Sending letters in support of Stargate

[Exile]

Now that even Briangate, who works for Syfy and understands how the industry works, is asking us to write in to support Stargate ( the parts of the franchise we actually like ) I'm beginning to feel that maybe it's time to spend a little money on trying to make a difference. It sounds like now is the time to do it, and that it could possibly make a bit of a difference.

Now, I know that... Major ( or some other military rank ) Davies ( ? ) is running this campaign for the movies, but I don't want to be associated with a campaign spearheaded by somebody who's on Rac's list of rabid SGU fans. Somehow I suspect he'll try to shift the campaign and use its resources ( site, lists of people etc ) to fight for SGU primarily since it's the "neediest" right now and the "worthiest cause" or whatever. ( Kind of like TPTB are saying "Support SGU and it will help the movies too". ) I just don't trust SGU-lovers. And I'd rather not tangle with them any more than I already have.

So, if you were to send letters in support of SG-1, SGA and possibly a new series more in keeping with the spirit of these series than the spirit of "soap-fi" ( love this term! ), where would you send them? Who makes the decisions? Does MGM have somebody temporarily in charge, or is whoever thise person is going to be more permanent? Maybe somebody who has an account on the Syfy forums could ask Briangate/Squall where he recommends people send their letters?

I think the fact that he actually said he understood if people didn't want to support SGU, and that they could write to support SG-1 and SGA, made me want to help even more. He didn't lower himself to the level of begging for misguided, blind "loyalty" to "the franchise". That would only have made me angry and less willing to help.

 

[Overmind One]

This is a good idea.

Now that even Briangate, who works for Syfy and understands how the industry works, is asking us to write in to support Stargate ( the parts of the franchise we actually like ) I'm beginning to feel that maybe it's time to spend a little money on trying to make a difference. It sounds like now is the time to do it, and that it could possibly make a bit of a difference.

Now, I know that... Major ( or some other military rank ) Davies ( ? ) is running this campaign for the movies, but I don't want to be associated with a campaign spearheaded by somebody who's on Rac's list of rabid SGU fans. Somehow I suspect he'll try to shift the campaign and use its resources ( site, lists of people etc ) to fight for SGU primarily since it's the "neediest" right now and the "worthiest cause" or whatever. ( Kind of like TPTB are saying "Support SGU and it will help the movies too". ) I just don't trust SGU-lovers. And I'd rather not tangle with them any more than I already have.

So, if you were to send letters in support of SG-1, SGA and possibly a new series more in keeping with the spirit of these series than the spirit of "soap-fi" ( love this term! ), where would you send them? Who makes the decisions? Does MGM have somebody temporarily in charge, or is whoever thise person is going to be more permanent? Maybe somebody who has an account on the Syfy forums could ask Briangate/Squall where he recommends people send their letters?

I think the fact that he actually said he understood if people didn't want to support SGU, and that they could write to support SG-1 and SGA, made me want to help even more. He didn't lower himself to the level of begging for misguided, blind "loyalty" to "the franchise". That would only have made me angry and less willing to help.

This is a GREAT idea. If the new Powers that Be at MGM are made aware that the Stargate fanbase is out there waiting for Stargate to return, and that this show failed because it wasnt Stargate, they might consider developing a fourth show which is back to action/adventure like the original ones?

What I see happening is that BSG: Blood and Chrome is going to be a success. It will gather numbers which will be impressive, and may sop up orphaned Stargate fans. But it still wont be Stargate. By the time Blood and Chrome comes out, Stargate Universe will be gone, but its success could make a revival of the Stargate franchise tempting. It was a fan campaign that brought Trek back after TOS was canceled in 1969. It was fans who showed Paramount that a new Trek TV series was viable, and that decision spawned three more TV series and several more profitable movies. Now its on a 3rd reboot. Fan driven again. V could become the next big scifi franchise if handled right.

But if we can get literally 4-5 MILLION emails to the new execs at MGM/Spyglass to show them that the fanbase exists for a REAL Stargate show, who knows what might happen?

 

[SG-Rocks]

Try this for a change

Wouldn't it make more sense that they'd get 1.6 (min) Atlantis viewer share plus 0.9 SGU share? Sure ain't working the other way around.

 

[Exile]

Yes, it was the news about "Blood and Chrome" in addition to Briangate/Squall's post and the new management at MGM that made me think there might actually be a chance that writing letters could have some impact. The world of entertainment has changed a lot since ST: TOS was brought back for its 3rd season, and I'm normally not a huge believer in letter campaigns, but several things happening within a short time make me feel a little bit of hope now.

