Posted on 25 Aug 2008 by Joseph Mallozzi
August 25, 2008: The Church of Dead Girls, the Mailbag, and a Walk Through the Production Office
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The fact that this book club covers three different genres each month often requires me to do a bit of research in order to come up with quality selections, especially when it comes to the horror category. It's not that there aren't plenty of worthy books out there, only that I'm not as familiar with the genre as I am with SF and Fantasy. To help in the selection process, I usually consult a number of online sites for worthy candidates. And so it was I came across Stephen Dobyns' The Church of Dead Girls while perusing a website dedicated to the best in genre fiction. Although it was the macabre title that caught my eye, the positive reviews were what sealed the deal. And, in sitting down to read The Church of the Dead Girls, I quickly discovered that the luridness of the title actually belies a book that it is surprisingly literate.
When a young girl goes missing in a small town, the community is horrified. A search is organized, an investigation launched, but when they fail to yield palpable results, suspicion is cast, first on strangers and newcomers, and then inward as the tiny community faces the prospect that the guilty party may be one of them.
The focus here is less on visceral horror and more on the collective mindset of a community pushed to the very edge by paranoia and a frenzied search for answers. Dobyns does a terrific job of establishing the neighborhood, its inhabitants, and the quaint, small town mentality that quickly devolves in the face of mounting fear and frustration. Troubled by the local authorities' inability to solve the crime and protect their children, certain townspeople take matters into their own hands. Friendships are strained, the community fractures, and a support group formed to help in the search for the missing girls becomes a roaming mob that corners frightened suspects and bullies their way in to private homes. There's a particularly unsettling scene in which the mob, tipped off by a supposed psychic, shows up on a resident's doorstep demanding to search his home. His initial stalwart resistance quickly dissipates when he realizes that his reluctance to cooperate makes him even more suspicious and, before long, he is encouraging the local sheriff to come in and run lab tests on the premises. Individuals are targeted, neighbors turn on each other, and it's all deeply fascinating to follow because the characters and their responses to the horrifying developments feel very, very real.
The story is told from the perspective of a town resident, a single, male high school teacher who, over the course of the novel, also falls under suspicion. On the one hand, the first person narrative allows for a familiarity that immediately connects us to community, its history, and various players. On the other hand, I found that the first person account became a bit of a distraction when the story shifted to events that took place outside of the narrator's experience. Of course we are told that someone present inevitably filled him in on what transpired, allowing him to retell the tale, but often the description is so specific in terms of thoughts and action that it defies credibility.
That was my only major bump and, after a while, I came to accept the convention. Still, it directly relates to my only minor bump which comes at novel's end with the reveal of the guilty party and subsequent wrap-up. Since it's a first-person account, we are never offered a glimpse into the abductor's thought processes. What was he thinking? How did he justify his actions in his mind? We are offered hints through dialogue yet nothing in the way of true insight and this is somewhat unsatisfying given the depth of the other characters.
Overall however, I found The Church of Dead Girls to be an incredibly absorbing read. I read the first 100 pages the first day, then stayed up into the wee hours of the next morning to finish the last 300+ pages. Smart, creepy, and engrossing.
Well, those were my initial thoughts. What did everyone else think?
I'm afraid I'm going to have to hold off on questions for author Stephen Dobyns as I've been unable to get in touch with him since our preliminary discussion about his guest blog here. I suspect he is either incommunicado or, more likely, a loyal McKay-Teyla shipper incredibly ticked off by the events of The Shrine.
In the meantime, I've heard back from both Lexa Doig and Sharon Taylor. Their guests Q&A segments will appear in the coming days. I've sent your questions for our prop master, Evil Kenny Gibbs, his way. Over the new couple of days, I'd like to gather questions for director Andy Mikita who has taken time out of his busy schedule to dialogue with you. So if you have any questions for Andy, let's see 'em!
Today's video: Take a stroll through the production office!
The mailbag:
NaniWahine writes: "1) In light of the cancellation *swallows a sob*, was the season/series finale (Enemy at the Gate) re-written to tie up some loose ends and give us a closure? Or was it written in anticipation of the possible end, and therefore will remain as originally written?
2) Are Carson, Lorne and Zelenka expected to make an appearance in the SGA film?"
Answers: 1) Episode 20 will remain as originally scripted. 2) Too early to tell.
Shadow Step writes: "On a different note, could you explain why David Nykl gets a credit for a 3 second walk past?"
Answer: Sure. Because his scene was cut for time.
AnneTeldy writes: "Other than a quick backstory of Michael, is there anything else I should explain to the unwashed heathens few who don't watch the series?"
Answer: Nope. They're pretty much good to go.
Loren writes: "The Fantasy Book of the Month Club Selection – do you do this yourself, and post the book on your blog, or is it a separate site that we can join up at?"
Answer: Hi, Loren. All you need to do is consult the Book of the Month Club information on the right sidebar. It will list upcoming books and the dates on which we will begin discussion. On that day, I will post my thoughts and then everyone else is free to weigh in as well. If the author is an announced guest blogger, feel free to leave questions for him/her.
Chelle DeBoer writes: "Can you recall all your teachers from primary and secondary school??"
Answer: Mrs. Ballard, Mrs. Vowels, Mrs. Kuteh, Mrs. Graham (who used to tap dance on desks every Friday afternoon), Mr. Dubruille, and Mrs. Chartrand.
Montybird writes: "To follow up on Sandy's question regarding whether or not the cast could do more of the commentaries on the Season 5 DVD set, could you persuade Joe F. to let Ivan Bartok do a featurette on him???"
Answer: Hmmm. Ivon has a special feature surprise in store for you in the season 5 box set.
Majorsal writes: "is sam in 'enemy at the gate'?"
Answer: She is.
Tamijb writes: "I saw The Shrine for the second time today. Although I know you didn't write it maybe you can ask my question? In the scene where the team is on top of the stargate they show the parasite floating on the water. I didn't realize till later because I didn't know what it looked like. Was that intentional? Was that forshadowing? Did anyone else catch it?"
Answer: That wasn't the parasite. That was a piece of floating gunk. Sorry.
Dezrai writes: "Okay, gotta point out some…inconsistencies which you, the other producers, MGm and SCI FI are spouting. You all keep saying that you just found out about SGA being canceled and it wasn't canceled to make room for Stargate Voyager?? This says different. It is from an article by SyFyPortal:
"Brad Wright did tell us in April that he personally did not want to go back to doing two shows simultaneously again," Sumner said. "They did 'SG-1′ and 'Atlantis' simultaneously for three years. That's 40 hours of television each year, and he wasn't eager to going back to that knowing that [MGM] wanted to do more movies for 'SG-1.' Either 'Universe' would have to wait until 'Atlantis' was done, or 'Atlantis' would have to be done right now." We really can't trust any of you, can we?"
Answer: I see. So based on Brad's stated preference in April, you assume that the show was canceled three months before the season premiere even aired and all of the producers knew about it and have been quietly sitting on the news ever since? With all due respect (and I mean that in the not nicest way possible), that is one of the most offensively stupid displays of connect-the-dots reasoning I've come across in quite some time. For the record, Paul, Carl, Martin, Alan, and I held out hope for a sixth season pick-up until the final announcement – which came LAST WEEK. To suggest we've deceived its fans or the people we've worked with all these years is beyond obnoxious.
JAG writes: "Not much talk has been issued about Teyla in any episode after the Queen. Can we expect to see her in episodes after, or do many Teyla fans have some hearbreak in store for them?"
Answer: Prodigal.
Posted in UncategorizedTagged Stargate: Atlantis, Stephen Dobyns, The Church of Dead Girls
137 thoughts on "August 25, 2008: The Church of Dead Girls, the Mailbag, and a Walk Through the Production Office"
25 Aug 2008 at 8:20 pm
I loved the video of the production offices. Love the mail cubbies brings back memories from when i had to go get the mail for my teachers because they had the exact same thing..
ytimynona says:
The movie is taking FOREVER to "buffer"… perhaps because it is so awesomely long???
OOOH I have so many questions for Andy I have to stop, write them down, do some research, and come back later…
Don't let the trolls get you down, Joe!!! I can't believe anyone would insinuate that you knew SGA was gonna be cancelled (especially after a People's Choice and the awesome ratings!!!)!!!
Actually haven't read Church of the Dead Girls, but it reminds me of some of my favorite "Twilight Zone" episodes, so I shall definitely pick it up on my next journey to our local non-BN bookstore!!!
Be back later with questions… and (hopefully) comments on the movie… if my wireless ever lets it load!!!!
Congrats on SGA winning the Peoples Choice Award for Sci-Fi.
I was wondering what was the name/brand etc. of the shirt Joe was wearing in The Shrine.
And also will SGA characters continue to attend at least a few sci-fi conventions after the end of the season?
Teslan says:
Hi Mr. Mallozzi,
I was cracking up at your take on the Olympics. What the IOC did to that wrestler was shameful, especially given their poor attempt to pass themselves off as a respectable committee.
But that still couldn't make up for the news about 'Atlantis' being canceled. Which leads me to a few questions about this movie that has been commissioned: Did you guys already have ideas on the table for one when you found out, or did they just say "Hey, we need a film to wrap up the loose ends", whether or not you had any script ideas? And knowing that this was always a possibility, did you guys write 'Enemy at the Gate' accordingly?
Thanks for the BOTM prize! I received it today. Nice coffee table book.
Chev – There's one problem with your script for SGU. You didn't use "like" every second word, and not once did you use the phrase "That's just so random". And we all know that it is physically impossible for anyone under the age of 16 to not use either. Sorry if I insulted any 16 year olds out there who don't. But you don't exist. So that's ok. I'm going to go now.
Liked the video, but I have a quick question.
What is with all the binders on the shelf in the writers room, do each of them hold a script of a previous episode?
wolfenm says:
Yay for Sam in the finale! *dances*
Okay, PG-15 told me to post a link to this here, so don't hit me — my ranty letter about the cancellation:
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2008/08/25/dont-sink-atlantis/
And now, my Raygun review of The Shrine (which I've got on yet again, I loved it so much):
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2008/08/25/stargate-atlantis-the-shrine/
Aww, it wasn't a parasite? It looked like one to me, too! That would have been some awesome (sorry, Hewlett) foreshadowing! Speaking of which ….
I've been wondering if all of Zelenka's talk last season about Rodney not being on his game was meant as foreshadowing of Rodney's condition?
And now my qs for Mikita:
What can you tell us about the cut Zelenka scene? I mean, what happened during it? (Please tell me it will be on the DVD!)
Were there any other deleted scenes?
There was a lot of physical contact between John and Rodney, a lot more than usual (which I *adored*), in particular the shoudler-grabbing in John's room and in the cave (twice!) — were those scripted, or were they your idea, or the actors' …? How much direction — or leeway — do you typically get from a script, and how much do you, in turn, leave up to the actors?
Also, I just want to say how heartbreakingly beautiful the scenes in John's room and, especially, on the pier were. I used to spend a lot of time at the North Avenue and Oak Street beaches and Navy Pier (all in Chicago) after sunset, and the pier scene in "The Shrine" made me so homesick it hurt — but it was soo worth it! The camera angles, the guy's performances, the lighting — just brilliant. (Yes, I know, the city was fake, but you still had input, yes?)
fsmn36 says:
Yay for that tour! Looks like a fun place to work. And I think it dispels the idea that you all work in a magical candyland or something. Or high on a mountain casting down bolts of lightning. I especially love all the posters on the walls. And your action figures!!
