Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

[leiasky]

The fact that so many people are asking questions about why didn't they vent the atmosphere of the Gateroom before the LA came aboard is amusing to me. I think this scene wasn't thought out well...

The answer was quite plain in multiple scenes but best demonstrated in O'Neill's dressing down of Young. Which was just brilliant and I'd like to see again. And again.

[thekillman]

if the air was instantly vented, the LA would've held their breath just long enoug, put on one of those gas masks and open the door. you don't die instantly of oxygen deprivation

[Mike.]

if the air was instantly vented, the LA would've held their breath just long enoug, put on one of those gas masks and open the door. you don't die instantly of oxygen deprivation

The pressure difference would kill them quickly though. You know, lungs exploding, capillaries bursting, water instantly boiling (and evaporating and damaging the tissue) because of the lack of pressure. Really gruesome.

If "venting" just meant removing the oxygen from the gas mixture in the room, then yeah, they'd have no problems holding their breath long enough to use the lock-picks and open a door.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...t-and-mailbag/

June 8, 2010

Photos: Ivon Bartok, Carl Binder, setting the stage


Today, I took a break from a heavier-than-expected script rewrite to take in that oft-rescheduled model shoot going on out back.

I got more revealing pics and vids of the actual stunt but, alas, those will have to wait for another time.

Then, it was back to the rewrite that’s going – well, less than swimmingly. I figured it would take me two hours tops yet, so far, it has taken me two days and counting. Those seemingly simple little changes have reverberated throughout the script, forcing me to reconsider some of the scenes and dialogue. It’s been exhausting. Fortunately, I’ll be kicking tomorrow off with a nice relaxing early morning Playback meeting. VFX, meanwhile, has been pushed to Friday.

Don’t forget to get those questions in for Remi Aubuchon. He comes by my office every hour on the our asking about them!

Today’s entry is dedicated to PG15. Congratulations!


Mailbag:

dasNdanger writes: “While I’m at it, I asked before if you ever read The Dark Tower graphic novels based on Stephen King’s series of books by the same name?”

Answer: I’ve enjoyed almost all of Stephen King’s work – except for The Dark Tower series. Couldn’t get past The Gunslinger.

Sean D. writes: “What if they vented the gateroom and the neighboring corridors *before* the stargate even activated so there would be zero air the moment L.A. stepped through; have an armed military person in a spacesuit hiding behind something, ready to retrieve Telford (perhaps even rig a mini-breathing apparatus from one of the spacesuits to offer Telford); thus leaving L.A. to die? Would that have been a feasible option?”

Answer: They step through. Everyone’s fighting for breath. Our suited soldier moves over to retrieve Telford. A Lucian Alliance member – or several – open fire and kill Telford and possibly damage the suit (remember, those suits are damn old and didn’t take much to damage one in Water). Wouldn’t it be easier to give them the opportunity to surrender and, if they don’t, just vent the gate room? Again, you’re operating with the knowledge that they possess technology that will allow them to open the doors. Young didn’t.

duneknight writes: “i wouldve just had a few armed men shoot the incoming enemy, they even couldve used that balcony.”

Answer: And the Lucian Alliance shoot back and your men are wounded and/or killed.

Sean D. also writes: “If two people swap bodies via those intergalactic communication stones and one of them ascends mid-swap, what happens to the other person?”

Answer: My guess – one would ascend and the other would die.

Sean D. also writes: “Are we going to see any more “former Goa’uld-possessed” tech in the hands of L.A. in future episodes/seasons (in addition to what we have already seen)? Like the zat guns?”

Answer: Nope.

Sean D. also writes: “How do the communication stones work? Do they actually swap consciousnesses?”

Answer: Yep.

Kymm writes: “Have Brad and Robert told YOU how SGU will potentially end?”

Answer: Yes. The writing department has discussed how the series ender, how to get there, and the tidbits of information we’ll be dropping along the way.

