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August 25, 2005
An alien planet by any other name
Did you ever wonder where all these alien names come from? I mean: Jaffa? Baal? Vala? Yat’yir? (rolls right off the back of the throat, that one). How do these writers come up with them?
Well, I asked some of the writers today. Apparently, the names are sometimes recycled from mythology or foreign words. For example, the names of the SG-1 space ships are from Greek mythology: the Daedalus, the Prometheus, the Odyssey. Other times the writers just come up with them on their own – especially if they’re running out of time. But naming something is a tricky thing. Sometimes names sound okay, and sometimes, instinctively, they don’t. It’s also quite subjective. Only Brad and Robert really have the power to say something’s good enough at the end of the day.
For example, Carl was trying to name a planet for an upcoming episode called “Inferno”, and he came up with the name “Mollen”. I could see where that was coming from. The story is about a fiery planet with lots of volcanoes, so perhaps he was going for a mixture of the words “volcano” and “magma” or something like that.
Well, “Mollen” got vetoed pretty quickly in the writer’s room. So, a little frustrated, Carl went back to the drawing board. Then he came up with “Makara.” But the problem with that name is it brings to mind Dakara, which is the Jaffa home city – not to mention it sounds like macaroon.
When I asked Carl if they make yummy cookies there, he wheeled on me and I feared for my safety (just a little bit). I always thought Carl was a mild-mannered guy, but rumor has it he may have accosted the security guard at his hotel at the start of the season.*
Bottom line: you gotta be very cautious with these sci-fi writers. Especially when they’re on a deadline.
And on to this week's shows:
On Atlantis, “Instinct” is a great episode. Great look, great mood - spooky. Although it’s original in its own right, and very much based in the Pegasus galaxy, Instinct will remind many of you of one of the great horror novels of all time. It was pitched to our writing staff by a freelance writing team, Melissa Byer and Treena Hancock. They used to work with Carl Binder, who’s a Co-Executive Producer on Atlantis. (Carl told me Melissa and Treena originally got his attention years ago on another show by sending him a spec Ally McBeal script in which a defendant was charged with fornicating with a cow.)
Jewel Staite, of Firefly fame, stars in this episode, although you may not recognize her under Todd Masters’ amazing prosthetic make-up. When she’s not made up to look like an evil soul-sucking monster from another galaxy, Jewel is one of those women I have trouble speaking around because she’s so beautiful. Uh oh. This is starting to sound like a puff piece again. Better keep an eye out for Rob Cooper.
On SG-1, well… I’d like to tell you all about "Ex Deus Machina", but there’s already been backlash as a result of the Sci-fi promo telling too much of the story. Suffice it to say that Joe Mallozzi is well… how shall I tone this down? He’s enraged. Full stop. There was a string of expletives the likes of which you’ve never heard before emanating from the hallway when he saw the sci-fi promo. I kid, I kid. But you do have to wonder how much of a story is appropriate to tell before the show airs. I mean, where’s the fun in that?
ATL
PS. Carl just came into my office a happy camper. He’s going to name the planet “Taranis”, after the Gaelic god of thunder. Uh oh, check that. Now Damian’s worried it sounds too much like Tyrannosaurus, as in, Tyrannosaurus Rex. Or maybe it’s too close to Tehran – the capital of Iran. See, it’s not as easy as you think.
*After some investigation, we discovered that Carl did not actually accost the security guard. It was a case of mistaken identity. However I did have to vouch for Carl’s character to the building manager.
Posted by Alex Levine at 11:20 PM
August 19, 2005
Big Ideas
I walked into work today past the closed Iris – the bay doors to the SG-1 set were wide open. It reminded me of the day the actor playing Tenat came to our end of the hall to show the producers the prosthetic makeup he was going to wear for “The Ties that Bind”. He was talking normally, just to talk, so the producers could see how the prosthetic mask looked when he talked. It was very realistic makeup. All I kept thinking is, “this alien is going to attack me.” What a weird place to work.
The other day I took a friend of Robert Cooper’s on a tour of our show, and it was the perfect day for it: pretty people were auditioning near the casting trailer, the puppeteers were practicing with Hermiod, the Asgard, in the boardroom, Beau Bridges was doing one of his scenes in the SG-1 set with Peter DeLuise directing, and I even got to show Rob's buddy the village set and a number of other sets. One of the funniest things that ever happens around here is when the puppeteer makes Hermiod cuss or talk like a gangster. Anyway, it was a great tour.
Now you’re all wondering, “how can I get a tour?” Well, it’s easy! Just send a cheque or money order to Alex Levine, script coordinator, Stargate —- I kid, I kid. The sad truth is, tours are reserved for media, contest winners and the friends/family of the big wheels…
Now, about this week’s shows:
· Brad Wright is a big idea guy. He had an idea at the start of this year for this week’s episode “Beachhead”, and it’s a cool one. However, the first draft of the script was long and massively overbudget in terms of visual effects. But even cut back, this story has scale… it’s definitely not one of those sci-fi shows where you feel like you’re stuck on Earth or just dealing with high-falutin’ concepts. I don’t want to ruin it, so all I will say is that it’s a pivotal episode about the Ori, with huge jeopardy for Earth… And it sort of sets the stage, character-wise, for this season and for … dare I say it… next season? I know, this is pretty cryptic, but I’m steering wide clear of spoiling anything (Joe Mallozzi works right next door, and he’s got a hair-trigger temper). Also watch out for Maury Chaykin as Nerus… good times.
