Everyone I know remembers where they first witnessed the first episode “Children of the Gods” premiered on July 27, 1997 in the United States. Do you remember the science fiction wonder and amazement as the phenomena spread across the world shortly thereafter? I do!
It’s been a long wait since the last episode of Stargate Atlantis aired on January 09, 2009 and Stargate Universe on May 09, 2011. There have been many hiccups along the way, but Stargate fans are loyal and have always been interested in whatever new developments are happening with Stargate including the hopeful fandom yearning for a new series when Stargate Origins was brought forth to great acclaim in 2018.
Since then, many times fans have complained. Some said it seemed as if MGM Studios (the owner of the Stargate franchise) was yanking their chains by offering something new only to pull it away again.
Then, out of the mists and darkness rode our knight in shining armor, ready to offer MGM Studios a new path forward for more Stargate by pitching ideas, hoping that one idea would take hold and we would get another Stargate series.
As the owners of The Companion state, “The Companion is a membership science fiction news, commentary and analysis website that serves up premium content on everything from the biggest blockbusters to cult TV shows we grew up with. Proudly ad-free and clickbait-free, The Companion works with actors, creators, and showrunners to break untold stories. Find out more at TheCompanion.app.”
“Brad Wright’s Conversations in Sci-Fi is an ongoing series in which Wright catches up with some of the actors, writers and creators he’s worked with over his long career in science fiction.
This is the second podcast from The Companion, following the recent launch of Gaters Gonna Gate with Joseph Mallozzi. Hosted by Stargate writer/producer and Dark Matter showrunner Joseph Mallozzi, the Gaters Gonna Gate group also featured a guest segment with Arrow director and Stargate Atlantis stunt coordinator James ‘Bam Bam’ Bamford.”
Image courtesy Twitter
Wright’s podcasts will not only give us access to insider information about Stargate’s many forms but the actors and production crews as well.
I and the Stargate fandom are looking forward to hearing more podcasts from Brad Wright in the future that hopefully result in a new Stargate television series and feature movies as we celebrate the 24th anniversary of Stargate SG-1 today!
Last but not least, many thanks to Jenny Stiven for the heads up about the Brad Wright interview with The Companion, and her ongoing support of the Stargate franchise for the past 15 years which includes her time at MGM Studios and conventions.
The Atlantis Crew Get Together Again at Comic-Con at Home!
Image courtesy MGM Studios
Don’t you just love it when a group of people that you love and admire come together for a visit? There should be canapes and drinks!
I enjoyed the wonderful interaction with everyone. It was simply wonderful to see several friends who love and respect each other chatting again. They take over and leave the host, David Read, struggling to take control back for a few moments, which was hilarious.
David Hewlett, Robert Picardo and David Nykl still have it. Robert Picardo shared that being on Atlantis cracked him up, especially when David Hewlett had something witty to say. Then Robert Picardo said as everyone said goodbye, “Enjoy the pandemic.”
All of the gang admit to really missing the conventions as a result of the shutdown of Covid -19. They also shared with us the projects they are working on and the hopes that some form of Stargate will return to television in the near future. Amazon Prime will now have a lot of pressure on it to bring us more of the series we love.
Unfortunately, other main cast members including Joe Flanigan, Jason Momoa, Amanda Tapping, and Jewel Staite were not available to participate in the Comic-Con At Home Stargate Atlantis reunion panel. The rest of the cast was happy to keep us entertained and it was fun. We include the nice Comic-Con at Home 2021 panel below for your enjoyment.
Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
Debris creator J.H. (Joel) Wyman certainly deserves an A PLUS for this two part episode in specific, and the series in general, for producing an extremely high quality science fiction series being televised weekly on our screens in 2021.
Thank you Mr. Wyman and NBC Universe Entertainment Television for bringing Debris to science fiction admirers for our mutual viewing pleasure in the United States, and hopefully around the world in the very near future!
“I Am Icarus” is the second part of a terrific two part episode that began with “Do You Know Icarus?”, where the fabric of the universe is unwinding or is inadvertently being ripped apart by a young man named Shelby (Keenan Tracey) and his sister Kathleen (Jessica McLeod) who witnessed the alien object land in the ocean near their home. Shelby and Kathleen unwisely elected to investigate the Debris, setting in motion a series of unintended consequences with potentially devastating results.
The damage is becoming manifest in “I Am Icarus” from a phenomena referred to in the episode as “Bilateral Deviation” that could cause fracturing to, or even the complete destruction of various realities residing within the Multi-Verse.
Click to purchase The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov at Amazon!
Regarding Multi-Verse theory, the term was coined in 1895 by the American philosopher and psychologist William James. Since that time there have been many scientists, famous authors, movies and television series have postulated what it is all about.
The question for science to discover and prove, is it real, what versions are there of it, and could the Multi-Verse be impacting all of us even is we are not aware of the causes and implications thereof?
Respected scientist and author Isaac Asimov wrote a best-selling science fiction book in 1955 called “The End of Eternity” which featured time travel to go back in history and make changes to obtain a future desired reality change ordained by the ruling class.
Click to read our feature articles about Fringe. Image courtesy Warner Brothers
Before Debris, other great science fiction series, Fringe produced at Warner Brothers Television, created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and J.H. (Joel) Wyman who served as executive producer and writer, (and is the Debris creator as mentioned above), also dealt with alternate realities and the so-called desired outcomes sought by some of the nefarious “Observers” as they were known in the series.