Darren Duncan writes: “I have a prediction to make regarding “Incursion, Part 1″. I predict that ever since the Destiny came out of FTL, it has been in some proximity to a black hole or some other star with an accretion disk, and that the thing which vaporized the Alliance person was a gamma-ray burst or other kind of narrow-beam radiation from said object. The ship’s hull may have generally protected the occupants from this, but the vaporized person was standing under a gap in the hull, under shields barely not strong enough to keep in the air, never mind strong radiation. If this is the case, they may get hit multiple times as the star/etc rotates. This star may also be unexpected, which may explain why the Destiny’s countdown clock stopped, as it did with the “new” planet. Anyway, that’s my thought for a “real science” explanation. We’ll see at the end of the week if it was true.”

Answer: Now THAT is an interesting theory. Let’s discuss this weekend.

Shiningwit writes: “Its been a tad hectic here of late hence the lack of inane ramblings, at least on my part”

Answer: Sending positive thoughts your (and your mom’s) way.

PG15 writes: “

1. Who’s the director of Trial and Error?

2. Who’s the director of The Greater Good?

3. Who’s the director of Visitation?

4. Who’s the director of Deliverance?”

Answers: 1. Andy Mikita.

2. Will Waring.

3. We’re shooting Twin Destinies in its place. Peter DeLuise is directing.

4. Andy Mikita. I think.

E writes: “Hopefully we fans won’t know anything about SGU’s ending for at least few years. But are you happy/excited/meh about what the finale will be? Was it a collective decision?”

Answer: Yes. The Lucian Alliance incursion was planned from the beginning of season one and the entire writing department took part in the breaking of the story – as with most every episode we produce.

Jacque writes: “Hmmmm. Do I detect Zero-G?”

Answer: Now THAT is an interesting theory. Let’s discuss this weekend.

Ryusei writes: “Not to be comparing series, but do you have any information as to when a soundtrack will be released?”

Answer: Sorry, I don’t.

Major D. Davis writes: “Do you think it’s possible that with enough promotion you guys can get enough viewers for season 2 to get a season 3?”

Answer: A third season pick-up will be contingent on the performance of those first ten episodes of season 2. And, yes, promotion will play a huge role in how we do. After all, you’re not going to tune in if you don’t know we’re on.

Elminster writes: “Was just listening to Michael Shanks on Sci-Fi Talks and he said the third SG:1 movie is filming this fall. Any comments?”

Answer: News to me.

BoltBait writes: “How many pages do you write for a ~42 minute episode? Is that typical amoung the writing group for your show?”

Answer: Depends on the show. SG-1 and SGU, you’re looking at about 51 pages. Atlantis = 56-57.

BoltBait also writes: “What is the ratio of descriptions to dialog to direction?”

Answer: That’s entirely script dependent.

BoltBait writes: “Do you story board an episode? If so, who draws the pictures?”

Answer: We break an episode, first spinning out the idea, then fleshing it out on the whiteboard by breaking it down into acts and individual scenes. From there, we go to outline, then script. If the director is presented with a fairly complicated bit of choreography, he may story board the sequence – like Andy Mikita did in Awakening.

BoltBait also writes: “How do you manage continuity? In other words, with all the writers working on different episodes at the same time, how do you know where the characters will be at the start of your episode?”

Answer: All the writers are involved in the breaking of each story so we know exactly what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.

jinx writes: “What was the reasoning behind Col Young’s decision not to use deadly force?”

Answer: Venting the atmosphere to a sealed off section IS deadly force.

[GATEGOD]

I still want to better understand why they replaced Ford in season 2. From what I've heard they just didn't see any ways to do more with him. But that's kinda silly. The writers all they woulda had to do is write better for him and give him more to do? From my viewpoint all they did was replace him with Ronon who after two or three Ronon eps basically became 80% of the time I definitely won't say all the time but a major part of it just became a supporting three or four line role in episodes. I still don't see the point in replacing Ford with Ronon. I had always hoped to see Ford again and the 5 second hallucination Shepard had was nice but it still never gave us the real deal. The answer really can't be that they thought the character that they created was too bland and uninteresting. They just go back and write and introduce more to him if that's the way they thought. I liked his character and would have loved to have grown up in an alternate reality where I could see what a 5 year series with Ford in it could have been like.

