Over the course of my 11+ years on Stargate, I have almost always been surprised by the annual pick-up/cancellation announcements. I was shocked to hear that we'd be doing a sixth season of SG-1, then stunned by the announcement that we would be coming back for a seventh. I was astounded to learn SG-1 would…
April 26, 2011: Since arriving in Toronto I’ve suddenly become the protagonist in a Lemony Snicket book!
Looking forward to hearing everyone's comments on the latest (and one of the last remaining) episode of Stargate: Universe, Epilogue. In retrospect, it would have been a nice way to conclude the show but, alas, at the time, we were looking at Gauntlet as the season ender, not a series ender (more on that when…
April 22, 2011: Days of Stargate Past!
Before I get into my Stargate reminiscences, a little update on the V1 Jets front. For the full preamble, check out my April 19th entry (April 19, 2011: V1 Jets). In short: I booked a flight through V1 Jets, followed their instructions and sent them a wire payment but, since the wire payment did not reach…
April 21, 2011: Closing up the Stargate shop :( ! Mailbag!
Received an email from the lovely Tanja yesterday. She was our production coordinator for many, many years of the Stargate franchise and was in the offices the other day to coordinate the final wrap. Apparently, it was a very melancholy vibe as work began on de-rigging Stage 5 first. Stage 5, as you may or…
April 18, 2011: Pre-Production Update! My Favorite Germans! The Office Routine! And Magic Wands!
I spent the weekend incorporating five different sets of notes into my rewrite of (what was formerly episode #2 but is now) episode #3. It now comes in at a robust 62 pages. On the one hand, the longer page count makes it more challenging to schedule; on the other hand, a couple of more…
April 17, 2011: until we meet again
That was the title of the email I received from Brad Wright late yesterday, an email confirming the worst. Despite his best efforts and a situation so fluid it vacillated from "almost yes" to "probably not" and back to "almost yes" on any given week, final word had come down. There would be no SGU movie.…
April 16, 2011: Catching up with the mailbag!
Heading out for dinner tonight after which I've got to hit the gym, start The Wise Man's Fear, and finish up the last two episodes of Eden of the East. Here's a long overdue mailbag for you to peruse... Chevron7 writes: "Now onto Colonel Cockblock – love that name Joe. Did you write in the closed…
April 15, 2011: Some thoughts on “The Hunt”!
My thoughts on "The Hunt"... VARRO AND T.J. - OH, AND YOUNG! Near the end of season one, while we were finishing shooting the last few days on Incursion I and II, I ran into Alaina on her way to set. "So, is T.J. going to be getting together with any of the handsome Lucian…
April 13, 2011: Those deleted flashbacks from SGU’s “The Hunt”!
Back when I first envisioned this episode, there was no beast. No hunt. It was a story about T.J. trapped off-world, displaying great courage and inner strength in keeping a group of scientists and wounded soldiers alive in an inhospitable off-world environment while Varro and Young headed the rescue op to save them. Initially I…
April 12, 2011: Talking Transporter stories! More behind the scenes pics of SGU’s “The Hunt”!
We kicked off the day with a four hour meeting followed, after a thirty minute lunch break, by another three hour meeting. Over the course of these seven some hours, we discussed scripts and stories with our four broadcasters, covering everything from page notes on episodes #1 and #2 to big picture arc for the…
April 11, 2011: Behind-the-scenes on The Hunt!
$%&@!!!! "Why is the floor wet?"asked Akemi. I walked over to investigate, assuming one of the dogs may have peed on the floor. They hadn't. It was worse. Much worse! Apparently, the outlet hose of the air conditioner had slipped in from the window, pooling water onto the hardwood floor (Yes, that's right. Even though…
April 10, 2011: Pre-Hunt Entry! Recommend me a comic book series!
When we gathered to discuss stories for Stargate: Universe's second season, we went in with the goal of giving each of our main players at least one spotlight episode and some sort of arc or issue. And so, over the course of those first few days, we put all our characters' names up on the…
April 6, 2011: I’m back in! Silly dog outfits! Splendido! Mailbag!
Success! I finally have access to my yahoo email! And it only took me an entire afternoon and approximately one hundred letter and number combinations to get it! Let's celebrate with a pic of my mother's dog in silly outfits! My other objected not so much to the fact they looked silly, but the fact…
March 27, 2011: Yet Another Travel Day!
Flying back to Toronto today with Bubba and Lulu today. Carl convinced me I'd be better off flying during the day than taking the red-eye. While the darkened environment and late-night hour of the 10:30 p.m. flight could make for sleepier dogs, it could also result in cranky fellow passengers trying to snooze through Bubba's…
March 26, 2011: Montreal is the place where people go to party, Vancouver is the place where people go to enjoy nature, and Toronto is the place where politicians and sad clowns go to retire.
I’m back in Vancouver today. Back in my home with its open kitchen and fenced-in back yard and home theater and comfy king size bed. But only for as long as it takes me to pack up my things, grab my dogs, and head back. Back to Toronto with its endless driving and frigid temperatures…