Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 285

February 23, 2018: A call to all Stargate, Dark Matter, and scifi fans!

Where do you get your scifi fix?

Do you read?

Do you check out the latest big screen offerings (I’ve been hearing great things about Annihilation)?

Possibly tune in to traditional broadcast homes like FOX (The X-Files, The Gifted, The Orville) and CW (The 100, Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning)?

Perhaps go the cable route with channels like AMC (The Walking Dead, Into the Badlands, Humans), BBC America (Class, Dirk Gently, Dr. Who) or even Freeform (Cloak & Dagger, New Warriors, Misfits)?

Maybe peruse streamers like Netflix (Black Mirror, Dark Matter, Sense 8, Stranger Things, Travelers), Amazon (The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), and Hulu (The Handmaid’s Tale, Dimension 404, Runaways)?

Well, MGM seemingly has plans to give you one more choice.  With the launch of their streaming platform, Stargatecommand, the studio has sought to give longtime fans a one-stop shop for all their Stargate needs.  But, as evidenced by their reaching out to me on the heels of Dark Matter’s cancellation, their long-term plans extend beyond Stargate to other scifi offerings.  If all goes well, in three years down the line, we could not only have new Stargate on the platform, but several new scifi shows as well.  Perhaps even a Dark Matter miniseries.

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Imagine having a broadcast/streaming home dedicated to scifi?  Unheard of, but believe me, it’s closer than you think.

And this is why I’m asking not only Stargate fans, but Dark Matter fans and fans of science fiction in general, to join our campaign.  Getting Stargate back will only be a first step.  A big one, admittedly, but one we’re closer to taking now than at any time in the franchise’s history.

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Starting today, we have exactly two weeks to marshal our forces, explain the game plan to our army of gaters and allies and, ultimately, convince MGM that it’s time to launch that fourth Brad Wright/Robert Cooper Stargate series.  And, over the course of the next few blog entries, I’m going to break down exactly how we’re going to do that.

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Head on over to twitter and follow @StargateNow for all the latest campaign updates AND a plethora of Stargate-related goodies including, most recently:

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And a selection of gifs (featured in today’s blog entry).

You have a chance to a part of something HUGE.  Don’t miss out!

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February 22, 2018: Spreading the word on the StargateNow front! Those Oscar-Nominated live-action shorts!

Spent a couple of hours today getting this message out to Stargate fandom:

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The point is you don’t have to bother with writing letters or making phone calls or spending money on this or that.  Just hop on over to twitter and join the cause because we WILL be heard.  I guarantee it.

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Hit up about 30 sites this afternoon.  Got another 50 or so to go.  But I’ll save those for tomorrow.  Give me something to look forward to.

In addition to my Stargate Now-related duties, I also completed my revision of that scifi pilot script.  Honestly, what other career requires you to pen an interfaith sermon one day and then choke out a belligerent civilian the next?  Good times, good times.

Also, met up with Ivon Bartok today and took in a matinee of the Oscar-nominated live-action shorts.  They were all great but two really stood out for me.  The Silent Child, written by Rachel Shenton and directed by Chris Overton, is an utterly devastating story of  the challenges facing a young deaf child in a  system incapable of meeting her needs.  The Eleven O’Clock, on the other hand, written by Josh Lawson and directed by Derin Seale, is a very clever, incredibly funny short that focuses on a psychiatrist’s attempts to treat a delusional patient who believes he’s a psychiatrist.  Check them out if you get the chance.

Alright!  Get out there and keep spreading the word.  As this campaign gains strength, we’ll reveal our grand plan for Stargate’s triumphant return (hint: YOU have a lot to do with it!)

February 21, 2018: Stargate Update and the Week’s Best Comic Book Covers!

This morning, Stargate enthusiasts Rita and Rebekah forwarded me a list of some 30 more fan sites to go with the 40 or so sites you’ve all been kind enough to send my way.  These Stargate fan communities boast a combined membership of just under 4 million.  Of course when you account for crossover, attrition, Russian bots, and those who signed up in the mistaken assumption they were joining a fan club for the Norwegian music producers of the same name, you can conservatively place our core army at, roughly, 2 million.  Give or take.

Not bad.

Over the next few days, our job will be to reach out to these various communities worldwide and enlist them in the cause.

Our mission is simple: Let MGM know that Stargate fandom remains strong and eager to support a new series that has its roots in the television franchise Brad Wright and Robert Cooper created.  Convince them that they don’t have to choose between old fans and new viewers.  By green lighting an in-canon fourth series that breaks new ground, introducing new characters, new settings, and new stories, they – and fandom – they can have the best of both worlds.