lol I'm glad he didn't answer anything about Ford in his blog. I always fear the bad answers you never wanna hear. That your fav character wasn't that good to them, that they'll never come back and that we didn't want to do that anymore. ^.^

[Pharaoh Atem]

I still want to better understand why they replaced Ford in season 2. From what I've heard they just didn't see any ways to do more with him. But that's kinda silly. The writers all they woulda had to do is write better for him and give him more to do? From my viewpoint all they did was replace him with Ronon who after two or three Ronon eps basically became 80% of the time I definitely won't say all the time but a major part of it just became a supporting three or four line role in episodes. I still don't see the point in replacing Ford with Ronon. I had always hoped to see Ford again and the 5 second hallucination Shepard had was nice but it still never gave us the real deal. The answer really can't be that they thought the character that they created was too bland and uninteresting. They just go back and write and introduce more to him if that's the way they thought. I liked his character and would have loved to have grown up in an alternate reality where I could see what a 5 year series with Ford in it could have been like.

lol I'm glad he didn't answer anything about Ford in his blog. I always fear the bad answers you never wanna hear. That your fav character wasn't that good to them, that they'll never come back and that we didn't want to do that anymore. ^.^

he wasn't interesting to write for and the character wasn't working out. known facts.

[thekillman]

The pressure difference would kill them quickly though. You know, lungs exploding, capillaries bursting, water instantly boiling (and evaporating and damaging the tissue) because of the lack of pressure. Really gruesome.

that's a myth. seriously, you'd be fine if you're beamed into outer space. you know what you die of? lack of oxygen. with an oxygen tank on your back you'd be fine. well with all the radiation and lack of heat you won't live THAT long. but you'll live

[jmoz]

that's a myth. seriously, you'd be fine if you're beamed into outer space. you know what you die of? lack of oxygen. with an oxygen tank on your back you'd be fine. well with all the radiation and lack of heat you won't live THAT long. but you'll live

lol, pressure changes is a myth? Dude, you know why submarines have to come up from under the sea slowly? To adjust to the change in pressure or else they're lungs will collapse among many other things. Otherwise, bad things will happen. Same thing, the rapid pressure change to space would do the same.

[Egle01]

The fact that so many people are asking questions about why didn't they vent the atmosphere of the Gateroom before the LA came aboard is amusing to me. I think this scene wasn't thought out well...

I think people just fail to understand what was really going on.

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...t-and-mailbag/

E writes: “Hopefully we fans won’t know anything about SGU’s ending for at least few years. But are you happy/excited/meh about what the finale will be? Was it a collective decision?”

Answer: Yes. The Lucian Alliance incursion was planned from the beginning of season one and the entire writing department took part in the breaking of the story – as with most every episode we produce.

Err...

[GATEGOD]

he wasn't interesting to write for and the character wasn't working out. known facts.

Aw he was my favorite he must have been interesting.

[Jumper_One]

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...nal-fifth-act/

June 9, 2010


Today’s game plan was to finish the rewrite of Resurgence. Yesterday, I got as far as the top of Act V before running out of steam. So, all I had to do was finish that final act. Seven measly pages.

Well, the day is done and here I sit, staring at the top of Act V. Wha- happened?

First, there was that 8:30 a.m. Playback meeting. Digital Effects Supervisor Krista McLean tried to keep things lively by incorporating hand-outs into the proceedings: layouts of the beautiful new set, its seemingly endless playback possibilities, scene by scene breakdowns of who’s doing what where and what they see, and big framed single sheets for doodling (which I honestly didn’t think we would need but did end up making fair use of). Ninety minutes of Level One Badness, Level Two Badness, and Level Two Badness With Fritz later – and we were done. Next time, it’ll be puppets and dancing monkeys.

