Category: Universe

Stargate Universe

Stargate Planner: Week of January 10-16

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,   January 10
Tuesday,   January 11
Wednesday, January 12
Thursday,   January 13
Friday,   January 14
Saturday, January 15

Corin Nemec will be appearing at the Salute to Supernatural convention in San Francisco, CA, today.

Box art for Stargate ResistanceStargate Resistance shuts down today:

Dear Valued Customer,

On November 16, 2010, the License Agreement between Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, Inc. and MGM Interactive, Inc. expired. As a result, Cheyenne will no longer be able to offer Stargate Resistance for sale to new customers. However, in the best interests of our customers, game play will be provided for a period of 60 days (until January 15, 2011) to customers who purchased Stargate Resistance prior to November 16, 2010. Look for more information as it becomes available.

Their official website has already been shut down.
Sunday, January 16

News Notes

News Flashes and Brief Follow-Ups

  • Franchise – Executive producer Joe Mallozzi wrote in his weblog, “I spoke to Brad about the future of the franchise. We discussed ‘the plan’, Universe mainly, but also talked SG-1 and Atlantis. No word on progress yet but, given the recent holidays, that’s to be expected I suppose. Hopefully, we’ll receive some positive news next week.”

Stargate Universe Press

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

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:

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 and Atlantis.

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 Planner: Week of December 27-January 2

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,   December 27
Tuesday,   December 28
Wednesday, December 29
Thursday,   December 30
Friday,   December 31
Saturday, January 1 Happy New Year 2011
Sunday, January 2

News Notes

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

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:

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 and Atlantis.

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.

SGU Cancellation Lessens Possibility of Atlantis Movie

SGA-S5-Atlantis-above-EarthIn the Christmas Day entry in his weblog, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi posted a fan Q&A, what he calls his “mailbag,” that follows up on the recent cancellation of Stargate Universe by Syfy and its impact on the rest of the franchise, especially on Stargate Atlantis.

“I’m sorry to say but the cancellation puts the brakes on whatever progress the SGA movie had made in the past month, shelving it indefinitely.”

Mallozzi and writing partner Paul Mullie have already written the script for Stargate: Extinction, a story that originally took place soon after the events of “Enemy at the Gate.” The timeline will have to be tweaked just slightly to place the events to follow the appearances of Robert Picardo and David Hewlett in the SGU episode “Seizure,” which will be aired after SGU returns to Syfy for its last 10 episodes on that network in Spring 2011 (possibly early April).

Ratings for the first half of Season Two were not sufficient for Syfy to renew the series. “Those early season two ratings were admittedly a downer. The move to Tuesday night was not good for us (and, speaking to the franchise as a whole, the move from summer to fall did us no favors either) and I firmly believe that time-shifted viewing and internet downloads have bled off a significant portion of our younger, tech-savvy audience.

“Still, we held out hope and, as production continued on season two, positive word from various places gave us hope that the show would come back for, at the very least, a third and final season (much the same way Battlestar did). Many of us were shocked by the abruptness of the cancellation decision.”

When asked if another network might pick SGU up for a third season, he replied, “We’re investigating all possible avenues.” All possible avenues, however, are limited. “A new Stargate series isn’t even being considered.”

As far as what the fans can do to support the franchise, and perhaps bring about the production of Stargate: Extinction, Mallozzi suggested, “Letters and emails are nice and all but, at the end of the day, the studio is more likely to look at things like iTune and DVD sales when making a decision.”

Brad Wright Hasn’t Given Up on Stargate Universe

Destiny in FAITH (MGM)In a brief interview with Stargate Universe co-creator Brad Wright, Chicago Now’s Show Patrol reporter Curt Wagner posted some encouraging news about the production office’s efforts to continue the SGU story following its non-renewal by Syfy.

“We haven’t given up on finishing the story we started,” Wright wrote in a recent e-mail concerning the producers’ five-year plan for the latest installment in the Stargate franchise.

“Wright was on a trip when he heard about the cancellation,” Wagner explained, “but since returning he has been exploring options for continuing the series in some form. He and officials at franchise owner MGM have been discussing several options, he said, and he’s thankful for fan support.”

This does not mean that SGU has been saved, as Wagner is quick to point out, but it is encouraging. “It simply means that the parties are looking into a lot of possibilities, but much work remains to be done before we can celebrate,” he warned.

