I know, it’s been a couple weeks.  I had a few job interviews last week.  I got a couple offers.  I started one job Monday.  I’m planning to pickup another but then I applied for passes to a convention in a few weeks so, I need to figure out how to start multiple jobs and then finagle the access if my passes get approved.  And then I’ll need to figure out pretty much the same things for conventions in October and/or September.  Some of my is coming together but of course, not quickly nor effectively enough.  I was thinking about this earlier, I find myself in a damn near identical circumstance as twenty-two years ago.  Unemployed, out of money, and starting a job for the same company.  In regard to the symmetry of life, fuck that!  Anyway, Plan B isn’t on the immediate itinerary.  But I have something more pressing to talk about right now.

     News broke yesterday about the new Stargate series and I was waiting to write something until I looked more into it.  I saw a post somewhere and was calming going to look into it and then moments later, I saw a post from David Blue saying the same thing so I decided to put a little more urgency into my homework.  It seems that Amazon wasn’t pleased with the current progress.  Turns out that Martin Gero, with all his experience and time working on Stargate properties, that his work on this Stargate property was turning out to be too much Stargate.  They fired from the project Martin Gero citing that his proposed direction was more for existing fans and less with the intent of appealing to a “wider audience”.  Here’s what I think of that.  If your intent is to reboot this franchise with a new series, then your intent, in so many words, is to disregard the existing fan base.  You are ostensibly starting over to build a new fan base with a new property while calling it something old.  That’s not a recipe for success.  I was talking to a fellow nerd about this and paraphrased Ben Browder as Cam Mitchell when the character entered the series and to quote: “…I chose SG-1.  That meant Colonel Carter, Teal’c, and yourself, not two letters a dash and a number.”  My point here is that many fans, myself for one, wont necessarily follow a new anything just because of it’s named after something I love.  Judging by fan bases of other properties like Star Wars, Star Trek, Thundercats, Knight Rider, Charmed, The Powerpuff Girls, and numerous others, it’s statistically unlikely for such a reboot of the Stargate franchise(keep in mind that this would be rebooting the entire franchise, 315 episodes across three series, two subsequent films, or three if you count the webseries Origins: Catherine cut together as a film.) and not just a single beloved series.  Following this course of action, in a couple years when the reboot fails to perform there’ll be a room of executives saying to each other “How did it not work?  We took the thing they loved and changed everything about it.”

     I’ve been saying this in regard to reboots since this fad of rebooting started so many years ago.  Why reboot something instead of doing something new?  It’s been demonstrated repeatedly that people respond more positively to new things as opposed to redoing old things in worse ways.  Even when you sequels.  Historically sequels underperform compared to primary installments.  The point here is that there’s little functional reason in buying a popular, established property to use it to make money, and then try to change it.  They started this bringing on board Martin Gero, among the most notable names of the previous series with the intent of tying back to the established franchise.  And then they got rid of him for tying back to the established franchise.  I’ve worked in retail for pretty much the entire adult life and this ‘executive’ mindset is not exclusive to entertainment.  Someone walks into a thing where they have no experience or substantive contribution, their reaction to the situation is to change everything about it, fail having undone the established progress and momentum of efficiency, and then ultimately have to go back to how things were done in the first place because their “new” concepts not only failed on their own merits but also undid previous success.  Like I’ve said before and demonstrated in numerous posts on here, the established universe has literally infinite storytelling potential and instead these executives are going to try and make something new with an old name thinking that just calling it Stargate would be enough to sway nerds.

     Once again, kids, THIS is why we learn history.

A quick update, I’ve had a few more job interviews this last week.  I haven’t heard anything from any of them yet.  I have another interview scheduled and I’m still sending out resumes and applying everywhere I can.  So, we’ll see what happens.

     I got my phone service back for a bit so, I’ve been watching Stargate again while I have access to PlutoTV.  I was reminded recently of another fun loose end that could be visited in a new upcoming Stargate series.  There is an episode where O’Neill is cloned by a rogue asgard.  The clone doesn’t shake out right and results as being a clone of O’Neill at age fifteen.  With the clone’s impending death close at hand, the team works out a way to save his life.  And the young clone is set up with a normal civilian life, going back to high school and living his life without the Air Force or specifically the stargate but of course with O’Neill’s experience and memory.  This got me thinking about some things.