Portlandbound says:
Joe, lol… You are a great writer and producer but please don't be a camera person because you kinda suck at it. I thought my glasses were not working at points. Great behind the scenes video. Really enjoy your videos. My husband thinks I'm a moron for bursts of laughter at times and I'm laughing to hard to tell him why. Have a great week!
wonderingbrit says:
Where do the cast do the 'Read-Throughs' then ?
It's not at all like I would have imagined – not sure what I would have imagined, but hey…. lol
Viqi920 says:
Was the office walk thru part of an offices-to-let project? Kidding.
I think it's interesting that so many viewers were determined that the Arthur line and reaction were ad-libbed. Alyson Hannigan once pointed out, "That's why it's called acting!" after 'spontaneously' bursting into heart-wrenching sobs on cue, at the same mark for more than one take. IMHO, it takes serious acting chops to make a scene like that look 'spontaneous.'
I read "Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold several years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly, so appreciated having Cordelia's Honor on the BOTM.
I'm so glad The Blog will continue!
iamjohn says:
What was the stuff above the white board in the writer's room? writer's bible? Notes on stargate episodes? Nuclear secrets?
tamijb says:
Oh, darn. I was really hoping for forshadowing. It really did look like the parasite that jumped out of the brain.
Just so you know I do not have the same feelings as Dezrai. I agree with you. However, I do not agree with their decision for cancelling SGA and will continue writing letters to Brad Wright and company. Just as many others will.
"To suggest we've deceived its fans or the people we've worked with all these years is beyond obnoxious."
caitlyanna says:
I take it you didn't have a lot to do today. Nice tour. Thank you.
As for The Church of Dead Girls, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in it. Again, because of my hectic schedule, I haven't been able to finish it, but I promise that I will keep at it. I don't really care for all the backstory on the characters in one fail swoop. That's just me. I have really read a lot of horror and I was hesitant when I first read the summary because I don't like being scared out of my mind. I can handle being just a little scarred. I'm also finding it a little hard to keep all the characters, mainly the IIR, straight. It's getting easier as the story progresses. I can relate to how the people in the town reacted when the girl goes missing, because Bishop is a lot like Aurelius. When something happens to one of us, it feels almost like that something bad hit us personally. When you live in a small town and you know just about everyone because you grew up with them and everyone's parents grew up together and the grandparents grew up together, you almost feel like one big family. When something happens to one person, everyone is affected.
On October 26, 2007 we welcomed a fallen soldier back to the Owens Valley who was killed in Iraq saving the life of his best friend. Bishop has the larger airport so Corporal Wayne Geiger was flown to Bishop and the entire town, as well as the towns of Big Pine, Independence, and Lone Pine, showed up for his funeral as his body traveled to Lone Pine, which is about 60 or 70 miles south of Bishop, to be laid to rest in his home town. When we heard that we had lost one of our own, the entire Valley was in a state of shock whether you knew him personally or not. So far he's the only soldier we've lost and I have a friend who just came back from his third tour and I just feel grateful that he's safe. I've also had another friend severly injured in Iraq and two years after he came home, he's just now getting help. I cried as I watched the casket pass down the street and I had only talked to him once when he came in to my work and I was the one to help him. I'm crying now just remembering that sad day in our town's history. He became the first soldier we've lost since the Vietnam war.
I feel that it's the same for the characters in Aurelius. Like I said, I haven't gotten too far into the story yet, but when I read how the town reacted, I knew how they felt. I like when I can relate in someway or another to a story. I feel like I can then absorb myself more into the story. I will finish this story and maybe I'll like it a lot more once I've really gotten into the story. My life has just been way too hectic with the coming fair… oh my God it's this week already! Wish me luck. I entered 9 things. I'll let you know how I did on Thursday night after the Favorite Cookie Contest. I'll try to remember to post pictures on my blog on Thursday too.
Oops. I didn't mean to hit submit comment yet. To continue with the first post.
Here, here Joe. I agree. We've been talking about continueing with season 6 since the end of Season 4. Obviously he has not read your past post or has been on the blog for very long.
Oops again I meant to say McKay's brain not just the brain. I'm getting tired. It's late.
Now I can hit the submit comment.
Question about The Shrine for you.
During the scene when the team is on top of the Stargate McKay says that the pressure from the water is keeping the wormhole active and they would have to wait the full 38 minutes for the wormhole to disengage.
But in Watergate from SG-1, Sam states that the gate has a built-in safety protocol to keep water from flowing through the wormhole.
Which is correct?
(I suppose it could be explained that the water is Watergate was actually a living entity.)
OOOH… movie=awesome!!!
Definitely worth waiting for it to load!!!
Über thanks for the tour =)
Lol Carl is such a hard worker!!!
And I loved the "I Was A Teenage Goa'uld" photocollage!!! And all the sweet posters on the walls of the hallways… who decorates???
What is in the black binders that circled the writer's room?
Puppy calendar=awesomeness!!! I have a pillowcase with my puppy's picture on it =)
What make & model is your video camera? It has some sweet zoom capabilities!!!
Oh, and btw: your desk is most certainly NOT a disaster zone… if it is, I don't even know an adjective strong enough to describe the current messy state of my bedroom!!!
With some effort, and lost sleep, I was able to finish off Church of Dead Girls this afternoon. I've never been a big fan of horror, though I have occasionally indulged in the genre even before it became part of the BotM club. But there are not many horror books that grip my interest, or having me excited for more.
Alas, CoDG is not one of the exceptions. The book starts off promisingly, with the prologue and its discomforting descriptions of the three dead girls. Then we go on into the main body of the story. As the author begins throwing characters at us, I plowed on steadily, certain that things would settle out, and we'd get beyond the descriptions of small town life.
Perhaps it's because I have lived in a small town, and am aware of the insular nature of such places, and the multiple connections individuals seem to have with other residents in those settings, it didn't take long for the narrative to pall. Indeed, the writing style began to positively irk me, which made it increasingly difficult to stay in the story.
The perspective of the story was another major problem. It's purportedly first person, yet our narrarator floats through the novel like a formless wisp of smoke pushed by the breeze. There is never a feeling of substance to the character. The switching to third person views of much of the action and dialogue in the book was not a convention I ever adapted to. In this case at least, I found the alternating views jarring, again forcing me out of the story.
The last major obstacle to my enjoyment of this novel were the characters themselves. As the paranoia built up, and people began to disappear, I felt no emotional attachment to the character's pain or turmoil. They felt as impersonal as the computer game soldiers I periodically slaughter in Total War. Yes, we learn many details of various characters. But none came to life for me.
The final outlashing by the residents of the town, the scrambling of the police to bring matters to a close, regained my interest slightly. But the story played out with no (to me) emotional or plot twists. It was with an active sense of relief that I finally finished the last pages. Reading the book was a chore after the first 30 pages, and I was never able to move beyond that feeling through the novel.
I'm sorry I can't share your satisfaction with this book, but for me, the time would have been better spent on clearing out my backlog of sci fi selections, never mind my other reading interests. I'm prepared to try another book by the author in the future, but I won't be rushing out to do so in the near future. I think I'll give the next horror BotM a shot, and then decide if I want to continue to participate in this particular genre in the future. I don't want to be unduly critical when the fault may lie with my relative disinterest in the genre, though there have been some previous selections I have indeed enjoyed.
I do hope you're able to find room for Lorne, Zelinka, et. al in the movie, though I'm not holding out much hope. I have to admit that I am harboring a certain dream that Lorne/Kavan Smith might be tapped to move over to Universe, getting his long deserved promotion as a regular in the cast. But for now there's 14 more episodes to savor, and some serious letter writing to do.
Mercie says:
Just caught up on the past four days of posts, and I will admit to blanching at the daunting number of comments on all of them. And so to save my sanity, I merely skimmed. But I just wanted to say, I just got back from the Chicago Stargate Convention, and it was great! My first convention, and it was no disappointment.
Oh, and David Nykl told us to tell you that we wouldn't watch the Stargate Atlantis movie unless it was a heavy Zelenka movie…yah…right. Love to see him in it though, but I wouldn't give it up just because he wasn't the star of the show. Poor, poor Radek…
Loved your tour of the production offices, and am looking forward to the guest blogs coming up soon. Oh and by the way, whoever made up the Tac word in Deadman's Switch in SG-1, thank 'em for me, cause they won me two prizes in the trivia competition at the convention. I am the master at pronouncing that word!
Anyway, off to bed, its been a busy four days and I'm ready to sleep in tomorrow!
Mercie
Bailey says:
I enjoyed the video tour, I think you have the best office!
A question for anyone who might know about these kinds of things:
I just got a brand new computer. It still runs Windows XP and I am using IE7 as my browser.
On this blog the links that used to show up on the right side of the main blog text are now shoved down to the bottom of the page. (similarly on Wolfnm's site I get a very long narrow column of text)
It has nothing to do with the text size as I have tried changing that in settings and it has no effect on where the links are placed.
Does any tech-savvy person have an answer? Virtual cookies to any and all who can help!
Much thanks.
Bailey B
ShippyChick says:
Thanks for the tour! Who's desk is the neatest and who's is the worst?
Hey Narelle from Aus,
I'm like, totally, like a teenager, who like, doesn't use the word "like," like… very often!!! And, like, I've never heard the phrase "That's just so random" like, well, like ever!!!
Teehee, sorry, I had to!
I think by "geared towards a younger audience" Brad & co meant "get your kids to watch it with you," not "one hour of free babysitting," because they must know by now that SG has a long tradition of being loved by members of ALL generations (at least, they'd better know by now! It's only been, what, 11 years?) and it would be silly to market an SG product to any one specific audience other than the SciFi nerds of all ages who have come to love it!!!
MME says:
Just wondering if you could do a video tour of the set sometime.
NZ_Jackie says:
As one of David Hewlett's Devoted Squirrels I am UBER-HAPPY (yes that's right, UBER) to see you guys have a poster of 'A Dog's Breakfast' on your wall!!!
Question: Do you happen to have the Bigger office out of everyone??
It sure looks like it…lol
Again…UBER-HAPPY about the poster being on your offices wall! 😀
NZJ
Shawna says:
All this talk of a spin-off has got me thinking. Let me just toss a few ideas at you.
"Rodney and the Raith" — In which McKay and Todd move to Cincinnati, share a crappy apartment managed by a homophobic curmudgeon, and get entry-level jobs at a newspaper and/or radio station. Hilarity ensues as Todd tries to hide his true nature from the world while attempting to adapt to life as a human. Meanwhile, Rodney daily tries to work out a way to ask the cute girl who gets the coffee if she'd like a ride on his puddle jumper without getting slapped.
"Wagon Train to the Stargate" — In which Woolsey, Michael, Ishta, Coombs, Anteaus, Markov, and The Gamekeeper form a rag-tag crew who travel between galaxies, enforcing trade agreements and establishing peaceful treaties.
"Misplaced" — In which the Daedalus crash-lands on a primitive planet in the middle of nowhere, with none of the equipment working and no hope of being found and rescued. The crew must learn to survive, while also learning some disturbing secrets about one another, dealing with the strange, unfriendly indigenous life-forms, and on occasion fighting off a cloaked monster.
"Duckgate" — A cartoon starring John Mallard and Rodney McDuck, about all the wacky adventures they get into in Ducklantis. Of course, they use gadgets like hand-held grappling hooks and net-shooters rather than guns, and their enemies are more interested in robbing the Ducklantis vault than taking over the galaxy and killing people.
