June 26, 2008: The Broken Ties Breakdown
(Please follow the link for the complete blog update and to view the SGA season five production photos in their original format. A bald Ronon? EEK!)
Prepping the Wraith
For any of you interested in submitting a question for actor Mark Dacascos (aka Tyre from season four's Reunion and season 5's Broken Ties), you have until midnight tomorrow to get them in.
Mark Dacascos as Tyre
Tanja in the production office asked me to tells fans about a very special auction. Tanja writes: "I have just posted the last of the two North Face Duffle Bags we had autographed during the filming of `Continuum' on ebay. We auctioned the first of the bags in September `07 and raised almost $1000 for Ryan's (camera) son's charity. Ryan's son, Trey, has a disease called Hunter's Syndrome. This disease is part of the Mucopolysaccharide (MPS) family and causes damage to the cellular functions of the body resulting in damage to organs and mental development. It also affects the bones, skin, tendons and cartilage resulting in deformation.
I would like to ask you to help me promote this auction and to help me raise money for this charity.
The bag also includes Don Davis' signature which makes it even more special.
The link to the ebay posting.
Well, I guess that's it for today's entry. Thanks for stopping by…
No, wait! There was something else I was supposed to mention…What was it…?
Be careful of sharp swords
Oh, yeah. Broken Ties aired last night and you're all no doubt wondering "What the hell was he thinking?" Well…
Need a hand?
I knew I was going to write this story as far back as last season. From the moment I made the decision to have Tyre escape at the end of Reunion, I knew there had to be re-match. And what better slot than episode #3, one that has played host to Ronon stories in four of the last five seasons. I pitched out the bare bones idea to the room (Tyre captured Ronon and offers him up to the wraith who attempt to turn him) and we spent a morning spinning it. It was Paul who suggested we needed to see Ronon turn which dovetailed nicely with actor Jason Momoa's off-season request for his character to go darkside. So I sat down and beat out an outline, working with main goals: 1) Ronon had to go darkside and 2) I wanted these former Satedans to have a re-match but this time their role would be reversed and Tyre would be on our side. As I was working on the outline, I mentioned the script to our stunt coordinator Bam Bam and he expressed an interest in choreographing a sword fight, something we had yet to do on the show…
A bald Ronon? Eeek! Rojac!
There were a number of elements I wanted to balance in the script. Of course, there was the A story charting Ronon's capture, torturous treatment at the hands of the wraith, his turn, his rescue, and his equally torturous detox, but I felt it was important to juxtapose the big man's descent and restoration with Tyre's ascent and redemption.
There was also the matter of Teyla and the difficult decision she faced as a new mother, essentially having to choose between being a stay at home mom or continuing her dangerous job as an off-world explorer. And then there was Woolsey whose by-the-book priggishness belies a warmth, compassion, and vulnerability that I wanted to hint at if not glimpse. In addition to the aforementioned, I wanted to service the other characters by demonstrating their affection for Ronon (John's resolve in the jail cell, Rodney's inability to sleep) as well as their determination to get their friend back. In the end, I think it came together pretty well. This was certainly the most character-driven episode I wrote this season and I'm pleased that the character moments were what most of the fans took away from the viewing.
On to specifics: (please go to the blog for MORE!)
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More on the charity auction:
This bag has been autographed by:
Richard Dean Anderson - "O'Neill"
Ben Browder - "Mitchell"
Amanda Tapping - "Carter"
Christopher Judge - "Teal'c"
Michael Shanks - "Daniel"
Beau Bridges - "Landry"
Don S. Davis - "Hammond"
Martin Wood - Director
Brad Wright - Executive Producer
Robert Cooper - Executive Producer
N. John Smith - Executive Producer
John G. Lenic - Producer
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