Tag: Richard Dean Anderson

  • Day Of The Dead Til the Dead Do Us Part With Maybe More Stargate in the Story?

    Day Of The Dead Til the Dead Do Us Part With Maybe More Stargate in the Story?

    Day of the Dead broadcast banner

    Welcome Back Undead Science Fiction Horror Fans,

    Day of the Dead poster
    Images and videos courtesy SYFY

    We are at the mid-season point for Day of the Dead with the ‘Til the Dead Do Us Part episode.

    This is a fun series. But before I begin my review, speaking of mayors, I wonder what happened to Pops Parker (Jay Brazeau). I hope he turns up later, probably as a zombie, but I also kind of hope not. We will see.

    There are and have been numerous great bits, and if you are a zombie movie fan, you will see Easter eggs throughout like the guest appearance of Dan Shea, and main Day of the Dead actors Mike Dopud as Detective McDermott and Garry Chalk as Herb, all well known by the fans in our Stargate Hall of Fame.

    Speaking of Stargate, since the series has so many Canadian actors who have mostly appeared in such SYFY hits like Stargate SG-1, perhaps it would have been a good idea to include some of the other Stargate main actors like Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Richard Dean Anderson, Gary Jones, Teryl Rothery, Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, Robert Picardo, Lexa Doig, Peter DeLuise, and Corin Nemec to name but a few of them as candidates for cameo appearances?

    I would also have suggested considering Stargate Atlantis actors had I been a Producer and Casting Director for Day of the Dead. While it is obvious that not all of the fine actors that I mentioned in both series could have appeared, some could have been given a cameo in episodes, say as military officers with similar names to their Stargate character names so as not to infringe on the MGM Studios Stargate franchise copyright.

    The list of Stargate suggested cameos would be endless for producing a lot of fun bits. Stargate fans would have loved it, and doing so would have no doubt boosted the Day of the Dead ratings to stellar heights to help ensure a second season.

     

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    Til the Dead Do Us Part:

    https://www.syfy.com/day-of-the-dead
    Dejan Loyola as Jai, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amy, Gerry Chalk as Herb. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    The episode was wonderfully written by Liz Hsiao Lan Alper and Terri Hughes Burton, with delightful direction by Jacquie Gould.

    As we learned last week that the wedding cost for Herb (Garry Chalk) is $50,000, we also learned that it was about to get crashed by a group who are not there for the free booze and great food.

    They have other specific dietary requirements.

    We meet Herb’s wife Cindy (Stefanie von Petten) who seems to have some issues being married to, “fun and charming” Herb. What about poor Jai (Dejan Loyola), who only wants to marry his lady love, Amy (Kristy Dawn Dinsmore)?

    Day of the Dead S1x04 McDermott gets free
    Mike Dopud as McDermott. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    It might be an understatement to say that the wedding has a few bumps in the road.

    We also learn the fate of one Detective McDermott (Mike Dopud), who is just doing his job, but gets in way over his head.

    Dear McDermott continues to wear the coveralls he donned in the last episode with the name “Bub” stitched over the left pocket.

    We are informed by Mike Dopud that it’s “An ‘homage’ to the original “Night of the Living Dead” movie by the iconic George A. Romero.

    Day of the Dead S1x04 Cam goes to warn Captasin Pike and Mayor Bowman
    Marci T. House as Captain Pike, Miranda Frigon as Paula. Image courtesy SYFY Bowman — (Photo by: DOTD S1 Productions/SYFY)

    Luke (Daniel Doheny) and Cam (Keenan Tracey) are still mortal enemies in this episode, more’s the pity. Maybe they will finally become friends now that they have an immortal enemy to deal with.

    At the police station, the Mayor (Miranda Frigon) is doing a bang-up job calming nerves and looking for a way to deal with her current major crisis.

    She is working with Capt. Pike (Marci T. House), who is doing her best to be, “by the book”.

    That never works in a crisis, at least on T.V. What a mess.

    Day of the Dead S1x04 Luke is trapped
    Luke is trapped! Image courtesy SYFY

    We find Luke where we left off last week, stuck on a bridge with a bit of a problem. He has two zombies to the left of his, one on the right – we are stuck in the middle with Luke. His dad, Trey (Christopher Russell) who’s day is also not going well, comes riding in driving a black truck to save his boy. Trey flattens a zombie, but since he now can’t see with all the guts on his windshield, he slams on the brakes and can’t get started again.

    Luke is now to the rescue. He grabs his own car and pulls up next to dad. They are away with relief and gratitude all around. As they drive, Luke and Trey discuss their family situation. Trey begins bawling like a little kid. This really alarms Luke who, naturally, tries to comfort his father. Trey confesses that he was going to leave Paula for Nicole after the election. Luke tells him that Nicole is dead thanks to a zombie. This gets Trey all worked up again. His life has just fallen apart. Luke does his best to comfort his dad again. “You killed that zombie with your truck”. Yeah, at least he is a good dad if nothing else.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Sarah takes aim
    Morgan Holmstrom as Sarah Blackwood. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    Meanwhile, McDermott and Sarah Blackwood (Morgan Holmstrom) have guns on Doctor Logan (Lucia Walters) and a security guard. The order of the moment seems to be, “Don’t shoot”. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, Rhodes (Kevin O’Grady) barges in. Shooting commences. McDermot is injured.

    Blackwood takes the opportunity to run. She gets away, but McDermot gets caged. When he wakes up, he discovers that this is a cage made for two. He has a Zombie roommate. Fortunately, it is chained to the far side, so, as long as McDermot keeps to his end, all will be well. Blackwood is nowhere to be seen.

    Doctor Logan informs McDermott that his zombie friend seems to be an early settler from Europe based on his clothing. So he has been in that drilling hole where they found him since the 1700’s.

    https://www.syfy.com/day-of-the-dead
    Mike Dopud as McDermott. Image by Michael Courtney, DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    McDermott responds that he was obviously put there for a reason and he should be put back. That would be the smart thing to do. But Logan, although book smart, is obviously not common sense smart.

    In a pickle, I mean, a cage, McDermott continues to try to reason with Logan. It is a lost cause since she is more focused on what a boon to humanity a cure for death might be. She tells him that his body is fighting off the zombie virus.

    While Rhodes has been hanging around in the background listening to all this, it is obvious that, like McDermott, he thinks she is off her nut as well. She sends him to find a dead rodent to test.

    As Rhodes leaves he calls her Dr. Frankenstein.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 The wedding goes Zombie
    Dejan Loyola as Jai, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amy, Victor Zinck Jr. as Shawn, Garry Chalk as Herb. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    At the wedding, Herb agrees with Cindy that the wedding should get started so he heads to the golf club to see what the holdup is all about. While Cindy is wondering what might be coming through the floor of the wedding venue, Herb is on his way to find his daughter. He finds Amy in the bathroom and Jai outside trying to reason with her. Herb’s first wrong assumption is because it’s about a prenup that Amy has no idea about. The door opens and Amy as well as Shawn (Victor Zinck Jr.) exit. Shawn is one creepy dude. As the argument continues, Jai, the only sensible one, notices that the music has stopped.

    At the police department, Capt. Pike is on the phone looking for backup. She is told that it is three hours away. Cam is in another room trying to contact his father through the police radio system. Sadly, dad can’t hear him. He has no radio in the cage. He wants his father to know that, although they hadn’t really gotten along over the years, he still loves his dad very much. Aw, so sad.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Cindy scrambles for her life as the Zombies ruin the wedding
    Day of the Dead S1x05 Cindy scrambles for her life as the Zombies ruin the wedding. Image courtesy SYFY

    Cindy has decided to apply what you do in a fire, to what you do with Zombies. It is not quite, stop, drop, and roll, but she has decided to drop and crawl around the wedding guests as they end up as the main course. Reception before the wedding. How fun. Jai and Shawn have decided to take things in hand. Jai wants to save people. Shawn wants to prove that he is the Alpha male. Amy and Herb bring up the rear. All the while, Herb just wants out of this disaster. Jai reaches under the now bloodied wedding tent drapes and pulls out victims. Shawn manages to pull out a zombie. Shawn is such a loser. He doesn’t seem to get anything right.

    Cindy shows up spattered with blood. She has clearly lost it since her main concern is the wedding and saving the wedding cake. When she picks up the cake from a draped table, she gets pulled under and all that is left of her when Amy tries to save her mom is the cake and the two arms that are connected to it. Amy drops the cake but saves the wedding topper of the bride and groom.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Jai defends Amy
    Dejan Loyola as Jai, Kristy Dawn Dinsmore as Amy. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    Ever loving husband, Herb, does not seem at all concerned about his deceased wife. Amy and Jai have run back into the golf club. Amy is distraught at the death of her mother. Jai comforts her and gently takes the cake topper from her and sets it on the table. Jai notices two pictures on the wall of Aboriginal people.

    He explains to Amy, Herb, and Shawn that the zombies are the Indigenous people who are buried (not anymore) under the golf course. Herb is more focused on getting help. He tries to contact the police department but gets no answer. Shawn, ever the jealous loser, decides that now is the time to propose to Amy. He doesn’t get a reply because that is when the zombies decide to make an entrance.

    Again, Shawn gets it wrong by deciding to show Amy that he is the real hero and the ideal mate when he rushes toward the nearest zombie. He will destroy it, win the day and the fair maiden. If his ambition was gold, he’d be a billionaire. However, he just doesn’t have the technique. The zombie overpowers him. Shawn the romantic becomes Shawn of the Dead. Herb, Amy, and Jai are left to fend off the rest of the zombie hoard of about six or seven zombies.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Lauren cleaves the Zombie head
    Natalie Malaika as Lauren. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    Enter Lauren Howell (Natalie Malaika) who is now in the golf club with a cleaver. She cleaves a zombie’s head and everyone rushes to her hearse. Great choice of vehicle.

    Luke and Trey arrive at the Cop Shop to tell Paula that the zombies are everywhere. They have to get out. Paula again takes charge and looks up the perfect place to hide out during the zombie apocalypse. She settles on the local department store, the Paymart. It is perfect because it has minimal entrances, minimal windows, and will be difficult for anyone to get into who is not supposed to get into it. Too bad that the producers of that other zombie show that is filmed in Atlanta never thought of that.

    Rhodes is angry. He is royally pissed off that no one is working at the drilling rig site. His boss, the lunatic Logan is busy playing mad scientist while his crew is not earning him money. Rhodes is not long for this life, I think. He gives Logan her dead rat. She pumps it full of some concoction. At first, it doesn’t react. But then it twitches and squeaks. McDermott attempts to continue to rationalize with Logan and then with Rhodes and the guard. No one but the guard seems to be listening.

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Sarah holds Rhodes at bay
    Morgan Holmstrom as Sarah, Kevin O’Grady as Rhodes. Image by Michael Courtney DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    That’s when Blackwood shows up and shoves a pistol in Rhodes’ neck, “Let McDermott out.” After a few threats, McDermott is released from the cage. He knocks out the guard and takes his gun.

    He forgets to relock the cage so, naturally, the zombie manages to pull himself away from his handcuffed arms and lunge at McDermot. Meanwhile, Rhodes attempts to overpower Blackwood.

    Blackwood is a better fighter or Rhodes is a terrible fighter. Either way, Blackwood overpowers Rhodes. Rhodes gets beaten up by a girl. How embarrassing.

    She and McDermott have one last conversation, “Tell Pike what is happening.” As Blackwood flees, McDermott passes away for now, only to become undead at the end of the episode!

    Day of the Dead S1x05 Getting ready to head to Paymart
    Christopher Russell as Trey, Daniel Doheny as Luke, Miranda Frigon as Paula, Marci T. House as Capt Pike. Image by DOTD S1 Productions, courtesy SYFY

    At the Hoosegow, everybody loads up with weapons. Since the town is being overrun, it’s time to get to the Paymart.

    Captain Pike sends out a mass email for everyone in town who is not a zombie to meet there. Zombies may disregard the message. Once there, Paula starts giving orders to set up the place as a crisis centre. This is definitely going to be a mass casualty event.

    “Til The Dead Do Us Part: is a good way to clean out the town of unpleasant people like Shawn. It is sad to lose some of the better characters like McDermott who ends up being caged again for Doctor Logan’s hideous experiments.

    The common sense says that McDermott has shown does not seem too be common in Mayor Bowman’s town, but we will see McDermott again as a Zombie, so no more Mr. Nice Guy!

    What’s next? Tune in at SYFY in the United States and CTV Scifi in Canada next week to see who lives, or who is undead as a Zombie!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!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.Click to visit and follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) on Twitter!

    Regards,

    Patricia

  • What’s New With Stargate? Happy 24th Birthday SG-1 and Atlantis Comic-Con at Home 2021!

    What’s New With Stargate? Happy 24th Birthday SG-1 and Atlantis Comic-Con at Home 2021!

    Stargate SG-1 banner

    Hi Stargate fans,

    Stargate Atlantis poster
    Stargate images courtesy MGM Studios

    Today is the 24th anniversary of Stargate SG-1!

    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 - Image courtesy Companion App
    Brad Wright – Image courtesy The Companion

    Of course, I am speaking about science fiction industry veteran Brad Wright, Executive Producer of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe. Wright recently visited the team at The Companion App to provide podcasts that should appeal to Stargate fans in specific and Sci-fi fans in general. Click here to view The Companion App interview with Brad Wright.

    The Companion also adds:

    “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.”

    Jenny Stiven on Twitter
    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!

    Stargate Atlantis Main Cast
    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!

    This past weekend Dial The Gate, courtesy of Comic-Con At Home 2021, brought us David Hewlett (Rodney McKay), Torri Higginson (Elizabeth Weir), Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan), Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett), Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford), David Nykl (Radek Zelenka), and Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey) for an online chat sponsored by Comic-Con International.

    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.

     

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    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!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.Click to visit and follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) on Twitter!

     

    Regards,

    Patricia

  • Shoutout Through The Wormhole From Joe Flannigan of Stargate Atlantis!

    Shoutout Through The Wormhole From Joe Flannigan of Stargate Atlantis!

    Joe Flanigan SGA Banner - Click to visit the official MGM Stargate web site!

    Welcome back Stargate lovers and WormholeRiders,

    Jason Momoa, Rachel Lutrell, Robert Picardo, Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, and Jewel Staite of Stargate Atlantis

    He could be thought of as a Stargate Hero. Shortly after Atlantis had been canceled, Joe Flanigan attempted to resurrect Stargate by raising the funds to pay for a sixth season.

