Different Actress for Elizabeth Wier

[Eri13]

Hey more chances to see emo!John.

Spoiler:

I think it will depend on whether the actress can actually pull off a convincing Elizabeth Weir. She needs to watch old SGA episodes.

It looks like this was always the plan and Torri was just needed for maybe flashbacks, which you know sucks.

I don't think they initially intended to have Fran be in this episode--this was supposed to be Torri. During Joe's blog entries around the whole BAMSR end/Torri decision month, he mentioned how much they'd liked Fran and they'd consider having her back--but he did not mention that she would be back.

Is this discussion spoiler tagged or not? I can't remember:

Spoiler:

I have a feeling the story modification went from having 'Elizabeth' show up, however they planned to have her appear (virtually or physically) and eventually become the ghost in the machine, to having Fran be her voice and form when Torri opted not to return. It's an easy modification to make, to have Fran 'explain' herself as the disembodied Weir, providing Michelle Morgan can be convincing. Though I do agree with above, I liked her as Fran, not Fran-as-Elizabeth.

Though we don't know everything, I'm assuming, based on what JoeM said, that the script has only been modified, not completely re-written--so the intention was to have Weir appear as the 'Ghost in the Machine' all along. Now it's a matter of how they make it happen, and using Fran seems to be the easiest way to go.

[Killdeer]

I don't think they initially intended to have Fran be in this episode--this was supposed to be Torri. During Joe's blog entries around the whole BAMSR end/Torri decision month, he mentioned how much they'd liked Fran and they'd consider having her back--but he did not mention that she would be back.

Is this discussion spoiler tagged or not? I can't remember:

Spoiler:

I have a feeling the story modification went from having 'Elizabeth' show up, however they planned to have her appear (virtually or physically) and eventually become the ghost in the machine, to having Fran be her voice and form when Torri opted not to return. It's an easy modification to make, to have Fran 'explain' herself as the disembodied Weir, providing Michelle Morgan can be convincing. Though I do agree with above, I liked her as Fran, not Fran-as-Elizabeth.

Though we don't know everything, I'm assuming, based on what JoeM said, that the script has only been modified, not completely re-written--so the intention was to have Weir appear as the 'Ghost in the Machine' all along. Now it's a matter of how they make it happen, and using Fran seems to be the easiest way to go.

I agree. I think that's probably pretty close to what happened. And it may not even have been titled Ghost in the Machine originally, because I think GitM refers to

Spoiler:

Elizabeth's ghost in FRAN, who is a machine.

[Pitry]

I don't think they contradict each other. The Solutions spoilers are just more detailed.

Really, it's not a bad idea in theory. It's a great way to get around the problem of not having Torri. I just am having a hard time with it because

Spoiler:

I liked FRAN as, well, FRAN. Not FRAN!Elizabeth.

Question is, is the story sustainable without Weir. The Pegasus replicators have been Elizabeth's story from Progeny til First Strike, and even all the replicators stories in season 4 were also Elizabeth stories. It is something I suspect the writers are aware of as well - |(solution spoilers)

Spoiler:

by writing Fran as Elizabeth instead as another replicator, they're in fact admitting that this story has no indipendent existance of its own. It;s there to serve a broader story, the Elizabeth Weir one - not vice versa.

Unlike SG1, where the replicators had existence outside of any specific character's arc - up til season 8's New Order, actually - here the replicators = Weir. Which raises the question. Why bother continuing the story at all if the character who's the centre of that story and the main one the story serves is gone?

...I won't pretend to be unbiased in this - I loved Elizabeth - in season 3. I dind't like her much before but she quickly became my favourite after Rodney in season 3, when I felt the writing was serving her well, specifically in episodes such as he Real World and The Return (granted, also in the season opener and Tao of Rodney.. ).,, and I'm completely uninterested in the replicator arc as an arc. For me it's there to serve Weir.

[PG15]

Unlike SG1, where the replicators had existence outside of any specific character's arc - up til season 8's New Order, actually - here the replicators = Weir. Which raises the question. Why bother continuing the story at all if the character who's the centre of that story and the main one the story serves is gone?

Simply because they "ended" the storyline with a tease. To left it hanging in such a fashion is just wrong.

You can say they've done it before, but none have been this obvious a setup for things to come.