Like many Atlantis fans, I don't hold out the illogical hope that it will be brought back as a series, and even less so with SG-1. But the movies could very well be green-lit if the people holding the rights and the purse strings can be convinced there's money to be made. And with how the "Battlestar Galactica" franchise has developed, with a "soap-fi" series getting lousy ratings and getting cancelled, and an action/adventure series being greenlit on the heels of the cancellation, maybe the same thing could happen for Stargate?

There are many ways a new series can be developed that's still within the Stargate "universe" ( I hesitate to use that word because it has become tainted by association with SGU ) and keep to the same spirit, mythology, continuity etc, get around the difficulty to get some of the old actors back, but still keep openings for guest appearances. How about "Stargate: Alpha Site" or "Stargate: Russia"? Yes, I'm sure many faults can be found with those ideas, but I just want to show that you can establish a new series ( possibly a bit darker, but not in the both exggerated and shallow way SGU is ) with a new team/group, new actors, but still be open to the possibilities of beloved characters from the earlier series to show up.

While I am, now, primarily an SGA-fan, it's not the fact that SGU isn't SGA that makes me hate it. It's the fact that it just doesn't speak to anything positive in me. It doesn't make me think or feel anything positive. If a new series was created, acknowledging the mistakes made with SGU, I'm fully willing, even eager, to give it a chance. It doesn't have to be the most brilliant series ever from the start, I'm willing to give it time to find its feet... if it isn't actively making me bored and annoyed like SGU did.

 

[Robbie_Rocket_Pants]

While I am, now, primarily an SGA-fan, it's not the fact that SGU isn't SGA that makes me hate it. It's the fact that it just doesn't speak to anything positive in me. It doesn't make me think or feel anything positive.

So there it is!!.............. One of our more liberal & moderate members (who rarely posts here) has admitted to being, primarily, an SGA fan but has stated that the ill-will he/she has towards the show is not due to SGA's cancellation but due to him/her not being able to connect with the show on any positive level!

& there we have it folks! The "angry Atlantis fans" of whom TPTB have been speaking, are in fact, the likes of our rather harmless & passive friend - exile (who I believe I previously referred to as a bit of a wet lettuce for getting a bit menstrual & emo about the tone of the forums ages ago) but that's by-the-by & bygones now. The fact is that TPTB are trying to scapegoat fans of the show which they themselve's cancelled (possibly through guilt) & publicise the existence of an enemy that simply doesn't exist!

 

[Robbie_Rocket_Pants]

I think this is a very good idea indeed. Although I do think that, to maximise the impact of such a strategy, it would be more beneficial to wait a couple of months for the new PTB at MGM to get settled in & the Spyglass accoutants to get the lay of the land before sending in a surge of letters in support of the SG-1/SGA agenda.

Incidently, if there is one person who is very good at these sorts of campaigns (especially video ones) it is Pebble ........................ Pebs! Where are you?????!!!!!! It has been a while since we last saw Pebble on here - I'm guessing he/she has finally realised that SGA is never coming back & has abandoned us It would be nice for Pebs to return & help us in the fight, not necessarily against SGU, but for another action-based, sci-fi Stargate show

 

[Exile]

I think this is a very good idea indeed. Although I do think that, to maximise the impact of such a strategy, it would be more beneficial to wait a couple of months for the new PTB at MGM to get settled in & the Spyglass accoutants to get the lay of the land before sending in a surge of letters in support of the SG-1/SGA agenda.

You may be right about that. Whoever's in charge now has probably barely settled into his ( I seem to recall it was a man ) office and started looking at how to get Bond and the Hobbit off the ground. Those two are sure, huge money-makers and must be their first priority. When I stop to think about it, I guess that Briangate's comment about mailing in support NOW was partly due to how close SGU is to being cancelled. I was hoping that maybe, MAYBE he'd heard something about an interest in greenlighting the movies. It may have been naive of me to think that. I'm actually amazed at how quickly "Blood and Chrome" was greenlighted ( as a pilot only, I think ) after the huge failure of "Caprica", so that's part of why I felt we had to move now. ( Or I had to move now. I'm not trying to tell other people what to do, or even head up a campaign or something, I just wanted to start a discussion about it. )

On a slightly related topic, Briangate has just said on the Syfy forums that he reads to comments on "the other said site". Well, I hope he reads this thread too. As I said, it's very much due to his mature and understanding treatment of this issue that I want to try and do my part to support Stargate. We're fans of Stargate too. I identify myself as a "hater" of SGU, but I think I have explained in enough detail why I hate it. Already during the advertizing of the show I realized that it wasn't for me, but not until I actually watched it did I realize just how removed from what I consider "the spirit of Stargate" it was. Bring on another series, mini-series, movies, whatever, with or without SG-1 or Shep's team, and it will get another chance. At least with new PTB in charge.