Let me start off this installment by congratulating golden boy Martin Gero on his Gemini nomination for best writing in a dramatic series for "The Brotherhood". He won't win, of course, but its great that he's been nominated. Okay, okay. Let me clarify. I would love for Martin to win - but the sad fact is there's no way. And it has nothing to do with the quality of the scripts. Truth be told, besides Martin's script, I haven't read any of the other nominees. In fact, I honestly thought that one of the nominated shows had been canceled two years ago. No, the deck is stacked against a Martin Gero win for two other reasons: 1. We're a damn science fiction show and that's one huge strike against us. Scifi doesn't get the respect here that it gets in the U.K. If this was the visual effects category, then maybe. Heck, as ridiculous as it sounds, even that isn't a slam dunk because we're talking about the Gemini's. 2. Even though the show's crew, writers, producers, and most of the actors are Canadian, Stargate is still considered, for all intents and purposes, an American production. In other words, we're not Canadian enough for the Geminis and it just wouldn't do to reward that sort of behavior. Still, I wish Martin all the best and will do my best to pretend he's got a fair shot at winning.
Just finished watching the director's cut of Camelot. Well, not exactly. I just got off the phone with Martin Wood, congratulating him on the terrific job he did on Camelot - which I just finished watching. Its huge in scope and really feels like a two-parter. There's so much going on including that swordfight I mentioned in a previous blog. HOLY CRAP does Ben take some punishment in this one. He lays it all out and, well, kicks ass. He's been an incredible addition to the show. Michael is also great in this one - determined, occasionally flustered, occasionally cool, and funny. Amanda gets to play both the scientist and the adventurer, while Chris gets to do some throwing down himself. Overall, a terrific season (let's hope not a series) ender.
I was watching the cut with my wife who saw the new SG-1 opening credits for the first time. Wow, was she impressed. She thought it was the best opening credit sequence she'd ever seen. And my wife is an admittedly tough audience.
Still holding off on the ice cream. Now that production is over and I won't be tempted by the lunch truck, I'm going to try to get down to my fighting weight. One hour of cardio a day. One hour of weights. No junk foods. Only leans meats and fish. And I'll study one hour of Cantonese in the morning, and one hour of Japanese in the afternoon.
Oh, almost forgot. We watched the director's cut of Crusade this morning. Robert did a great job with his directorial debut. Some great shots and overall great moments in this one. Of course, he was helped by some amazing performances, and some equally amazing lighting by Peter Woeste. Its nice to have Claudia back.
Tomorrow, Paul and I are going in to watch the day one mix of Collateral Damage (a great Mitchell episode that is not only an off-world adventure, but focuses on Cameron's relationship with his father). To all of you complaining that we hardly know Mitchell - wait 'til the second half of the season. We're just getting started.
We're all off to Vegas for the weekend. In the event we don't come back next year, I've saved up this year's salary and will be putting it down on black. This way, I double my money and don't have to worry about working next year. Wish me luck!
You know, Joe, I feel like someone has to put this out there for you guys. The more that everyone pimps Mitchell and Ben Browder in every single interview, blog, article, etc., the less believable all of the hype and, certainly so far, hyperbole, becomes. Once again the contributions of the other three actors are noticeably marginalized for more "Ben is SOOO kick ass" and "Ben is an incredible addition" bluster. So far, Mitchell is the only member of SG-1 who looks like he has anything close to an episode that features him this year. And from the spoilers, I don't see any development for Carter, Teal'c, or Daniel at all. What kind of half-assed decision is that?
I get that you guys are taking a heap of criticism about Mitchell from your fanbase. But, let's face it, he hasn't been well introduced, he brings absolutely nothing to SG-1 (except some startlingly frightening Marty Sue qualities), and while things may be "better than ever" for you guys, they're not better than ever for the majority of fans. Keeping Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel static for a whole season in hope that you'll be able to catch-up Mitchell is such an insane idea it's laughable. Try to remember what has kept you guys on the air so long, and try not to fall too in love with the shiny, new characters that will, more than likely, loose their luster rather quickly.
If nothing else, your PR department has done a great job of keeping everyone involved with the show "on message" this season. It's just a really phoney sounding message.
I'm sticking with SG-1 this year, but I'm hoping for better from the second half and from season ten. I just wish you guys could give us something to get exicited about, rather than stuff that we're just relieved hasn't gone terribly wrong.
PS
Atlantis would be dead without it's cushy timeslot between SG-1 and Galactica.
Go Joe! I can't tell you how much your blog makes my day. You're freaking awesome!
Good luck, Martin. I really hope you guys get to make a 10th season, and much more than that. And good luck in Vegas.
How do you do it, Joe? You're an executive producer for both SG-1 and SG-A, you watch movies, TV, and anime (yay anime! what's your favorite series?), you have ice cream parties on Fridays, and you have time to work out. You're magical, Joe. Truely magical.
If you get the 'ok' for another season, will 'Mr. Anderson' make a guest appearance? We all miss him greatly!
Goooo Joe!
Joe, i must start of saying one thing...
not Canadian enough?!
thats ridiculous, your definatly canadian enough. But as for the scifi, you are completly right. Almost no award shows have respect for scifi shows which is just as ridiculas as not being canadian enough. they never have respect for scifi shows, even the ones as good as stargate, which is why FireFly got canceled in the first place. well,good luck to martin anyway.
Hi Joe:
I have your enjoyed your blog so much this past season, and hope you plan to continue keeping us apprised of happenings in your life, at Bridge Studios, DVD watching, etc. I have been entertained by your blog, without taking anything too seriously, as I actually have a real life, filled with real people so that I don't go nuts about fictional characters and storylines. The personal insults and rudeness in the comments were really "over the top", and uncalled for in any situation, much less over a show and characters that only exist to entertain, with no foundation in reality.
I really admire how bold the new scripts and storylines were this season. You took a chance and brought us something new, but with a familiar feel to it. I will be glad to see some character development with Mitchell, and continuing development with Carter, Daniel & Teal'c, until they can all fully bond as a team, and rely on each other totally as they enter into this fight against the Ori.
I think Daniel, Teal'c & Carter have kind of lost each other this season, so would love to see them pull together and gain strength from each other as they did in the past, and include Mitchell as a strong presence in the reformed team dynamics. I'm also looking forward to the return of Vala, as I think she brings such excitement and energy to the show, and would love to see her as a recurring, although not permanent, part on the show.
Being as this was practically a new show this year, and it was a little rough around the edges, I look hopefully towards a 10th season, and the show able to evolve into what is only imagined and partly developed this year.
There were some really strong performances from the actors this first half of the season, and the sets were incredible, and all the directors just did a fantastic job. You all did yourself proud!
I hope all of you have a great break, able to relax and come back to a confirmed Season 10 very soon!
Stargate has to be Canadian enough! My friends claimed it was turning my Aussie accent Canadian!
Viva La Seasons 10 & 3! (then 11 & 4) although I guess stargate has to stop some time.... I just hope I die before that happens.
hey joe, love your blogs, only found this site a little while ago so am a little behind the times. the series has only finished season 8 down in australia so can only crasp a little of whats going on especially when they missed the last to eps. why did R.D.Anderson leave? he was the best, i miss him already. quick question, does he still hang about behind the scenes or has he left the show for good?
any way have a great time in vegas and cant wait to hear the go ahead for season 10. :-)
Joe, The beginning episodes of season nine were absolutely wonderful. Incredible dialog, the set designs for the Avalon arc were stunning. The entire cast and crew should be proud of the work theyve done. I know I certainly am.