    Unfortunately, Joe’s timing was off and just as he was in talks with the executives of MGM, the owner of the franchise, declared bankruptcy. That put an end to the series since the actors who played the main roles moved on to other projects.

    Flanigan was born as Joseph Dunnigan III in Los Angeles, California. His name was changed to Joseph Flanigan when he was adopted by his stepfather, John Flanigan.

    When he was six years old, Joe Flanigan’s family moved to a small ranch near Reno, Nevada, although his stepfather objected to his ranch being called a “small” farm. Joe responds, “The trouble is, it is a small farm.” However, it is a somewhat mischaracterization of his stepfather who was vice president and board member of Annheiser-Busch Inc.

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    From the age of 14, Flanigan attended a boarding school in Ojai, California where he appeared in the school’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He later earned a history degree at the University of Colorado where he was a world-class skier and appeared in Coriolanus. He took acting to overcome his shyness and never planned on an acting career. He spent a year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris as part of the Junior Year Abroad program and is fluent enough to joke around with French reporters in French.

    Flanigan had guest roles in numerous television series including Profiler, First Monday, Sisters, with memorable appearances on the hit science fiction series Fringe in 2011 until he got his breakthrough with his role on Stargate: Atlantis as Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, the military leader of the Atlantis Expedition. During the filming of Atlantis, he lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the series was filmed, during the week and flew to Los Angeles, California during the weekends where his wife and children resided.

    Joe Flanigan of Stargate Atlantis

    Joe continued to write, creating the stories for the second season episode “Epiphany” and the fourth seasonOutcast“.

    An avid outdoorsman, Joe Flanigan enjoys downhill skiing, skateboarding, surfing, rock climbing, and mountain climbing. He took two prizes in the Waterkeepers’ Alliance downhill ski competition at Lake Louise in January 2006, an event fellow Stargate lead Richard Dean Anderson has attended as well. However, Joe explains that he decided to stop mountain climbing after he froze his cornea on Mount Rainier. He said at a convention that he realized as a father, “it was irresponsible of me to take those kinds of risks.”

    Most recently, Joe has appeared on in 67 episodes of General Hospital as the handsome Dr. Neil Byrne.

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!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.Click to visit and follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) on Twitter!

     

    Regards,

    Patricia

  • Gatecon 2016: Richard Dean Anderson Interview on Stargate, McGyver, Sea Shepherd and MORE!

    Gatecon 2016: Richard Dean Anderson Interview on Stargate, McGyver, Sea Shepherd and MORE!

    Gatecon 2016 The Homecoming-banner

    Welcome Stargate lovers and WormholeRiders,

    Gatecon 2016 The Homecoming PosterI recently covered an exciting event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Gatecon 2016 The Homecoming!

    We will begin our coverage of this outstanding event here at our web site dedicated to Stargate. You will also find this interview and article posted soon at other WormholeRiders News Agency web sites.

    Thanks to Paul Brown of Legends Canada, who arranged this interview, we are proud to bring you an exclusive with Richard Dean Anderson, best known for his roles in Stargate and McGyver!

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    Gatecon 2016 Richard Dean Anderson interviewAn American, an Australian, a German and a Canadian walk into a bar. No, it is not a joke. It is just a few of the Stargate fans at Gatecon, The Homecoming convention in Vancouver September 8 to 12, 2016.

    Almost 500 fans arrived from 26 countries to laugh, get reacquainted with old friends, and enjoy their favorite actors from one of the longest running science fiction shows in television history.

    Of course, Mr. Richard Dean Anderson headlined the guest list. He was in Vancouver to welcome the Sea Shepherd Research Vessel the R/V Martin Sheen as it returned to Vancouver at the end of its mission to investigate Atlantic salmon farming on the Pacific Coast off British Columbia.

    Gatecon 2016 - RDA meets Seas Sepherds Vessel the Martin SheenWhile raising awareness of illegal whaling in the South Pacific Ocean by Japanese Whalers, the damage caused by illegal drift nets, the destruction of ocean habitat around the world as well as the farming of Atlantic Salmon in the Pacific, Gatecon managed to raise over $41,000 dollars for Sea Shepherd during the convention.

    Richard Dean Anderson has been involved with Sea Shepherd for over 10 years and currently sits on the Board of Advisors. As well as lending his name in support of Sea Shepherd and its campaigns, he also took part in the protest against seal hunting alongside Captain Paul Watson on the Canadian ice floes in 2005.

    Gatecon 2016 - The Research Vessel Martin Sheen in Vancouver HarbourRichard’s involvement with Sea Shepherd is born from his concern over the destruction of ocean life and the efforts made by this group to help bring awareness to the world of the rapid decline in ocean ecology.

    Richard Dean Anderson was on stage all three days of the convention, enjoying his time visiting with and joking with old Stargate friends and meeting new fans. He took the time to also enjoy a harbour cruise with Sea Shepherd deck hands and crew, Simon Ager, photographer, Canada, Jeff Hansen, Managing Director, Sea Shepherd Australia and Rod Marining, Quartermaster, Canada. Fans attending Gatecon also attended these fantastic events for a small fee.

    We hope you have enjoyed our interview with the respected and talented Richard Dean Anderson. We will be back soon with more exclusive interviews conducted at Gatecon!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Thanks to Kenn for staging additional images, 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.Click to visit and follow ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia) on Twitter!

    Regards,

    Thank you.

    ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia)

  • Space City Comic Con: The Good, The Bad, and The Major Love!

    Space City Comic Con: The Good, The Bad, and The Major Love!

    SCCC 2016 Broken Promises - Click to visit the officially abandoned web site!

    Welcome back convention fans!

    SCCC 2016 Broken Promises Logo - Click to visit the officially abandoned web site!We had a late start to our trip to Space City Comic Con (SCCC).

    You know Texas… and Spring Rain!

    Apparently they are a couple now!

    After MANY navigation reroutes we arrived safely in Houston at the great NRG Center with less than two hours left to enjoy our first day of SCCC.

    NRGYou would think there would have been a low turnout rate, what with the ark building level down pouring of rain. But the fans were packing in despite the weather.

    This was not our first Comic Con. But I can assure you the nervous feels haven’t gone away for me yet and I’m not sure they ever will. As much as you are there for press, you are also a fan.

    My goal is to always be a professional as well as fully enjoying the comic con and meeting the guests and fans.

    I feel if you do not do this, you are not able to write from a true perspective. Ha ha, I feel I should also warn that I write like a speak. Things just fly out, so apologies in advance!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!That said; we would like to state before diving in to the details, that WormholeRiders News Agency is not, and has never been affiliated with Space City Comic Con. We are independent media and always strive to be fair and honest in all reporting. So we will only be stating facts from our perspective and our experience.

    There will be links posted below this article to any statements made by SCCC‘s guests and fans. We will include The Good, The Bad, The Anger, and The Major Love! Because let’s face it, no matter what transpired, the special guests were nothing short of UNBELIEVABLE love!!

    The Good and The Major Love:

    SCCCWith so many amazing guests, vendors and cosplayers, where do you start? I knew without a doubt that the Nexus short world premier staring Gigi Edgley and Alison Balnar was a ‘to do’. As was the premier for Star Trek Continues: Come Not Between the Dragons. And, of course, the Sons of Anarchy crew and panel was also on the must see list.

    Trying to map out your plan seems to be a helpful tool. Friday being a late start, we sort of winged it. And Friday’s tend to be the calmest days, or so we thought. That wasn’t the case this year. With guests from SOA, Doctor Who, many levels of Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Bitten, True Blood, X-Men, Assassin’s Creed, Z Nation, Smallville, and Hellboy, there was no way Mother Nature was slowing down the fans.

    Sons of AnarchyFirst stop was a visit to a few Sons of Anarchy guests. I can’t tell you how great it was to have the opportunity to meet such a HUGE, amazing cast!

    And guess what!? I met the majority, and not ONCE did I get my a** kicked!! Thankful for that, but was hoping for at least a scuffle.. Joking!

    Timothy V. MurphyOur first hello was Timothy V. Murphy. Do his eyes always smile? Yes. Yes they do. He’s a surprisingly quiet gent.

    I love Murphy’s work. He’s starred in SOA, The Bastard Executioner, Hell on Wheels, but one of my all-time favorites is still the auto commercial he did.

    So funny, so serious, and it’s all about the sharp stick!

    I am also a huge fan of his twitter feed. He has the most adorable little sidekick!

    Kenny JohnsonThe next guest left me a little speechless. This doesn’t happen often, and came courtesy of Kenny Johnson. First you should be warned that his smile is major infectious. I love it!

    Of the guests I’ve met in the past, I’ve never met one this open, honest, and beautiful inside and out. He’s got some interesting stories. I’d love to go into more detail, but I’ve NO idea where I’d start. Some of my favorite work of Kenny’s comes from Saving Grace and Sons of Anarchy. If he would’ve fit in my jacket pocket, I’d have taken him home. Note to self: Bring bigger pockets next time. He was a dream! If you ever get the opportunity to meet him, do it. You’ll fall in love. (Sorry mi esposa!)

    Charlie HunnamWith the late start, we only managed to see a few guests and speak to a couple of artists. There was no luck on the meeting of Charlie Hunnam (Jax Teller-SOA).

    His line was unlike any we ourselves have seen at SCCC. We were later told that he’d stayed past closing time for the day to sign autographs and meet his fans.

    We were even more surprised to later learn that he had done this while sporting a back injury. Major Fan love!

    Sunset on SCCC Day 1Day one down, it was short but sweet and ended with one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Shireen, our photographer, pointed out a rainbow on the way out.

    While she caught photos of the rainbow and storm clouds to our left, I glanced to the right. This was our view from both sides. It was amazing! You’d never know that inside SCCC it had its own storm brewing.

    Flanagan and HurstOn day two we had to meet Tommy Flanagan. There was a ‘hello’ to pass on to him from someone who just may be his biggest fan, Sarah. He was a favorite on Sons of Anarchy and he was a ball of spinning energy. Flanagan was great with fans and let me tell ya, his selfies will leave you dizzy!

    From there we met Ryan Hurst. He was not at all what was expected! We only saw him sitting. So when you approach Hurst and he stands up you may feel a ‘lil intimidated and I may have said as much. At 5’9” in sneakers, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so tiny. But he was all smiles. Our photographer preferred for him to remain seated. After meeting these two we had some time to spare before the 12:00p.m. start of the SOA panel so we decided to see some of the cosplayers and visit a few of the vendor’s booths.

    SCCC CosplayersThere were so many great costumes this year at SCCC and some familiar faces! I know it sounds cheesy, but it was like running into family. Seeing the creativity people put into their cosplay never gets old. We saw more of a variety of costumes.

    This year brought Minions, Winter Soldier, a LOT of Deadpool, Star Wars, Captain Jack Sparrow, and a first for me to see, Blade. This guy was awesome!

    PS: Captain Jack Sparrow is still my favorite! Dirtee Jack wins at Johnny Depp cosplay!

    Photo by Shireen VanderWe visited some artist booths and vendors along the way. A favorite was Michael Ornstein who also played Chucky on Sons of Anarchy. Prior to this photo, this was a regular printed banner. It underwent a major transformation!

    I tried to talk him out of it when I got home via his monkeylanguage.com site. He’s crazy talented. Happily, I was able to order a print of this banner. Go check out his art on his site listed above!

    Tonja Tolleson on TwitterOne thing we noticed while visiting the vendors was that the layout was a little difficult to navigate. But it did manage to lead us to an area where we were not aware that any of the guests were set up. (They were a little out of the way from the other guests.)

    So by happy accident, we found the Doctor Who crew, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Vandervoort, and Alan Ritchson.

    It was pretty cool to meet fellow twin Ashmore, especially since we both have evil twins. OMG, and have you seen the graphics from the video game, Quantum Break?

    I forgot to ask Shawn what it was like to see his finished character! And meeting Vandervoort was great. The whole family loves her. She’s adorable and her characters are fierce!

    Girl PowerThe only disappointment was that we didn’t find any light sabers on our walks. My disappointment didn’t last long. Remember last year at SCCC how it was mentioned about missing the best smile at the comic con?

    Friday night there were two HUGE misses and a sad Team WHR member missed both the best smile, and a favorite blond. (There is picture proof of said despair.)

    But come Saturday the meeting of Michele Specht finally happened! She is SO much more sparkly than I could’ve hoped for! I don’t mean in a glitter way guys! She was amazing!

    It is easy to see why she and Gigi Edgley connect so well! Both are gorgeous, funny as he||, and give out so much positive energy! Michele’s smile IS one of the best by the way. I also had the chance to see Gigi again. There are pics that prove you NEVER turn down a fan girl pic with Gigi. Not even if you look like a crazy laughing loon, which I did. But so worth it! Added bonus was meeting Chris Doohan. He did a mini cajón solo at Gigi‘s table and he’s got some skills!

    Rene AuberjonoisIn the Star Trek zone, there was one other I HAD to stop in and meet, René Auberjonois. I’m old enough to remember watching him on Benson. (Don’t do the age math, it doesn’t lead anywhere good.) I loved him then and that love carried over to his character Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

    Yes, he is just as kind as he looks and does great things for charity. At SCCC he was supporting Doctors Without Borders. To see more on René or to learn more about his charity work, go give him a visit at renefiles.com!

    Sons of AnarchyAfter meeting Auberjonois, we made it in time to take in the Sons of Anarchy panel. The panel was supposed to start at noon. However, it did not start until after 12:30.

    While we waited for the panel to start we started getting some chatter among the VIP pass holders that something was going on behind the scenes at Space City Comic Con. Also adding to the chatter were some curious tweets. (We’ll elaborate more on this experience in closing.)

    When the panel started, it initially looked as if Ron Perlman would be the only guest to appear. Perlman had a little fun with it and announced ‘Welcome to Son of Anarchy.’ With BlueSun Interpreting on hand, we learned how to sign some words. NoSons of Anarchy Panelt sure we can post those on WormholeRiders. But I’ve expanded my sign language vocabulary so that’s a bonus! Perlman was joined shortly after by Murphy, Johnson, and Reed.

    We’ve taken in a lot of panels, but none as deep and meaningful as this SOA one. Almost willing to bet the guests; Christopher Reed, Timothy V. Murphy, Ron Perlman, Kenny Johnson, and the fans who attended this panel will agree. Seems SOA helped some people through tough, dark times.

    Amazing how film, television, music, and art can heal. It was beautiful to hear the fans open up and to see the guest panel respond and receive them in the manner they did. There were many tears and lots of laughter. When Ron Perlman received a Navy Seal Challenge Coin from a mother, Cindy Dietz, not sure there was a dry eye in the room.

