February 8, 2008

Contrary to the opinion of some, I don’t disallow posts to this blog simply because I disagree with their content. A quick glance at the various comments sections will reveal a fairly wide range of opinions on numerous aspects of the show, some positive, some negative. I don’t censor posts because I disagree with them. But I do censor those I find obnoxious, rude, or just plain annoying. Every once in a while, I’ll approve one of the least egregious of the offensive comments because I’ll feel the need to respond and set the record straight. And, as a result, these obnoxious yahoos are occasionally singled out as representative of a certain part of fandom. But the truth is every section and sub-section of fandom has their shining stars, their silent supporters, and their embarrassing cousin Emersons who always show up at the dinner parties without their pants. Take the case of the Torri/Weir fans. You get all kinds and everything in between. At one end of the spectrum, you have that consistently shrill doofus from Virginia whose comments have degenerated from hilarious in their invective meanderings to disappointingly dull and a little sad. And, on the other hand, you have Erika who presents an incredibly eloquent and thoughtful defense of her feelings regarding the Weir character. If you haven’t read Erika’s post yet, I urge you check it out in the February 7th comments section.

Now, given the time Erika put into her post and, quite frankly the timing as well, I thought it best to inform Weir fans of recent developments. Last year, after we shot that final surprise scene in BAMSR, I stopped by Torri’s trailer to congratulate her on a job well done and, also, to assure her that the door was left wide open for Weir‘s possible return (in some form, be it repli-Weir or other) the following season. Torri was excited by the prospect and, in particular, had great things to say about her new leather outfit (props to Val). As season four wrapped, Carl and Paul got to spinning and came up with a terrific storyline that picked up where that last scene of BAMSR left off. We had a story in place for one episode, the starting point of a potentially bigger arc. The script was written and we eventually contacted Torri who, after much consideration, turned down the offer to reprise the role of Elizabeth Weir for the episode. We are, of course, disappointed, but nevertheless respect Torri’s decision and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Well, another day, another awesome book shipment. This one from the gang at Pyr. Included in the assortment: Ian MacDonald’s River of Gods and Brasyl (the latter nominated for best scifi novel of 2007 by the British Science Fiction Association), Keeping It Real and Selling Out by UK author Justina Robson who is at the forefront of the hard SF scene, and the prolific Alan Dean Foster’s latest, Sagramanda. Potential book of the month club nominees all.

I found some time during lunch to step out and pick up a few anime dvd’s (pictured above). I’ll definitely be checking out Paprika this weekend. Any anime aficionados out there familiar with any of the other titles? Anything I should immediately jump on?

So, what’s happening with that Fuel dinner? Marty G. and I are in. Are we aiming for April 1st? Or will it be April 3rd? And what time is good for everyone?

Best birthday wishes to mom and Alex Levine, and early best birthday wishes to firefly827347.

Today’s mailbag -

Suekay writes: “Would the actress in mind for Porter happen to be Leela Savasta or am I totally wrong?”

Answer: Porter’s out. Vega’s in. And, yes, Leela Savasta has been cast.

Nigel RAF writes: “What does the Magic Eight Ball say about a Jack O’niell guest spot in season five?”

Magic 8 Ball says: Outlook not so good.

Sally writes: “…speaking of ‘trio’; you said to the fans that as soon as the ep aired, you’d write out the unedited version of the ‘not-so-subtle sj/ship reference’ that ended up on the cutting room floor. will you still do that?”

Answer: Sure, but it will have to wait until Monday when I’m back in the office and can get my hands on the script.

Benny writes: “1. will there be an Ori related episode in season 5 Atlantis?
2. will we see the Tria in season ?
3. Is the brotherhood of Dagan episode gonna be revisited for the missing ZPM in season 5?”

Answers: 1. No. 2. Possibly. 3. Possibly.

Amy Taylor writes: “If I remember right you are watching Lost? What do you think of the new episodes?”

Answer: We stopped watching about a third of the way into season 3. However, Fondy has expressed an interest in catching up, so I picked it up on dvd and am dvr’ing season 4.

AscendedTauri writes: “At this point, how many episodes for Season 5 are set in stone?”

Answer: I’d say we have over half the season mapped out.

Alli Snow writes: “Re: Comic Con, make sure you swing by the Mile High Comics table and say hi to Lisa, our official SJHW representative.”

Answer: Will do!

Remus123 writes: “Since the Porter idea got the axe, will the new character/actress follow along the same lines as what had been originally intended for Porter(i.e. new addition to military contingent and participating in “Search and Rescue”) or will she make a later debut?”

Answer: The character in Search and Rescue has been changed to Captain Alicia Vega. Now DOCTOR Allison Porter will be making her debut in Whispers.

Flyingdog147 writes: “Did you ever get a chance to read Good Omens?”

Answer: I didn’t. It’s still on my To-Read list.

Pam writes: “One thing I have noticed at both Stargate & Star Trek conventions is that other actors (and others associated with the shows) are always full of praise for the attitude of both Amanda Tapping and Robert Picardo to their work: knowing their lines, being on time, respect for other actors, etc. Is this one of the factors that led to both being on the shortlist for the position of base commander in the run up to Season 4?”

Answer: Fans can say what they like about their respective characters but, on a personal level, you’ll be hard-pressed to find two more hard-working and pleasant individuals. In an industry where productions are often saddled with jerks and self-centered whiners, actors like these two are a delight to work with.

Kamilla writes: “Why was Rachel not happy?”

Answer: I never implied she wasn’t happy. Quite the opposite in fact. I said she was very happy with some of the early creative decisions we’ve made regarding her character.

Heightmeyer’s Lemming writes: “What happened to the militarization of Atlantis which seemed so hellbend in season 4?”

Answer: Tune into season 5 and find out.

Marla writes: “Joe F. had done two episodes of Women’s Murder Club while on hiatus. Once the writer’s strike gets settled, will Joe be able to continue his role on there, since you guys will be in production by then?”

Answer: Once production begins, Joe will be very busy on Atlantis. This season is going to be very tight schedule-wise.

RG25 writes: “Have the writers ever scrapped a story idea early on because it seemed like it’d be too expensive, daunting, or too much of a hassle to do?”

Answer: We came very close to scrapping Midway when it looked like it was going to be too expensive to produce - but ultimately found a way to make it happen. Good thing too. It’s an excellent episode.

Elisa writes: “I was curious about something. Since you average over a hundred comments on your blog, do you really read them all or do you randomly just pick and choose which ones to read and answer?”

Answer: I read every comment prior to approving them, then pick whichever comments/questions interest me for the mailbag.

Wolfenm writes: “Do you just not want to go to Dragon?”

Answer: No, I’d love to go. Unfortunately, it falls smack-dab in the middle of production and while the actors may be able to get away for the weekend, I’ll no doubt be hammering away at a script while the event is taking place.

Kdvb1 writes: “Is April 1st a typo or are you playing an early April Fools joke on us?”

Answer: I wasn’t the one who suggested the April 1st date. And, no, I’m not joking.

Kdvb1 also writes: “Who is older, John or Dave Sheppard?”

Answer: I imagined John being the big brother.

Jen writes: “Just started watching Trio and I’ve got to ask… was Rodney’s comment about Shape magazine compliments of an adlib or the writers?”

Answer: That was pure Marty G.

Taz writes: “I thought Ronon and Keller were dating since Quarantine.”

Answer: There has been no development on the Ronon-Keller front since the events of Quarantine. She’s still single.