The casting audition sides for Stargate Universe characters are starting to emerge. These audition sides are not in context of the pilot of the new television series, which won’t start production until February 2009, but are apparently meant to determine character types and the actors’ ranges.
The three sides available thus far are for Tamara Johanson, Eli Hitchcock, and Jared Nash. Each actor will be reading from previous Stargate scripts, which have been somewhat modified for the auditions.
In the case of Tamara, the actor will be reading the part of Jennifer Keller from the Atlantis episodes “First Strike” and “Missing”. Like Keller, Tamara will be thrown into a medical leadership position before she is ready, but will also be required to show compassion and understanding. She will show the insecurity that Keller did in her conversation with Elizabeth Weir about taking over for the late Dr. Carson Beckett from “First Strike” and her distaste for local cuisine like Keller did in “Missing”. That time was also when Keller learned of Teyla’s romantic involvement with Kanaan.
Eli’s audition sides are Rodney McKay’s part from the SG-1 episode “Redemption” concerning Anubis’s attack on Earth through the Stargate. He converses with Carter about how to knock out the technology Anubis was using to bombard the Stargate. The actor will most likely face the same level of technobabble that David Hewlett faced in portraying a math and science genius, as well as demonstrate a rather acerbic, sarcastic attitude. The audition also includes McKay’s conversation with Carter in the infirmary about wanting to be a pianist to show a more affable side to the character.
The actor reading for Jared Nash’s role will audition from John Sheppard’s rescue-our-people balcony conversation with Elizabeth Weir from the Atlantis pilot “Rising”. Like Sheppard, Nash will be thrown into a military position of leadership. It isn’t clear, though, that Nash’s commander, Col. Everett Young, will face the same fate as Sheppard’s commanding officer, Col. Marshall Sumner. Additionally, Nash’s actor will have to read from Daniel’s part in the SG-1 series finale “Unending” where Daniel confronts Vala about her constant sexual solicitations and breaks down his wall of emotional self-protection.
All three characters are in the age range 20 to 25.
Keep up with the latest on the new series in Solution’s Stargate Universe Guide in the Stargate Wiki.
Is it just me or is this the same programme, the characters are based on existing characters, in fact they seem exactly the same as the existing ones. Forget replacing atlantis with some new programme just KEEP ATLANTIS AS IT IS!!
Is it just me or do the characters for stargate universe sound exactly like the characters from atlantis!In fact they sound exactly the same! BRING BACK ATLANTIS, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s brilliant, why ruin a good thing?
I can almost see the logic of using old scenes for the auditions, but man, PR-wise this just reinforces fans’ worst suspicions that this is all about replacing our characters with younger models… And the ages are still too ridiculous to garner my interest at all. Hey, maybe they’ll have the Chloe character read some of Vala’s scenes, and some of Kinsey’s. 🙂