I watched the new addition to the show, Ben Browder, with a wait-and-see attitude, but I found myself really enjoying his character. But I am increasingly disturbed about the direction of the show the more I read the blogs and spoilers and interviews by a select few.
I do understand that TPTB felt the need to put Browder up on a pedastle and show him off as someone who would help make up for the gap left by the fact that Richard Dean Anderson quit the show but you guys at Bridge Studios appear to have been blinded by your "shiny new addition" to the show and have apparently forgotten that the majority of fans who are still watching after all these years are watching because of the three core characters Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Sam Carter.
I know you feel compelled to push the Ben character but having so many episodes this season that are Ben-centric frankly is beginning to make me gag on this character being shoved down my throat. Don't get me wrong I really like Cameron Mitchell but if TPTB don't wise up and realize that we want to see the other three main characters at the forefont they are going to lose the very core audience that frankly puts the paychecks in their pockets.
I'll admit, I am a devout Daniel Jackson fan. In my opinion Micheal Shanks acting ability ranks right up there along with the best and highest paid actors in Hollywood and Stargate SG-1 is fortunate to have him but it continues to baffle me as to why such a handsome, young talented actor such as he is time and time again pushed to the sidelines. Are you guys nuts! This season we have or apparently will have quite a few episodes where Mitchell's character gets to shine and we gets loads and loads (yawn) and loads of background on him. Yippee....NOT. Sorry but it just doesn't excite me.
I must say I am VERY disappointed that it appears that not a single ep of the second half of the season are going to be even close to a Daniel-centric ep. Now I suppose it's possible that the ep coming up, "Ethon", could be a good Daniel ep. You'd think that an ep which is a sequel to "Icon" (THANK YOU!) , might actually be a Daniel ep I'm not holding my breath.
I realize that you are only one person and as important to the Stargate franchise as you are, you cannot control or influence many of the things I've mentioned but still maybe you could put a bug in the ear of some of those that do so maybe, just maybe TPTB won't screw things again in ways like allowing the shooting of the season eight second half promo without Michael Shanks and taking umpteen publicity shots of Ben all by himself prior to season nine and us Daniel fans finally, if my memory serves me right, on the day of the season premeire, given one ... One Daniel photo. What the heck is up with that? The Teal'c and Carter fans were also shortchanged in the publicity shot department although not quite to this expent so I imagine they were none to happy about that either.
I'm just one small voice in a sea of opinions but please Joe, don't forget the key word describing Ben Browder is "addition ". He is an addition to the cast. NOT the star.
Jkrickit
Hi Joe.
I'm a faithful reader of the blogs here, but mostly a lurker on the site. I'm akimbo at Gateworld, but can't remember my blogger password. Sooooo many passwords....sorry.
Anyway, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for the blogs and your participation with the fans (despite some very bad manners thrust in your direction).
I am a big Daniel Jackson/Michael Shanks character and have appreciated the growth and attention paid the character in the first half of season 9. It's been great to see him and Vala interact, it opens up his character so much.
But I'm also a big Ben Browder fan and I'm straining at the bit for more Cam Mitchell in the second half of season 9 and I'm glad to hear he's been a bright spot for you. I think he is making a positive impact on the show and welcome both Ben and his character's participation.
I just thought I'd add my .02 here to let you know that there are a lot of us that are really enjoying season 9, appreciate your efforts and can't wait until January for more.
Oh and your ice cream descriptions are adding inches to my wasteline just thinking about them...more, more. :)
Personally I'm hoping for a renewal for season 10, but as Wesley Snipes said: "Always bet on black." Good luck in Vegas.
I don't think I'll wish you luck in Vegas. If you double your money by betting on black, maybe you won't care about coming back for S10/S3, just live off the residuals. :-p
Just kidding. Enjoy the (temporary, temporary!!!!) hiatus, and safe trip to Asia next month.
Stargate, it's all about the TEAM! baby.
Joe,
Re: the Mitchell/Ben debate, some of do like him. I can understand this season being heavy on him, actually, since he is underdeveloped compared to the other team members (for the obvious reason that he hasn't been around for 8 seasons already). I also can see thought why people are upset over the focus seeming to only be on him, since it is a team show. It hasn't felt that out of whack to me yet, thankfully, so IMHO it's all good so far (as is Atlantis, which I loved last season, but really fell in love with this season, forcing me to go back to rewatch all of Season 1).
Re: a belated anime comment - since you said you were still slogging through ROD, I'm assuming you mean the ROD TV series and not the OVA, yes? (BTW, thank you for reminding me to mention that and Wolf's Rain in my comments in Rainbow's blog - do you two ever get together to talk anime?)
Re: the Geminis - frankly, I thought the SG shows were gypped. Nomination-wise, I thought they (and Galactica) deserved some acting nods. Alas, you are correct about the SF bias in NA as opposed to the UK (where I'll be damned surprised if the Doctor Who cast doesn't get nominated for awards). As for it being not Canadian enough, hey, does it qualify towards the percentage of Canadian shows that have to be aired on Canadian TV (as opposed to shows made outside Canada), assuming that old requirement is still around? If so, it should damn well be Canadian enough!
ever your servant,
Jennwarp
Joe have a great time in Vegas:)
Thanks for sharing all the information you have given us over the past few months.
The second half of season 9 sounds as awesome as the first. Nice to hear Mitchell is getting more action scenes and more backstory about his character. Always good to hear that Daniel is getting story time too:)
Don't forget to wish a happy birthday to Christopher Judge today:)
Oh and belated Happy Birthday to you too:)
Joe,
Thanks for addressing our concerns about Mitchell. I've felt that Mitchell has been really underused so far, and I'm very anxious to get to know him better. Personally, I think those who are complaining about too much Mitchell haven't been paying attention to the show. He's hardly had anything to do so far!
Basically, I've been enjoying S9, with the exception of wanting to see more Mitchell. I'm looking forward to the second half even more after your comments. Thanks.
ShardsofGlass
Thanks Joe for taking the time to blog and for all the info.
Count me in to being really pleased to hear that Ben as Mitchell will be getting the character development needed so that we can see what makes this new leader tick. I've enjoyed his build-up of relationships with the rest of the team so far, but they've been but snips into his character... The episodes that you mention sound fantastic. He's an excellent actor, so I'm specifically looking forward to seeing him start to get some storyline and airtime.
Thanks,
Kas
Well, Joe, count me as one of those who is terrified that you're going to push Mitchell way, way too much in the second half of the season. As someone above stated, Mitchell is never going to be as developed as the rest of SG-1. There's nothing you can do about it. And it's not due to a lack of screentime or focus in the first half. Mitchell has had plenty of time to make an impression; he'd have made a pretty good one if not for the command debacle. But the fact that he hasn't is very disappointing. At this point, more screentime for such a boring, unengaging character seems like a poor decision. Hey!! Do you remember that big, tall, black dude from the first few seasons? How about some episodes where he gets to do more than push Ben Browder around? Remember that guy with the glasses who figured out that wacky stargate thing? What about him? Remember that chick, the one who didn't get to be in the first five episodes? How about catching her up a little? Or, here's an idea, how about trying to put all three of them in a scene together? Because, you know, they're supposedly friends. That sort of thing happens when you spend eight years saving each other's lives everyday. Like it or not, Cameron Mitchell is always going to be a whole lot more like Jonas Quinn than he will ever be like Jack O'neill, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson, or Teal'c.
