We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.
For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.
Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:
Is it possible that MGM will give Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich the green light to finally see their vision of a Stargate movie trilogy become a reality? That seems to be the hope of Devlin, who was interviewed by Collider as he was attending the Saturn Awards to accept the Dr. Donald A. Reed Founder’s Award.
Originally a Trilogy of Movies
“Well, the irony is that we actually wrote it as a trilogy of movies, but we were never able to do Parts 2 and 3,” Devlin responded when asked if he had thought about making Stargate into a television series or making more than one movie. “So, our hope is now that the series is starting to wind down, that maybe it will be time to get to do Parts 2 and 3. So, we’re still hopeful that we’ll get to come back and tell the rest of that story.”
A Different Mythology
Devlin said that the continuation of the story in these sequels would use the actors from the movie, not the television series. At the end of Stargate, Col. Jack O’Neil, played by Kurt Russell, had led a mission to a planet on the other side of the known universe and helped the natives, who were descendants of those taken from Ancient Egypt of 10,000 years ago, revolt against their alien-with-a-human-host overlord Ra, played by Jaye Davison. Familiar faces from the movie include Alexis Cruz and Erick Avari, who went on to play Skaara and his father Kasuf, respectively, in the television series Stargate SG-1.
Playing the pivotal role of Dr. Daniel Jackson, the one who unlocked the Stargate and made travel through it possible, was James Spader. At the end of the movie, Jackson stayed on the planet to be with his new wife, Sha’uri, played by Milli Avital, but viewers were left with the feeling that Jack and Daniel would be reunited for new adventures through the Stargate. That hint was picked up by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, leading to the creation of the television franchise with its fourteen years’ worth of mythology.
In the original Stargate mythology, the Stargate was part of Project Giza that was housed deep inside Creek Mountain and led by General West (Leon Rippy). General West was mentioned in SG-1‘s pilot “Children of the Gods,” and was replaced by General George Hammond (portrayed by the late Don S. Davis), and the location of the Stargate was changed to be Cheyenne Mountain underneath NORAD. Even with some of these changes, the television series did stay true to most of the mythology set in motion in the movie and fleshed out the lives of some of the other characters, although played by different actors: Catherine Langford, Ferretti, and Kawalsky.
What would Stargate be like without the Goa’uld, Jaffa with symbiote pouches, and the Ancients? In the Devlin/Emmerich vision of Stargate, Samantha Carter and Teal’c don’t exist, and neither do the city-ship Atlantis and the Ancients’ exploratory vessel Destiny.
So what would this new Stargate universe look like? “Well, I think it’ll change a little bit from our original ideas since so many years have passed, but we wanted to explore the idea of how the Stargates were built originally and where else in the universe they exist and why they exist and where else they exist on Earth. We had originally planned it out as a trilogy of films to allow this mythology to grow bigger and bigger.”
Indeed, the mythology grew bigger and bigger, but in a direction that its original creators had not envisioned. Perhaps this “alternate reality” that they plan will reopen the Stargate to new adventures and perhaps even spawn another fourteen years of television history.
Let’s Talk About It
How do you feel about the possibility of a “reboot” of the Stargate mythology? Would you go to see these movies? Would you be able to get the television mythology out of your mind to carry the concept in another direction? Will you be able to get Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks out of your mind when watching Jack and Daniel? Does your heart break at the thought that maybe the Goa’uld, Ancients, Asgard, Atlantis, and Destiny don’t exist in this vision of the franchise? What other things concern you about the possibility of these movies and the impact they could have on the franchise that we’re attached to?
Stargate fans can mourn, but at the same time Stargate collectors can rejoice! There will be an auction of many of the franchise’s props this coming Friday and Saturday (June 17 and 18).
The Province declares, “You could own a part of the universe.”
Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi wrote about the event in his recent weblog entry: “[H]alf of the FX stage (that once held the village and hive ship sets) is filled with stuff from the shows.” The Province has a picture of the stage, so visit the website to see which props you can readily identify.
