The public relations forces behind Stargate Universe were out in full force at Comic Con, and the cast and crew granted many interviews. The resulting articles show both the press reaction to the show so far, and some tidbits fans had not heard before. Here’s a selection of articles covering both the SGU panel and the interviews afterward.
CinemaSpy: Brad Wright Talks with CinemaSpy About Stargate Universe
While at the MGM party on the rooftop of San Diego’s Salomar hotel last Thursday night, ‘Stargate’ major domo Brad Wright revealed to CinemaSpy that the third series in the ‘Stargate’ franchise, Stargate Universe, had an episodic budget fully $1M beyond what had been available when shooting Stargate Atlantis.
Pop Wenches: Complete Rundown of SGU Panel, Including Videos
Did any of the actors feel any trepidation about joining a long-running franchise that has a strong fan following? David Blue spoke to this – described himself as a huge scifi fan and so he was very aware of what he was getting into. But even though he was nervous, he was also “excited to contribute” to a franchise he’d followed for all these years.
E! Online: Is Stargate Universe the New Battlestar Galactica?
This is also not your typical Stargate. Though there is a bit of humor to it, expect the show to travel down into the rabbit hole and bring a darker side to the franchise, while upholding the integrity of the show. Says Wright, “I think there is a lot of speculation of what the show is going to be like and anticipation from fans. Many people are talking about it in terms of being darker and grittier. It really is still Stargate.”
UK Guardian: Battlestar and Stargate: new space sagas a-go-go
And why did they get Robert Carlyle? Cooper said that when they phoned him first he initially said: “Why do you want me, I’m not the Typical Stargate Actor?”.
“Well, we didn’t WANT the Typical Stargate Actor,” he responded, which is a somewhat touchy idea to place to a room full of super-fans.
Walker Smith describes Greer as “when shit hits the fan he is someone you want on your side.” Greer is your typical marine who is “no better friend no better enemy.” He will have a lot mystery though with a strange past and a temper problem.
“It had gotten to the point where everyone was a superhero and a genius,” said Cooper of the previous series in the Stargate franchise. “[SGU] is trying to make the characters identifiable” and put them through some major challenges early on. But it’s not all doom and gloom as Cooper promised “humor and hope” among the narrative elements.
Airlock Alpha: ‘Stargate: Universe’ Influenced More By ‘Firefly’ Than ‘Battlestar’
Ming-Na said she loved the fact that while her character is initially perceived as a troublemaker, she has a good heart and truly cares for others and believes she is acting in their best interests. She also understands that people want to justify what they do, and that no matter what they do or how it is perceived, if they feel it is right, they are going to do it anyway. After all, she said, “no one decides to be evil.”
Blast Magazine: Comic-Con 2009: Stargate Universe, Interview with Alaina Huffman and Elyse Levesque
Levesque: It’s just so massive. It’s really impressive to see all the people, all the fans and they’re so committed and they’re standing in line for hours and hours at the crack of dawn to meet you… It’s just surreal, for me.
io9.com: Who Won Comic Con’s Buzz Wars? Our 10 Picks
#8: Stargate Universe
The Stargate franchise is rivaling Star Trek for number of consecutive years on the air, and number of shows with things like SG-1 or DS9 after the franchise name. So there’s been some doubt as to whether SGU would be true to Stargate and feel fresh and interesting. But the new trailer got people ramped up, and the producers said the right things about keeping this show true to the franchise’s traditions. And then Robert Carlyle said the thing about how everybody was going to die. And we were pretty much sold. We also overheard tons of hallway conversations from people surprised they were stoked about Stargate again.
Nice roundup. Thanks. 🙂