Author: DeeKayP

MGM: Message from Picardo

Robert Picardo as Richard Woolsey
Robert Picardo as Richard Woolsey (image from MGM)

MGM is continuing to post short video segments of those involved with the final season of Stargate Atlantis at their official Stargate website. This time, it’s Robert Picardo’s turn to say “thank you” to the fans for giving Richard Woolsey a chance as the new commander of the Atlantis Expedition.

“I would like to say thank you to the Stargate fans for giving Woolsey a chance,” Picardo said in the short (31-second) video. “Not a very cuddly character; didn’t seem to be a good choice to take over after Colonel Carter left; and you gave him a chance; you welcomed him in. And I think he’s been growing as a leader, so I thank you for putting up with him because, let’s face it, he started out as a kind of [BEEP].”

Visit MGM: Message from Picardo to watch the full video.

According to Stargate Actor Appearances, Picardo is due to make several public appearances over the coming months, the next two upcoming being StarFest from April 17-19, 2009, in Denver, Colorado, and FedCon XVIII from May 1-3, 2009, in Bonn, Germany.

Can We Trust Spoilers Ever Again?

SPOILER WARNING FOR STARGATE UNIVERSE EPISODE “LIFE”

We here at Solutions have had a pretty good history of reporting spoilers concerning the episodes in production with some degree of accuracy, but it’s always a good thing that we publish a disclaimer in the report just to make sure that our tail end is covered. The one we’re using this year goes something like this: ALL SPOILERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WHILE THE EPISODE IS IN PRODUCTION.

Yes, it’s in bold and in all caps: a sure sign that you need to proceed with caution.

Recently, spoilers have been published for Carl Binder’s “Life” in two separate articles here at Solutions (check them out HERE and HERE as a foundation for the “rant” that is to follow). These articles were based on two sources of information: character breakdowns from Spoiler TV and audition sides for actors that we’ve actually purchased with our own hard-earned money, just like struggling actors do.

So when we got this breakdown recently from Spoiler TV for the same character that we just read the audition sides for, SHARON—”[SHARON] 35 years old, Camille Wray’s (Ming-Na’s.) long term partner. Sensitive, soulful. Strong emotional scenes. Possibly recurring. GUEST LEAD. Please submit all ethnicities. NAMES ONLY”—we had to combine it with what we already published to arrive at a new conclusion: SHARON is WRAY’s long-time lesbian lover, not MUNROE’s.

It appears that the production office is now using a big Find-and-Replace-All on character names! So, WRAY is easily replaced with MUNROE. And, unfortunately, the changes don’t stop there for this particular script. Find-and-Replace-All MARY with SHARON and RUSH with BENTON (but make sure you verify that all occurrences of “rush” replaced with “benton” make sense).

So, now we need to revise our spoilers because we weren’t in the loop when it came to this new approach taken by the production office to “leak” spoilers. We’re just a small group of fans trying to do a service to the fan community, so when something doesn’t feel right, there’s definitely reason to believe it isn’t and we can comfortably say so. And since we are merely a fan site, we probably can get away with this revision with a little more grace and acceptance by the fans than for-real professional media outlets. Lucky us (and we indeed hope so).

So, is SHARON (aka MARY) Camille Wray’s lesbian lover? Probably. And BENTON is really RUSH who makes a great discovery in the database about the seeder ships that planted Stargates on planets long before Destiny reached them. Is LT. GARY MICHAELS most likely another regular character, perhaps Lt. Matthew Scott, who got a girl pregnant (ANNIE BALIC, or is it JEAN?) and thought she got an abortion when actually she didn’t and he went on his merry way by joining the Air Force about eight years ago? Probably. But who knows for sure?

And it doesn’t stop there, sadly. Is MICHELLE really MICHELLE and WARREN really WARREN and BAKER really BAKER, or are they Find-and-Replace-All substitutes for other regular and semi-regular characters?

Joseph Mallozzi has long complained about spoilers coming from sources such as those for actors’ audition sides. They’re not something that can be faked; actors must study them and go to the audition prepared with something authentic. Mallozzi said they’ve looked into ways to fix the situation, and it looks like substituting character names is one way to go. Clever that.

