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November 9, 2011: Ending my SG-1 trip down memory lane with Unending!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

UNENDING (1020)

Word had come down a couple of months earlier.  Stargate: SG-1 was finally coming to an end.  And, to be honest, despite the countless 11th hour reprieves that saw us coming back year after year, the many changes the show had undergone, the fact that we were producing a lofty tenth season of the series, I was genuinely surprised.  And disappointed.  With the re-shifting of the show creative two seasons earlier, and the promotion of Claudia Black to series regular that year, I felt the show had been revitalized and could have gone another season – at least.  There were still stories to tell and I would have loved nothing better than to get a shot at telling them.  And, we almost did. Soon after we got word that the show had been canceled, talks were underway to save it, talks that actual bore fruit.  The plan was to produce an eleventh season of SG-1 as an online exclusive, anticipating a business model that has saved several shows since.  All the pieces were falling into place and it looked like we were going to save SG-1 – and we would have, if not for a contractual obligation that ultimately killed the plan.

Looking back, I have nothing but fond memories of the show and the many, many individuals who brought it to the small screen, contributing to a series that ran an astounding ten seasons and produced an incredible 214 episodes.  Although I disagreed with the decision to cancel us, putting things in perspective, it’s hard to find fault with a network that rescued us halfway through our marathon run.  If not for SyFy (formerly known as SciFi), Stargate: SG-1 would have ended with its fifth season on Showtime.  There would have been no Mitchell or Vala, no Ori or Anubis, no Landry, no McKay, and, perhaps most crucial of all, no Teal’c unwittingly attending a reading of the Vagina Monologues.  It was a great ride but, like all rides – great or otherwise – it finally came to an end, in this instance with the ironically titled Unending, episode #214, written, directed, and produced by longtime Stargate Exec. Producer Robert Cooper.  It was clever in that it offered the best of both worlds: a glimpse into the future of the characters viewers had grown to know and love over the show’s many, many years, and the promise that their present-day adventures would continue.  Which they did, in two direct-to-video movies: Ark of Truth and Continuum.

You can’t please all of the people all of the time and, while many fans loved the series ender, other took issue with – well, take your pick: the end of the Asgard, the absence of O’Neill, Daniel and Vala finally getting together, Sam and…Teal’c(?!).  Still, I loved the way it provided answers and, even if those answers were undone at episode’s end, they nevertheless hinted at possible things to come.  I was sorry to see the Asgard go (after so many years, I’d come to delight in the antics of those genderless, passive-aggressive know-it-alls) but I was equally sorry to receive their parting gift, the Asgard core that has been consigned to Area 52 for long-term R&D.

Rob saved the shot of the team heading through the gate, one last time, for the very end.  From what I hear, they didn’t get around to it until well after midnight.  I thought it bittersweet that, while everyone behind the scenes was saying their goodbyes that night, the scene that had preceded the farewells not only left the door open to future adventures but suggested a familiarity and routine that would continue, albeit unseen.  Although the fans wouldn’t be privy to these future off-world travels, they could take solace in the fact that SG-1 was still out there, doing what it did best: keeping the galaxy safe for the rest of us.

June 29, 2011: Dinner and drinks with Hawkman! Episode 10 on track! Bento Breakfast! And a Sweet Tooth reminder!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Hey, look who it is!  It’s Michael Shanks (Stargate’s Dr. Daniel Jackson, Smallville’s Hawkman) who’s in town shooting Saving Hope with Erica Durance (Smallville’s Lois Lane).  Michael texted me last week to let me know he’d be in Toronto and that I should set aside a night for catching up.  He suggested drinks, I countered with dinner, and we ended up covering both.  He left it up to me to choose the restaurant and, after much consideration over countless choices, I ended up going with my go-to place: Scarpetta.  There we enjoyed a great meal and an even better conversation, three and a half hours spent talking about past and future projects, life on the home front and, of course, Stargate. About the only topic we didn’t cover was the Vancouver Canucks.  I figured it was too soon.

After Toronto, Michael heads back to Vancouver (lucky!) to work on yet another project.  It’s great to hear he’s been keeping busy between work and family (he received text updates on the latter from the lovely Lexa).  He knows T.O. fairly well – apparently having lived here at one point – and assures me that once the summer events kick into full swing, I’ll be much happier here.  Yep, as soon as they finish with all that construction, I’m sure I’ll be a lot happier.

Orecchiette with fava beans and mint.

The spaghetti with tomato and basil.

