Stargate Universe - Casting Call

[prion]

Now I trust the showrunners and writers - they have come up with some great stuff over the years and I am happy to give those people the benefit of the doubt.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion but labeling a show "90210 Voyager" before seeing even a teaser is both shortsited and immature.

Just my 2 cents... or pennies

thedon

Think you mean 'shortsighted'

Anyway, I trust the showrunners/writers only so far. I don't give them blind trust to give us an excellent product, because in all the time I"ve watched SG1/SGA, there has always been room for improvement. I suspect that the trend of homages (*cough* ripping off movies) will continue.

THe manner in which SGA was cancelled, and SGU was introduced, showed a distinct lack of tact on SciFi/MGM's behalf (but to them, they don't particularly care about fan reaction, just viewer reaction as in ad revenue) and the way in which BW spun how marvelous this new serious would be. Most fans probably wouldn't be so bent out of shape had the announcement for SGU been done less than 24 hours after the announcement of SGA's cancellation taken place. It's a simple fact of economics they probably could not afford both series, so they decided to kill the existing one and hope to hold onto the same base and gain a more youthful (aka, more reckless with spending) audience base.

Many younger (20s) fans I know happen to like SG1, SGA, and aren't looking for Dawson Creek rejects on Stargate.

And face it, the writers/producers always tell us how every single episode/scene is fantastic. Doesn't always pan out that way.

[Stormtrooper]

Seems to be that way. Everything he gloriously praises -- Keller, Whispers, etc -- I seem to end up vehemently hating.

Indeed.

Well, if Joe M says it'll be good, then it simply must be.
Joe is never known for hyperbole/exaggeration when it comes to telling us how good a show or an episode will be.
I'm an disturbed, though, that Brad pitched the show to him.
Please, don't tell me JM has anything to do with the new show.

Terrible news for Universe :/

[xandder]

Well it's been quite some time since I posted here but after all that's been said on Atlantis's cancelation and the negative reaction to Universe I felt it was time to weigh in.

I'm in the UK so I havn't seen the new season of Atlantis but so far things I've read have been positive, I don't dont just watch Atlantis I collect the DVD's - as I did for SG1... I love these shows and watch them through many times a year.

So first off I would like to say thanks alot to cast and crew of both shows for giving me something I deeply enjoy to watch over the last 12 years.

Now I trust the showrunners and writers - they have come up with some great stuff over the years and I am happy to give those people the benefit of the doubt.

As for the casting calls, these are just early hints at these people - it's the Actors (we know they have so far attracted great people to the roles both SG1 and SGA) and writers that make them (who have written some fantastic stuff over the years), It would be interesting to see the original casting calls for Atlantis knowing who the charecters are now and where they came from on paper.

The only one I knew of from Atlantis was Rodney and from watching him on the SG1 episodes I didn't know how much I could stomach him full time... but he became certainly one of my favourite charecters.

Yes I'm not happy that SGA was cancelled and yes I would love for it to continue.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion but labeling a show "90210 Voyager" before seeing even a teaser is both shortsited and immature.

Just my 2 cents... or pennies

thedon

thank you, its about time someone who actually thought about the situation came on and posted something sensible and well thought out, not just post the same old *universe is crap, just coz* post. while i understand ppl feeling hurt about how the way the whole situation was handled, myself included, there is still no need to post such comments before even knowing how the show is really going to run. had sg1 been cancelled so atlantis could be on the air, i would imagine a similar board being about how atlantis is going to be crap aswell, but that wasn't the case, was it.

at the end of the day, it wasn't the writers who cancelled the show, it was the network, and last time i checked, the network dont write the episodes, the writers do, the same writers who written fr atlantis, so that should give you peace of mind,
while there have been a few bumps here and there, there hasn't been an entire season of sg1 or atlantis that has been crap, so why would the writers decide to start writing crap now?

[TameFarrar]

My comments on the main page keep getting deleted so I'll say it here. The mods probably don't want too much negative feedback for this new show, but who can blame us really?

