“I’m not leaving completely, actually — just stepping back to more of a consulting role for the end of this season,” Cooper told GateWorld. “However, my credit will remain Executive Producer. We’ve already developed most of Season Two and I feel very confident leaving the show in good hands.”
Cooper’s final contribution to the stalwart franchise will be a stage panel appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, promoting the second season of Stargate Universe (now in production). He also tells GateWorld that he’ll be writing one more episode for late Season Two.
That’s in addition to two other Cooper-written episodes still to watch: “Aftermath” will air in October, followed later this fall by “Malice.” The latter episode is both written and directed by Cooper.
Cooper first sat in the director’s chair for “Crusade,” the penultimate episode of Stargate SG-1‘s ninth season. He went on to both write and direct the SG-1 series finale, “Unending,” plus many of Atlantis‘s most memorable episodes: “Sateda,” “Doppelganger,” and “Vegas.” He also wrote and directed SGU‘s celebrated first season episode “Time.”
Long before that, Cooper got his start as a writer and script editor in the first season of Stargate SG-1, in 1997. He moved his way up the ranks to earn an executive producer credit, and was made show runner for the show’s eighth, ninth, and tenth seasons. In 2004 he created Stargate Atlantis with Brad Wright and helped give shape to the Pegasus Galaxy, then shepharded the Ori storyline in the final two seasons of SG-1.
Cooper directed SGU's "Time," often cited by fans as one of the show's best stories so far.
In 2009 he and Wright created a new and different take on the franchise, Stargate Universe.
It’s safe to say that Stargate would look very different without Cooper’s inestimable influence as a writer, a producer, and eventually a fan-favorite director. Behind the keyboard he has penned a vast number of classic episodes in the franchise’s 13-year, 16-season history. Just a few highlights include SG-1‘s “The Torment of Tantalus,” “The Fifth Race,” “Nemesis,” “Meridian,” “Full Circle,” “Heroes,” and “Threads;” Atlantis‘s “Runner” and those episodes above that he also directed; and the aforementioned episodes of SGU, in addition to co-writing the SGU and Atlantis premieres.
Stay tuned to GateWorld for more exclusive comments straight from Rob Cooper on his decision to step back from the show, and just what his responsibilities will be for the remainder of Season Two’s production.
We’d like to thank Rob Cooper for his part in more than a decade of great television, and wish him Godspeed in his next endeavor!
(Thanks to Morjana, Jim, Tanith, Patricia, and AusGamerForever for the tip)
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View Comments
It's a sad day for Stargate Fans; but I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. I suspect he will want to spend much more time behind the camera in a director's chair. :)
Will be sad to see him leave as he's responsible for some of my favorite episodes (Vegas, Doppleganger, Time, etc.) but I wish him well in his future endeavors.
Whoa! This comes as a bit of a shock. He and Brad (Wright) have been at the helm for some time now. I'll be interested to see where he goes from here. Good Luck, Rob, with your career into the future.
another nail in the stargate coffin, it look, stranger how he jump ships as SGU as gone down the drain, sga film still not green lighted, only the thrid sg-1 film confirmed. unless they do some major turn arounds 2011 be stargate last year of showing and unlike star trek, there no major company behaind it, pretty sad day for stargate fans.
Just means (one) parallel Universe of stories will rotate out of view. Somewhere, somewhen.. Cooper's version of SG1, SGA1, SGU will play on.. but we won't be able to see them. In a way its the same everytime a friend leaves your life and moves on.. you loose their point of view on the Universe.. hopefully from time to time he'll phone in and let us know how things are looking over there.
@law7441: Is it true the 3rd SG-1 movie has green light? I didn't find anything related that info.
well shucks
Sad day "Indeed". I Wish Robert all the luck in whatever he does. He has been a huge part of Stargate and one of my favorite directors and writers for both SG-1 and Atlantis. SGU had a great first season (my opinion) and I look forward to the next and hopefully two stargate movies still to come!
I thought one of the reasons they changed Stargate to universe was because they was getting bored and this would "recharage everything!" or some junk like that.
Well smart move jumping the sinking ship i guess not going down with it.
We've lost a few very important people in the last couple of years: Martin Wood, one of my very favorite directors and his commentaries were always so interesting; Martin Gero, a wonderful writer and funny guy. (The two Martins together were pretty unstoppable.); N.John Smith; and now Robert Cooper. Damian Kindler also left with Smith, Wood and Tapping. All are doing very well using their collective creative genius on Sanctuary!
And didn't we recently hear that Carl Binder was either retiring or at least semi-retiring? Or did I dream that?