Stargate Universe returns to Syfy with Season Two‘s second half (10 episodes) in April 2011.

ETA: Joseph Mallozzi’s comments about Brad Wright’s plan:

“It’s hard to say no to a job because it’s always great to be employed. Especially if you know, like and respect the people you’ll be working with, and love the material you’ll be working on. Which brings me to a conversation I had with Stargate Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer Brad Wright today. Alas, no details to offer (yet!) but suffice it to say he’s battling hard to ensure the franchise (that’s SG-1, Atlantis, and SGU) lives on and that the season two finale of Universe, “Gauntlet”, will not be the end. He’s adopted a clever two-pronged approach that, if successful, will see our awesome crew back at work next year. Nothing is guaranteed, but it’s great to hear he’s got a plan to make it happen. And, for the sake of the many, many Stargate fans out there, I really hope he succeeds.” – Joseph Mallozzi, December 23, 2010

Stargate Planner: Week of December 20-26

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,   December 20
Tuesday,   December 21 Robert Picardo stars as Admiral Calvin in Mega Shark Vs. Crocosaurus, which is being released on DVD today (Region 1). The storyline: “The massive prehistoric shark has survived the last battle, and the world is again threatened when a new, more dangerous foe is discovered in the jungles of Africa.”
Wednesday, December 22
Thursday,   December 23

SGU Season One episode “Incursion Part 1” on New Zealand’s Prime TV at 8:30 PM. Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping guest star.
Friday,   December 24
Saturday, December 25 Happy Holidays! SG-1 Christmas
Sunday, December 26

News Notes

Stargate Universe Press

  • The Cast of STARGATE UNIVERSE
    Cancellation – After Syfy’s announcement via Twitter that Stargate Universe will not be renewed for Season Three, the Internet is abuzz with the news. Because of the sheer volume of these announcements, you’ll be able to find the majority through an online search, but in case you missed it, here it is from Solutions. Make sure to visit this article to leave your thoughts about this sad event which has many fans concerned about the future of the Stargate franchise. We’ll be hearing more about this from the production office—namely Joseph Mallozzi via his weblog—once everyone returns from their vacations abroad. This much-anticipated reaction may reveal the future of the franchise, as Mallozzi has made statements in the past that SGU would possibly get a movie (or two) if the five-year plan were cut short.
  • Julia Benson – Toronto Sun: ‘Stargate’ hottie loves to pump iron

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

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:

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 and Atlantis.

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.

Syfy Will End SGU After Two Seasons

Via his Twitter, Craig Engler of Syfy Network has announced that Stargate Universe will end after two seasons. Combining his tweets:

Announcement today: Syfy will end its original action-adventure series Stargate Universe when the show returns with the final 10 episodes of its second season in the Spring of 2011. The Stargate franchise — consisting of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe — has aired on Syfy since 2002. Syfy has a slate of new scripted projects lined up for 2011 including the series premiere of Being Human on January 17, the recently green lit one-hour drama series Alphas and the much anticipated Battlestar prequel pilot movie, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome. Warehouse 13, Eureka & Haven will also return w/new seasons next year.

While no reason was given, it’s reasonable to speculate that low U.S. Nielsen broadcast ratings for the show are the cause for the cancellation. The Live+Same Day viewership for the show has stabilized at around 1 million viewers per episode (ratings chart), which is about half of what  Stargate Atlantis averaged during its final season (SGA S5 ratings) and is lower than Syfy’s other original series currently airing. @Syfy has said repeatedly that, while other methods of viewing, such as Hulu and iTunes, do help, Nielsen broadcast ratings in the U.S. are still the primary metric for advertising revenue. Advertising revenue is in turn what pays for Syfy’s share of production costs.

We want to express our condolences to the cast, crew, production, and fans of Stargate for this end of the series and perhaps the franchise. To those who make their living working on the show, we wish you well in finding new endeavors very soon.

Remember, the final ten episodes of SGU Season 2 will air in the Spring of 2011.

