Ming-Na (Camille Wray)
Beware of minor SPOILERS for the upcoming episode “Life” in the report below.
The third Stargate series will go where Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis didn’t: It will have gay characters. Stargate Universe series creators Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright told fans during their stage panel at Creation Entertainment’s official Vancouver Stargate convention earlier this month.
“There are at least one and potentially more gay characters on Universe,” Cooper said in answer to a fan’s question.
Wright added, “There’s actually two.”
One of those characters is Camille Wray, the I.O.A. representative on board the Destiny, new casting documents reveal. The character is played by actress Ming-Na.
In the show’s seventh episode, “Life,” viewers will meet Wray’s long-time partner back on Earth, Sharon. The character is listed as a lead guest, and possibly recurring. Camille uses the Destiny’s long-range communications device to return home to Sharon for a brief respite.
Stargate Atlantis did have a few gay characters itself, at least in the minds of the producers — though it never made it onto the screen. Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi has stated that character of Alicia Vega was written to be a lesbian (story). But after her introduction in the Season Five premiere, she was quickly killed off in just her second appearance (“Whispers”).
Mallozzi also said that there was another character on Atlantis he always thought was gay, though the right time (read: not forced) to reveal it on screen never materialized.
The decision to include gay characters on Universe was born from the desire to focus the show on its characters and their relationships with one another.
“This goes towards our goal to make the characters on Universe as complex and complicated and realistic and identifiable as we can, to as many people as we can,” Cooper said. “And that’s not just a desire for ratings. That’s the desire to portray humanity, and make a show that is saying something about who we are.”
Stargate Universe premieres this fall on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., Sky1 in the U.K. and SPACE in Canada! Keep your browser locked on GateWorld’s own SGU Launch Center for more in the weeks ahead.
(Thanks to Morjana for the contributing)
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Great. I was really looking forward to SGU 2.
stargatelvr | April 20 @ 12:30 pmJust another attempt to be like the “grown up” sci fi shows (primarily BSG & Farscape). Why does this suddenly have to be a thing? Who cares? Why do all of these Hollywood Liberals have to make shows where they gay “Ooo, give me some adulation because my show has gays on it!” If there is a story to be told then do it. If this is just a stupid publicity stunt, stop it. It’s ridiculous. Stop trying to be like the superior Galactica and stick to what you know.
Inter arma enim silent leges,
AllTerroristsMustDie | April 20 @ 12:30 pmATMD
I HATE this new for two reasons:
kzap333 | April 20 @ 12:32 pm1: The factor that this would be news worthy is totally discriminatory to gays. Would there be an entire article called “There are non-gay characters in SGU” I think not. I don’t care if there are gay characters in the show or not but I think we should be mature enough not to gossip about it likes it’s tabbo, guess what? it’s not! and hasn’t been for some time. WHO CARES!
2: The fact that we know character are gay would mean that relationships will be featured in the show at some point, that’s not something I want, there where hardly ever relationships in SG1 maybe 3 or 4 over 10 seasons, I was not one of the fans making Sam for Jack video. Why? because I DON’T WANT SAM AND JACK TO GET TOGETHER.
Is it odd I liked stargate how it was, I don’t want relationships to be featured in the show and don’t like romcoms I like scifi, it is just not something I want to watch in a TV show.
This seems to be shock news to get free publicity for the show when actually it’s old news and the SG franchise are probably the last to get gay characters.
Relationships in Stargate should be left to fan fiction, that’s one reason I didn’t like the end of Atlantise, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have that back rather than this rubbish in an instant.
SGU seems to be more soap opera decorated with spaceship less sci-fi adventure series. If characters will love or suffer from one-way love, etc. they will not have time to fight with cosmic monsters…
Viviel | April 20 @ 1:34 pmSci-fi melodrama sounds dull
They are trying to hard to make this show ‘edgey’ or w/e – there is no need to force this stuff on us. If they have gay character then so what – it doesn’t need to be a big deal.
ZJW | April 20 @ 1:55 pmI cannot believe some of the comments I’ve be reading here, you people who have a problem with gays make me sick, and while I’m not gay myself, I can understand their point of view. What makes me even more revolted is the fact you use such pathetic excuses as religion for your intollerance, so some imaginary guy in the sky tells you you can’t be gay or you’ll go to yet another imaginary place when you die where you’ll suffer? Sounds like you need to take your happy pills more often.
Stargate is a great show, and I praise their decision to include a wide variety of characters no matter their sexual orientation.
And don’t target BSG (another great show) just because they had a couple of gay characters. True, I hated Gaeta, but not because he was gay, but because he went up against Adama and lost.
So being gay has nothing to do with the quality of the character, they can still care for their partner just as well as any hetero person would, and this doesn’t effect what kind of person they are.
The Admiral | April 20 @ 2:00 pmThis is saddening to me. I am insulted that so many Stargate fans would call me and others a bigot for disagreeing with their views.
Browncoat1984 | April 20 @ 2:02 pmI think it is a great idea. There is one thing showing two people having sex and two people showing love as anyone would in a public place, like kissing, holding hands, etc. If the media shows more unconditional love, than the falsehood type love that Hollywood usually shows, than children of all ages, including adults can start to love more than hate someone that happens to be different than they are. Scifi shows main goals are to present or inspire life’s fulfillment. I hope that SGU can truly show real love in these gay/lesbian relationships.
fraterphoenix | April 20 @ 2:07 pm@Browncoat1984
kzap333 | April 20 @ 2:10 pmIt’s not all stargate fans, I disagree with your view but I’m not going to insult you for it and I don’t think I’d be able to change your mind.
