SCI-FI Digital Media Press Tour: Stargate Atlantis set and panel Q&A review

Across the street from Vancouver Film Studios is Bridge Studios, where Stargate: Atlantis is being filmed. The studios are so close you could have played Frogger across Boundary Road quicker than it took our bus to wind its way between the two complexes. We made our way over for the second visit of the day, Stargate Atlantis. The show was currently on hiatus from shooting so it was very quiet on the lot, but, that allowed us more access to the sets and you once again got a realization as to how much work is done to make these shows. Bridge Studios boasts one of the largest sound stages in North America and when you can house two small cities in it you tend to believe them.

I’m going to be straight up. I know nothing of the Stargate: Atlantis spin-off. I have not watched a lick of it. I know a little of SG-1 though I only watched that casually off and on. But it was clear I was out of my league when compared to others in our gaggle of intrepid online reporters as they were throwing out names of alien races and galaxies that I have never heard of. So, this probably will not be as detailed as the other reports but I will do my best. As soon as we can break down the video of the Q&A into a suitable format we will let you know.

The Q&A took place on the ‘Gateroom’ set, a very, very impressive 2-story set. In attendance were the shows executive producers Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and actors David Hewlett and Rachel Luttrell. David’s dog Mars also graced us with his presence throughout the Q&A, including the obligatory cleaning of one’s self in front of everyone. The shows publicist said that a lot of the actors bring their dogs to the set when filming and that they all get along.

One of the first questions was about the introduction of Amanda Tapping’s character, Samantha, from the original series to the Atlantis cast. Rachel said is has been an easy transition for her and she is all for more women. David has had previous experience with cross-over work on SG-1but said that the addition was good because it gives the show new tension between characters. And my understanding from what was said later in the Q&A is that his character, McKay, has a thing for Samantha. Joe said that the great thing about Samantha is that this character has the science background so she can balance McKay’s science lingo; her military background will come to play in off-world ventures; and her leadership skills will help her settle into the command roles nicely. You introduce a new character and you can explore other facets of your existing characters.

What was very noticeable is that Rachel is very pregnant. So how did that change her character’s story arc in the upcoming season? Well obviously the producers had to write it into the show. The difficulty of course was to work around this wonderful development in Rachel’s life. The catch was that they had started filming the season out of sequence, mostly to accommodate Tapping and her schedule with SG-1 and the 2 SG-1stand alone movies. Rachel was going in a straight direction even though the show was jumping backwards and forwards. So Joe and Paul had to look at the calendar, and knowing Rachel’s due date reworked the shooting schedule so, for the sake of continuation they could film episodes up until the due date. So the pregnancy was written into the series and it nicely extends her character’s story arc. And boy does she glow, she just radiated up on that stage that day. She's got that mommy glow I hear women talk about.

But what do you do with a character like Rachel’s that is physically demanding like hers. Rachel told us that the first half of the season was more physically demanding that the previous three. But that will change. Her martial arts experience comes from learning on set and using here dance background to help her learn the sequences. The shows stunt coordinator and other martial artists and stunt performers from the Vancouver area have made her into the fighting machine you see on screen. "I've had to get rid of a little ballet and add a little bit more Umph. A little bit more tap. A little bit more jazz hands".

So are there going to be any more significant changes to Atlantis now that SG-1 is done? Not really. I sensed that there has been a lot of apprehension from fans about who is running the show, even though Joe and Paul have been with the Stargate franchise since season 4 of SG-1. Joe said it is easy to say wait and see but he thinks that even the doom and gloom in amongst the fan base will go away once the new season starts and that even those fans will be pleasantly surprised. Paul said that the structure is still mostly the same with exception to a couple new characters and a new alien race. It all sounds a bit silly to me, but then I am not an avid follower of the show.

What is the new race? Joe called them the Travelers. This new race came about because the one thing that Atlantis lacked was technologically advanced races. I gathered from the session that The Wraith is the key baddie of this show and that they go about taking over cultures when they have attained a certain level of technology. This new race, the Travelers, is nomadic and they go to worlds raised by the Wraith and scavenge them. Their ship[s] is pieced together with other ships with a rustic feel. I apologize now, I thought of the Reavers from Firefly when I heard of this. This new race will make their appearance early in the new season.

Did they say anything about the two stand alone movies? Well, they won’t be related to Atlantis. The first movie Ark of Truth will wrap up the Ori story arc and the second movie, sans title, would be a classic SG-1 time travel romp with pretty much every ‘system lord’ in it. Everything else is top secret.

And what about character development in the new season, especially with additions to the cast? David spoke a lot about this. Now that the characters have been established you can begin to explore them more. There will be a lot of interaction between characters that would not have happened before. His character McKay has a scene with Ronon and that would not have happened before. And because of these changes to the season it has allowed them to explore the interaction between characters. Already into the new season and there are a lot of conversations that would not have occurred. When a show goes longer, the more you’re involved in it, the show takes on a life of its own. The changes can be traumatic but that sort of mimics life. Thing that happen you don’t necessarily love but that is part of the organic life of the show.