Brad Wright talks about making the SGU season finale a series finale

[heisenberg]

hahaha, finally get to use this emoticon :bradcry:
Not sure whether this has been posted but worth a read.


http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/...making-the-sgu-season-finale-a-series-finale/

The last episode of Stargate Universe may have left the major story arc unresolved and the crew’s fate undetermined, but it did provide some important emotional closure as fans head into the void between Stargate galaxies along with the crew of Destiny. The entire crew ended the season in stasis, ready for a 3-year journey to the next galaxy on the ship’s route — all except for Eli.
In a new interview with AOL TV’s Mike Moody, executive producer Brad Wright explained that the ending of “Gauntlet” was meant not just to set up a third season, but also to provide some degree of closure — just in case the show wasn’t renewed.
“We wanted it to be both [a season finale and a series finale],” Wright said. “I had pitched the idea of putting the crew into suspended animation — with someone having to stay behind because one pod didn’t work — because I thought it made for an interesting reset of the Earth side of things.”
Advancing the time frame three years into the future would certainly allow for some change-ups when the crew came out of stasis and revisited Earth using the communication stones, while retaining the current character dynamics on board the ship.
“A three year time cut would have been interesting,” Wright said. “The story of the person that was going to be left behind was also a great opener for Season Three.”
The crew enjoys a last meal together - finally a family.

The final scripts were being written when Season Two kicked off with “Intervention” on its new night. Wright expressed concerns about the show’s move to Tuesdays in interviews leading up to the premiere, and those October ratings proved that his worries were well-founded. SGU averaged 1.09 million viewers over the five episodes aired that month, which ended with Syfy cancelling its lead-out partner, Caprica.
“When we saw the Tuesday night ratings on Syfy we knew it might be the end,” Wright said. “By having our leads come together for one last meal before going off into the void, we got a chance to see them as a team in the way we were always working toward. And by making the person left behind Eli, it brought the series full circle. Those two elements make it feel like a finale.”
So where was Destiny going? What was the final payoff of the show’s arc? For now, Wright isn’t talking.

Earlier, we talked about your idea for a movie that would combine elements from all three ‘Stargate’ shows. Why did you think that would be the way to go to continue this story?

I intended to incorporate elements from both SG-1 and Atlantis to make it a “Stargate” movie and not just a “Universe” movie. The combination of elements also happened to be the only way I could think of compressing what was intended to be a longer series arc into one movie.

How do you feel when you look back on the accomplishment of producing 15 years of ‘Stargate?’

I feel proud. But I’d by lying if I didn’t say it’s a shame SGU was canceled. It deserved at least a final season, and where we were going with the story was very cool. Shepherding the final episodes through the post production process, sitting in mixes, etc, I kept thinking to myself “this show got canceled?” But business is business. And as I said to our crew members as we said our final goodbyes recently… “Time to start typing something else.”

 

[Overmind One]

Oh sheez....the man just cant understand.

I dont understand people like that. In sports, if you run a race with others and you come in second or third, you know its because you were not as fast as the one who got first place. If you dont place AT ALL, then you werent as fast as the three fastest runners. In the case of SGU, everybody who came to watch it take off in October of 2009 thought it was going to be running a race like SG-1 and SGA, only faster...better..."darker". What we got was a soap opera on a spaceship full of people who shouldnt even know about a Stargate. And then the nauseating camera, the ridiculous magical stones and the Magical Survival Kit that spawned gurneys and folded sheets and IV racks

WHO WAS THIS SHOW SUPPOSED TO BE FOR, BRAD?



What did he say here?

Earlier, we talked about your idea for a movie that would combine elements from all three ‘Stargate’ shows. Why did you think that would be the way to go to continue this story?

I intended to incorporate elements from both SG-1 and Atlantis to make it a “Stargate” movie and not just a “Universe” movie. The combination of elements also happened to be the only way I could think of compressing what was intended to be a longer series arc into one movie.

(gritting teeth) How the hell was he gonna do that? Incorporate WHAT elements? The freakin sets were torn down in 2008, and SGC was destroyed to create Icarus. Nope, the movie was going to just be another last paycheck. Sorry, its a wrap. :bradcry:

How do you feel when you look back on the accomplishment of producing 15 years of ‘Stargate?’

I feel proud. But I’d by lying if I didn’t say it’s a shame SGU was canceled. It deserved at least a final season, and where we were going with the story was very cool. Shepherding the final episodes through the post production process, sitting in mixes, etc, I kept thinking to myself “this show got canceled?” But business is business. And as I said to our crew members as we said our final goodbyes recently… “Time to start typing something else.”

