Stargate Atlantis 6.1.07 "Sunday" - SPOILERS!

[satori01]

Hmm, Carter on Atlantis, I am not sure I like that. Atlantis has it's own vibe, sure Shepard is a O'neill clone, but he is a very amusing clone. Rodney and Sam will throw off the chemistry.

As an aside, where are the Wraith this season, were they not on their way to Earth, what happened to the plot...the show has been very random so far.

 

[Mark CMG]

Not that a death means a whole lot in the SG universe anymore but I bet they use the year to set up an elaborte death for Carter. Of maybe set her up as some sort of recurring Replicated Goa'uld-Wraith hybrid villain so they can invite her back regularly.

 

[Elf Witch]

I have not seen any indication that it was a money thing. Do you have any references?

My understanding is that Amanda Tapping had a pre-existing contract for next year, and since SG-1 was ending, it was within the bounds of that contract to move her over to Atlantis.

I read it on Gateworld, the Sc-Fi forums and several Yahoo group email sites and the various save Caron Beckett sites. It has been big news all year. Atlantis's budget has been cut. The main reason Sci-fi canned SG1 is that they could not come to an agreement with MGM on what they were willing to pay.

Amanda Tapping has been with the franchise for ten years, eleven next year she makes more money than any of the cast of Altantis.

One way to cut budget is to cut contracts. Writing Carson out and sending Weir to a recurring status cuts the budget.

 

[Volaran]

I read it on Gateworld, the Sc-Fi forums and several Yahoo group email sites and the various save Caron Beckett sites. It has been big news all year. Atlantis's budget has been cut. The main reason Sci-fi canned SG1 is that they could not come to an agreement with MGM on what they were willing to pay.

Amanda Tapping has been with the franchise for ten years, eleven next year she makes more money than any of the cast of Altantis.

One way to cut budget is to cut contracts. Writing Carson out and sending Weir to a recurring status cuts the budget.

I'd wondered on that. Gateworld is the only one of those resources I would consider reliable, though I was unable to find an exact reference. Certainly I would imagine she'd run more, but I'd certainly like to see the exact article.

 

[Kesh]

Was there a point in killing off Carson? Did the show need to reduce payroll? If so is the doctor replacement a less expensive payroll expense?

It seems baffling to me you would make the determination to kill a character, then cave to pressure to bring him back.

From interviews I've read, it was apparently an executive decision to boost ratings. Beckett was originally just a recurring role, but he had so many appearances in the first season and got such a following online that he became main-cast in season 2. My reading-between-the-lines is that the executives still considered him a second-string character, but popular enough to have an impact if he died. And killing a main-cast character often boosts ratings. With SG-1 ending, they wanted Atlantis to get that boost and grab as many extra viewers as possible, so they decided to write him out.

However, the head writer saw the fan response and made a deal: get the death mentioned on major network television, and he'd bring Beckett back for a two-parter in season 4. The folks at SaveCarsonBeckett.com managed to get the story on the Today show, so the writer is honoring the deal. He also said it won't be just a hologram or a flashback, but Beckett "in flesh and blood" and that a clue as to how he'll come back is going to be in late Season 3.

 

[Mark CMG]

However, the head writer saw the fan response and made a deal: get the death mentioned on major network television, and he'd (. . .)

So he will make deals, then? And Carter is going to be joining the cast? I wonder if . . .

 

[Wolf72]

can someone clue me in on happened with Rodney's ascension? I had it taped but in the process of moving I have lost it.

last I saw was that he had the powers ... restructured the powergrid ... fried czech guy (zalinka?) by accident and knew he was going to die or ascend.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

can someone clue me in on happened with Rodney's ascension? I had it taped but in the process of moving I have lost it.

last I saw was that he had the powers ... restructured the powergrid ... fried czech guy (zalinka?) by accident and knew he was going to die or ascend.

Just before he was reaching the brain level that he would be able to asscend they of course figured out how to reprogram the machine using an old DNA sample. They got Rodney to the machine and it reversed the effect. It is then revealed that Rodney had in fact reached the brain level neccesary before the reversal so if it had failed he would have still been OK.

 

[Wolf72]

thanks much!

did that have anything to do with Carson at the end of the last episode?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Nope, absolutely nothing.