January 2, 2009 - Part 4
Aurora Novum writes: “1. Actually, the saddest part of the movie (outside of Mitchell’s…er ending) was that the team accepted being separated from each other for a year. I wondered why you chose that long a time period before Ba’al’s “arrival”, and why the team, in your view, appeared to actually abide by the terms of the agreement.”
BW: Because it would have been too much of a coincidence for Baal to show up right away. And Landry had a damn good point.
“2. In a similar vein, how much do you find your story is dictated by the production environment, and how much is it your initial brainstorming/vision? For example, I understand Daniel’s injury in the Continuum movie was added because of Michael Shanks filming unavailability, but I wondered why the injury wasn’t dealt with much overtly (i.e. therapy, limitations in walking) outside of CGI shots or an occasional limp. Could you discuss the reasoning for those decisions?”
BW: We see him without his leg three times. As for his limping, we realized that in a year, he would become quite proficient with his artificial leg.
“3. What was your reaction/thoughts about the jets made available to you by the USAF? Can you share anything about that experience?”
BW: Cool. I’m the escort pilot in the movie. You can see it’s me pretty clearly, and it’s my voice too. That’s how much I like jets.
“4. How do you tend to write? Brainstorm, Outline, then right from first page/scene to last, a la Mr. Mallozzi? Do you skip around? Listen to music as you write?”
BW: I start at the beginning of the script almost every time. I can sometimes spend much too much time on the first half of a script this way, but I’ve written a long time. It’s become my process. I sometimes write outlines, (had to in the days I worked for other people) but I almost always change everything anyway. I like discovering the story as it unfolds. It’s arguably the least efficient way to write and I wouldn’t recommend it to any writer, especially a new one.
“5. What was your favorite episode as a writer or producer of “Outer Limits”, “SG-1?, and SGA, and why?”
BW: Quality of Mercy, Light Brigade and Trial by Fire for Outer limits, although I am also quite proud of Becka Paulson. (I’m the only one) As for SG-1, I like 2010, Pegasus Project, and a couple I completely rewrote but don’t have my name on them. For Atlantis, after Rising I have to go with “The Shrine”.
“6. A lot of talk has been made of the spaceship “Destiny” for Stargate Universe–is there plans for the “Stargate” itself to be used quite a bit in the course of the series, or with filming locations becoming more sparse, will it be a more ship/space-oriented series?”
BW: We’ll still be using the Stargate.
“7. Finally, what’s been the biggest surprise for you over the course of producing Stargate?”
BW: That I’m still here.
Lynn writes: “My question is although I have no particular knowledge or understanding of science especially the advanced kind shown in the show, but although a fiction show, there always seemed to be a scientific logic and reality to the ideas presented which always impressed me. I have heard you were the “go to” guy for science questions. Did you have any special education in the sciences or was it mainly research through the internet or contacts you could call when questions arose.”
BW: Actually, my understanding of science is very limited. I do read a lot, but when I’m in a conversation with real scientists, I feel stupid. Having said that, sometimes real science is incredibly limiting.
Lcshepp writes: “I and many others are more than concerned the way that SGA was cancelled. Why you couldn’t have waited until the season was over to annouce this is beyond many of us. Nothing like putting a damper on the rest of the season. Many of us also fell slighted over the desire for a younger viewing audience. We all feel very slighted that we have supported you and your franchise for many years and this is how it ends for many of us.”
BW: We need both of you.
ChevronSeven writes: “How much feedback (good, bad or indifferent) have you received with the reaction to the actual screen time of RDA (about 2 minutes in the beginning, 2 minutes in the middle & 1 minute at the end) in Continuum? It appeared via promos and interviews that “Jack is back!” only to be disappointed with the actual screen time upon viewing.”
BW: That’s all I could get him for. He’ll be much more involved in the next one.
