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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knowles2, I think you’re misguided when you say you hope “we get to see plenty of skin.” That means that instead of “over the top and jokey,” you just want it to be titillating. Then nobody would take the show seriously and even more people will be turned off by the character’s inclusion in the show. that’s playing into a stereotype that should be fought against. It should be treated as any other relationship: with respect and class. (for the record, I don’t watch Stargate shows for relationships [not a fan of 'shipping'], and wish they would all be downplayed, or carried out off-camera, in teh background. Having said that, I’m glad to see all types of relationships represented. It’s the 21st century, and a sci-fi show should definitely reflect that.)
jyh | April 20 @ 9:48 pmIf they were going to give a glimpse of the show, a preview, it should be something we all like. Or are interested in. Not soemthing to please themsleves just to push an agenda that is not normal, pleasant, nor entertaing to most people. It is the opposite of entertainment.
Why would the makers of the show wish to gamble the audience does not go away if we get flahsed by some behavior we refuse to watch. If there is no audience, then the show goes away. Will they take that gamble? All because some people want to push the agenda?
retiredat44 | April 20 @ 10:33 pmhehehehe- Love it- gotta remember that one. Thanks doorQdotcom
sanctuary4all | April 20 @ 10:37 pm@retiredat44, as far as the producers/writers having a “mental problem” for wanting to include a minority in their show… No, that’s not a mental problem, that’s them having a different viewpoint than you. Something you clearly have a difficult time with.
You seem to be missing the already mentioned (several times) fact that this was not intended to be a “preview” of the show, or a “glimpse,” but was information that was given IN RESPONSE TO A FAN QUESTION. As I stated previously, had a fan not asked the right question at a panel discussion, you would most likely have no idea that there were going to be gay characters in SGU.
To imply that they should give a “glimpse” of something that “we all like or are interested in” is asinine and silly. Read the comments on ANY of the SGU news posts on this site, and you will clearly see that you can NEVER please everyone.
Clearly you have a problem with homosexuality. That’s fine, that’s your personal opinion. That does not mean that “the audience” in general has a problem, or even that those who dislike the idea of a gay character will refuse to watch. If you are so clearly bothered by it, don’t watch. No one is forcing you.
redlotus | April 20 @ 10:50 pmretiredat44 – So you are saying Gateworld can only post articles that everyone is guaranteed to like? So, if there are people out there who don’t like Richard Dean Anderson, and Gateworld posts an article about him making guest appearances in SGU, they are in the wrong because not all people will like it?
I think it is safe to say the majority of the population is at least tolerant of gay people. So then the majority of Stargate fans will probably not have a problem with a gay character (or at least such a problem that they will stop watching the show). Some people have problems with women being in leadership roles, do you think the makers of Stargate shouldn’t have had Weir as the commander of Atlantis? Or we shouldn’t have people of other races on the show because some people are racist? Or is it just in this case that you are uncomfortable with something so everyone else must be wrong about it?
It has already been explained that a fan asked the creators of Stargate a question about gay characters, and Gateworld is just reporting on what they said. Is it the gay character you have a problem with, or the fact that it somehow made it to a Gateworld article?
What is this agenda that you think they are pushing? That gay people are a part of society? Because they are. It may be up to 10% of American society. On the other hand, Jewish people make up only 1.6% of American society, but no one would probably (openly at least) question them including a Jewish person on the show.
miki_mouse | April 20 @ 10:51 pmLmao, these comments… this is a goldmine.
AutumnDream | April 20 @ 11:39 pmOmgosh people!!
The episodes havent started yet let alone the enitre show and youre already judging it!? Wtf??
Why not argue when that time comes of whatever you want to argue with lol
And I dont care about the gay characters btw.
vanishingtorch | April 21 @ 12:06 amSome of you people that keep trying to say what I am saying always get what I say wrong! They can go ahead and fill the whole damned show with gay characters, or real gay characters… I don’t like the agenda being pushed on us on this website. If I am watching SGU and it turns into Brokeback Mountain, me and 80% of the fans will probably dump the show.. and then the rating wil drop so low it will not survive. I said I don’t like the agenda put in our face. If I wanted to know more about this I would go seek out the links for gay stuff…
Yes, judge it after the show starts and I see the show.. but this gay agenda started long before the first episode.. how about trying to push this agenda after the show starts.. not that I want to see it then either..
retiredat44 | April 21 @ 12:57 amFAIL IS IMMINENT “indeed”
citac | April 21 @ 1:01 amI actually agree that GateWorld posting this is trying to enforce the gay agenda. We were also getting preached at in the last PodCast. If they want to do that, that’s fine I guess. It’s their website. I just think it’s lame.