     It’s been around fifteen years since then.  That puts the clone’s age into his thirties.  So, I’m thinking that a Jack O’Neill who doesn’t get to be a pilot, a Special Forces Operator, not traveling through the gate, would ultimately get a little restless.  Maybe he sticks it out in high school, experiences a little bit of the childhood he didn’t get the first time around.  And then decides to go to college in lieu of joking the Air Force.  Studies engineering thinking he likes well enough boating, why not learn how to build and maintain boats.  He spends a few years as mechanic and hobbyist shipwright.  Building his own boat while repairing and modifying others’ boats.  I’m thinking it isn’t very long before he winds up getting in touch with some less-than-noble elements.  

     While trying to get certain law enforcement agencies to deal with these elements and being disregarded at every turn, not being able to exercise his lost clout and all, he takes matters into his own hands.  Between his vigilantism and Robin Hood style smuggling Johnny O’Neill starts dealing in alleged alien technology.  Eventually, I see Johnny getting his hands enough equipment to essentially build a custom goa’uld scout ship.

     I’ve only thought about for this for a few minutes at this point so I haven’t thought through much more than this.  I’m working to figure out how best to tie into upcoming series.  Maybe he gets recruited into some sort of NID outfit.  Maybe the NID knows who he is or at the very least what this O’Neill has been doing in recent years.  Who knows?  Maybe the Stargate program recruits him as a civilian contractor and puts him on a newer SG team.

     And now we’re to that point in the post where I ask anyone to put this in front of Martin Gero.  As the Showrunner for the upcoming Stargate series I’m pretty sure he’s the person I need to be begging for a job writing on Stargate.  Soooo, if anyone reading this just happens to know Martin Gero, please show him my posts so I can work to talk him into giving me a job.  I need to finish the screenplay I started but I’m a whole third of the way through.

     I’ll make a deal with you.  Someone helps me get in touch with Martin Gero and I won’t blow the opportunity.  And then I’ll buy you a cheeseburger…or cookies…whatever.  I get a job writing for Stargate and I’ll be able to afford a few different kinds of snacks.

Earlier today on PlutoTV the episode titled Proving Ground played.  And yes, this more Stargate talk.  This is a great episode although, in my opinion not in the ways many would think.  Interesting though, looking at IMDB, I’m not only person who likes this episode.  With an average score of 7.7 the majority of scores are in the eights.  Now, obviously in my younger days this episode stuck out to me because of Grace Park and Elisabeth Rosen but I’m adult now!  I swear!  This episode portrays an aspect of life at the Stargate Command base that most people wouldn’t consider so much.  The training and preparation of younger and new soldiers.  I don’t recall whether that’s accurate catchall for US military personnel but I will be using as such in reference to military members in general, and am aware enough to use more specific terms when speaking specifically.  There are two key points I want to focus on with this conversation.  On-screen and off-screen implications.

     First, on-screen.  This episode shows us that there is apparatus and procedure for recruitment and training.  In an earlier episode, Elisabeth Rosen is introduced as Cad. Jennifer Hailey.  An Air Force Cadet with an intellect rivaling Carter’s and an attitude that O’Neill appreciates.  In this episode we see a bit of how certain individuals are identified and invited, let’s say, into this program.  Then in this episode, we see some of the training and certification of these individuals.  Things that are very important to the sustenance and continuation of such an endeavor as exploring the galaxy and defending a planet from threats like the goa’uld.  Throughout SG-1 we get a number of episodes highlighting some aspects of the research and development side of things in the SGC and even a few episodes showing us the casual day-to-day, but very few showing us the replenishment and training of SGC personnel.  There are miles of storytelling potential with just this tool alone.  And with that, in the beginning of SG-1 they start with nine SG teams.  We spend ten years focusing on principally one team.  There’s so much they could have done with this.

     To that point, the off-screen implications.  With more storytelling focused on training new personnel for the SGC we could have followed numerous characters from Stargate school to retirement.  And we wouldn’t even have to focus one team or character very long.  Especially with the more common television model of 10-13 episodes.  The Stargate franchise could’ve executed the Star Wars/Marvel model five, maybe even closer to ten years ago.  A series here focused on a new Major recently busted down for being too rash here.  And another series on a research team stranded on a goa’uld controlled planet there.  Adopting the process of extended universe of mini-series model of production, we could have been having a near constant stream of Stargate material for the last fifteen years instead of trying to rekindle it after fifteen years.