Thanks for hearing me out.
David Egen
It looks like you made all of two laest two people happy with all teh Ben propaganda. I'm sure that's enough for a renewal. :<
Oh right, fall in line Jenny, YAY BEN! SG-1 IS BETTER THAN EVER!
Shoulda bagged it after eight if this was how you're gonna mangle a once great show
Thanks Joe for the info! I'm another who's glad to hear we will get to hear more about Mitchell's background. As much as I love the cast who have been around 9 seasons I'm desperate to see some more from the newbies like Mitchell, Landry and Lam as it's new ground. :)
Can't wait to see more Ben in action!
Thanks
BritAngie
Thank you Joe for coming here and keeping us up to date. Ben is indeed a fantastic addition to the Star Gate universe. The prospect of more character development for Mitchell is welcome news indeed! Now if we can just get some good news on season 10!
Good luck in Vegas!
Suze G
Hey, Joe, I was reading over some of the comments left and I think they're way off. I feel that this season of Stargate has been consistently good, its best in ages. I enjoy Mitchell's character and I have faith that he'll grow as the series went on. At the beginning of the show it took Carter a long time to grow, also.
On the Atlantis front you've done some good stuff. This first half of the season wasn't as good as last season but I've had fun nonetheless. I look forward to more.
On your own scripts- I found intruder a little basic but I quite enjoyed the flashback scenes. "The Ties that Bind" was fun if a little unneeded. However, "Ex Deus Machina" was fabulous, a great addition to the series.
Finally, if you see Damien Kindler tell him that with "The Fourth Horseman" he's made a masterpiece. I'm one happy fan.
Thanks Joe.
-Donald
Hey, Joe!
Hope you made it in Vegas, then you can fund production yourself! lol j/k
So, can I come be an accountant in the offices up there? I'm not too far away! I'm halfway through school!!! Please??? lol
I have to say, yes, I like Mitchell, but I miss the team dynamic. And, of course, I miss RDA, especially since he was the original reason I started watching the show. (What can I say? I've loved him since GH! Paging Dr. Weber!lol)
Atlantis is getting even better, can't wait to see more. It's funny, because there are several of us at work who watch one or both of the shows, and we're all chomping at the bit to see the new eps!!! Hurry, January!!!
It seems you can please some of the people some of the time and none of the people most of the time. Joe, you have a really difficult job that you do exceedingly well. I am one of the folks who love the addition of Ben, Beau, and Lexa as well as Louis to your cast. The chemistry mixtures are wonderful.
I think folks are watching different shows when they say that Cameron Mitchell has been pushed forward too much and the other characters have not had enough time to shine. What about Daniel and Vala? What about Sam and Orlin? What about the entire Jaffa sub-plot and the growth of Garrak (sp?) vs. Teal'c? Cameron has had hardly any screen time except to stand around and make comments. No wonder folks think he is lame. Ben is an amazing emoter and physical actor and I welcomed Babylon to show fans what he could do and he didn't disappoint. I'm sorry some fans are disappointed that RDA isn't continuing and then taking their frustrations out on the "new folks." Like I said, you have a really difficult job in balancing introducing new characters while servicing your original characters. You have done an admirable job and I think you for entertaining me so well this first half of the season.
I really look forward now to learning more about what makes Cameron Mitchell tick. He is the leader of SG-1 and has earned the title by pulling the team back together. The Ori are formidable enemies and a great antagonist that will test the SGC to its limits and I can't wait to see how this pans out. Those who say that Daniel hasn't gotten enough screen time I guess haven't seen the fact that he caused this entire mess, got to pal around with Vala, and miss out on his dreams. He is pissed and that is a new development that Michael gets to play with. I am enjoying that development along with Sam's moments of leadership as well as Teal'c's frustrations with the Jaffa. There has been a lot of development but it is subtle. Beau Bridges is a wonderful leader of SGC and I really love the slow warming of Dr. Lam to her father. Over all, I look forward to much more of this personalization.
Thank you again for giving us word of Ben's behind the scene efforts. Have a pleasant hiatus and I look forward to what you have planned for the second half of the season.
I agree that some of us seem to be watching different shows. This show now is extremely stilted and static. None of the leads seem to care about each other anymore, and they all seem to be too preoccupied with random guest character of the week to interact with each other. SG-1 has always been about the team, so what happened so far this year?
Oh yeah, and it does seem like you guys are really sensitive when it comes to the Mitchell character. I know it's rough to take criticism, but as the person above said, so far he is pretty lame. Hopefully Ben Browder can do better in the upcoming episodes than he's done so far. If not, then maybe you should cut him like you did Jonas and go with the three man team.
Hey Joe, there have really been some crappy comments coming from the producers lately regarding Ben Browder. Apparently, Peter Deluise thought he was being left out and decided to chime in. Well, let me tell you the same thing most other people are saying in their comments. Ben Browder is not the star of Stargate. He's not star material. In fact, despite the fact that he was the lead on that other, long dead show of his, he's not a very big name at all. None of my family had ever heard of him before season nine. Believe it or not, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Chris Judge are way, way more well known that Ben Browder. Since you've ragged on the Gemini awards, presumably because you realize that Stargate is a huge show, and the work being put in by everyone is of a very high quality, I figured you guys up there in Vancouver realized how well you had it. In case you don't, here you go: you guys caught lightening in a bottle when SG-1 began. Those four original cast members have the best chemistry of any cast on television. You still have three of them working on the show. How about you tell Scifi to shove it, and start writing stories about the real "stars" of SG-1. Though it's nice to hear from Deluise "It's not just the Ben Browder show", and that the "supporting cast" will still be hanging around playing with themselves.
Do you know what the problem is with shows that "jump the shark"? The problem is that the people making those shows don't realize it until it's way too late.
See any fins in the water?
To anonymous who and his/her family have never heard about Ben Browder before season 9. This "long dead" show you call this has just started in syndication around the USA, so it's no longer dead, as you call it, and actually never was. And it's quite strange you've never heard about Ben Browder, as he is the actor who TWICE won Saturn Award for Farscape (the third time this year for Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars miniseries together with Claudia Black) and Richard Dean Anderson was a looser the same years...
Joe, the addition of both Ben and Claudia, and especially Claudia was the most brilliant decision you've ever made. Such gems as Claudia happen once in a million times. And her chemistry with Michael Shanks is purely magical. Really :)
NEWS FLASH PEOPLE!
Ben Browder IS a leading man. He is also a TEAM player on and off the set. I don't hear him complaining that he doesn't have enough screen time and I don't hear any of the other actors in the ENSEMBLE CAST complaining either.
What about the stellar actors, and LEADING MEN, Beau Bridges and Lou Gossett, Jr? Are they complaining? Seems to me that the only ones that are complaining are fans that are afraid of change. Afraid of moving forward with the show. Like in real life, people change, life circumstances change, jobs change, etc.
What do you do when you change jobs? Do you jump in and take over like gangbusters or do you step back and get the lay of the land? Do you see how the people that you have to work with, work for or work for you as a team dynamic before seeing how you fit into that dynamic? If Mitchell jumped in and took over, some people would resent it. If he steps back and participates while assessing his place in this UNIQUE group of people, then he's considered lame.
When you have individuals in a TEAM that are very specialized in what they do and are on the hierachy level that they are within this supposed military organization in a branch that never existed before, there will be the standard protocol that has existed forever put into place. Mitchell is the technical "leader" of the group, brought on for his military skills and proweress. Carter is the technical gadget, computer, and nerd military person. Jackson is the non-military, lauguage and cultural advisor nerd for the group. Teal'c is the alien link/ambassador gateway to the other parts of the universe, especially the G'ouald. As each mission presents itself, the leader that has the best skills to be at the forefront of that mission steps forward. This is called TEAMWORK.
Unfortunately, for some narrow visioned fans, some characters will never win. They will never be given the opportunity to be seen as the great characters that they are or can become. In that respect, those fans are the ones that will lose. Good sci-fi is hard to come by. Sci-fi fans have to work hard to get new shows/movies to watch or to get a continuation of a series that wasn't given a chance, needed new writing blood or just needed new characters that will impose change. Sci-fi fans get ignored by the industry, but we have some of the best stats when it comes to a dedicated viewership. Why you feel that you have to rip a person, a character or a show to shreds just because it's not being written the way personally you want it to is a mystery to me.
I'm happy with the way this season of SG-1 has been going. I'd be happy if they could do a 2-3 hour slot every Friday night on SG-1 alone. Then maybe we could see some of that personal character development for each of the members of the team that everyone wants. Unfortunately, we only get one measly hour, or I should say 45 minutes, of screen time. Deal with it and be happy. You could be watching 45 minutes of The Dream Team instead. How that dumba$$ series was given actual airtime was something worthy of complaint.
Keep up the great work Joe. I'm happy to be watching your work and am looking forward to what you and the cast have put together to entertain me with. Tell everyone else that there is one satisfied viewer out here that accepts the direction that you have taken and is willing to watch until you run out of stuff to say or do.
Linda
Spoken like a Farscape fan who only came on board Stargate because of the recent additions to the cast. I bet you didn't give a damn about Stargate before and now you probably don't give much of a damn about anyone other than Browder and Black. If anyone can determine the quality of the show now it's the true, long-term fans, not you.
So I thought I'd try a comment that isn't a sycophant grovel or mean-spirited bashing, just my observations.
Folks around here are vehemently critical or supportive about how the characters that they care about are treated and that's great... for them...rather deafening for the rest of us.
The hype into Season 9 was that the show would be "all about the team". Thus far, I've seen very little of that. I've seen 4 characters all working on stuff, occasionally 2 of them will be in the same rooms together for about 2 minutes.
The first 5 episodes abdicated the show over to a guest character (and yes, I understand the staffing issues). The writers had plenty of story choices to handle Tapping's absence. They could have used the 3 other SG-1 actors that were there and get cracking on "the team" dynamics. Now I like the Vala guest character, but she's not part of the SG-1 team.
Supposedly Mitchell is part of team, though I'm not sure why he's the leader. On balance, I haven't seen enough "team" development this season. Specifically, that means seeing the 4 SG-1 staff (Carter, Daniel, Mitchell and Teal'c) interacting together in the same location for longer than 1 minute to solve a problem. Pretty simple. Let's see the 4 main characters doing some cool things together.
Good luck in Vegas. And remember, in the end, the House always wins.
super. you take all the farsacpe fans, lose all the stagate fans. that way you'll get cancelled just like they did. haha
Joe, I know some of these comments are a bit on the fanatical, bitchy side of things, but please don't just dismiss some of the criticisms out of hand because of the way they're presented. People are passionate about Stargate. And they hate to see things going wrong or seeing the overall quality of the show being lessened. And whether or not you guys agree, a lot of fans are worried about those things happening.
My own criticisms with season nine sort of echo the ones above. I too miss the old team dynamic. And it's not just that the dynamic has changed, it's that it appears to be nonexistant. Where are the characters that care about each other? Also, while Vala could be a good recurring character, I believe that you guys have sort of run that well dry. Just remember, a little goes a long way. Finally, it would be nice to know what happened to Jack O'neill. Unlike Ben Browder, Richard Dean Anderson actually was the star of the show. For eight years. I hope that he will at least have a couple of guest spots, if he wants them. If not, then I would hope that you won't have the characters forget he ever existed.
PS
The whole command issue with SG-1 is pretty muddled, too. Mitchell doesn't seem very capable of leading. He certainly pales when the other cast members are "doing their things". I guess what I'm saying is, if you guys (meaning the writers and Ben Browder) were going to write and play the character as weakly as he has been played, then why wasn't Carter put in command and Mitchell made a new Major joining the team? I don't think anyone would have had a problem with that. It certainly would have avoided the debacle it's become.
Anyway, thanks for reading my concerns. Hopefully.
Kalliope, try not to take offense so easily. The fact that some have no idea who Ben Browder or Claudia Black are is not an insult to them. Ben Browder is not really a big name, nor are the Saturn Awards a terribly big deal. Try to remember that not everyone trolls around the internet and that not everyone is a fanatical science fiction fan.
You know, for a season and storyline that was supposedly "all on Michael Shanks", there seems to be an awful lot of Ben Browder pushing. We got spammed in season seven and didn't like it. I hope you don't try the same with Mitchell in season nine.
From,
A Worried, Disappointed Daniel Fan
I would just like to tell you that both me and all of my friends that come over for our weekly Stargate party have been absolutely blown away by Season 9. It is amazingly good. Thank you for continuing to produce such a great show. We all have our fingers crossed for a 10th season. I even try to make it back home every few fridays so I can sit down and watch the show with my father. We have REALLY REALLY enjoyed season 9; It has been appointment TV.
Sorry there "Worried, Disappointed Daniel Fan" but most of the first bit of this season was almost ALL Daniel...so I'm not sure exactly what you're disappointed in.
And although I'm one of many who look forward to Carter stuff primarily, I agree ENTIRELY with the observations Rosewood made above. So...ditto to all of that. More team interaction...team bonding...team working together as a *gasp* TEAM...that would be cool.
As for the "Ben's the star" thing...right now I'm still kinda wondering why Cam's even there. The leader debacle certainly doesn't help him look better. So I'm hoping that we'll see how well he gels as time goes on. I think we might from the spoilers...but for people to think he's the star and the others are supporting cast is wholly insulting to CJ, AT and MS. It's an ensemble cast folks and they're all stars.
And Kalliope, still calling RDA a loser? Wow...that's just oh so SAD on so many levels.
So Joe...here's to Season 10...more team...LOTS MORE SAM :P (sorry but the first part of this season seemed so barren without her...but thankfully the band FINALLY got back together)...and some RDA guest shots for good measure.
Mary Beth
http://www.uberamandafan.com
Sorry - I put this on the wrong Blog entry and want to put it here too in case you do not revisit comments on the older blog entries.
Joe - I know this is not your quote but since you generously make yourself available, and there is realy no where else to go,and writing a letter takes waay to long and never gets answered anyway, can you please ask PDL what he meant by the following statement on his recent Gateworld interview whcih I found to be incredulous:
"It's not just The Ben Browder Show now. It's more about the qualities of the supporting cast, I think." Just who the heck was he talking about? I hope it was Beau Bridges, Lexa Doig and Lou Gossett.
