Preview: A Full Circle Podcast with Michael Shanks

David Read:

Hello, everyone. My name is David Read. Welcome to a Stargate simulcast, A Full Circle. I am joined by all of these wonderful people right here. #SaveStargate, Stargate-Fusion, IBREC, Stargate Project, Wormhole X-Tremists, SciTrek, the Stargate Files, and Stargate Fandom Podcast. These folks have all come together to celebrate the franchi-- and Michael Shanks is in there, too. It's normally Lexa's account, otherwise it wouldn't say she/her, so ignore that. He does identify as a male. We're borrowing Lexa's account today. There we go. Why am I showing that way? Here we go. Just a second here. And we are thrilled, guys, to have you all here with us. This is going to be a really special episode. Our time is tight because there's so many of you to go through, so I'm going to go ahead and get started with the team here. Everyone has been on a #SaveStargate bent for the last little while, so it's convenient, I think, that we should start with that team to get a chance to talk with Michael and myself first. Everyone else, do me a favor and go ahead and mute your videos, and we will have you guys on in a moment. #SaveStargate, Jeremy and Echo, how you guys doing?

Jeremy:

Doing good. You?

David Read:

I am well. Who's leading? Go right ahead.

Jeremy:

I'm gonna start, I guess. Right now, I think pretty much everyone knows already what #SaveStargate does. We've been pretty active this summer, right? I'm gonna talk more about what's coming up, because we're gonna be going to Los Angeles Comic Con soon.

David Read:

[recording] Everyone, my name is David Read.

Jeremy:

Whoa.

David Read:

[recording] Welcome to a Stargate simulcast.

Jeremy:

Feedback.

David Read:

[recording] A Full Circle. [live] That's very strange. Sorry. Go right ahead, guys.

Jeremy:

We're gonna be in LACC during the Halloween weekend, and we're gonna be hosting our first panel there at Comic Con. We're gonna be making some pretty big announcements. We're gonna be talking about the future of #SaveStargate. We're not gonna be ephemeral. We're gonna be planning for the future. We're there to stay. We're not gonna be disappearing. And also, next year we're gonna be doing stuff that we're planning. I'm gonna tease about it a little bit, saying next year is the 30th anniversary of Stargate SG-1. Sorry, Michael, that doesn't make you any younger. But that's a big thing for us in the fandom, so of course there's gonna be stuff we're gonna be planning for that. Likewise, related to the podcast, I'm announcing right now, we're gonna be doing a pre-show to A Full Circle. We're gonna be doing something live on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, where we're gonna be doing a prequel to what you're doing, a watch-party style, and doing what you're not doing, which is basically to watch the episode that you're gonna be discussing, interviewing, ...

David Read:

Very cool.

Jeremy:

... stories and cool stuff like that.

Michael Shanks:

That's cool.

Jeremy:

We're gonna be gathering the community on a live stream. We're gonna be all watching Stargate together, geeking out, having fun. And on the panel, I'm gonna have first-time viewers, people that have never seen Stargate before. So we're gonna have a reaction that people can relate to and relive their first experience watching Stargate for the first time.

David Read:

Very cool.

Jeremy:

And we're gonna be watching each episode right before yours airs. We're gonna go in lockstep one by one with you.

David Read:

Sweet. Awesome.

Jeremy:

That's the thing we're gonna be doing. That's pretty cool, I think.

Michael Shanks:

That's very cool.

David Read:

We appreciate that.

Jeremy:

And Echo, did you wanna add anything?

Echo:

I'm excited to be here and part of this. I'm so thrilled that you're doing this podcast. I think that's gonna be wonderful for the community, because so many people are coming to the fandom for the first time. I think every day on Reddit I see a new post of, "How have I missed this show for 30 years? It's so great." It's really a perfect time for you to be premiering this, as we continue to welcome people into the world of Stargate. And I'm pleased to be here representing the #SaveStargate campaign. Along with Jeremy, I host our SG-1 and Atlantis watch parties Mondays and Tuesdays. It's been really fun that way seeing the community grow as well. There's a lot of hunger for Stargate content, so thank you.

David Read:

Awesome.

