TVSquad

The writers and producers of Syfy's Stargate Universe could've played it safe and got along just fine with their latest series.

After Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's 1994 feature film from MGM, the series' first TV adaption (SG1) arrived in 1997. When you throw in the follow-up series, Infinity and Atlantis, the Stargate franchise has run on TV in one form or another for more than 12 years.

When the time came to invent the next step in the franchise, show-runners Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper could have trotted out more of the same and done perfectly well. Instead, they upped the ante -- bringing a bigger budget and updated production techniques to Stargate Universe.

MGM and Syfy welcomed journalists to Vancouver's Bridge Studios to explore the show's starship Destiny set and discover how this series cruises beyond its successful predecessors.

HBO has added another cast member to its upcoming Game of Thrones pilot, based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Stargate Atlantis alum Jason Momoa has been cast as Drogo, a powerful warlord who has never been defeated in battle.

This sounds like the perfect role for the hulking 6' 4" actor, best known as SGA's resident Wraith killin' badass, Ronon Dex. Hopefully, Momoa's potential Game of Thrones schedule won't keep him from appearing in the proposed Stargate Atlantis DVD movie/telefilm.

When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those. Firefly was Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.

Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie, Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.

... At least that's what Stargate producer Robert C. Cooper is saying. Cooper has written scripts for another Stargate SG-1 DVD movie and the first Stargate Atlantis flick, but those projects are on the back burner for now. Cooper and MGM are focusing on the launch of Syfy's Stargate Universe before those movie scripts go into production. Oh, and the sh*tty economy isn't helping either.

"We're just waiting for the right opportunity. We want to be successful with it. The studio wants to be successful, and we really don't want to proceed with something in the wrong climate, which I think financially it is right now," Cooper told Sci Fi Wire.

I'm looking forward to Stargate Universe, but I'd love to see the franchise continue releasing DVD movies every few years. Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum were great and they sold well on DVD, but projected DVD sales for new projects aren't looking good these days.

Stargate Atlantis alum Paul McGillion has signed on to guest star on Syfy's Sanctuary. The actor, who played Dr. Carson Beckett, and later played Dr. Beckett's clone (it's complicated), on Atlantis will appear in the final two episodes of Sanctuary's second season. McGillion will play "Wexford," a character he played in the original Web series version of Sanctuary. The show's second season kicks off Oct. 9.

This news might get me to start watching Sanctuary regularly again. It's not a bad show, but it never really hooked me. Like Warehouse 13, the procedural elements of the show felt tedious, and I never really connected to any of the characters.

With Battlestar Galactica and The Sarah Connor Chronicles now gone, I'll be looking to Warehouse 13 for my summer sci-fi fix. Thankfully, it looks like a pretty cool show. I like the concept, and I'm digging the Whedonesque vibe of the Sci Fi Channel's latest preview clip and the show's official trailer.

Now I have another reason to tune in. Actually, I have four more reasons. The show will be loaded with great geek-friendly guest stars, including BSG's Michael Hogan, Tricia Helfer and Whdeonverse vet Mark Sheppard. Stargate Atlantis alum Joe Flanigan will also appear on the show.

SyFy's Stargate Universe will kick off with help from two familiar faces this fall. Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks will reprise their Stargate: SG-1 roles in the series premiere of Universe, which is billed as a darker, character driven sci-fi show.

Shanks' appearance will be a one-time cameo, according to consulting producer Joseph Mallozzi. Anderson, however, will make multiple guest appearances in Universe in addition to showing up in the two-hour premiere. The actor said he would make "slim appearances" in the first "half dozen" episodes or so.

The Wraith attack Earth, a major character may or may not bite it, and it's frakkin' awesome.

Well, it's pretty good for something reportedly produced in a rush. According to Gateworld, the producers of Stargate Atlantis learned about the show's cancellation during the shooting of "Identity," the third-to-last episode of the current season. They were forced to scrap ideas for a sixth season and make this Friday's season ender, "Enemy at the Gate," the series finale.

Clips and moderate spoilers after the jump.

... five canceled shows.

Some shows, like critical darlings The Shield and Battlestar Galactica, are allowed to end gracefully; major story arcs are wrapped up and fans are left satisfied. Others are yanked from network schedules like unsightly weeds from a rose garden.

