Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Season 5 Exclusive Preview (Continued)!

From MGM Stargate:

http://stargate.mgm.com/news_detail.php?id=79

Season 5 Exclusive Preview (Continued)!


May 6, 2008 (General)

In the second part of our chat with Executive Producer of Stargate Atlantis, Joseph Mallozzi outlines more details of what fans can expect to see in season five.



A brief excerpt:

Stargate Atlantis has undergone quite a few cast changes since it first appeared on our screens, and season five will prove to be no different. For one, Colonel Carter will be turning the City back over to civilian control in the dubious but familiar disguise of IOA member Richard Woolsey. For another – and this one is likely to be far more popular with characters and viewers alike – we'll be seeing more of Doctor Carson Beckett after his reappearance at the end of season four.

**snippage**

Q: Another major element to season five is that Carson Beckett is back in the City again. Was it always the intention to have the character back for multiple episodes following his return in `The Kindred pt 1&2'?

JM: "Well, to be perfectly honest, after he was killed off I came up with an idea of how to bring him back if we ever wanted to. I pitched that out to Martin [Gero] and Carl [Binder], and they loved it. And I said, 'You know what, if we're going to do this then we should plant the seed early on.' At the time Carl was doing a final polish on `Vengeance,' and the line he put in was very subtle ¬– something to the effect of how amazing it is that Michael has been able to come so far in his use of the retro virus. He's taken all our research and used it for his own ends. So that was the very subtle tip off that if you think about it, even if Michael was a great scientist, how could he have achieved so much in such a short period of time? The obvious answer is that he had help, and in `The Kindred pt 1' that's what he tells Teyla. Of course, by the end of the episode you see Beckett and put two and two together and realize exactly where that help came from. In part two we sort of explain Beckett's time line, what he thinks happened to him, why he ended up assisting Michael, and it answers a good deal of the questions regarding his reappearance.

So we always had the door open, and we were really amazed by the fan reaction. The `Save Carson Beckett' campaign was great, the way they demonstrated. And finally we thought, why not? So we did the two-parter at the end of season four. Then we were making plans for season five, discussing it with the Sci Fi Channel. I should mention
Mark Stern, [the Executive Vice President of original programming for the network,] his contribution to this as well. He's a guy who always gets a lot of flack – if the fans aren't happy with any aspect of the show they blame it on him! But Mark was a very big supporter of the Carson Beckett character. It was one of the things we discussed during the off-season, and ultimately we said, 'Why don't we try to nail him down for a number of episodes?' So I gave Paul a call and asked him if he'd be interested, and he said he'd love to come back. So we've got him for five. And then, who knows what the future holds?"


**snippage**

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