Stargate EEEEUUUUUUUniverse (yes, that's a commentary)

[wraithfodder]

Casting spoilers, and er, commentary *cough* beneath the cut.

Okey-doke, casting spoilers borrowed from http://www.morrischapdelaine.com/posts/show/83, an actor who has worked on Stargate.

Read them, and well, weep, if you're a Stargate Atlantis fan. SGA got the hook and now this will replace it...

Character Breakdowns, Stargate Universe 03/09/08

Colonel Everett Young. 40’s handsome, capable, former SG team leader.  Like the Jack O’Neill of ten years ago, but Young’s edges have tended to sharpen over time. He requested permission to serve the remainder of his commission on Earth upon marrying his wife, Hailey, two years ago, but for now he’s temporary commander of a secret off world base.  The loss of two members of his team several years ago has taught him never to take anything for granted, and be prepared for anything.  He stays on top of his team so they stay alive.

Tamara Johanson. 20-25. SGC Field medic, Captain grade. Off world experience. Beautiful, tough, smart, capable.  Paramedic level  training. Able to triage serious injury. Modest background. Dreamed of being a doctor but couldn’t afford medical school and the Air Force was her best option. She ends up being the most medically inclined person on the ship but is overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge and experience treating seriously wounded and ill patients. She also lacks the medicine and supplies and has to make do.

Cloe Carpenter. 20 ish. Stunning and sexy. Daughter of a U.S. Senator.  Silver spoon upbringing and a little spoiled but not stupid either. Politically and socially savvy. Dreams of following in her father’s footsteps but for now she’s a bit of a party girl in her first year at an Ivy League school. Her father’s tragic death and the  dire circumstances of being trapped on a spaceship seriously tests her character.

Eli Hitchcock. 20-25.  Total slacker. Utter genius. Mathematics, computers, anything he puts his mind to.  Acerbic sense of humor. A social outcast. Comes from a broken home. Lacks confidence because his true intelligence has never really been recognized like Matt Damon’s character from Good Will Hunting with a little Jack Black thrown in.

Lt. Jared Nash. 20-25. Junior SGC team member. Officer material but green and rough around the edges. Every teenage girl’s fantasy. Like a college quarterback thrown into his first pro game, he is thrust into the role of leader well before he’s  ready for the responsibility and must learn to take command, earn respect through action, and manage the diverse personalities on the  ship to keep everyone alive. Like Jason Bourne, he is skilled and well-trained but mentally unprepared for the urgency of the situation.

Ron “Psycho” Stasiak. 20.  Marine.  Big, strong, silent.  You want  him on your side. You don’t want him mad at you.  Lacks control over his temper in non combat situations.  His emotional expression ranges from sarcasm to anger.  His past is a mystery but it’s clear something dark formed the hard shell around him. Yet, there must also be some moral center because otherwise he’d kill everyone around him.  Think Eric Bana’s character  “Hoot” in Blackhawk Down.  Adam Baldwin at 20 could play him.

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I'd make a lot of pithy comments, but I already did it elsewhere. I'm *hoping* this is a joke, that they can't possibly be serious about these descriptions, as it sounds just bloody awful. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Paris Hilton is TOO old to be cast as Chloe, otherwise she and her latest pet-as-an-accessory could scoop that role!


 

Comments

[lahela-sga.livejournal.com]

I'm still shaking my head in utter disbelief... SGA and a long-time fanbase got screwed over for... that... *shakes head some more*

[xenaclone.livejournal.com]

Oooh, they've been reading the 7 major characters in fiction plan and then LEFT ONE OUT.

We've got the one in charge [Sun]. I'll bet Ms medic is his Moon. Chloe = Venus. Eli is the one good with his hands/brain [see 'Scotty' and 'Rodney'] = Mercury. Jared is the one trying to get laid and failing = Jupiter. Ron = Mars, the god of War.

Ah! We're missing the odd one out. Dark, brooding, complicated, remote, alien [Spock] = Neptune.

XC [sigh]

[haliyah.livejournal.com]

Oh, good grief. It's like reading a character sheet for a bad fanfiction. *shudder*

Oh, how stupid thou art, MGM.

[dundragon.livejournal.com]

Is it April already?

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, I can't help laughing. Which one gets to be the token black character?

I guess I should be relieved that one of them isn't GaryStu Carter-O'Neill, handsome and charismatic genius astrophysicist and pilot, who happened to train as a medic in his spare time and relaxes by doing triple heart bypass surgery. When he's not representing the US in the triathlon and rescuing kittens from trees, of course. ;)

[lysambre.livejournal.com]

Hey, for all you know Paris Hilt... hum I mean Cloe Carpenter could be all that, after all it says that she's "not stupid either" !

