Brad Wright Talks Stargate Universe 1.5

In a nicely-sized interview with Curt Wagner of Chicago Now, Stargate Universe co-creator and executive producer Brad Wright spoke candidly about his relationships with fans and critics as he discussed what’s coming in the second half of Season One.

Wright has been known to be very blunt at times, and his run-ins with fans on Joe Mallozzi’s blog following the cancellation of Stargate Atlantis and the ill-timed announcement of the green light for Stargate Universe and with Chicago Tribune’s critic Maureen Ryan have come back to haunt him in this straight-to-the-point interview. Wagner asks the tough questions, and Wright carefully considers his responses.

I never intentionally dismiss the concerns of fans, but I know I’ve been accused of being arrogant, condescending, of lying and worse. Back when Daniel left the show for a season, people were handing out “wanted” posters with my face on them. Look, I’m just a guy trying to make television shows. When it looks like the old one isn’t going to keep going, I try to come up with another one.

I did a Q&A for Joe’s blog once (probably a mistake) where I received a great many hostile questions and showed less restraint than I should have. I’ve also responded to a critic (definitely a mistake) because I thought she was basing her opinion on unfinished, out of order material and was behaving more like a disgruntled fan with an axe to grind than like a critic, but I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

“SGU” is a different series than its predecessors, yes, and we’re proud of it. But I’ve spent most of my career making “SG-1” and “Atlantis.” I’m immensely proud of them too. It’s what I’ll be known for. So when fans accuse me of abandoning or disrespecting or condescending to them … I’m the one who doesn’t get it.

But concerning the new direction that SGU takes the franchise and what they’ve done so far, Wright is very proud of everyone’s work. He especially enjoys the rivalry between Rush and Young and he can’t say enough good things about how Robert Carlyle and Louis Ferreira bring that relationship to the screen.

Wagner has two articles that come from the interview. The main article contains the bulk of the interview, while the second article contains spoilers about upcoming episodes. Readers can choose to click on the spoilers’ link or go on their way unspoiled.

Make sure to visit Brad Wright: Action-packed destiny for ‘SGU 1.5’ for the complete interview, which includes comparisons of SGU with its predecessors, the hiring of new writers to inject fresh ideas (Solutions Story), the roles of the female characters in upcoming story arcs, and the placement of more action-adventure and a slight touch of humor (but not as prevalent as in SG-1 and SGA) into the character-driven stories.

Stargate Universe returns to Syfy with new episodes next Friday, April 2, at 9 PM ET with the episode “Space”. Canadian viewers will also see the new episode on April 2 at 10 PM ET on the Space channel. For more information about these and other international return schedules, visit SGU’s main page in the Stargate Wiki.