     I understand both sides of this argument.  “Whah whah whah, there’s so much to watch.  Fatigue this, fatigue that.”  Here’s the thing.  Sure, not everything is always great.  Usually the problem with things that is at one point or another, the reigns are given to people who may truly care about the thing and then drops balls because they don’t understand how to truly honor the source of whatever.  Look at Marvel Studios in the beginning.  They succeeded AND made wonderfully fantastic films.  Anyone paying attention will tell you that they succeeded BECAUSE they made such wonderfully fantastic films.  And if you watched any of the special features packaged with those films, you heard just about everyone involved say that their movies worked and worked well because of the care and attention put into those films.

     It’s possible to do the same thing with pretty much anything.  Stargate is certainly no exception to this ideal.  I more than dare say that I in particular am more than capable carrying on such work with this intent.  Ya know, to make more Stargate.  I’ve been talking semi-regularly for a few weeks now some of the things I would like to see in the new Stargate series.  Rather, I’d more prefer to make happen in the new Stargate series.  I don’t know who all is in the writers’ room right now nor do I have any idea what all they’re doing in the new series.  But there are very few things I want to be a part of more.  Sooooo, again I ask.  If anyone reading this can show it to Martin Gero, I would really like that.  My fantasy here is that he reads any of my posts, likes at least some of the ideas, and then I get a job writing for Stargate.

     If it helps, we can swing this like a ‘make a wish’ gig.  I mean, I don’t have any cancers or anything to my knowledge.  And I’m not so much a child as I am a single, middle-aged man what’s dying alone, but surely that’s sad enough that people may want to help me score a dream job, right?  Seriously, folks, I have exactly nothing else in my life.

As you know, I want to work on the upcoming Stargate series.  I’m also an avid fan of the Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game.  I’ve been writing up materials adapting elements of Stargate for this game.  I’m thinking that now I’m going to get together a game soon and play it Stargate.  I’ve created a couple characters modeled after concepts from the franchise and I’m thinking about modeling some analogues after established Stargate characters.  What I’m thinking right this second is setting up characters to save time, find some players or at least corral some of my friends to play out in effect an episode of Stargate.  Maybe THAT will get some attention.  Preferably not-so-much litigious attention.  Perhaps between job applications I’ll write up a quick little one shot and get this game going.  ALRIGHT!  You’ve talked me into it!  I had a job little bit and one week we were on a road trip so, one night I ran a game for a handful of guys who have never played any TTRPGs before.  We used a game format I came up with specifically for new players and then for shits and grins, I used some Stargate inspired material in that game.  These guys yoinked some jaffa armor and weapons and then one of them actually took on one of the symbiotes.  It was hilarious how these things played out.  Especially with a group of players first, unfamiliar with TTRPGs and then equally unfamiliar with Stargate.  It was a pretty fun little game.

Anyway, here I am again begging for a job writing Stargate.  I’m not sure what to talk about this time.  Here’s a topic, loose ends we could be addressing in the new series instead of rebooting.  Earlier I was watching the episode, The Fifth Man.  We’re introduced to a new character named Lt. Tyler.  Spoiler in coming, Tyler turns out to be an alien.  He’s of the ree’oll.  A people who secret a hallucinogenic compound that disguises them within the perception of those contact with it.  Creating intricate and profound memories of the ree’oll with a fictitious identity.  They do call back to this in a later episode but just the one time.  We could have characters from these people join SG teams as scouts, spies, and all sorts of interesting operators.

     Then there’s the incursion force form Foothold.  Somewhere someone called them the stragoth, I don’t know whether that’s canon but that’s seems to be the most efficient to look them up on line.  It would be great to see more of them.  Either they trying to take the SGC again, working with goa’uld cells, or just mixing up shit from time to time.

     In the episode, Grace we see a ship that doesn’t match designs of any other ships we’ve seen.  Maybe it’s a stragoth ship, maybe it’s a pirate tollanan ship that left Tollan before the cataclysm and the rogue crew has no such compunction about sharing their technology(one missile at a time), or perhaps they’re a group we haven’t seen at all.

     And these are just some loose ends from SG-1.  We have a few things throughout Atlantis we can play with and god damn it all, Universe has by definition, unlimited possibilities!  Such a rich history and lore we can be building on instead of rebooting.  In case it’s not so clear where I stand on matter of rebooting, I’d really rather they not.  Especially if I could get on board and steer things away from the possibility of rebooting Stargate.