Stargate Planner: Week of December 13-19

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,   December 13
Tuesday,   December 14
Wednesday, December 15 Today is Michael Shanks‘s birthday!
Thursday,   December 16

SGU Season One episode “Subversion” on New Zealand’s Prime TV at 8:30 PM. Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks guest star.
Friday,   December 17
Saturday, December 18
Sunday, December 19

News Notes

News Flashes and Brief Follow-Ups

Jason-Momoa-GOT-Teaser3
Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo in GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
  • Jason Momoa – His Conan movie was renamed to Conan the Barbarian, but still has the same release date in the United States: August 19, 2011. For his other project, HBO’s Game of Thrones, there are some rumors going around that HBO might already be renewing the new series for a second season, even before the first has been aired. Speculation as to why this might be the case can be found at the fansite Winter Is Coming. This fansite is very active in posting the latest news on the new HBO series and this editor highly recommends it. There’s also a recent article that includes an image of Momoa as Khal Drogo entitled “MGoT update: Join the Dothraki horde.”
  • Michael Shanks, Lexa Doig, Steve Bacic – Filming has wrapped for Hangar 14. Shanks plays a bad guy, a Russian gangster named Demetrius, and Doig plays a SWAT team member along with Steve Bacic, Michael Jai White, and the movie’s star, former wrestler Steve Austin. Doig published a few pictures on her Twitter while on the set of the movie: “Me as SWAT chick” and “The Boys :).” Currently, IMDb lists Doig in her role, but not her husband Shanks! The storyline: “A training exercise for the LAPD SWAT Team goes terribly wrong when they find themselves pitted against two rival gangs while trapped in an abandoned Hangar, armed with nothing but blanks.”
  • Stargate Universe – Our Stargate Wiki now has all of the transcripts for the first half of Season Two. SGU will be returning to Syfy in the Spring, possibly early April 2011.

Stargate Universe Press

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

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:

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 and Atlantis.

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 Planner: Week of December 6-12

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,   December 6 Today is Torri Higginson‘s birthday!
Tuesday,   December 7

Sky1/UK: SGU 2.10 “Resurgence” at 9 PM.

Lou Diamond Phillips‘s voice can be heard in the new release of the audiobook version of Tom Clancy’s Dead or Alive, the fourteenth book in the Jack Ryan series. Both the printed and audio versions of the book are being released today.
Wednesday, December 8
Thursday,   December 9

SGU Season One episode “Pain” on New Zealand’s Prime TV at 8:30 PM.

Today is Beau Bridges‘s birthday!
Friday,   December 10 See Michael Shanks, Alaina Huffman, and Britt Irvin in their superhero roles in the Smallville episode “Icarus” on The CW at 8 PM ET! (story).
Saturday, December 11 Today is Ben Browder‘s birthday!

The Gate to the Sanctuary event is in Sydney today. Guests include Amanda Tapping, Carmen Argenziano, Chuck Campbell, and Robin Dunne.

Sunday, December 12 The Gate to the Sanctuary event is in Melbourne today. Make sure to visit the website for the schedule.

News Notes

News Flashes and Brief Follow-Ups

Christopher Judge in SCI FI SERIES (Martin Firrell)
Christopher Judge in SCI FI SERIES (Martin Firrell)
  • Christopher Judge – Some of the latest tweets of artist Martin Firrell show that he’s interviewed Christopher Judge for his Sci Fi Series. The feature isn’t on the website yet, but Firrell teased the fans with a picture (right). He said, “Christopher judge – aka Teal’c – gorgeous interviewee – all of us in the studio in thrall to him. INDEED!” Firrell has previously done features with Joe Flanigan, Ben Browder, and David Nykl and is attempting to schedule interviews with Michael Shanks and Torri Higginson.
  • Joe Flanigan – Joe Flanigan‘s backdoor pilot Change of Plans will be premiering on FOX on January 8, 2011, and now there’s a new and not-yet-finished webpage that features the project. The link to this page has been added to Flanigan’s Beyond the Event Horizon page here at Solutions. (Thanks to wraithfodder for the tip.)

Stargate Universe Press

It should be noted that whenever spoilers come out for SGU, they are placed in the episode guides in the Stargate Wiki without much fanfare here in the News Blog. To keep on top of such updates, visit the main page of the Stargate Wiki to see the “Recent Updates” list of links.

Solutions News Blog Round-Up

Our News Blog posts since the last Stargate Planner (most recent listed first):

Solutions LJ Companion Background Articles

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:

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 and Atlantis.

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 "Resurgence" Ratings

The numbers for Stargate Universe episode “Resurgence” have been added to our summary table below.