This isn't going to be the return to form I hoped for, it is not the Last Crusade of the Stargate franchise, instead we have been given something somewhat of a remnant of The Mummy III. Ah well. Good thing I hadn't set my hopes too high.

Just an FYI- the only one that CAN deletes comments on the Main GW site is Darren and he has already stated that he will only remove comments that have profanity or are otherwise crude in nature or extremely disrespectful to the real people involved. So if you wrote anything of that nature ...then your comment was probably deleted (we did get a report about one such comment) However, there is also a delay AND this is the Internet so if you have not done any of the above then it could be that your comment was delayed OR it took a wrong turn off the information highway. It does happen ya know

[Skydiver]

Oh, I dunno if it'll be the end, it'll just morph into something bland and unpalatable, full of sex and shiny things and explosions and not much else. Certainly not plot or character development. They've been heading that way anyway, SGU will just make the changeover more official. And as unpalatable as I find those types of shows they seem to do very well in the ratings so SGU and its successors will probably be... er... successes. From a numbers standpoint, anyway.

so....Andromeda anyone????

Has it really taken you this long to notice that? Or are you just reiterating for the folks who may be running a bit slow?

see, i've found that:

the harder joe pimps something the more it seems to be a 'hard sell'....if we tell you it's great enough times, you'll start to believe it:

couple that with the fact that his definiton of 'good' is about 180 degrees from mine, I tend to look forward to the stuff he DOESN'T pimp.

Like folks have said, he adored lucius, thought whispers was great...well yeah, we're just polar opposites.

[Pegasus_SGA]

My whole point is, the casting call for me wasn't as good until we go to the character. Plus, I would be willing to bet that the character would change from the original bio if they had more time to get in the character, like McKay. I bet the original bio was something like this (and please, find it -- I couldn't):

"McKay: Annoying, self-centered brat who will never do anything great and always try to out-do Samantha Carter. And not brave."

However, the Atlantis Season two and beyond McKay is a very different McKay, a better McKay. See what I'm saying? More time gives more character development.

And Teyla was suppose to be in her 20's. She's not. How much you wanna bet that most will end up being in their 30's? Hmmm...

Here ya go hon. here was Rodney's bio

Dr. Benjamin Ingram: In his 40’s, Ingram is a brilliant African Canadian scientist who has done a heroic job of interfacing modern technology with those of the Ancients, and is in large part responsible for the new discoveries that have made the Atlantis mission possible. However, it bothers Ingram that he doesn't possess the rare gene that would allow him to physically interact with the Ancients' technology. He also accompanies Dr. Weir and Major Sheppard on their risky journey to another galaxy, where Atlantis now lies.

See, annoying I can cope with, spoiled brat, ivy league daughter of senator does not appeal to me, and neither does a psycho, or god's gift to woman. They just don't interest me in the slightest.. so for me that's why i'm struggling with the whole thing. Pretty much what's been on the bio's have been the characters, and yep they do get development along the way, I undestand that, but if your initial feelings and instincts are that you don't like the characters, you have two choices either give it a go, or not. If i'm not happy with the set up or the characters initially then why would I waste my time? I've loved the premise of SG1 and Atlantis, don't like this premise. It's like looking in the paper and seeing a film intro... do you like it, is it your sort of film. If it's not enticing... then would you watch it?

Well, you know I loves ya babe, so I won't snark at you like I do with the others. It'll be pretty quiet, boring, and sane in here without you though.

Feel free to snark, babes, don't hold back cos we luffs each other. I'm a big girl and can stand my ground. Go forth and give me your best.

And who say's i'm going? Still got the rest of the series, the movie. I'll be around for a while, i'll just not be watching the new gate, we'll cross paths again, i'm sure.

Still, I hope that, as more info roll in, you'll keep the door of interest cracked open at least a little bit; you never know what can happen between now and when the show premiers. You could get interested and check it out.