At one point, we were discussing the fantastic Alaina Huffman (who, coincidentally, I had dinner at Scarpetta with just last week).  Michael explained how, during one of her convention appearances, he had sensed her nervousness and sought to put her at ease, reassuring her that, despite the online vitriol directed at SGU, the con fans would be polite to her.  They were sitting on the panel when Michael said something to her along the lines of: “You look worried.”  At which point some fan in the front row piped up with: “She should be.”

Oooh, scary.  Please, angry fan – don’t lasso me with your Dr. Who scarf!

Heard this story before from three other sources, but thought it warranted repeating since there are a few doubters out there.

Speaking of cons, I finally cleared up a mystery that has dogged fandom for years: The Mystery of the Script Surprise.  It went something like this: the SG-1 (minus RDA) are onstage at a con preparing to auction off a signed SG-1 shooting script when Amanda flips through the pages and has something catch her eye. She gives it a quizzical look, then shows it to Michael who seems equally mystified. Ultimately, they tear out the curious page, toss it, and auction off the script. This odd incident has given rise to conspiracy theories, conjecture and countless rumors.  What WAS on that mysterious page? Some say it was the offensive ramblings of some embittered actor.  Others say it was a set of incantations I had scribbled into the margins in a failed bid to curse the winning bidder.  Still others claim it contained the alternate ending to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows in which Snape is redeemed through a final heroic act and it is revealed Dumbledore faked his own death.  Alas, it was none of the above.  At first, when I asked him about it, Michael drew a blank.  And then, casting his mind back, he remembered: nothing anywhere near as exciting.  It was actually personal information in the form of a director’s contract that had been mistakenly included along with the script. Damn.  And I was really pulling for Snape!

Uh oh.

Anyway, after dinner, we grabbed a seat in the lounge and reminisced some more.  Even though I’ve known Michael for years, I never really had the opportunity to sit down and talk to him one on one until last night, and it was great to get his perspective on his time with the franchise, from the early years through the controversial mid-stretch to the fun and incredibly satisfying final two seasons (and on this we are in total agreement).  It was a terrific night.

So terrific, in fact, that we’re doing it again on Monday, hopefully, this time, with Paul, Rob, and Marty G.

On the Transporter production – Finally!  Movement on episode 10! Look at how happy Steve is!  We actually got around to spinning his story and breaking it, beating out the teaser and two and a half acts before being distracted by one of those massive conference calls where no one can hear anyone else but ultimately culminates in everyone agreeing on the information already outlined in previous emails.

Today’s Bento Breakfast…

Akemi schools me on the finer points of cute meals by informing me that the face on the left is female because – of course – she has rosey cheeeks.

And a final point of interest.  It’s been a while since we’ve brushed my pug Maximus (pictured in this blog’s banner).  How long?

THIS long!

Tomorrow, I reveal the three finalists in the “Name Trevor’s Baby Contest” after which YOUR VOTES will decide the name of my assistant’s newborn.

And, finally, if you’re thinking of taking part in July’s Book of the Month Club discussion, pick up and read volume 1 of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth…

If you’re not thinking about it – well, start thinking about it.  It’ll only take you a couple of hours to read!

Then, prepare your questions for author Jeff Lemire.  He’ll be joining us next week for the discussion.

June 23, 2011: Transporter: The Series! Dark Matter! Stargate SG:1 Season 9!

Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Busy-busy on Transporter: The Series.  Notes on episode 2 (Carl’s) and episode 7 (Alexander’s) have slowly started trickling in.  Once I’ve received input from all 4+ players, I’ll jump on the rewrites – just as soon as I’ve finished the rewrite on episode 6 (mine).  Paul continues his pass on episodes 3 (his) and  4 (Carl’s), Alexander presses on with a first draft of episode 9 (his) while we all prepare to spend much of next week breaking episodes 10 (Steve’s), 11 (probably mine), and 12 (probably Paul’s).  Oh, and of course prep continues on episode 1 (Paul’s).  This afternoon, I checked out the auditions for General Weigart.  A couple of good candidates, depending on how we choose to go.  Also perused the Fiona auditions before heading home.  Again, some really interesting possibilities including one that may be too young for the part but would be perfect for a future episode.

Things have been equally busy-busy on the comic book front – though, admittedly, it’s been my editor at Dark Horse (Patrick Thorpe) and artist Garry Brown who’ve been the busy ones.  It’s been nothing short of amazing watching Dark Matter come together from layouts to pencils (so far).  Garry also tried his hand at the cover for issue #1 – with fantastic results.  Patrick forwarded me a pic of the cover colors this morning.  ”Whoa!” indeed.