Michael Shanks:

Awesome.

Jeremy:

Wanna start with your first question maybe, Echo?

Echo:

Absolutely. With this podcast, Michael, I'm really curious about your mindset approaching this. I know I hate watching myself on screen. And I've heard a lot of actors don't really like to watch their own projects. It's a two-part question. I'm curious if you usually do or do not watch your own projects. And with so much distance now from SG-1 premiering, do you think you're able to sit back and enjoy the show as a fan, or is it impossible to get lost in the story because you're still seeing it with the behind-the-scenes eyes?

Michael Shanks:

Good question. I have no problem at this point watching myself. I've gotten over that. It's never pretty. You never sit there and go, "Damn, I'm... I look sharp." It's always the same when you look at photos and stuff like that. It gets a little easier the more time removed, the further away that you get from it. And at this particular point, I can look at the guy on the screen as somebody almost completely different, both in mannerism, look, and who he was at that particular moment, the actor who he was. I don't know if I can ever separate myself to watch the show objectively because I know too much. Not just from having watched it quite a few times, but having-- I watched every cut that came out. So I overdosed on all these episodes as they were coming out. I got sick of it. To go back and watch it is great 'cause it's fresh, so I can see things freshly, as opposed to fatigued or whatever. But it still brings back a lot of memories and opinions and all these other things that I can't separate myself and watch it, suspend disbelief, if you will. I don't think I'll ever be able to do that with my work. It's a sort of occupational hazard.

Echo:

You know how the sausage gets made.

Michael Shanks:

Yes. Yes. I am the sausage.

Echo:

Thank you.

Michael Shanks:

Thank you.

Jeremy:

I'm gonna follow up with a question from the community. The Oakworks asks, "Have you two butted heads over anything in the show?" We're assuming you have already started recording, so maybe one of you liked an episode and the other didn't, and you've butted heads over it.

Michael Shanks:

I think that we've been-- Go ahead, David.

David Read:

I think that it's been pretty straightforward so far. Anything that's happened has honestly been misunderstandings. Then we clarify and it's like, "Oh, that's what you meant. Oh, OK."

Michael Shanks:

And listen, we disagreed on points, for sure. When I explain something that I didn't like and David retcons it in his own mind about how he saw it, it teaches me something too because I'm coming at it from a unique perspective, from something, for example, that Daniel did that I disagreed with, and David is able to justify it from an objective point of view. But I don't think we've had a bite of tension or anything like that. When butting heads is-- You want a little ...

Jeremy:

It's a strong word.

Michael Shanks:

... want some disagreement, but we're not the type of people who are gonna get down and dirty and ugly about anything.

David Read:

We'll see. But bear in mind, we've done three shows. We've done one interview so far. And we've recorded up till part two of “Children of the Gods.”

Michael Shanks:

I'm confident. But ...

David Read:

Me too. As am I.

Michael Shanks:

... I think a little disagreement, though, is absolutely necessary for some debate. I think it's important to have differing opinions. If we sat there and went, "Yeah, yeah," I mean, shit, I might as well be--

Jeremy:

It's gonna be lots more interesting this way.

David Read:

I love your artwork behind you, Echo. It's beautiful.

Echo:

Thank you. Thank you very much. I got these as a Christmas present years ago and, in my mind, this is part of the #SaveStargate campaign of we need more merch. We need more Stargate products. There's so much room for more art like this. Hopefully, down the road--

David Read:

There you go.

Jeremy:

I'm gonna follow up with a question from Natalie Gate Traveler from the Netherlands. "Michael, A Full Circle, you have the opportunity to revisit stories and experiences from a complete different perspective. What is something you're excited to talk about on the podcast that fans may never have heard from you before?"