So, can we trust spoilers from these sources ever again? To be honest, the nature of spoilers has always made the disclaimer necessary because scripts can change quickly and easily. The production office even has a system of colored pages to show these updates. They start off with white pages and then when a change is made, they issue the changes on blue pages. Each and every change thereafter gets a different color until it’s possible for an actor’s script to look like it was printed using a variety pack from a nearby office supply store.

It’s a new twist for us fan sites to maneuver through. Certainly, with enough of a variety of sources, we may succeed in revealing the “truth behind the myth,” but from now on, there will always be doubt. Spoiler reporting may never be the same again and that’s exactly what the production wanted.

SGU Spoilers: More on “Life”

Update Notice

Information in this article has been updated in the article Can We Trust Spoilers Ever Again? The information that follows remains as was published, but the Episode Guide has been properly updated.

Spoiler Warning

This article contains more spoilers for the episode “Life”, written by Carl Binder (see our previous article). It is currently slated to be the eighth episode in the first season of Stargate Universe.

Details

BACKGROUND: At the recent Creation Convention in Vancouver, Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper said that there would be two gay characters in Stargate Universe. It is very possible that these audition sides for SHARON include these characters.

In order for people who are stranded on the Destiny to communicate with their loved ones and others on Earth, they must use the Ancient technology that swaps their consciousnesses with someone on Earth. It appears that each person stranded on the Destiny is allowed to make visits back home with the use of someone else’s body.

MUNROE and SHARON have been together for twelve years. SHARON is the party left behind on Earth while MUNROE is the one stranded on the Destiny. They’re together, preparing dinner as MUNROE discusses things that are happening aboard the ship and SHARON listens. Sitting quietly together in the family room, SHARON and MUNROE discuss MUNROE’s parents and the fact that she has not visited them because they don’t have clearance to know about her situation. SHARON tells her that her parents need to know that she’s okay.

As they snuggle on the couch, MUNROE and SHARON share a quiet moment together. MUNROE is a sketch artist and she has copied a photograph that they have hanging on the wall. It’s of a beautiful seashore in the tropics. MUNROE notices that she’s forgotten to sketch the rowboat that’s in the picture and wonders why. At this point MUNROE breaks down and cries as SHARON tries to comfort her.

After a while, BAKER comes to the door to retrieve MUNROE: visiting time is over. SHARON tries to give MUNROE encouragement to be strong and work with the other people on the ship to get them all back home. She then reassures MUNROE that she’s not going anywhere. After MUNROE leaves, it’s SHARON’s turn to break down into sobs.

In the audition sides for ANNIE BALIC, it appears that MUNROE does go to see her parents, an Asian couple in their 60’s, as BAKER waits for her in the car.

The audition sides also include characters in other scenes, including MICHAELS and ANNIE (formerly called JOAN) and MICHELLE and BENTON.

Production Notes

ALL SPOILERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WHILE THE EPISODE IS IN PRODUCTION.

Sci Fi Wire: Stargate Universe Guest Cast

Sci Fi Wire is reporting that veteran Stargate actors Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, and Gary Jones are confirmed as guest stars in the new television series Stargate Universe.

The “new” news about this announcement was that of Amanda Tapping’s guest appearance. We already were informed about the appearances of Anderson, Shanks, and Jones. Of these, Anderson is scheduled for the most guest appearances that we know of, according to the actor himself in a note published at his official website.

Additionally, Janelle Monáe, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, will play herself; “she and her band will perform “Many Moons” and “Sincerely,” two songs from her latest album, Metropolis,” according to the article. Also, Carlo Rota (24) plays Carl Strom, “head of the International Oversight Advisory, the civilian oversight committee that heads up the Atlantis Expedition.” Strom’s first mention is in the episode “Earth” (spoilers at link), which was written by Martin Gero.

Sci Fi Wire also mentions the casting of Christopher McDonald (Superhero Movie), who plays “U.S. senator Alan Armstrong, head of the International Oversight Committee that governs the Stargate program and father of Chloe Armstrong” (Elyse Levesque). We learned of his casting through Joseph Mallozzi’s weblog (but now we also know his character’s first name).

Stargate Universe is currently filming in Vancouver and is scheduled for a fourth quarter 2009 debut on the Syfy Channel. Visit our guide in the Stargate Wiki for updates.

