3.1. Stargate SG-1 Series 3: Part One
Synopsis
A shooting in the heart of Stargate Command is only the beginning for Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran.
Suddenly it’s friend against friend, none of their allies can be relied upon and they’re the universe’s only hope to foil the latest scheme concocted by the last System Lord, Ba’al.
Will Daniel, Vala and a few of Vala’s less than savoury friends be enough to stop a conspiracy that reaches deep into the heart of Stargate Command and threatens to destroy everything they’ve spent years building?
This one audiobook has three audios inside. They are as follows:
3.1 Half Life by James Swallow
Daniel Jackson is in custody for a crime and no one believes he is innocent – because Stargate Command has absolute proof of his guilt.
Luckily, one person is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Unluckily, that person is Vala Mal Doran, reformed thief and least trustworthy member of team SG-1.
Can she clear Daniel’s name and help him discover what’s really going on?
3.2 An Eye for an Eye by Sally Malcolm
A visit from Vala’s 'friend' Keto results in the Sun Tzu, Daniel and Vala being sent to investigate a rapidly disintegrating ship.
Once there, they discover evidence of Ba’al’s experiments – but they’re not prepared for what else he’s left behind.
It’s a case of nature or nurture – but will Daniel and Vala make a decision that will save the Sun Tzu or condemn all on board to death?
3.3 Infiltration by Steve Lyons
Having discovered that Ba’al has placed a clone infiltrator close to one of his old friends, Daniel accompanies the Sun Tzu to warn him of the imminent danger the clone poses.
Meanwhile, Vala enlists the aid of some of her former ‘associates’ to track down Ba’al and bring him to justice. But can she trust any of them to complete the mission without betraying her for their own ends?
Written By: James Swallow, Sally Malcolm, Steve Lyons
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman and Jason Haigh-Ellery
Cast
Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson), Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran), Cliff Simon (Ba’al), John Schwab (Major Hunter), Andrew Collins (Keto), Stephen Hogan (Olssen), Susan Franklyn (Rix), Alex Mallinson (Airman/Robot/Jaffa), Paul Hyu (Lt Colonel Yin), Andrew Whipp (Zoder), Regina Reagan (Wellan), Anna Tolputt (La’rath), John Banks (Korek)
Behind the Scenes
CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT:
During Season 10.
REOPENING THE GATE
Paul Spragg introduces the third season of Stargate adventures, featuring the return of Michael Shanks and Claudia Black as Daniel and Vala – and they’re once more taking on Ba’al…
It was David Richardson who first got me into Stargate. Way back in the distant past, he was editing Xposé magazine and needed someone to review Stargate SG-1 – then about to begin its third season – so he asked me. Having heard good things about the show, I agreed to take it on, albeit aware that I hadn’t yet seen a single episode. Being a dedicated reviewer who wanted to be sure he knew what he was talking about, I set about watching videos of the forty-four episodes I’d missed, and in short order I was caught up – and utterly hooked. It’s addictive you see, Stargate. Some of its early episodes are a little wobbly as everyone finds their feet and the show’s direction is established, but when it gels, a few episodes into its first season, it gels like very few TV shows ever have and you just can’t stop watching. It’s got one of the most endearing ensemble casts on TV. It’s got a massive, universe-spanning concept at its heart yet stays down to earth. It perfectly blends action, drama and comedy. It features a group of very real, very fallible humans going from planet to planet and trying to work out where – and indeed how – the human race can stand alongside a galaxy of alien races. And overall, it’s just so much fun.
I didn’t want to lose any of these elements for the third series of audio adventures, but it’s a lot to ask any writer to cram in. First, the basic requirements were laid down: the third series, after much demand, was to be full cast. Not featuring the entire SG-1 or Atlantis team (which might have bankrupted us before we’d started!), but featuring a full cast of speaking parts, not just two people. Our two stars would be Michael Shanks and Claudia Black, returning as Dr Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran. Their chemistry in both Stargate SG-1 and our series one audio Shell Game was fantastic, and it was a no-brainer to once more pair them up. They also open up such a wide range of possibilities: with Daniel you can go to town on the archaeological and historical side of things which underpins the entire Stargate series, and with Vala you’ve got an outsider looking in on Stargate Command commenting on its faults, and a wild card who you’re never quite sure you can trust to do the right thing. It’s an unlikely yet hugely rewarding pairing. Then, at a US convention, executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery and I were introduced to Cliff Simon, who said he’d love to be involved in the Stargate audios. And if you want a villain for a series, who better than Ba’al, the last of the Goa’uld System Lords, the aliens who set themselves up as gods and who SG-1 took great delight in beating from one end of the cosmos to the other.
