Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

[Pitry]

Well, I suppose dead means never having to reply to Ford/Jonas type questions.

Smurfie, dear, never expected you to be so naive... They're waiting for these qustions. I think somewhere on their boards there must be a count of "how many itmes we've been asked about Jonas/ Ford" with a small devil attached

Hmmm, I'd be interested in reading that--would it be possible to PM it to me?

Mmmph, sorry, erased it.
Wa sjsut me rambling at any rate, nothing very interesting.
Here, have some pie!

[smurf]

Smurfie, dear, never expected you to be so naive... They're waiting for these qustions. I think somewhere on their boards there must be a count of "how many itmes we've been asked about Jonas/ Ford" with a small devil attached

You mean... you mean... no!... say it can't be so! They're playing with us?!
Dang them! Dang them all to heck!!!


I think there'd be considerably less of those questions - I haven't seen that many about Carson. I suppose at least they can answer with; Magic 8 ball says... No way! She's, like, sooooo dead!
Mind you, the magic 8 ball would have to be pretty broken for that to happen.

[prion]

You mean... you mean... no!... say it can't be so! They're playing with us?!
Dang them! Dang them all to heck!!!


I think there'd be considerably less of those questions - I haven't seen that many about Carson. I suppose at least they can answer with; Magic 8 ball says... No way! She's, like, sooooo dead!
Mind you, the magic 8 ball would have to be pretty broken for that to happen.

we probably don't see 90% of hte questions dumped at JM's blog, but he did ignore questions on Carson with an actual reporter (Chicago Tribune) so why would he bother telling us lowly fans anything?

[sgeureka]

Okay, Joe's last two blog entries so that we can read too much into it once again.

February 21, 2007

[Contains good photos from the Art Department hall, and a long-winded explanation why he loves to have main characters killed off. I skipped all the non-answers. And I'll start to bold the sentences to separate new facts/spoilers from the producer explaining himself, which can can be interesting as well.]

Anonymous #1 writes: “Wait, wait. I thought that Brad Wright wasn't writing any Atlantis this year. Is this shoot for Ark of Truth or Continuum? Or maybe Brad is writing for Atlantis?”

Answer: I was referring to the second SG-1 movie, Continuum. Brad will probably be too busy to write an episode of Atlantis this season but has come up with a terrific story that should figure into the mid-season two-parter.

Tony Robinson writes: “What does the magic 8 ball say for the chances of Bra'tac appearing in the SG-1 movies?”

Magic 8 Ball says: Cannot predict now.
[...]
Vaberella writes: “[…]Oh, can you give us some hints on what you have in store for Teyla, if anything?”

Answer: [...]As for your second question - I’ve just finished reading an excellent revelatory Teyla script written by Carl Binder. Teyla fans are in for a treat with this one.
[...]
Anonymous #2 writes: “Just on your comment recently that basically no amount of mail is going to influence your decisions, does that mean that you didn't appreciate all the "Save SG1" people? Because they were writing letters. Or is it just that you don't like people writing letters when they disagree with your casting decisions?”

Answer: Of course we make the shows for fans of the show and count on their support. And, every so often, fan reaction to certain aspects of the show may influence scripts (look no further than 200 for a good example). However, there has never been a time when a fan campaign has led to a change in the show‘s direction. One of the key elements of the Stargate’s success has been the vision of the creative behind the scenes - and Brad Wright and Robert Cooper in particular. I’m sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings but, from the beginning, the choices made have never been based on fan requests, no matter how pointed. Rob and Brad simply made a show that they would enjoy watching and, in the end, it resulted in one of the longest running science fiction shows in television history. Of course we aren’t perfect. Some decisions may pay off while others may not, but in the long run the choices made have been our own and have helped strengthen the franchise. As Brad pointed out in a recent interview, we would never do anything to harm the show. Furthermore, by the time word gets out about any changes we’ve made to the show, we have already moved on and are deep into production.
[...]
Anonymous #5 writes: “I read in Variety that Beau Bridges is going to be starring in a new show for Fox. Does this mean General Landry won't be in the movies?”

