Anti-S9 thread. For complaints and misgivings ONLY.

[ShadowMaat]

I've been told that SG-1 will have two new writers for S9. Whether or not they'll actually be allowed to write anything without it being heavily censored/rewritten by the Old Boys Club is another matter entirely. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the sake of those who actually plan to watch, though.

[Osiris-RA]

I agree with the previously mentioned comments.

Mostly, yeah.

I think it's better to end with a bang than to fade away.

Yep, or a kinda cliff hangery ending so perhaps ... one day ... in the not so near future ... the SG crew will step through the Event Horizon again.

We'll still have Atlantis!

Um ... no need to get frantic. I think I'll watch Re-runs of Stargate, X-files and the new season of Monk.

[Lunar]

And Claudia Black is extremely talented actress and a wonderful human being (I met her at a small FS con in UK on December 2002), so you should be grateful that TPTB invited her to SG-1.

I'm sure she is, but the writing for her character was, in mo, abysmal. It's a tribute to her acting ability that I actually managed to sit through the whole episode.

[DarkQuee1]

Well, Farscape is not for everybody It's definitely more difficult and complicated show than SG-1 and it's THE MOST BRILLIANT TV SHOW EVER MADE!!! If you are smart, intelligent, and with sense of humour person, you can give it a try

I was a big Farscape fan--in the first year. It started losing me as soon as the second season started and it totally forgot to resolve its cliffhanger. Which the show's fans didn't seem to notice, being more entranced with the fact that Crichton and D'Argo were playing rock, paper, scissors (my first reaction to the ep was that I must have misunderstood when the new season was starting and missed an ep. Nope.). It is no more complicated than Stargate--which has a very complex and layered universe--it just forgot repeatedly to actually tell a story. It was sometimes intelligent--and sometimes more interested in being clever for the sake of being clever. Yes, it could be witty, but it's sense of humor--with its constant sexual innuendos and double entendres--was often as juvenile as a bunch teenage boys snickering at Playboy. And every time it added a new female character, she had a tighter costume and bigger boobs.

And Claudia Black is extremely talented actress and a wonderful human being (I met her at a small FS con in UK on December 2002), so you should be grateful that TPTB invited her to SG-1.

I have never met her personally. I never had any problems with her acting on Farscape--unlike Ben Browder, who spent way too much time over the top and shouting--but "grateful"? Hardly. I have yet to see that she can outact AT. Or any of the other actors on Stargate.

And if this is the attitude that Farscape fans are going to be bringing to season 9, I can see trouble ahead. Next week's TV Guide has a little blurb headlined "Farscape Reunion", about Browder and Black being on Stargate, and it refers to Browder as the "newly appointed Stargate SG-1 leading man." I'm sure that that's the way the Farscape fans will expect to see it. No question that will cause friction.


J.

[BackStageJim]

We know the actors are heading for a change. But since the writers and directors have 2/3 contributing factor, do we know who is comming back for S9.

Also, is the rumor still abounding on the relo to wintery southern california.

[ShadowMaat]

Any rumors of a SoCal move are complete and utter crap. That was X-Files. This is Stargate. Their space at Bridge was built specifically for filming Stargate. Short of Vancouver sliding into the sea, they aren't going to abandon the location.

As for the further attempts at rumormongering about the cast, Amanda is back for 15 eps, RDA is back for 3-4, Claudia Black is back for 5, BB, MS and CJ are all on for the full run... I think that covers everything.

Fandom is on edge enough as it is without trying to start something...

[trupi]

What are they trying to accomplish? Why destroy the show? End it some way (prefably by Sam and Jack getting together) but end it with dignity. My children and I have been watching the show almost since the beginning and enjoy our hour watching together! Please, if someone with some input reads these comments don't throw our memories of laugher and tears out the window! It's only a show but also was M.A.S.H, All in the Family and Twilight Zones. They taught lesssons and believe it or not so does SG-1.

[Hathor999]

Here's something else... and I'll probably get sniped for it, but so be it.

If RDA wants to leave, more power to him. I'll bid him a fond farewell and wish him all the best. But I think he should actually LEAVE instead of waffling about. This three or four eps thing is, IMO, kind of ridiculous. Either you're gone or you're not. You can't have it both ways and trying to... please everyone only makes the situation worse. Just say, "It's OVER." and walk away. If you keep coming back, if you keep exhibiting signs of weakness, then the Ones in Charge will continue to exploit you, digging the knife in deeper and deeper.

And you KNOW (or I know, anyway) that the rest of the season will suffer for that handful of eps. All attention will go into making RDA's eps as spectacular (by their definition) as possible and the rest of the season can more or less go to hell.

Maybe that's an overly negative way of interpreting things, but if the past couple of seasons are anything to judge by, then the Jack-centric eps will be the best of the season. Relatively speaking. Or they'll be the flashiest, anyway.

I'd rather see the producers free to concentrate on OTHER things and on expanding things in new directions rather than "saving up" and waiting to expound all kinds of coolness on the Jack-centric eps because they know that's what the fans want.

I´m sorry but I completly disagree with you about it. In season 6 they had 3 Daniel episodes and at least 2 of them ("Abyss" and "Changeling") were IMO among the best Stargate had ever done! And "Full Circle" was still a good episode.
If RDA will come back for 3 or 4 episodes I will looking forward to it and hoping that they will be as good as the Daniel episodes from season 6.

I said it often enough. I would prefer it when the show had ended with season 8. I doubt that the writing for the show will be in season 9 (without RDA or not) better than in season 7 or 8. Ben Bowder does nothing for me and Vala is IMO the dumbest idea that the writers ever had (can we please have Anise back? Compared to Vala was Anise done with style and grace!).
And the new story-arc with all new enemy does nothing for me (I had liked Michael Greenburgs idea about returning to some older ideas like Nicholas Ballard or the Giant Aliens or -he not talked about it- the Re´etu or the Nox, much more ).