Narelle from Aus writes: “Where are you/what are you doing when you get most of your ideas? Is there a pattern to when these ideas come to you such as you are in a quite room like “the throne”, chatting with other like-minded people or find yourself in the middle of a backswing when a great idea comes?“
BW: I can’t think of my work when I golf at all. That’s why I golf. I think of my work at all other times.
“What was your take on the most recent Indiana Jones movie?”
BW: Never saw it. I hear it’s an expensive episode of Stargate.
“My Husband asks if you could to stop making Stargate please. He would like his wife back.”
BW: It’s only an hour a week, man.
Rose writes: “There was only one small part of The Shrine that left me cold and that was Rodney’s confession of love for Jennifer. I found it jarring and out of place. I realize that it’s not possible to show every single encounter between every character but there was zero build up to this. If Rodney had told Jennifer he cared for her or even that he really liked her, I would have bought it. Could you please explain your reasoning behind this decision?”
BW: He thought he was dying. Obviously.
Cheeky Lil Devil writes: “From business woman to business man, I wondered what your thinking process was to bring in a show that has technically not been tried and tested and replaced a product that from all accounts seems to be doing well in the key demographics, ratings. Etc.”
BW: From all accounts? No.
“…what i’m trying to say in a nutshell (and failing miserably) is that if I were to invest in a new product, from a business perspective i’d test the market first to see if there was an ‘audience’ for that particular ‘age range’ and genre, rather than simply scrapped in a sense a product that there was still an audience for. Lastly while I am here, I wonder if you could let the fans know the reasons for wanting a younger audience, particular as the ‘older’ audience are the ones that have kept the franchise going for this long.”
BW: I thought you said you were a business person.
T_Lily writes: “…are you disappointed by the short life of SGA? Even though it’s running in film form, it won’t be the same, so once again I’m a little bit worried about the content as it won’t be as elaborate as a season running story arc. Thanks in advance!”
BW: Short life?! FIVE YEARS!
YouTuber writes: “I understand that you’re a fairly avid golfer. What’s your handicap? And have you ever been to the Canadian Open?”
BW: At the moment, I’m an 8.7 index. Never been to the open.
Shai writes: “In hindsight, do you regret how the Dreaded Announcement of Doom was handled?”
BW: No.
Kelly writes: “I was totally shocked to hear of the cancellation of SGA. You have issued all sorts of platitudes and various reasons for the cancellation that didnt really make any sense.“
BW: Platitudes?
“You mention about the franchise having to move forward. How will SGU achieve this. My interpretation of moving forward is continually bringing new ideas to the franchise and contuning to appeal to ALL ages of the fandom. How can the franchise move forward if you dismiss most of the fandom, and only cater towards a certain age group. Why put all your eggs in one basket so to speak. You certaintly may appeal to some of the younger audience, but you are also alienating a huge portion of the existing audience.”
BW: We’re not trying to make the new show for kids.
Ytimyona writes: “When collaborating with other writers on a script (like how you and Rob Cooper are writing the pilot of SGU together), how exactly does that work? Do you spin the story together and then one of you writes the script? Do you pass a draft back and forth between each other, revising it each time?”
BW: Its a knife fight.
“3) When you said you intended to make SGU more “mainstream,” I interpreted that to mean that the average viewer (who’s never seen an episode of SG-1 or SGA in his life) could turn on the SGU pilot and understand what was going on… am I right? (I feel like people are unfairly putting words in your mouth with regards to this statement.)”
BW: Close. Mainstream means a lot of people are watching.
STellaByStargate writes: “Word is that a stuffed penguin made its way into your possession a month or two ago. Just wondered if it was sitting on the shelf, had taken up residence on your desk or had somehow migrated, with the others, to Carl Binder’s office? Loved Continuum btw. Send more please.”
BW: It’s in Carl’s office. Joe, how many more freakin’ questions are there?
Alan writes: “Have you given any thoughts on a subtitle for the “SG-1? movie?”
BW: We won’t be using subtitles.