Answer: Congratulations to Beau who is hilarious on My Name is Earl and I’m sure will prove just as hilarious on his new series. And, yes, General Landry will be making an appearance in both SG-1 movies.
[...]
Anonymous #6 writes: “ Out of curiosity, the Battlestar Galactica people have had no problem dropping whoppers of spoilers to the Chicago Tribune, which uses appropriate spoiler space, so why do you avoid questions regarding SGA spoilers that virtually every Stargate fan knows because those episodes aired in Canada (and probably spread like wildfire via 'alternate sources' on the web)?”

Answer: Because unfortunately, as a result of the new airing schedule, all of the questions being asked concern season 4 while the back half of season 3 - which has yet to air - is being lost in the shuffle.

Majorsal writes: “With literally every question being an Atlantis themed one, do you miss sg1 questions? do you think you'll miss writing for sg1?”

Answer: I wouldn’t say I miss answering SG-1 questions, but I definitely do miss writing for SG-1.

Anonymous #7 writes: “So.. Torri's out of contract and you've offered her four episodes, right?”

Answer: Four? No idea where that number came from.
[...]
ChaosIsBeauty writes: “On Sg-1, did you ever suffer from an overload of familiarity with the characters?”

Answer: Actually, the opposite was true. The more time I spent with the characters, the more fun it was to write for them.
[...]

February 22, 2007

[Contains photos of art/pre-production sketches for the shows, and a discussion of what ringtones the producers have. I skipped three of his long-winded personal opinion answers why the producers are fine with killing off main characters and fan responses not having much impact, because he has explained his standpoint in the recent past and with a little common sense his reasons should be quite obvious now. (You're free though to follow the link above and read them for yourself.) And I want one of those Southpark action figures in Joe's office. ]

Anonymous #1 writes: “Could you also let me know if the dead-but-not-quite-gone Apophis will make an appearance in Continuum?”

Answer: To the best of my knowledge, and given the information I have now, he will not be making a return appearance in the second SG-1 movie.
[...]
Cole J. writes: “Where in Vancouver were the Abydos outdoor sequences filmed in seasons 1-6 or were they entirely CGI?”

Answer: Those sequences were shot at the Richmond sand dunes.

Arctic Goddess writes: “So, where is your Ba'al action figure then? BTW, I'll check on the pot and let you know. Do you want to split it?”

Answer: Do they have a Baal action figure? When they put one out, I’ll certainly pick one up. As for the pot - let me know what it gets up to.
[...]
Peter writes: “Come Season 4, will Amanda Tapping be seen in the Opening Credits?”

Answer: Yup.

Shawna writes: “How many hours are in a day on Atlantis? Also, is there any chance of seeing more AUs in the future?”

Answer: We’ve always operated under the assumption that it was, uh, approximately 24 hours. As for an AU story in the future - it’s very possible. They’ve always been among my favorites.

Prior_of-the-Ori writes: “Was wondering though that if there are any plans in season 4 to expand more on the backstory of the Wraith and Asurans? Will we see any stories on the Asgard or Hermiod? Oh and any more interesting information about the new third series of stargate that you know about? [...]”

Answer: Some interesting revelations regarding both the Wraith and the Asurans to come. No Asgard stories being planned. And no word on that third series. [...]

Lyn writes: “But Joe, at the end of the day, are you truly satisfied with killing Carson and relegating Torri's role to a less than recurring role? I'm not saying those were your decisions, but were you happy with them? Can you understand or empathize with the fans' displeasure over Carson's demise?”

Answer: Of course I understand the fans’ displeasure and I do sympathize. And, as I already said, in the world of science fiction the door is never closed on any character. My relative happiness is beside the point. I am looking forward to season four and strongly believe in the stories we have planned and in the direction we’re headed.

Anonymous #3 writes: “One, will Baal be in full Gouald form in Continuum? As in deep voice, big ego, threatening like Apophis? And two, can Atlantis keep the next ship they find?”

Answer: Again, don’t know the gritty details regarding Contiuum so I can’t really answer the question. As for Atlantis keeping the next ship they find…it’s possible.

Nathaniel writes: “If you miss writing for SG-1 so much, any thoughts of writing an SG-1 novel or two?”

