December 26, 2010: Christmas snaps! Another mailbag!

Last night's Christmas festivities…

Mom rests up before the big event. She's an avid reader. Must be genetic.

Jelly, Lulu, and Maximus looking forward to the unwrapping of gifts.

While Bubba prepares to bed down for the night.

I picked up a slew of great Christmas gifts for sis while in Tokyo including a snowman salt shaker, brain-shaped ice cubes, and these pig oven mitts.

Akemi's first Canadian Christmas. I think she found it both fun and bewildering.

Socks! Awesome! More chew toys for Jelly!

Mom scores a large print dictionary.

Sis, all smiles.

Akemi loves her new cardigan. It's part of her new professional look.

Hope everyone is enjoying time with friends and family.  For my part, I'm enjoying friends and family and way too much food.  Between the five pounds I put on in Tokyo (Hey, aren't you supposed to lose weight while on vacation?  I suspect all those cocktails packed a caloric punch.) and the however-many-pounds I'll put on over the holidays, I'll be good and ready to start my annual New Year's fitness regimen.  Two a day work-outs, lean proteins, fruit and vegetables, plenty of fish, and no sugar.  Come March, if we happen to cross paths, I'll greet you by picking you up and shoulder-pressing you triumphantly over my head (provided you remove your heavy shoes first).

Mailbag:

hal ehlrich writes: "I know that there are numerous countries that play SGU. So why would SYFY not ordering a season 3 make it unable to film it ?"

Answer: SyFy (as the show's American broadcaster) paid a licensing fee that contributed to a significant portion of the show's budget.  Moving on without them would necessitate our finding other partners willing to step in  and help offset this number.

My Name Is Scott writes: "When it comes down to writing your future novel… who would you say your writing style is most like?"

Answer: Most like me.  Check out my story, "Downfall", in Masked, edited by Lou Anders.

My Name Is Scott also writes: "Assuming SGU had received the full five seasons needed to finish the story, did Brad have any intentions of another series to follow it, since an endpoint had already been figured out on SGU?"

Answer: Can't say for sure (I'm not Brad) but I doubt it.  Given the ending we had planned for Stargate: Universe, it would have been very tough to top.

BridgeLife writes: "My question is simply could you post the address for your MailBag address somewhere in your next post (or possibly even better in the About Tab near the top)."

Answer: Post your questions/requests in the comments section – like you just did – and I'll field them when I get the chance.

Alexandria writes: "I wrote Mr. Wright asking how we might save Atlantis. He responded by saying that he needed millions more viewers not thousands to save the show. At the time SGA was getting 1.6 mil live viewers. SGU hasn't even come remotely close to hitting that mark this season, and has even fallen down to 0.9 mil live viewers. Given Mr. Wright's interview about how more costly SGU is than SGA, how is it possible that SGU can continue in any form?"

Answer: Atlantis may have been getting 1.6 mil live viewers, but that was at a time when DVR and downloads hadn't made the significant inroads they have today.  1.6 mil viewers wold be great now, but back when Atlantis was airing it was considered mediocre by many (if it had been considered great at the time, we would have gotten that sixth season pick-up, I can assure you). A few years earlier, at a time when DVR and downloads had little if any effect on viewership, SG-1 was cancelled with a 2.0 overnight rating. Before that, it was the proliferation of cable and specialty channels that led to viewer fragmentation and a deterioration in ratings on the then Big 3 networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC).  Back then, shows considered low-rated busts would be considered hits today.  All this to say, you can't compare Atlantis's ratings to SGU's.  It's not a level playing field.

Alexandria also writes: "Mr. Mallozzi, I might have been a naive fan, but I value honesty above all else. I really do not like being lied to. We were TOLD that there would be an SGA movie. Were we just told that to get us to shut up? Honestly?"

Answer: Paul and I didn't write an Atlantis movie script (Extinction) just so that it could decorate somebody's office.  We had every intention of making the movie but obvious circumstances – the bottom falling out of the DVD market paired with studio issues – delayed production.  The studio is finally (just this past month) in a position to move forward on new productions – but the cancellation of SGU has put the brakes on any progress that may have been made on the SGA movie front.

Michelle writes: "Given what's happened, does Brad have any regrets about taking the franchise in a new direction, or does he feel any 3rd series, given the same scheduling and viewer landscape, would've had the same outcome?"

Answer: I can't speak for Brad, but I believe it was either take the franchise in a new direction or have it come to an end with Atlantis's' final season.  I think that one of the big reasons the franchise lasted as long as it has is the changes it made along the way.  Keeping it fresh yet familiar has been a tough balancing act but a rewarding one.  It's hard to argue with 17 seasons of television.  And I do believe that given the same present circumstances – the DVR and download effect – any other incarnation would have come up against the same challenges.

Orlin writes: "It seems to me that a rather large group of people loved the Stargate adventures and it became an entertainment and financial success that allowed the creators to make spinoffs of the original series."

Answer: True, but the franchise was already seeing a drop off in viewership over the course of Atlantis's last few seasons.  Convention organizers were also confirming a drop off in attendance for Stargate cons was far back as SG-1′s final season.  We could have produced a final season of Atlantis and then moved on to occasional movies, but we chose to reinvigorate the franchise with a new series that would allow us to not only win over new fans, but allow us to continue the adventures of the previously established shows like SG-1 and Atlantis.

sgakaz writes: "Why when it is the least successful show would they go with SGU when they know there is still a market for Atlantis and SG1?"

Answer: You're basing this assumption on what?  Three year old DVD sales figures and the word of fellow fans on message boards? Believe it or not, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger supporter of Stargate: Extinction (the Atlantis movie) than me, but I understand that, given recent developments, moving forward now would be the worst possible timing.