I think it’s a bad American habit of thinking you are better than someone and able to called them bigots because you disagree with them, they are discriminating ageist people for having a personal preference, that said I will happily disagree with you on some of your point.
@fraterphoenix I hope SGU doesn’t show any love of any kind, SG1 didn’t have any romance (or very little) why should this new show.
kzap333 | April 20 @ 2:15 pmI’m not ageist gays or lesbians and would be happy for any of them to be in stargate but why do we have to have relationships at all.
Also I agree with whoever said they where going around this like “We got gays, we’re edgy!”
The fact that we know a character is gay means they will have ships (as in relationships) at some point in the first season.
There was one relationship episode in the whole of SG1s first season and non in SGAs why is there in this show.
I think it just shows how BSG or space-soap this new show will be.
@The Admiral
ZhaneEndrick | April 20 @ 2:18 pmThanks for that stellar example of ‘tolerance’.
I don’t understand what the big friggen deal is. BSG had 3 gay characters, but you’d never know watching the show, and for a show that’s often (unfairly) called for it’s sex/drama, those three characters were the least active in that regard. What’s all this “I want action not relationships” stuff? So gay characters just sleep around and make relationships all day long? Hoishi, Geata and Cain showed you can do gay and keep it from being uncomfortable.
It’s not like you’re gonna be watching Six Feet Under.
I think them saying this is more of a heads up to NOT expect any relationships from her.
Chricton | April 20 @ 2:31 pmAs someone who is relative new to Stargate, but not new to sci-fi, I also think we adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude BEFORE we decide to write off SGU. Ironically this heated discussion that you are are having is just making me more interested in watching SGU. I ordered the complete SG-1 series and some Atlantis with the hopes of getting caught up with the series(next to impossible I know, but I will give it my best shot). I loved BSG because it was a character driven show and though there were messages conveyed to us, they were will disguised and it never felt like it was being pushed. I feel that this will be the case with SGU…if played correctly. Time will tell…hopefully by then i’ll be caught up to make a more informed opinion.
@Darren Summer
bauertrekgate | April 20 @ 2:31 pmI could not have said it better. Your post is probably the best one…I agree with you 100% Well said.
As long as we are forced to watch robert carlyle and lou diamond phillips engaged in hot steamy hairy man sex, I can deal with the whole gay storylines. =D
n0slet | April 20 @ 2:33 pmaren’t I repeat AREN’T forced, god that was a terrible typo!
n0slet | April 20 @ 2:34 pmlol
Chricton | April 20 @ 2:38 pmI do NOT want gay characters.
I’m tired of liberals calling everyone ELSE biggots because they don’t like conservative viewpoints on relationships, but yet they just as biggoted for not accepting the MAJORITY conservative viewpoint on homosexuality!
I’m a Democrat, personally, not a liberal, and I can guarantee that your average middle aged male that likes the military (the BULK of the Stargate audience), who happen to be mostly conservative socially, do NOT want to see gay characters. Large fan base = gone.
AscendedTauri | April 20 @ 2:42 pmWell as it were i have no problem with gay characters @ all. I just don’t see why the writers/producers are going out of the way to advertise it. They are in turn making it an ‘issue’ separate from the show itself. If a few of the characters were gay… so what – it would make sense that among a group of so many people that a few would have different sexual preferences. By coming out and announcing it though it distracts from everything else + shifts the focus on this 1 topic which is unfortunate.
Rather off-topic but similar in a sense – people have mixed feelings about RDA guest starring on this series or his re-occurring roles after his departure as a series regular. Many people seem to believe the writers/producers make to big a deal out of his guest appearances that in turn take away from the scenes themselves.
Of course – i suppose the old saying is old saying is ‘any advertisement is good advertisement’ – which of course isn’t true but… – I’m sure this ‘news’ will spark interest in the series that would be absent otherwise.
ZJW | April 20 @ 2:42 pm@Chricton
It’s not because there are gay character that there is going to be less action, but if we know a character is gay that means relationships are going to be part of the show right? Otherwise how would we know they where gay?
I’d rather the show didn’t deal with relationships that’s all.
And as for the people how say we don’t know what the show will be like yet I quote:
“The decision to include gay characters on Universe was born from the desire to focus the show on its characters and their relationships with one another.”
See “relationships with one another” so it’s not all action!
kzap333 | April 20 @ 2:43 pmtoo bad I was looking forward to watching a good family scifi. stargate ends with Atlantis now as far as I’m concerned.
cypher123 | April 20 @ 2:45 pmBTW I was brought up on Torchwood so am used to bi relationships in show but I would still rather no relationships at all that avoids any kind of dispute.
kzap333 | April 20 @ 2:45 pmDo you really want a show that is all action all the time though? SG-1 certainly wasn’t – there were a great many character based episodes.
ZJW | April 20 @ 2:46 pmSGU was never intended to be ‘Family Sci-Fi’… what exactly would you consider ‘Family Sci-Fi’ anyways? Stargate has never been aimed @ a younger ‘family’ audience – save for ‘Infinity’
ZJW | April 20 @ 2:48 pm@ZJW
kzap333 | April 20 @ 2:54 pmCharacter based episode yes,
Relationship based episodes no.
Mythology based episode BIG YES.
To me the best stargate was SG1 season 1-4 and this seems soo far from that it makes me sad.
There were several relationship based episodes from time to time although they often involved past lovers as opposed to current one’s. I to don’t want a show that puts ‘romantic relationships’ in the forefront but it would be only natural for relationships to form.
SG-1 in it’s earlier seasons was primarily a show about exploration – this show seems to be about survival which does seem to differ quite a bit from ‘exploration’.
ZJW | April 20 @ 3:00 pm