Just waiting up to load the video, sounds like it's neat. 🙂
I just saw "The Shrine" today, and, although you didn't write it, that was an absolute masterpiece. Send my cudos to David Hewlett on his absolutely amazing acting. It truely gave the feeling that he was losing his memory and mind and makes you feel really sad for the character. That was truely an amazing job on his part. The acting by the other actors/actresses (such as Robert Picardo's speech about his grandfather and the Sheppard/McKay-on-the-dock conversation) was also amazing. Everybody did an absolute amazing job with "The Shrine". I honestly think David Hewlett should receive an award for this episode.
And, while speaking about "The Shrine", I was wondering if you could shed some light on something (Sorry to be nitpicky, I'm just curious 😉 ). How exactly did Sheppard & Co. return from the planet with the gate underwater? Some at Gateworld have speculated that the team waited in the jumper for 9 hours as the water receeded.
joe/Answer: She is.
woo hoo!! 😀
Nice video. I'm sure your empty mailbox will be filling up with Save Atlantis letters soon 😀
25 Aug 2008 at 10:07 pm
ytimynona said:
My "kids" (ie: dogs) love watching Stargate with me already 🙂 Not that they have a choice. Of course, my Kelpie is still devising his mischievous plan to make some prosthetic opposable thumbs so he can steal the remote and watch the "Dogs With Jobs" marathon. I found the blueprints the other day.
Now 30 **cough31inamonthcough**, when I first started watching Stargate (which started with the movie) I was one of those younger audience members at the time that maybe they are aiming the new series at. However, my appreciation for the show did not come until later.
It was the Ancient Egyptian mythology that gave me the initial interest in the show, but I didn't fully comprehend the other aspects, such as the exploration of certain Scientific ideas and the humour until I gained more life experience, which is the politically correct term for 'got older'.
I don't envy Writers or Producers. We all know that the world is full of varying personalities, and it seems that a large portion of viewers expect exactly what they want. So it is inevitable that SGU will ruffle more than a few viewers feathers.
While I'm disappointed at the cancellation of Atlantis, it had to happen sooner or later, so I'm on-board for the ride. I didn't even know about Atlantis until it aired for the first time and wasn't too sure about whether I liked it for a little while. But I hung in there because it was change, which meant adjustment. If I don't like SGU after giving it some time, then I'll switch off and find something else to do.
I enjoy the writing of later SG1's and almost all of the SGA's so I'm hoping that some of the writers get to move with the show. That is my biggest concern at the moment, that the experience of many people will be lost.
Yes yes, I told Wolfie to post that article, so if you must strike us down, do it to me! Besides, I fully endorse and agree with it.
Er…with all due respect to TPTB. Heh. Yes.
Anyways, saw The Shrine on Saturday night, and it's taken me this long to write up my usual rambling review. The episode itself was utterly brilliant; it made me tear up probably 5 times, and it's now among the top 5 of Atlantis to me and IMHO comparable to Meridian and Heroes in terms of emotional depth. It was so incredible that my review actually took up 3 posts on Gateworld, clocking in at 6650 words. In fact, I had to cut a bit for it to fit into 3 posts, or else I'd've started a 4th one. Stupendous episode.
And here's the review:
Meanwhile…WOOHOO!! Sam's coming back! That's great. Also, thanks for the video! I find it highly hilarious and in-character that you decided to focus on the food in the kitchen instead of the frantic goings-on behind you in the production offices. Also, what's with every writer absent in their offices excelt for Carly B? They busy or something? 😉
And…oh my, the writers room. The holy place where all the episodes originate. One day, I'm gonna be there. I swear it!
Lt.Col.Errandboy says:
Your desk is similar to mine, but tidier…*LOL*
You need to chuck some dirty tea cups, hundreds of CDs, pens, paperclips, hand cream, photos, post-it notes, used and unused plastic cutlery and half-eaten food items on it to compare to mine!
Make sure you get HEAPS of bloopers for the season 5 final DVD boxed set…you have to give us something extra now that it's all going kaflooey in Stargate-land…I also wish to support the coercion of Joe Flanigan to do a "profile"… PLEEEEEASE JOE…for your FAAAAAAANSSSSS…
On Aug. 20th you wrote:
Later there were photos of someone in surgery… =8-[]
Pull-ll-ll-eease, Cap'n! Dunna kill off our ever-lovin' Scotsman a second tame. It would break the hearts of we fans altogether. Aren't we destroyed enough after hearing that Atlantis will fade from the small screen?
I canna bear the thought of losing that bonnie impish grin, those bewitching blue eyes, and that quick wit and comic relief in the midst of battle.
Who better to keep Rodney from going off the deep end? Even paranoid science officers need friends.
And isn't Carson's charm with the ladies coming up in "Whispers"? T'would be great fun to see our Dr. Beckett lose it entirely when he realizes he has a big heart. Falling in love with a smashing girl in a SGA feature film would hand him his Waterloo for sure. (And more comedy for us, nae doot.)
He could be good medicine for the story and for the fans. Oh, Cap'n Mallozzi, for the love of Beckett, mon, please S.ave O.ur S.cotsman.
I've figured out why some fans have negatively reacted to Keller and wanted to share. They were picking up on something that seemed a little "off" about her. I know what it is.
Ellia the Wraith never really died… the retrovirus kept working… and she showed up in Atlantis as Keller! Fans could sense that she was/is part Wraith!
Sorry, Cap'n, Sir. The quote was snipped.
"Tomorrow, we move on to Beckett's return, "eyes staring straight ahead", and the stabbing (Hoo boy. The fans are going to freak. Shhh. Don't tell anyone)."
And two days later there were photos of someone in surgery. =8-[]
elf-ears says:
Please beg Ivan Bartok to do a special feature on The Shrine! !!!!!!!! Pretty Please??! I know he does several episodes a year that he does special features of during filming – and The Shrine is one I really want to see.
And I second the request to ask Joe F. for one on Sheppard. I know he's busy, but I'm hoping he'll take some time for the final box set.
Also, you mention scenes being cut for time from The Shrine, could you tell us more about them in depth? Or/and can we beg for them to be included in the DVDs??
MysteryMadchen says:
In your personal opinion, do you think that with a large fan outcry, Atlantis could be saved?
Have you guys seen a large influx of protesters out side your doors and the studio since the announcement?
What is the mood in the office and studio since most of the writers and producers are going to be out of a job?
How is the atmosphere on stage considering the actors are now with out there jobs? Is it a sad place to be now that they know the news? Are emotions running wild?
Please Joe answer my questions, cause you know me I'm a big pain in the butt and I'll just keep asking them. 😉
Thanks as always, Nicole.
**Save Atlantis, Save the lost city, fans it's up to us**
To everybody trying to save Atlantis:
Here is the link to my blog where I have posted both my longer letter and shorter one letter I posted here on Joe's blog a few days ago. Please feel free to tweek it, copy it as is, or take parts of it if you want. I just want as many people as humanly possible to send in letters. Also if you can't snail mail yourself, sign the letter and email it to me and I will send it for you. Have a great week everybody and let's keep those letter moving…
http://community.livejournal.com/shepwhumpfinder/
Also once i'm home for more than half an hour at night i'll post all the address' and links to save atlantis sights I find on this site. If you have any questions email me at MysteryMadchen@aol.com Keyword save atlantis.
Thanks to everybody Nicole.
Perragrin says:
Mornin' Joe from a rather wet, windy and cold Yorkshire. In fact, the cloud's hanging so low here this morning, that the dog refused to go out at first light. I had to revert to the bribes of sweet talking and an encouraging kick up the backside, before he'd skulk out with a withering expression of disdain on his furry face >.>
Taking a more serious note today, i'd like to thank you for your book summaries. Ever since I was able to read more than a couple of pages by myself as a kid, i've been a natural bookworm. In school, i'd hide away the Stephen King's, Tom Sharpe's, Douglas Adams, Tolkien's, etc, alongside Shakespeare, Orwell and Austin. In fact, once I got a book in my grubby mits, then i'd slink away for hours – days even – until the thing was done from cover to cover and then back again.
In recent years, i'm afraid to say that my beloved collection has been gathering a little too much dust and although the occasional audio book appears on the shelf, they are usually far too expensive to buy as often as i'd like. It's also not quite the same, listening to someone else reading; I know.. they usually do a great job and for that i'm eternally grateful. But, I don't think anything can replace the way your own mind works through each word, sentence or phrase. Imagination makes up the best part of a story and unfortunately, I haven't quite figured out how to tap into someone else's just yet.
So, although reading your summaries won't ever quite be the same as going through the whole story myself, I am grateful for the overview. I dearly miss reading and I know there is so much out there that's just passing me by. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to express your thoughts. It's appreciated, truly ; )
Oh man! Here I am all proud to have written such a long review, when Wolfie's is almost twice as long as mine!
I guess I can't compete with the professionals. 😉
Haina says:
I just absolutely loved the video of the production offices!
Dustin Owens says:
Hey man since I am into comic statues as well I have to ask. Why all the Busts on the window ledge? Don't tell me that's direct sunlight? Wont that cause a lot of fading?
susanthetartanturtle says:
Thanks for the tour – where is the 'Little girls room'?
Your little mail cubby hole is small – where did you put our SCB letters?
26 Aug 2008 at 12:09 am
Thanks for the fantastic tour of the offices, although I thought I had suddenly developed glaucoma there for a minute. They have a wonderfully lived in feel to them.
I was wondering, if the last episode shot finishes filming at the end of September, how many more weeks of post production will you have until the final episode, sadly, is completed and you can finally relax? And will you still be keeping the same offices (and people, I hope) when you start gearing up for the movie?
Coucou joseph!!
Sa va ?? Moi oui:: Aujourd'hui sa fait 1 ans que je suis avec mon chéri!! (merci sga^^)
Très intéressante la vidéo, vos bureaux sont très confortable!!
Comme vous n'avez pas répondu a mon email je vous pose la question sur votre blog!
Pouvez vous me redonner l'adresse postal où je pourrais vous
envoyez des lettres, car je les perdu? Merci=)
Aller gros bisou Joseph! Je vous adore!
Thesp3aker says:
Hey Joe, just thought I'd stop by and say how much I enjoy reading your blog, especially the great behind the scenes looks at SGA. Sorry about SGA being cancelled, I'll miss watching it every week, but it's great it's still carrying on with an Atlantis movie. If the first movie's a success, how long do you think future movies would keep being produced for? Do you expect to ever have a final Atlantis movie which wraps up the major wraith storyline? Anyway, thanks again for having kept me entertained with your blog and Atlantis.
I would just like to say how saddened I am by the Cancellation of Atlantis (just as I was by SG-1). I have truly grown to love this show and it's characters. The fact that they both will live on in movie form is a great comfort.
I will of course give Universe a chance and hope it can live up to the standard of it's predecessors.
I would just like to thank everyone involved in the show for a wonderful 5 years.
compactbarbie says:
26 Aug 2008 at 1:01 am
Ah, Shawna, you should have been at last week's Wraith night here in dreary England. We (Connie, Laura and I) came up with a few suggestions of our own (admittedly after imbibing copious amounts of rather cheap and nasty ethanol based liquids).
2021: A Wraith's Odyssey (alternative title 'Mr Todd goes to London') in which Todd finds a monolith on the moon of a known wraith planet, which points the way to Earth. He arrives in orbit and picks England as his starting destination where he meets very primitive, slightly mature females all in need of his macho tools.