Answer: Alas, I possess neither the skills nor the infinite patience required to write a novel.
[...]
Anonymous #4 writes: “Are you guys planning on having either Gen. Landry or Gen. Hammond in Atlantis season four at all? Woolsey? Gen. O'Neill?”

Answer: At least one out of four for now.
[...]
Anonymous #5 writes: “Other than the movies what fate Daniel, Mitchell and Vala?”

Answer: At present, that remains to be seen.

[Pitry]

Peter writes: “Come Season 4, will Amanda Tapping be seen in the Opening Credits?”

Answer: Yup.

Yeah, I jsut saw that and came to complain, but you beat me to it.
Sorry to anyone who's gone deaf with my annoyed scream.

[sgeureka]

Yeah, I jsut saw that and came to complain, but you beat me to it.
Sorry to anyone who's gone deaf with my annoyed scream.

To be honest, I thought it was understood that she would be in the opening titles and we just didn't have proof of it so far. Joe's answer didn't even strike me as surprising. (And I'm not complaining. I took this as another throw-away information snippet about S4 without any further emotional response on my side. )

But when I think about it, AT being in the opening titles and Jewel Staite and David Nykl not should make TPTB's decision to write AT into Atlantis a little clearer. She's not going to be the "yeah I agree" girl as some fans have hoped, but she'll be one of the major players now.

[smurf]

we probably don't see 90% of hte questions dumped at JM's blog, but he did ignore questions on Carson with an actual reporter (Chicago Tribune) so why would he bother telling us lowly fans anything?

Did the reporter ask "Will we be seeing Carson again?"
That is the specific question I meant, not general Carson/Weir questions. It's a very popular one regarding Ford/Jonas (possibly the only one I see regularly about them). Fans are pretty good dealing with dead characters (unless an AU is floated), it's the ones who disappear that this question crops up most on. Sorry for any confusion.


Re: AT in credits.
Not a huge surprise. 14 is a lot of episodes. A "With AT as SC" then?

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

Yay! My post got answered. Felt a bit guilty for putting a lot of questions there but still

[Pitry]

To be honest, I thought it was understood that she would be in the opening titles and we just didn't have proof of it so far. Joe's answer didn't even strike me as surprising. (And I'm not complaining. I took this as another throw-away information snippet about S4 without any further emotional response on my side. )

But when I think about it, AT being in the opening titles and Jewel Staite and David Nykl not should make TPTB's decision to write AT into Atlantis a little clearer. She's not going to be the "yeah I agree" girl as some fans have hoped, but she'll be one of the major players now.

See, that's the point. JM himself compared Sam as a character to Zelenka or Lorne, and the reference so far has been recurring. Recurring means, much liek Zelenka or Lorne or Coldwall, they're not in the credit. Putting her in the creidt makes her a regular character, not recurring - and as you've said, one of the major players rather than a character who's there in order to help move the plot along. So it's not the same at all.
I s'pose I shoudl stop taking the news with emotional repsonse, too, as I've becoming quite convinced in the past week season 4 would be SGA's last, so whatever they do this year isn't prolly going to have an impact on anythign else. And yet, sigh.

As for the credits, yeah, I s'pose it would be "and AT as SC"... wonder if it's before or after McKay.

[prion]

Did the reporter ask "Will we be seeing Carson again?"
That is the specific question I meant, not general Carson/Weir questions. It's a very popular one regarding Ford/Jonas (possibly the only one I see regularly about them). Fans are pretty good dealing with dead characters (unless an AU is floated), it's the ones who disappear that this question crops up most on. Sorry for any confusion.


Re: AT in credits.
Not a huge surprise. 14 is a lot of episodes. A "With AT as SC" then?

See, Weir out, carter in. Sad

And Mallozzi wouldn't answer questions on the latter half of season 3 (never mind once it aired in canada it might as well have aired everywhere else).

As for dealing with dead characters, I've seen lots of fans deal with that situation by simply STOP WATCHING THE SHOW. I suspect that SGA will lose a number of fans that way, but then again, for those Sam fans who will 'watch her read the phone book' , they'll jump on board, so TPTB don't really care.

[smurf]

Moving on is the best way to deal with death.
But probably not what the writers want.