Continuing my reminiscing on Stargate SG-1′s ninth season…

THE SCOURGE (917)

One of the biggest challenges of this episode was the bugs themselves.  In the original draft, they buzz along the ground like a giant moving carpet.  I limited the cutaways to the swarm figuring that, while expensive, it would not be prohibitively so.  The cold reality of the Visual Effects budget hit me like a punch in the face – followed by three swift kicks to the mid-section and the subsequent removal of all the cash in my wallet.  We simply couldn’t afford sweeping bug swarms.  And so, I came up with the idea of having the bugs travel underground which, while not as visually satisfying, lent them a certain creepiness.

One of my favorite guest stars makes a return in this episode as Robert Picardo reprises his role as the insufferable Richard Woolsey.  This, I think, was the first episode I wrote in which I gave the character a little humor – and, as a result, really started to enjoy writing for him.  Sure, he was a stuffed shirt, but he also reveals glimpses of vulnerability that make him amusing, even likable up to a point.  And Bob, of course, did a terrific job of delivering those subtle and, sometimes, not-so-subtle nuances that – like the point late in the episode where SG-1 and the I.O.A. reps are hurrying away from the bugs, only to have Woolsey speed by them, arms madly pumping.

ARTHUR’S MANTLE (918)

Oh, damn, the whole “out of phase” debate that rears its ugly head whenever we do these types of episodes.  As Paul always points out: “Why don’t they just phase through the floor?”.  While we’ve dealt with some equally far-flung SF notions, Paul always argued that those notions, at the very least, adhered to certain self-contained theoretical laws of physics phasing did not.  The mechanics of gate travel while “out of phase” was another matter entirely.

After Carter explains their situation to Mitchell, he responds with: “That was alternate reality, this is alternate dimension. Hell, all I need is a good time travel adventure and I’ve scored the SG-1 trifecta. ”  He completes the trifecta in the season 10 series finale, Unending.

CRUSADE (919)

Actress Claudia Black returns in time for Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper’s directorial debut.  An ambitious episode that delivers action, humor, and patho.  It also marks the introduction of the Ori warship.  My first reaction to the design: “Uh, it looks like a flying toilet seat.”  One of the rare instances where my input was NOT appreciated.

CAMELOT (920)

One of my top ten favorite episodes (August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes) owing to the cliffhanger to end all cliffhanger endings: Earth’s battlecruisers and their allied Asgard and Lucian Alliance ships are getting their asses kicked, Daniel and Mitchell aboard a doomed, Korolev, Carter floating alone and vulnerable in space while a pregnant Vala – carrying “the will of the Ori”  - watches it all from her vatange aboard one of the Ori ships.  See ya next season!

On the day we were to shoot the big Mitchell vs. the Black Knight swordfight sequence, it was pouring rain on location.  Most any other actor would have complained, but not Ben Browder.  He embraced the rain and the mud, going all out – stumbling, slipping, falling, rolling – to outstanding effect.  It couldn’t have turned out better had we planned it.  The sequence was mentioned in a piece done by our old buddy, Ross Hull, for the Weather Channel…

June 21, 2011: Chat and Chow with Alaina Huffman!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Last night, Akemi and I went out for dinner with the lovely Alaina Huffman (SGU’s Lieutenant Tamara T.J. Johansen, Smallville’s Black Canary, and MTV’s Agent Mom).  We went to what is fast becoming my go-to restaurant for entertaining out-of-towners: Scarpetta.  Alaina was kind enough to defer to me on the menu selections and so, as always, I emphasized variety by ordering four appies, three pasta plates, a fish dish, and four desserts (with double scoops of ice creams all around as I wanted to be sure the ice cream to cake/pastry ratio was at the ideal 1:1).

Akemi loves the bread at Scarpetta (look at how quickly she snatches up a piece) and I always have to make it a point to either hide the bread basket or ask the waiter to take it away lest she finish it before the first dish has even hit the table.  Anyway, between mouthfuls of crust (or “margin” as she used to refer it when she first came to Canada), Akemi found time to chat with Alaina about Alaina’s modeling days in Tokyo and Osaka.  Although I’m sure she wasn’t able to keep up with all of our rapidfire table discussion, Akemi came away from dinner mightily impressed with Alaina.  ”I like her!”she informed me. True.  Talk to her and she’s very hard not to like!

Some of the appetizer highlights:

I'm not a huge lentil guy, but they're delicious and lend a wonderful textural contrast to this tasty medley of carrots and almonds.

Onions agro-dolce served with goat cheese.

One of the things I appreciate about Scarpetta is there ability to occasionally switch up the menu without sacrificing any of my favorites. Last night, we enjoyed a couple of Chef Scott Conant’s signature creations, the duck and foie gras ravioli and the simple yet immensely satisfying spaghetti with tomato and basil.  Also…

A heavenly new addition to the line-up: delicate little agnolotti stuffed with braised short rib and bone marrow. Yep, those are mustard seeds.