Susnn writes: “Because of vision difficulties I have cut way back on my television watching these days. SGA has been the only series that I watch every week and in rerun. Thanks for the memories.”
BW: And thanks for watching.
Libkat writes: “Rumors persist that you aren’t a big fan of Vala as a character. Will Claudia Black continue to have a place in the SG1 movie universe? I adore the way Vala kept the snarky side of Daniel Jackson alive after RDA left the show and CB and MS have terrific chemistry.”
BW: I thought Claudia was terrific in Continuum, but Vala won’t be returning in the third movie.
Haberdashery writes: “Brad, first thanks for many great years of Stargate. I have enjoyed the series and the great characters you and Rob have created over the years. In light of that, I wanted to ask you if you knew how much people miss seeing Jonas Quinn in the Stargate world? It’s like a gaping wound in our hearts.”
BW: A gaping wound in your hearts? Really? The guy was in one season almost six years ago.
Wraithcake writes: “I have two questions for Mr. Wright: Sorry, I’m a little long winded.
I imagine it is quite challenging as a science fiction writer to reinvent the wheel, especially when it comes to the more innovative aspects of the genre.
Also, it seems that more writers, and more recent writers are moving away from terse social criticism to rather banal story lines. Science Fiction has almost become a quick overlay to simplified plots.
Although I find the show quite entertaining, and am invested in the characters, I’m not oblivious to the criticism. So when I read reviews such as Maureen Ryan’s analysis, a reporter with the Chicago Tribune, who is equally a hard core science fiction fan and enjoys the show, but criticised it for the very reasons I mentioned above, I want to know how you approach this type of critique?
She says:
“Please don’t recycle the same tired plots over and over again….Sure, it’s hard to avoid the sci-fi standbys (body switching, parallel universe, alien virus, crew member kidnapped by aliens, etc.), but increasingly those go-to stories on the show were executed in a uninspired fashion.” Maureen Ryan “The Watcher” Chicago Tribune”
BW: I actually like Maureen. She’s given us quite a bit of ink.
Aurora Novum writes: “1. Actually, the saddest part of the movie (outside of Mitchell’s…er ending) was that the team accepted being separated from each other for a year. I wondered why you chose that long a time period before Ba’al’s “arrival”, and why the team, in your view, appeared to actually abide by the terms of the agreement.”
BW: Because it would have been too much of a coincidence for Baal to show up right away. And Landry had a damn good point.
“2. In a similar vein, how much do you find your story is dictated by the production environment, and how much is it your initial brainstorming/vision? For example, I understand Daniel’s injury in the Continuum movie was added because of Michael Shanks filming unavailability, but I wondered why the injury wasn’t dealt with much overtly (i.e. therapy, limitations in walking) outside of CGI shots or an occasional limp. Could you discuss the reasoning for those decisions?”
BW: We see him without his leg three times. As for his limping, we realized that in a year, he would become quite proficient with his artificial leg.
“3. What was your reaction/thoughts about the jets made available to you by the USAF? Can you share anything about that experience?”
BW: Cool. I’m the escort pilot in the movie. You can see it’s me pretty clearly, and it’s my voice too. That’s how much I like jets.
“4. How do you tend to write? Brainstorm, Outline, then right from first page/scene to last, a la Mr. Mallozzi? Do you skip around? Listen to music as you write?”
BW: I start at the beginning of the script almost every time. I can sometimes spend much too much time on the first half of a script this way, but I’ve written a long time. It’s become my process. I sometimes write outlines, (had to in the days I worked for other people) but I almost always change everything anyway. I like discovering the story as it unfolds. It’s arguably the least efficient way to write and I wouldn’t recommend it to any writer, especially a new one.
“5. What was your favorite episode as a writer or producer of “Outer Limits”, “SG-1?, and SGA, and why?”
BW: Quality of Mercy, Light Brigade and Trial by Fire for Outer limits, although I am also quite proud of Becka Paulson. (I’m the only one) As for SG-1, I like 2010, Pegasus Project, and a couple I completely rewrote but don’t have my name on them. For Atlantis, after Rising I have to go with “The Shrine”.
