The Stargate Franchise – Good characters override shoddy writing. - Aragon 101

When one thinks of SG-1, what's the first thing that comes to mind? The team of course. It was the one constant throughout the entire series despite evolving and changing (several times in fact). The team and characters were there for us every week, for ten years in a row. Seven years into the franchise, SGA came along – a new set of adventures, a new show with a slightly darker tone. We saw all new faces every week and fell in love with them as well. These were characters that we liked and felt like we knew. This isn't saying every fan liked both shows, but the reasons for liking the shows was more or less similar - the characters.

You knew Jack was going to have some glib comeback to a System Lord’s hubris, you knew that Sam or McKay were going to use their brains to get them out of trouble. You knew Sheppard was going to risk his own life for the mission’s success. You knew Teal’c and Ronon were going to be badasses. Nobody is saying that the stories weren’t cliché and derivative if not downright repetitive at times. You could watch ten minutes into an episode of SG-1 or SG-A and pretty much know how it's going to turn out. This is a problem - a problem which was not dealt with for various reasons I'll get into below.

The question now comes up. If, as many SGU lovers say, SG-1 and SG-A were low brow and meant for "driveling idiots" (Actual quote from a certain rabid fan) then why did SG-1 and SG-A last a combined 15 years as well as 2 direct to DVD movies while SGU has lower ratings in its first season than the very last year of those 15 previous and is already in the potential to be canceled? The same people produced them. SGU has a few new writers but they certainly don't have the lion's share of episodes or even really key episodes. What difference does SGU have that SG1/A didn't in terms of writing quality?

None. Both suffer greatly from deus ex machina, plot holes and writer's convenience. The forum is filled with examples from insightful and critical viewers. If there is no difference in writers, then why is SGU getting numbers that have to be spun, rinsed, washed, spun again and then excused away with a hundred and one different reasons ranging from the weather, to the Easter Bunny? No, I'm not being funny, those are real reasons that have been postulated for SGU's rapidly declining Live + SD numbers. One fan even blamed the Sun for giving us good weather and keeping people out and social instead of watching SGU. This writer told that fan that if he disliked the sun so much, he should go moon it for a few hours in retaliation.

Why did SG-1 and SG-A outperform SGU years into their respective series when it was the same shoddy writing?

It is in this writer and fan’s opinion, that it was the likable characters with all their flaws, neuroses and skills that made us want to watch them over and over. It was the love of seeing the team overcome the odds that overrode the cliché storylines, the repetitive and nerfed enemies and the not very creative use of the Deus Ex Machina over and over again. The characters were good enough, relateable enough, and certainly charismatic enough for many fans to overlook the plot hole filled writing.

I repeat, SG-1 and SG-A were not pinnacles of writing, or even really all that great. It’s all too easy to point out inconsistencies and plot holes and a myriad of writing problems. The lighthearted nature and fun of the outrageous characters was what drew a large appeal though. It was the dynamic the actors created by working together on such a fun show that created something worth watching over and over again. They were damned good characters and they were damned good actors.

I often hear that the SGU characters are more realistic because they are flawed, but were SG-1 and SG-A’s characters perfect? Are they the "square-jawed heroes" that these same producers say they are? Far from it. We often saw the characters struggling to overcome their flaws. We saw McKay try and become more than just a snarky bastard and on more than one occasion it bit him in the ass. We saw Jack overcome his distaste for diplomacy and politics, eventually becoming a Major General with a well rounded leadership. We saw Sam try and separate her personal and professional life, often unsure of which was which, all while becoming a strong female leader in two separate fields. I could go on and list flaws with each character that are integral to them. It's a part of who they are and why the fans loved them.These are flawed characters but they overcome their flaws. That's what makes them compelling and worthy of being adored by fans.

This is something the writers conveniently forgot. The characters were written by them, they were developed by them. So by disparaging those characters, these writers and producers are insulting their own work that made them famous. Talk about shooting the foot you put in your mouth!

The actual writing itself in SG-1 and SG-A? It wasn't that great. In fact it was quite shoddy at times especially when it came to relationships involving romance. Good writing surprises the viewer/reader. It creates a sense of wanting to know what will come next, not just a simple A to B to C plot as SG-1 and SG-A often had. This is an issue these writers have had since day one and in part the episodic and only lightly serialized format that gave way to these problems. There was a lack of consequences or following through on the stories they made.

On the other hand there was awesome humor and amazing team dynamics but very little strong plot, character development or dramatic consequences of actions. Some of the best ranked episodes of SG-1 and SG-A are the few and far between ones which actually touch on those styles. Heroes Pt 1/2, The Siege Pt 1/2/3, The Storm/The Eye, Abyss… there are many examples of great writing that never lose the core essence of what made people fall in love with the franchise. Dark storytelling need not be humorless and filled with screaming and arguing. Nor does it need to end perfectly. This is the issue with the writers of SG-1 and SG-A, they were unwilling to devote the time and effort to create a show that had it all preferring to use standard tropes and ideas that date back to the golden and silver age of Television. The writers and producers refused to evolve.