The networks yanked a number of shows off the air this season. Most of them, like The Ex List, probably deserved the axe, but there were four that deserved more time to develop an audience and one that I'm really gonna miss. In no particular order, they are:

Robert Carlyle is a fine actor with an impressive resume (The Full Monty, 28 Weeks Later, 24: Redemption to name a few), but he'll always be the hard-drinking, C-word screaming, Ewan McGregor-slapping Begbie from Trainspotting to me. Which is why it comes as a surprise that he's been cast as the lead in the next Stargate series, Stargate Universe.

Carlyle will play Dr. David Rush, leader of a group of scientists and civilians trapped on a ship traveling through space. Word is that Dr. Rush, charged with finding a way to return his crew home, might not be the nice guy everyone thinks he is.

No one's watching Terminator, the Dollhouse problems persist, and too many of my favorite shows are on hiatus until next year. Grrr! Argh! Still, I love TV, and now's the time to look on the bright side and give thanks for all the good stuff I've watched this season.

This year, I'm thankful for:

Battlestar Galactica – This last season has been challenging but thrilling to watch. Actually, that about sums up the entire run of the series. I'm confident that the final eps will be as good as what came before.

Netfilx Watch Instantly for Mac – I'm catching up with Doctor Who, Dead Like Me, and revisiting old eps of Joy Mohr's Action. I've never been so happy to be a beta tester.

Do you know what a dilithium crystal is? Ever use the term "cosplay" when discussing your weekend plans? Own more than two non-Star Wars action figures? If you answered "Affirmative!" to any of these questions, then you'll be staying home this Friday night, because you're a nerd. It's cool. That means you'll be able to catch this week's ep of Stargate Atlantis, with guest stars Dave Foley, Bill Nye the Science Guy and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. All nerds, by the way.

Kids in the Hall vet Foley plays a professional rival of Dr. McKay (David Hewlett), who invents an anti-global warming device that, instead of ending global warming, almost kills everybody at a swanky party, including Nye and DeGrasse Tyson. Not intrigued? Gateworld says there might be a scene with Jewel Staite stuck in a giant freezer. I know. It's a good show.

(S05E06) The folks over at Atlantis had quite a week, even before we got to the new episode. Knowing that the countdown to the end of the series has now begun made it feel just a little different tuning in on Friday night. The plans for a movie lessen the gravity of the news, as the show won't have to build to its final climactic moment, but there is still something to knowing its all ending. To take our minds off of that news, the crew checks in with a solid stand-alone episode that really stood out thanks to the performance of David Hewlett.

Many on this site, both reviewers and commenters, have complained for many years now on the way that Sci Fi Channel handles the airing of their original programs. The main complaint has been that viewers have had to wait nearly six months, or more, between the time part one of the season ended in the summer and part two began at the end of January. Most recently these complaints have been addressed about Stargate Atlantis.

Well, those complaints may have finally been heard by the programming wonks over at Sci Fi because Atlantis looks to be continuing its season through the fall. After completing the first half of its run on September 26th, with a break for Labor Day, Atlantis will return to the schedule on Friday, October 10th at its new time of 9:00 PM. The week before, it will be preempted by the two-hour series premiere of Sanctuary, which will move into the 10:00 PM slot in back of Atlantis.

Atlantis will continue to run through October, with a preemption on Halloween night due to the Ghost Hunters Live event. Whether or not the remaining ten episodes of the series will wind up in 2008 or continue into 2009, when the last half of Battlestar Galactica airs, has yet to be addressed.

During the panels for the Sci Fi shows present at Comic-Con this year, we're being given a unique opportunity to have you, our readers, ask questions to the panelists. What shows are we attending and who will be there? Here's the rundown:

• Stargate: Atlantis (Joe Flanigan, Robert Picardo, Brad Wright, Jewel Staite, Chris Sanagustin)
• Sanctuary (Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Robin Dunne)
• Battlestar Galactica (Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco, Ron Moore, David Eick)
• Eureka (Colin Ferguson, Sallie Richardson-Whitfield , Joe Morton, Jamie Paglia, Charlie Craig, Tony Optican)
• Ghost Hunters (Robb Demarest)

Use the comment form below to submit your questions and we'll give the best ones to the moderator to ask. We'll post the answers to those questions and others as soon as we can get to a WiFi hotspot and post away. You've got until this Thursday morning to send in your questions, so ask away!