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Why does Stargate SG-1 seem low budget, rushed and not as popular as it should be?

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    Why does Stargate SG-1 seem low budget, rushed and not as popular as it should be?

    Let me start off by saying I love the whole idea of Stargate SG-1 so don't take the title of the thread to heart. I just have some thoughts that I've been pondering for a while and maybe they could be answered as well.

    Stargate SG-1 is one of my favorite shows and I will even go as far as saying it is better than Startrek overall (as of now anyways) but I have some things that I have to get off my chest.

    Low Budget

    Why does Stargate SG-1 seem so low budget? They have the same scenes of the forests in Canada for almost every world they land on and the fact that at the most 3 SG teams will go through the gate to do battle is ridiculous. I would love to see an army of like 100 soldiers coming through to give the bad guys hell! Instead it's always SG-1 with little or no back up when they could have avoided alot of situations of being captured if they had brought more people. They could have even took over the area. Most of all, for all the years I've watched SG-1 it has never been aired primetime. Even before the move to the SC-FI channel the shows timeslot was (and still is) at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon on FOX, and it is shown whenever they feel like it (most of the time not), the sad part is an old boring show like MASH gets priority over SG-1!


    Rushed

    Why do all SC-Fi shows feel rushed? It feels like the writters are saying "Lets hurry up and cram everthing into an hour" like Paramount is going cut funds or someone is planning to quit. Why can't they take their time and develop detailed story lines and plots? I don't care how many episodes it takes, just tell the story right! I thnk all Sc-Fi shows need to take a page from the book of Alias, it is such a well written show and each episode is intertwined with the last. Each episode in Alias is like a motion picture with so much detail and nothing is left out or forgoten. Another good thing about Alias that SG-1(especially Enterprise) needs to understand is that an episode does not always have to solve a problem presented in that episode. You don't need to start problem and find a solution within the hour! The problem can be solved episodes later or maybe not at all and will be a consequence the characters have to live with. This makes the show more like real life. SG-1 is pretty realistic (what I like best about it) and Avenger 2.0 almost got there but it is not at the level of Alias.

    I'm also sorry to say but I don't care much for the characters as much I should. This is because there is no character development and especially little character interaction. I know they're in the military and all but COME ON NOW! It's like the team does their job then goes home. I want to see Jack, Teal'c and Daniel going to a basketball game I want to see Samantha and Daniel go to a party. What are their hobbies, favorite foods, childhood like? I want to see life outside the base, I WANT TO KNOW SG-1. This is where (even though alot of you may hate it) Startrek Voyager was just well done. I knew the close relationships between the Captin Janeway and her crew. I witnessed how the crew acted in akward situations, embarassing or serious. I knew Tom Paris and Harry kim were best friends and I witnessed the fun leisure times they had. I knew 7 of 9's life from Past to Present. I knew they were Human(Alien) too.


    Unpopular

    Don't you think this show could be bigger than it is? Or maybe it's the "not so in the spotlight" aspect that makes it so special and keeps it alive to this day?
    Well it's going into it's eigth season which is longer than any startrek series but ask any joe schmoe on the street if they ever heard of Stargate SG-1 show and they will probably look at you clueless and throw you some change or spray you with mace.

    Comments?
    Last edited by TheScorpionsSting; 11 May 2004, 08:54 PM.

    #2
    I agree with alot of your comments, i won't say alot about what i don't agree with, but i will say the thing about 'unpopularity'. Stargate SG-1 is pretty popular in the Sci-Fi world, since its on Sci-Fi, a cable network, it isn't availble to everyone, so its ratings won't be as good broadcast networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc... Also about the primetime thing, Stargate does air on primetime, if not for you, the new episodes that aired was on Primetime Friday on Sci-Fi for me. Also, on the show, they did show Teal'k and O'niell go visit the cabin and go fishing, they showed Carter go on a date, and Teal'k likes donuts, and other things... too many things to write...
    Last edited by Elwe Singollo; 11 May 2004, 09:17 PM.
    Amanda, "Wallow Central."

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      #3
      <<Instead it's always SG-1 with little or no back up when they could have avoided alot of situations of being captured if they had brought more people>>

      Well to some people it's more intresting seeing the heroes in danger and figuring out a way to get back home alive. Besides if they rushed in with a hundered people without knowledge of a threat (cause sometimes a planet seems peaceful) it might scare the locals and there'd be no point.