The Province got quotes from actor David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka, Stargate Atlantis) and producer John Lenic, who worked on all three shows in the franchise. Lenic described the auction:
Some of the furniture key to Stargate Universe and Atlantis, that stuff will go fairly quickly. There’s monitors that were built into the set, people saw them for years. There’s a lot of military clothing. Basically the majority of the stuff being sold is stuff that we’ve used in the three shows over the 14 years that isn’t specific to any episode.
VIP Auctions, out of Chicago, are running the auction and will be selling the Stargate itself, either in pieces or as a whole. The finality of this struck Mallozzi as well when he commended the efforts of the Save SGU campaign, but at the same time admitted, “Can’t tell you how touching it is to read that fan efforts are still ongoing despite what most (myself included) consider very long odds.”
About the auction Mallozzi concluded, “Sad, sad, sad. :(”
We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.
Calendar
Monday, May 30
Memorial Day (Traditional and Observed)
STARGATE UNIVERSE on Sky One at 8 PM with “Epilogue”: Destiny arrives at Novus, an abandoned planet caught in the throes of seismic destruction. Curiosity gets the better of the crew though, which has dire consequences.
Due to the Memorial Day holiday, AMANDA TAPPING‘sSanctuary will not be on tonight, but will return to Syfy at 10 PM ET next week.
From PR-USA.net: “Documentary Channel (DOC) commemorates U.S. soldiers with a line up of outstanding military themed documentaries in a two-day tribute to Memorial Day on Monday, May 30 and Tuesday, May 31. Never seen before on television, the two-hour theatrical version of “Operation Homecoming” airs Monday, May 30, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). […] The Oscar nominated “Operation Homecoming” is a unique documentary that explores the firsthand accounts of American troops through their written words, and offers a profound window into the human side of the war in Iraq. “Operation Homecoming” evolved out of a National Endowment for the Arts project that gathered the writing of soldiers and their families who have participated in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Interviews and dramatic readings by such actors as Robert Duvall, Josh Lucas, BEAU BRIDGES, Blaire Underwood and Justin Kirk transform selections from this collection of writing into a deep examination of the experiences of the men and women who are serving in America’s armed forces.”
Solutions’ Summary: Through many difficult situations, the crew of the Destiny finally become a family, working together to continue Destiny‘s original mission. Along the way, they encounter remarkable civilizations and technology, and eventually have to resort to incredible measures to ensure their continued safety and existence.
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: Kelly’s Heroes. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.
Saturday, June 4
BRIAN J. SMITH and ROBERT PATRICK star in Syfy’s original movie Red Faction: Origins tonight at 9 PM ET. This movie bridges the gap between the video games Red Faction: Guerrilla and Red Faction: Armageddon. It follows the hero Alec Mason (Patrick) and his son Jake (Smith) as they search for Jake’s sister Lyra (Tamzin Merchant) only to find that she has become their enemy twelve years after her kidnapping.
CORIN NEMEC will be at the SALUTE TO SUPERNATURAL convention in Nashville, Tennessee, that is being held this weekend. Make sure to visit the website for the scheduling details.
Sunday, June 5
Reminders
For news as it happens, make sure to visit the STARGATE TWITTER SUPERFEED for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature BEYOND THE EVENT HORIZON, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.
Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:
Joseph Mallozzi’s Stargate Memories for Stargate SG-1 Season Seven: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
Joseph Mallozzi is also discussing his and writing partner Paul Mullie’s script for the Stargate Atlantis movie that will never be seen, STARGATE: EXTINCTION. Although not considered official canon, it’s still interesting to see what the writers were planning for the crew of Atlantis. Col. Sam Carter is there in the teaser, which you can read more about in Stargate: Extinction – The Abridged Version, Part 1. There’s certain to be more to follow. Discuss the implications of what might have been in the entry’s comment section.