    Sons of Anarchy Black and WhiteDuring the SOA panel we learned some things (aside from this being the first time Christopher Reed ever had his own microphone). Reed never ended up in the ER riding motorcycles. Great news there! This led to talks about Perlman. Kenny Johnson told us about how when Perlman would get about twenty feet past the camera on his bike, they would grab and stop him.

    On what was the hardest death to see: Perlman claimed his own character, Clay. When asked what episode was their favorite: Timothy V. Murphy grinned and said ‘Beating up Jax, shooting their bikes, and blowing up their club house.’ He seemed to enjoy answering that one. This was definitely a panel we’re glad we didn’t miss. There was an obvious amount of love and respect between these guys.

    Kim CoatesAfter the panel, we headed back downstairs to meet more guests and see more cosplayers. Kim Coates had arrived so we stopped in on his signing table.

    We were still not completely sure what was happening behind the SCCC scenes, but whatever it was, Coates was a gem!

    He was cheerful and nothing short of kind and funny. He gives the most excellent selfie! A hello was passed on to him from a fan and he was so sincere in his response. Guys, he’s not at all scary and creepy like the characters he’s played. We hope to see him come to Houston again someday. We hope to see them ALL again!

    Coones and RentonThen there was the meeting Rusty Coones. He’s a hulk of a fella and such a great guy! He joked about one of his photos on his signing table. We can’t repeat but it caught me off guard and he just laughed and told me he was kidding.

    Again, he was another SOA guest along with the gorgeous Kristen Renton and all the others who were beyond great to the fans despite what they were facing with some of the comic con issues!

    Ron PerlmanGetting to meet Ron Perlman was an even bigger treat. Geez, what fan wouldn’t be nervous meeting him? Love him in all things he’s done, even when he’s misbehaving. Just to name a few of the favorites: Sons of Anarchy, Hellboy, Beauty and the Beast, and Perlman’s current work on S2 of ‘Hand of God‘.

    He’s got a spark of Clay, Hellboy, and so many others characters he’s played in him. Not sure if he chooses the roles, or the roles choose him. He’s brilliant in every d*** one of them. We can honestly say that when we finally met him, he was all love. I wanna squeeze him!

    That’s normal right? Even when it appeared things were not as they seemed behind the scenes at SCCC and some storms had developed, da** this man was love! He was there for the fans, and he stayed for the fans and left no room for doubt about it.

    Doug JonesFYI, you don’t go see Hellboy and NOT go see Abe Sapien aka Doug Jones. You don’t. Most know my love for Jones and how fascinated I am by his work. And unless you’re a true fan, you may not recognize him by name alone.

    But it is guaranteed you’ve seen his face many time but in various forms: Silver Surfer, Cochise on Falling Skies, and Candyman in The Candy Shop. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to meet him. To talk to him about his work, to share his work with people and have them go ‘Wow! I know this character!’

    There has been a lot of buzz about Mr. Jones playing the role of Nosferatu. He gave us some details about how they’re using the original film background but removing the original cast. This is one I must see! We also took in his panel and got an interesting tidbit on how the fairies tasted in Pan’s Labyrinth. I’m not sure I can share this. I’ll have to get back with you guys on this one.

    Star Trek ContinuesAfter we sat in on Doug Jones’ panel, we made it to the Star Trek Continues premier of Come Not Between the Dragons. From what we understand, this show is non-profit. It’s a show made for fans by what I’d call mega fans.

    I also did not expect it to be so meaningful. And that it was. It touched on the subject of child abuse.

    In the initial meeting of the creature encountered on the Enterprise, Udsi, it wasn’t known that he was a child who had run from his abusive father. The father’s rage battered the Enterprise, which in turn affected the crew making them angry and aggressive.

    Gigi Edgley gave a beautiful performance as the voice of love and reason to calm Udsi and give his father some healthy advice. Another thing I took from this, other than ‘Michele Specht throws one he** of a mean punch!’ is that anger fed anger. What you do affects others around you; hate, love, joy.

    To the STC crew, you did an amazing job. Between the filming style, characters, set, and the acting, the reviews I’ve read held true in that you guys stayed in line with Star Trek’s original series. And if all of the Star Trek Continues episodes are this level, I’m in and going back to watch them all.. Just try not to make me too weepy! So much love for what you do. You all have such an undeniable kinship! And the blooper reel? I laughed so hard I cried, except for that one scene. You know the one? Where Vic Mignogna‘s noggin meets the wall? I cringed. I cringed a lot. If you’re a Star Trek fan you should check out some of their episodes on Star Trek Continues site!

    NAACGSaturday evening after unsuccessfully hunting down another Star Trek: The Next Generation guest Carlos Ferro for most of the day and Friday evening, we finally caught up with each other. Carlos also has a lot of success as a voice actor in games like Assassin’s Creed (Leonardo da Vinci), Gears of War (Dominic Santiago), and The Godfather II (Michael Corleone). We met via the North American Assassin’s Creed Guild. (That’s Peter Dante there crashing the shoot. He was pretty amazing too.) They’re a great group of fans and I love seeing them all in costume! I can’t tell you how fun it was to get to know Ferro. All I can say is that I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a very long time. He’s hilarious!

    Nexus PremiereThe following day we had the pleasure of taking in a second world premiere. This time it was Carlos Aldana’s NEXUS sci-fi short with Gigi Edgley and Alison Balnar. This was a successful Indiegogo crowdfunded campaign. They had me at ‘In a post-apocalyptic world where humans are on the verge of extinction, a desperate physicist tries to find refuge for her family in a parallel universe… ours.’ Gigi plays a physicist who discovers technology that can open a gateway between alternate universes, the Nexus.

    The story swap between parallel universes was much easier to follow than anything I’ve seen. There was no confusion like you sometimes encounter in alternate timeline films. Aldana did a great job separating the universes and Gigi did such an amazing job in portraying her character Lucy’s parallels as individuals: one as a mother who lost her child (I got choked up on this one), the other trying to keep her child safe.

    The bond between mother and child was beautifully played between Edgley and Balnar. You got the impression that they’d spent a lot of time together prior to shooting, but when asked, that wasn’t the case. Aldana did a spectacular job on the CGI! Also noted was the sheer pride that shined through on Gigi‘s face. This is one we would love to see in a full feature film!

    Michael WelchTeam WormholeRiders, guess who else we met at Space City Comic Con? We are excited to say that we met Michael Welch and he’s adorable!

    I’m such a huge fan of the Stargate Series and it happens that Welch was on one of my favorite Stargate SG-1 episodes. He played a young Jack O’Neill.

    I asked if he had met or worked with Richard Dean Anderson prior to taking on this role. Surprisingly he had not. He’d only gone up shortly before filming the episode and was given episodes to watch. In that short span, he completely nailed Jack O’Neill and his infinite sarcasm! I believe he told us he was about fourteen years old when he did that episode. I have a sixteen year old.. He doesn’t have that kind of focus so I was very impressed! Also, knowing he worked on Z Nation (I’ve only watched partially into Season 1) I asked if he was still working on any episodes. I can’t give you his reply because spoilers and all. Let’s just say I’ll still go back and finish watching anyway.

    Adrian PaulAnother favorite series guest was Adrian Paul of Highlander. ‘There can be only one’ is still top ranked television/movie quote for me. He was hosting his event The Sword Experience at SCCC. Guests I spoke to afterwards said it was great experience learning the choreography and then performing what they’d learned. If it comes around again, I think I’ll sign up!

    There was an added bonus to meeting Adrian Paul. My evil twin, Sonja, is a HUGE Paul fan. I ain’t gonna lie, MY horns came out a little and I sent her a pic. She may have disowned me for a short time over it. Lol, she’s over it now since I smoothed it over with a signed Sword Experience tee. And there was less bloodshed than I told him there might be. I survived the evil twin’s wrath and all is right again.

    SCCC VendorsWe did so much more but if we include every tiny detail we may bore you to tears if not already!

    Overall, our experience was a good one at SCCC. The variety of vendors could’ve been a little more extensive.

    They did have a great guest line-up and many great artists in Artist’s Alley. It was quite a walk to get to Wild Bills Soda for drinks. There’s a Starbucks at NRG Center so that was great! We wish we could say the same for all the fans.

    The Bad:

    Come Saturday afternoon, we were getting quite a bit of negative feedback from VIP pass holders. From what we were told by some of the VIP ticket holders, the panel guests were greatly reduced from what was expected.

    We were told there were problems with using ticket vouchers. This was confirmed with an announcement at the Sons of Anarchy panel. Ticket holders were told they could switch the vouchers out for cash to use at guest booths. VIP pass holders were also asked to stay behind after the panel was over.

    We were told by many of these people later that the general admission ticket holders received better treatment than the VIP holders. Some of the fans also reported that they did not get their funds, nor did they get the experience they paid for.

    There were some who came from Scotland, England, Mexico, and other places as well. These same guests also reported that they had saved and spent all funds for these VIP experiences and had no cash left to even pay the additional out of their pockets to meet the guests they had already paid to see via the VIP pass and ticket vouchers. WormholeRiders did speak to a VIP holder who reported that he received a partial refund, but that it was only one quarter of what he’d paid for his pass.

    We also observed there was a lower amount of volunteers Saturday. We were told by one volunteer that we talked to that she had been working 18 hours straight! She told us that a lot of the volunteers didn’t show back up for day two.

    Space City Comic Con TwitterThen things got a little deeper. We were told by a source who would like to remain anonymous that the guests had stayed after for two hours on Friday evening to get paid. And we were told that not all were paid or a least not paid in full.

    We were told there were issues with the lodging when guests arrived, but Official Ava Jade clarified the issue stating in her article: ‘There was a mishap regarding the hotel check in. The credit card for the room was for the reservations and not for incidentals. Upon checking in, some cast members had to pay cash for the incidentals, instead of putting their own credit card up, and risking being charged upon checking out.’

    There is also confirmation that law enforcement was called in as one of the guests tried to collect. We can confirm in an unrelated incident that on Saturday evening after Hunnam did not return to his table that someone had called in multiple law enforcement officials. Fans had been standing in line for hours waiting to meet Hunnam.

    At seven that evening when he did not return to his table, law enforcement was put into place behind the crowd where we were standing and towards the front of the meet and greet area. The announcement was then made that Charlie Hunnam would not be returning due to a family emergency. We can’t speculate on why officers were called in, but the couple behind us voiced that it was to stop any uprising that might have risen from the abrupt announcement.

    SCCC Twitter account deleted June 2016Below we have posted quotes and links to statements made by others. Articles and interviews will be included as well. These will include links from both sides of the table as it is only right and fair that we include all. We did get confirmation from one source that reports they were being taken care of. (As of closing date of this article, Space City Comic Con’s twitter account has been deleted. However, their webpage is still up.)

    Statement by Johnny Steverson on Space City Comic Con:
    Johnny Steverson Resigns From Space City Comic Con and Mythic Events LLC.’
    Sighting: ‘Promotor George Comits Breaches Contracts’

    Via Kim Coates Twitter: ‘Houston we have a problem. So so so sorry.. Coatesy’
    ‘Ok some things got settled .. No panel at 12. Sorry kids. A complete breakdown by upper management. Wow. But I’m staying here for the day. x’

    The Harp Twins: ‘Read between the lines George Comits of Mythik Events & Promotions and Space City Comic Con for breaking their contract with us and knowingly writing us a bad check for our performance fee, travel expenses, and per diem.’

    Official Ava Jade: ‘When Mr. Hunnam took his check to the bank to cash it, he found out that the check that was given to him was written from an account that had been CLOSED. This happened to the entire cast.’

    TMZ interview ‘Sons of Anarchy’ stars: ‘Reunion Promoter Stiffed Us But We Stayed for Fans’

    Positive Conclusions:

    One thing we can say for certain is that the guests were nothing short of phenomenal under difficult circumstances! Whatever they experienced did not change the way they treated their devoted fans. We have nothing but respect for those who were kind and generous enough to stay. And to those that greeted the fans with so much love and respect in return: We love ya!!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!Thanks to Kenn for final audio, video embedding , and additional image staging, and many thanks to you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

    Tonja TollesonPlease feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this news article, or you can chat by visiting and following me on Twitter, just click on my avatar to the right.

    Thank you!

    Tonja (@twotees68)

  • Spreading the SGU Love, Jamil Walker Smith, Brian J. Smith, Patrick Gilmore and Beyond!

    Spreading the SGU Love, Jamil Walker Smith, Brian J. Smith, Patrick Gilmore and Beyond!

    My apologies for my cyber-silence as of late. Click to visit the Winnipeg Academy of Acting!

    I am a full-time student at the Academy of Acting, and it seems like tonight Wednesday February 09, 2011 is the first night I’ve had to myself, away from my studies…other than of course having the assignment of lifting a frying pan to see how it affects my muscles, then miming it to play with my arm muscle’s memories.

    Stargate Universe - SGU season two wide banner

    But enough with the acting technobabble, let’s get on with the campaign updates and other Stargate-related news that might be New SyFy Logo Chain Linksout there. Recently there was a Stargate Universe marathon on Syfy network, and from what I understand, the ratings were good enough to justify doing a standard run-out of the second season.

    I am hoping that will lead to continuing on the Stargate Universe storyline. Recent word from Jospeh Mallaozzi is that he and Paul Mullie are heading to the Los Angeles area on a mission. Lets all wish them them the best of luck!

    The first one is a reminder about the “Share The SGU Love” and “Spread the SGU Love” campaign, to send the powers-that-be Click to visit the fabled MGM Studios on Twitter!both stateside at the MGM Studios offices and the Bridge Studios offices located in Burnaby, British Columbia a Valentines Day card! I will admit, I have my cards made and will be sending them off Friday.

    Hey, I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind getting a Valentines’ card or two (or more) after Valentines’ Day, I always consider it lovely that someone was thinking of me in a kind and loving manner. Remember to mention that you love the series, why you love it, any stories you might be able to tell in your cards, and where you are located. Perhaps include your age as well in case you want to help MGM see the demographics. Click here to see all the great cards.

    Click to load the full size image

    And speaking of Valentines’ Day, there is a campaign that will be taking place ON Valentines’ Day itself. As iTunes is still selling episodes of Stargate Universe in their on-line store, the plan is for as many SGU fans to buy the episode “Trial and Error”, the episode where Eli and Ginn share their first kiss (insert group “awwwww” here). Please feel free to buy other episodes as well!

