Month: April 2007

Watch "Judicial Indiscretion" Monday Night!

Don’t forget to watch the new Michael Shanks movie Judicial Indiscretion Monday, April 9 at 9 pm Eastern/Pacific, 8 pm Central on the Lifetime Channel in the US. The movie stars Anne Archer as a judge and Michael Shanks as an Irish writer up to no good. Michael reportedly stretches his acting muscles in this outing, so be sure to show your support and watch!

The film has aired in Canada, and MSOL got a sneak peak, so visit MSOL to see a review, screen caps, and behind-the-scenes images and information. Also, they will be taking orders for DVDs of the movie.

SG-1 Spoilers: The Ark of Truth Casting

Introduction

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is the the first of two direct-to-DVD movies that will be produced this year following the cancellation of Stargate SG-1. The movie is being written and directed by Robert C. Cooper and produced by Cooper and Brad Wright, and is meant to close the Ori story arc that was started in Season Nine. Filming is set to start around April 15 in Vancouver.

The following includes spoilers for the movie and for the last half of Season Ten.

Details

Greg Anderson, the Administrator-turned-Prior from Ver Ager (“Avalon” and “Origin”), will be reprising his role according to Anderson himself in his “Ask Greg Anderson” thread on The Scifi World’s forum. Anderson stated, “Well I guess it is official. I found out yesterday that I am booked for the Stargate movie! So you guys are the first to know.” Anderson added, “I can’t wait to read the script!”

Anderson’s Prior has a lot of history with the members of SG-1. Before he was converted into a Prior, he was the Administrator of Ver Ager and placed Vala/Sallis in the Ara to be burned to death. His transformation into a Prior by the Ori themselves was the first time viewers were witness to how a man is advanced in his evolution to possess great mental powers as a Prior of the Ori. This Prior is also the one who rubbed his conversion of P8X-412 in Daniel’s face after they held a public debate about false gods and free will. He was instrumental in the conversion of the Jaffa leader Gerak into a Prior, and he has been seen in Season Ten’s second half as well, when he was challenged by Vala’s husband Tomin concerning his twisted interpretation of the scriptures of The Book of Origin.

In Stargate: The Ark of Truth, the team travels to the Ori home galaxy in search of an artifact that could make the difference in the fight against the Ori’s army in the Milky Way. Their search for the Ark of Truth is complicated when the IOA gets involved.

[Thanks to Platschu for the tip.]

Sci Fi Magazine: Col. Carter Gates to Atlantis

June issue of Sci Fi Magazine now on stands

Season Four of Stargate Atlantis is in full production in Vancouver and SCI FI MAGAZINE had a chance to talk with executive producer Robert C. Cooper and actors Amanda Tapping (Col. Samantha Carter) and David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay) about Tapping’s joining the show’s cast. The article didn’t address the issue of how Carter’s promotion will affect the dynamics of the SG-1 team in the two upcoming direct-to-DVD movies.

The article implies that Tapping’s Carter will be a full-bird Colonel when she becomes the Atlantis base commander in civilian Dr. Elizabeth Weir’s stead. Concerning Weir’s replacement and Torri Higginson’s reduction to recurring status, executive producer Robert C. Cooper stated:

“I can’t make people feel better who just love Torri and Dr. Weir and want to see her on the show,” sighs [Robert C.] Cooper. “Unfortunately, that’s just not going to happen. All I can say is that Sam Carter is a wonderful character, and Amanda Tapping is a wonderful actress, and I think she will fill the role on Atlantis admirably. I’m excited about seeing the evolution of her character. Brad [Wright] and I created the character Dr. Weir and we love the character and Torri, but the change needed to be made.”

Hewlett, who plays Dr. Rodney McKay, was enthusiastic about Tapping’s joining the cast. His character and Carter have a “love-hate” relationship that Hewlett is anxious to develop further:

“I think there’s a lot of potential there. The great thing is that Amanda’s character is struggling to be a leader now, after being someone in the field getting dirty with the troops. She’s being thrown into a leadership position, and McKay has never been very good at taking commands from anybody. I think there is a lot of potential for some fun, because they are both brilliant. […] There’s also the fact of the matter that McKay is absolutely smitten with her. It’s great for me on a completely selfish level. First off, I love working with Amanda.”

Tapping was cautious about the decision to make the move to Atlantis, but is looking forward to establishing positive relationships with the current cast:

“I’m certainly going onto Atlantis knowing that it’s not my show. I’m not going to try and put my stamp all over it. I really do feel, like the character, that there has to be a lot of tact involved, for Carter and Amanda. I’m very cognizant and respectful of their show and their dynamic. For Carter and Amanda it will just be finding my place. I don’t want to make ripples in the lake.”

Cooper compares Carter’s move to become the leader of the Atlantis Expedition to that of O’Neill’s when he left his team and became the commander of the SGC. But, Cooper also stressed that the characters and their leadership styles are different enough that they will not “be stepping on well-trodden territory there.” For Cooper, Carter’s promotion to command the Atlantis base is a natural step in the character’s evolution:

“It’s about time she [Carter] got a command, and we had to keep that from happening on SG-1 because we wanted her to be part of the team. This is a perfect opportunity to evolve her character in the natural way that it should have in the franchise.”

Tapping looks forward to her character’s evolution:

“I really love the Atlantis cast, and they are a great cast of people. Plus, the way Joe [Mallozzi] and Paul [Mullie] presented it to me, when they sat me down and asked how I felt about it, they presented it in such a way that it seemed like a really exciting opportunity for the character. Not only is it for me personally, but also for Carter. It’s a whole new level to her, and I thought, ‘This is actually going to change her.'”

Read the complete article in the magazine, available on stands now, or order it through their website at: http://www.scifi.com/scifimag/

SGA S4 Spoilers: Reunion

Introduction: Spoilers

The following article contains spoilers for the Season Four episode “Reunion”, currently scheduled to air as the third episode.

Summary

Ronon is reunited with those from his homeworld and is asked to leave the Atlantis Expedition to rejoin them.

Details

Ronon has encountered fellow Satedans, including Tyre and Ara. They tell him that they had fled to a system of caves in the hillside before the Wraith arrived. They were trapped in a collapse during the Wraith attack. It took them three days to dig out, and then another two weeks to reach the Stargate, but by then, Sateda had been destroyed.

Tyre and Ara had heard that Ronon survived and had become a Runner. There were stories about him: he had become a legendary figure, standing seven feet tall and killing a hundred Wraith. They also knew that he had joined the Atlantis Expedition and that Atlantis was inhabited once more.

Ronon is torn between the loyalty to his people and loyalty to the Atlantis Expedition. If he decides to rejoin his Satedan friends, the price he might have to pay could be far greater than leaving his newfound life and friends behind.

NOTE: Carter and Teal’c are in this episode.

Guest Characters

  • Tyre
  • Ara
  • Rakai
  • Marika
  • Hemi

Production

  • Written by: Joseph Mallozzi

Episode spoilers are subject to change as the season is in production.