Greetings from me to you!

It's Friday, the exact time right now is 5:47 pm, and I figured that's a great time for a new blog update. Not that the fact that it's Friday or now 5:48 pm makes any difference. Just looking for a good first line to kick off this entry.

Okay. I thought I'd give you a little update on what's coming up on the Stargate: Horizon front. Two episodes of Season Two have aired; 22 more to go. Next weeks all new episode "Connection" is one of my favorites actually. While the opening two-parter had the difficult task of introducing the new season, and the new elements, "Connection" will be the first episode that really underlines the more "classic Stargate setting" that this season will see. Basically you could say it's a "trouble with the gate" episode. What kind of trouble, and how or if that will be somehow fixed, I can't tell you at this very moment. That is, I could...but I won't. I'm sure you wouldn't want to know anyway, since it would only spoil the surprise for you.

"Connection" will also feature the introduction of another new recurring character. This character will be another nice addition to the cast, and he'll bring along something that will make the show a bit more edgy, which is something we felt we needed to go for this season. Suffice it to say, he's not always on the same page as most of our characters are. He's not a bad guy, he just tends to look at things in a bit of a different light. Some of you might know who this character is. He's been cast with none other than Keith Hamilton Kobb from Andromeda. However, he has very short hair now. When looking at the cast, I find myself thinking it's a shame we don't get to see them playing the characters (other than the way we picture it of course). I think they'd each be perfect for their respective characters. Just check out the character written for Keith. What I really like about this character is, as I mentioned, that he's not always on the same page as everyone else. So, there'll be situations coming up, where we'll find some disagreements, and some debates over who's right and who's wrong.

Right now I'm working on the outline for an episode called "The Fantastic Three," and it's a great deal of fun. I think you have to love the concept of this episode. After having only the teaser and the first two acts outlined, I can already say it's definitely the funniest episode we've done so far. Knowing the premise, you'll look at the title in a whole new light. And to be honest, when I first thought of this title for that particular story, I couldn't help but laugh. It's great. I hope you'll enjoy reading the episode as much as I enjoy working on it.

Let me see if I can give you a subtle little hint. You could say the episode is definitely a sequel to a Season One episode of Horizon. That particular Season One episode had it's funny moments as well, by the way. And, if we were a television show, I imagine I would have already spoken to the great Patrick McKenna about this and that. Well, now you'll just have to figure out who Patrick McKenna is, and what he's got to do with Stargate. Then, feel free to speculate. As usual, interpret what I say in any way you like.

Other updates are an episode called "Parti Pris." Our latest addition to the writing staff, Mike Coakley, is currently working on the first draft for this one, and it's looking to become another great episode. I say this only because that's my true opinion. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming episodes, and the stories we're telling.

Things in the art department have been going a bit slower than expected. I feel I have to apologize for making you think we'd be having something visual by now. We hope it'll be ready soon. It's a lot of work of course, so it's understandable that the people working on it can't just have it ready over night. I do think it's worth the wait, especially since the CG models of Horizon and the Valiant will be the official designs for the station and ship respectively.

The 24 update: Have started re-watching Season Two. Am currently at episode 2.08. Have watched one episode per day over the last few days. Have again realized that Season Two is great. Will be continuing the re-watching process, and will keep you up to date on it.

Diet Pepsi: I love it! It's really good, and the great thing is, it's got a very low amount of calories. Isn't that nice?

Nutella: The same as Diet Pepsi, except for the low amount of calories part. But that's okay.

What else? It's now 6:11 pm. However, I was away for a brief moment because someone was at the front door. One of our neighbors. Isn't it fascinating what can happen during a blog update? It happend between the 24 and Diet Pepsi segment, and if I wouldn't let you know, you would have never noticed.

Well, I think that should be it for now. All viewers in the US, including me, now have the "pleasure" of enjoying re-runs of SG-1, Atlantis, and BSG. But, just think of the bright side: there are lots of all new episodes of Horizon coming up over the next few weeks. And I'll be keeping you up to date on the behind the scenes developments, along with 24 reports of course.

Speaking of behind the scenes, I'll be starting on the new Making Of installment tonight, to ensure it will be ready for release on Sunday. And I'll be getting back to "The Fantastic Three." I have to figure out a couple of upcoming twists. Once I've got those straightened out, the rest of the outline should be done pretty soon. Can't wait to get to the script.

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll talk to you later!

Alex

Premiere Week!

Hey, coming up with this blog entry title was easy!

Here we are. Season Two is less than 72 hours away. It seems only fitting to give you some insight into what exactly to expect with regard to the new season:

Season Two will start off with the big 90 minute season opener "A Time To Rise." This episode will see the return of an old enemy, the rising of a new enemy, and threats on two fronts. In addition to that, it will introduce new series regular, De'van Callen, as well as Zach Hoffmann, a new recurring character. As a lot of you know, we cast Dennis Haysbert and Armin Shimerman, respectively. We all think they're a great addition to the show.

Callen is a great leading figure, with an interesting background, which should be fun to explore. He'll make a really good base/station commander. Zach Hoffmann is...well, an interesting character as well. Zach is a reporter from Earth, and he reminds us that very often it does indeed take some getting used to being in space, on a space station. We'll see some "Zach moments," Callen will be faced with a serious challenge, two of our team members will be running into this old enemy, I mentioned before. That about sums it up. Well, not really. But it's all I can tell you right now. Hey, in three days from now, it's likely you'll already know what exactly is going on in this episode. That's if you read it right when it comes out.

There'll be a news release on GateWorld, and you can also expect a new installment of the Making Of series. It will be a bit shorter than the one for "Collision," but my plan is to do them on a weekly basis now. I'd love to do a podcast for "A Time To Rise," but I'm still having some trouble with the recorder. Does anyone of you know of some good and free audio recorders? If you do, feel free to let me know. Post a comment into this blog; I do check for comments. If I have a working recorder, you can expect a podcast audio commentary. That I can promise you.

With regard to production, I'm proud to say that last week I've set up my new personal record. I wrote the first draft for an episode called "What Comes Before The Dawn..." in four days. I don't know if I remember this correctly, but I think I also wrote "Rise Of The Aschen" in about that much time. Well, technically it wasn't four full days. So I guess I could argue if you count the hours together it was less than four days. Hm. Nah, four days sounds okay to me. How could I do that, you might ask. Well, truth is, I've had some extra time available, and I made sure to put it to use. I'm pretty happy with the script. It's a great story for Callen; it gives us some more insight into his character. The Season Two opening two parter will also be doing that of course.

A new staff writer has joined us as recent as last week; well, technically Sunday, which in a way makes it...uh, yesterday. Okay, maybe it's not as recent as last week. Anyway, his name is Michael Coakley. He's already pitched some ideas, so we'll have to see what you'll end up reading.

The art department is hard at work. We're aiming for releasing a surprise very soon. The earliest release would be Thursday along with the premiere, but if we don't have it ready on time, it'll just be a few days later. Okay, here's a little hint: you ever wonder what the uniforms on Horizon look like? Hm. I personally think they look great. On the CG front, things are making progress, but that might still take a while. But I think it will be worth the wait. We've made some adjustments to the Horizon design, and I think it'll make it look just wonderful.

Well, things are moving along quickly, as we fight to stay ahead or at least on schedule. So, I've now started working on an outline for an episode called "The Fantastic Three." The episode features the surprise return of not one, but TWO old friends. One of them was in Season One of Horzion, the other one was...in one or two SG-1 episodes. You add our own Major Reynolds to the mix, and you have The Fantastic Three. It will be a fun episode, and looking at the concept, it has the potential of becoming the funniest episode we've done so far. It's currently slated as episode 2.09. "What Comes Before The Dawn..." is 2.07.

With regards to other topics, I've come to the conclusion that I'll have to check out "Lost." It seems to be a pretty good show. Hey, it won an Emmy, didn't it? But seriously, a lot of people tell me that it's really good. Once I've seen it, I'll fill you in on what I thought. Speaking of great shows, I finished re-watching Season One of 24 just last night. What a finale! What a twist! I've seen it several times, but I still think it's great. For me, that's when the show really takes off. I'm already feeling the urge of grabbing that Season Two DVD set, and re-watching that season. Of course I'll do that very soon.

I never told you that I have a weakness for Nutella! I figured I'll just throw that in tonight. I've always loved it; it's great. Very delicious. So, you also know that I tend to drink Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke. Hey, I'll have to talk about something. Isn't that what a blog is all about? You talk about various things. I tell you what: why don't you let me know what topic you'd like me to address in my next update (besides Horizon of course), and I'll do that. Not sure what will come out of this, but I promise whatever anyone suggests, I'll address it...in one way or the other. You'll see.

Well, time to sit back and enjoy the evening. I'm thinking about starting Season Two of 24 tonight, but I don't know for sure yet. I'll definitely let you know next time. Right now, I'll say I hope you'll enjoy the Season Two premiere of Stargate: Horizon. I'm really looking forward to seeing the reactions to the new season.

Until next time! Good night!

Alex

It's me...the guy who lives in your computer!

Hey, everyone! It's been almost two weeks since my last entry, so I figured it's time to give you a bit of a heads-up.

Though first I'd like to briefly address a bit of a more serious topic, and say that our hearts go out to all the people affected by Hurricane Katrina, and the tragic aftermath. New Orleans is, I believe, about a six hour drive from here. My grandfather has actually spent the last couple of days helping out at a near-by church where some of the victims of this catastrophe have been taken. It's an event brought upon by nature, but that doesn't make it less tragic. But at the same time, it's been great to see how people have been volunteering to help those who have lost so much, and we've been seeing an incredible support from all over the world.





Now, with regard to some of the brighter topics, I shall let you know that the first three episodes of the season are all finished now. They're just waiting to be released actually. "Providence" is almost done as well; after some final and minor polishing, we'll be having another great episode at our hands. What I love about "Providence" is for one the fact that the episode has a classic Stargate feel to it; you could say it's a "Go through the gate, get into trouble!" episode. I love doing ongoing story arcs, and I'm very happy with the seven episode arc that concludes Season One. But I've felt early on when we began Season Two that we would need some more classic Stargate-style episodes this season. All in all (as I've said before) Season Two sees the return to a more traditional Stargate setting and feel, but at the same time the show is still the show. I'm very happy with how it's been going so far, and I'm looking forward to September 22nd when we'll be seeing some first fan reactions to the new season. What I also like about "Providence" is that it's a story which might make you think about one or two things; it deals with some very compelling topics, which I like very much. Although I think that Erik thinks I'm only saying this because I'm being nice (and I am such an INCREDIBLY nice guy, by the way; my grandparents dog tells me that every time I see him), the truth is, "Providence" is a fantastic episode!

Another fantastic episode is "Troika." If what I've seen so far is any indication, this episode will be great. Joe has been adding a lot of new ideas to it, and he's improved it from what we've initially had in mind for the episode. Let me see if I can sum it up. Hm...you'll see an opening which will shake things up for many episodes to come; not necessarily only Horizon-related, but with regard to what's going on in the Stargate universe at the time Horizon takes place. Then, this event will lead to the return of THAT character (sorry if I'm kind of sounding like Joe Mallozzi now, but I don't know how else to put it), then THAT character will play a role throughout the rest of the episode, and we go on a mission to save THAT specific XXX. But at the same time there's a b-plot going on, which in the initial version of the story was the a-plot, and it deals with THAT OTHER storyline. How's that for some vague episode info? As usual, you may interpret this in any way you see fit.

"Valiant" is coming along very well. Aaron has completed the teaser, and he's currently working on act one. Can't tell you much about that episode actually, except that the Valiant will appear in the episode...at least once...but maybe more than once. Who knows for sure? For those who haven't heard it yet, the Valiant will have a new permanent commanding officer in Season Two. Grant's defintely picked a great guy for the job; couldn't have done it better myself.

With regard to me, I've been extremely busy, and I've just started working on what will be my fourth episode for Season Two. Currently it's got the interesting working title "Callen/Son Story." Although I sometimes also refer to it as "Untitled Callen/Son," "The Callen/Son Story," "Callen/Son," or as episode 2.07. This is another story I'm quite excited about. As all but one of the working titles would suggest, we'll get to see quite a bit of our new series regular, De'van Callen. Let me share with you what I've worked at so far with regard to this episode: we've been kicking around some ideas, and Joe suggested something of which I thought it was brilliantly complex as well as great, with regard to the episode's back story. So, I've been spinning it around a little, and I've come up with an interesting way of approaching this specific plot point.

I know, you'd like to have some more details. Okay, here we go: right now I'm working on the outline, which is also referred to as "breaking" the story, because you break the story into a teaser and five act structure. I'm almost done with writing act one of the outline (the teaser is done of course). The way I see it, the teaser as well as act one will set up the whole thing. Act two will set it up some more, as we reveal this specific other thing, while the final three acts will deal with that thing as well as one or two other things. And in the midst of that, we'll see some other...how should I say...really cool stuff. And...there's a bit of a b-plot that I'm working on setting up. I love the idea, but I'm not yet sure how well it'll fit in, and how much of it will actually be featured throughout the episode. Boy, I'm giving away a tone of information today, aren't I? Alright, I'll admit it, I'm not really giving away all too useful information, I guess, but hey...it's something.

Okay. Now we reach the point in this blog entry where I speak of this specific topic of mine. Even now I can hear some of you saying: "Here we go again." But you didn't seriously think I wouldn't mention it this time, did you? Of course I'm talking about 24. Got four more episodes to watch and my re-watching of Season One will be complete. As I've been watching these early episodes again, I've come to realize again that it's quite obvious that initially the network had only ordered 13 episodes of the show. This is interesting in terms of how the story had to work for a potential 13 episode season, but it also had to be able to be expanded over a full season. Basically you have this big showdown in episodes 12 and 13, which - if changed around a bit - could serve as a conclusion to the season. Obviously the network had eventually ordered a full season of 24 episodes, so after episode 13 the storylines take a bit of a different direction. To stick with with my newly found fondness of referring to things I don't want to name as...uh things, I'll say that the first thing is kind of resolved in episode 13, while the second thing is sort of born out of the resolution of the first thing, while both things are still very much connected to each other, and in the end they're one big thing.Uh...yeah, that should describe it well.

Anyway, so in the middle part of the season, I've found there are a lot of set-up episodes (still great though), and as we approach the conclusion of the season, the show develops a new momentum, which makes the final run of episodes of the season quite impressive. And you just have to love that MAJOR TWIST that occurs at a certain point. Don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. As it should be with shows, the first season is great, but from that point on it gets better and better. If any of the people involved with 24 happens to be reading this blog (yeah, right) good job, everyone! Same goes to the people involved with the Stargate television series (yeah, right; I think I'm lucky if two or maybe, just maybe, three people read this blog).

Okay. I think that's it for today. I don't want to bore you all too much. Next time I'll talk about some other...uh things, very interesting things, which will keep you at the edge of your seats. What these things are? Haven't got a clue.

To quickly get back to Horizon, I'll let you know that with Season Two we're planning to release some specials along with some of the episodes; i.e. more of the Making Of series; I'll be getting started on the one for "A Time To Rise" very soon. We'll also be releasing deleted scenes in the same week as the new episodes. Deleted scenes of course only when it's an episode that actually has deleted scenes. So far you can expect two additional scenes for "Connection" and at least one additional scene for "Providence."

I'll be back soon with more.

Take Care!

Alex