    A group action that has been taking place is the creation of a graphic collage celebrating Stargate Universe, with the man behind that being Gcm4n (Mario on Twitter). He is accepting graphics (as in digital pictures) fans want to include in the final huge image. Contact him on Twitter for more details.Click to visit and follow Gcm4n (Mario) on Twitter!

    The biggest news, however, has been a unification of the majority of the campaigns. Look for more details at SGUnite once the site is fully up and running. As is, the webmaster has created a Facebook feed on the front page of the website where news about Stargate Universe current state is being listed, such as the fact when SGU season two returns to SyFy on March 07, 2011 on Monday nights.

    There is also a place on the page where people can insert their e-mail address so once the website is up and running, as the webmaster of the site has been otherwise occupied with schooling and also, flooding in his area of Australia. Much love to you as things get cleaned up down there!

    Click to visit and follow Jamil Walker Smith on Twitter!In other Stargate Universe related news, some of the stars of the series have been keeping themselves quite busy with non-SGU projects (all things planned before the announcement was made regarding the non-renewal).

    First off, congrats to Jamil Walker Smith, whose directing and writing debut with the film Make a Movie Like SpiClick to visit the Santa Barbara International Film Festivalke premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, with three, yes, count ’em, THREE sold-out showings! The next stop for the Little Plow Films movie is to take it to Los Angeles for screenings, with details (I am guessing) being listed on Jamil’s twitter (or on the one for the film itself, @makeamovielike), on the official websites Make a Movie Like Spike or Little Plow Films, or else on their facebook fan page. Check it out, and if you have the chance to get to a screening, please do!

    Click to visit and follow Brian J Smithon Twitter!Congrats as well to Brian J Smith, who has been keeping himself busy globetrotting with the filming of the SyFy made-for-TV movie Red Faction: Origins, based on the computer game by the same name. His tweets about the experience make many of us aspiring actors green with envy and also, makes us realize the extremes some projects will take a person, as he has described in his tweets about the very cold weather in some locations, and contrastingly hot weather in others.

    I can barely wait for that one to come out, but to be honest, am hoping that more Stargate Universe comes out beyond the second season as I love the series and want to see more of it, and certainly more of Brian and company in action as our favorite refugee crew in a ginourmous spaceship hopping through galaxies!Riese Series - Kingdom Falling on Space Channel!

    Another project which would be remiss of me to mention is the web-series Riese. Filmed in Vancouver, its cast includes Patrick Gilmore (Dale Volker of SGU) as well as featuring Amanda Tapping as a narrator.

    Click to visit and follow Patrick Gilmore on Twitter!It is a futuristic steam-punk series, and the best news of all is, the entire web-series will be aired as one episode on the Space Channel in Canada, April 09, 2011 at 9 pm right after the Merlin season finale! This just goes to show the power of the internet, and also, the power of on-line love and determination.

    Although not directly related to Stargate Universe, I did promise a friend and classmate of mine to mention a web-series that is being created here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pieces is a sci-fi/fantasy mystery thriller with a lot of promise, and who knows, it might follow in the footsteps of other pioneering Canadian web-series (such as Riese and Jpod).

    In the future this series could potentially have the following of other science fiction series that have been filmed in Canada, such as X-Files, Fringe, the whole Stargate franchise…well, you get my drift. I promised I’d mention it in my blog, and give the good word to the ‘Peg City, so there you go!

    Click to visit Bridge Studios Vancouver!

    So in summary: Please send out your Valentines’ Day cards to the Bridge and to MGM Studios, buy “Trial and Error” on iTunes this Valentines’ Day, donate some images for the collage, add your name to the mailing list at sgunite.com, check out Make a Movie Like Spike (and perhaps request it at your local indy theatre), and just keep being aweseome!

    But I should really get back to my homework, I need to learn how to lift an invisible frying pan by using my own as a model, so until later, keep on Spreading and Sharing the SGU Love, and have a great weekend!

    WormholeRiders. Click to visit & follow WHR on Twitter!

    As always we appreciate your reading this article and for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a “Share The SGU Love” or “Spread The SGU Love” comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible.

    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 TeamWHR or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or I will See You on The Other Side at my FaceBook“!

    Thank you. Click to visit and follow Marjorie Roden on Twitter!

    Marjorie Roden

  • Stargate Universe: As The Wormhole Turns – Go To The Mirror and “Share The SGU Love” Status Report!

    Stargate Universe: As The Wormhole Turns – Go To The Mirror and “Share The SGU Love” Status Report!

    Hello again Stargate fans!Click to visit the fabled MGM Studios on Twitter!

    Well, it’s been one week since my first blog was posted regarding my idea for the “Spread the SGU Love” (or “Share the SGU Love”) fan campaign to help garner positive feedback regarding Stargate Universe to The Powers-That-Be (TPTB) at MGM Studios.

    So far, what I’ve been hearing from fans is many went out and actually bought cards, while others made their own as I have been doing the last couple of nights as illustrated below! Others including educators and teaches have had their school classes make them to send off to MGM.

    Oh, and please click the MGM Studios Lion image above to the right to follow MGM on Twitter to demonstrate your support. Thank you!

    Share The SGU Love artwork by Marjorie Roden Stargate Universe - SGU season two wide banner Yes, some of us who love Stargate Universe are teachers. Using this as an art project is something I think is quite ingenious! Other fans have created some digital artwork for people to print off and use at their end for the “Spread The SGU Love” "Share The SGU Love" campaign. There are links for accessing the full resolution graphics below this paragraph. Simply click the images below to load the full sized versions. Many thanks to StargateZone (Sarah) and GCM4N (Mario) for graciously donating their digital artwork to our cause! Click to load the full size image Click to load the full size image Click to load full size image Click to load full size image The campaign news article I authored last week is not the only effort going on out there in our Stargate World. In fact there have been a number of them, and in this week's blog, I will highlight the ones that I've heard about on the internet, mainly through Twitter. Some that have been very effective at getting MGM Studios's attention.Click to visit and follow MeriJewel on Twitter! Click to visit and follow CherLuvYa on Twitter!I was inspired seeing CherLuvYa making a vote on Twitter for the Shorty awards for MGM in television, MeriJewel, another Stargate Universe fan, caught onto this idea in a big way. The Shorty Awards, going into their third year, are defined as “Honoring the Best Producers of Short Real-Time Content.” also known for sites that perform micro-blogging like Twitter. The method of voting is through Twitter, and many Stargate and SGU fans have been voting for MGM_Studios on Twitter for the Click to visit & vote to support SGU at Shorty Awards!#television category because of the Stargate franchise. However, there have been other great TV shows to come out of the MGM studios, so vote as often as you can while mentioning #ShareTheSGULove and #Stargate hash tags in this on-line competition. One can also vote for actors and actresses who have Twitter accounts like Alaina Huffman, David Blue, Brian J. Smith, Patrick Gilmore, MingNa, Jennifer Spence, Julia Benson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jamil Walker Smith, Peter Kelamis Julie McNiven, Kathleen Munroe and Mike Dopud. Several are all fairly high on the list. We also encourage you to vote as well for crew members and Stargate Univese creators such as Mandy Alexander McLean, Mark Savela, Sonia Gilmore, James Bamford John G. Lenic, Carl P. Binder, John Scalzi, Ivon Bartok, Martin Gero, and Joseph Mallozzi ... via his dogs Twitter account anyway! For more information, please click the text link or image banner below to read MeriJewel's article Click to visit Dork Info and read about The Shorty Awards! The website SGU Awareness is another outstanding site on the Internet which includes links to other campaigns in its blog. The atmosphere on this page is very positive, and their generosity with giving those links is outstanding! Click to visit The SGU Awareness Website! A new website has been in development called SaveOurStargate that launched just this weekend. SaveOurStargate is run by a group of Stargate Universe fans with a dedication to ensure that the MGM Stargate Franchise continues well into the future. Click to visit and learn more about SaveOurStargate! Last but not least if the SG: Unite fan campaign has a lot of contact info, including mailing and e-mail addresses, something that would prove to be very useful to get their attention in their e-mail in-boxes. As you scroll down the page you will find many useful Internet addresses and other contacts that might prove to be very useful to "Share The SGU Love".For now Learn more about Joe Mallozzi on his web log!Other very positive news came out of Joe Mallozzi's blog this week, it sounds like the creators and producers of Stargate Universe are far from throwing in the towel yet, which is why showing our support in as many different ways as we can – be it from taking part in any of the campaigns happening worldwide right now, to watching SGU on Hulu where the views, I've been told, also count towards total viewings statistics tallied by MGM Studios are important. I would also suggest even to purchasing Stargate Universe by going to the video store and buying a box set of DVD or Blue Ray discs. All of these will help demonstrate to MGM Studios that Stargate Universe is a series fans are willing to invesClick to visit and sign the find SGU a HOME Twittition!t their hard-earned dollars in. During a recession like the one we're in now, showing this to MGM Studios is huge! Finally, although I started this a few weeks ago, it did kind of get lost in the shuffle of the avalanche of on-line petitions which came out right after the non-renewal announcement. If you're on Twitter, and happen to have the time, please sign it! WormholeRiders. Click to visit & follow WHR on Twitter! As always we appreciate your reading this article and for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a "Share The SGU Love" or "Spread The SGU Love" comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible. 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 TeamWHR or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or I will See You on The Other Side at my FaceBook"! Thank you. Click to visit and follow Marjorie Roden on Twitter! Marjorie Roden

  • Chevron 7.5 – A Massive Event Indeed!

    Chevron 7.5 – A Massive Event Indeed!

    Chevron banner

    Hello again convention fans!

    CHEVRON 7.5

    Firstly a huge thank you to Massive Events for pulling off yet another fantastic weekend. The guests were both funny and entertaining. We had great access to them, a real plus in my books as other events tend to herd you around with little or no chance of guest interaction. From what has been stated to me by the guests themselves, they appreciate this form of connection, as they get a real boost from meeting their fans and being able to sit and chat. Whoever thought of this type of guest encounters must have had a eureka moment. What a great way to meet the actors in a relaxed manner for all who took part

    Thank goodness for Satellite Navigation Systems! If it hadn’t been for my trusty Sat Nav friend, I may well still be sitting on the M1 motorway in the United Kingdom, instead of driving across country to avoid the accident that snarled up the M1 for most of the night.

    At least we (my friend Helena and I) made the hotel in time to register and throw our belongings in the hotel room before ringing down to the opening ceremony. By the way artistic licence applies in this report.

    Unfortunately in my haste to make a speedy entrance I forgot to bring my pen and pencil. I could forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on sometimes!

    Below L-R: Andee Frizzell, Sarah Douglas, Tony Amendola and Kavan Smith

    Anyways, the actual ceremony did not last too long, so my brain was not vexed too greatly in recalling the event. First to be welcomed to the stage was the Stargate SG-1 character “Garshaw of Belote”, actress Sarah Douglas. She was warmly greeted, and placed the bag she was carrying beside her feet. Next to be welcomed was the Stargate Atlantis “Wraith Queen” Andee Frizzell, who immediately sprang to her chair, and thanked the organizers for placing a free hand bag at her disposal. A peel of laughter followed as everyone realized she was talking of Sarah’s hand bag.

    Rapturous applause followed the arrival of David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka of Stargate Atlantis), Tony Amendola (Master Bra’tac of Stargate SG-1) and Kavan Smith (Major Evan Lorne of Atlantis), and last but not least the beautiful and talented Lexa Doig (Dr. Carolyn Lam of SG-1) graced the stage. Lexa immediately passed on Michael Shanks apologies for canceling at the last minute due to his work schedule. Michael was caught up in filming, and just could not take the time from the production to attend the convention. A fashion discussion then took place between Andee and Lexa, who won the most “points” with her high heeled shoes!

    Just as it seemed the cast were going to open up with some delightful banter, the ceremony was called to a halt, and we were all filed out to await the Gold Pass Drinks Reception.

    Below L-R: (Half of) Tony Amendola and Kavan Smith and Lexa Doig

    Gold Pass Reception

    Huddling into small groups, we waiteStargate Atlantis Teamd excitedly to encounter our guests. Andee Frizzell (Wraith Queen on Stargate Atlantis) was the first to enter our group.

    My goodness, this lady is a tall one. No wonder she was chosen to play a wraith, as she is as slim as she is tall. Oh my, Andee can talk the hind legs off a donkey. I don’t think she stops to draw breath.

    She is funny, articulated and engagingly entertaining. Andee circled around the entire group, asking where we hailed from, only stopping to quip or joke where appropriate. Then as quickly as she entered our fold, she was whisked away to entertain others.Chevron 7.5 Andee Frizzell, image courtesy Gairwyn

    Lexa Doig blew into the gap left by Andee. She kept apologizing for Michael’s absence. Lexa shared with us that he really wanted to be here. Lexa talked fondly of her son Sam, who is now 5 (wow, cannot believe that, I can remember Michael announcin g his birth) and ready to take his first steps into school. She commented that Andee was a hard act to follow, and I replied but that she has better taste in shoes, and with that, she was whisked off too.

    Stargate Universe - SGU season two wide banner

    David Nykl 2010David Nykl was our next companion. He was keen to know if we liked Stargate Universe and our opinions on the third show in the Stargate franchise. The general point of consensus in the audience was that whilst Stargate Universe was a part of the Stargate franchise, in being so, the series commanded our allegiance. Several commented that the show was shot differently, with a darker feel to it.

    Click to visit Stargate SG-1 Team at MGM Dot Com!Several others shared that there was not the same family team feeling that Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis managed to portray. The consensus amongst the ladies was that the actors in Stargate Universe were not as handsome as their counterparts in the other Stargate series. David asked about the supporting actors appeal, and I replied that “I wasn’t going to go there”. Thankfully he has rather good sense of humor.

    We did not have an opportunity to see the other actors as time had run out, which was a shame. However Andee, Lexa and David had certainly started our Chevron 7.5 convention weekend off with a bang!

    Saturday morning found us in the dining hall eating breakfast. Gosh, what hallowed news I hear you say, but let me explain.

    Imagine my surprise when Tony walked into the hall apparently in search of an early gastronomic feast. The actors were staying in our hotel. This Chevron 7.5 Tony Amendola, image courtesy Gairwynactually pleased me greatly, not because it meant we were to party to even more exposure, but, these people were happy enough in our presence to not feel threatened by bad behaviour from their fans. I don’t think this would occur at events across the mighty pond, but I would happily be corrected if it’s the case.

