Stargate SG-1

[BBOvenGuy]

The second half of Season 7 starts this Friday on the SciFi Channel, so I thought it might be nice to give Stargate SG-1 its own thread.



Does anybody else watch? There are plenty of good reasons to:



- With the SciFi Channel already committed to Season 8, SG-1 becomes the third longest-running SF show in TV history, after Doctor Who and The X-Files (not bad company).



- As I just said over in the Trek thread, SG-1 is the only place I've found these days that has that "old school SF" feel about it, where we get to experience the thrill of exploration and discovery. Yes, there are plenty of staff weapons and machine guns too, but the SG-1 team still gets to go where no human has gone before.



- SG-1 has good "nerd" characters like Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson.



- SG-1 is the only SF show I know of that doesn't fall into the age-old trap of sending characters who are military commanders into a ridiculous number of dangerous situations. David Gerrold used to complain about this all the time with the original Trek - Kirk and Spock were Captain and First Officer, which meant they shouldn't have been the ones going into danger every week, but since they were also the stars, they had to go into danger every week. SG-1 solves that problem by making General Hammond a supporting character and having Colonel O'Neill be the star.



I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons, but I'm at work now and have to wrap this up. Feel free to chime in.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[emma peel]

I saw the original film, Bob, but never really watched the television series. Holey cow, I had no idea the series had been running so long. I'm impressed!! I guess I'll have to check it out.

Janice

[Puff]

I've only seen the first season completly at the moment. I am working my way through the show on DVD. Looks like I have a long way to go. I really do enjoy it though, it is fun to watch and the stories are really interesting. It's always good to see who guest stars on it, there was Armin Shimmerman (sp?)in the first season as one of the Nox people.

---

So, the day started and I knew my name and had my pants on. So far, so good. Yay.
Amber Benson

[BBOvenGuy]

I didn't start watching SG-1 until the show moved to the SciFi Channel at the start of Season 6. Then I had a "why the heck haven't I been watching this show?" moment and have been trying to get caught up on the older episodes. There are still several from Seasons 3-5 that I haven't seen, but I think I'm caught up well enough to know all the continuing plot lines now.



And it sure looks like SG-1 has been a Trek actors haven over the years. Yes, Armin did a couple of episodes as a Nox. John Billingsley and Jolene Blalock from Enterprise have made appearances, and Robert Picardo from Voyager is due to show up this season. John DeLancie ("Q") had a recurring role for a while, but he's since been killed off.



Another person I'm betting will show up eventually is Lexa Doig from Andromeda. She's Michael Shanks's wife, and both Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge have done guest spots on Andromeda.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 1/8/04 11:38 am

[Sheridan]

Huge SG-1 fan and I've been watching since the beginning, heck I've seen the uncut version of the pilot episode. The truly amazing part is that it was supposed to end with season 6 but it was doing so well they commissioned a season 7, and now its heading for an S8 and a spinoff Stargate: Atlantis. If you want a genuinely heroic female lead you can't do better than Sam Carter, smart, tough, and more often the rescuer than the rescued. If you haven't watched the show get a feel for it and then grab their 'groundhog day' ep, golf will never be the same...



Edited to add:

Just saw the episode where Corin Nemec's character returns. This tells you something about the way they handle actors. Despite being removed from the regular cast when the actor he replaced returned he was happy to reprise his character for an episode; perhaps because they treated him and his character with a little dignity?

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Edited by: Sheridan at: 1/16/04 11:49 am

[FireFlyofDust]

Hello Everyone





I will admite that I was once the biggest stargate fan that there ever was. I will even go so far as to admite that Amanda Tapping (Major Sam Carter) was my first love and the yummiest crush. I was addicted to the show when it first started which if i can remeber was when i was in grade 5. I am graduating this year, so i have been a very intrested fan. Although i feel sad because in the last 3 years I have had very few chances to see the show on at all. But i will rub this into ur faces! MUAHAHAHAHA... In 2000 the show had its first ever north american convention (Gatecon) and being the big old nerd i am, i bugged my parents about it for forever. As a result..I got to go!!!!!!!!!!!



I have met Amanda Tapping aka Major Carter (she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek cuz i was so nervous *swons*)

I have met Chris Judge aka Teal'c, he is the most friendiest guy, i can tell you. He also brought his cute lil daughter to most of gatcon, it was great.