BLAH BLAH BLAH about Stargate Universe. He should feel very proud to have headed one of the most successful science fiction franchises in TV history. But that success came from SG-1 and Atlantis and Stargate Universe DESTROYED it. For him to still cling to it is just creepy to me.

 

[shavedape]

"I kept thinking to myself 'this show got canceled?'”

Oh wow, just wow! The man still does not get it. He's so deluded it is genuinely scary.

I've got to quote this line again it's just so out of touch with reality:

I kept thinking to myself “this show got canceled?”

Funny, for a season and a half I kept thinking to myself "This show isn't cancelled yet?"

And it's exactly like I said, he tried to exploit SG-1 and SGA in order to get his precious movie for SGU. What a cynical, deceitful POS!

I intended to incorporate elements from both SG-1 and Atlantis to make it a “Stargate” movie and not just a “Universe” movie. The combination of elements also happened to be the only way I could think of compressing what was intended to be a longer series arc into one movie.

Oh really Brad? If you were planning on doing an SGU movie, which is a concept that is already overloaded with more crap than it can handle, why would you add stuff from SG-1 and SGA? There isn't room -- unless of course your intention was to simply suck off the popularity of the two former shows. Yeah, got it -- loser!

 

[Gatefan1976]

I could see a crossover working, but I could tell you the basic plot outline as well.

They find out that they are the cause of the background radiation, they were the original creators and progenitors of the Ancient and Ori races (already foreshadowed in the last couple of eps). The Destiny has a chair device so at some point it can hook into the Atlantis chair (which, as they know what is to come, based thier designs off) so you have the SGA tie in, SG-1 tie in's are already allowed via the stones anyway.

It's an eternity loop and it's not new, it's not groundbreaking Scifi stuff. Even Red Dwarf has this concept in the episode "Ouroberous" for crying out loud. (and is further developed in the actual books). Geez, if I'm right, no wonder they wanted to nab a younger audience, preferably one that had not read or seen this kind of thing before.
Everything old is new again at some point I guess.

 

[Overmind One]

I could see a crossover working, but I could tell you the basic plot outline as well.

They find out that they are the cause of the background radiation, they were the original creators and progenitors of the Ancient and Ori races (already foreshadowed in the last couple of eps). The Destiny has a chair device so at some point it can hook into the Atlantis chair (which, as they know what is to come, based thier designs off) so you have the SGA tie in, SG-1 tie in's are already allowed via the stones anyway.

It's an eternity loop and it's not new, it's not groundbreaking Scifi stuff. Even Red Dwarf has this concept in the episode "Ouroberous" for crying out loud. (and is further developed in the actual books). Geez, if I'm right, no wonder they wanted to nab a younger audience, preferably one that had not read or seen this kind of thing before.
Everything old is new again at some point I guess.

GREEN for you....this kind! :puke:

(gave you some green anyways just for being so creative in such a horrifying way)

 

[Joelist]

Another way to "tie in" the shows would be to reveal that the entire SGU series was actually created in Samantha Carter's mind by Fifth when he was torturing her (in the Episode "New Order"). The idea was that watching these utterly self absorbed and unlikeable people would torment her so much that he could be her rescuer and she would fall in love with him...

 

[stclare]

hahaha, finally get to use this emoticon :bradcry:
Not sure whether this has been posted but worth a read.


http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/...making-the-sgu-season-finale-a-series-finale/

No, seriousley no. Thats one threesome I wouldnt want to be apart off!

Also who would watch it? a great many sgu fans from what ive seen dont like sg1 or sga (cheesy you know) so why would they want there piece of closure to include them and vice versa.

 

[Gatefan1976]

GREEN for you....this kind! :puke:

(gave you some green anyways just for being so creative in such a horrifying way)

Did I say it was a good idea
I just don't understand how anyone with a background in diverse scifi could not see this coming a billion light years away. It's just not new.

to quote T.S Eliot:

And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end
And all is always now

​

 

[shavedape]

No, seriousley no. Thats one threesome I wouldnt want to be apart off!

Also who would watch it? a great many sgu fans from what ive seen dont like sg1 or sga (cheesy you know) so why would they want there piece of closure to include them and vice versa.

Plus we all know that the SG-1/SGA scenes would get short shrift in favor of more SGU, that's obvious. BW knew the only way he'd get a chance to pitch a movie was to include that which is popular. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he got a green light and then only paid lip service to SG-1/SGA. They would have McKay fiddling with a computer and that's about it.

 

[Overmind One]

Nope...even after thinking on it for a few minutes, it just couldnt work.