Coincidentally, I came across this article today: The New Economics of TV’s Reboot Craze.  The title is somewhat inaccurate as the piece focuses on not just reboots but revivals as well (which is what we’re talking about here), but one section really drives home the point I’m trying to make with this campaign:

“How do you break through the clutter when there are 20 places to sell a show? The marketing and promo folks will always tell you, ‘Give me a title. Give me a star. Give me something where I’m not starting from scratch.’ And, in many cases, these series come with built-in, contemporary fan bases through years of original series reruns on both cable and streaming platforms.”

Are you kidding me?  Stargate comes with one of the biggest of built-in, contemporary fan bases, a core audience (to add to all those new viewers who’ll be discovering the gate for the first time) that will not only tune in but help get the word out.  THEY are your ready-to-go marketing campaign!

But first things first.  The biggest challenge this campaign faces is focusing the energies of Stargate fandom.  To do that, we need to target one social media platform with a single monumental event.  And this is why I’m asking you (to ask your fellow fans) to head on over to twitter, join up, and follow @StargateNow. The only thing it will cost you is a little time now and a little more time when Stargate fandom comes together in a massive show of force.

P.S. I see that @StargateNow has already amassed over 3000 followers in the short time it’s been active.  This bodes VERY WELL.

Alright, that’s it for now.  If you enjoyed any of the Stargate shows in the past, be it SG-1, Atlantis, or Universe, mourned the absence of old favorites like Jack and Sam, John and Rodney, or Eli and Rush, yearned to do something, anything, that could open the door to more adventures through the gate – well step up because we’re going to need your support to get this done.

@StargateNow

@StargateNow

@StargateNow

With that said, I return this blog to it’s previously scheduled entry: My Favorite Comic Book Covers of the Week!

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The Amazing Spiderman #796

Cover art by Alex Ross

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Batman #41

Cover art by Mikel Janin

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Doctor Strange: Damnation #1

Cover art by Rod Reis

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Horizon #18

Cover art by Jason Howard

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Quantum and Woody #3

Cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco=

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Sole Survivor #1

Cover art by Daniel Pez Lopez

So, what do you think?

February 20, 2018: Okay, Stargate fans – Let’s do it!!!

Well, this is impressive.  The @StargateNow twitter home of the “#DriveToRevive the Stargate we know and love” has amassed over 1100 followers in less than 24 hours.  If you’re interested in seeing a new in-canon Stargate series created by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, one that is highly accessible to new viewers yet rewards longtime fans,  then just head on over to twitter and follow as well.  Also, tell your friends.  And family.  Also your co-workers, acquaintances, and approachable strangers who seem like they might enjoy fun character-driven action-adventure sci-fi with a sense of humor and a focus on exploration, discovery, and, occasionally, blowing up suns.

Thank you to everyone who left links to the various Stargate-related sites they frequent.  The Stargate Initiative will be reaching out in the coming days to consolidate the forces of fandom.

All these years of yearning for more, the letter campaigns, the petitions – they all come down to this.  Finally, for this short window, we have the studio’s full attention.  SG-1 has saved the world on countless occasions.  Now it’s time to return the favor by ensuring they, the Atlantis expedition, and the crew of the Destiny are not wiped from existence.  Let’s not allow a full reboot to succeed where Baal’s time machine failed [Incidentally, was anyone keeping track of those clones because I personally lost count and now have the sneaking suspicion Baal could be behind this.].   It’s like Stargate: Continuum all over again except that, this time, YOU’RE the heroes!

We’re only going to have one shot at this so let’s make it count!

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Building Baal’s time machine (photos courtesy of confracto)

Let’s do it!!!

February 19, 2018: Stargate Initiative Roll Call! StargateNow!

Alright!  Time to rally the troops and make your voices heard!

If you are a member, contributor, or lurker of/to a Stargate-related site, please post a link to said site in the comments section.

Stargate fans worldwide unite!  Let’s hear from you!

Meanwhile, head on over to twitter and join the drive to revive: @StargateNow  With a tip of the hat to another great scifi fandom!

Finally, little trip down memory lane…

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Petroglyph tablet – Stargate: Atlantis “Rising”.  Concept art by James Robbins.

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Underwater window – Stargate: Atlantis “Rising”.  Concept art by James Robbins.

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Asgard graveyard.  Concept art by James Robbins.

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Interdimensional creatures – Stargate: SG-1 “Sight Unseen”.  Concept art by James Robbins.

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Building the Universe gate.

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Destiny model – Stargate: Universe.

Thanks to confracto for the pics!

February 18, 2018: The Stargate Initiative!