Brief Encounter – On a cafe at the midway station, a prim slightly mature technician English Barbie meets wraith supremo Todd. Although she is already married and he has his queen, they gradually fall in love with each other. They continue to meet every Thursday on the small cafe, although they know that their love is impossible. Eventually they agree they must part and Barbie goes back to Atlantis where her husband, Radek says' Thank you for coming back to me' and gets Dr beckett to check her out, just in case.
Somewhere in Time – Todd is living a meagre existence on earth, most of the humans have already been consumed by his counterparts and he is slowly dying of starvation. He enters an old house an finds a photograph of a relatively early middle-aged English woman, Laura, and becomes obsessed with finding her. He finds a way to go back in time, meets her and they fall in love. Obviously he feeds on all the humans around her till she is the only one left and by now rather long in the tooth, so he feeds on her too. The end.
Affair to Remember – Todd, a well-known wraith playboy meets Constance McKay (distant, English, almost middle aged cousin to Rodney) aboard the USS Constitution. They fall in love with each other despite being engaged to other people. They agree to reunite on top of the Tallest Atlantis Tower in six months time if they still feel the same. On the day of their rendezvous, Connie is struck by a puddle jumper and rushed to sickbay. Todd waits all the day for her, unaware of her accident. Dejected, he leaves, assuming that Connie has forgotten about him and feeds on a small planet of humans in the outer galaxy.
Connie is crippled in the accident and confined to a wheelchair but despite it all, she goes on to become a teacher of English as a foreign language to the inhabitants of the Pegasus galaxy. She doesn't see Todd again until she encounters both him and his queen at the Atlantis Reunion Ball a year later. Todd can only bring himself to say hello to her, not noticing her condition because she is seated. He is too proud to ask her why she never showed up, and she will not burden him with the terrible truth of her injury.
After the ball, however, Todd visits her room in the night with the intention of procuring her for food. It is when he gets close enough to taste her that he realises who she is and that she cannot walk. Subsequently, all is revealed about the fateful day that they were supposed to meet. In the final emotional scene, the two forgive each other and declare their love for one another. He transfers some of his life force energy to her, healing her and they leave to explore the Universe together (but not before he finds Dr Keller in the hallway and feeds on her and all the other younger people on Atlantis). The End
There were many more but I can't seem to remember them – no idea why!!
GoSpikey says:
"Day 14: A Jamaican athlete stumbles into her British neighbor, taking them both out of contention in the Women's 4 x 100 m relay. As a result, critics insist than in addition to being tested for performance-enhancing drugs, participants should also be made to take a sobriety test prior to each event."
Belgium got silver with Kim, woohoow!
And a day or so later, Tia got us gold, too!
Spikey
Seem to have posted twice, Joe, blame :
a) the cat who is currently sitting on the keyboard and refuses to budge or
b) the after effects of copious amounts of ethanol based liquids still in my circulatory system
Thoughts about a campaign….
First of all: I will follow the Wraith wherever that will take me.
I support the campaign…somehow. I gather information and spread them in every forum I'm in. Let people know that happens. But I'm not writing e-mails or letters – although…that thing with the lemons…the corridors of MGM and SciFi overflowing with thousands of lemons. I like that imagination. Makes me smile. They deserve it. 😀 Maybe I should…? On the other hand – they made their decision and they will not change it. And even if they would – do I want that?
When they change their opinion and give us a sixth season than it will be the end of SGA – irrevocably. One year and everything is over. Do I really want that? Would I be able to enjoy that season knowing that will be the end of the story?
The movies would last longer – I hope. Time to get out of the fandom and the fascination it has on me. And that will happen. The time between the movies will be too long to keep up that feeling for a longer time. It will die a slow and silent death. Makes me sad. Otherwise I've heard that there's a life outside the internet. Maybe I should try to find out whether that's true or not. 😉
So – shall I do nothing? Let it happen? But then these words of that guy from SciFi come to my mind again – that one that seems to think we all are only sheep that will follow everything that has the word "Stargate" in its title. Makes me angry. Really angry. Otherwise….after these words he isn't worth getting any of my emotions – neither the good ones nor the bad ones. He wouldn't understand it anyway. So – go on playing with your money. Hope that makes you happy.
I'm thinking and thinking, but finally I'm not further than before. What shall I do now? Fight for a sixth season? Write e-mails and letters? Or do nothing and follow the way of the DVDs? I don't know. I wished I would – but I don't…
There's only one thing I really know: I will follow the Wraith wherever that will take me.
Actually, I've been told to advise you that towards the end of last weeks 'tall, white haired and gorgeous' special, we did come up with the idea of Global Interactive Wraith Night. Now I know it involved lots of slightly more mature female Atlantis fans sitting at their portals, with a web cam, messenger and large bottles of the alcoholic beverage of their choice, but for the life of me I can't recall any of the 'how to' details.
We did discuss the time difference problems and came to the conclusion that no true fan here in the UK would mind drinking into the wee small hours to accommodate those of you across the pond who start the evening many hours later than us Brits. So if anyone out there is mature enough to handle the topic (no silly young things need apply – only the mature, irresponsible and socially inadequate's please); feels the need to imbibe alcohol heavily, whilst discussing their favourite (that's favorite to you Americans) anti-hero's, please let us know!
J Williams says:
Why is your calender set to October, two months before October. Not nit-picking, just wondered if it could be a warning from Baron Destructo?
NeKo says:
I LOVED that tour, it was really interesting to see where all you guys work.
Question: What are all of the folders located around the writers room (the top shelves) for/contain? There was quite a few of them. Thanks!
P.S Can we see a set or studio tour next?
*gets popcorn ready*
Joe, the state of your desk surprises me! I always thought you were more anal than that.
Normal state? Or a sign of depression? 🙂
jmanzione says:
Joe, I've waited a few days after the announcement about SGA and SGU in order to be able to set aside the emotional element. Now I'm ready to ask a couple of questions I hope you are up to answering.
1. If MGM is planning on 3 or 4 movies a year for SG1 and SGA this would be enough to keep me onboard for years to come. How 'certain' is it that MGM desires to commit to that number of movies, and do you foresee an official statement from MGM about their continued commitment to the movies? (As of right now there is no 'official' word about another SG1 movie, much less a series of them.) It would be nice to read an official stance from the studio, based on the continued success in DVD sales of course.
2. Is a new SG1 movie script in the writing stage at this point?
3. Lastly, if The Shrine, by Brad Wright, is what is meant by SGU being more character-driven, I'd say SGU will be incredible and successful. Was this episode sort of a 'first shot' by the SGU showrunners to show SciFi/MGM what 'they' mean by character-driven? To perhaps prove that they can write episodes of this nature? (By the way, The Shrine is now one of my Top 10 'Gate' episodes.)
4. Okay, this is the REAL last question; Everyone seems to be upset by the multiple mentions of a "younger cast". Can you say with some certainty that by "younger cast", the studios and showrunners mean people of "Lt. Ford's" (25-28) age, or younger? I'm 55 years old Joe, and I can enjoy the performance of someone my age, like RDA, or Rainbow's age, 25. I just don't want to watch a bunch or 19 year old recruits with lots of teenage angst.
I believe that ALL of the upset fans will certainly give SGU a shot, and if the show has 'some' connection to the SGC, if there is the occasional mention of known characters from the SG mythology, and if there is the occasional guest star from the two shows, then it will fit right in and be a successful show. But, should the showrunners take a completely new direction with no connection to the SGC or the established 'history' going back 12 years (not ancient mythology, which I am sure there will be plenty of, since they're on an ancient ship).
Atlantis was successful (partly) in my opinion, because of its ties to the SGC and the references to established canon, characters, etc. To me, if SGU lacks these things it would be tough for me to stay connected to the franchise. It would be the same as if I were watching something completely new, like 'Painkiller Jane' or 'Dresden Files', meaning whether I watch it or not doesn't matter. I'm a huge fan of Stargate, as is my wife, and Stargate means much more than an ancient ship and an actual stargate, it means the amazing textures of a combined 15 years (plus 2 movies) of established canon and unforgettable characters. Without that I have no interest in the show, as my TV viewing is limited to about 8 hours a week.
Sorry for writing so much, this has all been brewing since the announcements. And Joe, if you are in charge of doing two SGA movies a year I'm sure you're involvement with Stargate will continue to be a full time job. I hope you remain a part of the family for years to come. Many fans, including myself and my wife, actually 'need' Stargate in our lives. There is so much going wrong in the world that Stargate is an anchor for many, an anchor that says not everything has gone to hell in a hand basket.
Obviously, I keep an eye on your blog, as evidenced by the large amount of plundering I do for the magazine, and today I got a surprise! You picked a book that I've actually read! The Church of Dead Girls! I read it in just about 6 hours (back when I was able to spend the entire evening lost in a book) and really enjoyed it. As a genre exercise I think it works really well, , although I also the ending was a disappointment, but the set up is fantastic! To that end, I wonder if you've read Michael Marshall's Straw Men? A superb premise, mixing conventional thriller with the philosophy of genetics – again a great genre exercise. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it! I never thought I'd get to do that!
Hope you're well, and I'm looking forward to the movie by the way!
Take care of your fillings!
emma (stargate mag)
antisocialbutterflie says:
I apologize Joe if I repeat anything you said. I wrote these comments last night and unfortunately have to cut and paste this morning before I actually read the post. Darn you real work!
I really liked Church of the Dead Girls, perhaps not the overwhelming thrill of some of the other books we have had for the BoTM but it definitely kept me coming back for more. I probably wouldn't have classified it as "horror" as much as a murder mystery with a little social commentary. The most disturbing part would be the incredibly accurate description of the disintegration of a community in the face of a terrible tragedy. The description of the town's breakdown was spot on and very much what kept me attached to the narrative.
The narrator was an interesting thing to digest. He was, in my mind, very androgynous. Given all the books with heroines that we have been reading, I though the narrator was a woman until the character was finally described as a "he." I couldn't get a grasp on him until part 3 of the book, which I imagine was the author's intent. That integration of the audience into the narrator's story of himself really set off the action and drew me into the cascade of events leading into the climax. In that same vein I was intrigued by the storytelling, mostly because that would be how I would have told that same story. The meandering from character to character eventually getting to the point and then seeing how it all relates was a great plot device and it didn't impair how connected I was to the story.
I might have made the end a little shorter, rather than going through all the characters' endings. However, I don't think it was in opposition to how the plot progressed.
This was a different, but definitely good choice.
My questions for Mr. Dobyns…
1) How did you come to the decision to keep the audience disconnected from the narrator for most of the story? Why did you decide to change that in part 3?
2) Was there some historical event in particular that provided inspiration for the stepwise breakdown of the community?
3) How did you come to the decision to make the narrator gay? Was it to make him a target of "the Friends" or was there another reason.
Thanks so much for giving us a wonderful book and answering our questions.
Gracey says:
So cool!!!! That's what I wan thinking of for a special on S5 DVD's. It seemed to get so much more quieter once you turned the corner. Is it always that noisy or only at certain times. Thanls so much for the video. Would still love to see where the production offices are in realtion to the set……
Maybe Ivon could string all your videos together for an extra on the DVD?
Off to work, 2cd day of professional development….We get a poverty workshop today about how kids in poverty learn. Which is usually decent, however we have a putz running it today….
Lannie says:
I'm so sad to hear Atlantis is wrapping up, I love the show, it offers my favourite hour of escapism and I'm sure I'm going to miss it terribly.
I just wanted to say thanks, for all the work you guys have put in over the years. I'm hardly a regular 'talker' here at your blog but I figured you wouldn't mind me commenting to say my thanks and to add to the voices that don't think you're evil and untrustworthy. *g*
(…honestly, some people!)
Any who, that's it. My thanks.
Lannie.xx.
Gen says:
Mornin' Joe!
Thanks for the tour. My son enjoyed it, he's a big fan of the show.
@ Shawna – 😆 😆 Love it! Especially, of course, Rodney and the Raith. I'd watch it!! I can just see Todd now, wearing a knit cap and telling everyone he's from France…
heh. 🙂
Thanks for the laugh!!
Hmmmm…gotta think of something to ask Andy…
Joe, a question…
How does it make you feel, knowing that I roll out of bed and check your blog first thing, before I even eat, or say 'morning' to Mr. Das, or feed the cats?
This blog, and the people who visit it, have become my first cup of coffee. Thanks, as always, for the morning jolt!
Withacy says:
It's the weirdest thing I've ever heard. They cancel a show, but add a new one from the same franchise? I guess I can see how people might think the creaters were given a choice between keeping the show they had or working on a shiny new toy, and chose the latter.
Maybe they love the franchise, but didn't like Atlantis. Personally, I could take or leave SG1 – only watched it occassionally – and just recently discovered SGA, and decided I loved it. Silly me. If they had just added the new show, I probably would've checked it out. Under the current circumstances, that seems pretty pointless. Even if I did like it, why commit to a show on a network that can't even commit to what it has? Seems like a big waste of my time.
Chelle DeBoer says:
G'day Joe!
I have a question for you and one for Andy Mikita.
For you Joe: What's your all time favourite movie one liner/quote?
For Andy: What's your favourite episode and why?
Thanks again Joe. 🙂
crazymom1 says:
We finally got to watch Continuum, and it was terrific! We particularly liked pissy!Daniel.
It reminded me of one thing the Stargate shows have done for me: I never had any idea of the incredible behind-the-scenes talent and hard work that it takes to make a good show. Because I always watch the DVD commentaries, I've learned about how many people have to have a vision of what is going to happen in a show, and in a scene. I'm in awe of the people who can visualize all that in their heads, and make it work on the screen. In particular, I had NO idea of the scope of the director's job. All this, I learned from Stargate.
The Church of Dead Girls
I can't even begin to describe how much this book freaked me out. It's been weeks since I finished it, and I still can't stop thinking about it. Maybe it's because of the story format: doing the reveal first then backstorying up to it with all the pieces, which seems to be much more disturbing in this book than doing it with a TV episode. Maybe it's because I've pretty much lived in small towns all my life, half of which in the Northeastern US, and the descriptions of people and their reactions were way horrifyingly familiar in a stereotypical sense (ie modern day witch hunt). Maybe it's because the crimes were also way too familiar, the "monsters" that live hidden with us everywhere and seem to be exposed every damn day. You probably personally know one whether you realize it or not. The ones found out are listed like ingredients. Do you hide them, turn on them or get them help? This story wasn't really about the murders, it was about the people and that was scary as hell because this stuff has happened in real life. I spent most of the book thinking the narrator was going to be the killer, and was a bit disappointed when he wasn't. But he was a creepo all by himself, wasn't he? I suspected that ending. You have to wonder what he WAS guilty of. And what he was really thinking watching teen girls in his house and from his window when he didn't swing that way. He was a weirdo regardless of anything. Since the book was told from the first person it was a little hard to swallow some of the descriptions, I kept going, "How does the teacher KNOW this was happening?" But it didn't detract too much from the story, as those details were needed to get the mystery solved. And once again, you have to wonder if "normal" even exists in the human psyche. (It doesn't.) Ain't that wonderful.
This was my first read from Mr Dobyns, I will definitely be hunting up the Saratoga mystery series to see if they are any good, I'm very familiar with that area too from younger days.
Seconds & thirds to a Joe F extra on the SGA s5 DVD set.
Karen WI says:
When SGA wraps, are you going to lose your office digs? Or will movie production start soon?
Still reeling over the wonder that was The Shrine.
Montrealer says:
Hmmm. What video?
The video is not loading up. Keeping getting "waiting for video.google.com" message. This happens regularly. Think problem is with the un-friendly Bell Canada server in Toronto. Just no luck with West Coast servers. Will try later to see if the video loads up.
Shadow Step says:
""On a different note, could you explain why David Nykl gets a credit for a 3 second walk past?"
But why retain him in the credits? Not that i begrudge him, it just seems there is usually a fight to get fewer names in credits.
"and I mean that in the not nicest way possible"
That's the spirit joe! *g*
So you could just look out the window to see if they were shooting the future Keller/McKay scenes correct, eh?
Btw do you wear high heels or were your secretary following you around the production shoot? 😉
Kamilla says:
Awww Yay! A Dog's Breakfast poster.
Did you guys put it up in support, or did the crafty Hewlett super glue it there?
Trish (aka whovian) says:
That was a FUN video! Thank you so much! I saw so many cool things like "I was a Team Goa'uld" poster??!! Can I be a team goa'uld? 😉 And you have David's "A Dog's Breakfast" poster up there, too! Sweet!
I just wanted to say thank you for letting us all vent and gripe and panic and sob and everything else. I know it's really hard to get blasted with such strong feelings. I certainly appreciate all that you do for us.
Now I need to help Allie get signed on here. She's all ready to discuss "The Church of Dead Girls."
K Ryan says:
This was posted in the Gateworld Forum yesterday:
"For any of you wondering about the beer Joe was drinking in the 'Shrine', apparently the script called for them to be drinking Heinemen. Joe, whose grandfather or great grandfather helped build Anheuser Busch, said that his family would be watching and he couldn't be drinking Heinemen. So they called A/B and they sent a palette of A/B beer to the set. I guess the crew was very happy. Funny how he angled the can just right for the camera. Good advertising."
First – what is Heinemen, never heard of it?
Second – any truth to this statement? I figure it's either a load of crap or massive insider info, maybe a publicist or something. Just curious.
ladyflowdi says:
Shawna, I just did a very Sheppard-esk spit-take and now have coffee running down my screen! Oh my, Rodney and Todd in Cincinnati has to be the funniest thing I've read in AGES. In the evenings they'd meet at the bar next to their apartment, and eat awful pub food, and count the very many ways their lives suck (in Todd's case, literally). And Rodney would mope and wonder if Floozy McTrampy is the ONE, and Todd would mutter about this stupid planet and all it's stupid people, scrubbing a hand over his shorn/dyed locks, because he was going for a Tom Cruise look and fell, erm, short. It's like Seinfeld, with aliens, Canadians and curmudgeons. Hee! Thanks for brightening my day, Shawna. 🙂
Anyway, Joe, I was stopping by to tell you how much I loved The Shrine. David Hewlett has to be one of the best actors on TV today, to take an audience down so hard and fast that, by the time the opening credits come up, you've got tears in your eyes. I've got two little brothers, one of whom was recently very, very sick, and I was there with Jeannie, felt her pain like it was mine. The grace in this episode is what got me, Rodney's ravaged dignity, John's refusal to give up until there were no other options, and even then… risking his life to give Rodney one more day. This, the connection between the characters, is what has brought me to SG1, and later SGA, for the last decade. Big kudos to everyone involved, the editing, the effects, the storyline, the camera work. Between this episode and Last Man, you guys have outdone yourselves. Fantastic job.
Now, for my question. I know Brad Wright wrote the episode, but I hope maybe you'll know. When Rodney is telling Keller about his mother, and he makes the comment that he doesn't understand her… I've taken it to mean that either he was very, very little when she died, or else she was speaking to him in another language (French?). I know it's just one of those little tidbits that are throw-away type lines, but fandom goes crazy for stuff like that. Can you shed any light?
Hello Joe,
n.n I'm Trish's daughter!
Sorry that the show is cancelled. D:
I read The Church of Dead Girls and here's what I thought:
I think it's funny how there're three dead girls, and the tallest one is fourteen. I, too, am 14 and I stand head and shoulders above all my thirteen year old friends. I could relate to that character (but I'm not dead).
I think that the author did a good job on depicting a small town. The characters seemed real to me.
I was hoping that it would be a tad more scary, but that's alright. (:
I found it really weird that Sadie would hang out with the narrator of the story. It really bugged me. I was fine with her hanging out with Ryan, though.
The narrator seemed really creepy. o_o
The author did a great job of potraying the madness in the aftermath of the disapperances/killings.
Overall this book isn't one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it.
~Allie
StillSassy says:
Hi Joe: enjoyed the video tour, although I couldn't get the sound adjusted well enough to hear anything. Question: did everyone in the office hear you coming and duck under desks? (with the exception of the obviously dedicated phone handlers and Mr. Binder) or were you filming on a down day?
Great photo gallery, do you have a lottery to see who gets what when you close up shop? Thank you for the tour and the book suggestions, I am hoping to train my eyes to read more than ten hours a day without crossing and blurring so I can shift from schoolwork to BOTM selections.
Looking forward to the remaining episodes of SGA and the movie.
Joe, do you need a hug? I'm not really understanding the anger directed at yourself and Paul. I actually saw on one of the Save sites that you were on the list to receive lemons. What the? Anyhoo soooo, is Brad still guest blogging & answering questions about Continuum? **she asks sheepishly**
Narelle from Aus
LOL! See like Joe would totally fire my a$$ for turning in a sloppy first draft like that. Not even chocolates would save me. It would be like being called into the Principal's office. I'd be like stuck in the little chair with one leg that's slightly shorter, while Joe is reclined in his soft leather business chair, wearing a snappy suit. Of course there'd be tears………..and then I'd offer him a tissue from the box on the desk.
Oh well, them's the breaks. I know, that's just so random.
p.s. my other thought is that on the DVD there could be textspeak subtitles.
Siba says:
Yay! Finally I know how to put all the pieces together, thanks for the tour!!!
K Ryan said:
That would be Heineken I'm sure.
It sounds like a great story even if it isn't true.
Your video tour……fascinating but I think we need a working bee to do a bit of interior decorating. Your office is particularly neat, but why does the calendar say October? Am I in a time dilation field?
Inpa says:
I'm of the opinion that people are reacting way to unfairly towards Universe, I'm personally really looking forward to it, I think it's a great concept. But most people are still focussed on the SGA cancelled thing rather then the Universe is a go thing. Most people want their show that they're familiar with and have a connection with to be around, rather then some new show they are not sure of yet. And people are going to be a bit annoyed for a while, and those kind of accusations will fly for a while. People are looking for someone to blame and at the moment, seeming like they're taking shots at everyone. I'm of the opinion that Atlantis has had 5 years, it's justified itself and is at a good place. People can look on it with good memories rather then it going too far and getting worse. A franchise with longevity like this one, you need the shows to do that simple for people to want to come back. While I would have picked a 6th season, I'm aware Atlantis did have it's problems in the beginning with characters, and there have been a couple of other issues with the show like the cast changes that have taken place. Even though we are now in a really good position in terms of the characters, the dynamics and the plots, we are now in the position to have a show potentially where all of the things that made SG-1 work, and are working for Atlantis, to be there from the start.
Sci-fi, MGM and Brad Wright seem to be in the point of view that when people get over Atlantis ending, they'll be interested in Universe, which I agree with. But that won't happen for a lot of fans for a while, especially the ones who feel that the only reason Atlantis was cancelled was for Universe. So maybe some time is needed for them, but at least we have a year until Atlantis ends.
But anyway, I know Brad Wright would be very busy at the moment, but do you think at some point it could be possible to have him come in for a Q+A session relating to Universe and/or Continuum? Just so fans can ask about the show in a little more detail, possible directions, history behind the idea ect. And also to perhaps respond to some of the criticisms that have been flying around about the show, as I think they're important to address to fans who aren't really into the show at the moment, and who maybe could get interested.
Becka says:
You have a wonderful job to be able to have toys in your office, or should we say "Collectible Action Figures". ^_^
Of course the pug calendar is an office must too; love it.
Great video today, thanks Joe!
Namiko says:
K Ryan: First – what is Heinemen, never heard of it?
I think they were going for "Heineken," unless that guy from the Mythbusters is opening up a microbrewery… (Yeah, I know it's "Hyneman" but help me out here)
My question for Andy Mikita: You've been a part of the production since Children of the Gods — amazing! What's the one thing that has surprised you most about the franchise?
A question totally unrelated to anything other than shear awe. How many words a minute do you read anyway? Like you, I was an English major, and I find that now I cannot read a book without dissecting it. In the amount of time it takes me to read one book, I note that you have finished upwards of five or more from what you have written here. (Maybe it's the books I'm chosing to read – should I just give up on George Eliot completely?)
Thus, I am amazed at the rate with which you polish these books off. How do you do it?
@ compactbarbie – BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! 😆 First Shawna, now this! Oh, good…just too funny! Do you have our number, or what. 😛
"…and gets Dr beckett to check her out, just in case." THAT was priceless!! LOLOL!
I would be all for the Global Interactive Wraith Night – but, alas…no webcam. But otherwise, I could dust off the old messenger (haven't used it in a couple years, too time-consuming). But this would be a special occasion. Got a bottle here ready, and everything!
You and Shawna have reminded me of a 'Wraith Update' I did for 'Edward' Sleazyhands a while back [ya know, the toothy, sleeveless feller from The Hive who – for some ungodly reason – simply drives me nuts 😳 ]:
"Having barely escaped the destruction of his hive, Edward is rescued by a kindly and sympathetic human, and taken to earth. Here he enjoys a content and happy life operating his own hair salon – The Bee Hive – and breeding Chihuahuas. Thriving on a diet rich in used car salesmen and tourists, Edward can often be seen skulking around car lots, or lounging on the beach, slathered in SPF 5000 sunblock. When not cruising the back roads on his custom Harley chopper, 'Eddie' can be found hanging out at metal concerts, or spending quiet evenings at home, updating his Facebook page, and knitting."
Yeah…I know…time to get a life…
Regarding David Hewlett's performance in "The Shrine": My husband had to leave the room and couldn't watch the episode because it reminded him so much of his father during the last couple of years of his life.
@ Rebekah – Based on several things, including – but not limited to – his unusual tastes in food, his speedy reading skills, his bloggage, his superhuman snark, and his tolerance of all things fanboy/girlish – I've come to one conclusion…
Joe's a mutant.
q-ball-er says:
Hey Joe, I just have a few questions for you:
1. Will Elizabeth ever return?
2. How many movies do you think you'll do, if you do a series of them?
3. Will the Ronan and Keller almost-kiss come to play ever?
4. Are they just going to leave Elizabeth out there forever?
5. Is it true that the third Sg-1 movie will center on Jack?
6. Could Rainbow Sun Francks ever return?
7. Will the first SGA movie be stand alone?
8. When it says SGU 2-hour movie, does that mean pilot episode or an actual movie?
9. Will Jason Momoa return for the movies?
10. Will there be an SGA/SG1 movie?
11. Was the end of "Ghost in the Machine" meant to show possibility of Weir returning or show that it is the end of her?
12. Will there be any more episodes of just going to a planet and interacting with aliens?
13. Will shippers be getting anything this season?
14. What's your favorite food?
15.Will Michael's story arc be resolved by the series' end?
PLEASE answer as many as possible…PLEASE!!!
16. What does it mean that SGU will be set for a younger audience?
17. Is there a point to fight for Elizabeth or is she already gone?
18. Will the series end with some closure?
19. Will things from "The Shrine" come to play in the latter half of the series?
20. Can we expect new storyline for the SGA movies (if there is a series of them)?
God day good sir!
Now I think its wonder full that we get a new Stargate series, but I'm also upset that Atlantis is getting caned.. but thats they way life goes..
Anyway i have 3 questions for you good sir..
1: How did the SGA cast members take the news?
2: Any chance we get a more "Militaristic" setting in SGU? as in any chance the air force will help out like they did on SG1?
I'm just asking because i tend to get pissed off watching Atlantis and seeing them use M136 AT4s to shoot down Darts with .. its an Anti-Tank weapon.. it can't shoot down a flying object.. why do they even have them? there haven't been any armored ground vehicles on Stargate .. EVER. Now I have learned to live with the P90 even thou its FAR underpowered for the job, not to mention that no part of the US military use P90's. and while we are on the subject.. why did Sheppard switch to a 1911?
By the way.. of World teams should use something that shoots 7.62x51mm given that they never know what they might find.. its good to have something that you know can doe some damage..
3: Any chance we get to see a black military type chick on SGU? Stargate has become very white.. well "light" and we have never see a Black chick in a military role on the show..
Gen, again says:
Joe, I've got a question, inspired by a recent trip to the bookstore: we know there will be Atlantis movies, but have you or any of the writers considered novels based on the series as well? I know that there have been some book-versions of particular episodes, early on, but I mean original tales.
From a fan perspective (and as an avid reader), being able to really delve into characters and material, as you can with a novel, sounds tremendously appealing.
Hey Das, welcome to Wraith night anytime!! Actually you don't need a webcam, that requirement is more an optional extra so we can see how badly we look after several bottles of our fave tipple, plus I would have to get the other girls to tell me how to work the thing and even then, drinking, chatting and standing on my head may prove too much for some of the more sensible amongst us!!
Eddie sounds a treat, I'm going to have to get my dvd out to see which one he is – I was obviously too obsessed with Todd (keep asking Joe to let me come over and guest star as his sex slave but to no avail) and I failed to notice him first time round. Love the Bee Hive – be sure to book me in for a scrub and blow dry!
Can't really say I understand used car salesmen, is that used….. car salesmen, as in way past their prime, if so I know a few of them. Plus you forgot estate agents, Eddie can surely feast on estate agents.
So, how come your calendar is already on October?? Do you just like the picture? I, for one, can't believe that August (and summer) is almost over.
danielfanforever says:
First – I LOVED "The Shrine". An excellent team episode with an outstanding performance by David. I will have to say though, that watching each "Atlantis episode now (knowing that this is the last season) is bittersweet to say the least.
Second – I am soooo glad that you are going to continue your blog after season 5 has finished. I'm not just a fan of "Stargate Sg1" and "Atlantis", but a huge fan of Joe Mallozzi. Your daily blogs would be truly missed – so thank you!
Heineken. Famous Dutch Beer, brewed since 1873, sold in 170 countries around the world.
I think you should take credit for that floating piece of gunk being the adult version of the parasite – very cool foreshadowing, even if unintentional.
I am delighted to see the "disaster area" that is your desk. I'm always suspicious of people who have immaculate desks so now I can rest easy that you are not a suspicious character. I used to have action figures in my office but others suggested I remove them. Now I'm reduced to a single small scale replica of a car (Jeff Gordon's 24) that I roll around on my desk for stress relief and to help me think.
Interesting collection of prints on the hallway wall. Who picks those?
I am ashamed to report that I did not get to this week's BoTM either. Two in a row I've missed. I'm ready for the next one, though! Also, though it's too late for discussion, I just started reading Valente's book. With regard to horror, why not do some classic horror, such as Lovecraft? Robert Bloch? Richard Matheson? I'm trying to think if Harlan Ellison really put horror out there. Not in a traditional sense, I suppose. Horror is outside my range of knowledge, for the most part.
rsharpe says:
One of the many things I find hard to believe is the tremendous cast of five years of making this excetional show. Surely the cost alone whould justify putting in the work and the expense of the sixth season and more. If you won't even consider the millions of fans, surely the sheer amount of money involved would hold some sway. I remain extremely disappointed and unhappy that the movies which may or may not be made seem to be the only crumbs we are being offered. After the current season is over, I'll content myself wtih watching the DVDS. I won't waste my time on Wresting or the barely C grade Sci Fi movies seems to churn out in record time. Here's an idea: Devote all the wasted time to bringing us a quality Season Six of Stargate Atlantis. Before you find yourself with no watchers at all. And you might want to work quickly before the great actors of SGA have been forced to move on.
As long as people are lobbing hair-brained excuses everywhere, I blame the cancelation of SGA on too much Golden Tee. Nothing is more tempting than video games, and having that Golden Tee console calling sweetly from the conference room must have been a distraction. SGA is not the first show to be brought down by Golden Tee. Golden Tee was behind the demise of Drive, Journey Man, Moonlight and Enron. I heard they had to pull Joss Whedon off of his Golden Tee, and when he finally came to he was shocked to learn that Firefly was cancelled.
Fans should address all cancelation complaints to Golden Tee headquarters in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
@ chevron7 & Namiko
Heineken was what I was thinking, but ya never know, to misspell the same word twice, not that I'm beyond that, made me not want to assume.
J'ai une deuxiéme qestion à vous posez Joseph?
Pensez vous que comme Star Wars il pourrrait y avoir un jour un film dessin animé de Stargate??
Leila says:
1) "For the record, Paul, Carl, Martin, Alan, and I held out hope for a sixth season pick-up until the final announcement – which came LAST WEEK. To suggest we've deceived its fans or the people we've worked with all these years is beyond obnoxious. "
For the record, Joe I don't think that you knew. And even if… if you knew then how could we be angry at you keeping it a secret. It's call confidentiality.
My boss calls in his office and tells me something that won't be public for a week or two and I have to keep it a secret or risk losing my job.
Angry still with MGM? Yes. Angry still with SciFi? Yes. Angry with Brad Wright? Yes. Angry with you or the other writers? Nope.
2) For those who want Joe F to do a special for the DVD perhaps postcards to him would influence him.
3) As sad as I am that SGA is ending I continue to take comfort in the fact that the great cast will continue on other shows. Some we will see in 2009 as movies are already in post-production.
4) Hopefully SGU 'younger cast' won't be teens and pre-teens because I have never found any of those shows believable. I have a teenager and I have to say I doubt he'd ever be able to survive planet hopping on an Ancient ship. Of course, neither would I.
5) Loved the tour! Loved the posters on the wall. I squeed when I saw the A Dog's Breakfast poster!
Just got to watch the video – nice walk-through…but I almost got motion sickness…lol.
When I first saw your office, I was impressed with how utterly neat it was…until I saw your desk. 😛 Still…you have an organized eye (except the desk part), no clutter (except the desk part) and all was nicely arranged (except the desk part). Even your blinds were level, and your bookshelves nicely arranged. Are you a little OCD, too? I imagine you to be the picture-straightener type.
I didn't bother reading through your book review earlier, but I just did and I picked out this little gem, one that I think sums up quite nicely what's happening in the SGA fandom at the moment:
"…the collective mindset of a community pushed to the very edge by paranoia and a frenzied search for answers."
Yup. That's us. 😛
Joe – I have a question for you: Between SG1 & SGA, who is your favorite enemy. You know mine, so I just thought I'd ask you yours.