TwiceBorn | April 21 @ 1:06 am@retiredat44, “gay agenda?” And what, pray tell, is this agenda? As is clear by the vast number of comments made so far on this subject, people have opinions on this matter, and are interested in it. Gateworld is not shoving this in your face, they simply reported information that was relevent to the show. No one is forcing you to read the article! It says right in the title what it’s about – no one grabbed your hand and forced you to click on it. You imply that because it pertains to gay characters and issues, it should not have been reported, and should have been relegated to “links for gay stuff.” It’s relevent to the show, it was reported on, get over it.
I hardly think that the show is going to turn into Brokeback Mountain in Space. And you may want to reconsider your numbers when you say that you and “80%” of the fans will drop the show due to an increased gay representation. read back through the posts here, and you’ll see that (other than a few outspoken folks such as yourself and Browncoat1984) the majority of fans posting have no issue with the fact that there are going to be some gay characters.
I really, really want to know what this insidious “AGENDA” you speak of is all about! I see no agenda here, just someone reporting facts! No one’s pushing anything. But clearly it doesn’t fit within your narrow definition of what is okay.
@vanishingtouch, I agree. People have been dumping all over SGU since they first announced the concept, and it’s a little annoying. Every time Gateworld announces a new bit of info on the show, posters are freaking out and jumping to conclusions about how much it’s going to suck. If I read the comment “Well, I was going to watch it but now, since (insert news here), I say screw SGU” one more time I might cry. Let’s not judge it before we’ve seen it! I think that the wirters and producers have proven themselves to be able story-tellers with their existing work, and personally I think that the chance to create a show with all new characters and adventures is going to prove to be a great chance for them to shine. Of course, that’s just my opinion (some might say, agenda…) :)
redlotus | April 21 @ 1:17 amWell, to be hones, I feel like I’m a timetraveler. Am I back in 1954. What means all this boring discussion about gay or not gay.
Chellyphish | April 21 @ 1:40 amThis show will still be Stargate, it’s just, that they want to show a realistic picture of the “real” World. Maybe, they should put some intolerant, ignorant Idiots like some of you guys put on the show?
I don’t even care, if there is someone gay or not. It’s just an information about the show, just like “the destiny is a space ship”.
But no need to discuss.
Do you realize, 50 years ago, there where people asking about, if there is a need to show black people on TV? Not, that they didn’t like them back then… It was just the fact, they where idiots.
I always thought the average sci-fi was a little more wordly than other tv fans – I guess I was wrong. The negative comments prove exactly why the producers are doing the right thing by representing society in a truthful way. Yes, gays are people too.
I look forward to the new series and I applaud their decision.
felger | April 21 @ 2:37 amFunny enough i thought this was a post about stargate not gay/homosexuality. If i said damn theres black people in the show everybody would jump down my throught but then when somebody says the same thing only about gay people then suddenly its stating your opinion. Now that fair
Nephteas | April 21 @ 3:53 amOh, no! I really wasn’t expecting anything like this! SG-1 and Atlantis were doing so well, but this…
I am really disappointed. If you are going to make this kinda shows in the future, I give up Stargate. And I don’t care about stupid orders from the top, this has gone too far. “Put some gays or no show!” that kind of stuff. I don’t hate gays, everyone has right to choose, but I certainly didn’t wish to see my favourite show ruined by stupid trends.
Apparently, Rick Berman is the only one who still knows how to make a good Sci-Fi without this. Actually, I was wondering how SG-1 could run 10 seasons without being forced to put some gays into the show. Finally, SG-1 had a good concept – military and sci-fi. And it all fit in so good. I was so proud to tell everyone that there really exists one REMARKABLE show without global trends of gay population.
I was indeed looking forward to this show, but I guess… goodbye Stargate. :(
sammy | April 21 @ 6:21 amWhile trying not to get unfriendly, I will say this:
I’m looking forward to the new show, it’s going to air no matter WHAT we say.
I will give the show a chance, it might fail huge time but it could also be quite nice. So why should I say ‘I’m not going to watch it because [insert reason of choice]‘
Give the show a chance, goddamnit.
How can you possibly judge something you have no idea about?
Just watch the first episode and THEN you can say ‘it’s going to be horrible bla ba’.
I know you people are still upset about the cancellation of SGA and I understand that it’s hard to see a good show end.
But it’s a TV show. If you’re still upset about a little thing like that, then I recommend you to stop watching TV at all. Every show will end. And most of them won’t even go beyond Season 5.
If people who hate gays simply stop watching Stargate, the TPTB won’t lose 80% of the audience. it will be… I think probably 10% at most.because even though some of them might not agree to homosexuality, but are intelligent enough to respect them.
Lots of <3 <3 <3 for redlotus, btw. Because she’s just right.
