That was the title of the email I received from Brad Wright late yesterday, an email confirming the worst. Despite his best efforts and a situation so fluid it vacillated from “almost yes” to “probably not” and back to “almost yes” on any given week, final word had come down. = Brad told me we could stop the BS and tell people the truth about the fate of SGU because the cat was out of the bag.
There would be no SGU movie. Stargate, that had spanned fourteen years, 354 episodes, two DVD movies – that had helped build a network and establish itself as a studio’s most successful television franchise was coming to an end. = our 'baby' was being taken away from us after we ran it for so long
It was a terrific ride and, while it would have been great to give the fans that final chapter, that last crossover movie in which Brad had envisioned incorporating elements from all three shows (SG-1, SGA, and SGU), the truth is television is a fickle business. When it comes down to decision time, it’s less”What have you accomplished?” and more “What have you done for me lately?”. = Ignore the fact that we screwed up an ran a franchise into the ground and look at all the great things we did before that. (like the former NBA star who's being ditched after two seasons without scoring any significant points for his team, pleading for people to look only at his past glory and keep him on the team based on that)
Sad but true and still, I look back on my 11+ years on the franchise as some of the best years of my life in that I had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people, writing for shows I truly loved. It wasn’t always easy, wasn’t always fun, but they were happy times and I can’t say enough good things about the people who made it happen – from Exec. Producers and Series Co-Creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper who gave us the opportunity to all the cast, crew, and production personnel who made it happen. I look forward to working with them again eventually. = It's all about me and the people I brown nose.
Especially if this comic book project goes as planned. = I hope once I have some stable employment for myself I can chose the people I get to work for on top of that.
And so, SGU episode #220, “Guantlet”, will mark the end of this chapter of the franchise and, while it’s an awesome episode, it’s a heartbreaker all things considered. Before sitting down to watch it, I’d recommend watching the pilot first – if not the three parter then, at the very least, that first episode. It won’t offer closure but does deliver a bookend of sorts. = since the last episode isn't all that good, maybe if you put it in some obfuscating emotional context and get all sentimental about the show ending you'll overlook that fact
Given the circumstances and all things considered, probably the most touching episodes the franchise has ever produced. = watch MY episodes because that makes me feel important
Once that final episode airs, I’ll take to this blog to answer any and all questions you may have and dedicate at least one entry to discussing aspects of the franchise I’m sure you’re all curious about. = keep giving my blog some traffic and I'll milk the franchise until its last drop
”Given the show’s ratings, why didn’t you wrap up the series in the event you WERE cancelled?”, “What stories did you have planned for the show’s third season?”, and “Tell us all about Stargate: Extinction”. Okay. Will field these queries and many more once “Gauntlet” airs. = if you continue to visit MY blog and keep it relevant, I'll spoon feed you all of the information you always wanted to know and until now I had no real motivation to give out