“6. A lot of talk has been made of the spaceship “Destiny” for Stargate Universe–is there plans for the “Stargate” itself to be used quite a bit in the course of the series, or with filming locations becoming more sparse, will it be a more ship/space-oriented series?”
BW: We’ll still be using the Stargate.
“7. Finally, what’s been the biggest surprise for you over the course of producing Stargate?”
BW: That I’m still here.
Lynn writes: “My question is although I have no particular knowledge or understanding of science especially the advanced kind shown in the show, but although a fiction show, there always seemed to be a scientific logic and reality to the ideas presented which always impressed me. I have heard you were the “go to” guy for science questions. Did you have any special education in the sciences or was it mainly research through the internet or contacts you could call when questions arose.”
BW: Actually, my understanding of science is very limited. I do read a lot, but when I’m in a conversation with real scientists, I feel stupid. Having said that, sometimes real science is incredibly limiting.
Lcshepp writes: “I and many others are more than concerned the way that SGA was cancelled. Why you couldn’t have waited until the season was over to annouce this is beyond many of us. Nothing like putting a damper on the rest of the season. Many of us also fell slighted over the desire for a younger viewing audience. We all feel very slighted that we have supported you and your franchise for many years and this is how it ends for many of us.”
BW: We need both of you.
ChevronSeven writes: “How much feedback (good, bad or indifferent) have you received with the reaction to the actual screen time of RDA (about 2 minutes in the beginning, 2 minutes in the middle & 1 minute at the end) in Continuum? It appeared via promos and interviews that “Jack is back!” only to be disappointed with the actual screen time upon viewing.”
BW: That’s all I could get him for. He’ll be much more involved in the next one.
Narelle from Aus writes: “Where are you/what are you doing when you get most of your ideas? Is there a pattern to when these ideas come to you such as you are in a quite room like “the throne”, chatting with other like-minded people or find yourself in the middle of a backswing when a great idea comes?“
BW: I can’t think of my work when I golf at all. That’s why I golf. I think of my work at all other times.
“What was your take on the most recent Indiana Jones movie?”
BW: Never saw it. I hear it’s an expensive episode of Stargate.
“My Husband asks if you could to stop making Stargate please. He would like his wife back.”
BW: It’s only an hour a week, man.
Rose writes: “There was only one small part of The Shrine that left me cold and that was Rodney’s confession of love for Jennifer. I found it jarring and out of place. I realize that it’s not possible to show every single encounter between every character but there was zero build up to this. If Rodney had told Jennifer he cared for her or even that he really liked her, I would have bought it. Could you please explain your reasoning behind this decision?”
BW: He thought he was dying. Obviously.
Cheeky Lil Devil writes: “From business woman to business man, I wondered what your thinking process was to bring in a show that has technically not been tried and tested and replaced a product that from all accounts seems to be doing well in the key demographics, ratings. Etc.”
BW: From all accounts? No.
“…what i’m trying to say in a nutshell (and failing miserably) is that if I were to invest in a new product, from a business perspective i’d test the market first to see if there was an ‘audience’ for that particular ‘age range’ and genre, rather than simply scrapped in a sense a product that there was still an audience for. Lastly while I am here, I wonder if you could let the fans know the reasons for wanting a younger audience, particular as the ‘older’ audience are the ones that have kept the franchise going for this long.”
BW: I thought you said you were a business person.
T_Lily writes: “…are you disappointed by the short life of SGA? Even though it’s running in film form, it won’t be the same, so once again I’m a little bit worried about the content as it won’t be as elaborate as a season running story arc. Thanks in advance!”
BW: Short life?! FIVE YEARS!
YouTuber writes: “I understand that you’re a fairly avid golfer. What’s your handicap? And have you ever been to the Canadian Open?”