The 10:30 a.m. Visual Effects meeting was fairly tame in comparison – which is kind of surprising given the number of visual effects in this episode. 17 pages worth in the initial VFX Budget hand-out! Will and I trimmed out those shots we felt were unnecessary, but there is still plenty of eye candy for the discerning space battle aficionado.

By the time I sat down to resume work on the rewrite, I had a slew of notes from the morning meetings to incorporate into the script. And once I’d incorporated them, had lunch, and given Paul notes on the second part of the mid-season two-parter (Deliverance), I was right back where I was yesterday – at the top of the fifth act.

In addition to that fifth act, I also have to get around to watching the auditions for the role of the marine. Paul wasn’t sure what I was going to name him so, in part two, he just decided to go with TBD (To Be Decided). When you say it fast enough, it almost sounds like Thibodeau – so I went back and renamed him Thibodeau. Private First Class Henri Thibodeau, the ragin’ cajun from Louisiana! Doing a preliminary scan of the twenty (yes, twenty!) candidates vying for the role, I notice some interesting entries in the various Special Skills categories accompanying each resume. Highlights include: ping pong master (actually, plenty of ping pong masters in this line-up), professional scooter driver, beginner level Irish jig, whistler, super fast bartender, musically inclined (if we happen to be casting for a character who can hum a few bars), mask making, contact improv (?), mime (contact mime would be even cooler!), breast stroke (I bet, you dog you), and “can cure anyone’s hiccups in under one minute” (I **** you not. That was on the list.). And what the hell does a “class 5 driver’s license” cover? Unicycles? Camels? Those kiddie choo choo trains?


Mailbag:

Lewis writes: “1) Is there any chance David Hewlett makes an appearance on SGU? 2) I know that the first few episodes of Season 2 will determine a lot for the future of the franchise, so besides just watching (and setting DVRs) what can we the fans do on our end to help?”

Answers: 1) Of course there’s always a chance since the McKay character is part of the extended Stargate family. 2) Put the word out, get your friends and family (and their friends and family) to tune in.

Sean D. writes: “

1. Will the character Varro (of the Lucian Alliance) end up having a more significant role – or at least a recurring role – in season 2?

2. The recent Syfy chat with some of the cast revealed cool clues and hints about season 2, could you please confirm those things?
2a. Lots of aliens? “BUNCH of new aliens”?
2b. Using the stargate a lot?
2c. Reveals what happened with Franklin and the chair?
2d. Reveals more about the previously unseen aliens from episode “Faith”?
2e. Reveals a “TON about the Lucian Alliance”?
2f. Reveals a lot about Destiny?

3. How many season 2 episodes will include actor Robert Knepper?

4. Who invented the tech that the Goa’uld used in Stargate SG-1, like that ha’tak, death glider, zat gun, staff weapon?”

Answers: 1. If he survives the incursion, it’s possible.

2. a) Several. b) More gate travel, yes. c) Yes, we’ll be learning more about that. d) Yes. e) “More” anyway. f) Significantly more.

3. Remains to be seen.

4. We never answered that question. And, obviously, I’m not answering it here.

Milmer writes: “Will the crew of the Destiny be gating to a world with an advanced civilisation on it any time in series 2?”

Answer: It’s possible, yes. We’ve discussed a potential scenario.

Thornyrose writes: “Have you been considering any changes needed to the Atlantis movie script to account for the time shifts?”

Answer: No. However, if and when we do use an Atlantis cast member, it will necessitate a re-thinking of the movie script – unless we simply establish that the movie takes place soon after the events of EatG.

StellaByStargate writes: “That said (and yes, you probably knew I was leading up to a question), is there any chance that this type of story-telling will be reflected in either the SG1 and/or SGA movies or will they be “old-style”?”

Answer: Stargate: Extinction, the Atlantis movie script, maintains the same tone and feel of the Atlantis series the preceded it.

Brian C writes: “So say someone sold everything he owned bought a plane ticket to Canada, turned up at the Stargate studio and said. “Hey, I’d love to work for you guys, I’ll do anything and I mean anything, I just want to work in this industry and learn from the best, eventually I want to be a writer” What are this guys chances? 100% serious here.”