During a successful five year run on FOX television in the United States, ”Fringe” trimmed all the branches that featured the evil “Observers” at the end, and each team member went on to live happy lives.
Prior to that, another beloved science fiction series, Stargate, specifically In the Stargate SG-1 series, produced by MGM Studios, featured episodes over a twelve year television run, that dealt with alternate realities using a “Quantum Mirror”, or even the Stargate itself.
In Stargate SG-1, the hero characters travel to, observe, and in some cases alter reality that caused people to be erased or changed as if they never existed in the eyes of the person(s) from the reality they originally came from.
The 2008 movie Stargate Continuum, in effect, the final episode of the series, featured an erasure of former Stargate Command events caused by a super villain name Ba’al (Cliff Simon) in his quest for dominance across all realities that utilized a Stargate.
However, using one aspect of the Multi-Verse theory, the original timeline would still exist, so that who and what the heroes fought was a villain in a separate reality within a different Multi-Verse timeline.
A more contemporary example is The Avengers movies infinity War and the sequel Avengers Endgame, where the villain Thanos, used the “Infinity Stones” to change reality by erasing fifty percent of all living beings with devastating consequences for those who were erased.
Thanos, thinking it was the best thing for everybody, did so in order that the remaining living beings would be grateful and happy to live in a universe that was not as crowded before he wiped out half of everybody in existence. Thanks Thanos! NOT!
Image courtesy J.H. (Joel) Wyman on Twitter
In this iteration of a different Multi-Verse theory, somewhat similar to “I Am Icarus”, Captain America trimmed all the alternate reality branches save one; he stayed in the past and lived a happy life marrying his fiancé at the time, Peggy Carter and all was still well in the present reality with the deafeat of Thanos.
In this outstanding two part episode conclusion, written by Kyle Lierman and directed by Padraic McKinley, the Multi-Verse story arc follows the branch trimming theory to restore reality to what it was before Shelby and Kathleen triggered the reality changes.
Things really get dicey in “I Am Icarus”, but end up successful, avoiding permanent damage to the space time continuum.
Subsequent to reaching a crisis point of no return, reality appears to have been restored by our heroes before it could destroy everything in all adjacent realities! To reiterate, Team WHR is hoping that NBC will renew this superb science fiction series by J.H. (Joel) Wyman for several more seasons!
Keenan Tracey as Shelby, Jonathan Tucker as Bryan Beneventi/ Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
The episode begins with Bryan (Jonathan Tucker) and Shelby having just been reality shifted again when Bryan jumped in the ocean to try and stop Shelby during his own quest to be rejoined with his partner Finola Jones (Riann Steele) who was no longer in their reality.
As the story arc unfolds, it becomes obvious that Shelby and Kathleen found, and together subsequently used, a large hollow circular piece of alien Debris in the ocean near their home just off the coast of a city called Oceanside, located in Washington State. After their first use of this very large piece of Debris, Shelby’s and Kathleen became separated from each other’s alternate realities!
This particular piece of Debris is the perhaps the most insidious and dangerous of all that we have witnessed to date. The alien object, having the capability to shift people across realities, to nearby parallel universes, or other realities in the Multi-Verses, can send them back in time to a starting point where many things may be, or are the same, but many things may be, or are different.
Bryan is trapped in an alternate reality and Grace becomes Finola’s partner. Image courtesy NBC
Bryan, in various realities is sometimes with a partner named Grace (Aliyah O’Brien) who has been with Bryan for five years in this reality. Grace plays it by the book, trusts her partner Bryan, but is loyal to Craig Maddox, who ordered her to stop Bryan at all costs, shooting and injuring him just before the last reality jump took place..
The Team WHR theory is that the Aliens may have used the “Multi-Verse Pod” to go back and correct their mistakes made during their travels to Earth in the past. We assume that the aliens had been properly trained to avoid the situation that became manifest in the exciting two part episode with Shelby and Kathleen.
Just as people on Earth make decisions in their lives that affect their future, now Shelby and Kathleen, but without the proper alien Debris training, are making decisions that have disastrous consequences for not only their reality, but potentially for all the adjacent realities!
Kathleen appears in an alternate reality. Image courtesy NBC
In this case, Shelby’s sister Kathleen was not really erased. More accurately, she was trapped in another parallel or alternate reality when Shelby was thinking about how his life would have been had Kathleen not been born when he was inside the Debris under ocean near his home.
POOF! No more Kathleen in Shelby’s reality and visa versa!
Enter Finola Jones of MI6 and Bryan Beneventi of the CIA who now work together as a close knit team in an organization named Orbital. Orbital is tasked with finding and neutralizing Debris from the crashed alien spacecraft which broke up in orbit sending alien objects all over the United States and perhaps elsewhere on the planet too.
After a rocky start due to their superiors Craig Maddox (Norbert Leo Butz) and Priya Ferris (Anjali Jay) who were keeping secrets from each other while each working their own agendas, Finola and Bryan developed a professional trust. Things seemed to be wonderful…
Until Shelby tries multiple times to correct his mistake. He visits the Debris again and again to return to the reality where his sister is. Panicked that he never had a sister in each new reality he ended up in, he keeps trying, but things get worse with each attempt, including changing realities, never finding Kathleen, and a dozen new partners for Bryan who keep showing up at his house!