SGU Spoilers: “Life”

Update Notice

Information in this article has been updated in the article Can We Trust Spoilers Ever Again? The information that follows remains as was published, but the Episode Guide has been properly updated.

Spoiler Warning

This article contains spoilers for the episode “Life”, written by Carl Binder. It is currently slated to be the eighth episode in the first season of Stargate Universe.

Details

Using the Ancient Long Range Communications Device that swaps the bodies of the users on either end of the subspace connection, the crew of the Destiny is able to communicate with those on Earth. Those stranded use the device to reassure their loved ones that they are okay, but it appears that in some cases, the loved ones are not being told that the technology exists or that the one visiting them is really their loved one who is stranded. It all has to do with security clearances and need to know, apparently.

The casting sides are for ANNIE BALIC: According to SpoilerTV: “[ANNIE BALIC] Female. Mid 20s. Pretty. She has been through a lot emotionally. Has an 8 year old son she is trying to raise, and is struggling to get by. Not too proud to do what she has to to support her family. Strong emotional scenes.sptv050769 GUEST LEAD. POSSIBLY RECURRING. NAMES PREFERRED”

ANNIE BALIC is one of the people left behind by the now-stranded crew of the Destiny. Her lover was LT. GARY MICHAELS and before he joined the Air Force, she became pregnant, but didn’t tell him that she had the child (he thought she got an abortion). MICHAELS is visiting ANNIE via the long range communications device, using the body of someone he identifies as COL. DENNING, a supposed friend of MICHAELS’ who is trying to tell ANNIE that MIICHAELS is away on a mission but wanted to respond to a letter ANNIE sent to him a while back.

MICHAELS learns of his son’s existence, but tries to control his anger since he’s supposed to be DENNING; ANNIE only sees and hears the man with whom MICHAELS has swapped. The little boy is home alone while ANNIE is out. He used to be watched by ANNIE’s mother, but she passed away a year ago. ANNIE had wanted to go to school to become a lawyer, but now that she’s having to support her son on her own, she’s settled for being a dancer. MICHAELS pretends to make contact with himself using his escort WALSH’s cell phone, and tells her that GARY wishes to have money sent to her so that she can hire a sitter for her son and go back to school. ANNIE refuses, claiming that she’s got things under control and he doesn’t have to worry.

While MICHAELS is using the body-swapping technology, others aboard the Destiny have made a significant discovery: BENTON has been doing research into the Destiny‘s database and has found out about the subspace link that connects the Destiny with the unmanned ships that were sent out ahead of Destiny to seed the Stargates on various planets.

Others gathered around BENTON as he shares this discovery include WARREN, MARCUS, RONNIE, TRAVERSE, BARRY, SPENCER.

Other characters mentioned in other scenes include BAKER (male) and MUNROE (female). MUNROE carries on a conversation with an Asian couple in their 60’s as BAKER looks on from behind the wheel inside an Air Force car.

Production Notes

ALL SPOILERS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WHILE THE EPISODE IS IN PRODUCTION.

New Syfy Website Features Stargate Universe

Dr. Nicholas Rush (Syfy promo)
Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush of Stargate Universe (image from Syfy)

According to the Sci Fi Channel’s new website Syfy.com, Stargate Universe will be aired during the fourth quarter 2009 and second quarter 2010! We’ve already taken a guess (a very good one) that the show will premiere on October 2, 2009, at 9 PM, but that date has not yet been made official.

The new site (http://www.syfy.com) isn’t really fully populated yet, but the overall programming information can be reached (through Flash Player) by starting at this link: http://www.syfy.com/Imagine/. To get to SGU’s entry, click on “Programming” and then on Robert Carlyle’s picture (as it appears above). On that page, you’ll see the 4Q09 and 2Q10 scheduling information for the show, described by Syfy as “A brand-new member of the Stargate family, Stargate Universe features a fresh, young cast of characters, extraordinary new destinations and the beginning of a whole new television legacy.”

[Thanks to lahela_sga for the tip.]

Jason Momoa on Ronon Dex

Ronon Dex (MGM)
Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex (image from MGM)

Steve Eramo of SciFiandTVTalk.com has another lengthy interview with a star from Stargate Atlantis: this time with Jason Momoa who joined the cast in Season Two.