Our dessert foursome was made up of the restaurants Amedei Chocolate Cake (missing its standard delightful gooey center on this visit), a strawberry shortcake the gals seemed to enjoy, the outstanding coconut panna cotta, and…

The Grand Marnier Souffle with the requisite double scoop of ice cream.

The topic of conversation ranged from her kids, conventions, and home life in L.A. to some terrific-sounding projects she and husband John have in the works. By the time we were done, we probably ended up talking more in those two and a half hours than we did in two years on SGU.

Hey, did you know Alaina has her own comic book?  Check it out here: MTV Geek | MTV.com – Comic – Agent Mom #1, pt. 1

Finally, this was too cute not to post.  Akemi looks forward to one of her favorite shows.  At least it wasn’t Million Dollar Money Drop!

Today’s entry is dedicated to gforce.

June 10, 2011: Set construction begins on Transporter: The Series! Looking back on Stargate: SG-1′s ninth season! Links!

Saturday, June 18, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Since work has commenced on the standing sets for Transporter: The Series, fellow Executive Producer Alexander M. Ruemelin and I figured the least we could do was swing by and check out the work-in-progress before redirecting funds and manpower to construction on the sundecks of our new cottages in Muskoka.

Hey, look! It's Frank's place!

Series Director Andy Mikita (who you may remember from such shows as Stargates SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe) says "Tadaa!" (or "Chadaa!" for those of you in Japan).

Stairs leading up to...upstairs! Where else?

Sarah documents everything from the future lawsuit.

The room where Frank keeps his collectibles (ie. comics, Randy Bowen supervillain statues, etc.).

Not sure. Fireplace? I tried testing it out but only got as far as lighting the kindling before I was tackled and escorted off the premises.

Alex presides over construction, offering such helpful input as "Let's move everything two feet that way.".

And…

Tarconi's office.

Getting back to my reminiscing on Stargate: SG-1′s ninth season…

STRONGHOLD (914)

ETHON (915)

This episode marked the last episode of the earth ship Prometheus, and its unfortunately named commander Pendergast.  To be honest, I would have felt a lot worse for him had he been named, say, Evans or Fitzgerald or even Pangbourn – but Pendergast?  Whenever his name came up in a script, I would always ask where the name came from.  Did some fan win a contest that necessitated we use their name in a script?  Close!  Apparently, Pendergast was the last name of a friend of one of the writers.  With Stargate over, I now regret the fact that I didn’t name one of my characters Jelly.

OFF THE GRID (916)

Look out!  That corn is highly addictive!  Ah, sweet sweet Kassa.  How you’ve been mocked, forced to share ignominious conversation company with the likes of explosive tumors, Zipacna’s silly hat, and Carter infamous “Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn’t mean I can’t handle whatever you can handle” line.  Granted, it was one of our sillier episodes that saw the team going undercover decked out as extras from The Road Warrior while, back on Earth, Landry matched wits with the gluttonous goa’uld Nerus (played to pompous perfection by the late Maury Chaykin).  At one point during the editing process, Brad objected to the amount of food Nerus had in his cell on the grounds that it was “over the top”.  !  In my mind, that ship sailed the second Mitchell uttered the line: “Get all the population jonesing for space corn.”

Speaking of silly – a number of fans complained about the fact that the Lucian Alliance weren’t cool enough, that they were a little too silly to be considered a formidable threat to Stargate Command.  Well, to be fair, respect was admittedly an uphill climb considering the concept of the Alliance was introduced by these two lovable members -

Longtime blog regular Paul O’Dwyer gives our little Book of the Month Club a shout-out in the Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/0618/1224298893096.html).  Thanks to Paul for the mention.  And a reminder that July’s book of the month club  kicks off July 4th with a discussion of Jeff Lemire’s Sweeth Tooth (volume 1) -

A heads up from another blog regular, Steve Eramo, who has just posted a recent interview with actor David Hewlett (SGA’s Rodney McKay) here: http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2011/06/stargate-atlantis-david-hewlett-checks-in.html

And, of course, opening this weekend: Remember Green Lantern?  Sure you do!