Staite and Hewlett together again?Stargate star Jewel Staite has posted her latest entry on Blastr, giving her thoughts on the end of the Stargate franchise:
Honestly, I can’t really believe it’s actually over. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a lot of cast and crews over the years, but I can truly say I’ll always look back on my time on SG:A with a special kind of fondness. That show was a total dream job for me—shooting in my hometown, sleeping in my own bed every night, working with a fabulous and hilarious cast and crew who made me laugh on an hourly basis, being handcuffed and kidnapped in the woods … Well, maybe not so much on that last part. Truthfully, I was accepted with open arms into that family, and I will always be so incredibly grateful and proud to be a part of it. And I hope the fans are proud, too, of all of those seasons of television they helped get produced. Without them, it wouldn’t have gone on as long as it did, and I really hope they know that. It’s their show more than it was ever ours, and I’m just so thankful I got to be along for the ride.
Just because the Stargate days are over, doesn’t mean that Jewel hasn’t had the opportunity to work with her former castmates. Staite let her fans in on a little secret that she and fellow Blastr blogger David Hewlett have been working together on a special project:
Lucky for me, and unlucky for him, David Hewlett was just as bored to tears as I was. So we decided to embark on a little super secret project of our own. I can’t tell you much about it, except that you may quite possibly love it. Or you may hate it, in which case, I’m going to go and join that tumbleweed in the middle of the road. Or move to England to be closer to Kate, whichever. Regardless, wish us luck, will you? And hopefully we’ll be able to show you something soon!
Staite has a busy convention appearance ahead of her next month, including Contagion in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 10-12, and Tulsa Trek in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from June 24-26 (Christopher Judge and Armin Shimerman also plan to be there).
As far as her wishlist of projects, Staite hopes she will work again with Amanda Tapping, perhaps making a guest appearance on Sanctuary, as well as with former Firefly co-star Morena Baccarin on V. At least the Sanctuary guest spot has potential, but unfortunately, ABC recently cancelled V at the end of its second season.
More Command Ships and their Drones await 'Destiny' in GAUNTLET (MGM)The third and final series finale of the Stargate franchise (“as we know it”) comes to our television screens this week: first on Syfy tonight at 9 PM ET, then later this week on Canada’s Space (Tuesday, 10 PM ET) and Australia’s SciFi (Friday, 8:30 PM).
When “Gauntlet” was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, it was thought that the show would be getting a third season. It was already too late to change the outcome of the episode once Syfy’s cancellation announcement was made.
So, in true Stargate tradition, “Gauntlet” will be in the format of a season-ending cliffhanger. Mallozzi put it in the same class of cliffhangers as SG-1’s “Camelot,” SGA’s “The Siege II,” and SGU’s previous season-ending cliffhanger “Incursion II.” He wanted to give viewers “fair warning” that this means that we’ll have no idea how the Destiny comes through her ordeal, nor how the crew members themselves endure it. “Gauntlet, in particular, is very touching and its conclusion will no doubt leave you…among many other things…frustrated, incredulous, outraged, offended, annoyed, vexed, saddened, distressed, bitter, aghast, irritated, unsatisfied, pissed-off, melancholy, miserable, confused, furious, dejected, riled, shocked, heartsick, angry, surprised, exasperated, indignant, enraged, despondent, bewildered, dismayed, incensed, stunned, and grief-stricken.”
What we’re left with are several unanswered questions and dangling threads. Will the Destiny crew make it out of the Command Ship and Drone attack? Will all of the crew members survive? Will they finally find the intelligence from the beginning of time as was Destiny‘s original mission, or will simply getting home be sufficient? Will they discover, as the Camile Wray of the Ancestors of Novus said, that “our mission is and always will be the journey itself”?
As with the entire Stargate franchise in general and SGU in particular, Mallozzi said that after watching “Gauntlet,” “[F]ans will be thrilled, touched, heartbroken – and left to wonder what could have been.” When asked if there would be a release of details as to how SGU was going to end (they had planned for a five-year run), Mallozzi responded, “Since Brad [Wright] and Robert [Cooper] were the ones who came up with the endgame, it’s only fair that I allow them to reveal it to you if and when they so desire.”