Seeing SG 1 reunited for a handfull of episodes will be at least a little thing about season 9 I could enjoy!

[Hathor999]

Well, Farscape is not for everybody It's definitely more difficult and complicated show than SG-1 and it's THE MOST BRILLIANT TV SHOW EVER MADE!!! If you are smart, intelligent, and with sense of humour person, you can give it a try
And Claudia Black is extremely talented actress and a wonderful human being (I met her at a small FS con in UK on December 2002), so you should be grateful that TPTB invited her to SG-1.

If Claudia Black is an talented actress than her talents are wasted on a character like Vala.

I see no reason for being gratefull. Had TPTB managed it to create a female character who is human being anstead of a cheap sex-fantasy than I would be gratefull but so I´m far away from feeling gratefull! And that the episode was incredible bad written don´t made it better. If this is the template for season 9...

And the MOST BRILLIANT TV SHOW EVER MADE is still BABYLON 5.

[ShadowMaat]

What are they trying to accomplish? Why destroy the show? End it some way (prefably by Sam and Jack getting together).

Actually, I'd prefer an ending that wouldn't infuriate half of fandom. Leave it open-ended in the ship department so that those who want Sam and Jack to be together can imagine it and those who find the idea repulsive and abhorrent can assume they never get together.

As for ending it with dignity, I think it's far too late for that.

In season 6 they had 3 Daniel episodes and at least 2 of them ("Abyss" and "Changeling") were IMO among the best Stargate had ever done! And "Full Circle" was still a good episode.

Completely different set of circumstances, as far as I'm concerned. For starters, MS actually lives in Vancouver, so he's more readily available. And second of all, the writers don't try and force each and every single episode of the show to revolve around Daniel, whereas with Jack- especially in his reduced capacity- they try to jam twice as much of him as possible into every ep he's in instead of allowing it to develop naturally. That's how I see it, anyway. Granted, S8 has been a bit better in that regard (at least in the few eps I've seen), but if there are only going to be 3-4 eps, I can just picture TPTB going ALL OUT on that handful of eps and screwing the rest of the season in the process. You still have some faith in their abilities whereas I expect the worst based on my experiences with watching the show.

[keshou]

If RDA wants to leave, more power to him. I'll bid him a fond farewell and wish him all the best. But I think he should actually LEAVE instead of waffling about. This three or four eps thing is, IMO, kind of ridiculous. Either you're gone or you're not. You can't have it both ways and trying to... please everyone only makes the situation worse. Just say, "It's OVER." and walk away. If you keep coming back, if you keep exhibiting signs of weakness, then the Ones in Charge will continue to exploit you, digging the knife in deeper and deeper.

And you KNOW (or I know, anyway) that the rest of the season will suffer for that handful of eps. All attention will go into making RDA's eps as spectacular (by their definition) as possible and the rest of the season can more or less go to hell.

Maybe that's an overly negative way of interpreting things, but if the past couple of seasons are anything to judge by, then the Jack-centric eps will be the best of the season. Relatively speaking. Or they'll be the flashiest, anyway.

I don't think they'll put all they have into those 3-4 "RDA" episodes and let "the rest of the season more or less go to hell". I'm sure RDA's episodes (if they happen) will be "big" episodes. BUT, what's different in S9 is that TPTB need to prove they've made a good decision going forward (w/o RDA) and that hiring Ben Browder was a fabulous idea. So I expect them to go all out for the introduction of Col.M with some flashy episodes up front.

I do think this whole negotiation with RDA seems to be dragging on way too long. They're going to start shooting in March so they're probably already sketching out the first part of the season without Jack around anyway. Maybe they should just plan on RDA being gone for the first half of the season and let RDA go enjoy his retirement. If he wants to volunteer to guest star in the last couple of episodes of S9 or something I'm sure they'll be happy to bring him back for that. But it should be RDA's idea. IMO.

[ShadowMaat]

All the more reason to give it up and go ahead without him. When they wait until the last possible second to do something, the whole show suffers. I don't think that RDA is worth crippling the show. If he wants to go off and do his own thing, then for pity's sake, LET HIM. Don't keep needling him to be in more eps, just give it up already and MOVE ON. You've got Ben, you've got Claudia, you've got the rest of the cast, do something with them! The universe- even the Stargate universe- does not revolve around RDA. He has been a wonderful addition, there's no denying that, but life can go on without him... if only they'd TRY.

[Random]

Season 9: The beginning of the end?

S8 was the beginning of the end

[Dani347]

RDA isn't the first lead character to leave a tv show. Instead of having this crippling mindset that losing him will destroy the show and they need to try and get him to dtay, tptb need to think what are they going to do with an RDA-less show, and act according to that. If RDA says, "I'm done, finito, no recurring character, no 4 episodes, no nothing" then what? Are tptb prepared for that possibility?

[DarkQuee1]

RDA isn't the first lead character to leave a tv show.

True. And I remember the outcry, reaction and actions that followed that occurrence. Pot and kettle? This is quite a mild protest/criticism by comparison.

Will I give the show a chance next year? Yes (though there is one factor that might change that). Will I love it the way I loved the original SG-1. No, because Jack is the core character for me. Will I continue to watch? Depends on the writing--for which I do not hold out much hope based on most of season 7 and 8--and what they do with the characters left, most esp. Sam (if they diminish Sam's character or position with the team, they will probably lose me. It's enough we have only one major female character left on the show; if they suddenly start treating her as an adjunct to the men, I would find that very insulting and I'd be gone) and Browder's character (right now, it looks as if they are pandering to the Farscape fans).

J.