All of this was presented to script editor Jim Swallow, who assembled a team of writers, some who’d written Stargate audios before (himself, Sally Malcolm, Sharon Gosling) and others who were newcomers to the range (Stargate book author Peter J Evans, Richard Dinnick and Steve Lyons). There was early consideration of doing a six-part story, but I felt that as nothing had lasted longer than three episodes on TV, we shouldn’t be stretching something out that long lest the story dragged and we pushed the limits of our audience’s patience. So two trilogies were conceived, but each story had to be self-contained so it could be enjoyed on its own. There’d be an overall arc, but you wouldn’t get confused coming in part-way through.
It was decided to do the preparation US writer’s room style. Renting a room in what appeared to be the dark and sinister basement of a London hotel, all the writers and I (minus Steve Lyons, who wasn’t available) got together to ‘break’ the stories. Thanks to a convention slightly beforehand, Jim and Sally Malcolm had had the chance to brainstorm a few ideas and put them in front of the group to be accepted or rejected. It was a vital meeting. Overall arcs were planned for both trilogies, writers were assigned to each part and outlines were created to provide a beginning, middle and end to work towards. I had a few stipulations to throw in: I wanted this series of Stargate to be big. Enormous. On audio you can have as many battles, as many spaceships, as many armies, as many cavernous, echoing locales as you like and you won’t break the bank. But, above all, I wanted the fun. I’m of the opinion that any series is improved by humour as it’s often a natural human reaction to even the darkest of circumstances, and Stargate, in no small part thanks to Richard Dean Anderson’s portrayal of Jack O’Neill, has spent most of its life with its tongue at least partly in its cheek. It’s all very well doing gritty drama, but no one is solely humourless and determined all of the time, and if moments before someone has been joking around, it helps make dramatic moments more powerful.
For the first trilogy, we already had our nemesis lined up: Ba’al. Ba’al’s big thing in the TV series was cloning, particularly creating versions of himself, so SG-1 kept thinking they’d ended his threat, only for him to pop up again a few episodes down the line. Knowing fans would expect cloning to feature in the stories once Ba’al’s name cropped up, the trick was to find a new angle and explore some different areas, which have enabled us to give more depth to Ba’al, keep listeners on their toes and hopefully spring a surprise or two along the way. It also creates a way to separate Daniel and Vala from their colleagues when they find they can no longer trust any of the people around them and have to operate outside the borders of the SGC to fight back.
Sally was keen to link back to her previous story Gift of the Gods and I liked the idea of the audio adventures having an internal continuity, so a quick note to actor John Schwab and Lt Hunter was back. As a special thank you, he was given a promotion to Major and became the voice of the SGC on the Chinese ship Sun Tzu, allowing the opportunity to play with his ‘fish out of water’ status a bit.
The recording sessions were complicated to organise, and not just because of taking actors’ hectic schedules into account. Claudia Black and Cliff Simon were directed in Los Angeles by Jason Haigh-Ellery, where Andrew Collins, taking on any other roles required, was so good playing Keto that he was given the role on the spot. Back in the UK, the supporting cast gathered over several days, with a selection of American and British actors helping to fill out Stargate Command and the Sun Tzu, which had caused some concern with its abundance of Chinese characters. We didn’t want to insist people put on a Chinese accent and run the risk of it sounding terrible, so director Lisa Bowerman quickly suggested asking actual Chinese actor Paul Hyu if he’d be happy to play the part of Colonel Yin. In studio, he was then able to offer better readings of lines and give pronunciations of some of the Chinese words and sayings that appear in the script from time to time.
Then it was Michael Shanks’ turn. Without a local actor and director to turn to out in Vancouver, it was decided to link up the UK and Canada so that Michael could be directed from London and recorded in Vancouver, with John Banks coming in to read other parts alongside the ones he’d already been playing in the stories. It was a difficult process, with Skype turning out to be the most effective way of linking the two studios and reducing to almost zero the satellite delay that can slow things down and spoil the energy of a scene. Michael slipped back into character effortlessly, and John Banks helped enormously by changing voices and accents to differentiate characters.
It’s been quite the epic undertaking bringing this series of Stargate to your ears, but I’m delighted with the finished result. Huge thanks to all the people who’ve given a massive amount of time to making it all work. The writers, who infused their stories with such imagination, excitement and love for Stargate. The stars of the show, who’ve provided energy and enthusiasm about returning to their characters; the supporting actors who helped realise a fully populated world; Jason Haigh-Ellery for directing out in Los Angeles and Lisa Bowerman for directing at unlikely times of the day in the UK and making sure everything sounds as good as possible in post-production. Studio engineers Richard Dolmat, James Barth and Toby Hrycek-Robinson – especially Toby for supplying his usual incredible food and creating full cooked meals for those of us in studio late at night. Robbie Dunlop for piecing together a vast amount of dialogue from different studios and different countries, Steve Foxon for adding some gorgeous music, and Jamie Robertson for his beautiful theme tune. It’s been a tough series to pull together, but I think it’s well worth the wait.
