Multichannel News: Atlantis Ends Run on Sci Fi, Greenlighted for Movies

[TameFarrar]

Ok Folks

I completely recognize that many are angry over this news. However, if you can not post your frustration without violating Forum Rules then be prepared to be snipped, deleted and possibly see this thread disappear if it gets to out of hand.

Do NOT circumvent the language filters. DO NOT disrespect the Real Folks and TPTB at MGM no matter how angry you are at them. You can voice that anger and frustration at their ACTIONS without posting disrespectful and disparaging remarks about the people themselves.

Thank You
TameFarrar
GateWorld Moderator

[Professor D.H.D. Puddlejumper]

Just walk into the place, turn the megaphone on, and tell them everything. Hmmm...I wonder if I can actually do this.

Careful, the crowd might decide to take it out on you.

[topaz_bean]

Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who created and executive produced Atlantis, pitched a third television series in the 11-year-old TV franchise to the network last year (story). While SCI FI has not yet announced a green light for that show, the end of Atlantis may clear the way -- the dollars available for original programming, that is -- for the next series

See this is what makes me think there may have been some tactical compromise going on to do with SGU. I don't know. I'm annoyed and feeling pretty cynical at the moment.

The worst thing is that I really haven't been that curious about SGU at all. They didn't spark my interest in it at all and it probably would have taken the two running together to get me at all enthusiastic about the spinoff. I probably just won't be bothered enough to watch it now.

[prion]

It's spreading. More and more sites are picking this up.

it was across livejournal before it even hit gateworld. it just landed on google news, so various scifi sites will pick it up and speculate wildly on its contents.

[TheHomegaMan]

What I'm going to say isn't popular, but somebody needs to say it. Flood me with red if that's how you deal with this sort of thing. Shooting the messenger isn't exactly novel.

First off, boycotting SGU to express anger over this will do more harm than good to the franchise. It's clear that MGM is going to put their eggs in that basket. Are you really going to go ahead and muck all that up so that the franchise is put in peril? I mean honestly, if you're out to make sure that Stargate doesn't have a strong following after this, you're going to be going about it the right way. MGM killed SGA, but whether or not Stargate continues as a franchise is up to you. Want to drive that last nail in the coffin? Continue this kind of knee-jerk reaction and reap what you sow. Your other option is to calm down and relax, but fandom has never been good at that.

Second off, those who sat in the peanut gallery and cheered about BSG going out can kindly sit down and eat your crow. This isn't to turn it into another BSG versus SGA battle, but here's your reality check: no show is immortal. I'm sad to see SGA go. It wasn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean that you all had to do without. The SGA fans who weren't actively going on about BSG being terrible have my sympathy.

Third and finally, fandoms of all sorts seem to have this idea that they're important and have some kind of significance beyond being statistics for renewal. You are all fans of the show. You are not writers. You are not producers. You are not directors. You are people who like to watch and/or write about the show. They do not owe you anything. This is a rough pill to swallow, but having seen the rantings and ravings of Fallout fans over FO3, I've been itching to get it out there. Stop acting like victims. They are not doing this TO you. They are making a business decision for unfathomable (for now) reasons that happens to remove a toy you like. The cast and crew are the only ones who could call themselves victims about this, and having a bunch of people on the internet play the victim card devalues the actual loss they're facing. You've gained an hour back of your day. They've lost jobs. Keep perspective.

Losing a favored TV show isn't very fun, but you adapt. Take a few deep breaths. Calm down. Give yourself some perspective once the news has sunk in and turn to something more constructive solutions than hyperbole and childish talk of pitchforks and riots.

[VSS]

It kinda makes sense from a studio perspective, this way they get all the financial profit. Ill take it as a sign of the phasing out of the weekly tv show format in the 21st century. We want it when we want it. On the plus side it puts the control completely on the network who clearly wants more product.

Ill miss seeing a new story every week, but if were getting 2 sg1 movies and 2 sga a year itll be one every 3 months if evenly spaced with a huge budget and longer story.

The live + ratings clearly show the demand for the show, just that we arent sitting down at the prescribed airing time/date to see it. Maybe this is mgm taking the first big step into the internet entertainment age? will history see it as antenna>cable>ondemand? I think this will be a good thing long term, although im sad right now. And i humbly suggest they have the sga movie and another sg1 movie out, with the sga2nd movie in production before airing universe. Time will soothe our nerdrage and make us receptive to a new show along with trimonthly installments of our current favorites.

I think you're right about this. I just wish they could have experimented on some other show rather than Stargate. On the other hand, Stargate is the most likely one to survive in an alternative format because the audience is more technologically adept.

[prion]

See this is what makes me think there may have been some tactical compromise going on to do with SGU. I don't know. I'm annoyed and feeling pretty cynical at the moment.

The worst thing is that I really haven't been that curious about SGU at all. They didn't spark my interest in it at all and it probably would have taken the two running together to get me at all enthusiastic about the spinoff. I probably just won't be bothered enough to watch it now.

not a single thing about SGU has piqued my interest. the thing <mod snip> don't seem to realize is that scifi fans love the characters. no characters, no fans. oh, there will be scifi fans who will watch anything, but i suspect a great deal of sga fans will just give the new show the heave ho and write/read fanfic instead.

[Jumper_One]

The GW article has a lot of speuclation in it. You're better off reading the MultiChannel article as they're actually a trade paper.