“What do you know, Joe?”fans have started asking, given the timing of my recent blog posts.

To be honest, I just know – and can infer – only as much as you.  The launch of stargatecommand.co and the production and premiere of Stargate: Origins is, clearly, the first step in the return of an all-new series that will follow in the footsteps of SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.  How quickly this proceeds, and what creative direction it will take is, really, up to you, the fans.  There’s hope that many of you have checked out Origins and weighed in with your thoughts because the decision-makers want to know there’s an audience out there.  And they’re going to gauge the potential interest in a new Stargate series not merely by the number of eyeballs but the multitude of voices generating online buzz.

The challenge is that fandom is disperse and unfocused.  Many who may be reluctant to subscribe to stargatecommand.co right now will no doubt have a change of heart when the streaming platform becomes the home of the entire franchise library, a new Stargate series, hundreds of hours of exclusive never-before-seen behind-the-scenes videos from the sets of SG-1, SGA, and SGU as well as (I have no doubt, eventually) numerous other new SF shows.  Somewhen down the line, it will become the premiere home of science fiction.

But I get a little ahead of myself.  Right now, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to let MGM know you want more Stargate.  While their numbers people analyze the burgeoning interest in stargatecommand.co let’s give their social media experts some impressive stats to chew on.

And how are we going to that?  Well…

Step #1: Start by spreading the word and rallying the troops!  Hit up every Stargate fan page and community site (facebook, tumblr, etc.) out there and let them know: We’re doing this and we need every Stargate fan onboard.

Step #2: Join twitter.  It will be the launch point of this fan drive and, when the time comes, you’ll need to be active and noisy.

Step #3: Stay tuned while I consult and hand off to The Stargate Initiative, a group of longtime fans who will be leading this campaign.

And while you’re at it, check out WatchMojo.com’s Top 10 Stargate Moments:

Agree?  Disagree?  Let’s hear ya!

February 17, 2018: Stargate possibilities

I know, I know.  You’re sitting there, re-reading yesterday’s blog entry, thinking to yourself: “Surely rebooting the franchise wouldn’t be that big a deal.  The longtime fans who invested so much in those 17 seasons of television history – the characters, the technology, the worlds created for SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe – would get over it.  Eventually.  Wouldn’t they?”  To be honest, I don’t know.  Fans can be fickle, passionate, and vociferous.  Also incredibly loyal.  It would be akin to, say, informing fans of the NFL’s New England Patriots that they were getting a new coach…none other than Harry Redknapp who managed Tottenham Hotspur from October 2008 to June 2012!  He also had great success with AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United, so there’s no reason to doubt he won’t be great calling the shots in New England.  Unfortunately, terms of this new deal will require that Brady, Gronk, Edelman and other Patriots players never again set food on the field – or be publicly referenced hereafter.  Finally, touchdowns will only be worth 4 points, field goals 2, we’ll be going 5 downs instead of 4, and the game will be overseen by three officials: a line judge, a referee, and grandmaster oortsman.

I mean, I don’t know.  It could be great.  But the purists may balk.

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On the other hand, how could one possibly create a brand new series that is accessible to first-time viewers yet simultaneously rewarding to long-time fans? Hmmm.  Let me think about this for five seconds.  Wait!  How about you introduce a protagonist who knows nothing about the Stargate program and becomes the conduit through which the home audience learns about the gate network?  Maybe they’re a young soldier or a scientist or young anthropologist who joins a team on a visit to a top secret facility.  There, to their amazement, they are introduced to Stargate Command, the workings of the intergalactic stargate network, and then informed they will be making a trip through the gate to an alien world.  The base commander, General Carter, orders the technician to: “Dial the gate, Walter.”  The gate is dialed, a wormhole is established, and the young team step through the event horizon.

When they step out the other side, they find themselves on an alien world where they embark on their first exploratory mission.  Not telling what they find or what complications ensue.  There are so many possible ways for the series to go but it’s fairly easy to do so without burdening the story, these new characters, with heavy mythology.  The mythology exists to support the narrative, but need only come to light gradually.  Perhaps  they’ll learn that the gate network was built by a race known as the Ancients.  Maybe they’ll discover that Earth has outposts in various galaxies including the Milky Way, Triangulum, and Pegasus. Somewhere down the line, there may even be an episode in which the young team embarks on an op accompanied by a veteran of the Stargate program – an anthropologist, a Czech science officer, an overbearing but brilliant scientist with an aversion to citrus.  Who knows?

My point is the existing fandom is not only a great audience base for any future series, they’re a fantastic resource for spreading the word and getting other potential viewers onboard early.  They’re a passionate bunch and, when excited about a show, they will make their voices heard.