I just dont see how to connect SGU with SG-1 and SGA canon. There are too many drastic inconsistencies between SG-1 and SGU, even though they are supposed to be taking place in the same time frame and the same Stargate "universe". The ship, the premise, the events that took place from Air to Gauntlet...nothing matches up. Even in a different timeline in an alternate universe, it still isnt Stargate. It would be like trying to do a crossover between General Hospital and Starship Troopers.

 

[shavedape]

=Gatefan1976;55808]Did I say it was a good idea
I just don't understand how anyone with a background in diverse scifi could not see this coming a billion light years away. It's just not new.

to quote T.S Eliot:

And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end
And all is always now
​

The time is now again. ​

 

[stclare]

Plus we all know that the SG-1/SGA scenes would get short shrift in favor of more SGU, that's obvious. BW knew the only way he'd get a chance to pitch a movie was to include that which is popular. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he got a green light and then only paid lip service to SG-1/SGA. They would have McKay fiddling with a computer and that's about it.

Well the crossover if you can call it that, was pretty badly received. The shows are too different. I want my movie, you know the one they cancelled Atlantis for.

 

[Joelist]

I just dont see how to connect SGU with SG-1 and SGA canon. There are too many drastic inconsistencies between SG-1 and SGU, even though they are supposed to be taking place in the same time frame and the same Stargate "universe". The ship, the premise, the events that took place from Air to Gauntlet...nothing matches up. Even in a different timeline in an alternate universe, it still isnt Stargate. It would be like trying to do a crossover between General Hospital and Starship Troopers.

Hey, my crossover proposal a couple posts ago inherently takes care of all inconsistencies...

 

[Gatefan1976]

Did I say it was a good idea
I just don't understand how anyone with a background in diverse scifi could not see this coming a billion light years away. It's just not new.

to quote T.S Eliot:

And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end
And all is always now

The time is now again. ​

Was my quote wrong??

Damn, even my book has errors

Edit, Nope, I was right:

Words move, music moves
Only in time; but that which is only living
Can only die. Words, after speech, reach
Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern,
Can words or music reach
The stillness, as a Chinese jar still
Moves perpetually in its stillness.
Not the stillness of the violin, while the note lasts,
Not that only, but the co-existence,
Or say that the end precedes the beginning,
And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end.
And all is always now. Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still. Shrieking voices
Scolding, mocking, or merely chattering,
Always assail them. The Word in the desert
Is most attacked by voices of temptation,
The crying shadow in the funeral dance,

The loud lament of the disconsolate chimera.​

 

[Overmind One]

Bahahaha!

Oh wow, just wow! The man still does not get it. He's so deluded it is genuinely scary.

Funny, for a season and a half I kept thinking to myself "This show isn't cancelled yet?"

And it's exactly like I said, he tried to exploit SG-1 and SGA in order to get his precious movie for SGU. What a cynical, deceitful POS!

Yep, and in season 1 they were trying to really solidify a connection between SGU and SG-1, by having SEVERAL cameos from SG-1 characters, and they even broke out Daniel Jackson. They had Jack a few times, and we even saw the Hammond again. But in all of season 1, not ONE mention of Atlantis? We must not forget that all of season 1 was in the can by the second week of the show, so that means that The Plan was to have all the cool kids forming SGU churches and having special popcorn nights for the show. None of it worked, and it was a transparent as cellophane.

Oh really Brad? If you were planning on doing an SGU movie, which is a concept that is already overloaded with more crap than it can handle, why would you add stuff from SG-1 and SGA? There isn't room -- unless of course your intention was to simply suck off the popularity of the two former shows. Yeah, got it -- loser!

:shepsalute:

 

[shavedape]

Was my quote wrong??

Damn, even my book has errors

No not at all, was just quoting a line from a RUSH song that I believe played on the Eliot poem you were using. Neil Peart likes T.S. quite a lot and references his themes in songs of late.

 

[Gatefan1976]

No not at all, was just quoting a line from a RUSH song that I believe played on the Eliot poem you were using. Neil Peart likes T.S. quite a lot and references his themes in songs of late.

Ahh, ok then, you confuzzled me

 

[Gatefan1976]

You know, the more I think of that poem (well all 4 of them), the more I wonder if that is where TPTB drew thier insperation from.

Pity they are no poets

 

[shavedape]

Ahh, ok then, you confuzzled me

As you did me by whipping out some T.S. Eliot. Didn't expect that here. LOL!

 

[Gatefan1976]

As you did me by whipping out some T.S. Eliot. Didn't expect that here. LOL!

Just call me the Millenium Falcon, I'm full of suprises