I read those articles too

Well, I suspect this move will cause a certain percernage of people to just drop SciFi once SGA ends. Why keep a channel with basically crap on it?

yeah with Atlantis and BSG gone... I'll watch Eureka but that's probably it

I just hope the movie isn't a retread with friggin' replicatosr, since Mallozzi et all seem so enamored of the aliens. they should really work on a good wraith plot.

I hope so too. a Wratih story would be pretty cool, they could even mention the new enemy

[ToasterOnFire]

Honestly? I think TPTB knew this was coming, hence "Project Twilight".

[Pandora's_Box]

Ok a few things I want to say here.

First we don't know it was MGM we don't know it was Sci-Fi we only know that Atlantis was canceled.

Second of all it was it's time. The writing for the show has been in a steady decline for some time now, and the SG-1 finale jsut made Atlantis too difficult a show to watch. There's no sense of urgency now, least of all if there are Earth ships about.

It's sad that it's ending but i'd rather it end now then try and put out another season of substandard episodes. At least now the show can end when it still has some element of entertainment left in it. Even this season they've been having a hard time with stories, every potential big story they nip in the butt before the episodes finished. I don't want to watch a show like that.

To me it just doesn't feel like stargate anymore, and I really don't have any urge to watch it and I haven't for some time.

I'm still angry. Rationality won't sick in until after the anger has dissipated. Ranting and raving is still the order of the day.

However, you may not have liked the direction of the series, but I know quite a few people that did and so will disagree vehemently with your statement.

But everyone is entitled to an opinion and you have yours.

<mod snip>

[Vala_M]

Unless the movie is actually TWO FULL hours long, I will be disappointed.

Vala,

[DuncTK421]

it was across livejournal before it even hit gateworld. it just landed on google news, so various scifi sites will pick it up and speculate wildly on its contents.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the explanation. Still new at this.

[prion]

What I'm going to say isn't popular, but somebody needs to say it. Flood me with red if that's how you deal with this sort of thing. Shooting the messenger isn't exactly novel.

First off, boycotting SGU to express anger over this will do more harm than good to the franchise. It's clear that MGM is going to put their eggs in that basket. Are you really going to go ahead and muck all that up so that the franchise is put in peril? I mean honestly, if you're out to make sure that Stargate doesn't have a strong following after this, you're going to be going about it the right way. MGM killed SGA, but whether or not Stargate continues as a franchise is up to you. Want to drive that last nail in the coffin? Continue this kind of knee-jerk reaction and reap what you sow. Your other option is to calm down and relax, but fandom has never been good at that.

Second off, those who sat in the peanut gallery and cheered about BSG going out can kindly sit down and eat your crow. This isn't to turn it into another BSG versus SGA battle, but here's your reality check: no show is immortal. I'm sad to see SGA go. It wasn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean that you all had to do without. The SGA fans who weren't actively going on about BSG being terrible have my sympathy.

Third and finally, fandoms of all sorts seem to have this idea that they're important and have some kind of significance beyond being statistics for renewal. You are all fans of the show. You are not writers. You are not producers. You are not directors. You are people who like to watch and/or write about the show. They do not owe you anything. This is a rough pill to swallow, but having seen the rantings and ravings of Fallout fans over FO3, I've been itching to get it out there. Stop acting like victims. They are not doing this TO you. They are making a business decision for unfathomable (for now) reasons that happens to remove a toy you like. The cast and crew are the only ones who could call themselves victims about this, and having a bunch of people on the internet play the victim card devalues the actual loss they're facing. You've gained an hour back of your day. They've lost jobs. Keep perspective.

Losing a favored TV show isn't very fun, but you adapt. Take a few deep breaths. Calm down. Give yourself some perspective once the news has sunk in and turn to something more constructive solutions than hyperbole and childish talk of pitchforks and riots.

but, what if SGU sucks and a fan is sick of shows being cancelled just to amke a new cheaper one? Bet you that if SGU is made, it will get axed too to make 'another' franchise.

The thing is that SG1 ran its course, so when it got axed, no big surprise. SGA still had at least 1-2 years left, and SGU is probably the reason why it got axed.

I'm not loyal to franchises. to a single show, yes, but not franchises. yeah, all shows die, we all know that, but the ratings go up and the show gets axed.

but wait, wait, they made their 100th. magic syndication number. KILL THE SHOW. So, SGu, if it goes through, will probably suffer the same fate.

[Phantom6]

Besides, I can't really think of a decent channel that might take it on.

Spike could use a good show.

[Jumper_One]

First off, boycotting SGU to express anger over this will do more harm than good to the franchise. It's clear that MGM is going to put their eggs in that basket. Are you really going to go ahead and muck all that up so that the franchise is put in peril? I mean honestly, if you're out to make sure that Stargate doesn't have a strong following after this, you're going to be going about it the right way. MGM killed SGA, but whether or not Stargate continues as a franchise is up to you. Want to drive that last nail in the coffin? Continue this kind of knee-jerk reaction and reap what you sow. Your other option is to calm down and relax, but fandom has never been good at that.

I think most of us will watch the premiere but I really hope that it's amazing because they're sacrificing Atlantis and a solid fanbase!

Honestly? I think TPTB knew this was coming, hence "Project Twilight".

yeah I think so too. BW probably knew for some time and talked to Joe and Paul