Michael Shanks:

I think that's that by itself. It's the things that I've never been asked. When people always ask, "Is there a question you always wanted to be asked?" And whenever you're asked that in the moment, you can't think of it. But when you're going over episode by episode, minutia by minutia, it brings up so many different stories. Not of the show, not of what we're watching on the screen, but of the stories that go on behind the scenes, what was happening in our lives at the time, from all the different historical events that were happening. We're gonna go over, hopefully if we get Jay Acovone, for "The Enemy Within." There's a great story, and I'll hint at it 'cause I'll probably have to remind him of when we were all together, the shootout in Hollywood was going on, the big bank robbery that happened. And his wife at the time, they had a house in that neck of the woods. And there's all kinds of things like that when you're filming and you're hundreds of miles away, and that's going on, and you're hearing about it on the news and watching it on TV and getting a phone call from your wife. Stuff like that that was going on. Those are stories that are neat because they give this historical context and they provide a different emotional layer to the production that you don't see on the screen. 9/11 was happening when we did "Menace." Stuff like that. Stuff that really, when Rick missed an episode because his girlfriend went into labor. What was going on when my partner gave birth to our first kid. That kind of stuff is the stuff that you really can dig into when you watch this. Because as much as I can talk about the show and the characters and everything that was going on, you also remember what you were going through in your life, and that oftentimes informs some of the stuff you see on the screen. Whether it be deliberate or not, it's there. Somebody can be a little bit more emotional, and you're like, "Why did they act that way that day?" It's because they were going through something. Things like that spill out into the work, that kind of thing. So, I'm looking forward to telling those stories, 'cause I think that they're-- It's sort of an untapped goldmine of information and context that we haven't gotten to.

David Read:

And I can speak to that very briefly. That is the case. He's taking long swigs at responding to things. Right now, for both parts of the "Children of the Gods," 45 minutes each, we spent an hour and 15, an hour and 20 minutes on each one, and he goes in deep. He doesn't gloss over something. So I'm really pleased as a fan with the level of information that I'm getting out of it.

Jeremy:

Hearing about this, I'm getting excited already to see it.

David Read:

One more question, guys.

Echo:

All right. I'm curious, because I know that when you started the show, I think I'd heard it had already been set for two seasons. You knew that you were gonna have quite a few episodes to play with. How conscious was your process, both as an actor and working with the writers, of transitioning from how James Spader had done Daniel Jackson to where you wanted the character to go? Because you did such a beautiful job in the pilot of really encompassing the character as we knew him from the movie, and then completely made him your own.

Michael Shanks:

We've gone over this a little bit in the pod, that one of the things that I realized, you prepare for the moment that's in front of you. And that's for the pilot, for the audition, for the screen test, for all that. That was about getting down this character this way that they seem to like, and it was important for me to get it right and all this other stuff. So you finish that, and you're not fired for whatever reason, when you always believed you would be. And then you keep doing the show, and you keep playing the character. And at some point, I think it was, you realize, "Oh my God, I'm gonna... I may stay for the first 44 episodes. They may not fire me after all. Oh, great." And then halfway through the first season, we got picked up for another two seasons, which is crazy pants now. I mean, you know 10, 11 episodes in that you've got a show that's gonna go for 88 episodes. Stuff that does not happen nowadays. I don't know if it happened those days either. And so that's when you-- For me, I was like, "Oh, shit. I really need to start not..." You don't wanna end up being the guy that did an imitation of another actor's work as a career, because that's essentially what you've signed up for. So right away, you sit there and go, "OK, I need to start paring away this structure that I built." Not all at once, but piece by piece, bit by bit, so I can start making this my own and not doing a rip-off of an impersonation of James Spader. As fun as it is, and I love doing a James Spader impersonation. But as a career, I don't think it's a wise choice. But it was fun while it lasted. And so you start paring it away. But you don't wanna dramatically shift it, so you start doing it little bit by little bit till the audience doesn't see that that transition's been made. So, very cognizant of that. Thank you.

David Read:

Jeremy, Echo, thank you guys so much for contributing to this. And #SaveStargate all the way.

Michael Shanks:

All the way.

David Read:

Thank you, guys.

Echo:

Thank you guys so much.

David Read:

You can go ahead and minimize. Stargate-Fusion, come on in, guys. So we have Charlie and Marco from France. Hello.

Marco:

Yes.

Charlie:

Hello, everyone.

Marco:

Hi, Michael.

Michael Shanks:

Hi, guys.

Marco:

Hi, David.

David Read:

Hello.