I have met Terly Rothery (i think that could spelt wrong) Aka the cute lil doc..and I just have to say that her charachter may be some waht limited on the show. But she is the most amazing friendlist person. I was eating dinner at the hotel the thing was at, and she walked right buy, lent down by the shoulder, said hi, smiled, and walk right on. I almost chocked on my salad (i never met her bfore then) and i think i ditched amanda for her..man on man is she great! As well I had this army hat which i got everyone to sign, but when i asked her to sign, she did, but as well, she put the hat on, kissed it, and i got a pick of it.

I have met Don S Davis he is a very very friendly man, who also wore my hat but i didnt get a pic of him dong so :-( . Although while this man is a great great actor he also done some great things. Such as he did the music for the amazing wonderful movie BOUND and I think just for this I will forever more worship him.

I also met Martof *very flurty* , Bratac, *Very funny* Apophious *very friendly and huggible* as well as the blond short haired young man who opens and closes the gate and iris...



Sorry..didnt mean to brag that much..but it was so cool..

Edited by: Warduke at: 1/18/04 8:40 pm

[BBOvenGuy]

Apparently, SG-1 will be celebrating its 150th episode with a character death.



www.scifi.com/scifiwire/a.../11.30.sfc



I've heard who it's supposed to be, but I won't say here because I forgot how to use the spoiler codes...

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 2/4/04 6:17 pm

[scifiacid]

I know who it is and I absolutely hate it with a fiery passion. It’s been out there for months now and it’s tainted my SG love. Sigh…

[Cazzie]

I used to love Stargate, especially Sam and Janet, but I haven't watched it much recently.



Having said that though I did see Heroes pt 2 yesterday, the one where someone dies. I already knew who it would be but it still upset me.

[ivygort.]

Having said that though I did see Heroes pt 2 yesterday, the one where someone dies. I already knew who it would be but it still upset me.

I have to say that as soon as I heard the spoiler I stopped watching the show. Its nothing like Tara/Willow and yet it is to me. The actress that played Janet seemed to really enjoy the Sam/Janet fans and the writers wrote in a lot of subtext for the two characters once they realized how big the fanbase was for the pairing.

I find I just don't care about the show anymore. I'm taping over my tapes and I canceled my DVD order, not in a fit of rage, but in apathy. I really don't want to eat rice and noodles for the two weeks it would take to afford the DVD ... where as before I wouldn't mind it.

I don't want the show GONE, I just don't care ....

I'll go away now from this senseless post ... I think I really did have something to say before I realized that I didn't.

[BBOvenGuy]

I'm trying my best to reserve judgment until I've actually seen the episode. I don't know why TV people think it's fun or useful or in any way beneficial to their shows to kill their regulars off. I can see doing it when the actor wants to leave and never wants to come back, but the "needs of the story" excuse has never made sense to me.



At least no one from the SG-1 production team has been going around calling this character the heart of the show or saying they have no plans to send the character anywhere.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 2/12/04 4:11 pm

[Sheridan]

Well I didn't know the spoiler so it was genuine shock. Still she isn't the first regular to die, and frankly given the number of fire fightsthey've been in its a miracle it hasn't happened before. Also Janet went heroically, saving a life and it was made clear how much her friends missed her, and we saw them grieve, plus I think its safe to say Janet Frasiers name will be mentioned from time to time.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

[BBOvenGuy]

The night for the Big Character Death, that is. I must admit that I really liked last week's Part I, so I'm hopeful that they can pull off Part II as well.



Meanwhile, since the Stargate season is on a different timetable than broadcast TV, spoilers are already coming out for Season 8, which premieres in June. You can find them here. They're very interesting.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[ivygort]

Quote:

---

The night for the Big Character Death, that is. I must admit that I really liked last week's Part I, so I'm hopeful that they can pull off Part II as well.

---

I watched. It was ... nice that they treated the "character death" that way. Still apathetic and most likely will never watch the show again. When all is said and done, the dyke is still dead and her lover is still alone. And yes I realize their relationship wasn't canon. The writers and the actors all all played up the subtext. Just read the interviews.



I'll go away now.