As others have said it is not, and never should have been thought of, as the Ben Browder show. You, and others, and now this ridiculous comment about the "supporting cast" are just turning off a lot of the Stargate fans that kept you guys employed and cashing a paycheck for 9 years because many, many of us watched a show called Stargate SG1 and we still watch, believe it or not, BECAUSE of the LEADING CAST members Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge. Believe me there are plenty of fans who watch for them and NOT because of Ben Browder. For 8 years a very large fan base followed these three MAIN, LEAD characters around and, for the most part, enjoyed the ride. Please, it would be nice if you, RCC, PDL and others would not insult the Stargate fans by continuously blowing off about how great Ben Browder is to the almost total exclusion of the original lead cast members. BTW, I really am not interested in Mitchell's relationship with his Dad. I (and many others have expressed the same interest) am more interested in, and concerned with, seeing what his purpose is on the team, what does he bring to the team that was not already there with Sam, Teal'c and Daniel? What qualifies him to co-lead the elite team with Carter cuz so far I have seen almost zero that shows me any of this.
Please let us know what PDL has to say or ask him to clarify his statement. As many of these posts have said, the pushing and shoving of Ben Browder down our throats is getting a little old. Talk is indeed cheap. Show us why he deserves to be on this team and co-leading it with Carter.
Thanks for your time. (and in the spirit of people complaining about anonymous posters being afraid to ID themselves I am IDing myself below partly because I am not sure how to sign-in - it tells me I have no account when I try to sign-in like I do at GW forum.)
Binkpmmc
4:54 PM
Joe, have more faith in Martin Gero's Gemini nomination - "Duet" was wonderfully unique. But if MG wins, it must be "shared" with David Hewlett. I doubt anyone else could have pulled off that performance. ;o). . .*thinking positive thoughts*
As far as losing weight, come ON man. .the HOLIDAY season is coming. No one eats properly during the Holidays! *LOL*
Please continue to visit us during the hiatus. We enjoy your wit and behind-the-scenes stories, and we aren't all rabid dogs out for the kill. :o)
Ack. .just realized Martin was nominated for "Brotherhood", not "Duet". Equally good anyway! (that comes from hitting "Submit" instead of "Review" when the boss walks into the room. *shaking head*
I'll just say I echo everyone. More team dynamic, where the hell did Jack go?, Who is Browder and why does he think he leads the team?, ect...
Bonnie/Cybrokat said...
I'll just say I echo everyone. More team dynamic, where the hell did Jack go?, Who is Browder and why does he think he leads the team?, ect...
---
Ben is a lead actor from another show and also film appearances.
His character doesn't think he leads the team... he does lead the team...the General has given command to Mitchell.
Kas
To Kas:
Hey if that's what you need to sell yourself on Ben's perfomance, whatever. But that's not what most people are seeing.
Mitchell leading the team is something the writers did in order to get the Farscape fans to watch the show. So far in season nine, Mitchell has done very little at all. In spite of what gets said, he doesn't do any leading during the episodes. In fact, at various points Daniel, Teal'c, and Carter all seem to have done more "leading" than Mitchell. I wish he brought something to the show, but right now he's just a body. If he wasn't there every week, most people would probably think he's a red shirt. Maybe he should be.
Joe, have you ever been to the OFFICIAL SONY PICTURE's SG-1 Board? Not only we're having much more fun than majority of people here at Gateworld, but we REALLY enjoy and love what we see in Season 9. The chemistry between Claudia and Michael is so wonderful and magical that I hope to enjoy much more of it in season 10 (fingers crossed!), Vala and Daniel are just made for each other :) Ben is doing great job as the new leader, and he is the leader, some people just don't want to notice it, unfortunately. I love Beau Bridges as General Landry and I'm looking forward to more of a background story of him and his daughter, Lexa is also great addition to the show. There was a basketball game at the beginning of the Beachhead, maybe next time you'll organize for them volleyball on the beach offworld: Vala and Teal'c against Daniel and Mitchell? :)
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This post has been removed by the author.
Oh heavens Joe. Spare yourself from the Sony board. I saw it. Although there seems to be a couple people who enjoy all the characters and respect the history of the show, that board's mostly 15 or so Vala and Daniel fans who detest Sam and literally chant about how they want Vala and only Vala next season. It's kinda cultlike and very VERY scary.
I don't think they understand the notion of actually appreciating the contributions of all the characters (even though I don't fully appreciate Cam and don't get why he's there yet, I'll withhold final judgment on him til the end of the season) and not pitting them and their fanbases against each other.
I like Vala (primarily because of The Powers that Be) and would love to see her as someone who drops by once in a while. A recurring character.
But please...hear me on this and take it to heart...she's too over the top to be sustainable as a fulltime character...much like Felger (who I adore). Especially not at the cost of an integral member of the team. But hey...it'd keep those 15-20 people really happy and it'd only cost you a huge chunk of the show's fanbase.
Just my 40 pesos...
Mary Beth
http://www.uberamandafan.com
I've been to the Sony board too... I was so offended there, I never visited again. It's like the wicked step sister of Our Stargate forum. +shudders+
"...15 or so Vala and Daniel fans..."
Whoa, wait. There's no way there's fifteen different people over at Sony. That's far too generous of an estimate.
"Anonymous said...
'...15 or so Vala and Daniel fans...'
Whoa, wait. There's no way there's fifteen different people over at Sony. That's far too generous of an estimate."
Hey, now, Anonymous...I was trying to be nice.
Oh wait...I did call them a cult though, didn't I??? I guess some people might not consider that to be very "nice"...especially the cult members themselves.
Oh well. :p
Mary Beth
http://www.uberamandafan.com
Hi Joe! I was hoping you could ask Richard Dean Anderson if he could come back and be in some episodes. Thanx.
Kalliope - GTFO MY INTERNETS
Careful with your money for this year. My parents went to Vegas last year and lost a crapload on black. But I hope you two have fun.
I'm hopeful for an SG to get a Gemini, but the day the franchise is recognized in a good way is a day that Daniel dies and doesn't come back.
Regarding Anime, over here in Victoria I'm a member of an Anime Club and awhile ago we were watching a series called Cromartie High. Very funny with lots of great references. I definately suggest you look into it, cause I'm sure with your sense of humor you'd enjoy it. Watch it with your wife and have a few good laughs.
Happy gambling,
Meg.
Joe - I just have to chime in here too - stay away, far, far away, from those Sony boards. They are dominated by a very, very small group of poeple who are rabid in their dislike of certain characters (kind of like another board you ARE familiar with that hopefully you have also learned to stay out of). I went to Sony thinking that, as a major studio board, it would be open and welcoming to ALL fans of the show, unfortunatley it has become a joke and open only to those that have the same opionions as the few who dominate it. Once I saw the complete lack of respect for anyone with differing opinions I high-tailed it out of there - small loss, very small, if you ask me.
Binkpmmc
"Still holding off on the ice cream. Now that production is over and I won't be tempted by the lunch truck, I'm going to try to get down to my fighting weight. One hour of cardio a day. One hour of weights. No junk foods. Only leans meats and fish."
Ha! I knew all that ice cream was going to catch up with you.
pettygrew
I too would stay away from the Sony
forum. If you are getting your information about Vala that way, it's only been skewed.
I also wish to express my concerns about the whole getting back to the roots, as of right now ( and this is coming from one who's been around from day one on Showtime)
I'm really not seeing the team aspect as of yet. If the second half of the season starts to feel like SG-1 of old, then I'll say good job. But right now it's not.