Seythia | April 21 @ 8:44 am“knowles2, I think you’re misguided when you say you hope “we get to see plenty of skin.” That means that instead of “over the top and jokey,” you just want it to be titillating. Then nobody would take the show seriously and even more people will be turned off by the character’s inclusion in the show. that’s playing into a stereotype that should be fought against. It should be treated as any other relationship”
You are right it should be treated like every other relationship on TV and every other relationship on tv should show plenty of skin , including gays and lesbians, bisexual, and straight, I really do not mind.
An they are not being force, SGA was meant to have gays but they never wrote the it into a story or created all the neccessary backgrounds for the characters, it was just on the character profile sheets and never put to use. Now they are creating and entirely new series, they now have opertunity to build these relationships in the fabric of the story and to tell them over time.
Certainly I am expecting the potential gay will have plenty of action with the men on the ship first before getting heart an decides to experiment with women.
All they are doing is creating more real feeling to the show. I am not a shipper fan and never worry about the relationships but I can see why the writers are taking this approach, they want to get of the beating track and create original then they need original characters to work with.
knowles2 | April 21 @ 9:14 amI say this to the nay sayers an to the others say this will lose audiences,
“Without risk, there can be no innovation. Without innovation, there can be no advancement.” quoted from a friend over MSN, just now.
knowles2 | April 21 @ 9:22 amIt doesn’t really matter to me about the characters’ orientation but it is realistic to have someone who is out on the show.
Not sure how I feel about the people on Earth being a “lead” character, though. How much/frequent contact does Destiny have with SGC.
QuinnMallory | April 21 @ 9:52 amOkay.. I give in. But let’s make it fair to every one. I want an Islamic Character prayin 5 times a on the show as well. I want a Jewish character bitching about how the food aboard Destiny not being Kosher, and a Rabbi having a recurring role at SGC. trying to decide if the food is actually Kosher or not. I want the menacing guy on board, to grow weed and pot in the ship’s hydroponic bay, and trying to push it to the others. C’mon, these are real issues as well, that affects most Americans, as well as the rest of the world. I also want a quadraplegic person in a wheel chair, also stuck in the ship, and a mentally retarded person as the person pushing the chair. okay so that may have put my comments over the top. But dammit, I want to see a SciFi show, not a relationship or human interest show. I hated the idea of McKay and that nutjob. I hated the idea of Jack and Sam. Lest we forget, the name of the show is Stargate, not watergate or loveboat. dammit again, stick to the concept, go through the gate, battle some aliens, be awed by alien technology, run scared becuz the aleien is so badass. The rest watch National Geographic, loveboat or whatever other reality show is on TV. Leave relationships out of it, and the “human interest” angles out of it. These are but stupid ploys used by writers, and worse network execs.
US06154 | April 21 @ 10:32 am@US06154
I registered here just to say this. I was having the SAME exact thoughts about this, relationships/sex in Stargate have always, always been awkward. Sam and Pete in bed, Jack and that woman on Argos, McKay and Keller, Daniel and Vala etc, they all felt out of place and forced. If SciFi/MGM/TPTB/whoever wants a relationship drama set in the Stargate universe(no pun intended) they should have just let Atlantis keep going while assigning all of these new people to do Universe. See for me I love watching Stargate(up until now) because its been about going though the gate and exploring, meeting new cultures/races, finding new technologies, and defending Earth and the rest of the galaxy(ies) against evil. Not some show about a bunch of people who get trapped on a ship and their relationships.
Vyse99 | April 21 @ 11:35 amI agree in a way with the above couple of comments. If McKeller is the way they write relationships and they don’t significantly improve in SGU, then any relationship, gay or straight, will be unwelcome.
Sylvia | April 21 @ 12:10 pmHonestly, the concept of McKeller was so bad that I couldn’t watch significant portions of Season 5. Sam and Jack were a fine concept, but they strung it out sooooo long that it has almost become a silly joke. :(
I am tired of hollywood/Canada productions forcing down homosexuality on tv. I live around it and will be disgusted to see it on tv. You can count me out of this show now.
Gman25 | April 21 @ 12:13 pmThis does not ‘force homosexuality’ on us @ all.
ZJW | April 21 @ 1:07 pmLolz.. Has anyone else noticed that for some reason or the other, the google adverts being auto inserted to this forum thread, is becoming more and more Gay centric? The ad (as I am reading this thread)at the end of the ” news blurb” and just above the yellow box that says “contribute” now reads “Meet hot gay men” and the ad under the top banner, (to the right of Ming Na’s Picture) reads “Gay mature Dating” and shows pictures of 2 gentlemen, Eric 38, Robert 41. Subliminal Messages for readers? ROTF LMAO!!
US06154 | April 21 @ 1:57 pm