[scifiacid]

What struck me the most was the character that died was barely in the episode. I just hope they don’t pull the ‘never mention the characters name again’ crap. It was a good episode but I still do not think they needed to do it. This show don’t really have a long arc, it’s per episode stories so this death really didn’t add to anything that might happen down the road. I bet they mention the character once in S8 episode 1 when the replacement arrives and that’s it. I’m disappointed to say the least.

[BBOvenGuy]

For the moment, I'm choosing to be optimistic. There have been a number of instances over the history of SG-1 where dead characters have been remembered. Besides, it was mentioned last night that Sam is now taking care of Cassandra. That might come up again.



Now that I've seen the episode, I can understand why they felt Janet's death was necessary. The point of the story was the bravery and heroism of all people who put their lives on the line in military service, and they way they chose to bring that point home was to have someone the audience knew and cared about make the ultimate sacrifice. Killing off some guest character that we'd never seen before wouldn't have done the job. I still don't like that they did it, but their choice makes a lot more sense to me than the choices a certain other Executive Producer made to kill off characters.



The only thing I didn't like about the episode was the cheesy "surprise twist" where they tried to make us think O'Neil was the one who'd been killed. As if half the audience didn't already know who was dead, or if we really believed that the guy whose name was above the title in the opening credits (something almost unheard of in TV) would be the one to get killed off.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[Hemiola]

Does anyone here know if Teryl Rothery wanted to leave the show?

[J uk]

There was a webchat with Teryl a few days ago, and it's pretty clear she didn't want to leave:



forums.delphiforums.com/n...&msg=405.1

[Sheridan]

Actually Janet may be deceased but Teryl Rothery still retains one recurring role on the show as the voice of one of the Asgard. And as has beens aid merely beign dead has never been a bar to reappearing on SG-1.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

[Mix]

Woo, you go away for awhile and a whole new forum appears *Cough*

I LOVE Stargate & will admit to crying when I saw Heroes. Janet was one of my Favourite characters and I freely admit to being a Sam/Janet shipper

Quote:

---

The only thing I didn't like about the episode was the cheesy "surprise twist" where they tried to make us think O'Neil was the one who'd been killed

---

Now I actually quite liked this, if I hadn't already know it was Janet I would have totally believed it. I love the way that Sam was so upset, not that I like her upset but do you get what I mean?



*Ramble, Ramble*

_____________


Proud member of the Nancy Tribe!

[BBOvenGuy]

We're less than a month away from the start of Season 8 (and the start of Stargate: Atlantis as well). GateWorld.net has run some spoiler photos that confirm Jack O'Neill's promotion to General (he has a single star on his collar now). Word on the grapevine continues to be that Samantha Carter will be the commander of SG-1, and rumor has it that she'll be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.



Oh, and perhaps the biggest spoiler of the new season - Teal'c has hair!!!

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[WebWarlock]

New one from the Trib.



www.chicagotribune.com/fe...13340426=1

Quote:

---

Successful `SG-1' bucks the trend

Refutes theory that genre shows can't compete



By Maureen Ryan

Tribune staff reporter

Published July 11, 2004



When the popular crime dramas "CSI" and "Law & Order" spawned spinoffs, nobody blinked. And it's no surprise that the producers of "Friends" are hard at work on "Joey," a new sitcom starring one of the Central Perk gang.



But it's worth noting when a veteran science fiction show such as "Stargate SG-1" gets cloned ("Stargate Atlantis" premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on the Sci Fi Channel). Because in today's brutal TV climate, genre programs are far more likely to be canceled than copied.



But "Stargate SG-1," which began its eighth season on cable's Sci Fi Channel last Friday, is quietly disproving the theory that genre shows can't compete in the television marketplace. Unlike "Star Trek: Enterprise," which almost didn't get renewed for a fourth season, or Joss Whedon's acclaimed sci-fi show which only lasted a few months -- to cite just two recent examples -- "Stargate" is enjoying solid success.



Big cable numbers



"SG-1," Sci Fi's highest-rated series, has been pulling in about 2.4 million viewers for each first-run episode, and the sci-fi adventure show is a bona fide top-10 hit in various countries around the world.



But maybe because the show hasn't become a stateside media darling a la "The X-Files," the "Stargate" folks are modest about its success.