Thankies.
Random question for the SciFi fandom here.
Anyone remember a movie several years ago about a group of people that create a virtual reality game that you plug yourself into?
I believe it started with a group sitting in a circle in a huge room. Once in the game people start dying and the creator (a woman) realize the games been sabatoged.
People (of course) start dying in the game which kills them in reality because the safety features were disabled.
I can see the movie in my head, but can't remember the blasted title! It's driving me nuts!
LibKat says:
Joe —
Got back from GateCon yesterday and sat right down to watch The Shrine. Incredible job by everyone involved! Brad Wright gave them a great script and then Andy Mikita and the cast knocked it out of the park. It's an injustice that David Hewlett will not get the Emmy nomination he so richly deserves for his performance.
Re SciFi exec Mr. Howe's comments quoted in several sources about wanting "more dramatic intensity" in Universe. What shows has he been watching? Losing Carson Beckett and Elizabeth Weir wasn't dramatically intense enough? Colonel Emerson getting shot in front of Sam Carter wasn't intense enough? Or the Prometheus and Korolev getting destroyed?
Yes, the Stargate characters don't react to tension by getting drunk and screwing random people like Starbuck or going bat-crap crazy like Balter and, oh gee, screwing random people. Is that what SciFi now considers dramatic?
What makes Stargate work for me is that the characters are intelligent people who react that way. Stargate has never taken itself too seriously and has let humor win through. And then will turn on a dime and be dramatic again. I want to believe that even SciFi's idiot in charge won't be able to ruin that.
green says:
Okay, I chortled at Shawna's comment, I admit.
I got a very melancholy feel from your video.
There's a barking dog and crying baby serenading me outside my balcony right now. And someone in the kitchen is cooking food. Shh, tummy, enough of that chatter.
Hm, those mail slots look about the right size for a small plastic lemon…
Cherish4 says:
Cool tour of the production offices, thankyou Joe! 🙂
ElisaD says:
You kinda explained who gets chosen to write an episode, but how is the director chosen for the episode? Do you decide first who writes an episode and then decide on the director or vise virsa, or is it all a ramdon thing?
@tamijb
Email for MGM T.V.- comments@mgm.com
MGM Television 10250 Constellation Blvd.
There is alot more email and snail addresses at the following webiste – http://community.livejournal.com/fight_for_sga/
Joe, I hope you don't mind me using your blog in this way.
ltcoljsheppard says:
I just wanted to share the addresses of our global fight to save Atlantis for any and all who are or wish to write on behalf of our beautiful city and our friends who live there.
http://sosga.niceboards.net/forum.htm
SOSGA stands for Save Our Stargate Atlantis. There is also Save the Lost City which has recently merged with SOSGA to pull fans from all over the globe together.
http://save-thelostcity.com/
Atlantis deserves to be fought for, whether we win the fight or not. It deserves to have our voices shouting out on its behalf. We're not letting it slip away quietly. So there is also the Fight for Atlantis website.
http://fightforatlantis.wordpress.com/the-fight-for-atlantis/
Some may so "dont bother" or "its a waste of time"… not to us it's not. Anyone interested in getting in on the action, join us at SOSGA.
Joe, Paul, Martin.. the entire cast and fantastic crew deserve to see us in action instead of just in words.
Kudos go to Joe M and Co. We wouldn't be moved to action if Atlantis didn't deserve it. Compliments to you!
A Honshuu says:
Re CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS…
I agree that the First Person narrative was too "all knowing". It may've been more believable if a chapter here and there was told from someone else's POV (like Barry's for the cemetary party or Franklin's for some of the interviews or The Killer's — at least for the first murder). All in all, though, it IS a good read and I had to fight with myself every couple of hours to NOT skip to the end to find out who did it.
As for current news for SGA — I agree with the commentator on IGN ( ) that David Hewlett should at least get nominated for an Emmy after that performance in THE SHRINE.
Hope WordPress gets it's issues straightened out for you soon (non-clickable pix and slow-loading vids) because they've never addressed my problem. (that being that I signed up for the darn service and now can't even get into my account to POST ! )
MrsB108 says:
1)Does "Inquisition" show us the inner workings of Sheppard's thoughts and well-kept guilt?
2)In "The Queen", does Teyla's abilities exceed what is expected of her?
Jinjifore says:
I just wanted to drop a line and say thanks for the five years of Atlantis, and all the years of SG-1 before that. I've said it before, but it's worth saying again that the production staff of Stargate has made one of the most consistently high-quality shows on television.
I don't say that lightly, either. There are shows I love that I still wouldn't rate all that high in terms of consistent production values or writing or acting. Stargate has always hit its marks, year after year. That's an amazing achievement, and I don't think the franchise gets nearly enough credit for its fifteen collective years of solidly made, quality television.
pissed gater says:
Hey Joe…So about The shrine…..Wasn't there supposed to be some nice scenes between Rodney and Teyla….If so what happened to it…Did it get cut too like the Zelenka scene….Most of the episode seemed to be about Keller and McKeller…..*I think i'm gonna be sick*
Oh and regarding the DVD's on Season 5,seeing as The queen is going to be a Teyla episode,Is there any chance that she would be able to do the audio commentary on It?
Light says:
Gah. I've been scrolling through your past entries and saw the link to the MGM site with pictures and such including technical entries and my brain is now hurting from the inability of people nowadays to tell the difference between a possessive and a plural. They are "Zero Point Modules" not "Zero Point Module's" and the control center can monitor every aspect of the "city's technology" and control the "city's defenses" not the "cities technology" and "cities defenses". Likewise, the gate has to overcome the "city's limited power supplies" not the "cities limited power supplies". Drones represented (?) the "Ancients' main weapons systems" not the "Ancients main weapons systems" (alternately, one could use Ancient as an adjective). There are also several adjectival phrases that could use hyphens. I know this isn't you, Joe, so maybe you could give me the name and contact information for the person to write and ream out on proper use of the English language? I fear for my children when this sort of poor grammar becomes so commonplace as to occur in official pictures and publications.
Shawna Buchanan says:
@ compactbarbie — Heehee. I think my favorite bit is "struck by a puddle jumper". Because what are the odds of that? That's kind of like saying "struck by a fighter jet". Although I guess if she happened to be standing in front of the gate like those Replicators in The Return pt. 2…
@ dasNdanger — Yes! All the crazy alien types are from France, aren't they? Of course, he'd need to actually know French, in case someone tests him like not-Dukat did to Data in Twain-time. But then, wouldn't the translator nanites from the wormhole do that? For that matter, shouldn't that mean that the Earth expedition members can now understand anyone on their home planet? That would be insanely useful. Maybe enough that they'd send people through the gate and back just for that reason. …Wow, did I get off track there.
@ ladyflowdi — LOL. Great expansion. Particularly the part about Todd's failed haircut. I can just see it.
@ compactbarbie – You simply crack me up!! 😆 The Wraith drink up sounds like a hoot! (of course, I've been drooling over Prince Nuada all day, soooo…you better act fast, or I might just be lost forever to his Elfness)
RE: Edward. He's the last of James' Wraith to appear in the episode, speaking the infamous line, "I know, that is why we are taking him" (or, something like that). Oh, here…this fella:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/thehive520.jpg
RE: Used car salesmen – in the US, used car salesmen sell – well, used (old) cars. They are disreputable folk, known for their slick and tricksty ways, trying to sell you an old junker for more than it's worth, and always with the fast talk and a flashy smile. Basically, they're like…Todd. 😀 Here, this is his used car salesman grin – I can just here him now with the "I'll see what I can do" bit everytime someone tries to haggle him down on the price:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/toddy1.jpg
Genenut says:
Just a quick question. I'm assuming and I know its probably not the case but if the basic story behind stargate universe has been written out then some of the characters must also have been slightly fleshed out at this point and an idea of episodes for the first season drafted.
Based on that is there any chance some of our favorites from SGA might find a home in Universe? I know you cant tell us who if this is the case but just knowing maybe one or two of the cast from atlantis continue on in Universe would be of some comfort.
MajorShipper says:
I have a question about Torren John, why wasn't he named Tegan, as Teyla said her fathers name was in Rising?
89 Alexander wrote
… i tend to get pissed off watching Atlantis and seeing them use M136 AT4s to shoot down Darts with .. its an Anti-Tank weapon.. it can't shoot down a flying object.. why do they even have them?…
Sorry to break this to you. But there's not that much difference between a moving tank and helicopter. Most modern Anti-Tank rockets got about 150 to 300 meter range on a closing aerial target. A little known fact is that all AT rockets self destruct after firing if they miss their target. Typically after several seconds. Generating an airburst at the rocket's set self destructive cut-off range. So even without a guidance system. A properly employed AT rocket is a threat to low subsonic aerial targets.
Historically the US army lost a pair of helicopters against the less capable RPG-7 in Somalia as depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down.
TPTB might have problems in the past on getting actual dummy or replica anti-air missiles for filming for various reasons. Also most persons will not welcome lugging a 16 kilogram item around (combat weight of a Stringer missile), so the TPTB substitute the AT-4s for the Stringer. These things are somewhat man packed portable if you are a weight lifter.
Cheeky lil Devil says:
Ya know. 😉 For a producer in the TV industry, your camera work is a bit shaky. Just remember to take your finger off the zoom key now and again. 😉
*runs and hides*
So how's that shirtless Shep scene coming on? I'm assuming you're saving that for the movies? 2 whole hours of Shep wondering where the hell his shirt went. Hey, you know it'll go down really well with the youngsters. 😉
The Skypig says:
Hi, Joe,
Thank you for the nickle tour of the Stargate production offices. Now get back to your office and write that movie!
A couple of comments about "The Shrine."
First, this is the best Stargate episode ever. Ironically, nothing blew up and nobody got shot. But it had a perfect script and the entire cast was absolutely amazing.
Second, I was sad to hear that a scene with Nykl and Hewlett was cut for time. They are marvelous actors who work so well together. If it is possible to include the deleted scene in the Season 5 DVDs, I (and lots of other people) would be extremely grateful.
Questions for Andy: What will your role be (if any) in upcoming SG-1 or SGA movies? Will you be directing episodes of the new series? And, last, what Stargate episode has given you the most satisfaction to direct and why?
FatesPleb says:
Dear Mr Mallozzi,
It truly is a sad sad day in sci-fi world when Atlantis no longer graces our screens. If my will could be done, this day would never come.
To keep the flames burning in these dark times, would you tell your avid fans a basic plot summary for the episode that could have been – hexed.
Perhaps this is against the rules but I for one will long love the character we call Sir John Sheppard of the Kingdom of Whumpland.
Many thanks for the time and effort spent on your matchless blog.
Yours sincerley,
FatesPleb
Sherwood Forest Maiden says:
Joe's Answer: Hmmm. Ivon has a special feature surprise in store for you in the season 5 box set.
Really?!? When Ivon was a guest blogger, he said that "JoeF is straight out the door when he finished work and away to California for the weekend, meaning there was little or no time for him to sit down for an interview". So, I'm guessing that JoeF has had a change of heart?? Here's hoping *raises caramel cappuchino in a toast*
Thanks also for the walk through the production offices. Those walk through videos on the SG-1 dvds were not so good about puttingthe building and layout of the offices into perspective.
@dasNdanger "I've been drooling over Prince Nuada all day, soooo…you better act fast, or I might just be lost forever to his Elfness"
There's a new elf in town?? Maybe my subscription to the Elf News has run out. Honestly, since "The" big war, things here in Mirkwood have really slowed considerably. Too much Elf wine and party time.
