Author: michelle

SGU To Include 30 Webisodes

Brad Wright revealed in this interview with the Toronto Star that Stargate Universe will be entering the world of original web content in a big way, with 30 webisodes planned for distribution. From the article:

Battlestar Galactica also entertained fans with a webisode miniseries between seasons of that show, and other sci-fi shows have been quick to make the quantum leap to web TV. Toronto-born executive producer Brad Wright says he’ll be steering the new Stargate Universe in that direction. He plans to produce 30 short webisodes all built around a flying camera ball called Kino.

“It’s flying around and spying on people,” he says. “They are literally just voyeuristic scenes we’re shooting specifically for the web.” Wright says he has an entire production unit dedicated to the task. “It’s an extra way to get a window on our program and gives fans a slice of life look at our ship.” (Look for it on Space’s website once the show is launched this fall.)

Wright and others get the word loud and clear at events such as Comic-Con that fans demand and expect extra web content. Stars and producers from such non sci-fi shows as Fox’s Bones told critics at press tour that they were mobbed by fans who can’t get enough of their adventures.

While the article only mentions the webisodes being on the Canadian Space website, they’ll surely be available on the US sites as well, either Syfy.com or stargate.mgm.com, and perhaps in any country where the show airs.

Stargate Universe Does TV Critics Tour

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Stargate Universe had a big presense at this week’s Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press tour in Los Angeles. The producers (Brad Wright, Robert Cooper) and some of the cast did a short Q&A and gave other interviews.  The most extensive coverage of the Q&A is this article at IGN. Here is a snippet:

As to the producers talking about the more ambiguous characters, Carlyle said his Dr. Nicholas Rush was “Very different from characters you would find on most science fiction shows. He’s a very dangerous man. He generally only talks to people if he needs something from them. He’d happily get rid of everybody on the ship, but he needs them. He does some really dodgy stuff.” Carlyle also said that the other characters would gladly “put him in an airlock” if they didn’t have need of his knowledge.

Lou Diamond Phillips was characterized as reassuring Stargate fans in this SciFiWire article:

“The Stargate is at the center of it,” Phillips said in an exclusive interview Wednesday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif. The show will also focus on the combined military and civilian exploration of space, much like SG-1 and Atlantis before it, he added.

He also said, as others have, that there would be different elements:

I think audiences today are looking for something that’s a little more grounded, so to speak, even when you’re doing sci-fi,” Phillips said. “It’s grittier. It’s darker. It’s very much character-driven. It’s about the dynamics between very real people in an extraordinary situation and not so much about heroes and villains, you know?

Several press outlets reported that Universe strives to be as good as Battlestar Galactica, such as this one from the LA Times Blog:

“Make no mistake, ‘Battlestar’ is a quality show, and, yes, we want to make quality too,” said creator Brad Wright.

“Stargate SG-1” ran for 10 seasons, “Stargate Atlantis” ran for five, but “Universe” will be something new. “Other than the Stargate [ship] [sic], which is still very much the core, a whole lot is different from the old series,” creator Robert Cooper added.

There was more coverage, but those articles give one the gist of it!

Watch Joe Flanigan on Warehouse 13

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Edited to add: The episode has now aired on Syfy. It is being replayed there at various times, and is up on Hulu.com for US viewers.

A reminder that Joe Flanigan guests on the new Syfy show Warehouse 13 tonight, 9 pm EDT/PDT. From this article comes a nice summary (spoilers!):

Fans of “Stargate Atlantis” will get a treat if they tune into Syfy’s “Warehouse 13” on Tuesday. Joe Flanigan guest stars in the episode, called “Elements.” He plays a rich guy named Jeff Weaver who charms Myka (Joanne Kelly) until he becomes a suspect in an art heist. James Naughton of “Gossip Girl” also appears in the episode, playing an entrepreneur and competitor of Weaver’s. He also becomes a suspect in the case.

Warehouse 13 has been doing very well in the ratings, particularly when delayed viewing by DVR is taken into account. According to this article in Mediaweek,

According to live-plus-seven-day ratings data, the July 14 installment of Warehouse 13 drew 4.15 million viewers, an increase of 22 percent from the 3.41 million viewers tallied in the initial live-plus-same-day estimate…

The added viewership made the July 14 episode of Warehouse 13 the most-watched non-premiere telecast in the 17-year history of Syfy (née Sci Fi Channel).

Let’s make the ratings for tonight even higher in honor of Joe!

Total Sci-Fi Online: Top 100 Sci Fi Movies

UK site Total Sci-Fi Online, formerly Dreamwatch magazine, has published its list of the 100 greatest science fiction movies of all time. The thought-provoking list includes Stargate at position 97:

97) Stargate (1994)
The movie that sparked off 10 years of SG-1, 5 seasons of Atlantis and the upcoming Stargate: Universe, Roland Emmerich’s movie scores due to a simple but clever concept and inventive effects. Like Emmerich’s later Independence Day, it’s corny at times, but it adds to the ‘B-movie with a budget’ charm.

The site’s top 5 movies are: Blade Runner, 2001; A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, and Metropolis. Visit Sci-Fi Online to compare your favorites to theirs!

Universe Gets Big Press at Comic Con

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.

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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.

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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.

FuzedFilm: David Blue, Brian J. Smith and Jamil Walker Smith Promise Character Driven Stargate Universe

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.

Televisionary: Surviving in the Dark: “Stargate Universe” Cast and Crew Discuss the Future of the Franchise

“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.

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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.

Follow Stargate Comic Con News Right Here!

San Diego Comic Con

The San Diego Comic Con for 2009 start Thursday morning. We expect lots of Stargate-related news and tidbits to come from it, not just for Stargate itself but also shows featuring its stars, such as Burn Notice and Sanctuary. So in the vein of providing our users a one-stop shop for Stargate news out of Comic Con, we present our “superfeeds” page where you can follow the twitters of actors, production, and press who’ll be at the event and likely to tweet about Stargate or its actors, past and present.

Please follow our superfeeds page, or click on the big box on our home page!

And, let us know what you think!

Paul McGillion to Guest on Sanctuary

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Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett of SGA) is joining the ranks of Stargate alumni who are guest-starring on Amanda Tapping’s Sanctuary. From his official site and some twitter info comes the word that he’ll be playing a re-imagined version of “Wexford”, whom he played in the original on-line pilot. He’ll appear in the final two episodes of Season 2, with the potential for more appearances in Season 3 if the show is renewed. Congrats to Paul!

SGA Complete Series Boxset Up For Pre-Order

Amazon.com has announced that the Region 1/North American version of the Stargate Atlantis complete series DVD collection is available for pre-order. The current price is $168.99, and the release date is 6 October ’09. This is not particularly a good deal considering some of the early seasons are available for less than $25 each. But, for those fans who like a compact collection all in once place, it’s a great option.

Pre-order the SGA Complete Series Collection here.