Thank you,
LaCroix
How can some of you say this year sucks. It is the best year so far. Yes there are plot holes and they do not stick to the previously layed down Stargate lore, it is, however; an excellent season.
More time on Mich Cam eh? Joe what we want is our beautiful KICKASS Carter back. Cam does need to become more realist and have a deeper character traits. What he is now is an empty shell. There is nothing to dig your fingers into to see him as a real character or a real person.
One more thing Joe. With having to do with Cam, we at www.sg1archive.com forum have wondered: What did Cam do in the battle over Antartica to deserve the Medal of Honour? Please, Sg-1 did lot more than that. They saved the earth what 7 or 8 times. Yet no MOH for them. No recognition for Teal'c's or Daniels contribution. Yet Cam gets shot down,survives and gets the MOH. See, it is that kinda stuff that makes it hard to see him as a real person.
Any whoo. Keep up the good work on S10.
PS. It SEEMS like a TWO parter? I think you are teasing us there Joe.
Just wanted to say you're doing at great job, keep it up!
Joe, the NEW and improved SG-1 (the mini-series of the first five episodes) has really brought great amount of new people to the show and a great amount of those who left in the past but now returned because of the new, much better quality and new, much more interesting and unique characters, yup I'm talking about wonderful Vala here. You know what precious gem you have in your hands in the form of charming and incredibly talented Claudia Black. Don't waste it, please. The QUALITY MATTERS.
Joe - quality does matter - 8 years of quality - don't lose sight of that quality. That's the quality of the show that has kept it on the air this long with a very strong and large fan base that existed long before certain lower quality aspects of the show cropped up. Here's hoping that the growth in quality we saw start again with ep 6 of S9 continues (well, at least until ep 19) then we'll have to judge if the quality goes back down to where it was in the first 5, that would be disappointing to the many, many fans of Stargate that have kept it in business all these years.
What I don't get is that some of the posters are absolutely convinced that if their favorite character isn't front and center, then the show is crap and doomed to fail.
Hello--the ratings for the show have been pretty good no matter how the season 9 detractors try to spin it. And not everyone dislikes the new additions. Vala and Mitchell are great characters and if they brought over some of the Farscapers, terrific.
If the show were all about Sam or Daniel or Mitchell or any one particular character, people would get tried of it. The wide appeal of Stargate is that it is about many different things.
I liked the Daniel/Vala storyline but I wouldn't want it all season long, same for the Jaffa storyline or Sam's many loves or whatever.
I have watched Stargate from the beginning and am a fan of ALL the characters old and new.
Those of you not enjoying the changes in the show, feel free to speak for yourself, but please do not presume to speak for all.
Kalliope said...
Joe, the NEW and improved SG-1 (the mini-series of the first five episodes) has really brought great amount of new people to the show and a great amount of those who left in the past but now returned because of the new, much better quality and new, much more interesting and unique characters, yup I'm talking about wonderful Vala here...
MINISERIES??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA Wow. Whatever.
By your own admission on the GW forum, you saw very little of SG-1 prior to Prometheus Unbound (maybe 1 or 2 eps or so) so forgive me if your plea for the "new and improved SG-1" falls on really deaf ears. And sorry but the numbers don't show your "great amount of new people"...SG-1 is pretty much as stable as always.
Sorry Joe...
But although Claudia Black is a brilliant actress and the Vala character is interesting enough for me to want to see her again next year A LITTLE, all the first five episodes did was show me how incredibly VITAL Samantha Carter is to the SG-1 landscape since the show really didn't get rolling until the TEAM reunited in Beachhead (then officially in EDM) and proves my point that Vala is too over the top for long term consumption...kind of like a funny joke you hear over and OVER...for 4 hours straight. 10 minutes into it you're like "Okay...ENOUGH ALREADY." A little goes a long way...etcetera, yadda, blah blah blah, and all that.
"Miniseries"...*rolls eyes sharply*
Mary Beth
(who's just a little snarkier this post than usual...)
:o
Interesting that the ratings didn't start to go down until Carter came back. And don't say it was because of the Vala shows, if that was true than the ratings would have gone down after Avalon or maybe Origin.
Since we're generalizing and all, a lot of folks are sick of Sam taking over the storylines at the expense of other characters, sick of her screwing up and then getting patted on the head and told she's a good girl who didn't mean to give away Earth's secrets, sick of every male in the galaxy bowing at her feet, sick of her angsting over her lovelife and sick of her fans telling us that the show isn't any good without her.
Having Sam come back after 5 high energy, entertaining shows was a bit of a let down. As one reviewer put it, she is extemporaneous. Vala didn't replace her in those first episodes, Bill Lee did and quite well. As she has been written lately, she has no stake in the Stargate universe; it only gets in the way of her love life.
You Sam ranters are rivaling the Danny ranters for wanting your favorite to be the be all and end all of Stargate. You want to be the leading lady that every man adores particularly Jack, the National Treasure one who solves every crisis, and the leader who gets to order around every one else--the very definition of a Mary Sue. I guess the boys just get to stand around and look pretty while Sam does it all.
Yes, snark does abound today.
Oh my, yes, "Anonymous", that was soo snarky! My God, I'm going to have to take a few hours to recover, then see if I can reread that wonderfully rational post without the snark jumping right out of my monitor and attacking my usually snarkproof sensibilities. Perhaps there might be some sort of snarkboots I could purchase that will allow me to wade through the copious and ever-rising amounts of snark that I might have to cope with if I am to continue to chuckle over the anti-character (read anit-Carter) sophistry one is likely to encounter in these snark-filled waters. For the time being, I'll have to content myself with a visit to the snark ward of my local hospital where hopefully my bruised emotions will be nursed back to health.
Chris
Dear Joe- Thank you for taking the time to even do a blog, much less have to wade through all the varying comments. I wanted to say that I've been an SG-1 fan from early on-sometime in S2, I've seen every episode, and I think S9 is going well. I really like Mitchell's character- and I hope we get the "team/family" feel in the second half. A very large part of what carried SG-1 through 8 seasons was the UST between Carter and O'Neill. You know what I mean. Let's face it- a large part of the fan base was female who tuned in just to see RDA. Now, having O'Neill around is not an option, but having some sort of 'ship/angst' represented is, even if's not Jack and Sam. Please, give the shippers something to look for. By the way, I loved the scene where Vala offered Daniel an apple...
Browder ranters, Danny Ranters, Carter Ranters, I don't know what's wrong with people. I like SG-1, the whole show, and I hate to see any one part of it silence the rest. That's why I hate Mitchell. Adding a fourth this year after being a three man team last year makes no sense. He brings nothing to the table except being a placeholder and someone for everyone else to talk at. What I don't get is why you added someone knew instead of bringing back Jonas--Corin has said he'd like to return. It would have made more sense for him to be on sg1 than Mitchell would ever have and it would have felt more like the team everyone loves instead of this thing we've got now. At the least he should have played Kalek just to close up a plot hole or two.
You Vala ranters are rivaling (no make that you are equal too if not beyond) the Danny ranters for wanting your favorite to be the be all and end all of Stargate. The vala ranters are OTT with their rhetoric, seems a lot of them are drive-bys, amny of whom admit they have not seen much Stargate at all, and who obviously from their comments, have no appreciation for the 8 years of HIGH quality the show brought to the table LONG BEFORE the quality took it's major downturn in the first 5 eps of S9.