A random thought.
Late last night while trying to get to sleep I had the TV on in the background. I was listening to get an idea of what the show was about so I could just picture it in my head rather than having to actually watch it. It's an old Jedi getting to sleep trick.
Listening to the dialogue I had established that it was about following a young up and coming musician on his first publicity tour. Continuing to listen I was trying to establish whether it was a documentary or a mockumentary. Listen, listen, listen. Nope, can't work it out.
Sit up in bed to watch it. His appearance could be that of either a young musician or a comedian. His comments were stereotypically cliché for his profession. His manager's behaviour could be that of a real manager or a comedian. The winner of Popstars? Weren't they all girls? But there could have been another season I just didn't even bother to store in my memory. Still can't work it out.
Then it had me thinking, is television now a true reflection of reality or have we changed to have our reality reflect that of television?
And I didn't work out whether it was a doco or mocko before falling to sleep.
Looking forward to one free night so I can catch up on the Stargate eps I've missed.
Have any of the other Aussies seen the ads for the "At Newsagents Nooooow, Stargate SG1 DVD and magazine collectors set"? Odd timing considering the recent news.
Hey, is it just me, or does Allie's monster icon look like the offspring of Trish's monster icon? Funny how that worked out. Hahaha.
Haven't commented in a while, but I've been reading your blog faithfully. I'm just kinda lazy when it comes to actually writing something, I guess. 🙂
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed The Shrine. I know everything I want to say has probably already been said a hundred times over, but I just want to get it off my chest.
This was such an incredibly touching episode; I really loved it. I'd been missing the Sheppard-McKay friendship a little bit with it taking a bit of a backseat to the Sheppard-Ronon friendship (which I love, too), but this epsiode brought it back full force. It was so wonderfully touching to see how much John really means to Rodney (and I mean that in a completely platonic way). Every time John was there and talked to him, Rodney's entire face lit up, and that was just so awesome. Rodney trusted John so completely; it was almost like he was his hero, and I guess that in a sense he probably was.
The scene with Rodney coming to John in a panic and the two of them on the pier afterwards- it's become my favourite scene out of 4+ years of SGA and 10 years of SG-1. It's so telling that Rodney would seek out John in this moment of terror and it's a token of how much their friendship has grown. John was Rodney's anchor in this ep and John would've stuck with him no matter what. It was nice to hear it voiced this time.
I hope there will be more friendship moments like these, if not in the remaining episodes of season 5 then in the SGA movie. These two little scenes were enough to completely reïnvigorate my love for the show (not that it had been fading, because, with the exception of GitM, I think S5 has been great so far), and there wasn't even Shep whump in them! 😉 The friendship between the core team – and between John and Rodney especially – has always been the most important part of the show for me, and this ep has demonstrated how much John cares about Rodney (again, in a platonic way).
The only gripe I have about this ep is the McKay/Keller love. It's not because I don't like Keller, because I do, but I guess it's because I like the core team to mean everything to each other (platonically) without love-interests and husbands and wives and stuff taking away from the affection they have for each other. I know, people keep telling me that some romance makes things a little more interesting for the characters, but that doesn't mean I have to like it ;o) What can I say, I love my friendships 😉
Anyway, I hate that SGA has been cancelled but I'll be eternally grateful that we got eps like Search&Recue and The Shrine before the end of the series. I hope we'll get to see more episodes like these and an ep in which the team shows how much they care about John. How far they'll go to keep him safe. For instance, will we get to see them worry about him in Remnants?
Sorry, couldn't resist to ask. 🙂
Love, Jenn
Finally had a chance to see 'The Shrine' episode. Once again an excellent job of showcasing just how close these people have grown, despite their all too human inability to voice such love and care for one another in easier times.
I do have to mention that in every episode requiring Dr. McKay to scream in surprise, fear, or agony David H. has managed to produce the most girly screech ever produced by a male throat – said most lovingly of course!
Thanks to all the cast for providing quality entertainment every time, and to the crew and writers for providing such great material – written and constructed to make SGA a great show to watch.
Amy Lynn says:
Special thanks to the following people/departments for their nominations for a gemini award:
Best Achievement in Make-Up
Todd Masters, Leah Ehman – Stargate: Atlantis for Last Man
VFX Department of SGA (apparently also know as the Department of Monkey-Headed Waffle Trumpets (TV Division) for Adrift
Best Writing in a Dramatic Series
Alan McCullough for Tabula Rasa
Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Jewel Staite for Missing
I really don't know what kind of competition they are up against (I haven't seen the other shows) but I wish everyone the best of luck!
Oh and your "lastest" video. Next best thing to actually being able to do a tour of the offices in person. Thank you!
And for my opinion on "The Church of Dead Girls". It was okay. I too finished straight through. They only part(s) I didn't care for was some of the details. I'm all for a very details book but alot of them (and sorry for no examples) didn't add to the story. Or its just I do not care for first person narrative stories. And wish it was more scary. Just lacked that to me.
Finally was able to watch The Shrine. It is an incredibly beautiful episode. The acting, the roles, the writing – all of it. The team spirit – one for all and all for one; the good of the one out weighs the need of the many or the few; etc.
Rodney's admission of love for Keller was very touching because Rodney has been denied this moment – until now. I loved that he was still in control of his memory at the time.
And, as a Jewel Staite fan, I am glad she is the object of his affection.
@PG 15: HA! HA! HA! We (meaning ME) were so excited to see *what* monster Allie would get. Isn't she a beautiful monster? 😆 I'm not surprised she can hover, though. I accuse Allie of *hovering* all the time. Plus blue has been a fav color of Allie's for a while.
It's not just funny how it worked out. It's uncanny.
My younger daughter is now begging me to get her an e-mail address because she wants to know what monster she would be. She's seven and the world is NOT ready for her yet. Trust me. Last night she lectured me on why sugar is good for her colon! True story. Last week she explained to my sister how a person can obtain the deed to a house! And the week before that she was going on and on about her DNA and how I didn't want to share dessert with her since her *DNA was ALL over it.*
If Joe is a mutant, then I seemed to have produced a mutant child of my own. Where's Xavier and his School For Mutants when ya need him?
Krissie says:
Yeah. Sam's going to be back!
Now that she's back will we find out anything about her relationship status?
-Krissie
astrumporta says:
I had a Mrs. Vowels too! Probably not the same one, though.
I had the opportunity to speak with Paul McGillion and Rachel Luttrell today, about the cancellation. They had interesting things to say. Y'all can read it here if you're interested!
@ Shawna – Aye – the crazy aliens are always French. I think that started with Spock, then it went from there. As far as wormhole nanites go, that's just silly. Did Joe come up with that one? 😉 Wouldn't it be better explained away that all aliens were forced to learn English because of Windows XP?
@ Narelle – You asked, "Then it had me thinking, is television now a true reflection of reality or have we changed to have our reality reflect that of television."
I truly believe it's the latter. BT (Before Television) society changed at a much slower pace…now, well…what took 100 years to change in the past, now takes only months, and that's mostly due to the pop culture influence. I could go on and on about it – as a rule, I dislike most TV, even so-called 'documentaries', since so much personal opinion is injected into everything, like a sort of slow-burn brainwashing…we don't even know it's happening until we start shavin' off our eyebrows and bleachin' our hair white.
NOT that I've done anything like that…
@ Sherwood Forest Maiden – Yup, new elf in town. Just go to youtube, and search 'Prince Nuada Mordred's Lullaby'. Caps don't do him justice, have to watch him in action. He's lovely.
@ pg15 – Hmmmmm….curiouser and curiouser. It's like…all the Wraith fans seem to have monsters with big mouths. Or…maybe it's just me. 😛
God, I wish our production offices had arcade games in them. And people actually working.
glowyzoey says:
Hi Mr. M,
First of all, I'm sorry SGA got cancelled. I'd be outraged if I wasn't so tired (know what is a good mattress for someone with a lower back problem?). For now I'll just hope that SCI FI changes their minds.
Secondly, I was recently in Edmonton and we ate out at a lot of good restaurants. Dim sum twice in one weekend. Yummy! I'm mentioning this because we went to a place called Delux Burger Bar, which had a similar menu to what you described for m:bgr in Montreal. Instead of Kobe beef, though they, of course, use Alberta beef. I had the Urban Classic with three kinds of cheese and a spicy mayo. The sweet potato fries were worth the price of admission. I got a kick out of the "a la carte" items being presented in little grocery shopping carts about 8 inches high. Very tasty meal. No idea of how pricey it was. I didn't notice prices on the menu as my cousin paid for it. 😉
Thirdly, The Shrine. If the show got yanked off the air tomorrow (please please NO!) I could almost live with it after seeing that episode. Joe and David were fabulous, as was the entire cast. I have grown to like Keller a lot this year, and she's starting to feel like a member of the team. But, good gravy Marie, JF and DH really pulled my heart out and wrung it dry. Somebody please get DH to submit this ep for Emmy consideration. He deserves tons of recognition from the mainstream industry. Or, just about even better, helps sci fi get more recognition from them. Or something. Just somebody give David lots of kudos and awards and stuff. He's so good. Joe is so good, too, but he's more subtle. Not that David is flashy, but… Can't explain. I'm sure everyone at Bridge already knows all of this. I just loved The Shrine. /babbling
PansyChubb (aka LilRicki) says:
Obviously I'm broken up about the cancellation (as is my mother, who only recently became addicted to Atlantis thanks to me!), but I'm still holding out hope! Anyways, I was hoping you might be able to give me some idea of how TPTB regard their viewers.
There's a lot of chatter out there right now blasting Stargate Universe as "Babygate" or "Stargate: 90210" due to the declaration that the producers want to bring in a new and younger fanbase. Lots of the fans are upset because they do not fit into that "elusive demographic" of 18-24 year old males. I myself fit half that description (the age part), but the overwhelming majority of fans I have encountered on the net are not only old enough to be my parents, but almost always female!
So my question is this: do you (yourself or TPTB in general) think there is a vast difference between your "viewers" and your "fans"? Think of it as a Venn diagram: one circle represents all the fans (who follow the show obsessively, write fanfiction, create vids, attend conventions, buy the DVDs, etc.), and one circle represents all the viewers (some of which might be casual channel surfers). Obviously the "fan" circle tremendously overlaps the "viewer" circle, but by how much? And which circle is bigger?
I'm not looking for a definite answer because I don't think anyone has one. I just want to know what TPTB's impressions of this conundrum are. Personally, I see the "viewer" circle as being only slightly bigger than the "fan" circle, but that could just be my warped view from surfing the net so much.
Thanks so much for considering my question!
-Pansy Chubb (aka LilRicki)
Fuchsia Carter-Morgan says:
Wish i had come across your blog earlier…you seem to have some excellent adventures lol.
So cut up about SGA being cancelled…and to top it off David Hewlett's website going down so we can't talk to him.
Anyway keep writing and eating all the weird food…as you now have a new follower…..
Fuchsia xx
sheppardkid says:
3 Sep 2008 at 6:42 pm
There are a lot of role playing games and short stories that are based on SGA characters and events. I was just wondering if any of the actors or writers had ever checked any of them out to see if the authors of such things were staying true to the characters? Also, I just wanted to let you and everyone else that works on SGA know how much I love the show and that I thoroughly enjoy each and every episode. I haven't given up on the show yet as far as the cancellation goes either.
Callie Kelley