June 14, 2011: Ripple Effect! The deleted scenes!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Of all the scripts I’ve written/co-written over the course of my 11+ years on the Stargate franchise (some 70+ scripts in all), season 9′s Ripple Effect remains my favorite.  It had all of the elements I love most in a story: humor, twists on classic SF tropes, character insight, What If’s, twists, turns, and a slew of in-jokes, call-backs, and winks to the audience (for the rest of my  Stargate Top 10: August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes).  I ended up packing so much into the script that the episode ran long and, as a result, a significant amount ended up on the cutting room floor (or on the page).  Although I posted these deleted scenes as part of my Making Of series on Gateworld way back when, I thought it would be fun to revisit them here as I continue my stroll down SG-1 memory lane…

Scene 1: Landry and Lam

In the episode as aired, the action begins with Landry stepping into the control room off Harriman’s “Unscheduled off-world activation!” In fact, the episode was scripted to begin with a Landry-Lam walk and talk. After their reconciliation of sorts at the end of “The Fourth Horseman,” I thought it important to show father and daughter finally starting to connect. With that in mind, I wrote the following scene which, unfortunately, had to be cut for time. Incidentally, it was also a nod to the infamous “Cheyenne Mountain Zoo” controversy of Season Eight -

INT. CORRIDOR – SGC — DAY

Landry and Dr. Lam head down the corridor. As they walk, Dr. Lam references the medical update file and informs Landry -

DR. LAM: I’m recommending Dr. Reinhart be cleared for return to active duty. Lieutenant Parker’s x-rays came back negative, but Colonel May suffered a fractured fibula that should keep him out of action for a while. And it turns out that rash Sergeant Hunter thought he had picked up off-world was — um, definitely not of alien origin.

She hands him the update. He gives it a once-over, throws her a sideways glance.

LANDRY: What are you doing Sunday?

DR. LAM: No plans. Why?

LANDRY: Want to go check out the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

DR. LAM: You know, come to think of it, the last time I visited a zoo was with you. I believe I was ten.

LANDRY: They’re not just for kids you know.

DR. LAM: No, I know. Alright. Sunday.

LANDRY: Great. While we’re there, we can take a ride on the Shongololo Choo Choo.

Off her look.

LANDRY: I’m kidding.

She smiles despite herself. Suddenly, the ALARMS SOUND.

HARRIMAN: Unscheduled off-world activation.

Scene 10: The Green Team steps through the gate to end the tease

With all of the different versions of SG-1 coming through the gate, the various departments were as confused as our onscreen heroes. In a revised version, I was careful to label each team by the color of their outfits: Green for the real team, Desert Camo for Janet/Martouf team, Tiger Blue’s for the team that steps through the gate at the end of Act I, and, of course, Black for the bad guys.

Now, one of the things I’m sure the nitpickers will seize upon is the change in uniform. The real SG-1 left in greens yet the first return team comes back in black. Surely someone would have noticed. Maybe — but, in reality, probably not. SG-1 could have headed off-world a day or two prior to returning and there’s no guarantee the same personnel would be manning the gate room.

Scene 13: Mitchell interviews Black Daniel

I had a lot of fun layering in subtle hints at the various AU relationships, and this was an opportunity to drop a clue about Mitchell and a certain someone-else. Unfortunately, in trimming the episode, the following exchange was lost for time.

Black Daniel takes a sip. Green Mitchell settles in, taking the seat across from him.

GREEN MITCHELL: So, can I get you anything else? Something to eat?

Black Daniel sizes Green Mitchell up, considers, then tests him -

BLACK DANIEL: Know what I feel like? The ginger beef from Hunan House.

Clearly, Green Mitchell doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

BLACK DANIEL: Hunan House on Academy Boulevard? Your favorite Szechwan restaurant? The first place you and …

GREEN MITCHELL: Me and …?

BLACK DANIEL: Never mind. Check it out. I have a feeling you’ll love it.

Scene 20: Tiger Blue SG-1 come through the gate to end Act I

Alternate takes of the team coming through the gate included a confused Tiger Blue Mitchell asking “What the frell is going on here?!” and “What the frak is going on here?!”

Scene 25: Green Mitchell interviews Desert Camo Daniel

This entire scene was lost for time, but it included a reference to this particular AU Daniel’s allergies, and a reference to his still very-much-alive wife -

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM #2 — DAY

Green Mitchell is seated across the table from Desert Camo Daniel. A glass of water and a pill dispenser sit in front of Desert Camo Daniel.

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: So how do we get back to our reality?

GREEN MITCHELL: We don’t know yet, but we’re working on it. In the meantime, I’d like to ask you a few questions.

Desert Camo Daniel nods. Green Mitchell turns on the tape recorder sitting on the table. Desert Camo Daniel opens up the pill dispenser, pops a couple, and washes them down. Off Green Mitchell’s look -

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Antihistamines. I have terrible allergies.

Green Mitchell nods, moves on -

GREEN MITCHELL: Where were you gating in from?