· I just had a chat with Martin Wood about his experience on “Trinity” – the Atlantis episode that’s airing this week. That was a challenging show to direct, he said, because it’s a McKay driven character piece, and most of it is shot in a small, relatively simple (but highly decorated) set. So he had to keep the camera moving to keep the pace of the show up, and to create the tension the story needs. And here’s a little bit of a spoiler for you - it’s finally a story where our conceited Dr. McKay gets his comeuppance, and it’s a good one.
Joe, what are you doing in my office? Joe… why are you so angry? What? I’m not writing anything… I’m just surfing for ice-cream makers… Seriously…
ATL
Posted by Alex Levine at 01:28 AM
August 10, 2005
Inanities
I logged onto gateworld today and was completely transfixed by one simple post: “Can a Wraith eat an Ori?” And this is really where my job gets ridiculously fun, because being me, I can just walk two steps to where Joe, Paul and Damian are sitting in Joe’s office and be like… “um… so… hey… Can a Wraith eat an Ori?”
So I did. And they were really cool about it. Joe said, “yes, of course” but he was actually lying. Paul was more kind. He told me the truth. He said, no, a Wraith couldn’t eat an Ori, because the Ori have no corporeal body. So how would they find them? I suggested perhaps the Wraith could come up with some kind of vacuum device for life-sucking, with a sensor on it. Or, I offered, the Wraith could be always ready for life-sucking and then maybe get lucky and happen upon an Ori. Then they all looked at each other and made me feel a little uncomfortable.
So I asked if a Wraith could eat a Prior and they all agreed that Priors would make good eatin’ for a Wraith. Paul clarified that the Priors are simply humans imbued with special powers. But as to who would win in a battle, for example, in an arena episode, we all thought the Prior would be much more powerful, but it would depend on the circumstances.
Then Joe said that would make an awesome episode and encouraged me to go pitch it to Rob and Brad.
Rob and Brad told me this would be my last season on the show. They thanked me for my efforts.
Just kidding. I didn’t do that.
Here’s a little bit of info about this week’s episodes:
· The Powers That Be is Martin Gero’s first SG-1 script. Until that script, he had only written Stargate: Atlantis. I asked him what it was like and he rubbed his head like he had a headache and then said, “Hard!” He said he wouldn’t have felt qualified writing an SG-1 script last year, but after having been surrounded by all things Stargate for a year he was ready to cross over to the other side of the franchise. He particularly liked writing the Vala character, and mentioned how pleased he was with Will Waring’s direction and Peter Woeste’s cinematography.
· Condemned has some great fight scenes with Ronon, Teyla and Sheppard. Also some great comedic moments in this one. This was Carl Binder’s first Atlantis script as a staff writer (he was a freelancer last year). You probably don’t know that Carl was formerly the executive producer of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
ATL
Posted by Alex Levine at 12:45 AM
August 04, 2005
Kiss and tell...
Well there’s no fact checker, but all of us here at Stargate do believe we’re breaking new ground this week on Stargate Atlantis. In an effort to compete with Will & Grace, this week’s Atlantis episode, entitled “Duet” offers…
Wait for it!
Two men kissing. In space. Well, in the Pegasus Galaxy at least.
Now, some of the more die-hard fans may know that there’s long and storied history of male-to-male face-touching in Stargate SG-1, although it’s never gone as far as kissing. And there’s a simple reason for that: it’s gross. Just kidding. It’s not gross. It’s just not that commonplace on North American television. And considering the hub-bub it’s likely to cause, one wonders if it’s necessary.
Well, guess what? The writers weren’t sure either. Martin Gero – whiz-kid, writing machine, comic genius and confident heterosexual that he is – wrote the script, and the kiss was in the first draft from day one. But I can tell you that in a later draft, the kiss was notoriously missing. It took some lobbying and some discussion to get that kiss back in there. And guess what? It was the right decision, because it works. It’s a part of the story. It’s funny. It’s brave. And David Hewlett makes it work.
So I checked with Guinness World Records, thinking that the first male-to-male sci-fi screen kiss might be a record, but according to Guiness, “firsts” may or may not be recognized as records. For example, “First woman to reach the North Pole” is a record, but “First British woman to reach the North Pole” isn’t. So I assume the first time two guys locked lips on TV was a record, but my guess is that the folks at Guiness probably won’t differentiate between Sci-fi and other genres, the bastards. I’ll have to check with Martin to see if he wants me to pursue the application…
And this just in! “Fan-boy” says “The Ties that Bind” is awesome! Yeah, I liked it. So now I’m going to get another talking to by Robert Cooper. Sorry Rob. I liked it. Sheesh.
One of the reasons I liked it is because they cast Wallace Shawn (from “The Princess Bride”) as Arlos. He didn’t quite ham it up like he did in that film, but his bit at the beginning as the love-lorn scientist is hilarious. Here’s a little known fact about Wallace Shawn – he’s a playwright, and now focuses on theatre in New York. Also keep an eye out for Malcolm Scott as Caius – he’s another great comic actor.
ATL
Posted by Alex Levine at 07:58 PM
