"I'm at the back sitting under the Hades mural!" said the message. I quickened my pace. I had, in fact, arrived twelve minutes early for dinner. And as I rolled by a parking spot about a block from the restaurant I thought to myself "Maybe I can find something a little closer." Fifteen minutes later,…
October 5, 2015: Canadians love their scifi television!
Well, this is interesting. Apparently, Canadians are HUGE fans of science fiction television: "During the 2014-2015 broadcast year Canadian TV sci-fi series Orphan Black on Space (4.3 million viewers*), Dark Matter on Space (3.7 million), Between on City Total and Killjoys on Space (both 3.2 million) each reached roughly 10% of the Canadian population. In…
September 30, 2015: Win an SG-1 10th Anniversary framed photo and keychain!
Feast your eyes upon the glory that is the 10th Anniversary MGM giveaway which includes a gate-framed photo of the team that started it all AND an SG-1 keychain in its original flimsy silver paper and cardboard box! This can be yours if you are one of the first to correctly answer the following five…
September 29, 2015: Win a Stargate: SG-1 compact!
Win this Stargate: SG-1 compact! All you have to do is be one of the first to correctly answer the following five SG1-related questions! The quicker you respond with the correct answer, the greater your chance of winning the grand prize! As per LineNoise's suggestion, I'll hold off on approving comments to ensure a level playing field. On…
September 28, 2015: Stargate caps giveaway! SG-1! SGA! SGU!
Another day, another giveaway! Up for grabs in today's blog entry, the above-pictured caps from all three Stargate shows. I'm posting early so that readers in the U.K. can participate as well. To win all three caps, all you have to do is be one of the first to correctly answer the following six questions... Match the…
September 27, 2015: Stargate SG-1 coaster giveaway!
At Akemi's behest, I am getting moving on those Stargate giveaways I promised a while back. First up are these lovely matching surprisingly heavy Stargate: SG-1 coasters! All you have to do is be one of the first to correctly answer the following five skill-testing SG-1-related questions.. What was the first script Paul Mullie and I wrote for the franchise…
September 19, 2015: Stargate memories!
A buddy of mine is clearing out his place and came across a slew of Stargate swag - keychains, coasters, golf trophies. He did a little research and was amazed by the value fans have placed on similar unique items. Out of curiosity, I decided to check out some of the more readily accessible boxes…
June 7, 2015: 5 Days to the Dark Matter world premiere! Checking out the ship’s underbelly! And a couple of Stargate tidbits to boot!
Comin' at ya in five (WITH FIVE!)! Space Channel here in Canada is counting down toward the Friday premiere in delightful fashion. Each day ticks off with a different Dark Matter, appropriately enough... Who's next? Can't wait to find out tomorrow! SyFy UK and SyFy Australia, meanwhile, have launched this terrific campaign that asks... Zoie Palmer (Dark…
April 26, 2015: Our atypical Android! More Dark Matter behind-the-scenes goodies! Mailbag!
Actor Anthony Lemke (Dark Matter's Three), forwarded me a terrific podcast about gendered robots and stereotypes. The participants point out that female androids tend to be sexualized entities while their male counterparts are usually powerful forces. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-24-2015-1.3047057/ex-machina-s-portrayal-of-gendered-robot-perpetuates-stereotypes-1.3047064 It's an interesting listen and it made me think of our ship's android, played by the awesome Zoie Palmer,…
April 18, 2015: Name our fandom!
Star Trek has its trekkies, Firefly the browncoats, and the various Stargates their gaters (not gateheads as wiki would have you believe). So, I figure that now, less than two months out from our world premiere, is as good a time as any to come up with a name for our Dark Matter fandom. First, the show... "The crew of a…
April 12, 2015: Dark Matter – A 7+ year journey!
I was actually developing Dark Matter as far back as 2007. That year comes to mind because, in 2007, we were producing Stargate: Atlantis's fourth season and I remember walking the corridors of the ship we constructed for episode #405, Travelers, and saying to Paul: "We've got to find a way to keep these sets. They'd be perfect for…
April 11, 2015: Our Stargate Family Reunion continues on Dark Matter!
Well, well, well. Look who it is. Director Martin Wood (Stargates SG-1 and Atlantis) hits the streets of Toronto - in his trademark shorts. Yes, if there are two thing I remember about Martin Wood from our days on Stargate, it's: 1) His penchant for wearing shorts year round, and 2) His onscreen cameo character,…
April 10, 2015: Check out the Dark Matter teaser trailer!
It's here! It's here! The Dark Matter teaser trailer is finally out! Share! Share! Share! Head on over to IGN.com for the write-up and links: http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/04/10/dark-matter-trailer When SyFy told us they wanted to produce a one minute teaser trailer for the show, my initial response was "Impossible!". We only had two locked episodes with no finished visual…
April 6, 2015: Day #3 of our Four Days of Tabor Calchek feature! Enjoying the great outdoors on Dark Matter episode #109!
I admire people who dress like they just don't care - what other people think. Lady Gaga. Don Cherry. And, of course, Dark Matter's Tabor Calchek. I knew the gang in wardrobe was going to have a lot of fun dressing him - maybe, I suspected, a little too much fun. So it was with a certain…
April 5, 2015: The Four Days of Tabor Calchek continues! My Easter feast!
In many ways, I envy the crew's handler, Tabor, and his ability to get in a good day's work - without ever having to change out of his pyjamas. It's one of the perks of a freelance career, especially one that affords a comfy home office and the convenience of interstellar communications. Happy Easter! Sadly,…