Dixon: continue the story as you planned it. S1 worked fine; the relatively “quiet” Ep8 is my favourite.

    Continuity and internal consistency is important; no repeat of “and they have a plan” (except they don’t, or at least the writers had no idea what it was).

    I am intrigued how (some of?) the crew are going to return to the Raza, which I would expect to be investigated at some GA base (not at the prison). Hopefully this can be done in a believable way.

    A question: any plans to release a soundtrack for Dark Matter? Some of the music was very nice, for example at the end of episode 5.

    Reply
  20. Bailey Avatar
    Bailey

    In season 2 I’d like to see you cast a certain someone I know you never will. And cats, I’d like to see cats.
    Plus more David and Torri. 🙂

    Reply
  21. glowyzoey Avatar
    glowyzoey

    I just want to sit back and enjoy the ride. Whatever you come up with is very fine with me.

    Reply
  22. Tony Avatar
    Tony

    Season 1 of Dark Matter was AMAZING! I’d like to see a LOT MORE in season 2.
    – More appearances of David Hewlett and Torri Higginson, and if possible please, a few more actors from Stargate would be fantastic(Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Joe Flanigan etc.)
    – More explaining of the technology involved in Dark Matter (FTL, shields etc.)
    – A lot more space battles with a little more emphasis on the visual effects

    Thank you very much for this wonderful tv series. Dark Matter is probably the most successful since Stargate. I hope that this series doesn’t end up like Stargate Universe(incredible tv series, still sad that it got cancelled) and that it spans many seasons.

    Reply
  23. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    Not much more to add than that which has already been stated. On a personal note, I have trouble with the transfer transit thing. I get the point to point transfer but could the clone then use it to create another clone and so on and so on so that the original person stays in stasis forever? Can it cross into alternatie dimensions? I know it has been explained over and over and I’ve watched the episode over and over, but its just me. There are some things I just never wrap my mind around. But I don’t get the “cloud” stuff. I tried to set up my Surface so that I could access my work client files from my main compute at my house with “One Drive” or whatever its called and it is just beyond my comprehension.

    Reply

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