"We really are television's best-kept secret," says Hank Cohen, president of television entertainment for MGM, the studio that released the 1994 film from which both programs are derived.



"One thing to keep in mind is that it is relative success," says Richard Dean Anderson, who's a producer of "SG-1" and also stars as that show's "Simpsons"-obsessed military leader, Jack O'Neill. "We are massively successful in the cable market, which is a smaller venue."



But "massive" would certainly describe the sales of "SG-1" box sets, which have been credited with helping shore up the bottom line of MGM. The strong sales of the DVD sets ("Stargate" occupies three of the top five slots in Amazon.com's most recent Boxed Set Best Sellers chart), was a surprise to the producers of the show, as was the performance of "SG-1" when it moved to Sci Fi in 2002 after five years on Showtime.



"We had actually thought after season five, `Well, maybe this thing has run its course,'" says executive producer Robert C. Cooper, who said a move back to feature films was being contemplated at that point.



Instead, he and fellow executive producer Brad Wright got word last year that Sci Fi wanted the feature film idea -- about a team of interstellar explorers finding the lost city of Atlantis -- to become a spinoff series.



When it came to fleshing out the "Atlantis" idea, "the obvious pitfall is not to be seen as cannibalizing yourself and not being derivative," says Mark Stern, Sci Fi's executive vice president of original programming. "How do you take what's working [on `SG-1'] and still have a new approach?"



"Atlantis" wisely doesn't mess much with "SG-1's" success formula. As on "SG-1," there's a "star gate" system that links hundreds of worlds, which are explored by a team headed by a gruff yet charismatic military man (on "SG-1" it's the self-deprecating Anderson; on "Atlantis," hunky Joe Flanigan leads the way).



Can't go home again



The difference on the new show, according to Wright, is that unlike the cast of "SG-1," the "Atlantis" team can't go home again. They're stranded on a new planet with a bunch of alien refugees, and the gate system on that world allows them to travel instantaneously to other planets -- but not this one.



"This isn't a few people going out on a mission and then coming back to Earth," says Wright. "This is akin to 19th Century expeditions to the other side of the world -- it's a large leap of faith. [The Atlantis team members] are very much on their own."



It might have seemed a leap of faith for Showtime and MGM to take a chance on a 3-year-old film franchise back in 1997, but creative thinking on the business end made the venture less risky. In addition to airing episodes on Showtime, MGM also sold the Vancouver-produced show in syndication, where it did extremely well.



"We were doing `repurposing' and `cross-platforming' before it was hip and cool," MGM's Cohen says, referring to the now-common practice of having episodes of programs like "Monk" and "Charmed" appear on two different channels.



"It was just a way to offset higher production costs so we could do a better show," Cohen says. "Now it's become the norm."



Because the business deal between Showtime and MGM worked "so much better" if they made a long-term investment in "SG-1," according to Cohen, before half a dozen episodes had aired, "SG-1's" creative team found themselves with an almost unheard-of 44-episode commitment. (By comparison, last spring Fox's acclaimed supernatural series "Wonderfalls" got on the air a grand total of four times before it was yanked).



"We had a great amount of freedom and certainly Brad [Wright] took that and ran with it, and created this amazing story arc without a lot of interference," says Amanda Tapping, who plays the brainy Samantha Carter on "SG-1."



The "Atlantis" cast and crew have the similar luxury of a whole season to develop the show's stories, which will involve exploration of the city of Atlantis and ongoing battles with the villainous Wraith, who look like really angry backup singers for Marilyn Manson.



"We have the luxury of a 20-episode order on Sci Fi and it's part of a very successful franchise," says Cooper. "It's not like what happens on a network like NBC, where they give a show one or two or three episodes to succeed."



"We're just hinting at where relationships could go at this point," says "Atlantis'" Torri Higginson, who's halfway through shooting the show's first season in Vancouver. "At this point, we're still just trying to define everything."



And those definitions are still very much in flux, according to David Hewlett, who plays prickly scientist Rodney McKay on the new show.



`Horrible mistakes'



"We're out there exploring and we don't know what we're supposed to be doing -- we don't have all the answers," says Hewlett. "We're making horrible mistakes in some cases -- we go onto planets and screw things up. In one case we went looking for food, and two or three episodes later [people from that planet] try to kill us."