Oh i'm sure there'll be more info floating around, but I kinda expected the good stuff to be released first. Isn't that the whole reason for PR, you entice your audience with the juicy bits first to get them wanting more?

Well, I've already outlined a (IMHO) logical reason why all of these people could end up stranded on the ship; namely, the ship was first explored by those with actual skills, deemed safe, and the B-team was brought in as security guards weeks/months after they discovered it. Then, something happens and the ship is launched into the unknown.

Thing is, there are a million reasons why these people end up on the ship.

Fair enough, but for me, young cast, bad bio's bad premise, nothing to entice me. Illogical reasonings about why a half trained crew and fluff is on board.... and if it doesn't make sense to me, it gets on my nerves, and I get frustrated, then snarky.

Well, Sheppard's description wasn't exactly unique either; a rebellious soldier who's disobeyed orders? That's pretty well-tread territory. It was only after the show premiered, and we saw how Joe F played the character, how the writers wrote him, and how he interacted with others that he got interesting IMHO.

Though the math genius part was pretty cool, I'll admit.

Sheppy's bio

Major John Sheppard: A gifted military pilot, posted at McMurdoch Air Force Base because it’s the only place they will let him fly; Sheppard once defied a direct order and flew his helicopter to rescue two Rangers trapped behind enemy lines. Though people might see a good-ol’ boy exterior he is also a closet mathematical genius. He has a wry sense of humor and likes to pretend he’s not as smart as he really is. Most of the time a perfect gentlemen – who tries his best to be charming – when he’s pushed to fight he can be an absolute animal with single-minded purpose. He distrusts authority and always goes with his gut letting his strong sense of common sense morality lead his actions. The character is listed as being between 35 and 40 years old.

The bolded bit for me is what endeared me to the character. The rebel, the going that bit further, a sense of morality, the 35 -40, all those I can relate to. Seriously hon, i know you're looking forward to the new show, good for you, but there's not one bit of the casting call that 'talks to me' and says watch me it'll be worth it, nothing at all.

Feel free to snark away.

[Briangate78]

I think we need to all clear our heads. Lets all hold hands in a giant circle and sing Kumbaya.

[Jeff O'Connor]

I think we need to all clear our heads. Lets all hold hands in a giant circle and sing Kumbaya.

I'm game.

[Pegasus_SGA]

I think we need to all clear our heads. Lets all hold hands in a giant circle and sing Kumbaya.

knowing you, you'd probably 'howl' all the way through....

[Briangate78]

knowing you, you'd probably 'howl' all the way through....

Arooooooooooo!! LOL!

[Pegasus_SGA]

Arooooooooooo!! LOL!

Nice to know i'm right again.

[Renata]

Like someone said on another board - I honestly WANT to like Universe. SG1 was (and is) great. Same goes for Atlantis. No, I'm not happy that Atlantis was cancelled and I'd love to see it back. But I'm not going to dismiss Universe out of hand because of Atlantis, or because of how badly MGM and SciFi handled the situation. In the end, I'll watch Universe (or not) based on its own merits.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look good so far. In fact, that cast sheet is absolutely awful. I sincerely hope that the show undergoes some major renovations before it begins casting and shooting.

[EvenstarSRV]

Until now, I've never seen a casting call for any show or movie I've watched, so I have no barometer by which to judge how the early character descriptions compare to the characters that I see on the screen.

Beside the Atlantis character descriptions that were posted earlier, has anyone been able to see the casting call for other shows/movies and can comment on how the characters may have changed or not changed by the time they reached the screen?

I ask because I know very little about the casting process for show and movies and I'm just curious to know more.

[haloplayer]

The Casting Calls are horrible, BUT i will still give the show a chance by watching the Pilot. Still if this show does turn out horrible i hope it does not bring down the Franchise.

[jelgate]

knowing you, you'd probably 'howl' all the way through....

Knowing you, I would probably be pushed into the fire