About the cancellation...

[Briangate78]

indeed it was

Easy fella, this is Atlantis territory, We will send you lemons!!!

[Saquist]

@Maxbo

I think you and I are on the same page. Season 4 was excellent, and the potential stories could of gone several seasons. Season 5 Started off very strong, but then after a strong mid-season, we got eps like Inquisition, Identity, and Brainstorm.

I actually really liked how they handled Weir in S4, was very dark and risky, and really made the character more 3D. Same went for Carson in S4. Then Season 5 was like WTF? lol.

Yes Stargate Atlantis had many great thread beginnings but very few good conclusions. The End of the Replicators was the only thing I really like and I thought it was tad too quick.

[maxbo]

I hear what you are saying - in my usual clueless way, I was unaware of the pending cancellation (or, I guess it wasn't even pending at that point, but the fact of cancellation), and so when I watched Vegas, it was just a cool episode to me. This was before I ever posted to Gateworld - I was a SGA fan, but in my own little bubble of fandom, without other fans and without extra knowledge.

I can see feeling "cheated" of another episode with "our" characters in it, given that there was only one more episode left. If there had been another season waiting in the wings, maybe you would have felt differently . . .

Who knows.

For me, it was more than just knowing that Season 5 was the last season when I saw Vegas. No, the problem for me was that this episode was the only episode that had any connection with the finale and airing it just before EATG was too late. And, the fact that it was an AU episode where we never got to see any of *our* characters made it even worse.

I agree with absolutely everything you said! I can think of so many times when I was disappointed by so-called 'character development' in SGA. Probably the most horrific moment was when everyone - even Sam! - decided to start bashing Zelenka. (Personally, from what I saw in the special features for S4, I think that was Martin Gero's idea. Don't ask me why they let him get away with it, unless the rest of the staff hated Zelenka and never had a chance to show it...) And I have to admit that I was half-thrilled with SGA's cancellation because I was getting more and more irritated with the characters' boring qualities. About the only one who got any decent episodes was Rodney, and that brings me to...

I think that bashing Zelenka was Gero's idea, too. And, like you, I also wonder why he was allowed to get away with that - unless everyone was on the same page, which is disturbing because it came out of nowhere. Gero also mentioned how they decided to dumb down Sheppard when they wrote Rodney and Daniel making fun of him in First Contact. Just like they did with Sam, they decided to write Daniel out of character by having him ridicule Sheppard. And, I also believe that Rodney was written out of character, both in Trio and First Contact, because although he doesn't hesitate to criticize Zelenka and Sheppard, I can't see him going along with others making fun of them.

Again, I agree with you. I thought time and time again when I was watching SGA episodes that if only they'd stop copying SG-1, the show would be so much better! I'm not really a big fan of Rodney, so it bugged me even more that he was so overused, and I found myself absolutely amazed when I realized that Sheppard only got one character episode, Outcast! (And plus, I found the Replicator arc in that episode much more interesting than the Sheppard arc...)

Yeah, it was frustrating to see how the writers kept downplaying or eliminating the things that made SGA unique in order to make it more like SG-1. This started as early as Season 1 when they decided to get rid of Ford because according to Brad Wright, they wanted a more Teal'c like character on the team and Teyla couldn't fill that role because Rachel was a "little brunette". IMO, Ford, Teyla and Ronon were good characters that deserved better.

Even though I'm a Rodney fan, by the end of Season 5 I was sick of him because the writers had used him as a crutch too often to recycle tired storylines. For instance, The Shrine was just a variation of Tao of Rodney. I find it amazing that the writers didn't seem to care that their overuse of the character was driving some fans away.

Poor Sheppard was in the unique position of having a lot of face time, but very little story. So, on the surface it looked like he got a lot of attention, but as you mentioned, not really. He was usually relegated to action guy and little else. So, while he wasn't wall-papered like Teyla and Ronon, and Ford before them, the writers didn't treat him like the leading man either and that was strange.

What really aggravated me the most was the way the entire premise of SGA was wasted. The entire first season could've been about exploring the city, with the Wraith found later, but instead they ignored the city itself and all its mysteries. To me, it proves that they honestly thought they'd succeed no matter what.

I agree that the premise of SGA was wasted because that premise could have been the source of years of storylines that were unique to SGA. I think meeting the Wraith so soon added to the immediate sense of urgency and danger, so I don't have a problem with them being introduced when they were. But, I do agree that more of the 1st season should have been spent exploring Atlantis.

I'd give you more green if I could maxbo

Thanks.

[Briangate78]

Yes Stargate Atlantis had many great thread beginnings but very few good conclusions. The End of the Replicators was the only thing I really like and I thought it was tad too quick.