Based on a viewing of an advance tape of "Atlantis," its characters are just as fallible as those on "SG-1," and the new show seems to share the older program's quiet irreverence as well.



"That's a waste of a perfectly good explanation," O'Neill says to an overly chatty "Atlantis" scientist in the show's premiere.



"We don't take ourselves that seriously, and I think that has helped us with mainstream audience," Wright notes. "Having said that, we've tackled some really big issues. And you never know, [a TV show or movie] with action and humor can actually move you sometimes."



For interviews with the casts of "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis," plus a poll and a message board, check out chicagotribune.com/stargate.

Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

---

and a picture of Don Davis (and fellow Saluki) here,

www.siualumni.com/index.p...blications



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

Coming Soon to The Other Side, The Netbook of Shadows: A Book of Spells for d20 Witches

Me: I think I'll have a mid-life crisis and bring home a little red convertible Vette.

My wife: Fine, as long as you don't bring home some little red-head.

Edited by: Warduke at: 11/16/04 9:05 am

[Sheridan]

Quote:

---

"We don't take ourselves that seriously, and I think that has helped us with mainstream audience,"

---

Another point it has over a certain ME related show.



Edited to add:

Browsing the SG-1 site and saw that Atlantis has been picked up for season 2 and more surprisingly given previous statements SG-1 is going on to Season 9, though negotiations with the cast are 'currently ongoing'.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

Edited by: Warduke at: 11/16/04 8:59 am

[BBOvenGuy]

GateWorld.net reports that Ben Browder aka John Crichton of Farscape will become a new regular on SG-1, beginning with the Season 9 premiere this summer. I guess the SciFi Channel is going for some star power to make up for the fact that Richard Dean Anderson will only be making (even more) limited appearances as General O'Neill, if he makes any appearances at all.



SG-1 already has Claudia Black making a guest appearance this season, and now there's a report that she'll return for a five-episode arc at the start of next season. Theoretically, she's being brought in to make up for Amanda Tapping's limited availability for the first few episodes. She's pregnant - I don't know her due date.



Will Stargate fans buy the Farscape touch? I'm not sure. I just hope they don't bring Jool in next.

"The stories we tell - that's us explaining how we think the world works. Once we speak it, once we say it aloud, that makes it real for us - and real for everyone else who hears it too. When we tell a story, we invite people to visit our reality. We invite them to move in. Our stories are the reality we live in." - David Gerrold, The Martian Child

[Sheridan]

I'm strictly guessing but I think they decided they needed a new military character to bring SG-1 back up to strength and since Ben Browder is already familiar to viewers on the Sci-Fi channel he seems like a good choice to fill the role; to everyone except the Farscape diehards of course.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the person you l-love

Willow: I am

[TyRex316]

Just had to bump this back up to say "Wow. it was so freaking cool to see Aeryn...I mean Claudia Black again. LOl- totally threw me how they were setting her up to be a love interest for Daniel. Be interesting to see if she stays recurring.

[BBOvenGuy]

Claudia will be back this summer for the first five episodes of Season 9. Her character will be brought back to cover for Sam's absence while Amanda Tapping is on maternity leave.

"...what we leave behind us is, in fact, not our opinions but our examples." - Christopher Isherwood

[jago]

I just watched Claudia Black's first episode of Stargate SG1. Making a joke out of a guy attracted to another guy and a man behaving as if giving mouth to mouth to another guy was the worst thing in the world annoyed the hell out of me.

Other than that it was a really good episode and it was great to see Claudia Black again. I'm looking forward to her returning for a few episodes in season 9 and bringing Ben Browder with her.

[BBOvenGuy]

Both SG-1 and Atlantis have been picked up for new seasons, which as usual will start next summer. For SG-1, it will be Season 10, making it the longest-running American SFTV show ever.

However, as is typical at this time of year, there's talk of some cast changes. Michael Shanks may be leaving (again). Amanda Tapping may find her time split between the two shows. And something I know a lot of people want to see - Claudia Black will become a series regular and appear in all 20 episodes.

[jago]

Both SG-1 and Atlantis have been picked up for new seasons, which as usual will start next summer.

Excellent news. Now all they need to do is just figure out how to bring back Teryl Rothery and Corin Nemec.