    Now the fun starts. If you have never been to a chevron event, or ones from our overseas counter parts, then let me tell you a story of stamina and resolve. The Saturday morning consists of autograph signing and photo shoots.

    So, depending on your ticket status, here goes the timetable: Lexa 09:00 to 09.30…photo shoot….09.45 to 11:30…autographs. Andee 09:00 to 09:30, signing, 09:30 to 10:00 photo shoot, 10:00 to 11:30, signing… You get the idea I hope, because I’m not going to copy out the whole line up!

    You line up for your photo with Lexa, then line up for photo with Andee. Run and line up for autograph from Kavan, Run back to queue for photo with Tony, get back into queue for autograph with Lexa, join queue for Andee’s autograph. Then a game of ping pong between the others so not to miss out on anything.

    By the end of the morning my plates of meat, really were humming “an Aunt Nell” (cockney slang for feet that smell). And I was all together cream crackered (work that one out for yourself). Maybe its because I’m a Londoner.

     

    Quips In The Queue During Autograph Encounters

     

    Whilst waiting for Andee to sign my picture, she starts a conversation up with the queue, and I have to put my pennies worth in stating it’s a shame to not be able to take a quick photo when the actors are milling around the corridors. Andee’s retort was that if she was in the corridor it was because she was probably running off to the loo, my reply was that I wasn’t that worried, a good peeing photo shot was as good as anything else. This sent her off into fits of laughter as she imagined herself sitting on the toilet and me bursting in saying “smile”. And a shocked look on her face as she held onto the toilet walls.

    My picture was signed: “do not stop me on the way to the john, I’ll kill ya. Andee”.

    Sarah Douglas as Garshaw from Stargate SG-1Sarah Douglas is a very down to earth lady. While signing, she was also making conversation with the queue. Apparently she hails from Stratford Upon Avon, so had a very small journey to make compared to some people, during this conversation she stopped to change her pen as she didn’t like fat nibs…… ( I hang my head in shame, as I could not help retorting that some people liked fat nibs. She found this amusing, and from then on I was known as the fat nib lady).

    Earlier in the day I met Kavan at a doorway, as he was in a hurry, I stepped aside and said “age before beauty”, he seemed amused by the quip, giggled and said thanks. So when it was my turn for his autograph, he paused and asked “ didn’t we met earlier at the doors”, to which I nodded, and he laughed and said great to meet you, which he also wrote on my picture.

    Next was David’s queue. When it came to my turn, I handed him my picture and said, you will be pleased to know, that after a brief discussion, my friends and I have come to the conclusion that you are much more handsome in real life than on t.v. He replied that was great, and he agreed with our findings.

    Tony was our last autograph hunt for the day. He was also very talkative to our queue. He was genuinely interested in where we had come from, and was happy to relate a time many years ago when he spent a while in London acting, and some of the places he had been to. He seemed as eager to please as we were to listen to him.

    Lexa also was happy to chat as she was signing; I managed to ask her who was looking after the kids. She replied (with a hint of pleasure) that Michael was looking after them in the evenings, but the nanny had them during the day. She revelled in the thought of Michael having to cope with the “MUMMY” situations while she was away. Thankfully Michael is very hands on with the kids.

    During the day, there were a number of talks arranged for the stars to entertain us fans. I had planned to attend them all, but in the end, I only managed to sit in on one , as the clever minds behind the scenes had a new teaser to entice us with. A coffee chat with who we wanted to meet. Two ways to gain entry were, 1: bid for a seat, or 2: buy a raffle ticket.

    Luck was on my side somehow as every ticket I bought won me a seat to whom ever I bought a ticket for. But first, I will report on the one chat I managed to get to see. I know a lot of these chats are transcribed, but my short hand is not up to scratch, so I will attempt to just essay the event for you.

    Talk with David and Andee.

     

    First on stage was Andee, who took her seat and then had to wait for David as he was apparently caught short.

    Suddenly from the back of the room, David bursts in and proceeds to run round the chairs acting like an aeroplane. Much to everyone’s laughter he ends up in the middle isle and takes over a photographers camera and tripod pretending to take pictures of Andee.

    The first question asked, was, if David had the opportunity to take over from Robert Carlyle in Stargate Universe, what he would do differently. David started to reply about adding a bit of humour, but was interrupted before he could finish his sentence by Andee who was telling him off for holding the microphone in front of his face.

    Andee went on to explain that a particular friend takes great pleasure in sending embarrassing pictures of her at these events, when unknowingly she makes a face or gestures inappropriately. Then she makes a funny pose just to embellish the story. At this moment in time, David has pretended to fall asleep, a quip at Andee who never seems to stop talking. Unfortunately David did the wrong thing. He closed his eyes, and Andee took the opportunity to whack him over the head with the mike to wake him up.

    Chevron 7.5 Andee Frizzell, image courtesy Gairwyn!

    She then went on to explain the funny pose. One shot she had been asked to do was emerge from a tank of water, dressed as the queen wraith, in a dignified graceful manner.

    After spending the best part of the morning in makeup she is presented with a tank about three and a half feet deep. Given just how tall she is, and how small the tank was, this was going to be fun. NOT. Andee is told by the crew that she must wait for a tap on the tank, and then emerge. Seconds after submerging herself in the water, she realises the mask is made of foam, and her head wants to float to the surface. The lower part of her suit is also made of foam and that too is trying desperately to make a bid for freedom.

    Unfortunately her hair, partly wig is also pushing for the surface. To make matters worse, her hair is tied to her butt, by a clever crewman who didn’t want her hair flying about the tank. At this point, Andee is manically trying to hold herself down grasping a weight at the bottom of the tank, her tied hair is giving her a massive wedgie, and the rest of her is desperately pointing skywards in an attempt to surface. The tap on the tank signals her to let go of the weight and she surfaces from the tank like a torpedo. They didn’t do another take!!!

    Her one piece of advice, never wear your contacts home. Apparently your eyesight is badly affected by the contacts, they give a tunnel vision like experience. When she got home and looked in the mirror, Andee had a ring of hiccies, around her neck from the mask where it had tried to make a bid for freedom in the water. Andee also went on to explain that due to the mask, she thought that people were ignoring her, especially at parties until she realised that nobody realised what she looked like because of the make up.

    They were asked if they had to do many retakes. Both replied no as they carried their lines in their back pockets, except for Hewlett who wrote his on the back of his hand.

    There was little time to redo takes due to the pressure of shooting scenes on time, also, the scenes shot will probably not run concurrently. Therefore many scenes were dubbed in at a later date in the recording studio.

    Another question asked was, “in Atlantis, the wraith queen was very dominant, what would you do differently” Andee retorts, “what do you mean do differently”. Poo Poo everywhere, the toilets, 6 cubicles, two wash basins one hand dryer. More washrooms everywhere. Turning to David, she asks his reply: “More naked boobies”.

    Also asked was, “what was the atmosphere between Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis while working at the same studio. They both replied that there really was very little crossover between the two. Shooting was so busy that there was no time to sit down and chat.

    A question from the cheap seats as Andee remarked with a grin. “Did you ever keep make up on and see if you could scare people.”. Of course Andee has tried, especially in her wraith head gear, but the shops close by are used to this happening, and don’t usually blink an eye. She went into a starbucks with her green makeup on, bald except from a tuff of hair behind, and nadda, nothing, not a blink of an eye. Sighing, she just obviously isn’t that scary. Especially when she was acting a scene from Atlantis, where her teeth actually make her sound like tweety pie. I Thawt I thaw a puddy cat. And the actors opposite her have to act scared. RIGHT.

    David likes to wear bullet holes home, he thinks they look really cool, and people do surreptitiously look to see if they are real.

    The final question was about practical joking, who was the worst, and who suffered the most. According to David Nykl, Hewlett is well known for throwing food at you out of shot. Joe likes to hit you below the shot line. According to Andee:

    “NOBODY MESSES WITH THE WRAITH QUEEN”

    We were told that Joe Flanagan (Colonel John Shepard) once kept filling Paul McGillion’s doctors bag with rocks when he was having to climb a steep hill. And with that, the talk was called to a close, and the actors made their way off the stage to rapturous applause.

    Chats Over A Coffee.

    As you know I could not be in two places at once, so I asked a dear friend of mine to write down her guest encounter with Andee.

    Andee Frizell Guest Encounter:

    Here you go fairly brief because she spent a lot of time asking each of us in turn our names and where we were from. There were twelve, maybe fourteen of us, four English (including me and Helena), two from the Czech Republic and the rest from France, oh and I think one from Germany. She found it amusing that some of the French people were from wine regions, Champagne and Bordeaux were two I remember.

    She asked if we had questions. First question was about the types of roles she gets and does her height influence them. She said absolutely. She tends to get roles playing scary people and of course her height can be problematical when she is taller than the male actors. She made reference to one time when she had to stand in a hole that had been dug in the ground so that she didn’t appear taller than the guy she was acting opposite, but that made her look as if she had ridiculously long arms.

    We than asked how she feels about getting so many roles where she has to wear prosthetic. She explained that there’s quite a small niche of actors who can actually cope with the make up process as up to five people can be affixing the makeup at any given time. It can induce a kind of sensory overload that freaks some people out. Also some have trouble when it comes to body and head casts as the process is very claustrophobic. She deals with it by zoning out (Although she didn’t say this I imagine the fact that she did/does yoga might help her with that) She did tell us how on one occasion two of the makeup artists managed to get glue in her eye and basically glued it shut, also very painful as you can imagine.

    It was commented on what wonderful imaginations the people who design and create the make up are, and also the same for the stunning costumes. She told us that an incredible amount of detail goes in to the costumes even the ones that might only be seen on screen for a few seconds. She couldn’t speak highly enough of the creativity and imagination of the people who come up with them. She explained that being made up so extensively allows for the chance to really use a lot of expressiveness in the way she can act the part and that in the case of the wraith because she and the Male Wraith were the first two Wraith they were allowed to create the way they moved, mannerisms etc which as actors gave them a lot of freedom which they enjoyed. It also meant they set the tone for actors who later played Wraith.

    She explained how long the wraith queen makeup took to apply, five hours after the initial trails for screen tests which were eight, and two hours to remove. Upon being asked if she would like to be in the Stargate Atlantis movie (if it ever got made) she said she’d love to be in it of course.

    She said that she would love in the series for the wraith to have been explored more deeply, ie their society, hierarchy, how they interact on a social level etc. She was asked about wraith romance and explained about the birthing chair (of which I know nothing) and laughingly told us that when it wasn’t being the birthing chair it was turned around and had some hoses stuck on it and became the wraith ship control chair.

    She was asked about being in Supernatural and said it was huge fun and that the two lead guys are incredibly hard workers and hot too boot.

    I would like it to be mentioned what an absolutely cool person she is and highly recommend going to a convebtion where she’s on the guest list. She is very intelligent and quick minded and really takes the time to make us fans feel comfortable and at ease.

    My first guest encounter was with Sarah Douglas. I managed to place myself sitting next to her at the table. I found myself in awe of this lady when I realised just how much Television and film work she has done for example: She was in the Original V as Pamela in the Final Battle parts two and three. (a tip for anyone who has the opportunity to interview somebody……look up their filmography before you meet them).

    The first question came from another lady in the room. What is the favourite film you have ever done? Her reply was immediate: The People That Time Forgot, with Dougie McClure. Sarah talked of her fondness for Doug, and her memories of the set, where the budget was so tight, they had to act against cardboard cut outs of the dinosaurs, but she loved every minute of making it.

    Sarah then went on to talk about her worst film. She would not mention it by name, but revealed it had been made outside Prague. The shoot was in a disused potato factory. The director said roll, and as they went to shoot, all eyes turned to the line up of girls behind Sarah. She turned round to see her servants stripped to below the waist. What made it worse was that they were all ugly and saggy boobed, not the sort of thing you wish to reminisce on.

    Sarah then went on to talk of her fans. She has great support from her fan base, one in particular who followed her every move, but she had a great rapport with this person, and she spoke of them fondly. Sarah has had her share of stalkers, one in particular used to follow her and just stare at her. It was most off putting. Sarah had been so fortunate to work with such legendary actors such as Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman.

    Half an hour went so quickly, and all too soon the encounter was over. Sarah thanked me for my questions, and then remarked that I hadn’t written anything down.. I reminded her that when we sat down and I went to write down a comment, she had put her hand on my arm. I had taken that as a signal she didn’t want anything written down. She laughed and apologised, she hadn’t been aware she had done that. I replied not to worry I was about to rush off and write it all up before I forgot.

    Tony Amendola’s guest encounter was at the same time as Sarah,s. He was running late so I was very naughty and snuck in to the room. Unfortunately I was rumbled straight away, but to my relief Tony just waved me in and gestured me to sit down.

    He carried on with the story he was telling about a baby ostrich and how it had pooped on his hand. Immediately he finished the story, he turned to me and told me to ask him a question. I was still reeling from having to sneak in. So I found myself asking the same question I had asked Sarah. What was his favorite film he had made? Easy, he replied, the two Zorro movies. Being able to work with such wonderful actors as Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, and his favourite Television series had to be Stargate of course. All the crew and actors had been just superb to work with.

    David Nykl was the next encounter. He straight away started with a gag. Welcome to the Portuguese for beginners class. David was also interested in David Nykl as Stargate Atlantis' Dr. Zelenka!where we all came from, especially when one lady stated her hometown as Wigan. David asked her if she followed Rugby. Her reply was that you couldn’t help follow rugby if you came from Wigan.

    David went on to explain that he was Czech by birth, had been born in Prague and spoke the language fluently. Apparently, Zelenka had been originally written as a Russian named Karpov, but when they heard that David was naturally Czech, they rewrote the part accordingly. David has no problem going from Canadian accent to Czech, as he hears that accent all the time. The fun part for him is that when he walks off swearing at Rodney under his breath, he really is swearing at Rodney in Czech. He has called him a f***ing A****le on film, and nobody realizes. How cool is that?

    David went to a convention in the Czech Republic, and was pleasantly surprised to see 700 people turn up. They all watch on the internet. He has been dubbed into Czech and French, which sounds really weird. Apparently Italy has an award for the best dubbers. Dr. Zelenka and Rodney seem to have this onscreen chemistry where they finish each others sentences, was this scripted? David replied that the repartee between them both grew to the extent where they began finishing each others sentences. The scripter’s cottoned onto this and soon started to write the banter between them in. There is very little chance to change lines or wing it.

    Somebody asked about Fringe. David replied it was a great series, but he couldn’t say anything about it yet. He went on to say that a lot of these series, you can work out where they are being filmed by the terrain or the colour of the sky. The hardest things to have to blot out are phone lines or man made structures. New Zealand is a great place to work as there is so much natural terrain. Unfortunately, it is also very expensive to shoot there. David is a great sci fi fan himself and watches just about all the science fiction series he can. Apart from the obvious he loves Battlestar Galactica, Fringe and Eureka.

    He was asked if he himself had ever been star struck, well no, but once he saw Dan Castellaneta, and had to really down the urge to run up and shout “DOH”. He has worked with Shirley McClaine, he played her son, and she decided to not look at him while shooting a scene, but he ended up having to be backhanded by her, and she was wearing this enormous ring. At least she warned him that she was really gonna hit him. Thank goodness it was shot in one take. If given the chance he said that he would love to work with Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johansson.

    David then went on to explain that a lot of the behind the scenes work that we don’t get to see. There is a process when setting up a scene. Firstly you meet on set have a run through of your lines, work out where you are going to stand, the positions are marked, and so on… this is called blocking. When everyone is happy, you go off to make up, and the lighting crew get to work. You are then called back, run through the scene, then go for a take. It’s a very fast and efficient procedure. Close ups is the time when you try to make the other person laugh. There is a cut every 30 seconds, or a scene change as this is the optimum time for a viewer’s concentration to be lost. Joe Flanigan is used a lot for close ups, he is very good at showing a “problem face”. There is always a lot going on in the background, so things are made to look as realistic as possible. This also means there is more to go wrong, or more chance to cause mayhem.

    Was David aware of any crossover pranks between Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis? He indicated that he was not aware of any, even though they were at the same studio; there were never any chances to cross paths. According to David, the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge was manufactured on the site of the studio, which is why it has the name Bridge Studio’s.

    David was also asked “ if you had the chance to go thought the Stargate for real would you”? “Hell yeah” was his reply. The last question David was asked was about acting green scenes. David explained that when you had to act against something that was later going to be added by C.G.I, then usually there was a green background, this means that you may be acting to thin air. This can cause a problem when setting the addition to your movements or eye contact. An object like a green tennis ball is often used so you have something to focus on; this is called intraocular convergence apparently. David paused and looked at me, now that’s something to write down he chuckled. Carrying on, he remarked how good he had become at working with green tennis balls.

    We all seemed to have chatted for ages, and David was just so full of information. We could have sat there for another 45 minutes just listening to him reminisce, but sadly our time had to a close. The last passing comment to David was, “I want my money back, I still can’t speak any Portugese”.

    My last guest encounter was with Lexa Doig. Again I positioned myself next to her, and I have to say before I start, what beautiful hair and complexion this lady has (a woman thing to spot). As I sat down, I explained that I had a few questions to ask from fans, would she mind. She was very gracious, and said fire away.

    My first question was, would you be returning to “V Series” or “Smallville”. “No” was her immediate reply, the way the episodes had been written she thought there was little chance of any return.

    What other career would you have chosen if you had not gone into acting? Lion tamer was her reply, just watch Monty Python if you don’t understand. Someone commented, they were too young for Monty Python, and nearly got thrown out by popular vote.

    Have you and Michael managed to solve the squirrel problem or does Kenn at WormholeRiders News Agency have to dispatch Adria the Cat to help out. She was a little perplexed and then replied ooooooooooooh you mean the raccoon problem. Her own cats have made friends the the damned furry things, and they are the bane of her life. A fan had put a toy raccoon on the table, and Lexa proceeded to knock six bells out of the stuffed toy.

    Michael and her good friend J.R Bourne (Martouf in Stargate SG-1) have spent many an evening stalking the garden to no avail. The critters know when they are there, and as soon as the boys leave they come out laughing. We then spent the next few minutes talking about swear words, and the best way to discourage the younger generation on using them. Lexa really came through as a sensible mom, with some great idea’s on how to stop the bad language. There was a comment about how the encounter was going to sound if the rest of the interview was full of blaspheming language, so we changed the subject and carried on.

    Michael is coming up for his 4oth birthday; apparently he thought he wouldn’t reach 30. Lexa pointed out that theoretically he hadn’t. He is happy the Canucks are doing so well at the moment, but is worried they wont be able to maintain it. Lexa was asked if she watched T.V She replied that she wasn’t a great watcher, she prefers to read more, but is a lover of the “So You Think You Can Dance” series: the dancers are all so dedicated and in fantastic shape.

    She thought Stargate the Musical was a great idea: just imagine a line of dancing Goa’uld, and Peter Williams (Apophis) river dancing. When asked why she hadn’t been on twitter for a while she explained that it took her so long to answer people. She feels honour bound to answer as many as she can, and when she gets on she can be there for hours. She should just post and ignore the comments, but she just can’t do that.

    The last question asked caused the most hilarity. Somebody asked is they were hounded when they went about their daily activities. Fortunately, they are left alone most of the time, but when you don’t want to be recognised, that’s when you can guarantee somebody will know who you are.

    Her amusing account of one such encounter follows: Eight and a half months pregnant with Mia, Lexa came down with a yeast infection (very common in pregnancy I can confirm), Standing in the queue for a tube of Canestan, her doctor has recommended, a young shop assistant, calls out to her, aren’t you Rommie? He asks how he can help her, and she pauses weighing up whether to ask a young man for cream for a female complaint, as she could spend ages in the queue waiting or bite the bullet. So she asks for the Canestan, “whats that for” he enquires”, “a yeast infection” she replies quietly, “oh really is it on the face”, “umm no, do I look like I have an infection on my face”, “well we have to ask, is it for a skin infection”, Lexa sighs, by this time, tired and very pregnant is not the time to interrogate a woman, politeness and calmness has just left the building. “No” Lexa exclaims”, “its for an itchy vagina”. She is swiftly handed her cream!

    Now if you know Canadian stores, you pay for everything together, and as she also needed printer ink, decides to get everything in one go, and walks off in search of her ink. At the check out, the canestan will not price up, so the till man, apologises and calls out to his manager, what’s the price of canestan. By this time she wants to go hide, the manager doesn’t know so he shouts to the next in line, who responds, to wait a moment, then over the tannoy comes the announcement, can checkout 3 have a price check on a tube of canestan. Lexa walks through the door at home, and announces she is taking herself to bed, when Michael enquires why, she asks do you really want to know. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

    Many thanks to Lexa for letting me print this story, I did ask her permission, as it was of a personal nature, and she paused for a second, and gestured with her hand and replied “oh F**k it”, go ahead.

    The other event that was new to the ChevStargate Atlantis logoron weekend was the screening of an episode of Stargate Atlantis! It was impossible to write a report, but I will share with you a heads up on the concept as depicted in the images below.

     

    As the episode is being shown, David and Kavan did a running commentary along side it. This was very funny to listen to, as they would add their own views, or talk over the lines to create their own scenes. Poor Ronan Dex got quite few quips for his lack of lines, or one word replies, or that he was just in the scene to make it pretty. I hope the creators of the Chevron weekend include this in the next event, as it went down really well.

     

    We got to see some of the Uniforms and props from the shows. That was fun and interesting! 🙂

     

     

    This just about sums up the weekend for me and the events I was able to cover. I can not wait until the next Chevron event, especially since Mr. Richard Dean Anderson will be attending. I have purchased my ticket already!

    Click to visit and follow WormholeRiders News Agency on Twitter!I hope you have enjoyed my Chevron 7.5 news article. As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Please share this news article by clicking one of the social media icons below. You may also leave a comment here, or feel free to visit me on Twitter by clicking my avatar or text links below.

    Thank you.HonestHunny and her friend Jan

    Tracy (honesthunny)

  • Gate to the Sanctuary: Melbourne – An Experience Like No Other,The Taster!

    Even as I sit writing this, I wipe away the tears on my cheeks from the joyous comradeship of the weekend, and the pain of parting with old and with new friends. Even now, the newest of friends have made the familiar stamp on my heart, and the torn feelings of unashamed uproarious snorting, inappropriate jokes (GALORE), soul-touching anecdotes and overwhelmed tears gives a promise of even more exciting things to come!

    Click to visit The Hub Productions!Click to visit Culture Shock Events!

    Hub Productions‘ and Culture Shock‘s Gate to the Sanctuary is the first exclusively Stargate/Sanctuary event from the Aussie-based organising team. With two consecutive events taking place in Sydney and Melbourne, they brought four loved and admired guests closer to the hearts of Australian and Kiwi fans.

    It is a downside of living downunder, the expense and time of travelling so far makes it extremely difficult to host such admired and loved artists. This year, however, several hundred very lucky Stargate and Sanctuary fans managed to finally meet their some of their favourite actors and role models.

    Gate to the Sanctuary this year dual hosted by Culture Shock Events was host to four very special (in OH so many ways….) artists: Grand Empress of Scifi, mother and giver, Amanda Tapping; professional actor/crazy person, Robin Dunne; the wise and spiritual Carmen Argenziano; and the spontaneously quirky Chuck Campbell.

    Click to visit the Official Sanctuary site!Click to visit the Official MGM Stargate site!

    If you’re a fan, none of these incredible human beings need any introduction, and they each shared with Australia their unique energy. Considering the scope of the convention, the organisers (Hub Productions) had organisation down pat and wrapped up in the neat package of one day.

    The schedule was well planned, and thoughtful for both the fans and guests: Breakfast with the guests (Platinum pass holders), photograph opportunities followed by a series of panels, auctions, and concluding with the autograph sessions and cocktail party (for VIP and Platinum holders). All proceeds of Hub auctions go towards the Starlight Foundation, and items bidded on included an authenticated panel from the ‘Aurora’ ship (from the set of Stargate Atlantis), framed photos signed by almost the entire Stargate cast, and an original zat-gun in a case signed by Amanda Tapping.

    The zat gun, case to be signed by Amanda Tapping, and auctioned off for the Starlight FoundationPanel from the 'Aurora' of SGA, for auction!

    For me, it was a particularly sweet occasion: What’s better than visiting your beloved hometown and meeting (for the first time) your favourite actors and mentalists. And on top of this, mixing with the oldest of friends and newest of dorks. Words fail. I dare Shakespeare to attempt it!

    Cheeky nubbins, queuing for photographs!

    On arriving to registration queue outside the main doors of the Business Faculty, University of Melbourne, early last Sunday morning, I quickly skimmed around to see what the energy of the patiently waiting fans was like. It was pretty early in the morning (MichelleDaGreek and I had ended up catching a taxi to the city…IN MELBOURNE! BLASPHEMY, I KNOW!), so people weren’t very talkative (I’m on the national register for motormouths).

    And then I saw this guy in full SGA combat gear. Epic SGA combat gear. And this Rob-guy said “Hey come join us over here!!” So that was it! From there on in we blabbed to all and sundry, and everyone blabbed back. That’s how AMAZING Australian Scifi fans are. I’d forgotten how friendly a people we are. C’mon Kiwis, time to flash those teeth and wag those tongues…!

    Ticket ready and waiting!

    My ticket was ready and waiting, so I breezed through registration and made contact with the chief. It’s a pity we couldn’t catch upon the day, she was utterly swamped!

    All of the main action happened in the Spot basement theatre. It’s exactly that, a basement, so tweets were nigh impossible from down in Hollow Earth! So my apologies for the sporadic twitter updates. It wasn’t long before all the minions had torn themselves away from the pretty merchandise, and seated in what looked like a gigantic Repli-Carter cave. There’s no other way to describe it, though Robin Dunne called them teeth. I was waiting for a gooey Samantha Carter to emerge from the walls…any moment now…

    Repli-Carter theatre...we're all doomed!

    The Hub people are true Aussies; openly friendly, you can strike up a conversation with any of them (provided they’re not chasing an emergency!). As we were welcomed, it was straight into business, and while VIP and Platinum pass holders were called up first for their photo opportunities, we played celebrity heads Stargate-style (NO HE’S NOT A GOA’ULD. GOOD THING HE CAN’T HEAR YOU OR HE’LL SMITE YOUR FACE!), then watched the Season 1 pilot of Sanctuary in epic, cinema-scale! There’s nothing quite like watching Druitt looking into the barrel of a gun held by his former lover, on a screen that’s twice the size of your living room. Yes, you heard correctly! TWICE.THE.SIZE.

    Check out that baby....imagine Sanctuary or Stargate on THAT!

    So as row by row, we were called up for a massive cuddle and photo with the actors, Stargate SG1 was played on that gigantically epic screen. At some point Amanda came dashing down the stairs (she could hear it playing) with her handlers straggling in her wake as she cringed and facepalmed at seeing herself in ‘The Tok’ra’. As Amanda said later, she practically had a whole ten, no wait… fifteen (‘Okay, I’ll be serious!’) years of her life documented on camera. Olivia has some things to say about it. But more on that in the transcript!

    That's Rob! With...Martouf...!

    Let me just say a word or two about the attendees here. Oh, wow. My mind is blown. Like Amanda once said, as much as these conventions are about the guests, it is the fans who make them what they are. Sitting in the midst of the cheery, diverse crowd, I couldn’t believe it. EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON here…WAS A FAN! It’s a bit like what I imagine heaven to be. Finally, we can squee and debate and totally geek out, with pretty much every single person in the building. Utter paradise! It’s as if one can finally be oneself and stand tall, because you know that you have your own part to play in this family, and everyone shares in the humour, the laughter, the tears, the strangling hugs, and the outrageous dorkism. I arrived there with five friends, and came away with fifty. THAT is what Australian scifi fans are like. BEAUTIFUL.

    In the queue for photo with Amanda. Meeting her was nothing like what I’d expected. For all you people out there who respect this incredible woman, please take note: She may be generous, loving, talented, genuine, sincere and darn good-looking. But she is, above all, human. Don’t ever forget it. So walking up to her, big fat grin on my face, I said “I come bearing the love and hugs of EVERYONE *gestures* on your website!” Her face melted with an ‘AWWWWW’ as I was smooshed against her in a gigantic cuddle. “See you at AT5! “GREAT!!! :D”. One flashbulb later, I came away with an even fatter grin on my face, knees slightly wobbly, and ready to bring on whatever was in store!

    Unleash the dork...

    Whilst hanging out with a group of these wonderful fans, we heard Robin Dunne raucously yelling from the photography corner. On trotting curiously over, we found that Robin and Amanda were just hanging out..you know, chilling. She quickly kissed him on the cheek and padded away to sounds of ‘awwwwww’ while Robin stood there pointing emphatically at his other cheek. With a sigh, Amanda shuffled back to him, pecked his other cheek, and walked away to the sounds of his claps, bounces and squees of “SHE KISSED ME, SHE KISSED ME!!!”

    First up was the adorable Chuck Campbell Q&A panel. All of the panels were delightfully informal, the atmosphere throughout the whole day was relaxed and somewhat on the mental side. As most of you will know, Chuck Campbell has appeared semi-regularly on Stargate Atlantis, and recently on Sanctuary as two-face man (“I WANT TO EAT YOUR FACE!”), and he is as quirky and fun as he seems onscreen. Chuck told many hilarious anecdotes about working on SGA and Sanctuary.

    Click to visit PaganX on Twitter!

    Most awkward moment? He had an…um…an embarrassing man moment in the middle of shooting a scene. “Who was the scene with?!” someone in the audience yells. Chuck flicks his nose and replies, “well that’s the embrassing thing, it was with a guy!”. Said guy headed straight to his trailer afterwards, and wouldn’t speak to poor Chuck for the rest of the day. Ironically enough, Chuck got engaged this year! CONGRATULATIONS CHUCK!

    When asked about his funniest prank onset, Chuck thought for a moment, pensively staring up at the Repli-Carter ceiling. Amidst a barrage of grins and chuckles, he related a time he had secretly turned David Nykl’s (Dr. Radek Zelenka) SGA computer screensaver into an explicit photo of the male anatomy. When the screensaver loaded in the middle of filming a scene, David didn’t know what to do.

    As for Sanctuary, Chuck spoke a fair bit about working with Chris Heyerdahl. As fans well know, that revered actor is one of the best character artists in Canada, and an absolute gem. Sometimes, when in prosthetics for Biggie, he’d forget, and it was almost impossible to have a normal conversation with him for the enormous hair and flat nose staring you in the face. More than once, Ryan Robbin’s little daughter (who normally ADORED Chris) was too scared to go near him, until he started telling her about his new kitten and she relaxed somewhat!

    Click to visit PaganX on Twitter!

    Beef jerky? Apparently on a visit to his hometown In Nova Scotia, Chuck found a brand of it called ‘Sasquatch’, and the guy on the poster looked frightfully like Biggie. When he asked if he could buy the advertisement to take to set with him, the wary shopkeeper just told him to go home.

    Who would he like to play as himself if a movie were made about his life? “Colin Farrell! Have you seen ‘In Bruges’? FANTASTIC film!”. How would he feel about Chuck Norris playing him? “EVEN BETTER!”

    Chuck has nothing but the utmost respect for Amanda Tapping and Christopher Heyerdahl.

    The gentle and wise, Carmen Argenziano...

    Dear Carmen Argenziano is a Pandora’s Box of wisdom and graciousness. His entire panel had a spiritual zen about it, and his pride and adoration for his wife Eileen (who was sitting in the audience) was beautiful to behold. Carmen had many beautiful and personal memories about beloved Don S. Davis, and moved the audience almost to tears. He discussed much about working with Amanda Tapping in Stargate SG1, on developing their relationship as father and daughter, and he described her as a Meryl-Streep class actress: When she comes into a scene, she never takes the limelight. Instead, she challenges your reactions and tries to drag it out of you in the humble manner of a true artist. The relationship just sort of happened.

    Click to visit PaganX on Twitter!

    What character would he most like to play? Carmen stared thoughtfully at the back wall, and after a pause, pronounced “God!” Laughter!

    For Robin and Amanda’s panels, the transcripts are currently in progress!! There was too much gold and hysteria in every passing second with each of these fabulous people, so they deserve nothing but a full narrative. Robin Dunne had the audience in hysterics throughout his hour, dramatically re-enacting every anecdote he had to tell…including their trip to Tokyo, and the Holden MacPhillips saga. The first thing he warned on arrival was “I WARN YOU, this may become very x-rated!!” and then proceeded to vent his excitement and admiration for the beautiful city that is ‘Melbun’.

    YEAH!!

    After a somewhat failed Aussie impersonation, and many successful Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson and Russell Crowes, the questions began. In the last ten minutes of his panel, the organisers gave him a blank white teeshirt, on which audience members could volunteer to write or draw. The teeshirt was to be auctioned in favour of the Starlight Foundation.

    Oh the hysteria!Amanda's work...

    The first fan wrote “Sanctuary” across his chest. After a few more demure notes, Robin bawled “WHO WANTS TO MAKE THIS INAPPROPRIATE?!”. A Kiwi girl ran down the stairs, and knelt in front of him. When she came away, the front of his teeshirt read ‘GOT YOUR SANCTUARY RIGHT HERE vvvv’. Oh the hysterical laughter! As Robin stood there astonished and exclaiming “Well I warned you that I would get inappropriate, but YOU GUYS…!!!!”, there was a familiar yell from the back of the room: “I WANNA DRAW ON IT!!”. As everyone turned, Amanda Tapping came running down the stairs, giggling madly and steepling her fingers to the accompaniment of screaming cheers and laughter.

    Amanda crashed the party!

    A massive hug, some feeling up of deltoids, and many giggles later, Robins’ teeshirt had an extra ‘(keep going vvv)’ on the lower front, and ‘AND THIS IS MY BUM vvv’ on his lower back. “I’ve never felt like a piece of meat!” He bawled, and proceeded to strut his catwalk around the aisles with Amanda grinning massively under the enormous screen. “Modelling ith FUN!…..I’m too sexy for this shirt…”.

    The auction winner got to take his shirt off…the poor girl was so shy!

    Awkward!

    Robin: “I WILL NEVER FORGET MELBOURNE…NEVER!”

    As Amanda had crashed his panel, she was told to sit down and wait for her film reel to be played. After a second of flopping in a corner seat, she spun around clapping and bouncing excitedly and cried “I wonder who’s next?! I’M SO EXCITED!!! 😀 :D” Laughter!

    Click to visit PaganX on Twitter!Click to visit PaganX on Twitter!

    Amanda’s panel began with a passionate talk about Sanctuary for Kids support of the Nepal Orphan’s Home, which moved thClick to learn and donate to Nepal Orphan’s Home!e very ground beneath our feet, before heading into Question time. I will leave it entirely to the transcript for you to see what the experience was like. Ever question asked was thoughtful, intelligent and Amanda’s humble and eloquently dorky answers made the entire panel absolutely soul-touching, moving, hysterically funny and an experience all in itself! Amanda Tapping ‘Owns her Dork!’, and I have never laughed, nor cried as much as I did that day!

    Always passionate!

    It’s an incredible experience. When you ask Amanda a question, she wholly absorbs herself in you, and her reply is always from the bottom of her heart. She does not stare at the floor, nor around the room in general, but directs her answer straight at you as if it were a heart to heart discussion on the topic at hand. I was lucky enough to ask the very last question in her panel, before she was dressed with a white teeshirt, and the hilarity began. I wanted to go down and write ‘CHECK OUT MY NUBBINS ^^^’ But thought better of it.

    "I think we should all wear our hearts on the outside"

    Amanda grabbed the pen herself, and tried to write on her own chest while someone held the mic up to her, and she started pulling faces with “GRNNGHGHREEEEEEERRRRRRR”. She ended up drawing a huge heart over her own, “because I think we should all wear our hearts on the outside” and proceeded to tell about the necklace she had given her dear friend, Cynthia Semon, and how Olivia had started to love painting hearts. Amanda took off her teeshirt and wrote her own inspirational quote on the front: Live Peacefully, Speak Kindness, Dwell in Possibility.

    "HERE WE GO!""MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA"

    True to form, Robin Dunne returned the gate-crashing favour splendiferously, to much laughter and roaring!

    "BRING IT"CHECK OUT MY NUBBINS

    He rubbed Amanda’s shoulders until her knees buckled and began writing on her back. Amanda stood nervously with a ridiculously goofy grin on her face, and when Robin turned her to face him, her back read ‘MAGNUS IS HOT!!!’ at which the audience exploded into laughter and cheers. Robin flipped Amanda around to face the back, and as he began signing her shoulder, she threw her hair back seductively and assumed a pin-up pose…after which he wobbled away squeezing his legs together awkwardly, squeaking out: “Okay…I’m…gonna go now!”.

    Nooooooooooooooooooo!OH DEAR GOD

    Then the bidding began! At $450, a guy near the front cried out “ONE THOUSAND”, and Amanda flipped up her head and stared at him like he was some sort of crazy person. Needless to say, the guy won the bidding, and was given the chance to take her shirt off. Oh the hysteria! As he nervously tried to grasp the bottom of her teeshirt, Amanda grabbed his wrist and coyly tried to drag him into a dark corner of the room. The teeshirt came off without too much inappropriateness, and after a massive hug of gratitude, Amanda wobbled around fanning her face and giggling. I have never. Laughed. So much. In my life!

    Oh my...!

    Magnus is HOT!

    After a cacophonic standing ovation complete with cheers, screams and applause, Amanda Tapping was whisked away upstairs for the lengthy autograph process. As every single person queued up for an Amanda autograph, she was signing for a solid two hours. That woman has stamina! I tried to pick a slightly more dorky or relaxed photo of Robin. I said to him “You look so relaxed, utterly fabulouth”, “It is rather!”

    I then thanked him for coming so far, as it’s rare that we have the opportunity, down here in the basin of the world, to meet these incredibly wonderful people. I managed to have a wee heart to heart talk with Amanda during the session, and then it was all over. We couldn’t believe it. The day seemed full, yet when it was over …it felt so painfully short.

    Melbourne from Princes Bridge, looking down past Southbank...at the end of long and memorable day...

    I had completely underestimated Gate to the Sanctuary, a mistake never to be made again. All of we who attended are still swamped in the experience that was December 12th, every moment of hysterical laughter and moved hearts is stamped in our minds and souls for many years to come.

    Even now, we are still swimming in the memories and emotion of this last epic weekend, and it’s impossible to drag ourselves away. Every moment is reliving itself in our hearts and minds. From the rare chance to meet such phenomenal guests, to the warmhearted love of all the fans who were there…and an ENORMOUS bouquet of gratitude toWormholeRiders. Click to visit & follow WHR on Twitter! Hub Productions for making such a precious experience possible! I feel blessed to have been a part of it.

    Stay tuned for transcripts on Amanda and Robin’s INCREDIBLE panels. Buckle up, it’s a wild ride!

    A massive, UBER, HUGE thank-you to the wonderful PaganX, MichelleDaGreek and abydos71 for donating some of their priceless photography skills!

    Thanks for popping by WormholeRiders New Agency and reading! If you have any comments, please feel free to contribute below, or you can visit me on Twitter by clicking my avatar at the right.

    CHEERIO! Click to visit and follow JandyraCJM on Twitter!

    JandyraCJM


  • Stargate Universe Intervention:  Recap and Exposition

    Stargate Universe Intervention: Recap and Exposition

    Welcome back Stargate Universe fans!

    The long weeks of waiting and wanting were finally over. As a prelude for the occasion, fans on Twitter began putting SGU into famous movie lines. The excitement was palpable for those of us in the United States, while our international friends began feeling like the SGU stepchild, having to wait until later in the week or even into next week before they would view the show, trying to avoid Twitter to avoid spoilers. I can only imagine the suffering. Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would have been majorly depressed.

    syfy-logo-c2

    Click to visit NBC Universal Studios

    Syfy Connect held a simultaneous chat with David Blue, our beloved Eli Wallace, and people were quite respectful not to post spoilers. David Blue, as always, was amazingly generous to the fans and answered as many questions as he possibly could, which included questions about Stargate Universe, his other roles, his opinions, and his likes and dislikes. If you missed out you can read the transcript here at Syfy. Click to visit Stargate on MGM Dot Com!

    You may also desire to visit SGU on MGM Studios website for a plethora of Stargate Universe interviews and fun detailed information! We also have an interview courtesy MGM Studios with David Blue here on WHR in case you may have missed it.

    Please note that this recap is full of spoilers so if you do not want to read any, please come back another time. I thank you, as always, for taking time to reading this. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. It is more lengthy than usual because of this personal experience I wished to share.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    The Recap

    When we last left Destiny, Eli was running to save Scott (Brian J. Smith) and Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) who were last seen running on the hull to an airlock to escape the next pulsar radiation wave. Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) and the military personnel with him were about to be shot. There was a shoot-out in the infirmary that left some dead and many wounded, including TJ (Alaina Huffman) and her baby. Having been shot and bleeding out, Chloe (Elyse Levesque) was on death’s door. Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Brody (Peter Kelamis) went off to escape capture by the Lucian Alliance to give the Destiny crew another chance to take back the ship. A schism begins in the Lucian Alliance camp between Varro (Mike Dopud) and Dannic (Ian Butcher). Kiva (Rhona Mitra) and Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) shot each other. Drs. Volker (Patrick Gilmore) and Park (Jennifer Spence) were put into the civilian room. Lt. James (Julia Benson) and Pvt. Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) were also captured. The destiny of the crew appeared uncertain.

    As episode 1 of season 2 opens, TJ wakes to a warm cabin and is reunited with Dr. Caine (Tygh Runyan) who was last seen on the planet in the season 1 episode “Faith.” She gets to meet and hold her baby.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Just when it seemed that Scott and Greer had missed their date with the airlock, Scott radios the group that he went to plan B when it was obvious they were not going to make it. Varro tries to save the lives of the Destiny crew by intervening with Dannic, especially after Young goes ballistic upon hearing the TJ was injured, and suggests using the communication stones with some of the Destiny crew to get qualified doctors on board to treat the wounded.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    An apparently healed Chloe walks into the airlock where Scott and Greer have joined Eli. TJ learns what happened to the crew left behind on the “Faith” planet and that the aliens from that planet brought her to this cabin to save her and the baby’s lives. Unable to save Kiva, Dr. Brightman (Alisen Down) informs Varro.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Scott and Greer go on a Kino recon mission of the enemy.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Eli, Chloe, Brody and Rush reunite and Rush has a plan. The only way to stop the ship jumping and to level the playing field was to manipulate the shields and force the Lucian Alliance into surrender.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Meanwhile, Varro tries to convince Dannic to just deposit the crew on a habitable planet as was originally planned. On the “Faith” planet, Dr. Caine shows TJ this beautiful nebula that appeared and asked if she understood the significance.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Telford wakes up and gets caught up on the situation. Simeon (Robert Knepper) is suspicious of the circumstances of Telford and Kiva being shot.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Most of the Destiny crew are sent through the gate to the planet, except for Rush, Brody, Eli, Scott, Greer, TJ and the crew whose bodies are being used with the communication stones for the doctors, Dr. Volker and Camile (Ming-Na), as well as two newly named characters, Kemp and Rider.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    The Lucian Alliance finds Rush, Brody, Chloe and Eli. Dannic orders them to kill everyone except Rush, but Greer and Scott save the group. Lt. James has found shelter for the group on the planet as a storm moves in. There is a power struggle between Dannic and Varro, and in the end, Varro and those loyal to him were sent to the planet. Scott and Greer get to the infirmary and find out that TJ’s baby died. Dr. Caine informs TJ that the baby can stay, but she has to go back to the ship. Brody seals in the group in hydroponics to protect them from the next pulsar flare that is anticipated to kill everyone outside that room, thus allowing them to retake the ship. Scott orders them to seal the door, knowing that their lives will be sacrificed.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    TJ rushes back to her baby in the cabin, refusing to be separated from her. The group on the planet shelter in a series of caves, but James is still struck by an intense lightning bolt.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    The Lucian Alliance finds the hydroponics area, and orders the group to blow the door. Telford pleads to save Rush. Ginn (Julie McNiven) says it won’t matter because they only have 5 minutes. Rush orders Dannic to surrender. Dannic believes Rush is bluffing, but Telford reinforces that he is not. When Dannic goes to kill Telford, Ginn shoots him and offers their surrender.