Work is just getting underway on the second trilogy, featuring none other than the SGC’s frequent alien allies the Asgard, and we’ve got a few little twists and shocks coming up with them as well. I can’t wait to hear the edits and have Thor (once more played by Michael Shanks, who has a soft spot for the little grey guy) and company back in action once again. But more on that in a future issue of our free magazine Vortex…
Replies
Thank you I was missing a couple of these.
You're welcome, Codepop. I like the newest one with Cliff Simon (Ba'al). He's the best bad-guy SG-1 has ever had. (Julian Sands wasn't bad either. Wish they could get him to do a recording).
Could u tell me if there is planned a season 4 or that the series will be dropped?
I'm not sure what you're asking Robert. Stargate SG-1 went into 10 seasons. Atlantis went into 5 seasons. Stargate Universe was canceled after 2. The audiobooks will most likely continue on into infinity as long as Michael Shanks, Claudia Black and any of the other original actors contribute every now and then. Big Finish will probably do the same with the Stargate series that they are doing with Dark Shadows....which is, captivate the fans with audios that include the original actors when they can and when they are not available, fill in the stories with other great audio actors/voices.
If you're asking about the audios themselves, there doesn't appear to be a 4.0 in the works but that doesn't mean there won't be one. The audios are huge and take a lot of work and getting the original actors on board takes some time, especially since they just came out with a new Stargate SG-1 game and used most of all the original actors on that. I am guessing there will be a 4.0 to follow but it may not be this year. The Big Finish site updates the shows as they get details so you can also check the site every 6 months to see.
Is that what you are asking?
Jamie Thank You. I was scared they were leave the audiobooks as MGM left the Stargate series. What you suggested will take place: Take timeout for 2 years then try again. Now I had grew up with Dark Shadows, and amazed how it can continue in audiobooks after 42 years being off the air. I hope when Stargate gets going again, Fans give the same loyalty as they do with Dark Shadows.
Well, thankfully, MGM and Big Finish are two separate entities. Big Finish Productions is pretty smart about capitalizing on what fans love. They also do the Sherlock Holmes, Highlander and Dr. Who series (amongst many others plus all the spinoffs).
There are thousands of loyal Stargate fans, just as there were Star Trek fans and Dark Shadows fans. Stargate fans are so loyal to the original Stargate SG-1 shows that they are primarily responsible for getting Stargate Universe canceled (so says the writers Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner.) It seems they really waded into murky waters with their writing (and in my opinion not very intelligent or original shows) and the fans got really angry. I think it was like expecting Santa to bring you presents and all you got was coal in your stockings. :)
Even the stars of SG-1 were shocked in the 10th season when they suddenly announced they were on their last episode. If MGM were smart, they'd put a few more movies in the works. I'm sure all the originals would sign on. Movies aren't the same as a TV series where the actors have to get up at 4am every day for months on end. It's been a long time since the last SG-1 movie. We're all ready for another one.
Like Dark Shadows, as time goes on, the demand will be even greater. If the actors aren't on other projects, I suspect they will do much like the Star Trek and Dark Shadows actors and ride the movie franchise train for all they can. One can only hope......
Thank you so much!
You're welcome. I can never get enough Stargate SG-1!
3.2. Stargate SG-1 Series 3: Part Two
Synopsis
Abducted by some less than savoury characters, Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran are caught up in the investigation of a strange object in space. What does it do, who created it and why does it seem so familiar?
As they discover more about the object, Daniel and Vala realise that they’re taking on an enormously technologically advanced threat bent on rewriting the very foundations of the universe. Can they stop the disaster that’s about to occur, or is life as they know it about to change forever?
Written By: Peter Evans, Richard Dinnick, Sharon Gosling
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman and Jason Haigh-Ellery
Cast
Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson), Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran), Andrew Collins (Keto), Andrew Whipp (Zoder), Regina Reagan (Wellan), John Banks (Surtr/Vey/Lop/Mansu), Regina Reagan (Skadi/Ratatosk), Anna Tolputt (Geror), Stephen Hogan (Olssen), Harry Myers (Soric), Ken Bones (Lerat), Lisa Bowerman (Ranne), Paul Hyu (Lt Colonel Yin)
http://sdrv.ms/121aVfW
1.1. Stargate SG-1: Gift of the Gods
Synopsis
“Years ago, I'd have felt uncomfortable with a Beretta in my hands. But not now...”
Doctor Daniel Jackson wakes up on the floor of his SGC lab, with no memory of what happened or how he got there. With him is Lt. Hunter of SG-12 – the team that should have accompanied SG-1 on their mission to P2K-797. But now, here they are, back on Earth with the whole of Stargate Command incapacitated around them.
So what happened? Why can no one remember? And why is the Stargate apparently connected to an alternate reality?
Written By: Sally Malcolm
Directed By: Sharon Gosling
Cast
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