One of the highlights from the interview: “I’ve been with this role for four seasons, and at the end of my first year playing him I really began to grasp the character, so much so that now it’s easy to slip into. As far as the action goes, it’s a lot easier than it used to be. I mean, I’ve been walking in these shoes for a long time, and I’m going to be a little sad when this show ends and I’m not playing Ronon. I’ve never really felt that way before. This is the hardest role I’ve ever had. There’s no way that I relate to most of the stuff he does, but I really like Ronon and I think the writers have done a good job with him.”

Visit SciFiandTVTalk.com: Jason Momoa: At Home on Atlantis for the complete interview that concentrates mostly on Ronon during Season Five.

Momoa can currently be seen on Friday nights at 8:30 on The CW’s The Game. According to Stargate Actor Appearances, his next public appearance is scheduled for July 10-12 in Baltimore, Maryland, for Shore Leave 31.

MGM: “Momoa Says Goodbye” to Atlantis

Ronon Dex in SGA Finale
Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex in SGA’s Finale (image from MGM)

Stargate Atlantis star Jason Momoa shares his feelings about the end of Atlantis as a television series. The video clips used in “Momoa Says Goodbye” include his “wrap”, his last scene filmed for the show.

“It’s like high school, you know? Four years. It’s my senior—it’s my last class before I go out those doors,” he shared with the interviewer. Momoa says that Ronon was a fun character to play and that he doesn’t think he’ll ever play a character quite like him again. “That in itself is gonna be sad, but that’s gonna take a while to kick in, you know?”

Momoa has moved on from Ronon, making guest appearances in other productions (he currently can be seen in The CW’s The Game on Fridays at 8:30 PM), but SGA movie script writer Joseph Mallozzi has apparently written Ronon into the story. If things go according to plan, Momoa will get to expand on Ronon’s character and might even get to sport a new do for the occasion!

Mallozzi: “Plans are still in place” for SGA Movie

With Solutions’ recent report on what was said about the status of the first Stargate Atlantis movie combined with rumors that the movie had been shelved or put on indefinite hold, producer and writer Joseph Mallozzi felt the need to clarify the movie’s status. He stated, “So even though the SG-1 movie has been greenlit, I can assure you that plans are still in place to move forward on the Atlantis movie as well.”

Solutions reported, “Wright and Cooper, and MGM, want to make an Atlantis movie. The fact the sets are still up and their space being paid for is evidence of MGM’s commitment to the movie. However, given the world economy, the people who fund the movies have put the breaks on actual production. Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are working hard on the script, and they really want to make it as much as we want to see it.”

In his April 7 entry in his weblog, Mallozzi explained that there are different deals for each of the legs of the franchise and that financing for each project comes from different sources. “Well, first of all, it’s not a simple matter of us getting a whack of money and being able to pick and choose the projects we want to apply it to. Each production whether it be SGU, SG-1, or SGA, is contingent on their respective deals. And no two deals are alike.

“Furthermore, part of a project’s production budget is made up of licensing fees from various broadcasters, sales to various territories both domestic and international. Now these entities are a fickle bunch and won’t just buy anything. If they want product A, you can’t just replace it with product B. And that’s just one aspect of the many elements that go into any given deal. The bottom line is that the deal in place for Stargate: Universe has different components than the deal for the SG-1 movie which has different components than the deal for the SGA movie (yes, in spite of the fact that they are both Stargate movies, the deals are different).”

One of the differences between the production of the SG-1 movie and that of the SGA movie was brought to light early on when the two movies were first announced: the SGA movie was to first air on the Sci Fi Channel before being released on video, while the SG-1 movie would follow in its predecessors’ footsteps and go directly to video (DTV).

The production office has not put the Atlantis movie script aside with no production future in mind: that would be the definition of “shelving”. Rather, Mallozzi clarified, “Brad is working on the SG-1 script while Paul and I hope to have a first draft of the Atlantis script by month’s end (we’re already past the halfway mark). No firm production dates for either movies, but if I was a betting man, I’d be looking at this fall. All this to say – there’s no need to get all negative. When there is a need, I’ll let you all know but, at present, we’re making progress on all fronts: SGU, SG-1, AND SGA.”

To read Mallozzi’s full statement on the status of the Atlantis movie, visit his April 7 weblog entry.