Higlet Visits Stargate: Universe

Syfy Press Tour Part 2: Stargate: Universe

By WorldofHiglet

Recently I was invited to attend the Digital Media Press Tour organized by Syfy.com to showcase their current and upcoming shows. This is my report from the Stargate: Universe set.

Stargate: Universe is the latest iteration of the Stargate franchise, taking it in a new direction:

“…follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must defend themselves as they are forced through the Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth….Edgier and younger in tone, Stargate: Universe will take the franchise in a dynamic new direction, appealing to longtime Stargate fans and first-time viewers alike….” (from Syfy.com press pack)

I had never really watched Stargate. I missed SG1 and then felt I didn’t want to have to buy into another new series when there was so much to catch up on. The two-hour premiere aired before the press tour so I dutifully tuned in to see what it was all about. It was intriguing, with some spectacular set pieces and a whole host of characters. It was slightly confusing at first because there were so many people, but the storyline clipped along and we were very quickly into the action.

One of the characters, Eli, is plucked from his normal life (well, beamed, actually), dumped on a vessel and force-fed information about the Stargate ‘verse. It was slickly done and helped to orientate me, a newbie, into what the heck was going on. The action and suspense were also played very well and overall I enjoyed the story. It left me wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

I arrived slightly late to the Stargate: Universe tour (this is a recurring theme) but I was seated right at the front very close to the actors. The session had already started so I took a few moments to take in the scene.

The nine actors were sat just in front of the Stargate in a line (the Stargate is big and looks impressive even close-up):

Robert Carlyle (Dr Nicholas Rush),
Louis Ferreira (Col Everett Young),
Brain J. Smith (1st Lt Matthew Scott),
Elyse Levesque (Chloe Armstrong),
David Blue (Eli Walker),
Alaina Huffman (1st Lt Tamara Johansen),
Jamil Walker Smith (Master Sgt Ronald Greer),
Ming-Na (Camille Wray),
Lou Diamond Phillips (Col David Telford),

Mark Stern (Moderator, EVP, Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions)
Brad Wright (Co-creator, Writer, Executive Producer),
Robert C. Cooper (Co-creator, Writer, Executive Producer) was scheduled to be there but was in a huge cast that meant he couldn’t attend. Or even walk.

Robert Carlyle was in the middle. I’ve been interested in Mr. Carlyle since I first saw him in Hamish Macbeth and Trainspotting (very different roles…). He sat very still (almost meditative) during the panel unless a question was directed at him or he had something to add. It was curious because while it seemed he was deflecting attention away from himself, it actually drew my eye constantly.

The Q&A lasted about 40 minutes with questions from the gathered Digital Press. In addition to the cast, writer Brad Wright was there and Mark Stern was Moderator. Mark introduced the show with Brad and talked about the extent of the production in terms of vision and creating this new world while still within the Stargate overall universe.

They are just finishing principle filming and at that stage were filming 19 out of 20 episodes. Brad commented that it has been the longest time he’s ever had between filming and a show being released and he has found it to be a great experience. They are going to end the season with a bang. Later on he said: “By the midpoint of the season you might think there is no way they can live together and then they do – it’s very engaging.”

Robert Carlyle was asked how long it took to watch all of Stargate. He replied that he didn’t watch it all. He started some and was surprised that he’d actually seen a lot of SG-1 already (an advantage of living a large part of his life in hotels). When he was approached about SGU he wasn’t very enthusiastic at first. But as Brad explained why they were looking for someone like him it made more sense to him so he wanted to be part of it.

There was a lot of talk about Twitter during the panel, with David Blue being on the receiving end. He was asking how many responses he got on Twitter during a day and he said that he got a few until the premiere. During the premiere he had set up a laptop and after it had finished he had had over 240 @ replies on Twitter. He was already on Twitter before SGU and now half the cast are on Twitter. It doesn’t stop them teasing him about it, though.

Later in the Q&A, David said that there was not a lot of pretending going on, and lots of similarities between him and Eli. The set is so immersive that he feels it’s cheating as an actor. But he is different – Eli doesn’t Twitter anymore – he doesn’t get good service…(being on a spaceship millions of miles away from Earth really affects your signal-strength, apparently).

Lou Diamond Phillips (LDP) got into Twitter over the summer when he was out of the country and he uses it to keep in touch with his family. He finds that cooking gets him the most responses!

When asked about comparisons with other shows like BSG and Lost, Ming-Na said it’s normal and inevitable. Once the people watch they will see it’s a unique show – it will take time but they don’t mind the comparisons. Brad Wright said he didn’t mind it being compared to good shows – he liked that (which brought laughter from the press). But he didn’t want it to be the next Gilligan’s Island: “…We are our own entity….”

He also thought there was plenty in SGU for old fans of the Stargate franchise as well as people who had never seen any episodes. Ming-Na and David agreed, with David saying:

“If you’re a fan you will enjoy the Easter eggs but if it’s the first one then you will get it, too. It goes both ways.”

Sylvia Bond from PRG then asked LDP about whether his recent experiences as King of the Jungle in ‘I’m a Celebrity..’ that went down very well. LDP showed his scars and was very relaxed throughout the whole Q&A, contributing witty stories and asides, seemingly really happy to be there.

When there was a question about whether the whole series will live up to the effects and promise of the premiere, Mark pointed out that this wasn’t a pilot where all the cash goes into that and then fades away if/when the series is commissioned. The season has twenty episodes with huge, permanent sets created to give the realism and sense of magnitude required.

The cast were all in agreement when asked what they did to stand out in such a large ensemble cast so people remember them. It was directed at Brian J Smith but Robert Carlyle jumped in straight away with “It’s not a competition.” Brian then answered saying that he trusts the writing and that characters will pop out during the season that we’re not even aware of yet. Louis Ferreira added: “Our job is to play the character, not our egos.”

Alaina Huffman continued: “The writers have put in details such as there are certain moments that aren’t traditional for, say my character is a 1st Lieutenant but I have little girlfriend moments with Elyse’s character and some of the other supporting female characters.”

LDP chipped in that this an ensemble cast: “It’s a star vehicle but not a star vehicle…very proud to be part of this cast.”

Ming-Na confirmed that they we’re a team, there to do the best they can. They’ve made a show they care about and bonded as a cast because it was about the process

Then there was a question about their characters for the two cast members who had not spoken so far. Elyse described Chloe as is a fish out of water: “We see her struggle with the need to feel she’s useful.” She also said that Chloe is different to the other female characters we see – a real girl, an example of how a normal person would deal with facing such overwhelming situation, like the Eli character.

Jamil Walker Smith spoke passionately about his character, Ronald Greer, saying has lots of heart and he’s passionate about what he does. Jamil can relate to him being a marine and what is going on at the moment and feels a tremendous amount of responsibility to represent things in a real way. To put his opinion about things on a back burner and to bring forward the humanity of what makes Greer tick. As the show goes on it explores the relationship between military, civilians and scientists.

When the cast was asked what everyone’s roles off camera in this ‘family’ they have been talking about, it sparked a great deal of amusement in the cast. The consensus – they are all goofballs. And also, Louis Ferreira and Robert Carlyle are the Papas and Ming-Na is like the aunt.

Brad was at pains to point out that the ensemble feeling comes form the top: “…These guys together have created this environment – they have decided there is a lack of hierarchy.”

David then shared a story that stood out for him. When they were filming the dramatic scenes where they are all jumping through the Stargate Robert Carlyle literally threw himself down to the ground without any thought of his stuntguy (or ambulance). That brought home to him how much investment and commitment was given from the top.

[If you want to see how the Stargate ‘jump’ is done with a stunt guy, you can watch this featurette from the Official website.]

It was evident from the way the cast spoke, took turns and added to each other’s answers that they have spent a great deal of time together – and that the ‘we are a family’ is not just a line. Sitting in the huge Stargate set, with even the flooring and every inch of the walls just exactly as you see on the TV, it was easy to imagine that you were part of something big. Perhaps I’m easily impressed, but the investment that has been made is unmistakable.

After the Q&A we could take (non-flash) photos in the Stargate room and have pictures taken with David Blue (who was a good sport about the whole thing). We were then taken for a tour around the set. You know how on Alien it looks like that there are miles of corridors? So it seemed on the SGU set. They even had mist seeping out of the overhead piping. The details (lights, doo-hickeys and moldings) on the walls, floors and ceiling are amazing.

We ended at the meeting place which was appropriately named the ‘Apple Core’ – “…the big beautiful pipey-thing.” As Brad called it. It was not down at the time, though. From here we could see many of the different angles that they use to shoot scenes. In all they use 5 stages (including Stages 5 and 6 which were the Atlantis set and the SG1 standing set respectively) but Stage 4 is where the main bulk of the shooting occurs.

They use multiple cameras and angles, often shooting through windows and cut-aways and the performers don’t always know where the cameras are. Although there are over 80 people on the ship it’s a big ship. The idea is to not to evoke claustrophobia (people can have all the space they want) but rather desolation and isolation. They are together, but alone.

Then on to the wardrobe demonstration with Ms Val Halverson. She had set out eight of the character main outfits and took us through the various pieces. For Rush they wanted an authority figure but with style, too, so he gets the shirt, vest and jacket to play with. Of course, being a scientist he doesn’t wear his jacket when working. The lining of his vest is quite special and looks like a planet’s surface.

Young, Scott and Johansen wear the Icarus uniform, which is styled on the Airforce uniform. They have close ties with the military and talk with the liaison to make sure that they keep within acceptable boundaries. All the Icarus uniforms are styled to be very fitted, though, and are obviously designed to enhance the authoritative and, er attractiveness of the wearers. And often they are not wearing the jackets so the underclothes are also fitted.

Chloe’s original dress was on display. She was lucky in that she had a case and so could change and we see that in later episodes. In the first episodes, though, her dress emphasized how out of place she was on the ship. Eli’s iconic ‘You Are Here’ tee shirt was chosen by Robert Cooper – David often asked if he could change it but the only concession he got was that he had pants to replace his sweatpants (lucky for us all…).

Wray’s clothes are practical but professional and again are flattering to her. Greer is a Marine and again, his uniform is closely modeled on military lines. He keeps his jacket on because he always feels on duty.

More details were then shared about how the costuming is done. They create the clothes and then have to age them according to timeline of the season. At the beginning everyone goes through the explosions and the Stargate and end up covered in dust etc, and then on Destiny they go through various trials and different situations. They have 24 versions of each of the main character’s outfits so they can match for wear and tear. To achieve the different looks they use various methods including an aging stripper (no, I don’t mean that type of stripper…sheesh!).

We then went to lunch and were treated to some delicious food. We ate with the actors and crew, and chatted as people came and went. There were no airs and graces. The actors lined up for their food and scraped their plates afterwards just like everyone else. There was cheerfully busy feel to the set and studio, and the purposeful sense that things were being accomplished.

My overriding impression from Stargate: Universe was that they are embarking on a new, exciting venture. The actors are comfortable in their roles and they believe in the stories they are telling. Clearly there is big investment in terms of production – the sets, costumes and effects are impressive and in keeping with the big vision behind the series.

And this investment is paying off in ratings. Usually a series premieres and then the figures tail off. After a good showing for the premiere, Stargate: Universe actually increased viewers for Air Part III: by 22% in the Adults 18-49 range and 13% in adults 25-54. This is impressive and indicates that people like – really like – what they are seeing. It’s going to be a blast seeing what is in store for them next.

WorldofHiglet is the online persona of writer Mary R. Higgins, a born-again geek reclaiming her heritage bit by bit. A youth filled with sci-fi, horror and adventure fare (TV, films, computer games and books) was crushed by years of office grind. Buffy brought her back into the fold after years of denial. Discovering Firefly sealed the deal. Now she geeks fulltime on her blog ‘the last geek bus home’ and her first novel ‘Turning left at Albuquerque” is currently looking for a home in publishing-land.