Oh yeah, The end of the replicator war was very well done.

[Replicator Todd]

Oh yeah, The end of the replicator war was very well done.

Indeed! I agree although I'm one who thought the whole show was very well done....even Season 5.

[jmoz]

Indeed! I agree although I'm one who thought the whole show was very well done....even Season 5.

Except Lucius, who should have been fed to Rodney's pet fish.

[Ancient Scientist1]

Have the last couple pages of this thread been a little off topic here? I mean this thread is about why do you think they cancelled SGA. (At least somewhat on that line.)

I think SGA was cancelled because mainly of SGU. They did say that they didn't want to write two series at once which is understandable. But they could have hired more people so that they could write two series at once. It would certainly have brought a fresher view to the table.
I mean, SGA had huge potential. They could of brought the aliens, that boarded onto the Daedalus, as an enemy for season 6. Or they could have brought in a real live Ancient who doesn't know about ascension or what happened; he just was living by himself, tinkering his technology. In other words, more stories with the Ancients; after all, they did build Atlantis.

Instead, they cancelled SGA and started SGU. Grant you, SGU is very different and I don't mind it that much (though it does get a little boring now and then), but it's definitely not a replacement for SGA.

But for now, I'll still daydream of SGA: of what it could have been.

[seth100123]

i think they should keep it going because there just to much to fit in one movie

[cocytus]

I predicted its cancellation in 2008.
BEFORE the debacle of the Fifth Season.
http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/5...hlight=cocytus

I now predict the cancellation of SGU if significant character and plot changes are not made ASAFP.
I predict that this season will be the last w/o a serious changes in the series.

[Falcon Horus]

I predict that this season will be the last w/o a serious changes in the series.

The reason will most likely be the bad ratings... but what are they expecting playing with the big kids like that on a tuesday evening. *shakes head*

It's almost like they want it to fail. That's not nice and I mean that in the most sincerest of ways possible.

[Gamma626]

Except Lucius, who should have been fed to Rodney's pet fish.

Definetly agreed there. Worst character in all of Stargate.

[Snookie16]

The reason will most likely be the bad ratings... but what are they expecting playing with the big kids like that on a tuesday evening. *shakes head*

It's almost like they want it to fail. That's not nice and I mean that in the most sincerest of ways possible.

IMHO it was moved to tuesday to sink or swim on it's own



back on topic: I think the reason it was cancelled was what BW and others have said...they didn't want to do two shows at once and they wanted their new baby more than their older (redheaded step-) child. IMHO

[Briangate78]

IMHO it was moved to tuesday to sink or swim on it's own



back on topic: I think the reason it was cancelled was what BW and others have said...they didn't want to do two shows at once and they wanted their new baby more than their older (redheaded step-) child. IMHO

Like I said in the other thread. BW said the show was doing well, could of gone another season or two, and they wanted to end the show on a high note so that it would be beneficial for the DVD movie market.

[Falcon Horus]

BW said the show was doing well, could of gone another season or two, and they wanted to end the show on a high note so that it would be beneficial for the DVD movie market.

Now why do I have a hard time believing that... *ponders* ...

[RowenaR]

Like I said in the other thread. BW said the show was doing well, could of gone another season or two, and they wanted to end the show on a high note so that it would be beneficial for the DVD movie market.

Atlantis on Earth is kinda not what I'd call a "high note".

Oh, wait... you meant the ratings, not the actual content, right?

[Briangate78]

Now why do I have a hard time believing that... *ponders* ...

LOL, I know what you mean.

Atlantis on Earth is kinda not what I'd call a "high note".

Oh, wait... you meant the ratings, not the actual content, right?

I meant performance wise. I was also not crazy with how SGA ended. It was robbed of a good ending, imo.

LOL, just read your other line. lol. But yeah I meant ratings. Season 5 had the highest viewership since Season 2.

[hedwig]

Like I said in the other thread. BW said the show was doing well, could of gone another season or two, and they wanted to end the show on a high note so that it would be beneficial for the DVD movie market.

That excuse has been used for many, many years when popular shows with good ratings have been cancelled.

[Briangate78]

That excuse has been used for many, many years when popular shows with good ratings have been cancelled.

Sometimes shows just end because the producers/production company pulls the plug and not the network.

[Gamma626]

During my meet and greet with Elyse, she told me she was told by Brad that SGA and SGU would be on at the same time for a while.

[Atlantis4Life]

During my meet and greet with Elyse, she told me she was told by Brad that SGA and SGU would be on at the same time for a while.

And that's the issue. Everybody's got a different story on this topic. I have no reason to not believe Elyse, and perhaps that was true at the time, but it's hard to know what really went down. More on this in my subsequent posts.

Cheers.