[Jumper_One]

To me, putting Weir's memory in Fran (if that's what they're going to do) is just another rip-off of an SG-1 plot. Afterall, Sam did have Jolinar's memories.

how is that a rip-off? Sam had Jolinar's memories because of the symbiote. FRAN's a replicator, she'll have the memories because most likely the Weir at the end of BAMSR was also a replicator

If they wanted to keep Weir's memory around, they could've just kept Torri.

um they did want to keep her, she didn't want to come back

And the very fact that people are still talking about Elizabeth Weir and still creating threads about her, just shows me that she was (and still is) a popular character and that TPTB were wrong to reduce her/get rid of her.

of course she's popular. however it doesn't mean that TBTB were wrong to reduce her role (they didn't want to get rid of her), that's an opinion

[Falcon Horus]

um they did want to keep her, she didn't want to come back

Sweetie, you don't tell someone that they can either walk or come back in some recurring work if you want to keep them.

[Eri13]

of course she's popular. however it doesn't mean that TBTB were wrong to reduce her role (they didn't want to get rid of her), that's an opinion

They didn't want to keep her initially. Torri stated they told her on the last day of filming "First Strike" she could recur or walk (I'm presuming she'd then have 'died' in Adrift).

She chose to be recurring for the four S4 episodes. What direction they then took her was up to TPTB and the writers.

[Anuna]

Ha? They did want to get rid of Weir. And they've done it in worse way possible - turning her into a scapegoat and then making her something she isn't.

And yes they were wrong to reduce her role. Without her (and Carson) the whole thing lacks humanity and soul. season 4 was awful. That's an opinion too.

[Jumper_One]

Sweetie, you don't tell someone that they can either walk or come back in some recurring work if you want to keep them.

no? what about the recurring characters?

They didn't want to keep her initially. Torri stated they told her on the last day of filming "First Strike" she could recur or walk (I'm presuming she'd then have 'died' in Adrift).

She chose to be recurring for the four S4 episodes. What direction they then took her was up to TPTB and the writers.

you mean it was her call. ok but this doesn't mean that TBTB didn't want to keep her. also could you provide a link to that interview please?

Ha? They did want to get rid of Weir.

no, TBTB wanted to reduce her role

And they've done it in worse way possible - turning her into a scapegoat

that's your opinion

and then making her something she isn't.

huh? then what IS she?

And yes they were wrong to reduce her role. Without her (and Carson) the whole thing lacks humanity and soul. season 4 was awful. That's an opinion too.

that's what I said, check my previous post

[Killdeer]

also could you provide a link to that interview please?

It's not available online - it was in the #16th issue of Stargate Magazine. The exact quote is:

"I was told right when we wrapped that there would be changes and that it was my choice if I want to come back and do some recurring [work] or walk away," states Higginson.

[Suzotchka]

Good Lord. Are we still arguing about how Torri was given the choice to leave or do some recurring work?

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ka/img053a.jpg

In the official SG-1/SGA magazine Torri said "I was told right when we wrapped that there would be changes and that it was my choice if I want to come back and do some recurring [work] or walk away."

Seems to me that TPTB were OK with just getting rid of Weir.

Good thing I kept the scan of the article on photobucket.

[Jumper_One]

It's not available online - it was in the #16th issue of Stargate Magazine.

oh yeah I remember

The exact quote is:

thanks

Good Lord. Are we still arguing about how Torri was given the choice to leave or do some recurring work?

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ka/img053a.jpg

In the official SG-1/SGA magazine Torri said "I was told right when we wrapped that there would be changes and that it was my choice if I want to come back and do some recurring [work] or walk away."

thank you

Seems to me that TPTB were OK with just getting rid of Weir.

apparently it was her decision. fortunately she decided to return for four eps

Good thing I kept the scan of the article on photobucket.

[Anuna]

huh? then what IS she?

The leader of Atlantis, the best one, and the only real one. She shouldn't have been turned into security risk, convenient plot device and scape goat. It didn't do any good to the show overall. Sam failed to fill her shoes, at least in the way she was written, and I won't even go and speculate about Wooley boy. And yes that's my opinion.

[jelgate]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the whole concept of reccuring is act or walk. I rememeber a interview with David Nykl saying that recurring actors are not bound like main characters. I believe he said that they can refuese to do an episode unlike a main character who is bound by a contract

[Anuna]

apparently it was her decision. fortunately she decided to return for four eps

Yeah, her decision consisted out of giving Weir a chance. She wanted to play her, she wanted to stay. She definitely didn't ask for a recurring role, she did however ask to be given more to work with. She never said she wanted to leave for recurring status. Kicking her out of the main cast was TPTB's choice and decision and some of them were very proud of it as far as I recall.