BW: At the moment, I’m an 8.7 index. Never been to the open.
Shai writes: “In hindsight, do you regret how the Dreaded Announcement of Doom was handled?”
BW: No.
Kelly writes: “I was totally shocked to hear of the cancellation of SGA. You have issued all sorts of platitudes and various reasons for the cancellation that didnt really make any sense.“
BW: Platitudes?
“You mention about the franchise having to move forward. How will SGU achieve this. My interpretation of moving forward is continually bringing new ideas to the franchise and contuning to appeal to ALL ages of the fandom. How can the franchise move forward if you dismiss most of the fandom, and only cater towards a certain age group. Why put all your eggs in one basket so to speak. You certaintly may appeal to some of the younger audience, but you are also alienating a huge portion of the existing audience.”
BW: We’re not trying to make the new show for kids.
Ytimyona writes: “When collaborating with other writers on a script (like how you and Rob Cooper are writing the pilot of SGU together), how exactly does that work? Do you spin the story together and then one of you writes the script? Do you pass a draft back and forth between each other, revising it each time?”
BW: Its a knife fight.
“3) When you said you intended to make SGU more “mainstream,” I interpreted that to mean that the average viewer (who’s never seen an episode of SG-1 or SGA in his life) could turn on the SGU pilot and understand what was going on… am I right? (I feel like people are unfairly putting words in your mouth with regards to this statement.)”
BW: Close. Mainstream means a lot of people are watching.
STellaByStargate writes: “Word is that a stuffed penguin made its way into your possession a month or two ago. Just wondered if it was sitting on the shelf, had taken up residence on your desk or had somehow migrated, with the others, to Carl Binder’s office? Loved Continuum btw. Send more please.”
BW: It’s in Carl’s office. Joe, how many more freakin’ questions are there?
Alan writes: “Have you given any thoughts on a subtitle for the “SG-1? movie?”
BW: We won’t be using subtitles.
Susnn writes: “Because of vision difficulties I have cut way back on my television watching these days. SGA has been the only series that I watch every week and in rerun. Thanks for the memories.”
BW: And thanks for watching.
Libkat writes: “Rumors persist that you aren’t a big fan of Vala as a character. Will Claudia Black continue to have a place in the SG1 movie universe? I adore the way Vala kept the snarky side of Daniel Jackson alive after RDA left the show and CB and MS have terrific chemistry.”
BW: I thought Claudia was terrific in Continuum, but Vala won’t be returning in the third movie.
Haberdashery writes: “Brad, first thanks for many great years of Stargate. I have enjoyed the series and the great characters you and Rob have created over the years. In light of that, I wanted to ask you if you knew how much people miss seeing Jonas Quinn in the Stargate world? It’s like a gaping wound in our hearts.”
BW: A gaping wound in your hearts? Really? The guy was in one season almost six years ago.
Wraithcake writes: “I have two questions for Mr. Wright: Sorry, I’m a little long winded.
I imagine it is quite challenging as a science fiction writer to reinvent the wheel, especially when it comes to the more innovative aspects of the genre.
Also, it seems that more writers, and more recent writers are moving away from terse social criticism to rather banal story lines. Science Fiction has almost become a quick overlay to simplified plots.
Although I find the show quite entertaining, and am invested in the characters, I’m not oblivious to the criticism. So when I read reviews such as Maureen Ryan’s analysis, a reporter with the Chicago Tribune, who is equally a hard core science fiction fan and enjoys the show, but criticised it for the very reasons I mentioned above, I want to know how you approach this type of critique?
She says:
“Please don’t recycle the same tired plots over and over again….Sure, it’s hard to avoid the sci-fi standbys (body switching, parallel universe, alien virus, crew member kidnapped by aliens, etc.), but increasingly those go-to stories on the show were executed in a uninspired fashion.” Maureen Ryan “The Watcher” Chicago Tribune”
BW: I actually like Maureen. She’s given us quite a bit of ink.
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