Stargate Atlantis Fans Will Get Some Closure
Atlantis returned to Earth in ENEMY AT THE GATE (MGM)Mallozzi has already promisedStargate Atlantis fans some insight into his and Mullie’s Stargate: Extinction, which was to pick up where “Enemy at the Gate” ended, where the city-ship Atlantis had returned to Earth, but the Wraith threat still existed in the Pegasus galaxy.
He wrote, “I’ll offer a little insight into the [SGA movie], detailing the basic premise of the story and some of the interesting developments we had in store for the characters and, of course, the city of Atlantis itself.” But when it comes to the SG-1 movie, Stargate: Revolution, Mallozzi stated, “[S]ince Carl [Binder] and Brad [Wright] were working on Revolution, I defer to them on providing details on the SG-1 movie.”
MGM Controls the Stargate Brand’s Future
Stargate, the original 1994 movie, ended with the idea that Jack and Daniel would be reunited and perhaps continue their Stargate journeys together (MGM)Unless Wright, Binder, Cooper, and MGM decide to reveal their plans, fans of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Universe won’t be getting the type of closure that Atlantis fans will get with Mallozzi’s discussion of his movie script in his weblog.
The former executive producer also pointed out another option that MGM has with their control of the Stargate brand: Instead of continuing the franchise based on the mythology developed in the three shows, he thinks that MGM will take the brand in a totally different direction. “This chapter of the Stargate franchise (SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe) has apparently been closed and, if we see something in the (hopefully) not too distant future, I imagine it would be more something along the lines of a re-imagining of the brand.”
“For now the franchise is in MGM’s hands,” Brad Wright was reported as announcing to the fans gathered at the Vancouver convention on April 17, 2011. He seemed to put forth the sentiment that MGM will recognize the value of the Stargate brand, started by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich in their 1994 movie Stargate, and continue it in some way (Devlin had originally envisioned a trilogy).
But as fans of this Stargate franchise, we can only hope that they continue the journeys of our heroes that we’ve grown to love since 1997 when Stargate SG-1 opened the ‘gate, even if Wright, Cooper, Mallozzi, Mullie, and Binder are no longer executive producers and show-runners.
After Viewing the End of an Era
After viewing the end of an era, make sure to rejoin us here for our episode poll on the front page.
Additionally, you may wish to visit Joseph Mallozzi’s Weblog since he has promised, “Once that final episode airs, I’ll take to this blog to answer any and all questions you may have and dedicate at least one entry to discussing aspects of the franchise I’m sure you’re all curious about. ‘Given the show’s ratings, why didn’t you wrap up the series in the event you WERE cancelled?’, ‘What stories did you have planned for the show’s third season?’, and ‘Tell us all about Stargate: Extinction’. Okay. Will field these queries and many more once ‘Gauntlet’ airs.”
With this promise, we might find out how Season Three was to begin, but won’t know how SGU as a series was to end.
[spoiler intro=”Episode Synopsis from SPACE (Spoilers)”]
Blocked by Command Ships at every star and unable to ‘gate for supplies without alerting the drones, Destiny must take a stand or be left adrift.[/spoiler]
We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.
Syfy will be showing a marathon of SGU episodes today, leading into the series finale. Starting at 9 AM ET, you’ll see “Deliverance,” then each Season Two episode that follows until last week’s “Blockade” at 5 PM ET. “Blockade” will show again at 8 PM ET, which effectively gives viewers a two-hour send-off with the last hour of SGU following at 9 PM ET.
SERIES FINALE! Stargate Universe on Australia’s SciFi at 8:30 PM with “Gauntlet.”
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS will be honored tonight by the GI Film Festival with the annual Spirit Award for his commitment to veterans, “reflected in visits to Veterans Affairs hospitals, public service announcements for the United Service Organizations, and trips to Capitol Hill. … The Spirit Award is given annually to ‘an actor who embodies the spirit of an American GI in their creative and philanthropic work.'” Congratulations! (More info: Washington Examiner: GIFF to honor Lou Diamond Phillips)
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: The Great Santini. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.
Saturday, May 14
JAMIL WALKER SMITH‘s independent film Make a Movie Like Spike will be showing in Washington, D.C., today. The SGU actor will also be at the screening afterwards for a Q&A session. Details can be found at the movie’s Facebook page.