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Abydos, my wife’s home world. With her help and the support of our friends there, we were going to try and capture a Prior. But things didn’t go as planned …

Scene 26: Green Daniel and Green Teal’c interview Desert Camo Fraiser

This was a great little scene reuniting Teal’c and Daniel with Fraiser (albeit an alternate version of the good doctor). Again, due to time constraints, we had to lose some references to Cassie. Here is the exchange as originally scripted:

GREEN TEAL’C: You have been greatly missed.

Suddenly, she realizes -

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: How’s Cassie?

GREEN DANIEL: She’s fine. She moved in with Sam after it happened.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: I can’t imagine what she must have gone through.

GREEN DANIEL: It was tough for her — but she got through it. She managed to deal with her loss by focusing on her studies.(beat) She’s majoring in Biochemistry at UCLA.

Desert Camo Fraiser can’t help but smile.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: She’s doing well back home too.(then, catching herself) I mean — my home.

GREEN TEAL’C: Hopefully you will be able to return to her shortly.

DESERT CAMO FRAISER: Hopefully?

GREEN DANIEL: For the moment, it looks like your trip here was only one-way.

Scene 28: Green Carter talks with Desert Camo Martouf

This scene, as aired, actually picks up in the middle of the scene as shot. We had to cut about a minute of Carter getting this AU Martouf up-to-speed on how events played out in this reality -

INT. CAFETERIA – SGC — DAY

Green Carter and Desert Camo Martouf re-connect.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: So I died, not once but twice?

GREEN CARTER: The second time was the symbiote, Lantash. He gave up his life by allowing himself to be captured so he could release the symbiote poison aboard a mother ship. The first time…(beat) The first time was the host. You were compromised by a Goa’uld mind control device. I killed you. I had no choice.

She tries to read him. His look betrays nothing.

GREEN CARTER: You died in my arms.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Well, if I had to go …

She is surprised by his reaction.

GREEN CARTER: It doesn’t upset you at all?

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: Why should it? With all due respect to you and the Martouf of this reality — it wasn’t me. I’m very much alive.

GREEN CARTER: (concedes)I suppose there is no reason why it should bother you.

DESERT CAMO MARTOUF: I didn’t say it didn’t bother me. To be honest, the prospect of you killing me is very unsettling.

Again, she tries to read him.

GREEN CARTER: So … How are things in your universe?

Scene 30: Kvasir, Landry, and Green SG-1 discuss a possible solution

In the original script, the scene ended with Landry’s “Shut this thing down.” However, Ben came by my office and requested Mitchell make some sort of comment on Kvasir. This was, after all, the first time his character had ever laid eyes on an Asgard — something the other members of the team now take for granted. After giving it some thought, I decided to parallel Sheppard’s reaction to Hermiod in “Intruder” -

GREEN MITCHELL: Even though I read all the mission reports, the Asgard are a whole lot different than I’d imagined them.

GREEN TEAL’C: And what were you expecting?

GREEN MITCHELL: Well, pants for starters.

Scene 33: Desert Camo Fraiser makes her case before General Landry

Thematically, this was, in my opinion, the linchpin scene of the entire script. Throughout the episode, we’re offered glimpses of the hardships faced by the various AU realities and the seemingly insurmountable odds they are facing. The question begs asking: To what lengths would you be willing to go to save your Earth? In the case of Black SG-1, they’re obviously willing to go very far — but that doesn’t make them bad people.

In fact, in the later scene on the Prometheus in which Black Mitchell explains to Green Mitchell why they’re doing what they’re doing, its very hard not to feel some sympathize with his position. It’s clear that when push comes to shove, sacrifices will be made as evidenced by Landry’s refusal to delay the mission, thereby stranding these various AU SG-1′s and potentially damning their realities. As Fraiser rightly argues in this scene: “How can you prioritize the lives of one group over those of another? What makes my Earth any less important than yours?”

Scene 38: Black Mitchell and Black Carter scheme and disappear into the elevator

We were watching the dailies of this scene over lunch one day when I saw something that made me choke on my turkey club. In more than one take, Black Mitchell and Black Carter discuss as they head toward the elevator and then, inexplicably, take one another’s hand and step inside. As the elevator doors close, they lean in for a kiss … What the hell? I went down to set and asked Peter DeLuise, the episode’s director, what the thinking was behind that scene. He explained that he was just offering up a visual cue to the relationship being hinted at throughout the episode.

Apparently, Peter had assumed that the references to AU Mitchell’s dinner at the Hunan House (which didn’t make the cut), AU Carter’s pregnancy and honeymoon, all pointed to the fact that these two were “an item.” An interesting interpretation I’d never thought of — and not the one intended.