     And again, if anyone has the means to get any of my texts in front of Martin Gero so that I can talk him into giving me a job writing for Stargate, please.  I would really appreciate that.  There are few things about which I’m this passionate.  And of course, if I could start paying my bills with a passion like writing this stuff professionally…oh how sweet that would truly be?

Mother’s day was yesterday.  I know a lot of good mothers who deserve recognition as such.  I would never say otherwise.  What I will say however, is that not everyone who has had children is a good person let alone parent.  Rule of thumb, if you’re asking yourself whether I’m talking about you, clearly you have given yourself reason to ask.  Work on that.  Happy mothers’ day to the mothers who’ve earned it.

     I finally got off my ass and got shit done for my California license.  Now I can kill myself happily knowing I’m not dying with utah driver license.  And yes, I leave utah uncapitalized on purpose.  I just have my interim license right now but within thirty days I’ll get the real thing.  It was so hot and I had to make two trips on the bus and in the heat but it’s done.  Now then, what to talk about.  How about some more of my nerving out about Stargate stuff so I can continue begging for a job writing on Stargate?

     I’ve touched on this briefly I’m pretty sure but the state of the Pegasus galaxy.  As things were left at the end of Stargate Atlantis, the city itself was on Earth in the Milky Way.  Michael is thought to be dead.  The wraith hive conflict is pretty well in full swing and at least wraith, Todd, if not his hive have the weaponized Hoffan drug and/or Beckett’s retrovirus, but as I recall still no effective means of delivery for either,  And the Tau’ri of Earth should now also have a few tons of wraith super-hive scrap to research, and possibly even one or two possibly usable ZPMs.  Anyone catch something I missed?  Please, I’d love to discuss any of this with someone else.  Feel free to reach out and we can talk about it.

     Moving on.  Like I’ve said before, in MY IMAGINING OF A NEW SERIES WHILE HAVING EXACTLY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NEW IMPENDING SERIES…that is the point here.  I want to be apart of Stargate going forward and all my pining here would ideally get some notice and in turn, me a job writing for Stargate going forward.  So, Atlantis is back in Pegasus, on the most recent plant it occupied before flying to the Milky Way to fight the impending wraith threat there.  With another ZPM on Atlantis aside from more advanced naqudah reactors, regular commute between SGC and Atlantis is enjoyed by all.  Col. John Sheppard(Ret.) is the current leader of the Atlantis Expeditionary Coalition.  Dr. Rodney Mackay is of the Science Division on Atlantis.  Col. Anne Teldy is the commanding officer of military forces on Atlantis with her right hand, Maj. “Dusty” Mehra as Security Chief.  And this staffing is of course my ideal.  I would love for these performers to come back and reprise these roles but I fully understand that may not be an option in the big, stupid, real world.  Making everything stupid and not great.  At this point, Atlantis is effectively an extension of the SGC in Pegasus.  Exploring, researching, and for lack of a better word policing the galaxy.  More often than is preferred, more or less refereeing among various wraith factions warring and dragging humans into crossfire.

     There is essentially no more cooperation among many hives.  A few weaker hives clinging to their old ways and their very existence have joined together however, even then lack sufficient numbers to pose much a threat to any other hives.  Some hives manage to cull from time to time but that’s still pretty dangerous, what with their well poisoned and all.  Some hives turn to cannibalism, feeding on their brothers.  Some hives have found the means to turn wraith into human.  On occasion trying to use this technology on enemy hives and a little more often, using it to mean prep on board their own ships.

     One thing I’d like to see is some sort of return of Michael.  Sure, it looks like he died…again.  Sheppard even says right then some to the effect, we thought he was dead before.  Michael’s research and proven capacity for cloning leaves wide open the opportunity to return.  Even if Connor Trinneer doesn’t return, a Michael clone doesn’t have to be identical, given Michael’s work manipulating genetics.  There are many possibilities with this character and he was always one of my favorite things in this series specifically.

     Alright, that’s my Stargate daydreaming for today.  As usual, if anyone can get this in front of Martin Gero, please do.  If he knows I exist and that I’m doing this, I could have an opportunity to talk him into giving me a job writing for Stargate.  Until next time.