And talk about writing a character as a Marty Sue - have you seen the background on Mitchell? Marty Sue to the nines. As many posters and blog entry's have said before, too bad they aren't showing it though, just telling us, as if we should believe it because TPTB said so. SHOW me what Mitchell has to offer this team, talk is cheap. Let him walk the walk because so far he has not shown anything that indicates he deserves to be co-leading this team, never mind me a member of it, other than the fact that he was promised because someone SAID he deserved it. If he had been brought in as a Sergeant or as a Major who was working to learn from the best, as he said he was, and someone who was aspiring to be the leader of SG1 - SOMEDAY when he actually deserved it - he would be believable and credible on the team, as it stands right now he's just a Marty Sue with a lot of stuff I've been TOLD to believe but not SHOWN (and what I have been shown is not really cutting it at this point).
Seems like a quite big dose of a pure oxygen in the form of crazy and wonderfully energetic Vala is a killer to those who prefer stale, stinking atmosphere... ;)
yes, pure oxygen, just like I like my whores.
Wow, just got back from seeing Serenity. What a great action-packed movie! It really is a shame we can't see SG1 in a movie.
Dear Mr. Mallozzi:
Here's a horse of a different color to cleanse your pallette from the various pro/anti character comments.
Kudos to you and the rest at Bridge, Sony, the filmmakers association, etc., for allowing the Ver Ager set to be used for Halloween to help the BC Children's Hospital.
I'd attend the haunted house, but I live on the wrong coast, and I don't have the requisite child "ages six or up" to remind me it's not real. :-)
Anonymous said...(in bold italics)
Interesting that the ratings didn't start to go down until Carter came back. And don't say it was because of the Vala shows, if that was true than the ratings would have gone down after Avalon or maybe Origin. Actually, according to the media analysts who post on the forum, it's not related to Carter or to Vala...simply the way the ratings trend during that point in the season.
Since we're generalizing and all, a lot of folks are sick of Sam taking over the storylines at the expense of other characters, sick of her screwing up and then getting patted on the head and told she's a good girl who didn't mean to give away Earth's secrets, sick of every male in the galaxy bowing at her feet, sick of her angsting over her lovelife and sick of her fans telling us that the show isn't any good without her. Sooo, not a Carter fan right? *marks NO on the survey* And she doesn't take over the show, hon. She contributes. She makes mistakes. She is a human being with strengths and weaknesses...just like everyone else on the team. It is a team show and sometimes the show focuses on individual story arcs. Just like Lifeboat wasn't Daniel "taking over the storylines at the expense of other characters" nor was Changling Teal'c "taking over the storylines at the expense of other characters."
Having Sam come back after 5 high energy, entertaining shows was a bit of a let down. As one reviewer put it, she is extemporaneous. I'm going to guess you meant "extraneous." And to consider Carter "irrelevant" is laughable. Sorry you were let down...I and many others were blissfully relieved.
Vala didn't replace her in those first episodes, Bill Lee did and quite well.Yes...they needed a strong leading lady to fill in and Dr. Lee fit that bill (so to speak). And by the "get rid of Sam and have Vala be the new member of the SECOND ORIGINAL SG-1 TEAM" nonsense, I have to question the assertion that Vala diehards don't feel as though she "replaced" Sam. The reality is (try looking that word up in the dictionary), Claudia Black filled in as a leading lady while Amanda was away...she was there temporarily and like I said before, was a reminder to me why Sam is such a vital character on the show and that Vala is not sustainable as a full time component on the show but would make for a great recurring character.
As she has been written lately, she has no stake in the Stargate universe; it only gets in the way of her love life. Yes...that's why she was there in Beachhead...to angst over Jack...and that's why Mitchell was begging her to return to the SGC and why General Landry argued with O'Neill to get Sam to come back...because her romantic life was so valuable to the program. *cough*
You Sam ranters are rivaling the Danny ranters for wanting your favorite to be the be all and end all of Stargate. I'll guess you'll lump me as a "Sam ranter"...although I don't want her to be the "all and end all of Stargate". I believe I said that although I personally enjoy her the most, I'm really interested in seeing more of a team component that seems missing at the moment...the team working together to solve problems and bonding in their off hours.
You want to be the leading lady that every man adores particularly Jack, I'd love to be the leading lady whom Jack adores. Oh, you mean Sam?
the National Treasure one who solves every crisis, Bitter much? Wait, I thought Sam was the screw up who ruined everything...now she's Super!Sam who solves every crisis??? Actually I like an even portrayal of ALL the characters...just like the actors, I enjoy when they mess up just as much as I enjoy when they succeed.
and the leader who gets to order around every one else--the very definition of a Mary Sue. I guess the boys just get to stand around and look pretty while Sam does it all. While I am a proponent for Sam (you know, the officer with the experience and training) to be THE leader of the team, I can deal for the time being with a co-leadership scenario since Mitchell said he wanted to serve under Carter and learn from the best. And don't those boys look purdy???
Yes, snark does abound today. Wow...I hadn't noticed.
Really.
Mary Beth
(the designated Übersnark Queen for the day)
:p
You Sam ranters are rivaling the Danny ranters for wanting your favorite to be the be all and end all of Stargate. You want to be the leading lady that every man adores particularly Jack, the National Treasure one who solves every crisis, and the leader who gets to order around every one else--the very definition of a Mary Sue. I guess the boys just get to stand around and look pretty while Sam does it all.
Wow, "Anonymous". Television show? Fictional characters? In with the good air, out with the bad air, hun. Your psychotherapy bill must be HUGE each week. Yipes.
have fun in Vegas! I'm really enjoying SG-1 this season. Here's wishing you and the cast and crew all the best for your downtime!
Irimaelen
Joe, Avalon just aired over here this week and I thought it was good. I enjoyed seeing Sam in it, what a nice surprise. From what I've read on here in the Avalon thread though, are you telling me that she doesn't have command of SG-1 when she gets back? How is that possible? Is this because Amanda was out on maternity, so she lost her spot? I don't think Mitchell outranks her, but maybe I didn't pay close enough attention when watching. Why would you guys do this? Ben Browder joins the cast and everyone else gets kicked to the curb? Talk about loyalty. I'll bet AT is real glad she came back now. :[
hi, joe,
want to hear my season 10 wish list? really, you do? great! ;)
*more sam.
*more team. working together. at the same time, in the same scene.
*learn more about mitchell.
*learn more about landry.
*either sam in charge of sg1, or continue with the co-leading thinger. OR, give sam a command of her own again (another team, run the alpha site, commander of the base :p). just let sam be in charge of something again! ;)
*rda/jack returns for an ep or two.
*SAM AND JACK IN A RELATIONSHIP*:D:D:D
*sally marries rda. (oops, how'd that one get in there :p)
take care,
sally :D
There's a place in Vegas that has indoor skydiving (in a vertical wind tunnel). I never got a chance to do it, but if I ever go back, it's on the top of my list.
Cesar's Palace had a pretty funny Atlantis set-up. Hokey, but kinda fun.
In Search of the Obelisk at the Luxor was cool. If it's interactive ride whatsit I'm thionking of, it was very "Burt Gummer of Stargate Command." LOL! Cheesy as hell, but fun. I actually had really good luck at the Luxor slots, too.
Definitely take in the Bellagio fountain show. We went almost every night we was there. But skip the Volcano at the Mirage- it was really lame.