Charlie:

For a moment, the button wasn't working. I said, "Oh, wait. It's a very great moment to glitch," Zoom. So I'm happy to be here in front of you. Stargate-Fusion over here. So as you guessed, we are French, working on our encyclopedic website since 2004. So I was not there in the beginning, because I'm 30 years old and I was very, very young when they started. But I'm writing for them since more than a decade. And it's really impressive to see all that we did, especially during this long time without Stargate. Really kept it going with the fan, with the Discord and the discussions. So really happy to be here. I would like maybe to start asking a question and to jump on the last question of Echo, if you allow me. When you got this incredible order of episodes, this is something that doesn't happen, I mean, in the era of streaming, it doesn't exist anymore, I guess, having nearly 100 episode order. What do you think in this moment? I mean, it's huge work, a long time that you will be committed to Stargate. What do you think in this instance? Is it really good news or maybe something super stressful, I'm stuck there for some time or whatever?

Michael Shanks:

I think all those thoughts go through your head. I think that you can't-- It's too good to be true, on one hand. You sit there and go, actor contracts are funny anyway, is that they're bent towards producers. And producers can jettison you between seasons if they feel like it. Even though your contract is for five years, they can get rid of you at any time. And the actor can't leave legally, the way that the contracts are structured. So when you're in that situation where you do it, you sit there and go, "Oh my God, that's too good to be true. I'll probably get fired." Something will happen or they'll kill me off. Something's gonna happen. Or it's too good to be true if this actually goes, because wow, what a gift. What a gift for not just me, but for the show to get a chance to really find its sea legs, and become, tear away all the growing pains, and you start really understanding what the show wants to be. And it's a great gift that, again, very few shows get that kind of opportunity. And also the feeling of oh my God, I'm committed to this for not just months, but years. And that, again, that's a strange feeling. And one I've never experienced since, because you're always either fighting to get the next job, or if you're on a series, you're fighting season to season to see if you can continue. If the network, if the ratings, if all that other stuff can work out. So it's all of those things. And you go through, am I trapped? Did I trap myself? It's too good to be true. I'm gonna get fired. Oh my God. All those feelings you go through. But I think the main one, in hindsight you can look at it and go, "What a gift," to know that you didn't have to panic, that every episode needed to be a home run, and if that one didn't resonate, are we, you have to keep taking these huge swings and oftentimes that can lead to its own problems. And everybody's stressed out because you could get canned anytime. So it's a gift to be able to air it out and do so without the kind of pressure that a lot of shows undergo.

Charlie:

OK. I see. But was there at the time, I mean, some projects that maybe were very important for you, and maybe a play or something that you wanted to do? And that when you got those orders, you were there saying, "OK, I will not be able to do this play," with those people, with maybe people that were very famous for you, and super important, I don't know. Because everyone has his heroes.

Michael Shanks:

And there's a saying in the business when it comes to actors, that if you wanna hear an actor bitch, give them a job. And that's where you hear so much about people being dissatisfied, because they-- It's like anything, right? You have that bird in the hand, and you start going, "What am I missing? What else, what about, what am I missing?" You forget the thing that you have, and you start looking at those other things. And I never really felt that way, that I was missing something. Because you always had the opportunity. We had four months off in the fall/winter to go and do a play if you really wanted to do something, and I did other projects in between. So it was never a huge issue. I mean, if you honestly believed that you were meant for better things or something like that, then sure. But that wasn't my thought process. Even when I left the show, it was never about I wanted some greater career somewhere else. It was that I wanted to do something else. But not with the expectation that that would be handed to me. Quite frankly, it was the opposite. I knew I was gonna be getting back in line, and that's mostly the business, the way it works. We finish a show, and we go, "Hey, how do you like me so far?" And the world goes, "Hey, get in line." So, I never felt that. I mean, you always felt like you were hoping that you would get opportunities from the show, and that that lead-- And with a show like the way our show was received, which was sort of in this middle range, middle tier, it wasn't a huge hit. It wasn't like Stranger Things. It wasn't gonna launch your career. It was a nice place to work for a period of time. It would give you some opportunities, but not anything huge. You might get offered a movie like a Mega Snake. Oh my God. Which I was. But you weren't gonna get any kind of huge movie career out of it. So anybody that thought otherwise was a fool. So we kinda knew. But no, I don't think I ever felt that we were-- I never felt that I was missing anything per se. You did feel like you were missing your family, your friends, and any hobbies that you had, because we spent so much time actually working. I had to give up friends and family gatherings. I missed my brother's wedding. I wasn't there for the birth of my child. And I gave up any kind of hobby that I might have had, because on weekends, I was either too tired or busy or my friends had moved on from me kind of thing. Very different life.

