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WH:
Hi Joe, great to see you again! How is the season coming along?
JM:
Paul and I are in prep week for our final episode for the season:
Inauguration. Technically, it is a clip show - but with a whole
lot less clips than usual.
We
have four guest stars for Inauguration: Ronny Cox, Robert Picardo,
James McDaniel and William Devane.
Robert
appears in the Heroes two-parter. We brought him back for a
meatier role in Inauguration. He's a super actor and a very
nice guy.
WH:
Has the entire cast signed on for Season 8?
JM: We have no idea who is coming back. It's all up in
the air. Season 8 is a go and its certain that Rick will be
back, that much is sure.
WH:
Is there any reason to think some of them might not sign?
JM:
No, no indication that any of the cast members won't be coming
back. I think it's just a matter of them making their deals.
WH:
And you?
JM:
We'll have to wait and see.
WH:
How difficult has it been working around Richard Dean Anderson's
schedule this season?
JM:
Not having Jack available on a full time basis has been VERY
challenging, forcing us to come up with some creative means
to limit the character's participation. Keeping him out of the
action doesn't inhibit the story only because we're aware that
he is going to have to be light from the get-go.
Again,
it's not a matter of giving Jack's lines to anyone since we
never write with Jack in mind from the start. However, all three
of our characters have demonstrated a sense of humor in the
past, so its nice to be able to give them the occasional humorous
line... This will continue into Season 8. Although the possibility
of an additional cast member has been discussed.
WH:
With Season 8 on the horizon, how are you dealing with this
season's finale?
JM:
The season finale will wrap up a major arc - and leave a couple
of threads dangling.
WH:
Christopher Judge impressed a lot of people with this season's
"Birthright". Will he write again next season?
JM:
Chris is a lot of fun in the room. I remember bring pleasantly
surprised by the first draft of Changeling. There's no reason
why he shouldn't write another script next season.
WH:
Would Ishta return?
JM:
We loved having Jolene on the show and, by all accounts, she
had a great time filming the show. We would love to have her
back.
WH:
How much longer will you be filming?
JM:
I believe we'll be wrapping the second week of September.
WH:
Now that there's another season to look forward to, will there
be time to revisit popular stories from past seasons, such as
the Ree-tou?
JM:
Yes, absolutely. There will be opportunity to address these
older storylines in Season 8.
I
don't think we'll be wanting for stories in Season 8. I don't
think we're close to running out of good story ideas.
WH:
Any particulars?
JM:
We haven't really thought that far ahead. Right now, we're concentrating
on Season 7. We can't really begin thinking about Season 8 until
we know 1) which of the cast members will be back (hopefully
all of them) and 2) which of the writers/producers will be back.
WH:
What about this season... anything for Sam/Jack shippers to
look forward to? The spoilers have been flying fast and furious.
JM:
There will be some shippy moments but to suggest it would be
something inappropriate (given military regs) is a reach. Again,
there are some nice subtle moments sprinkled through Season
7 (Lost City I and II, Grace, Chimera, Heroes II).
WH:
There's some concern that 'anti-ship' letters will minimize
that aspect of the show.
JM:
It's not the fans that will influence that particular element
-- more the development of certain arcs. You'll have to tune
in to find out. [...] There may be a kiss. Like in WoO, we'll
find a way around it. But it's still up in the air.
WH:
Are you planning on coming to Gatecon?
JM:
I don't think I'll be able to attend this year. I have company
coming in that weekend.
WH:
Have you had time for any original work?
JM:
Haven't really had the chance to work on anything. But with
Stargate wrapping up, Paul and I will finally have the free
time.
WH:
If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?
JM:
I think I'd either open a restaurant or take a year off and
learn to cook... French, Japanese, [or] Italian.
WH:
Are you planning on doing any more DVD commentaries?
JM:
Commentaries? It's possible.
WH:
How are your dogs? Do they still want to do a cameo?
JM:
Yes. The dogs keep begging me to put them in the show. They
had the opportunity to do a cameo in Season 5's Ascension but
didn't want to wake up early to do the scene. They're spoiled.
WH:
What are the plans for the future of Stargate?
JM:
The former movie script is now the big two part season finale.
As for any future movie or the spin-off - still waiting for
word.
WH:
It's assumed by some that male viewers are the 'real' science-fiction
fans, whereas their female counterparts watch for the 'soap-opera
aspect'. What do you say about that?
JM:
I think the fact that Stargate is mythologically rich and offers
strong character-centered stories explains why the show is so
popular among female viewers who may not necessarily be all
that interested in simple shoot em ups.
WH:
Now for some episode-specific questions. Just how many Unas
were on the planet in Enemy Mine?
JM:
10,000 Unas on the planet.
WH:
Why is poor Sergeant Siler injured in almost every episode this
season?
JM:
That's a question you'll have to ask Martin. He and Dan are
friends, always working with that big wrench in the background,
and I think it was just a gag between the two of them.
WH:
In Revisions, was there any thought to actually having a member
of SG-1 brought into the Link?
JM:
Yes. Originally Daniel tried on the link and had his memories
altered. The team would have had to convince one of their own
in the climax. But the more we discussed, the more we realized
it wouldn't work. Given everything our characters have gone
through, it seemed highly unlikely that they would risk connecting
to that alien device before having it thoroughly tested first.
WH:
Has Amanda Tapping started to direct her episode?
JM:
Amanda is still in prep on Resurrection. I believe she begins
directing this week. [Week of 8/17/03]
WH:
Did Felger have any more SG-1 dolls in Avenger 2.0?
JM:
There was another male doll that didn't make it into the shot.
I believe it was a Jack doll.
WH:
Will Sam have a chance to kick butt later in the season?
JM:
Sam kicking butt? Yes, in more ways than one. Check Deathknell
for one.
WH:
A lot of fans were impressed with Michael Welch's performance
in Fragile Balance. Any chance he could return?
JM:
We definitely want to bring Michael (Welsh) back.
WH:
Does fan reaction to episodes still surprise you?
JM:
Yes. I'm always surprised by fan reaction - both positive and
negative.
WH:
Thanks so much for your time,
Joe!
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