In an alternate reality, George Jones is working at Orbital. Image courtesy NBC
Shelby, who recognizes Bryan in each new reality seen so far, failed each time because he withheld information from Finola, Bryan and Finola’s Orbital founder and scientist father George Jones (Tyrone Benskin), about exactly what transpired the first instance, that both he and his sister had been messing with the Debris that caused what George referred to as Bilateral Deviation.
Depending on the realities visited during the two part episodes, George is either dead, having been killed by Bryan in the “Influx” raid, or is alive and is working at Orbital. The “George factor” may have an influence on future events in episodes leading up to the season one finale.
Use of the Debris causes the participants to move back in time and relive portions of their lives that may not be the same reality they were in depending on what they were thinking and feeling when the Debris activated in each instance of shifting realities, thereby changes the reality for the person(s) who activated it.
Jonathan Tucker as Bryan Beneventi. Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
As a result of not telling the truth out of a fear that Orbital will confiscate the alien artifact, Shelby actions may result in him never being able to rejoin his sister Kathleen again because they are now in separate realities.
Each instance of using the Debris, without knowing exactly how to operate it, is causing the fabric of the space time continuum to rip apart. The situation becomes desperate when people in the nearby realities are actually able to see the others within the parallel universe realities.
Bryan, fully aware of what is happening since he was with Shelby during the last reality jump, returns with Grace to Shelby’s home. While Grace works on setting up measurements of the Debris near their SUV, when the door opens, no Shelby!
In this reality, Kathleen has appeared at the front door in near tears. When Bryan asks for Shelby who is no longer in Bryan’s reality, Kathleen breaks down and tells Bryan the truth!
Kathleen takes Bryan to the front room where the fabric between the realities is nearly nonexistent. Exterior views of the house depict a glowing reflection from the various realities materializing. Grace, his new partner comes into the house and sees the disaster unfolding and wants immediate extraction of the Debris.
Garfield Wilson as Gibson, Riann Steele as Finaola Jones. Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
Bryan and Kathleen cannot allow this to happen. They need more time to figure out what is going on, so they jump almost together into the alien artifact, resetting the timeline again. This time around, Finola returns with a new partner named Wilson (Garfield Wilson) and Bryan becomes trapped with Shelby in the same alternate reality.
In the meantime, Kathleen convinces Finola to listen because she knows Finola’s fathers name whom she contacts for guidance since he is the head of Orbital in this reality. This time around, the windows between the realities are so transparent that the four can write notes to each other while George figures out, and tells Finola about Bilateral Deviation. George explains that the problem was caused by Shelby and Kathleen jumping individually and that all four of them must reality jump at the same exact time to return things to normal to cancel out the Bilateral Deviation.
The four do so with Shelby and Kathleen able to get back together in the original reality. It seems that Bryan and Finola have returned back to working together in a reality that appears to be the same before the first time they went to the house. When Finola and Bryan come to the house, they do not remember anything that has happened.
With reality fixed Shelby and Kathleen are back together. Image courtesy NBC
Why? Because it never happened! Got that? This is because Shelby and Kathleen, who remember everything, are back together BEFORE they ever visited the alien reality time changing artifact. Shelby and Kathleen invite them in the house to tell them what has been happening with the Debris.
As the outstanding two part episode concludes, interesting things happen that setup the next three episodes leading to a season one finale.
First, we are with Craig Maddox who answers the phone in his office. Unlike the previous episode where Craig went to see his wife Julia (Jennifer Copping) after receiving the same phone call to try and save their marriage subsequent to the devastating accident Jullia had that crippled their son Dario (Christian Rose), Craig does not do so this time around.
Only a subtle reality change, but a change nonetheless. Craig arrives home and he finds their divorce papers on the kitchen table. Jennifer Copping is set to reprise her role in the season one final, so we will have to wait and see if our theory about any impact from the subtle changes to the reality we witnessed become relevant or not?
Anson Ash is planning his escape. Image courtesy NBC
Second, danged Anson Ash (Scroobius Pip), the captured “Influx” operative is observed in his cell in a dungeon of some sort at Orbital when the guard comes to collect his food tray. Anson makes a fuss and deliberately grabs the arm of the guard on purpose for an extended period of time as he did with Finola is an earlier episode to establish a mental link or bond.
When the guard goes to activate the combination lock on the area where Anson is imprisoned, Anson is somehow able to either read the guards mind or can see through his eyes as he keys in the code for the combination lock. No doubt this factor will be used by Anson to escape and return to his “Influx” organization members.
All of this will certainly play a part in the season one finale with Anson back on the loose, and subtle reality changes in the timeline which this reviewer has a theory about; that George Jones never died in the subtly changed reality, is still the head of Orbital, and Craig Maddox works for him!
We shall see!
We are certain to learn more next week! Make sure to watch Debris on NBC or you can watch the next day on Peacock TV. See you then!
As we proceed to the future with Debris in our thoughts, Team WHR will return with more analysis of our favorite series including select science fiction book and television reviews. We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future!
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
It is with great sadness that I write about my dear friend, Cliff Simon.