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Yep, I found out about this at work. I was so tempted to vomit on the Government keyboard but if I have to buy a new car (soon :)) then I can't afford to replace the computer. Bleuch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[leesa_perrie]

Okay, that does sound pretty dire on paper (though I might like the pseudo-McKay character a little, not that he would replace McKay!), but I'm trying not to prejudge it. After all, Brad Wright gave us The Shrine recently, so maybe we should cut him a little slack and hope that this isn't as bad as it sounds.

A lot of shows can sound bad on paper but are great on air. If it is as bad as it sounds, then fine, you can say 'told you so'!

Sorry, it just brings up memories of the big fandom furore when Sam Carter joined SGA, when loads of people said she'd take over the show and ruin it, and after it aired many were complaining that she didn't do enough!! I trust the writers, despite the odd poor episode here and there. Call me naive if you want, but Stargate franchise has yet to disappoint me, so I'm going to give this a chance and hope they can pull off a quality programme with a mainly younger cast.

EDIT: Also, not offical casting info. Yes, he worked on stargate, but GateWorld say "Note that while this information doesn't come from our usual source of casting sides, it does come from a source with a proven track record. But until we have more solid confirmation, it should be considered rumor."
AND "Also, remember that these character names and details are subject to change as the roles are cast. (Did you not ever meet Dr. Benjamin Ingram on Stargate Atlantis? That's because he was changed to Rodney McKay when David Hewlett auditioned.)"

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I don't recall seeing the 'rumor' statement before. wonder if it got added in later. Anyway, the fact that they are skewing for a younger demographic is fact, and it wouldn't surprise me if they do cast very young (early 20s). One could hope that they realize the error in their ways with these casting descriptions and dump the psycho and party girl and slacker descriptions, unless they plan to do a sitcom.

Anyway, as for Sam... I dind't think she contributed anything to SGA except for "Search & Rescue." If they'd written her like that throughout the fourth season, I would have been sorry to see her go, but as it was, I went 'eh' and hoped Woolsey would be better (marginally). What they should have done is actually *written* for Weir and kept that character.

I'll watch the first one, but I never thought the Trek franchise would bottom out, but it did :(

[lysambre.livejournal.com]

Agencies have already started to put names down for this, so it's not "not official" anymore, if it ever was. I do agree though that they may decide to make some changes during the casting and writing process.

It still sounds very bad, and if no changes are made (as in the ages and the fact that appart from one of them they're all supposed to be handsome and beautiful and walking clichés) it is definitely going to be a disaster. Time will tell.

[melandune.livejournal.com]

They're really going for Stargate 90210, aren't they. Why couldn't they just have taken at least one other character who'd be 30+ years old, so that the poor 40 year old doesn't seem like the babysitter. >_<

Also, they all sound like Mary Sues/Gary Stus. I can't help but to wonder if the Sga!Mini's would even have the time to develop all those supah speshul skillz by the time they're 20, or even 25, without them all being supah dupah wizzkidz. *eyeroll* Seems to me that they're giving them all the 'Keller'-treatment of being überbrilliant kids that started collage when they were barely in their teens and all that jazz.

Also, from what I've heard, the only character so far with a hint of ethnicity is that of Tamara Johnson - who'd they'd prefere to be Asian. Don't know if they'll throw in a token black character or not.

[alaxes.livejournal.com]

This is a joke, isn't it? And that is going to replace SGA? No thanks!

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

It's like the Breakfast Club in space.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yuck.

[pavaneofstars.livejournal.com]

Adventures in Babysitting meets Stargate. *rolls eyes*

[faekitty71.livejournal.com]

*SOBS*!!! I hate you sci-fi! Every day a little more!!

[lysambre.livejournal.com]

Okay, this sounds terrible. In fact my first reaction was probably the same as everyone else when last night a friend of mine read this to me : "Is that a sick joke ? Because honestly you're not being funny !". Alas, a joke it was not.

So this casting plus the idea they've given us so far makes me think this is a mix of : ST Voyager, Cosmos 1999, Sliders, Quantum Leap, 90210, The young and the restless, and you can add your own.

Needless to say that while I was not very hot about the original pitch, this has definitely convinced me that they really want to bury the Stargate Franchise.

So far, my idea is to have every fan organise either an SG1 or SGA marathon the very night this... thing (trying to stay polite) will premiere. And then to all download it illegally the next day to have 20 minutes of fun mocking the terribleness (not that's not a word, I know) of it (only 20 minutes, because i would not want to force anyone to expose themselves longer than necessary). Fell free to spread the idea ;).

WTH?

[naniwahine.livejournal.com]

They should just get Shep instead of Col. Young and I might just watch it... OMG, the title of your post expresses my feelings exactly - they've cancelled SGA for THIS????

[stricken-uk.livejournal.com]

The only character from that remotely intrests me (before an actor is cast I might add) is Eli Hitchcock. I dunno why but if I fall in love with this series I'll definatly be a fan of his ^^