Ask Joe Mallozzi - Spoilers for SG-1 (S8, 9, 10) and SGA (S1, 2, 3)

[minigeek]

Joe, we've had several vague references throughout the eight year run of SG, suggesting that Sam Carter is also a pilot (that she'd logged a lot of hours in the Gulf, etc.), do you think we'll ever have a chance to see her character do any of the 'cool' piloting stuff usually reserved for the guys?

[JMallozzi]

Joe,

As delighted as I am about Ben Browder joining the cast, I and a bunch of the other fine folks of the Sam's A Great Character thread are a smidge concerned by the sense that the focus will be about the new guys, new technology, etc., and kind of shelving the others...in this case, Sam, who by the way is also an accomplished pilot and strong leader.

We haven't seen much reference to her being a former Tok'ra host by way of her using cool Goa'uld technology in a while...we finally got to see her utilize her piloting skills in Covenant but, besides her gift at technospeak and her mean wielding of a Carter special or P90, she's painfully underutilized (although we were thrilled to learn that the world's leading theoretical astrophysicist could also run a fax machine).

Is the fact that there's a lot being said about Cameron in Season 9 (as opposed to Daniel/Sam/Teal'c) just because we don't know him yet or is it an example of the direction the show will be heading in the future?

We get that there's a whole hush-hush aspect to giving out spoilers, especially if they're about key players/major storylines...and we know you are real excited about the new season and characters, but the reason we've been watching the past NINE years is because of the three primary ones. Is there a reason we are hearing so little about our original characters? Could you toss a bone to some of your faithful lapdogs please? Just a small bone. A bone-ette.Mary Beth aka ÜberSG-1Fan

Given the fact that we'll be introducing a new villain, introducing a new dynamic to the Jaffa storyline we've followed for the past 8 years, and adding a new member to the team, most of the spoilers will focus on those general aspects of the show's 9th season as opposed to the specifics of the individual characters. Add to that the fact that the episodes people are talking about happen to be the first five episodes of the season (because they are further along the production pipeline) and, coincidentally, happen to be the first five episodes prior to Amanda's full-time return and, well, you can understand why most of the spoilers haven't focused on Sam. Still, there will be plenty of focus on Sam (and Daniel, and Teal'c, and Mitchell) over the course of this upcoming season. As in previous seasons, there will be episodes that will focus on the team and episodes that will focus on the individual team members.

[JMallozzi]

CJ mentions in his Gateworld interview that he really has to be on his toes with the new cast because there's no telling who's going to ad-lib something.

You answered a question earlier that if a director changes anything in the script they usually check with the writers.

How much rein do all the actors have to ad-lib stuff these days and do the writers get to approve the changes beforehand or is the creative process more interactive in S9?

Thanks Joe, we appreciate the time you give the forum. I'm also enjoying your blog a lot. Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough - good choice

The directors are usually very good about checking with us about dialogue changes. Occasionally, the actors will add lines and, more often than not, we keep them in the cut. On the odd occasion where a line is changed without going through us, we usually learn to live with it - or we lose it in post.

[White Knight]

*imitating Flanders' grandma* Hello, Joe!

Some...really good answers just now. Cool. Yeah.
*cough* we'd really like to know if Ronan Dex has a sword *cough*
Oh, gee, I'm sorry about that. I'm recovering from a flu, and I keep coughing incoherent stuff...anyway...

My question for you is thus; Over on one of the Carolyn Lam discussion threads, I've noticed that no one seems to know the details of her appointment to the SGC, and I though I'd query you on the subject: who appoints Lam to the SGC, O'Neill or Landy? 'Cause many people think that this is in breach of Air Force regulations and plain common sense, so if you could shed some light on the subject, I - and I'm sure others - would appreciate it.

Unless you've already answered this, in which case...please answer it again.

Yours in jubilation,
The White Knight

[col_oatmeal]

Here are some Joe Mallozzi slogans


There's only one thing in the world I want and that is Joe mallozzi.»
«3... 2... 1... Joe mallozzi.»
There's only one true Joe mallozzi!»
Joe mallozzi is back.»

