Thursday, January 8, 2009

Stargate Atlantis - Pop Culture Zoo - Hewlett/Staite/Picardo Interviews

At Pop Culture Zoo:

(Please follow the link for the complete interviews.)



INTERVIEWS


Shutting Down The ‘Gate: ‘Stargate Atlantis’ Ends Its Five Year Run


By Joseph Dilworth Jr.

January 8, 2009

This week marks the final episode of SCI FI Channel’s original series Stargate Atlantis. Although there will be movies to follow, this marks the final weekly adventure of these characters barring any of them jumping over to Stargate Universe. However, the series finale, “Enemy At The Gate”, also marks the 100th episode of the series and that is certainly something to celebrate, especially in this age of networks canceling shows within hours of the debut episode airing. It would be easy to think of Atlantis as just a spin-off of Stargate SG-1, but that would be doing the show a vast disservice.

... Speaking of the characters or, more specifically, those actors who portrayed them, I was able to pose a couple of questions to three of the principle cast recently regarding the end of the show and some of their thoughts. Below are my Q and A’s with David Hewlett, Jewel Staite and Robert Picardo.

David Hewlett

... PCZ: What’s next for you?
DH: Dinner Theatre…a murder mystery or a bedroom farce or maybe something in tights.


Jewel Staite

... PCZ: What expectations did you bring to the job on Stargate Atlantis and what experiences from the show will you take with you?
JS: I knew the show was in a groove, having been running for so many years, so I expected a well-run set and a lot of camaraderie. And I couldn’t have been more on the mark. I’ve never worked with such a talented, easy-going crew! I was always amazed at how much we were able to achieve in a twelve hour day, and everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Since I was the new kid stepping in to some hard shoes to fill, I was a little worried about fitting in, but they all made me feel so incredibly welcome, right from the very beginning. I’ll always remember the cast and crew for that.


Robert Picardo

... PCZ: Are you pleased with the overall character development of Woolsey, from his first appearance in season seven of Stagate SG-1 to the end of Atlantis?
RP: Yes I am. Mr. Woolsey went from an officious, self-important, arrogant think-tank guy with no practical experience in the field to a thoughtful and determined decision-maker and leader. And he did it in a relatively short time frame. Dick Cheney–eat your heart out.


The Finale

So, how does it all end? Well, the very end I will let you discover on your own, no spoilers here. However, I will say that “Enemy At The Gate” works very well as a bookend to the entire series, while leaving the show in a very interesting place for the TV movies that are to follow. There are cameos by a few characters we haven’t seen in a while, including Colonel Samantha Carter and Colin Cunningham’s Major Davis ...

The Future

So, what happens next? ...

No comments: