As you probably know by now, Syfy recently cancelled Stargate Universe. While the remaining 10 episodes of season two will air in the spring, there won’t be a third season on the cable channel. Co-creator Brad Wright has said that there is a chance that Stargate Universe might continue in some form without Syfy. He mentioned that he’s currently in discussions with MGM, the studio and rights holder of the franchise.
In a recent blog post, writer and executive producer Joseph Mallozzi answered questions from fans and confirmed that Stargate Universe may not be dead just yet. He said that all options are still being considered — including a movie and a third season for another channel. He indicated that a third season would be the ideal scenario. Mallozzi also said that “positive progress” could be made as early as next week. The show’s sets are still standing and they won’t be dismantled until all possible avenues have been explored.
When asked if the cast and crew saw the cancellation news coming, Mallozzi replied, “Those early season two ratings were admittedly a downer. The move to Tuesday night was not good for us (and, speaking to the franchise as a whole, the move from summer to fall did us no favors either) and I firmly believe that time-shifted viewing and internet downloads have bled off a significant portion of our younger, tech-savvy audience. Still, we held out hope and, as production continued on season two, positive word from various places gave us hope that the show would come back for, at the very least, a third and final season (much the same way Battlestar did). Many of us were shocked by the abruptness of the cancellation decision.”
To that end, Mallozzi notes that most may be unsatisfied with how the last episode of the season, “Gauntlet,” leaves the series. He said, “Most would probably consider it a cliffhanger while I would consider it a touching, bittersweet end to the series (if it comes to it).” For fans who want to help keep Stargate Universe (SGU) going, Mallozzi suggests buying episodes from iTunes or purchasing the DVD sets
Mallozzi also briefly touched on the impact of the SGU cancellation on the long-awaited Stargate Atlantis movie. While some believed that the SGU cancellation might be a good sign, Mallozzi noted that couldn’t be further from the truth. He said, “I’m sorry to say but the cancellation puts the brakes on whatever progress the SGA movie had made in the past month, shelving it indefinitely.”
He later added that “the prospect of a dedicated Atlantis movie has always been contingent on a number of things, among them a financially sound model for investment predicated on the strength of the franchise. The cancellation of Universe deals a blow to the strength. Furthermore, any focus that may have been aimed at making the SGA movies now that MGM is once again moving forward into production will now be redirected to SGU.”
Mallozzi noted that DVD sales have greatly diminished since Atlantis was released on DVD. With SGU’s second season having recently wrapped, with the sets still standing, and with the cast and crew still being available, SGU represents the most cost-effective way to keep the franchise going right now.
What do you think? Will Stargate Universe be saved? Will the Stargate Atlantis movie ever get made?
Image courtesy MGM.
bring back sgu, the best sci-fi since star trek
well i think this show isnt for everyone just because poeple get judge by everything, for instance the more people watch a certain show it becomes more acceptable for others to watch just to join the crowd so they can talk about it at work/school/gatherings; even if the show/movie stinks.i guess what im also trying to say is not a lot of people know about the show, when i recommend it to someone they think back since the 1st movie in the 90’s. anyhow im a big fan of the stargate series more than startrek and not so fund of… Read more »
The journey MUST go on! This is the first time i have found such a bright production and idea. The scenario might have some minor flaws but, eventually it is one of the best sci-fi productions ever since Star Trek. Do the SyFy autorities know how many fans of these series are there on other countries? I’m from Turkey for example. I always dreamed of a ship like that since i was a boy, which will finally reveal at least some of the the secrets of the universe. I always gazed at the stars… One day this theme may come… Read more »
SG-1 Was the Best, Richard Dean Andersen really helped establish the series and the other actors became as familar to their audience as Richard. SG-Atlantis took the series into a somewhat stagnent but fun era, becoming repetitive near its end, What is this Exploration and interesting Sci-fi or just blantent Space Wars. Universe buried the franchise… Obviously a bunch of Battlestar Galactica people just transferred over to the stargate genre and crippled it with unmanagable plots, space opera, and eventually tried the space wars card to save teh series; the characters were simply shallow, dark and cruel (oh yes like… Read more »
Couldn’t agree more.
A little different prospective. While I do like SGU for what it is, and I did like SG-1, My personal all time favorite will always be Stargate Atlantis.
It will be very difficult to find a cast that has the chemistry that the main 7 of SGA had.
Such a shame, greed drives everything good in life.
While I would absolutely pay to see an SGA movie, I would be far more Happy to see another 10 or so seasons of Atargate Atlantis.
I don’t get the Syfy channel but I’ve been watching SGU on Ch 4 MOR in my area. This has been a great tv series. I was a fan of SG-1 for years, but Atlantis I could never get into. I think mainly because I didn’t care for the actors in that as well as I did SG-1. I accidentally came across SGU late one night and have been hooked on it ever since, even though it’s on at 1:00 am. I watch it faithfully every Sunday night on MoR. I really hope they can find a way to keep… Read more »
I’m older too, over 60, and had SGU at the top of my TV list (with Justified). So creative. I deeply cared about the people on the ship and couldn’t wait to look in weekly on what awaited them. It’s been awhile now, and I’m so exasperated at the cancellation, I really don’t know what else to say here. Please bring it back, SYFY, Fox, anywhere!
Great show, I am so disappointed to see it cancelled. The actors did a great job on the characters and episodes kept getting better and better. I, like other viewers, were really connecting with the characters and storyline. Now I am left hanging, the show needs a 3rd season to do it justice and do a fitting conclusion. Way under rated show by SyFy. They had a jewel here that could have taken off with a proper timeslot and the right advertising.I have never commented on cancelled shows before so you know this show impressed me.I don’t mind saying that… Read more »
The biggest problem SGU had early on was that you couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad guys, with everyone at each other and shifting, strained alliances–very realistic, but it left the viewer with no clear team to root for. By the end that had all changed, which, I think, is why the ratings started to really kick in. So the show evolves into something that can really be a hit, something that works, the real centerpiece of SyFy original programming, and the ratings are climbing, we’re on a roll with a set up and crew that can be… Read more »
I have to say, I always found SG1 a bit of a joke but I thought I’d give this SGU a go, mainly because Robert Carlyle is a fantastic actor. I got hooked from about the second episode and found these series to be excellent, the cast is fantastic with believable storylines leaving almost anything upto the imagination. I hope they can salvage this show because what a pity it would be to leave them all frozen in pods not knowing if Destiny survives it’s own destiny.
They need to get the ad money themselves! They would get MORE for the show if they would just get advertisers place normal commercials in with an episode and release it on their web site as a torrent. I would watch it if it was 1080. 4 commercials from start, 4 in the middle. Always perfect timing for me to get up and piss. I know about HULU with the older episodes, but I also know they don’t get all the revenue from it as well. Yeah people will copy the vid and rerelease it without commercials, but people have… Read more »
I am starting to see pattern with all of these failures. A series comes out, it is loved, but the second the audience is intrigued, it goes off the air, to be continued at some unspecified later date. The company makes a myriad of changes, including time and day of week and bring it back for a single airing before once again taking a long needed vacation? By the time it shows back up on the airs, no one trusts that the show is going to be there to entertain them, so they have moved on to other things for… Read more »
The stargate franchise is the last great series on tv. I loved all three shows, as well as the movies. All three are some of my all time favorite series. I own every seson of each, except for SGU season 2 because it will not be relesed till the end of the month. I will get it the day it is released. I hope and pray there is a season three coming as well as a season four and beyond
I loved SGU and was sorry to see it cancelled. I would love to see it continued on another channel or in a movie.
Universe is and was a complete redo of Stargate. It, like Voyager did to Star Trek, put a much darker and more heavy-hearted spin on the franchise. Atlantis started much like Universe, but the creative team made the mistake of reconnecting Pegasus to Milky Way, and the whole show became a revamp of SG-1, and therefore failed. I understand Syfy’s thought that it is time to call it quits on the 15 consecutive year long running time of the Stargate name, but it would be nice to see Universe end with some kind of dignity rather than just pulling it… Read more »
I concur with SS, that it may be a great way to continue. Or conclude the Universe storyline. To unite the SG1 and or SGA casts to help finalize the SGU adventure. Each series had its our storyline niche. As I was really developing a desire to follow the weekly development of the Universe storyline. I find them cancelling the series. Leaving us to wonderment in the final episode of season two. Perhaps a movie project to bring the Universe story to finality. Or, continue the developing story.