      <<Most of all, for all the years ?I've watched SG-1 it has never been aired primetime.>>

      I guess it all depends on where you live. They show SG-1 at 9pm on Sci-fi here and when it was on Showtime it was on at 10pm


      <<"Lets hurry up and cram everthing into an hour" like Paramount is going cut funds or someone is planning to quit? Why can't they take their time and develop detailed story lines and plots. I don't care how many episodes it takes, just tell the story right!>>

      Most shows are only ordered for 22 or 23 episodes. They aren't movies and sometimes it's hard to fit everything in a episode.

      <<This is because there is no character development and especially little character interaction.>>

      Well there's been a few episodes where there's been interactions. Daniel going over to Jack's for a beer, Teal'c, and Jack going over to Sam's to watch Star Wars (though the boys went to watch women in jello), Jack going to see the General after he quit. Jack, Sam and Daniel kicked butt in a bar fight and got banned from the place. Jack took Teal'c to his cabin in Minnasota to go fishing.There's plenty more I just can't think right now.

      <<What are their hobbies, favorite foods, childhood like? I want to life outside the base, I WANT TO KNOW SG-1>>

      I don't know what season you are in or how closely you pay attention but they show stuff you want.
      Jack likes Hockey, Golf and fishing.
      Sam likes the taste of diet coke better
      Daniel's parents died in a tragic accident.
      Sam's mom died in a car accident when she was a teen
      Jack's son killed himself with a gun

      There's more there too but I haven't watched the earlier seasons in a long time. Sorry. There are episodes that give a little bit of backstory. like Gamekeeper, Threshold, Family, Crystal Skull and season 7's Chimera.

      I think the characters are close. Hammond is like a father figured to them. Janet and Sam were friends. Jack and Daniel seem to be close as well.


      I think Stargate is pretty popular for the show it is. It seems to have a bigger following in the U.K than in the U.S but I live in a nowhere town so I can't really gage how likes Stargate here or not.

      Comment


        #4
        Unpopular shows do NOT run for 8 seasons. The only sci-fi show to beat Stargate now in terms seasons is the X-files. The show is very popular.

        Comment


          #5
          I agree with everything said.

          But take oddessey 5 or jake 2.0, people would still have watched them if they were not cancelled, meaning they could have reached season 8.

          Oddessey 5 I understand was cancelled because it cost to much to make an episode, not because it's bad.

          Look at Enterprise, was going to be scrapped but they have spent more money on it to try another season.
          We have been lucky with stargate, it could have finished a few seasons back but sci-fi coffed up money.

          The long winded point i'm trying to make is, if you have enough money behind any show it could go to eight seasons.

          Comment


            #6
            The money was there because the show was popular. Therefore they could sell good ad space. If it wasn't popular it wouldn't have been makeing good ad revenues, and never would have made it eight seasons. Scifi bought it because they could make money off of it, and they couldnt do that if it wasnt popular.

            Comment


              #7
              I understand what your saying.

              But Enterprise is not popular otherwise they wouldn't have thought of scrapping it.
              And yet they still continue with it.
              That's all i'm saying, sometimes bad programs can stay and good ones can get cancelled.

              Of course i'm glad SG is still around.

              Comment


                #8
                I only have 1 friend and my dad and sis that watch Stargate.

                I kinda wish Stargate was more popular cause, lets face it, how many other programmes have achieved more popularity in the past when there really bad.
                xXBekXx
                Beware of the evil bunnie wabbits!
                I'm not weird, I'm obscure!
                Hello Kitty wocks!

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                  #9
                  Hmmmm...........I guess I'd have to disagree on most every point. The show doesn't feel the least bit low budget to me. Yes, the location shoots are the backwoods in Canada, but as it's been explained, Stargates were only built on planets that could support human life and are earthlike.

                  When they do show space scenes and battles, I think the ships and the special effects always look first class.

                  I think the characters have been very well developed over the seasons, we've gotten to know them very well. I know people on other boards that won't even watch season six cause they were so angry about Daniel not being (other than 3 episodes) on that season. People are very passionate about the Stargate cast. There have been episodes that featured the Stargate team members outside of their work environment, but I'd say that people working for a top secret military orginization would probably spend most of their time at the facility.

                  As far as popularity goes, Stargate SG-1 is the highest rated program on the Sci Fi network. No, it's numbers won't rival the Friends finale, but it's a different setting with a much smaller available audience. I've read the reports that the president of the Sci Fi network would like a Season 9 before we've even seen the first episode of Season 8. I'd say the Sci-Fi network is pretty happy with the show.
                  Carter: Navigation? O'Neill: Check. Carter: Oxygen, Pressure, Temperature Control?
                  O'Neill: Check. Carter: Internal Dampeners? O'Neill: Cool!, and Check. Carter: Engine?
                  O'Neill: All Check. O'Neill: Phasers? Carter: Sorry Sir.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I also have to disagree with most everything you said.