Charlie:

Now, 'cause so--

Michael Shanks:

One more question, guys.

Charlie:

OK. So, I hear that there was actually a lot of sacrifice that has been made to make that eventually possible. And really when I'm hearing you, I mean, I guess that it's something that we all relate eventually, because we know that as a human, we always look forward, and we don't really spend enough time to enjoy what we have. And that I think is making us all think about all of this. During this podcast, is it really something that you like maybe to make your audience feel? Maybe making them think about really deep meaning in the end? Or would you like just to entertain them? How do you see this podcast? How do you perceive it?

Michael Shanks:

The funny thing, I think in the previous question that I answered, that's the main crux of it, is to tell people things that they didn't know. Or to give an opinion that's not just an opinion from somebody who watched the show, but from somebody who was inside the show. What I felt about the character development in this moment or the character beat or even episode by episode. What I thought, which is something different than what the fans who have been listening to other pods about the show. It's sort of an observation about the story and about the characters and all this other stuff. And for me, it's about the goings-on behind the scenes. It's about the silliness and the camaraderie and the stories and the fights and the anger and the petulance and the sets falling over and the things that you don't know, that you don't see when you just watch the show. So it's opening the door up for everybody to peer behind the scenes a little bit to really tell stories that people don't know, and that's what I hope to do. Entertain them, yes, because I'm hopefully not bore the shit out of them. But entertain them with the stories that are something they haven't heard before. Something that's unique. Something that's from a different perspective from inside of it that gives all the more reason, I think, to embrace the show because now they know the full dimension of it, both in front of the camera and behind it. So I think it gives a wider understanding of what was going on, what was happening, why some decisions were made, how we felt about them, which has not been done. I mean, people that come see us at conventions, they stick to pretty much the same kinds of questions. And sometimes we don't get to reveal fully the things that we wanna reveal. That's what we look forward to doing.

Charlie:

Thank you.

David Read:

I have to say, I've been sitting with him now recording for about seven or eight hours. I have not been bored one moment. It's been thoroughly fascinating. So great question, guys.

Charlie:

Thank you.

Marco:

Thanks.

Charlie:

And thank you for being here. Thank you.

David Read:

Stargate-Fusion. Go France.

Michael Shanks:

Thanks.

David Read:

Thank you, guys.

Charlie:

Thanks.

Marco:

Yes. Thank you, mate.

David Read:

All right. We have up next, if I can get my notepad out here, we have IBREC. Brice.

Brice "IBREC":

Hello.

David Read:

Hello. And also Matt EagleSG

Matt "EagleSG":

Hello.

David Read:

Guys, Michael, these are actually two of ours. Brice designed the logo.

Michael Shanks:

Wonderful.

David Read:

That's up by your head right now. And Matt EagleSG designed the opening title sequence for the show.

Michael Shanks:

Very cool.

David Read:

So, thank you, guys.

Michael Shanks:

Thank you, guys.

Brice "IBREC":

You're welcome.

David Read:

Really appreciate it.

Matt "EagleSG":

Our pleasure.

David Read:

What's going on?

Brice "IBREC":

My nickname is IBREC on social media. I am a content creator about Stargate. My main project is recreating in 3D the Atlantis set with the help of original blueprints and pictures from the set. And I'm doing live streaming on Twitch and YouTube. Matt, if you can introduce yourself.

Matt "EagleSG":

I'm Matt. I'm from France too, actually. And I--

Michael Shanks:

You'd never tell.

Matt "EagleSG":

I do mostly 3D modeling on the internet, 3D rendering. And I happen to work with Brice and David before on other shows. And I'm also preserving the Stargate digital assets.