    TJ gives her baby a name: Carmen, after her mother. Dr. Caine tells TJ that if she shares what she experienced, no one will understand because they saw events differently. He shares that out on the edge of the universe who you are and what you believe are everything and with that TJ leaves the planet. She wakes up in the infirmary where Camile tells her the baby died. Everyone from the planet comes back to the ship, the Lucian Alliance members being separated as they embark.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Scott tells Young about TJ. He goes to the infirmary and holds her hand.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    A video montage to the song by Mumford and Sons “After the Storm” plays as the crew settles back in. It is interrupted by Destiny coming out of FTL. TJ gets up and goes to the observation room where she sees the nebula she saw on the planet. Hopefully she saw what I saw in the nebula.

    Click to follow SGU on Syfy

    Exposition

    A warm welcome to two new production members: Executive Consultant, Remi Aubuchon, and Supervising Producer, Linda McGibney. The main writer was Paul Mullie, although as Joe Mallozzi points out on his blog, it is a group effort. And the Primetime-Emmy-nominated Mark Savela and team gave us some wondrous visual effects, my favorite the nebula because there is something special in that nebula if you look closely enough (more on that later).  Andy Mikita never disappoints as a director and there were many new camera angles used in this episode that we have never seen before.

    Disclaimer: WHR supports each person’s right to believe in a faith of their own choosing or for those who do not believe and their right to choose not to believe. WHR is neither comparing nor stating one is “better than the others.” Our only editorial purpose is to analyze the potential religious elements that are represented in this Stargate Universe episode.

    The one-word title described exactly what was happened in this episode: Interventions. Varro intervened on behalf of the Destiny crew to minimize casualties. Rush intervened when Young could not make the tough decisions because of personal emotions. The aliens intervened on behalf of the Destiny crew. Perhaps Young said a prayer asking for help (the look up he gave at the end of the last episode). Perhaps the aliens implanted the idea in Scott to look for shelter on the underside of the Destiny to save his life and Greer. They healed Chloe. They brought TJ and her baby to a place where both their lives could be saved. We also had the SG medical personnel intervening to save lives of both the Lucian Alliance and the Destiny crew. Lt. James was hit by an intense lightning bolt but sustained no injury from it.

    Before I get to the TJ storyline that deeply touched my soul because it practically mirrored my experience, let me comment on the rest of the story.

    Throughout season 1 and now into season 2, we have seen Colonel Young evolve from this stoic, even-tempered commander to someone on the edge whose personal emotions cloud his command decisions. From the previews we got on the Syfy, it looks like he continues into the downward spiral for quite awhile. He will have to grieve the death of his child. Telford has to pretend to still be part of the Lucian Alliance. Camile is not quite ready for that leadership position. That places Rush at the head of the pack, especially after his decisions led to the successful return of Destiny to the SG crew.

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    Lt. Scott has had enormous personal growth since the beginning of season 1. Although he was always putting himself in harm’s way and performing heroic acts, I got the sense he was unsure of himself as a leader. In “Intervention” we see him making command and tactical decisions with great confidence. If it is as Dr. Caine told TJ that who they are and what they believe matters this far out here, with the great faith Scott has in God, I believe the aliens communicated this new idea to him on how to save their lives subconsciously, just as Dr. Caine and the group were told by these same aliens that TJ and the baby were coming.

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    Since season 1, Chloe has found a home on Destiny, acceptance of who she is, and not for things that her friendship can bring because of her father. She did not flinch when faced with a gun pointed at her, but hey, when you’ve been probed by aliens, I guess a gun is not so scary. I have a theory for her miraculous recovery (discussed below). Is it just me, or does her hair look darker?

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    Eli got to play the hero by taking care of Chloe and running to save Scott and Greer. “Just another day in outer space” will get a lot of playtime. I wonder if this is a new running gag they have embedded. Eli has to stop opening doors and getting the unexpected. In “Divided” he was greeted by a fellow crew member with a gun to which he said, “Irony.” Then in “Incursion”, he opened a door after being distracted by Chloe that was venting atmosphere. “Intervention” he went to the opening door expecting Greer and Scott, but got the Lucian Alliance instead. David Blue plays so well the “regular” guy. I love the subtle touches of his acting when he scrunches up when facing execution. I could see myself doing the exact same thing.

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    Jamil is displaying some excellent fighting skills. The quick-action take-down of the enemy, choreographed by none other than James “BamBam” Bamford and his team, reminds me of the “Bourne Identity” films, which according to a documentary is accurate on the training of real agents. I am not sure which my favorite is: GI Greer taking down the enemy or Smiling Greer. Look at those biceps!

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    I sobbed along with Ming-Na as she grieved over the death of the baby. Her performance was real, as if she were standing beside me giving me the same news (and not too far from my own reality). I thank her for the lovely performance.

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    Eli’s future girlfriend, Ginn, was a pleasant surprise. When one thinks of the Lucian Alliance, the images you conjure up are thugs, not scientists. I was startled when Dannic grabbed her by the throat and equally shocked when, in the end, she shot him to end the standoff. I send Julie McNiven a warm welcome to Stargate Universe fandom and am looking forward to her being weaved into the Destiny crew.

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    It is no secret that I am a big fan of Mike Dopud and I make no apologies for it!  He has been in SG-1, Atlantis and now SGU. His Atlantis performance solidified my fan-girl state. Varro has a past, and I believe we are going to find out that perhaps he had a wife and child who maybe died, which is why he was drawn to TJ and his need to protect her, especially after she saved his life. Having seen the previews, I am 10000% in favor of a relationship between TJ and Varro. Alaina and Mike look great together on screen. Varro was both peacemaker and warrior in tonight’s episode. There was one thing missing from SGU and that was our big guys. In SG-1, we had Teal’c; in Atlantis, we had Ronon. Now in SGU, we have Varro.  Yes we can have a sensitive bad-ass!

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    Dr. Brody looked like he needed a drink from his still after all the events that took place, but one could not help but notice the long pause that occurred at the end of the episode when Dr. Volker asked him if they were safe from radiation when they dropped out of FTL. Was he just bracing himself for yet another event, or did he see something on his screen?

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    I had wondered what happened to Lt. James since she was captured and then disappeared in the final sequences of Incursion with the military group. She had been rounded up with Becker, who we saw in the final scene, but I looked and she was not there. So either there was a scheduling conflict for that shot, a flick flub, or they had more military in another place (but I doubt that). She helps find the safe place for shelter on the planet. I have worked for a cardiologist before and we used to have several patients who had permanent heart arrhythmias from lightning strikes (usually via telephone, so that is no myth). She gets hit by this powerful lightning bolt in the cave, smoke from it can be scene, yet she is not hurt. Divine intervention (i.e., in this case the aliens) played a role. It is nice to see Lt. James becoming comfortable as a team leader, deftly crafted by Julia Benson, Leo Award Winner, for her role in last year’s episode, “Pain.”

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    We did not get to see much of Dr. Volker or Dr. Park, but this episode was so jammed packed, I’m sure we will be enjoying more of their exploits in the future. A Brody-Volker-Park love triangle would certainly be fun to explore.

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    Dr. Caine is back and seems to be more monk than scientist. After reading his Q&A on Joe Mallozzi’s blog, Tygh Runyan also has a very interesting personal life and I believe drew from his experiences for this role. I think his hair has gotten darker, too.

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    I continue to enjoy Riley’s (Haig Sutherland) humor. He is sounding less like Eeyore and more like a pseudo-optimist. Glad he made it into season 2 as did Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman).

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    We all need to keep our eyes on Simeon. Robert Knepper excels at playing a bad guy, having enjoyed his performances in Transporter 3, Hitman, and Heroes. Although there was a schism with Dannic and Varro, I believe there is another brewing between Simeon and Varro in upcoming episodes.

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    He seems to have a good relationship with Telford, who is still playing the part of being with the Lucian Alliance. It would be wise for the Destiny crew to continue Telford in that role to keep an eye on their new detainees.

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    The portion of this episode that spoke to me the most was the storyline about TJ and the baby. Alaina Huffman was brilliant in this episode and I hope she is nominated for an award for her heart wrenching performance.

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    Although our universe was created with the big bang, the question of the involvement of “God” has neither been proven nor disproven. I believe that when there are things we just cannot understand yet, we have to give them a certain name or term for our minds to be capable of understanding. For example, the Bible says the world was created in 6 days, but one must think about the time period in which that part of scripture was written. No one of that time period could grab a concept of a billion or trillion years. For them, they understood what “a day” was.

    My faith allows for evolution, but believes that the soul is eternal, thus given to us by “God.” People imagine God as being a man with a beard in the simplest terms. If one believes that God is an intelligent energy, then the Big Bang Theory and God might not conflict at all. But what if there is a group of beings who have been here a long, long time, who in the case of the planet “Faith” could create a solar system that was perfect to sustain the people on Destiny if they chose to remain, would they not seem like Gods to us? Perhaps these beings are on a higher plane of ascension than the Ancients, where intervention is allowed in certain cases?


    Many fans found it frustrating that the Ancients in SG-1 and Atlantis had a noninterference policy. We saw the Ori develop, a group whose power was fed by those who worshipped them, but this is an area yet to be explored. Can there be some entity out there like the Ancients who have an interference policy with regards to those who are pure of heart, those who have faith in something greater than themselves?

    I would like to share something deeply personal with you; some might think I’m off my rocker, but it was very real to me. Conception for me was going to be a difficult. My baby died in my second trimester in August of 1993. When we found out he was a boy on the autopsy, we gave him the name Matthew Joseph. Matthew means God’s gift and he certainly was to us, regardless of the loss. In May of 1994, I was traveling for work when I had a vivid, intense dream that was as real as my life. In this dream, I discovered my baby was alive (the hospital had made a mistake). There were all these locked doors to get to him and panic overwhelmed me, but I eventually got past all the barriers. I picked him up and he was about the age he would have been had he been born at his due date.

    Holding him close, I rocked him back and forth, tears streaming from my eyes, telling him over and over again, “I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were alive. If I did, I would have come for you.” I actually felt like I was holding him, something I did not get to do because the medical personnel felt it would be too traumatic for me to see his remains. In my dream, I could even smell him. This went on for quite awhile. When I pulled him away from my chest, he said, “Mommy, I’m so glad you came.” I said to him, “Of course I would come. I would always come for you.” Mind you, no words were coming out of his mouth because he was a baby, but that was the message being translated to my mind as I lay sleeping.

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    They say that when you are in a dream state, you are more open to visits from the other side, for those who do believe in an afterlife.

    I could have woken up and felt that it was a curse, but it was such a healing event for me. I was given a blessing. It didn’t matter how it happened, if it was God, or some part of my subconscious, but for a brief period of time I got to hold my child and know what that felt like.

    After that point, I would get cute little reminders that his presence was around. I have a pose of Patrick that is an exact copy of how Matthew was in my dream. It is eerie. Several people would say Matthew instead of Patrick, not knowing the name of my first child. They would all say, too, “I don’t know why I said that, I don’t have any patients named Matthew” or “I don’t know any Matthews.” I would just chuckle. When a friend’s husband was dying, the last thing I said to him before he lost touch with reality was when he reached the other side, if he saw my son, to tell him his mother was looking for him. About 2 months later, not knowing his condition had deteriorated, I was typing one evening and I felt this familiar energy embrace me and whirl around me that started at my feet and moved to my head and then left. I woke up Jeff and I said, “Tom died.” Two days later, I found out he indeed had died and I asked his wife about what time it was.

    The visitation I received was about 45 minutes after he passed. I told her the story and added, “I could just envision Tom saying, in his thick New York accent: Hey, your mother is looking for you!” At the worst moments of my life, I felt his presence. I got to “see” him again when my golden retriever died. As I lay there with my eyes closed, petting Sam’s coat, saying my goodbyes, the repetitive motion put me into what I think was some sort of meditative state. I saw a figure of a young boy and my sweet dog, Sam. Sam saw me and did his funny butt wiggle and barked at me, with his tail in full wag. I said to Jeff, “Sam is with Matthew.” Jeff exclaimed, “OF COURSE he is!” I said, “No, you don’t understand. I can SEE THEM!” The mist started to dim, and as it did, Sam got his last bark in, and Matthew put up his hand to say goodbye, my hand mirroring his. He was no longer a baby, but about the age he would have been had he’d been born.

    This is not the only connection I’ve made. After my mother and father passed, I had similar healing-type dreams where I felt I got an opportunity to talk to them on this other plane of existence.

    So here I was sitting, watching a mirror experience of my life being performed on Stargate Universe, reliving that part of my life. On the Destiny, I am certain Carmen’s body remains, yet she exists in this other state. Are the people on the Faith planet dead now, just remaining alive in this alternate plane of existence? I think so, but time will tell. The ending scene of the nebula was breath-taking. If you look hard enough, you can see an image in there. Look past my horrid art work in tracing the outline. I see a mother cradling her baby.

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    WormholeRiders. Click to visit & follow WHR on Twitter!Or perhaps I am just seeing what I want to believe.

    Click to visit Hilda (PBMom) on Twitter!You can leave a message below or contact me on Twitter (click on image below) or Facebook. Let me know what you think?

    Let’s have a conversation about the episode.

    See you next time, Hilda (PBMom)

     

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