Ming-Na as "Camille Wray"
One upcoming episode, titled “Sabotage,” will feature a lead guest character who is a quadriplegic. Dr. Eleanor Perry comes on board the Destiny via the Ancient long-range communications device, which allows her to trade bodies with someone on board the ship. For the duration of her stay, she is able to walk for the first time in her adult life.
Today series creators Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper posted at GateWorld Forum in response to outcry about the character’s description, which surfaced this week at sites like SpoilerTV. Here is how the original casting breakdown read:
ELEANOR PERRY, (35-40) and quite attractive. A brilliant scientist who happens to be a quadriplegic. Affected since childhood, her disability has rendered her body physically useless. However, after being brought on board the Destiny as the only person who may be able to save the ship and her crew from certain annihilation, she is given temporary powers that enable her to walk again and to finally experience intimacy. Strong guest lead. NAMES PREFERRED. ACTRESS MUST BE PHYSICALLY THIN. (THINK CALISTA FLOCKHART).
Critics challenged what appears to be an insensitive description of a disabled person, such as calling her body “physically useless” and suggesting that she would have been unable to experience true intimacy throughout her life without the use of her arms and legs.
There are also unconfirmed rumors that Perry will have a sexual encounter with a male crew member in the course of the story.
In response to the criticisms, Wright and Cooper said (via GateWorld Forum):
Recently, a casting breakdown was released to agents for a upcoming character in our television show, Stargate Universe. The character, Doctor Eleanor Perry, is a brilliant scientist at the top of her field, who also happens to be a quadriplegic. As part of a science fiction conceit that is core to our series, Perry’s consciousness is temporarily exchanged with one our series main characters, Camile Wray, who is a lesbian.
In the course of the story, Perry has the experience of being able bodied for the first time since she was a child. At the same time, Wray, temporarily encumbered by Perry’s physical disability, experiences the unconditional love of her life partner.
The language of the breakdown was insensitive and inaccurate, and we sincerely apologize to those who may have been offended. The audition pages that have been under scrutiny were from an early draft and released out of context. It is our desire and intention to portray both characters with dignity and respect, while remaining mindful of the ethical issues we’re raising.
As the producers explain, the ethical matters pursued in this episode of Stargate Universe go even deeper than disability and inhabiting someone else’s body — two huge topics for exploration in science fiction (calling to mind stories like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “Melora”). Dr. Perry trades places with Camille Wray (played by Ming-Na), a lesbian woman who is in a long-term relationship back on Earth (story). Perry explores the possibility (and acceptability) of not only a sexual relationship inside Wray’s body on board the ship, but also a heterosexual relationship.
Meanwhile, Wray wakes up back on Earth in the other woman’s quadriplegic body and has her own personal issues to face.
The producers’ comments acknowledge and apologize for the failings of the breakdown, which is used for casting purposes and not intended for public consumption. But the question remains: How will “Sabotage” deal with these sensitive issues of disability, sexuality, and respect for another person’s body when it airs?
Read more on the criticisms and an SGU spokesperson’s response at AfterEllen.com.
Stargate Universe premiers Friday, October 2 at 9 p.m. on Syfy in the U.S. “Sabotage” is written by a still unnamed freelance writer and directed by Peter DeLuise, and will air in 2010.
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aside from the premier “Air” which (based on a trailer) looks awesome, is there really any episode that looks good. the characters don’t seem interesting so i’m thinking either the survival desperation theme is big, I hope.
blahblah | August 14 @ 10:01 pmI got really upon finding out about an openly gay character on the show, equally as burnt was a lot of people, and they ignored us just fine. IF YOU’RE BOLD AND EDGY ENOUGH TO IGNORE US, BUT SUDDENLY GETS ALL WIMPY WHEN OTHER BOTTOM FEEDERS get offended, then you’re not only hypocritical but you had no reason of canceling Atlantis in lieu of an EDGIER show. If you’re going to be Political Correct, then maybe, making edgy shows isn’t your thing, I know; Keith Olbermann need nodding compliant yes man, if you’re interested, I know a guy…
Coremae | August 14 @ 11:06 pmI don’t see the controversy.
There can be different levels of quadriplegia.
There’s a man in Perth who is a quadriplegic and has to be fed with a feeding tube who wants to end his life. He was given the right to starve to death (as he requested) by the court just two days ago.
“Physically useless” describes exactly how that character should be played.
hithere | August 14 @ 11:15 pmIt does not say “all quadriplegics are physically useless.”
AVATAR, anyone?
universacred | August 14 @ 11:46 pmThis sounds like a very bad scifi B movie that only a teenage boy would love. Lesbian body swapping.
The people who wrote this crap episode are the same ones who ruined SGA.
Color me not surprised.
cynatnite | August 15 @ 12:07 am@cynatnite
canonfodder | August 15 @ 12:25 amSince when does Lesbian mean soft core? Cause that’s the way you are portraying it. Maybe it is time that Scifi shows start exploring the issues of our time like Star Trek used to do. Actually use the medium to challenge the social norm.
I have read the sides. Unless they make some major changes to the storyline (which I hope they do) it is foul and disgusting and nothing I would find worth watching.
Sylvia | August 15 @ 12:54 amI have already decided against watching SGU, for a variety of reasons, this only adds another brick in the wall.
ABSOLUTE FAIL dudes!
My first reaction to this was, ‘Great, more things to make this show a space soap’. This could go terribly, and I emphasize terribly, wrong. On the other hand Wright and Cooper have brains in their heads. They’ve done good by things that could have gone terribly wrong before. Hopefully this won’t go wrong and we’ll get a fantastic, introspective, character episode. Here’s to hoping…
crazynewf | August 15 @ 12:58 amYou know what else? I just read on the Afterellen site above that, according to the MGM spokesperson, Camile and her female lover have the “only” healthy relationship on the show, and also that this body swapping for sex is going on long before we get to the episode that has caused the current controversy.
Sylvia | August 15 @ 1:00 amI am now 50000000000% sure I would never want to watch this show if this is how adult sexual realationships are handled. I am disturbed and disgusted with what Stargate has become. A true shame.
wow! i didnt realise this episode had aired, where can i see it? how about all the naysayers hold off on the negativity and watch the damn show when it airs! i feel sorry for the producers having to hear all this negativity before the show airs on things they have ‘heard’. grow up, watch the show!
hotz694 | August 15 @ 1:30 amI agree with ‘hotz694.’ it hasn’t aired and all of this is really just rumor. They redid Children of the Gods to take out a nudity scene. You really think they are going to make this series what they just took out of SG-1? They want Stargate to be family friendly. They just want this series to be more life like, not make-believe to the point SG1 and SGA was. All you STARGATE fans, if you really are true fans, you will watch SGU and like it. It’s made by the same people; just with more money, some more experienced actors, and better graphics. MGM and other investors have a lot of money riding on SGU. And if we don’t watch it, we’ll loose the whole franchise: SGU series, SG1 movies, SGA movies, and all that is stargate. I personally don’t want that. I love stargate and i’m looking forward to EVERYTHING that is to come… EVERYTHING. Keep up the good work you producers, directors, writers, actors, and crew. You’re doing a great job.
HaxMii | August 15 @ 3:14 amTheir excuse is that “sex between bodies (i.e. body swapping) is introduced early in the series, and is an ongoing moral dilemma on the show with serious moral consequences, and this event is no different.”
I think I’m going to be sick. So basically, more than once they will use other people’s bodies to have sex. And it’ll be introduced early on. And obviously, rape – because tell me if using the body of someone who never consented to sex to have sex isn’t rape? – is a “moral dilemma” now? Nauseauting doesn’t even describe it.
katikatnik | August 15 @ 3:30 amI’ve always felt ambivilent towards Universe. As a big fan of SG1 and Atlantis, the reported shooting style and premise of the show just haven’t appealed to me. The Producers words haven’t always sat well with me either, to be honest. After seeing the latest trailer from Comic Con, I was pleasantly surprised.
After reading more and more of what the producers have to say about the new show, I’m very wary again and concerned that this new spin-off is going to be all controversy just for the sake of it, in bad taste and quite honestly cheap and nasty. After reading Brad Wright saying that the new characters ‘have sex’? My thoughts were: AND??? SO??? LOL! I do wonder how mature sometimes the ‘brains’ behind the show are!
I’ll reserve judgement until I watch the pilot, of course, but seeing a casting call worded like that is just so unnecessary. It’s no good apologizing and saying it wasn’t meant for the viewing public to see. It was written and sent out to casting agents, thus people have read it.
HAXMII – I’m a Stargate fan and I’ll give SGU a chance, because I’ve enjoyed the previous shows from the franchise. I can’t make myself like something just to be loyal to said franchise. Why would I want to watch something I don’t enjoy?
The success of SGU will depend on how many people want to tune in again to see it.
lin21 | August 15 @ 3:37 amI think all of the optimists have been giving SGU the benefit of the doubt for far to long. It’s obvious that this will no longer be the Stargate we know and love. Writers who ran SGA into the ground are still on board and aren’t planning on letting up any time soon.
TwiceBorn | August 15 @ 4:19 amThe show was initially billed to be character driven. Fair enough. More of what I wanted to see on SG-1, that’ll be cool. I’m a little sceptic, but I’ll give it a go, I might be pleasantly surprised. But this? Sex? Whilst using someone else’s body? That’s just not what Stargate is about. I loved the subtlety between characters in the other Stargates. I loved having relationships hinted at and left to the imagination. A little more detail of this kind would’ve been great. I think TPTB have taken it way too far now though. I’ll still give SGU a go, but every article I read seems to put me off a little more.
madone | August 15 @ 5:42 am@Sylvia & cynatnite
You two have absolutely NO IDEA what this or any other episode of SGU is going to be like, so stop being so melodramatic. You two are being just as pathetic as you are portraying this show to be.
Once you’ve seen the show, then you’ll have grounds to comment. Until then you ranting diatribes are based solely on a couple of lines of text and not representative of the final product.
Ryster | August 15 @ 6:32 am“The people who wrote this crap episode are the same ones who ruined SGA.”
Oh, really? That’s interesting, considering that the episode is being written by a WOMAN(*gasp*), who has never written for a SG show before!
reddevil18 | August 15 @ 7:28 amYesterday, I watched “Pegasus” – an episode from the second season of Battlestar Galactica. To avoid spoilers as much as possible; a character who appears human in that episode – but is in fact artificial – is raped. The scene is not graphic, but thanks to the quality of the direction, it is a gut-wrenching and powerful scene. Two of the “main” characters rush to her defense, and end up killing the rapist… and are then due to be executed for their troubles because “you can’t rape a machine”.
Battlestar Galactica was critically aclaimed for tackling dark and gritty issues like that. As soon as Stargate Universe talks about doing something similar, everyone is up and arms. Are you really all so shallow and narrow-minded that you aren’t willing to allow science fiction to do what it has done – analysing the human condition – for the last century or so? Or is it just because the characters are your precious fellow Americans, rather than some fictional alien species that makes it not okay?
The producers may have stumbled upon a few inappropriate terms in some of their documentation. The true prejudice is coming from all of you guys who are making sweeping judgements based on little or no information. I was under the impression that Stargate fans were open-minded, intelligent, and philosophical people, given the nature of the show they enjoy so much. Unfortunately, I may have to revise that assessment.
o6untouchable | August 15 @ 8:26 amI so agree with o6untouchable. I usually avoid reading the comments to many of the stories posted to this site because I cannot believe the reasons people have for saying they will not watch SGU.
Raine | August 15 @ 9:08 amThere is a lot of prejudgement, basing ones opinion on rumors or what they read somewhere like its the gospel truth.
Watch the show … then judge.
Using other people’s bodies for sex without their consent? Is the running title of the show Stargate: Rape? Wow, this sounds like a real winner.
Imitation Tofu | August 15 @ 9:43 amI may not have seen the episode, but the storyline is absolute and utter crap. As someone else said…using someone else’s body for sex without their permission. I’ll say it again…it’s a crap storyline.
If by some miracle, this series turns out to be actually good…I’ll say so loudly.
So far I’m not impressed with what’ve seen and read.
cynatnite | August 15 @ 2:20 pmYou know what was great about the original series of Star Trek? They spoke out against racism and misogyny in a time when racism and misogyny ran rampant. Of course, they ended up getting cancelled…
But you know what I like about SGU thus far? The fact that there are under and misrepresented minorities in society today (gays, the disabled) and the fact that they’re getting representation. Granted, a male gay character would be nice too.
Maybe they have a few kinks to work out, whatever. I give them respect for having a strong, intelligent gay female, and for having a strong, intelligent (she has to be if she’s a scientist) quadriplegic woman. Say what you will, but on the bright side they’re showing that these minorities can make great contributions to society… if only the fans would listen.
Elles | August 15 @ 5:37 pmAlso remember that the ‘controversial’ part of the episode that you all are complaining about is only PART of the story line, and will probably not be as huge as what you might think. there will be other things going on in the episode as well!!!!
dragonias | August 15 @ 8:15 pmI don’t mean to be crass, but I found nothing offensive in that statement. It was a description of a character and how they were to be played. Not a statement that was meant to offend all quadriplegics! People are so sensitive anymore, that you cannot say anything for fear of being reprimanded or branded as unsensitive.
jenny12 | August 15 @ 8:51 pm