We now have SGU - With its deeply flawed characters which end up being just as stereotypical and cliché as SG-1 and SG-A's characters if not more so. Look at the clichés; we’ve got the bastard scientist who knows more than he’s telling, the green lieutenant whose primary task on the show was to score with a fellow officer and then with the senator’s daughter. Stories of soldiers getting it on with politician’s children are as original as a 14 year old’s first attempt at a Twilight fan-fiction. One of the worst offenders is the "angry black man" stereotype which is not only cliche but quite offensive and racist. Then you’ve got the well intentioned medic who’s made a mistake and now has a bun in the oven. Who’s the father? The old "war horse" who fucks up all the time and deserves every ounce of pain he gets. Not just because he’s criminally incompetent but the aneurysm causing "stones-sex scene" with Young/Young’s Wife/Telford was by far one of the most atrocious insults to viewer intelligence I’ve seen since Galactica 1980.

These characters cannot carry this show like the previous two incarnations did. Despite now putting the time and effort into their stories as can be seen with "Time", the writing has not improved with the new darker and edgy style. The episodes are still plot hole filled, cliched, and convenient. These writers do not have the experience to write dark drama because they refused to practice it with SG-1 and SG-A. They instead fail at mimicking the latest hit sensations Battlestar Galactica and Lost.

Battlestar Galactica and Lost were milestones in scripted sci-fi drama. They gave us brilliantly made characters in hard situations with superb writing. The absolute worst episode of BSG makes the best episode of SGU look like a high school amateur’s attempt at a doctorate thesis.

How does a writer become better at a genre? In fact how does anyone get better at anything?Practice. BSG’s writers under Ronald D. Moore had tremendous experience with his 7 years of Deep Space Nine and several feature films under their belts. Even with that practice they don'’t always succeed. Caprica has ratings so low it's in danger of cancellation and SGU's numbers have been drifting closer and closer to Caprica's ratings. This is not a sign of a good show that attracts a lot of viewers and is a hit sensation.

Practice is the key to being able to do anything correctly. One of the key moments of Ronald D Moore's career has been his and Brannon Braga's script for Star Trek: Generations. This movie has been panned by many many Star Trek fans including Leonard Nimoy.

Ronald D Moore was asked in 2008 about his writing Generations. His response? He apologized. Ronald D Moore, the creator of the critically acclaimed series BattleStar Galactica, said - and I quote. “I think-Brannon and I were not ready to write that movie at that point in our careers. Our reach exceeded our grasp. We didn't have the maturity and the seasoning as writers, and probably as human beings, to tackle something that grand and marry it to an action-adventure Star Trek film.”

Ronald D Moore acknowledges that at the time, he did not have the proper skillset and experience to write such a "grand" thing as dark drama and Star Trek. This is a sign of maturity and BSG was rightfully critically acclaimed because it was a mature show with smart writing and excellent characters. It may not suit everyone’s tastes and there were problems just like any other scripted show. But every episode of that series was written excellently (Yes, even Black Market). It was as perfect a marriage of great characters and excellent writing as could be sought after in a sci-fi series. And EVEN then the series only lasted 4 seasons and 2 direct to TV movies. The spin-off is not doing well and is often compared to SGU.

This is not comparing popularity, if anything, Stargate Atlantis beating BSG and Doctor Who in the People's Choice awards should clearly tell TPTB something. They just don't seem to be listening.

Ronald D Moore had gained the maturity and experience in writing dark drama to be able to make such an acclaimed show. I make no qualms of saying he's one of my favorite writers at this time because he's more than mature enough to admit he's made mistakes.

Now what do Brad Wright, Joe Mallozzi, Robert C Cooper and the other SGU producers have under their belts? 15 years of lighthearted action/adventure that even their new fans of SGU say was weak in writing. Do these men have the experience and maturity to write great sci-fi drama? No. They have the experience to write great characters in light to medium heated situations, and get 15 years worth of story to it. SGU is a kneejerk reaction to RDM's critical acclaim which they want for themselves but will never get because they simply do not have the experience he does.

The Stargate Franchise suffered from poor writing but had great characters to offset that. With the experience building they could have done and the dedication to make a much better blend of genres and styles, Stargate SG-1 and SG-A could have easily become an even greater hit sensation worldwide. Can you imagine what could be done with Stargate's amazing characters if they had good writing to support them?

My thoughts? I’ll be waiting for the Stargate Franchise's powers that be's apology for destroying the Stargate franchise for their poor little egos in a few years when SGU is little more than a faded memory of why the idiots in charge need to be replaced every so often.