Season Two Viewer and Ratings Summary
Episode Rating/Share Viewers in Millions
HH 18-49 Live+Same Day Live+7 Days
Intervention 0.8/1 0.5/1 1.175 Note 1
Aftermath 0.7/1 0.5/1 1.070
Awakening 0.8/1 0.5/1 1.222
Pathogen 0.7/1 0.4/1 0.974
Cloverdale 0.7/1 0.4/1 1.012
Trial and Error 0.7/1 0.4/1 0.967
The Greater Good 0.7/1 0.4/1 1.074
Malice 0.7/1 0.4/1 1.025
Visitation 0.7/1 0.5/1 1.169
Resurgence 0.7/1 0.5/1 1.094 <<<< NEW DATA

Source for New Data: pifeedback

Notes

  1. “Just got the live+7 numbers for Intervention, the season 2 premiere. Wow. We jumped 78% from the live number, about 40% from the liv+SD. That’s a lot of eyeballs. Of course that isn’t even counting those who are viewing the show through alternate platforms (ie. netflix, iTunes, and other download options).” — Joseph Mallozzi, October 19, 2010.

Stargate Universe: 2.10 "Resurgence"

SGU-S2-Resurgence
The bridge crew of 'Destiny' in RESURGENCE (MGM)
Tonight (November 30) on Syfy at 9 PM ET: Stargate Universe episode 2.10 “Resurgence”, written by Joseph Mallozzi (and Paul Mullie) and directed by William Waring.

Because executive producer Joseph Mallozzi wrote this script, we got to follow the episode’s progression from concept to final cut in his weblog, most of whose episode-specific entries we’ve reproduced in our Episode Guide in the Solutions Stargate Wiki (SPOILERS).

A recurring theme throughout his discussion was the declaration that it was “one of the most mind-blowing Visual Effects extravaganzas to date.”

Because it is the first part to the mid-season two-parter, Mallozzi made sure to include a little something for everyone, leaving us in a cliffhanger that won’t be resolved until the show returns to Syfy in 2011 (perhaps in early April like Season One did)! It was as if he had a checklist to go by:

Space battles? Check.

Aliens? Check.

Lots of characters playing significant roles? Check.

Picking up and continuing current story threads and starting new ones? Check.

Getting into trouble? Check.

Getting out of trouble? To Be Continued…

Where will we—and our favorite SGU characters—be left hanging? Tune in tonight to find out and make sure to rejoin us here for our episode poll on the front page.

Link and Spoiler Collection

[spoiler intro=”Episode Summary”]

SYFY: All is not as it seems when Destiny follows a remote energy signature that leads them to a sea of damaged and lifeless ships.

Destiny detects a remote energy signature originating from an area outside its set course. Dr. Rush believes it could be coming from a potential new power source or could be a sign of intelligent life arguing that whatever is out there could prove to be of great benefit to the crew and Destiny‘s mission. Col. Young reluctantly agrees and permits Dr. Rush to manipulate navigation and take Destiny off course.

After a day in FTL the ship reaches a sea of wrecked ships, the carnage of a centuries old battle. With no visible signs of danger, Lt. Scott, Msgt. Greer and Volker set off in the shuttle to take a closer look. Eli uses Destiny‘s systems to recreate a simulation of the battle only to discover the debris is not what it seems.

Chloe succumbs deeper to the alien infection, knowing she poses a greater risk the longer she stays aboard the Destiny. But when a lost friend comes to the rescue it’s no longer Chloe’s alien abductors the crew has to worry about.

On Earth, Eli struggles with how to tell his mother the truth about what has happened to him. Wray takes leave to visit Sharon but finds the distance is starting to take its toll on their relationship.

SKY: Before dropping out of orbit for its Christmas break, the suspenseful space drama raises the storytelling stakes.

The Destiny detects a remote energy signature originating from an area outside its set course and a curious Rush convinces Young to let him investigate. After a day in FTL, the Destiny reaches a sea of wrecked ships, the carnage of old battles. With no sign of danger, Scott, Greer and Volker take a closer look and discover all is not as it seems…

Meanwhile, Chloe succumbs deeper to the alien infection and, back on Earth, Eli struggles with how to tell his mother the truth about what has happened to him.[/spoiler]

[spoiler intro=”Syfy: Sneak Peek (Actual Scene)”]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler intro=”Syfy: Preview”]

[/spoiler]