Just a few.

[Cory Holmes]

Will there be any exploring of the McKay/Weir backstory that's been alluded to in the show and cast interviews?

[JMallozzi]

The comic episodes like wormhole x-treme, the felger virus episode, the time loop , and the barber, are among my favorites. I'd love to see Svetlana Markov trying to deal with Felger in a comic episode.

Will tptb remember the fans of geeks and humor with an episode in season nine?

You might want to check out an episode titled "The Ties That Bind", early in season 9...

[JMallozzi]

So, Orlin returns as a 12 yr. old boy? Sounds to me like this is not just a case of having another actor play the part simply because SPF is not available. In a sense, this is a totally new character (i.e. Orlin as a child.) and the dynamics between Carter and Orlin as a child is going to be a lot different than the dynamics between Carter and Orlin as an adult.

So, did the idea of having Orlin return as a child come about as a result of not being able to get Sean Patrick Flannery or was this always part of the storylline?
SueS

SPF's unavailability opened up some very interesting possibilities on this one. Yes, the dynamics will be very interesting.

[JMallozzi]

Hi Mr M...

I loved the idea of AU Daniel as the English language teacher in Moebius... whose idea was it?
It resonated with me in a big way...

It was either Paul or I. I honestly don't remember.

[JMallozzi]

So, not sure I can ask this here but how'd the ice cream turn out, I'm interested in the recipe for the dark chocolate chunk one, sounds magnifcently yummy and decadent

The ice creams turned out great. I had Martin Gero and David Hewlitt over the other weekend and made the sweet cream and dark cookie ice cream. Martin claims its his favorite ice cream flavor and insists I make another batch for his return visit next weekend.

[SaharaGate]

Hi Joe,

(I hope it's ok to ask Atlantis-related questions here again now that Martin is no longer doing questions...not that I can blame him, If the choice is between writing SGA and dealing with us heh).

Anyway, over on the Sheppard-Mckay discussion thread it was suggested that the chemistry between Shep and McKay, unlike the Jack-Daniel banter, kind of 'just happened' and wasn't originally scripted or intended to be front-centre of the show.

So is their snarktastic relationship a product of Joe & David, which the writers have picked up on, or something more deliberate?

[JMallozzi]

One of the spoilers on GW for The Fourth Horseman says "The episode will also see the return of Gerak (Louis Gossett, Jr.), with scenes taking place on the new Free Jaffa homeworld, Dakara." Does this mean Teal'c will be off-world when the plague hits? Is what's happening on Dakara connected to the plague storyline or a completely unrelated storyline?

Also, can you give us an idea of what Daniel and Mitchell will be doing in this ep? Will either one of them be affected by the plague?

SueS

Daniel and Mitchell will be heading off-world on a mission to retrieve a key element of a potential cure. Will someone be affected by the plague? The law of averages would suggest someone could very well be infected. Who? Well, you'll have to tune in to find out.

[JMallozzi]

Mr Mallozzi, I have a deeply philosophical,thought provoking, intelegent question that concerns stargate. It has been of constant debate with me and my friends who watch stargate. If you could settle this once and for all, it would be greatly appreciated. Tanks !

The Question is: If JAck Oneill and John SHepered got into a fight, who would win?

Hard to say. Shep is younger and no doubt quicker, but O'Neill is awful wily. It would be pretty close but if I had to pick...I'd put my money on Jack.

[JMallozzi]

Now that advanced human technologies, such as the Prometheus and naquadah reactors, have found their niche of Stargate will we see any new man-made tech in common use at the SGC?

It's possible we'll see some new tech down the line. But R&D is a slow and laboriously process.

[JMallozzi]

I'm a little confused here. If RDA (or presumably any other actor) works for one or two days on scenes which are then scattered thruout, say, ten episodes, he is paid the same as if he works for two months on ten episodes?

If so, I can see where that is a budgeting problem, and with the presumably expensive hiring of the new cast deepsixes attempts to retain a lot of the "old" stargate flavor by those of us who fear our favorite show is disappearing.

Yup. That is a problem.