Stay tuned for my next article: The Stargate Producers - Who needs good female characters and minorities when you've got WASPs?


What is Classic Stargate? -OCgatergal

To some, classic Stargate is the beginning of the franchise. Episodes that originally aired before season nine of Stargate SG1 and before season 3 of Stargate Atlantis. To others, it's Seasons 1-5 of SG-1 and nothing else. Still, others like Seasons 1-5, 7, and perhaps like SGA Season 1. The fact is everyone has their own conception of what is 'classic' Stargate.

To me, classic Stargate is a ship-less Stargate. That's what made Stargate unique from the other science fiction shows. That's what the writers boasted about.

"You can go quite far, and you don't need a car, or even a ship"

The above is part of the lyrics for the Stargate SG1 them song (yes, there are lyrics).

To this fan, classic stargate is when the stargate is the only means of intragalactic transportation. A stargate team could only rely on their wit and the stargate to get home. It was a story about how a team could overcome the odds by working together, rather than just with each other.

This all but disappears in Stargate Universe as characters are dim-witted, rely on the shuttles and Destiny and seldom use the Stargate. The few times the Stargate is used, it is the equivalent of the Transports in StarTrek, or forgets the show's own rules about limited range (e.g. Lost) No longer is the Stargate the iconic means of transportation, it's merely a convenient plot device to link SGU to the rest of the franchise and established mythos.

In addition to this subversion, the stories themselves have changed drastically. What I and others like me deem 'classic Stargate', was an episode that contains what I like to call, the spirit of Stargate. Episodes that create an enjoyable blend of humor, adventure, action and drama. Stargate Universe offsets the balance by eliminating the best parts of humor, adventure, action, and even unscrewing a bunch of the lightbulbs while greatly increasing the melodrama.

In the end, Stargate was fine the way it was, it wasn't broken. Stargate Atlantis could easily get a sixth and maybe even seventh season. Stargate Universe tried to ameliorate Stargate, but failed...miserably.

Ticker Tape
Joe Flanigan joins Twitter: Actor Joe Flanigan from Stargate: Atlantis joined twitter on July 28. Flanigan has surpassed Brian Smith in followers even though Smith has been on Twitter for over a year. Flanigan has followed both Atlantis and SG1 actors, but has yet to follow Universe actors.

Picardo and Hewlett will cameo on Universe: Stargate Atlantis actors Robert Picardo (Woosley) and David Hewlett (McKay) will guest-star on Stargate Universe in the coming season in the episode, Seizure.

Stargate Magazine falls: After 36 issues, the Stargate Magazine is shutting down. The magazine has been running for four years. According to some, it is because of the economic regression; while according to others, it is due to the lack of popularity Stargate Universe is.


Stargate Universe to return September 28: Stargate Universe will return to the Syfy channel on September 28. The show will moved out of the original slot Stargate has held for many years to Tuesday. Stargate Universe will premiere with Sanctuary on the same night.

Gateworld interviews Michael Hinman in lieu of someone interesting.

For the 100th episode of the Gateworld Podcast, Darren has chosen Michael Hinman, a relatively unknown in the world of fandom to guest star in the podcast. Michael Hinman is best known for attacking the SGUSucks fandom before doing any actual research into his claims. He later admitted he did not follow any rules of journalism, but has never apologized or retracted his comments.

Robert Carlyle gives away the ending of SGU

In a recent interview, Carlyle continued his praise of the SGU story, but also dropped hints as to Destiny's final mission. Specifically he mentioned "the beginning of time" and that the Destiny Crew will not be returning home. There is much debate on his comments and whether or not his comments are based on actual enjoyment of SGU or contractual commitment.

Brian J Smith continues to speak out, the invention of the cork ineffective.

Brian J Smith was once again interviewed, and once again attacked the part of fandom that doesn't appreciate his "Julliard" education.

Eli Wallace - To have romance.

It was confirmed by Joe Mallozzi that the character Eli Wallace, an underachieving gamer who spent the majority of his time on Earth playing MMORPGs, eating sandwiches, and sleeping while growing a pair of manboobs, will be getting 'intimate' with a member of the new Lucian Alliance crew. The "Vicarious Life" committee gave their full support on the move, although there is also thoughts that Eli may solicit the LA Crewmember's services with promise of his stashed food.

SGU to possibly go up against "V", Brad Wright to dine on vocabulary.

V is slated to return this year, on Tuesday Nights and most likely directly competing with SGU. There is much speculation about the potential ratings disaster already with competition like NCIS or Dancing with the Stars. Brad Wright is also quoted as saying that SGU will outlast V until it's nothing more than just another letter of the alphabet. Many fans are wondering exactly what level of shitstorm is coming and how best to prepare for the hilarity.