Answer: Without an agent and an invitation to pitch the show? 0%. Sorry.

steph writes: “And a question regarding SGU will be seeing more of Chloe using her smarts soon?”

Answer: Something like that, yes.

Kymm writes: “When does Season 2 wrap up shooting? How many episodes left to shoot?”

Answer: Season 2 wraps production at the end of November. We’re presently shooting our ninth episode and I am prepping episode 10.

dasNdanger writes: “As I come here each day to frolic, I sometimes get to wondering how things will be if Stargate fizzles, your pilot doesn’t pan out, the comic book deal ends, and no one wants to read your stories. If you have to step away from the entertainment world and take on a lower profile job – one that doesn’t come with a built-in fanbase – how do you think you’ll feel if blog traffic dies and you’re no longer getting the interaction you do now? Do you think you’ll feel a bit of a let down – a little lonely? Or do you think it’ll be more of a relief not being so ‘married’ – or obligated – to the blog?”

Answer: If I was actually charging for content, advertising, or generally making money off this blog, then traffic would concern me. I don’t, so it doesn’t. It does, however, serve as a point of interest in tracking what topics seem to resonate more strongly with readers. When I first started this blog in 2006, I never imagined I’d be still writing it some four years later – to say nothing of never missing a day! I suppose I’m somewhat obsessive-compulsive in that I feel driven to maintain that string of consecutive days blogged. There are some days I enjoy it and other days I downright hate it, but I do it because I’ve convinced myself that, as a writer, I should be writing. As much as possible. It’s also a great way of keeping a continuously updated journal. And the people I meet along the way are a terrific bonus. However, when the time comes, I’ll call it a day – not because Stargate has ended or because blog traffic dips – but because I’ll have said everything I want to say on such hot-button topics as crispy duck, comic books, and the sheer impossibility of eating a mango.

Jim writes: “1. Was there any discussion by the network and Syfy of making Incursion a two hour special event SGU episode on Syfy? Did you feel this would have been a ratings booster opportunity? Following up, promotion outside of Syfy commercials for SGU seems lacking. I know you are a writer not a marketer, but does this disappoint you for a show that trying to draw in new viewers?

2. I was dissapointed by your comment that their wasn’t plans to include other Stargate shows technology and aliens. Can I assume this is a cost saving measure- (zats use SX money compared to guns, make-up design money is saved by having Lucian Alliance humans instead of special aliens?)

3. Darren Dunkan appears to have some Ukrainian and Russian smarts.

4. Since SGU seems to be a show that gives more questions than answers, what assurances do we have that the show runners won’t give us a Lost series ender that doesn’t answer anything?

Answers: 1. I don’t know whether or not the network discussed this option and also don’t know whether it would have necessarily garnered more ratings. As for promotion – hey, I always want more!

2. It has nothing to do with cost, more a desire to maintain SGU as a separate entity (although there will the occasional bleed-thru).

3. That he does.

4. Most of the questions we’ve asked will be answered in season two, while a couple of the bigger questions won’t be answered until the finale. But, like I said, we do know where we’re going.

Mark writes: “I have a question to vfx-team, are the details on the ship (like the ftl-modules) made for only the episode or are they there (at this level of detail) from the beginning?”

Answer: Most of the detail is there from the beginning, then enhanced on a script by script basis.

[Cory Holmes]

So how does one go about asking a question for Mr. Mallozzi? Specifically, I want to know what the dimensions of Destiny are; length and width, etc.

[ScifigirlSG]

So how does one go about asking a question for Mr. Mallozzi? Specifically, I want to know what the dimensions of Destiny are; length and width, etc.

Post a question directly on his blog. He will answer it there.....if he wishes.

[Cory Holmes]

Post a question directly on his blog. He will answer it there.....if he wishes.

Yes, but how does one do that? Post the question on his blog entry of the previous day?

[ScifigirlSG]

Yes, but how does one do that? Post the question on his blog entry of the previous day?

Yes. He'll read through all the comments(provided he approves them) then he'll post the new day's entry.