                    The show is no more low-budget looking than the X-Files which was filmed in Canada for most of its run. Their location shots were always the same rainy forests (even when they were supposed to be in Florida). The show is filmed in Canada so what other forest are they going to use? As for extras - I never got the impression that 100s of people were stationed there, much less were part of off world teams. Part of the top-secret nature. Not to mention what other show has that many extras every week? None I can think of. And the special effects are well done. That's not cheap.

                    As for rushed - I don't see it being any more rushed than any other show I watch (all genres). It's the way tv works - you get your limited amount of time and unless there's an overall arc or it's a soap, there’s a resolution. Even shows with arcs like B5 "rushed" the weekly stories in the 40 minutes they had. (I'm kind of surprised at the Enterprise mention - they haven't resolved much of anything in the last few episodes and there's been the overall unresolved arc all year.)

                    You'll also find many people don't really care to see too much of the team’s personal life. Even as a shipper, my focus is them going through the gates, getting into trouble and getting out of it in some interesting way.

                    And unpopular - well it's not at must see tv levels, and it probably would have been dropped if it was on a regular network. But relatively speaking, for a sci-fi show it does very well.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Rushed ... NO WAY!!
                      the details on the actual show are amazing
                      It's just not as popular as it should be because they don't advertise that much and get the word out. This doesn't bother me because it allows the makers to concentrate on wawing a smaller amount of gaters

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I really don't know what show you're watching if you believe this to be true.

                        low budget: I have to admit in the earlier seasons, some of the costumes looked a little dodgy, and the helmets on the jaffa... that was definately a mistake - but one they've rectified since, as much as they can. (And Teal'c apparently gets hair this season (8) yay!

                        Rushed: I agree with whoever said it before me - not any more rushed than any other show I've seen.
                        You compared it to alias. I don't think this is a fair comparison. For one thing, it's really frustrating to watch a show that doesn't conclude itself in some way each week. And the overarc is always there.
                        You've got the big bad they fight at the end of the season, but each episode on its own has a standalone storyline.
                        I've never been able to watch Alias for the very reason you enjoy it. I hate the fact they leave you hanging at the end of the episode. It reminds me of the cheap midday soaps that litter daytime tv.
                        It's particularly difficult for new viewers of these kinds of programs to get into it, whereas, with a standalone ep, you can generally get the gist pretty easily.

                        and I think the character development comes with their jobs... secret military facility - exposed on a daily basis to only a select group of people..
                        if you watch carefully, you see character interaction even within the military commands that are given. sure, i love the outside stuff as well.. but it's all the more interesting because you don't see it often. you'd get bored with it if thats all there was.
                        Besides, the show is Sci-Fi. It's meant to be about going to different worlds and saving the planet. and in that kind of environment, literally with the weight of the world hanging on your every professional move, there's generally not a great deal of time for personal stuff.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Jafana
                          I really don't know what show you're watching if you believe this to be true.
                          This is one of the phrases in fandom that I hate the most. Scorp is watching SG-1, just like everyone else. Just because his opinion differs from yours doesn't make his opinions any less valid and it doesn't mean that he "must have been watching something else." Just because YOU can't see something doesn't mean that HE can't.

                          Lots of people see slashy moments between Jack and Daniel. I don't. But I don't go around telling the slashers that they're wrong. If you can't see another person's viewpoint, at least respect that other viewpoints exist.

                          As for the topic: the budgeting has never bothered me. I do get tired of the Generic Forest which seems to be on every planet, but I think that Canada/Vancouver is a beautiful place for filming.

                          I do felt that a majority of this past season was VERY rushed- they tried to get through stuff so fast that they glossed over some pretty major plot points.

                          Character development comes and goes. It seems (to me) to happen mostly when the writers can't think of anything better to do. At least in recent seasons. And some characters definitely get overlooked.

                          I think that Stargate is fairly popular for a scifi show. The fact that it IS scifi is automatically going to limit its audience because some people will not watch a scifi show no matter how good it may be.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            All the planets except Abydos look like canada.

                            There is alot of different enviroments in canada , Why not visit the Tundra.
                            Why not go to California and film a episode there so you can have a tropical enviroment.

                            I am sick and tired of seeing every world as the same enviroment I see out my window in canada.

                            But I understand the Budget, look at Batman it got canceld because the effects cost to much, Farscape is the same.
                            The Egyptian Cat God .

                            Comment


                              #15
                              The only episode where it seemed rushed/low budget is season 3 episode 21 Crystal Skull. When they are in that huge cave. The cgi background doesnt have enough detail and they stand out from it.

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