Sunday, May 15
Reminders
For news as it happens, make sure to visit the Stargate Twitter Superfeed for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature Beyond the Event Horizon, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe (SGU actors are currently being added).
Our LJ Companion has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits.
For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.
Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi just posted in his weblog, “…I hung around to do a quickie interview for Canada’s Space which will follow up Tuesday night’s series finale, Gauntlet, with a special Stargate-laden installment of Innerspace. From what I hear, they got A LOT of interviews with Stargate personalities – David Blue, David Hewlett, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Louis Ferreira, Alaina Huffman, Brian J. Smith, and Jewel Staite (to name a few) – who’ll be talking about the franchise and its fans. Don’t miss it!”
Canada’s Spacecast airs Stargate Universe (their SGU page) at 10 PM ET and InnerSPACE follows directly at 11 PM ET (their InnerSPACE page). All of the Stargate shows have enjoyed impressive viewer numbers, and currently, SGU is Space’s “most-watched series.”
“Gauntlet” will be a cliffhanger, unfortunately, which Mallozzi described as being in the same category of cliffhanger as SG-1’s “Camelot,” SGA’s “The Siege II,” and SGU’s “Incursion II,” and gave this “fair warning” about the conclusion of the Stargate franchise “as we know it”: “Gauntlet, in particular, is very touching and its conclusion will no doubt you leave you…among many other things…frustrated, incredulous, outraged, offended, annoyed, vexed, saddened, distressed, bitter, aghast, irritated, unsatisfied, pissed-off, melancholy, miserable, confused, furious, dejected, riled, shocked, heartsick, angry, surprised, exasperated, indignant, enraged, despondent, bewildered, dismayed, incensed, stunned, and grief-stricken.”
Hopefully, seeing the Stargate stars from all three shows afterwards will help ease the Canadian fans’ pain.
Mika McKinnon was a science consultant for Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, and in her article at Physics Today, she lets her readers in on how she developed guidelines for scientists who are on the set:
Wear close-toed shoes
Accuracy creates plausibility
It is impossible to over-prepare
Be creative with the familiar
Photograph everything
Teach while learning
Embrace fans’ passion and curiosity
Be a model scientist
McKinnon uses examples from SGA and SGU to illustrate her points, hoping ultimately to help her fellow scientists to successfully “put the science in science fiction.” It’s a fun behind-the-scenes look at the productions, so make sure to visit Physics Today for the details.
We’ll update this article if something comes to our attention during the week. Also, if you’ve got more to add, please don’t hesitate to announce them in the comment section below.
Jason Momoa‘s HBO series Game of Thrones premieres in the UK on Sky Atlantic tonight at 9 PM!
Wednesday, April 20
Thursday, April 21
Friday, April 22
NEW DAY! Stargate Universe on Australia’s SciFi at 8:30 PM with “Common Descent.”
Lou Diamond Phillips hosts the next installment of the Military Channel’s An Officer and a Movie: Victory. Check out the production’s homepage for more information.
Actors…Beyond the Event Horizon – Ming-Na has been added to this exclusive Solutions feature! More SGU actor pages will be added over the next few weeks.
Last week, we posted a few background articles in our LJ Companion that you might be interested in. The articles listed in this section don’t have a companion piece in our News Blog here:
For news as it happens, make sure to visit the Stargate Twitter Superfeed for tidbits directly from the Stargate stars and production crew. And don’t forget our new feature Beyond the Event Horizon, which consists of “home pages” with dynamic feeds from our LJ and Blog for the stars of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe (SGU actors are currently being added).
Our LJ Companion has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits.
For the latest in convention appearances, which are subject to change, make sure to visit Stargate Actor Appearances.
STARGATE UNIVERSE SEASON TWO is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 2 (UK) today!
Our LJ COMPANION has news bites, polls, and glimpses into the lives of the actors that we don’t necessarily cover here in our more formal news blog. Make sure to visit the LJ’s feed on our front page or visit the site directly to see its mostly fun little tidbits. Some of our recent posts include:
