Production on the ninth season of Stargate SG-1 and the second season of Stargate Atlantis rolls on in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, and the shows’ writers are doing their best to stay ahead of the filming schedule. With only two weeks until the cast and crew’s mid-season hiatus — and just four weeks until the new year debuts on The SCI FI Channel — executive producer Joseph Mallozzi has let GateWorld readers in on several episodes now in the earliest stages of development.

Damian Kindler is penning an episode with the working title “Ethon.” In Greek mythology, Ethon was the eagle that gnawed the liver of Prometheus — the name given to Earth’s interstellar battle cruiser on Stargate, of course.

New staff writer Carl Binder is writing a whodunit by the name of “Critical Mass,” while Martin Gero writes “Grace Under Pressure.” Mallozzi, meanwhile, is penning an episode recently renamed “Ripple Effect” (“formerly ‘Merge,’ formerly ‘Echoes,’ formerly ‘Convergence’ which apparently sounded too much like the Atlantis episode ‘Conversion’ we shot this year,” he said). “I haven’t felt this good about a script since I completed ‘The Ties That Bind’ and, maybe, that’s cause for concern,” Mallozzi added. “There’s a lot in this episode for the diehard Stargate fan to enjoy including a couple of interesting guest stars.”

New writer Alan McCullough is following up “Prototype” with “Stronghold” and “Off the Grid.”

What’s to come as SG-1 and Atlantis near the end of their seasons early in 2006? “I’ll be writing the ‘off-world ambassadors’ story,” Mallozzi said, “provided I get the outline done which I can certainly do provided I finish my rewrite of ‘Ripple Effect’ in time. Paul will be working on the ‘sister city’ script. Martin has the ‘Genii story’ lined up and Carl will probably tackle ‘Charlie.’ Provided Damian completes ‘Ethon’ in the next week, and provided things fall into place, he’ll be writing the episode in which ‘that character’ returns.”

The executive producer also confirmed that actor Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager) will indeed reprise his role as N.I.D. Agent Richard Woolsey in SG-1‘s “Prototype.”

“Given the production demands of the past couple of years, Paul [Mullie] and I have taken to writing scripts separately,” Mallozzi said. “In the case of ‘Collateral Damage,’ I wrote the outline and he went on to write a terrific script in which, besides the cool SF premise, we are treated to a glimpse into Mitchell’s childhood.”

Remember, as these episodes have yet to be filmed — and, in some cases, written — titles and other details are subject to change. You’ll always find the most up-to-date info and spoilers in GateWorld’s SG-1 and Atlantis episode guides!