When I first met Cliff Simon in 2008, he struck me as the kind of man who would grab life by the fistful! When an opportunity presented itself, he took advantage of it, eagerly following in whatever direction it took him. Although he seemed open to many things, I never expected that one of them would be me and my ideas.
So, when he agreed to work with me on the creation of two audio C.D.s, I was quite surprised. I was a nobody with a vision. He was interested in my ideas and made himself available whenever I needed him to be there.
Image courtesy Cliff Simon
Cliff found time to talk with as many of his fans as he could. I would watch him work. He never seemed to get tired, interacting with people from all over the world. There were times when a fan would approach him with apprehension, thinking he was like his Ba’al character in the MGM Studios famous franchise, Stargate SG1. Cliff would be patient with that person and encourage them.
Nobody was unhappy when Cliff was in the room!
Cliff loved animals. He usually had a dog as a pet and would often volunteer for rescue organizations that would find homes for the various “Bully Dog Breeds” in the Los Angeles area. He spoke of how Karma Rescue, his favorite charity, would enter dangerous areas of Los Angeles to save dogs from fighting rings. Cliff looked for the organization that would have the greatest difficulty finding homes for their dogs, and he gave them his voice. That’s just who Cliff Simon was.
Image courtesy Travel Channel
Cliff Simon was also a bit of an adrenaline junky. He loved to test his limits to see how much he could do.
It was as if he was born in the ocean. Cliff took to the water with more enthusiasm than anyone I have ever known. Surfing, swimming, boating, were all his passions based on his young life as a competitive athlete since he was trained and qualified as a swimmer for 1984 Olympic’s for the British International team.
A highlight of his life while kite-surfing was when he accidentally flew over a whale. Cliff told me afterwards that he was just at the right height where he could reach down and slide his hand over the animal’s back as it rose over the surface of the water before the whale then headed back down into the deep!
Image courtesy Cliff Simon
It was a shock to me and many of his friends, as well as his many fans when we learned that he had been killed in a kite-surfing accident at Topanga Beach, California on Tuesday, March 9th.
I spoke with Cliff for the last time on Monday, March the 8th. We were working on the early stages of another project to share his Stargate Ba’al memories with his fans.
That evening, on March 08, 2021, I had asked Cliff to create a brand new “shout-out” video for WormholeRiders News Agency. Cliff, as always, was happy to comply and let us know what was going on in his life.
Sadly, this is probably the very last recording that Cliff Simon has ever done or will ever do on Earth.
Rest in Peace, Cliff. We grieve with your loving wife Colette and the rest of your family.
Where ever you are Cliff, enjoy your next adventure As The Wormhole Turns!
Thanks to Kenn for staging additional images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
WormholeRiders News Agency welcomes Cliff Simon, the Big Bad Ba’al of Stargate SG-1 as our next Stargate Shout Out through the Wormhole series of feature articles about what our favorite actors are doing now. Team WHR includes an exclusive video below courtesy of Cliff Simon about what he is up to these days for your enjoyment.
Cliff has a reputation for getting things done. Throughout his life, when he has decided to achieve a goal, he has been able to find a way to make it happen.
As a young man, Cliff won many swimming competitions and was seriously considered for tryouts in the Olympic Games Swimming Competition on behalf of the United Kingdom. Later, he became Principal Dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Recently, Cliff wrote a book chronicling his experiences in Paris called Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge.
In 1992, Cliff was offered an audition on a hugely successful television series, called Egoli – Place of Gold. After guest-starring on the show for 3 months, he was offered a permanent contract as a regular cast member in a lead role and would go on to become a household name for his 6-year run.
After being personally affected and sick and tired of the violent crime in Johannesburg, South Africa, Cliff decided it was now or never and he immigrated to the USA with his wife, with the hope of having a better quality of life.
This also gave him the opportunity to realize a long time dream of further pursuing his acting career in the United States of America.
Cliff Simon as Ba’al in Stargate Continuum. Image courtesy MGM
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Cliff soon landed a guest star role with Don Johnson on the hit TV series, ‘Nash Bridges‘. A short time after that, he acquired the guest star recurring role of Ba’al on ‘Stargate SG1‘.
Cliff’s combination of charming bad guy charisma and wicked sense of humor made him a viewer favorite antagonist, keeping his character recurring for five seasons!
Cliff was nominated for BEST GUEST STAR at Best of TV Awards Canada 2014 for his role in ‘Castle’. Cliff has also been involved in projects ‘Almythea 2 Rise of the Astra’ and ‘Land of the Free’.
Cliff’s most recent film release, ‘Project Eden Vol 1′( Best Vision Award at the Boston Film Festival ) had a USA theatrical release in January 2018.
Brown Mountain Lights: California Orb-like lights mystery
Cliff is now working on an awesome investigative paranormal show called, Uncharted Mysteries, on the History Channel in the U.K., and Into The Unknown, on the Travel Channel in the United States and Canada.
Cliff Simon has completed Season One. Great job Cliff! We all hope for many more seasons.
Thanks to Kenn for staging additional images, the featured videos, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
It takes a certain kind of adventurous spirit to jump from one career to another while also doing the same with the country of employment. Cliff Simon’s itinerant nature has taken him from South Africa to the United Kingdom, to France, Sweden and then to the United States to live and work.
Cliff has written a book about his adventures called, “Paris Nights – My Year At The Moulin Rouge”. The title is a bit deceptive because the book is about more than that one year. There is bonus material about his experience as a child in South Africa and his successes as a competitive swimmer.
During GateCon 2016 we had the privilege to interview Cliff about his new book. We include cliffs interview below for your enjoyment where we learn that as a young adult we learn that Cliff Simon, in his boundless spirit of adventure, sells everything that he owns, leaving Johannesburg, South Africa for Paris, the City of Lights where he wrote his now famous book! Click here to purchase your own copy of Paris Nights – My Year at the Moulin Rouge!
Cliff learns that his spot at the Moulin is not guaranteed, and is forced to audition. Making the grade, “he is put into can can” school before he is allowed into the company. His adrenaline is pumping from excitement and fear, both of which he has faced before during his very busy goal driven life.
The most exciting part of the book is his brush with organised crime because of his South African connections. With his acting history as the evil Ba’al of Stargate, it is very easy to see him in the role of young gangster in Paris.
Cliff has wisely chosen author Lauren Stephens to co-write his memoir with him. She has done a phenomenal job of bringing Cliff Simon’s, ‘out of the movies life’, almost into main stream.
Simon’s life is so far removed from most of us that it truly is hard to believe what shenanigans he and his fellow dancers were involved in. From regular fights to casual love affairs, Cliff has had an extraordinary life so far.
Paris Nights is available in hard or soft cover where-ever books are sold.
Thanks to Kenn for staging the featured interview video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!
Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview with your friends, or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.
Today Sunday April 03, 2011 WormholeRiders News Agency is pleased to announce courtesy of Auroris Entertainment, the StarCon 2011 Vancouver VIP Tickets Giveaway for their fantastic science fiction and writers convention to be conducted June 24, 25, 26, 2011 at the Sheraton, Hilton and Marriott Airport hotels in Vancouver, British Columbia!
3. Answer this simple question: Why do you want to go to StarCon 2011? As you can guess there is no wrong answer!
4. Send your answer with your twitter account (@name) by e-mail by clicking this hyperlink: StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway. (starcon2011vip@wormholeriders.net ).
That’s it!
Grand Prize: The StarCon 2011 Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway winner will receive two (2) complimentary VIP TICKETS valid for entry to all panels and events courtesy of Auroris Entertainment for the StarCon Vancouver 2011 Convention, Auroris Entertainment is the sponsor of this contest.Thank you Auroris!
As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Good luck in the contest! Please do NOT leave Your Answer or Twitter identity here as such are not considered valid entries in the StarCon Vancouver2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway. Thank you.
If you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side“! Thank you.
Best Regards,
Kenn
Contest Entrants Confirmation: StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway entrants will be sent a Twitter Direct Message (DM) confirming their entry. Be sure to include your twitter name with your entry. Thank you.
Winner Selection: The winner will chosen by WormholeRiders News Agency staff in a random drawing that will be video recorded and broadcast here at WHR Conventions Corners the evening of May 15, 2011. Five runners up will also be selected in the event of special circumstances discussed below. The random drawing will be video recorded with WormholeRiders News Agency employees acting as fair witnesses
Rules and notes: Void where prohibited. Contest entries will be accepted until May 14, 2011 11:59 PM Pacific Time. All entrants must be of 18 years of age or older at the time of entry, regardless of country of origin. All individuals 18 years or older are eligible to enter the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway with the following exceptions:
Who may not enter exceptions: In the interest of fairness, neither current nor former WormholeRiders News Agency staff may enter the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway contest. Current paid employees of Auroris Entertainment are also precluded from entering the contest. Any such entries from either group will be considered null and void.
Requirements: Entries received without a twitter account name will be considered null and void. Entries received that are not following both Auroris Entertainment and WormholeRiders News Agencyon Twitter and liking the StarCon 2011 matching the date and time of the Stargate Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway contest entry is received and at the drawing will be considered null and void. Please follow StarCon 2011 on Twitter and like StarCon 2011 on Facebook before submitting your entry. Thank you.
Entrants need to continue to follow StarCon 2011 and WormholeRiders News Agency until the winner is verified (there are no exceptions to this rule). In the event the winner is not following at the time of pending prize announcement, their winning status will be null and void. A runner up will be selected in that event (see below).
During the contest period, WormholeRiders News Agency will not be following back entrants in the interests of fairness. Existing follow back accounts of WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter will not be un-followed unless they violate the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway contest rules.
Winner Selection Requirements: The real name of winner will not be announced, only their Twitter name, unless the winner desires their real name to be announced. The winner of the two (2) Stargate Vancouver 2011 Gold Tickets in the Giveaway will be required to respond within 24 hours subsequent to announcement at this news site, on Twitter from the WormholeRiders News Agency account and on WormholeRiders News Agency Facebookby e-mail response sent to their attention by the management of WormholeRiders News Agency.
In the event that the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Ticket Giveaway random drawing winner does not respond within twenty-four (24) hours, a new winner will be selected from the first (1st) to fifth (5th) runner up (of five) and will be announced as the replacement winner. In the event that any selected replacement winner does not respond within twenty-four (24) hours, WormholeRiders News Agency may elect to award the tickets to another winner by random drawing at their sole discretion.
Winner Redemption Criteria: The winners will be required to provide their legal name that matches their photo identification card (valid official drivers license, valid official identification card and or valid official international passport) and a contact phone number. Winner identification information will only be provided to Auroris Entertainment for the sole purpose of verifying the identity of the winner at prize redemption time.
Auroris Entertainment will be notified on or before May 21, 2011, but no sooner than May 16, 2011 of the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway winner identity. To collect their prize, the winner must present their valid aforementioned matching identification provided to WormholeRiders News Agency at the official StarCon Vancouver 2011 Convention on June 24, 2011 registration desk.
Transfer by winner: The StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway winner has the right to transfer or sell their two (2) VIP TICKETS to a third party, but is required to disclose the identity of the recipient to WormholeRiders News Agency by e-mail on or before June 01, 2011 so that said third party identity can be verified and transmitted to Auroris Entertainment. There are no exceptions to to this policy.
Odds of winning: depend on number of entries received. No cash value is made or warrantied with regard to the StarCon Vancouver 2011 VIP Tickets Giveaway winner in any circumstance nor any instance. The only prize are the two (2) VIP TICKETS valid only at the Auroris Entertainment StarCon Vancouver 2011 Convention. Hotel, travel, meals and any other expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner or their third party designate. No other consideration is either implied or expressed.
As many of you already know, WormholeRiders News Agency covers a lot of science fiction, movie and professional industry conventions. We are always on the look out for new venues and events.
Therefore we were honored to receive the press release from Patricia Stewart-Bertarnd of Auroris Entertainment (a contributing writer her at WHR) regarding a new science fiction convention event called StarCon 2011 to be conducted in Vancouver British Columbia June 24, 25, 26 of this year!
Many of you already know the event producer from her many years of outstanding and enjoyable pre convention social events conducted in Vancouver British Columbia. Ms. Stewart-Bertrand has been planning StarCon for over two years as a new science fiction convention to replace GateCon which closed its doors last year.
We understand the convention is likely to become a sell out so it might be a good idea to book your tickets and hotel reservations early. A third hotel has been reserved for a potential special announcement expected later in the spring of this year with regard to additional talent and convention event announcements.
In closing, the question arises; will WHR be covering this event LIVE? Well folks, stay tuned for more news on that subject in the near future! In the meantime we include the StarCon 2011 press release below for your pleasure. Lastly our understanding is that StarCon Conventions plans additional venues in an exotic location to be announced in the future.
PRESS RELEASE: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
This is going to be a bigger convention for us due to interest from several science fiction productions filmed in Canada, we decided to design StarCon like a Canadian version with roots similar to Comic Con with a bit of Dragon Con thrown in. The idea is to make it easier and more cost effective for Canadian made productions to market their shows to the fans. It also gives the fans an opportunity to ask their favourite actors questions at Q&A Panels.
We are planning some fun events and many opportunities to get up close and personal with the actors who will be attending. Expect a casual convention with lots of humor and general silliness.
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First up on stage was Stargate Atlantis’ Dr. Beckett, Mr. Paul McGillion. I decided to get the preliminaries out of the way, by yelling, “Are you married yet?” He smiled and replied that the wedding is in September, “if she will still have me.” Apparently, the bachelor party had already been taken care of. Good old Paul had been run through the mill with several sporting events which had left him with bruised ribs. Now there’s a man who really wants to get married.
When asked what Paul’s favourite episode was, he mentioned that the pilot was pretty cool. He enjoyed the interaction his character had with Joe Flanigan’s character at the ancient chair. But if he had to name a great episode for him, it was, “Poisoning The Well”, an episode in the first season. “Martin Wood directed it,” Paul added, “when you get a chance, talk to Damian Kindler who wrote it. We talked about the retrovirus, then, we talked about my Scottish accent. It was the first time I got to use my acting chops and the first episode when I wasn’t a recurring character”.
Paul said that his favourite movie is Avatar. He saw it in London in 3D. He also spoke about an incident he remembered working with Gary Jones, who played Walter Harriman. Gary was sitting in his usual spot as the gate technician. The scene was running long, and he was falling asleep. Then there is a “ping, ping” noise on the glass of the control room. The noise wakes him up. It’s the director, a big guy named Mario, tossing pennies at the glass.
Paul was also asked about how hard it is to be a doctor on Atlantis. “Very hard,” Paul said, “but being a medical doctor in real life is the hardest. I was okay. Lots of people come up to me and cure things. And I do. I cure everything.” Paul’s remark was followed by laughter from the audience. Peter Flemming, who had played Agent Barrett came into the room and stood at the door to listen. Paul noticed him, then stated, “You’re wearing the same blue shirt as yesterday.” Peter countered, “I got ketchup on my shirt at 3:00AM so I had to wear this one”, to which Paul stated, “No, it’s because you’re hung over.”
Later in the day, Garry Chalk (Col. Chekov), Peter Flemming, Dylan Neal and Andee Frizzel were asked what else they wanted to do for a career choice. Garry stated that he was a bouncer at the Biltmore when he was much younger, but he wanted to be an English Literature teacher. Peter Flemming said that he was unemployed and living at home until he was 25, when his mother kicked him out of the house.
He saw Tom Cruise and decided that he wanted to act for a career. “I was scared as hell when I started,” he said. Dylan Neil began as a furniture builder and illustrator. He not only decided to become an actor, he said, he also married one. He said his wife is currently writing a script and he will be producing it. “We live a gypsy life as actors”, Dylan added. “Any freelance artist is taking an incredible gamble with their lives – they are the most courageous people you’ll ever meet”.
Andee Frizell said that she became an actor because she wanted people to pay attention to her. She taught English in orphanages in South America for a while, but her real passion has always been acting, and yoga. Bruce Woloshyn recalled long days and nights of Stargate VFX while Barry Campbell discussed Stargate Continuum!
Frank Cassini began his career behind the camera, but after doing that for a while, he decided that he’d rather be in front of the camera. He went to New York to do theatre, but eventually returned to Vancouver to continue acting. Right now he is writing and producing a horror film as well as starring in a Canadian production “The Bridge” now playing the in the USA on CBS.
After a break, Erick Avari, Dan Payne, Jeremy Rector, and Steve Bacic were asked, what are you doing now? Erick said he is working on a documentary. Dan Payne is keeping busy looking after his 18 month old son. He can already do a, “one timer in hockey”. I was not sure what that meant, so I asked him later. Dan told me, “it’s when a player receives a teammate’s pass then fires an immediate slapshot toward the net”. Look out Sydney Crosby.
Dan Payne (pictured below) also just finished working on a movie of the week with Faye Dunaway. Jeremy Rector is concentrating on his four month girlfriend. He was quick to add that his girlfriend isn’t four months old, the relationship is four months old. He also did an episode of Eureka. Steve Bacic was involved in the last half of the season of “Big Love”. He said, “they don’t give me scripts; they give me scenes, so I go onto set not knowing what is going on, which is normal for me.”
A question was asked about what the actors thought when they got their Stargate role. Did they know that the show would be big? Cliff Simon answered first, “I read for a special character, but it was in the future. I didn’t know from week to week when I’d be working next. It’s up to the fans if they like the character. Cliff Simon stated “I was fortunate that Ba’al was popular.” J.R. Bourne stated that he had read for an evil Tok’ra, but got Martouf. Dean Ayelsworth (pictured above) ended up with an established character, Anubis. He said he didn’t know anything about the character because he was only familiar with the movie.
Erick Avari was auditioning for Kasouf in the MGM Stargate movie. “My character only had a couple of lines. I was told most of it would be improve. I was first in to read after lunch. The casting director was eating a candy bar. I watched him eat until he became self conscious and he offered me a piece. I acted as I did in the movie, and that’s how I got the part.” Steve Bacic answered the question with the shortest response by saying, “I can’t remember how I got my role.”
During the convention, the actors spent most of their time either visiting with their fans, signing autographs, or hanging out with each other. Cliff Simon did some sight-seeing. He told me that he and his wife took a plane ride along the Queen Charlotte Islands. They were looking for whales, but didn’t see any. Several other actors like Dean Ayelsworth, Peter Flemming, Gary Chalk and Erick Avari had lunch or dinner with the fans, enjoying the opportunity to get to know them better.
Most of the actors like Colin Cunningham and Dan Payne (pictured above) made themselves available to the fans as much as possible and really seemed to enjoy themselves. Gatecon is very relaxed and lots of fun for both the fans and the actors. Although this Gatecon was promoted to be the last one, everyone had such a good time that the organizers were asked many times to continue to bring Gatecon back. Let’s hope they do.ArticGoddess1 (Patricia Bertrand)
Kenn posting for our dear friend Ms. Patricia Bertrand aka ArcticGoddess1 of Auroris Entertainment who is hopefully resting after day one of GateCon and filing this report for Team WHR. Thank you Patricia for the nice report and for the professional courtesy in sharing images from the pre-GateCon party!
To kick off the four day weekend of GateCon, here in Vancouver, the sun came out to greet fans from all over the world, putting everyone in a convention mood.
This year’s GateCon will be the last, admits Allan Gowan, the man who has been responsible for the convention in Vancouver for the last 10 years. “Gatecon has had an incredible run, and the fans, actors, and studios have been amazingly supportive of us, but we have decided to go out on a high note after our tenth convention”, he said.
Richard Pasco, one of GateCon’s owners, added, “With corporate events dominating the convention landscape now more than ever, we have shown that a quality product can be achieved with the right mindset and that quality over quantity is the way forward. We are sad to see our conventions end, but we know the bonds that have been formed, and the friendships born out of GateCon will be our enduring legacy”.
I’m sure that Cliff Simon, Paul McGillion and Corin Nemec had spots in their eyes most of the evening, from all the camera flashes going off as they posed for pictures. J.R Bourne, Erick Avari, Dean Aylesworth and Peter Flemming had the shmoozing down to an exact science, virtually acting like a tag team as they moved from one group of fans to the next, chatting about whatever seemed to interest the group the most.
The evening came to an end at 11:00 when most of the actors headed for bed, or out for other nightly adventures. A group of actors headed for the Sutton Place Hotel, a few blocks away, followed by several fans for late night fun.
But that is where my evening ended, and ever loyal to those of you who could not attend this amazing event, I wanted to share my experiences with you. I’ll be commenting on some of the panels and other events as the convention continues. Desire to know more about GateCon?
Please feel free to leave a question or comment here, or you visit my Twitter account by clicking my avatar image or my name below.