Don’t believe it?  Well, stay tuned.

Thanks to stopitcharlesgetoutofmyhead for all the nifty gif and video work!

February 16, 2018: Stargate – the next step!

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Recently, I’ve been asked my thoughts on the immediate future of Stargate. Specifically, with the release of the Stargate: Origins web series (you can check it out here at StargateCommand) fans want to know: “Where do we go from here?”

Well, to be honest, my opinion hasn’t really changed since I wrote this blog entry back in 2013: Whither Stargate?

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With the launch of its new streaming platform and this prequel digital series, MGM is essentially testing the market, checking to see if Stargate fans are still out there and hungry for content.  The answer, it would seem, is yes and YES!  And while this could very well signal the possibility of an additional web series or two, it’s more likely a step toward the production of an all-new Stargate series.  Which then begs a few more questions: What kind of direction will this new series take?  Who will be involved? And when will it drop?

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I, like you, am an outsider.  I have no idea what the studio has planned.  That said, I have no doubt they are looking to produce a show that would be a perfect jumping-on point for first-time viewers unfamiliar with the franchise, yet possessed of the many elements that longtime fans will rally around.  However, this may be easier said than done.  A full reboot of the series. which on the surface seems like the easiest way to go, wipes out 17 seasons of Stargate television history and risks turning off a significant portion of the existing fanbase.  In addition, I would argue that a true reboot would be very, VERY difficult to pull off.  Over the course of those 17 years of Stargate history, mythology was crafted, rules established, and characters brought to life.  Could an all-new, all-different Stargate avoid making even tangential use of any of these elements?  If we go by Origins as an example, the answer would be no.  Somewhere along the way, any new series – reboot, remake, or reimagining – will make use of these story-building elements whether subconsciously, deliberately, or as a result of some grand osmosis of creative conception which, let’s face it, is all one and the same.  So if you’re going to end up there anyway (which, believe me, you will), why gamble such a valuable franchise when you can roll with a sure thing?  Trust the ones who got you there – and by there, I mean an enormously successful, incredibly lucrative scifi television franchise that has spawned three shows and 340+ episodes.

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I’m talking about two individuals intimately familiar with the entire canon, proven commodities who have demonstrated an ability to create scenarios, stories, and characters that resonate with audiences worldwide AND yielded massive profits for the studio. Storytellers. Moneymakers.  Individuals capable of creating a fresh new series that makes use of the rules already in place but free of the burden of heavy backstory or mythology.  No prior Stargate knowledge required!  Just watch and enjoy!  The beauty of such a scenario is that the rich canonical history can still exist but be rediscovered, piecemeal, through the eyes of our new characters. Viewers unfamiliar with the franchise will be getting in on the ground floor while fans who have been along for the ride since Russel and Spader traipsed through that off-world desert, can be rewarded with the occasional appearance of a notable enemy, ally, or a variation on a familiar tale.  Walking that fine narrative line between past and present, strange and familiar, new fans and established fandom, would be a daunting challenge for any outsider.  But I know just the guys who COULD pull it off.  I am, of course, referring to Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper.

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Want a show that gets you the best of both worlds?  Something unique and accessible yet sure to fire up the existing fanbase?  Talk to Brad and Rob.  Get them started on that new Stargate series.  Yesterday.

It’s tough to argue with 17 seasons of scifi television.

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Great things await!

February 15, 2018: Stargate pics and musings!

Alas, those seemingly inaccessible hard drives, once accessible, were a bust. Mostly whale footage and videos of Special Features Producer Ivon Bartok’s trip to Dominica.  On the bright side, I was reminded that there are a couple of other more promising hard drives in my storage locker.  Now it’s just a matter of finding them.  In the meantime, enjoy more Stargate BTS goodies.  Concept art by James Robbins.

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ZPM

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Prometheus

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Trimordian boar.

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“Paradise Lost”

The puddle jumper bay reveal animatic

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James Bamford and co. ready for action

Hey, you know what I think we could all  use?  An all-new fourth Stargate series that pays tribute to the existing television franchise while setting out in a bold new direction, created by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper.  What do you think?

February 14, 2018: Best Comic Book Covers of the Week!

Some of my favorites…

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Amazing Spiderman Annual #42 (cover art by Alex Ross)

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Cold War #1 (cover art by Hayden Sherman)

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Darth Vader #11 (cover art by Giuseppe Camuncoli)

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Shade the Changing Girl/Wonder Woman Special # (cover art by Frank Quitely)

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Planet of the Apes: Ursus #2 (cover art by Paolo Rivera)

So, what are you loving?