Have fun and good luck!
why not korean? if you know korean, you can just go to a korean store, and rent a drama or movie before its subbed. anyways, can't wait to watch crusade ^_^
Hey Joe, I just watched New Order on my season eight dvds, and I just wanted to congratulate you again on just how fantastic of an episode it is. It's the best season opener SG-1 has ever had, and that's saying something.
Not to be too much of a downer now, but I'm still waiting for season nine to deliver like that. And, hopefully without adding too much fuel to the already raging inferno (no pun intended), there really is no plausible reason for Mitchell to be part of SG-1. The three man team works perfectly and seamlessly. No one stands around with nothing to do, no one is superfluous. And there is certainly no reason for Mitchell to command SG-1. That's just a sad, pathetic joke.
Anyway, back to the adulation. New Order really rocked, as did the rest of season eight. The last two seasons of SG-1 were just incredible. I hope season nine doesn't continue to regress the characters as it has done so far.
As far as dvd recommendations go, try checking out some of your old work from seasons seven and eight. That's how the SG-1 team is supposed to be behaving around each other.
Brad
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Wow you people are funny. If you can't work out why Ben Browder's character is the leader of SG1 just by reading the credits (Mr Mallozzi's risable 'joint command' feelings soother aside) or why younger prettier actresses are being gradually inserted while the aging ex-romantic lead is being gradually phased out you really need to take a little day trip to reality some time. Season nine is the way things are going to be in the furture. The ratings are good, the media attention is good, the show is revitalised and I'd be expecting a whole lot more of the things you are so dead set against rather then less. So I guess the question is, if you think the show is ruined by RDA's departure (not just from the cast BTW but from the production group as well) and you think that a rather mediocre, hefty 40-something actress makes a believable Love Godess to the Universe, why the heck are you still watching? An enormous amount of people are watching and enjoying the new SG1, so why don't you just stop whining at a producer who probablt wouldn't want to do anything about it even if it was within his authority and leave the show (and the boards) those of us that are still loving it?
You'll be back next year. Sci Fi, MGM & Sony are all in this business for the money making, and both Stargate shows are very profitable franchises. Just look at the numerous ads thrown our way in every single Sci Fi & MGM newsletter. They like you, they keep promoting you, they'll bring you back next year. Simple as that.
Hi Joe, thanks for all you do for the shows. As a long time fan, I have to agree with some of the criticism aimed at the way Mitchell's character has been pushed to the front and center to the detriment of team interaction.
I'm actually inclined to like both the actor and the character, but the MoH was a definite "Oh puuuulease!" moment from a fan who is readily inclined to suspend disbelief. And it hasn't gotten much better since. The hype is a bit much.
I also think we get that he "doesn't give up," and will fight to overcome all odds. (yawn) I think it would help if you just wrote him as a competent soldier (who should have enough common sense and experience not to make dumb mistakes) with a little wonder at the surprises of the universe. I agree that he has the potential to be a refreshing and fun addition to the show, but so far, it hasn't entirely worked for me.
By all means, go visit the Sony forum. Hallowed there are all things Vala and Daniel. You will find that their devout worship of these characters is rivaled only in proportion to their hatred of all things Sam and ship. If you've received messages of hate about AT/Sam's hair, smile, immature stalking behavior, overweight 40-something body, toenails, appendix, lipstick, nose hair or anything else their wild imaginations can dream up, at the Sony forum you will find their Point of Origin. I think (hope) you would find it amusing (and possibly quite horrifying to witness fandom gone to such extremism).
Anyway, to end on a more cheerful note, I'm looking forward to the second half of the season, and I really hope we get a 10th season.
I love the 9th season! I love the addition of Ben Browder to the show. He really adds a great quality to SG1 and I can't wait to see the 2nd half of the season!
I must say though, as much as I love seeing Claudia Black....please do not make her a permanent part on the show. I enjoy the SG1 so much better when Vala is not around because the original "feel" of the show vanishes when she's in an episode. The entire episode seems too comical when Vala's around. The essence and "the edge" that StarGate SG1 had before season 9 seems lost when Vala's around. Don't get me wrong...I think Claudia is the greatest but the character Vala just seems out of place.
It's just a suggestion but I think the producers need to give Claudia her own series. It needs to be something that will highlight her talents and allow her to shine. The series should be something that doesn't pair her up with Ben. As much as I like seeing them perform together, Farscape is over unfortunately but like they say, all good things must come to an end. It's time Claudia has something of her own.
One last thing....please do not forget about Amanda, Michael and Chris. They are the reason I started watching SG1 in the first place.
Hi Joe, I just saw Avalon 1 here in the UK, and am cautiously optimistic for the rest of season nine. Here's a few thoughts.
Vala wasn't as bad as she was last season, though I think her constant presence may begin to stretch the bounds of believability. She is a recurring character. Seeing her everyweek might be a bit much.
Mitchell was ok too, but he's sort of bland. I don't know, maybe I'm having a hard time with the actor who plays him. He seems not as good as the others. But the character has potential, and he's as good a fourth member as anyone, I suppose. I hope he doesn't do too bad of a job until Carter gets back (I'm hoping the rumors of Mitchell leading are just that,rumors).
It was a nice surprise to see Carter in Avalon. She looks great, and when she gets back to leading SG-1 things will settle down and the characters will be more comfortable. If those nasty rumors are true, then it will be the single stupidest, most illogical bit of misogynism I've seen on Stargate.
Daniel was different, but it was nice to see him react so violently to Vala. I hope he settles down some and stops trying to be Jack with the wisecracks.
Teal'c needs to be in it more. Where was he for most of this episode? Where is all the big Jaffa stuff?
The jury is still out on Landry. He talks awfully weird. And it seems like he's trying too hard to be "The General". But, it's just his first episode, so I'll reserve judgement.
Thanks for reading this. I'll write one for Avalon 2 next week.
Joe, how come Cameron Mitchell is considered coleader of SG-1? The guy has never even been through the stargate before! And how come Ben Browder plays Mitchell as so childish? He doesn't even seem capable of coleading. I know that Amanda Tapping may not be available full time, but what you've got going with Mitchell is the most unbelievable part of the series to date. Did you guys really think that you could just bump Carter and no one would notice? That no one would care? Not to mention the fact that Mitchell will never be accepted now by a huge number of fans because of this. What a bonehead move.
Jane
A Disappointed, Angry Nine Year Fan
Oy, just read that previous comment. I was only going to pop on to comment on MG's nomination but I guess now is as good a time as any to give my thoughts about the season so far.
Personally, I like Mitchell and I'm holding out for bit more development of the character. I have to say that the only reason I came back this year was for the new characters. I have been with this show for almost the entire run (my first ep was "Emancipation") but it was starting to feel a bit stale to me last season (feel free to get out the tar and feathers) so I was glad to see the new characters. It felt fresh again this year in many ways and for that, I am happy.
I will be interested to see what happens with all the new folks later this season. I'm also hoping for more development of Landry and the doc. I'd love to know a little more about why they don't like each other.
I know there are those who will want to flog me for what I'm about to say but...I LOVE Vala. She's fun and fresh and Claudia is perfect in the role. I love that the writers have really warmed to her. I'd like to see her a *little* more independent of Daniel but overall, I like her.
On the Atlantis front, keep up the good work. I like it. Lost Boys wasn't my fave ep of the season but not bad overall. I'd LOVE to see more stuff like "Seige" and "Duet"--great stuff (I've hooked several people on Atlantis with Sei