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.
My first day at VanCon Stargate 2010 morning began with preregistration at the Hilton Metrotown Vancouver located in Burnaby, British Columbia. It is a beautiful facility that Creation Entertainment selected for the convention .
I received my convention pass and Press Credentials for WHR from the wonderful team of Convention Masters at Creation Entertainment. I also purchased many Fan Photo Opportunity tickets, simply a must do at any convention.
I think I may have to go back for a few more photo tickets, though. There are some that I just can’t pass up – such as Michael Shanks and Joe Flanigan in a combined photo op. I do have the individuals, though, so I’m not sure yet. Since I purchased have a gold pass also, I also received a coolStargate Universe shot glass. I think I know what I’ll be using from now on – even for just normal drinks.
Almost immediately after getting my ticket, it was time for Peter Williams’ (Apophis,Stargate SG-1) panel to begin. He was wearing dark glasses and joked that it was just in case his Goa’uld eyes were to act up. He did take them off after a couple minutes, though.
Peter looks very different – but then, he was not wearing gold lipstick, so I suppose that is to be expected. Just as an interesting tidbit, on the topic of wardrobe, he said he actually kind of liked the leather skirt he had to wear as Apophis. Peter also mentioned that underneath he wore tights, which he needed help getting in and out of each day.
Peter said that the only practical joke played on him was when Apophis was in a straight jacket and once they called cut, he was left alone on stage and all the lights were turned off.
They left him there for twenty minutes until finally he heard a giggle from off-stage and the joke was done. He joked his revenge would be the asteroid Apophis – which he owns and controls – comes to destroy Earth in 2029.
When asked what he has been up to lately, he replied that he has been living in Antigua. He joked that when you live on a beach for two years, you have to be in good shape – and believe me, he was. As for work, he mentioned that he has an audition coming up for a guest spot on Sanctuary. He said his character is evil and, though he hasn’t read the end, he would put money on it that his character dies in the end. Peter also added that anyone in the audience who knows Amanda Tapping should put in a good word for him.
Next up were Dan Shea, Sgt. Siler of Stargate SG-1 and Dan Payne, “Kull Warrior” in Stargate SG-1, and “Big Wraith” in Stargate Atlantis and recently in the episode ‘Corner Man’ in Human Target. Sadly, I missed the beginning due to business, which means I missed the fact that they started off the panel by taking off their shirts. They were just re-dressing as I got back into the room. These two Stargate legends were hilarious!
Most of their panel was focused on the two of them discussing different stories of stunt anecdotes from the careers. Dan Payne mentioned that he was glad he could not be seen from behind his costume because he said he was chasing Amanda Tapping while giggling – which would not have been very scary. I was busting a gut laughing at their stories.
If you ever get a chance to see them in a panel together, I definitely recommend you do so!
My last panel of the day was for Cliff Simon(Ba’al, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Continuum). Cliff’s panel was quite funny as well. At one point, he answered a bunch of questions (from a script) in character as Ba’al.
When it was pointed out by Patricia Stewart-Bertrand that he had changed the line in the script, Cliff stated that they always changed up lines on Stargateand no one would say anything because then they would have to re-shoot the whole scene! The audience burst out in laughter!
Cliff was asked about his experiences working with Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran) – more specifically if it was awkward during scenes where he was flirting with her. He replied that they had hit it off right away because she loves South Africa (where he is from) and found it easy to get along. Someone later called out from the audience asking who is a better kisser: Amanda Tapping or Claudia Black?
Cliff replied that he hadn’t kissed either of them, though not for lack of trying. He said Amanda punched him and Claudia slapped him. He said they’re so vastly different, but he’d happily kiss either, or both, or both at the same time. Someone else asked whether he preferred the slap or the punch and he answered that he really liked the punch at which point the audience howled.
Cliff also gave his thoughts on the movie District 9, as it’s a South African movie. He mentioned as well that if he were to play any other SG-1 character, it would be General Jack O’Neill, but he would play him the same way he does Ba’al.
As for upcoming projects, Cliff mentioned that he has been doing some writing and producing, which is exciting because he gets to do the work he wants. He has a project in the pitch phase, which he would like to see turn into a television show, or, alternatively, a miniseries. Cliff is also interested in making a documentary on the Moulin Rouge, which he is currently in negotiations for, and a movie about a swimmer. An interesting tidbit is that Cliff actually qualified for the Olympics in swimming when he was younger.
I did a little bit of shopping while waiting for Cliff’s autograph session to begin. I bought a couple of t-shirts, which I’m excited to wear. Geeky attire always brightens my mood. Then, while waiting for my section to be called, I chatted with a few people around me. Seems there are a lot of newbies at this con, which is exciting. By the way, I love that I’m not the newbie this time around.
Cliff’s autograph session was fairly standard. We didn’t get much time to talk, but I gave him my card and he recognized Wormhole Riders. He was very nice, but we had to keep the line moving, so I didn’t dally.
Thus concludes the first day of my experience at the Vancouver Stargate 2010 convention. With the fabled Creation Entertainment Karaoke Party and the Cabaret tomorrow night, I’m expecting VanCon day two to be a lot more hectic than day one. I can’t wait!
Thanks to Kenn for staging images, the featured video, and, many thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency! 