Scene 40: Green Daniel and Black Teal’c walk and talk / Green Daniel and Green Teal’c walk and talk

Hated to lose these scenes as they contained a bit of foreshadowing re: a later Season Nine episode. Also, it was fun exploring the feelings of the various SG-1 members to their AU selves, and I liked contrasting the Teal’c's discomfort and refusal to talk with one another with the Mitchell’s great comfort and animated exchange.

INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

Green Daniel and Black Teal’c head down the corridor.

BLACK TEAL’C: In truth, the familiar aspects of this world have proven more disquieting than comforting. This ship in particular.

GREEN DANIEL: How’s that?

BLACK TEAL’C: In our reality, the Prometheus was recently lost in battle.

Before Green Daniel has a chance to follow up with a question, the real Teal’c (Green Teal’c) turns the corner in front of them. He informs Green Daniel -

GREEN TEAL’C: We should be arriving at the singularity shortly.

BLACK TEAL’C: I will inform the others.

As Black Teal’c moves off, he and Green Teal’c exchange the briefest of looks. Green Daniel and Green Teal’c make for the bridge.

GREEN DANIEL: Can’t help but notice you and the other Teal’c haven’t exchanged a word since he got here.

GREEN TEAL’C: Why would I wish to engage him in conversation?

GREEN DANIEL:I don’t know. You guys must have a lot in common.

GREEN TEAL’C: So much so that I’d imagine it would be not unlike talking to myself. I fail to see the point.

GREEN DANIEL: Okay. Never mind.

They continue on their way.

Scene 54: Black Daniel suffers a crisis of conscience

Here’s another scene I hated to lose. The Black Team has just sprung their trap, assuming control of the ship. But I wanted to make it clear that, rather than being evil versions of SG-1, this team has simply been pushed to the point where they have no other option if they are to save their galaxy. But it doesn’t sit well with Daniel who, ever the voice of reason, even in an alternate universe, makes his feelings known.

INT. CORRIDOR – PROMETHEUS

Black Mitchell rejoins the rest of his team waiting out in the corridor.

BLACK MITCHELL: Alright. We did good.

BLACK DANIEL: Did we?

Black Daniel walks away. Black Carter moves to go after him, but Black Mitchell stops her.

BLACK MITCHELL: I’ve got it.

He goes after him.

BLACK MITCHELL: Jackson, hold up!

He catches up with him.

BLACK MITCHELL: What’s wrong?

BLACK DANIEL: What’s wrong? How about what we’re doing. What we’re about to do.

BLACK MITCHELL: Come on. We’re not the bad guys here.

BLACK DANIEL: Oh. And you’re telling me that they are?

BLACK MITCHELL: It isn’t that easy on this one. There’s no black or white here. Just a whole lot of grey.

Black Mitchell turns and steps in front of Black Daniel, stopping him.

BLACK MITCHELL: If there was any other way to save Earth, we wouldn’t be here — but the fact is we’re out of options and we’re running out of time. So I’m sorry if our tactics don’t mesh with your code of ethics, but we don’t have a choice.

BLACK DANIEL: Yeah. I’m sorry too.

Black Daniel walks off. Black Mitchell glances back down the corridor at Black Carter and Black Teal’c watching. He slams his fist against the wall in frustration.

June 9, 2011: Oatmeal Snowman! Trevor screws up my page count! Stargate: SG-1 season 9! News of note!

Thursday, June 9, 2011 by Joseph Mallozzi

Akemi’s latest breakfast bento creation: oatmeal snowman!

This morning, we checked out a new place, a cozy little apartment in the ritzy Yorkville district.  Pros: Upscale neighborhood, better oven, located close to gourmet shop Pusateri, and the woman who showed us the suite was gorgeous – but, in all fairness, I failed to inquire if she came with the place.  Cons: Longer drive to work, longer walk to the dog park, more traffic outside, father away from St. Lawrence Market, downtown restaurants, vet, doggy daycare, and Martin Gero.  Tough call but I have a feeling we’re staying put.  Akemi doesn’t like the cutlery in the new place.

In the words of little Ralphie from A Christmas Story: “Oooh fuuuudge!  Only I didn’t say ‘fudge”.”  After I incorporated all of the notes for the last draft of episode 3 of Transporter: The Series, the script came in at a weighty and wholly uproducable 60+ pages.  Sadly, since I’m prohibited from redirecting funds earmarked for frivolous expenditures (ie. my fellow Exec. Producers’ salaries, first aid supplies, etc.) toward overages, I had to make some trims to get the page count down. Following days of careful consideration and judicious cuts, I succeeded in bringing the script down to a much more manageable 52 pages.  Pleased, my work on episode #3 presumably complete for the time being, I redirected focus to my rewrite of episode #6.