[Phil]

hmm, and i was wondering how are they planning to do a new openings...
still wonder if she (AT) is going to retake elizabeths place in openings (the second), but yeah more possible is the last one or before Rodney..

so the order could be...

Joe Flanigan
Rachel Luttrel
Jason Momoa
with Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter
and David Hewlett as Rodney McKay

?? but thats just 5 people.. maybe they are keeping elizabeth there or adding jewel?? knows anyone?

[sgeureka]

As for dealing with dead characters, I've seen lots of fans deal with that situation by simply STOP WATCHING THE SHOW.

Strange, I only ever see lots of fans deal with that situation by stating and threatening to simply STOP WATCHING THE SHOW, but it doesn't seem very much like they actually do or that they mattered, as gateworld still keeps getting more new posters every month. Only the Nielsen ratings have dropped considerably, months before any deaths were even announced. Like you, I wouldn't bet that the cast changes can result in any further significant drops in ratings, because then Atlantis would be in the same ratings category as the bad SciFi!movies of the week, and if enough people would watch such dreck, they might as well tune into a show that is/should be superior.

so the order could be...

Joe Flanigan
Rachel Luttrel
Jason Momoa
with Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter
and David Hewlett as Rodney McKay

?? but thats just 5 people.. maybe they are keeping elizabeth there or adding jewel?? knows anyone?

AT is expensive (at least more expensive than TH or PM), so it's unlikely that they would trade only PM for AT and keep TH fulltime. And since TPTB have already stated somewhere that Jewel will be in 8 out of 20 episodes, and are keeping extremely silent concerning TH, TH will very likely be in way less than 8 episodes (if at all). Don't get your hopes up, but at the same time don't rule out to be mildly surprised.

[prion]

Strange, I only ever see lots of fans deal with that situation by stating and threatening to simply STOP WATCHING THE SHOW, but it doesn't seem very much like they actually do or that they mattered, as gateworld still keeps getting more new posters every month. Only the Nielsen ratings have dropped considerably, months before any deaths were even announced. Like you, I wouldn't bet that the cast changes can result in any further significant drops in ratings, because then Atlantis would be in the same ratings category as the bad SciFi!movies of the week, and if enough people would watch such dreck, they might as well tune into a show that is/should be superior.

AT is expensive (at least more expensive than TH or PM), so it's unlikely that they would trade only PM for AT and keep TH fulltime. And since TPTB have already stated somewhere that Jewel will be in 8 out of 20 episodes, and are keeping extremely silent concerning TH, TH will very likely be in way less than 8 episodes (if at all). Don't get your hopes up, but at the same time don't rule out to be mildly surprised.

Uh, no, I know people who have stopped watching shows when their favorite chracter got killed or the actor left as that person was the reason they watched.

Weir's appearances will probably depend upon negotiations. Torri might be better off just hopefully getting a new series instead of going through the crap with the producers, who seemingly can't let go of Carter. I think I would be surprised if she got more than four episodes. Really. And good scenes/dialogue and not just five minutes here or there.

As to GW getting new posters, sure, but when fans lose interest in the show, many don't bother canceling their online members to boards like this. You'd probably find a decent number of people who don't bother to visit the site or post anymore... it's like that in all fandoms, or all boards, unless they have an automated system that verifies membership every once and while. It's just life.

[flynn1959]

Uh, no, I know people who have stopped watching shows when their favorite chracter got killed or the actor left as that person was the reason they watched.

Weir's appearances will probably depend upon negotiations. Torri might be better off just hopefully getting a new series instead of going through the crap with the producers, who seemingly can't let go of Carter. I think I would be surprised if she got more than four episodes. Really. And good scenes/dialogue and not just five minutes here or there.

As to GW getting new posters, sure, but when fans lose interest in the show, many don't bother canceling their online members to boards like this. You'd probably find a decent number of people who don't bother to visit the site or post anymore... it's like that in all fandoms, or all boards, unless they have an automated system that verifies membership every once and while. It's just life.

I stopped watching SG1 in season six because my favourite character had died and I will do the same with season four of Atlantis. I don't expect to see Weir again I hope TH gets a new job on a great show she deserves it. As for Carter I think the character is like some form of giant limpet, she clings and clings.