Until Trevor, our assistant, noted a problem with my script format – specifically, the fact that my default format settings were incorrect.  Trevor corrected them. And in so doing, my 52 page script (formerly 60+ pages long) ballooned to 57 pages (formerly a hell of a lot longer).  Sigh!  So my first attempt to fix the problem – a.k.a. firing Trevor – while personally satisfying, did little to help address the page count.  In the end, I spent another two hours making the proper trims that brought the script down to 53 glorious pages.

On to production!

And a new assistant!

Thank you to those who pointed out my error in mistaking SG-1 season 9′s Beach Head for season 10′s The Pegasus Project.  I will rectify this oversight in the following weeks by switching it around and mistaking The Pegasus Project for Beach Head.

PROTOTYPE (909)

Alan McCullough scripts his first Stargate episode and, based on his efforts here, is invited to join the writing staff.  He’ll spend two seasons on SG-1 and four on Atlantis, working his way up to Supervising Producer, displaying not only good story sense but a real affinity for the editing room as well.  A great guy and much-appreciated member of the raucous writing room of Carl Binder, Marty G., Paul, and myself that produced Atlantis’s final two seasons.

This episode also marked the first appearance of actor Neil Jackson who would turn in an equally brilliant performance as the undercover wraith in Stargate: Atlantis’s fifth season episode, Vegas.

THE FOURTH HORSEMAN I (910)

When we broke this mid-season two-parter, we fully expected to have actor Sean Patrick Flannery reprise the role of Orlin.  Unfortunately, it turned out he was unavailable for both episodes.  As a result, we were forced to rethink his character’s role in the story.  In retrospect, it was different but “good” different, offering up some terrific opportunities for both the Orlin character and Samantha Carter.  The part ended up being played by Cameron Bright who has gone on to play the role of Alec in the Twilight Saga.

It was great to have Don S. Davis back as General George Hammond.  I appreciated the fact that, even though he’d shifted focus to his art and enjoying his retirement, Don still found time to revisit with us.  Like most of my friends, we wound up connecting over our mutual appreciation for food and spent many an evening out on the town, bonding over everything from ribs to foie gras.

THE FOURTH HORSEMAN II (911)

In this episode, Earth officials attempt to contain an alien virus that spreads from Stargate Command to the United States, then North America and, eventually, the rest of the world.  And reporting on the breaking news are – well, news anchors and reporters.  And who better to play news and anchors and reporters then actual anchors and reporters.  Surprisingly, it happens all the time in film and television.  We auditioned a bunch of them and, quite frankly, they were all great, but ended up going with local television personalities Dawn Chubai and Dagmar Midcap.

The part of the Jaffa Aron is played by Chris Judge’s brother, Jeff, who I was a long-time regular at Chris’s notorious poker nights.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE (912)

I loved this episode and, as much as I’d like to lay some claim to it, this was all Paul, my writing partner (I was busy working on the next episode, Ripple Effect). One of the things I loved about working on Stargate was the freedom it gave us as writers.  We could tell a variety of stories – standalone, arc-driven, Earth-based, set off-world, SF, fantasy, horror, comedic, or dark.  In the case of Collateral Damage – standalone, off-world, SF, and dark, and it does all four incredibly well.

In the original pitch, it’s Teal’c who ends up imprisoned on an alien world, charged with a crime he didn’t commit despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.  Given Teal’c's existing arc that season, we elected to make it a Mitchell story as it allowed us the opportunity explore his past.

The part of the doomed victim in this episode, Dr. Reya Varrick, is played by the lovely Anna Galvin who is one of a handful of actors who have appeared in all three Stargate series – as the mysterious Vanessa Conrad in one of my fave Atlantis episodes, Remnants, and then as Chloe Armstrong’s mother in Stargate: Universe.

How did I miss this?!  Past Book of the Month Club guest author Daryl Gregory is writing a new Planet of the Apes series for BOOM! Studios, one of my favorite new comic book publishers: http://www.darylgregory.com/comics/apes.aspx

Hey, fellow foodies, check it out!  Interview with my friend and fave chef Robert Belcham of Fuel/Refuel fame here: http://vancouverfoodster.com/2011/06/08/chef-robert-belcham/ - in which he makes mention of the unbelievable 30 course dinner he prepared for me before I left Vancouver (March 18, 2011: The Meal To End All Meals!).

Via Io9 – A site that uses facial recognition software to pair you up with the dog of your dreams.  My perfect match is apparently a beagle mix named Olly: http://www.doggelganger.co.nz/