Michael Shanks:

OK. Very cool.

Matt "EagleSG":

As a hobby. You were talking about hobbies. I have to ...

Michael Shanks:

You have a hobby.

Matt "EagleSG":

... have this kind of hobby.

David Read:

Translation, he's a hoarder.

Michael Shanks:

Yes.

Matt "EagleSG":

I work in a museum for a living also, so it's related.

Michael Shanks:

It makes sense.

David Read:

Guys, you got a question for Michael?

Brice "IBREC":

Yeah. Thanks for having us. About A Full Circle, we know you wrote for Stargate one episode. And directed one as well. Will you talk about stories that were planned but never made? Were any of your ideas gonna be used but later dropped? If you have any example, I don't know. Any storylines, any wishes?

Michael Shanks:

I did pitch a few ideas.

David Read:

What can you talk about, Michael? What do you wanna talk about, Michael?

Michael Shanks:

OK. Let's start at the earliest one. Mike Greenburg and his partner were writing an episode. And I had started off sort of coming up with some ideas, and I'd been given this really cool book by our Genny operator, who was like Cheech and Chong rolled together. But he was also a conspiracy guy, right? So he would give me these books about debunking commonly accepted mythologies and stuff like this. And of course it contained all these sort of Chariots of the Gods kind of stories about whatever. And of course, the first thing I gravitated towards was the crystal skull. And I was like, "Oh my God, this is really cool." This technology. Is it alien? Whatever it is. Anyway, so I brought that to Michael when he was pitching this other idea about he wanted it to be an O'Neill story. Rick said he had done that in MacGyver, and it was all about this father figure, or grandfather in Daniel's case. It became "Crystal Skull." So he took my idea and wove it into his, and that was the first one that I didn't get any kind of credit for. I threw it out there and let him run with it. And then, when I actually was part of the writers' room in Season Seven, I pitched probably about eight stories. And I would say that six of them got shot down violently by Rob Cooper, who was the showrunner at that time. And some of them I thought were really cool ideas. And one involved super soldiers. And he didn't like the idea of super soldiers. And they were doing something similar that season, super soldiers.

Brice "IBREC":

Seven.

Michael Shanks:

And the other one was sort of a vampire story about these genetically altered vampires who-- Anyway, he didn't like that story either 'cause he didn't wanna do vampires. And I said, "No, they're not vampires. They're guys who suck your life force out of you," blah, blah.

David Read:

Wait. He didn't want to do that?

Michael Shanks:

He did not want to do that. He didn't wanna do a vampire story. I said, "Well, they're not vampires. They're wraith." 'Cause he was like, "I don't wanna do a bloodsucker." I said, "No, they don't suck blood. They suck energy. They suck life energy." And I stole it myself. I'd stolen it from a movie called Life Force. Lo and behold, the following year, they did a show called Atlantis where the bad guys were Wraith that sucked the life-- I'm not saying I'm responsible, but I, ...

Brice "IBREC":

Maybe.

Michael Shanks:

... it planted a seed. And then later on-- That was one. I ended up pitching a fountain of youth story as well that got shot down. And then he came back to me later and said, "Actually, DeLuise is having trouble. He's doing this story and he wants-- We need a tie-in, a way to get to his part of the story," which takes place in Central America. And so that became "Evolution One and Two," was my story about the fountain of youth. That bit got woven in, so I ended up having, I think, a story by credit or something like that for that part. And then the one I actually ended up writing I didn't really like. I was like, "This kind of--" It was literally a napkin scribbling I'd done, which was like, "I think it's this, this, and this." 'Cause I never expected-- I thought something would get traction before I got to it. And my first six ideas get shot down. And I'm like, "Well, I got this other idea about the creation of a Goa'uld-human hybrid that the NID put together." And Rob said, "Oh, I like that idea." And then they went around the writers' room spinning a story. And so that's the one I ended up writing, or not writing, because it wasn't really-- My heart wasn't terribly in it, and then Rob rewrote the damn thing anyway. This is how television writing goes anyways. The showrunner is the boss. But there were some stories... And I think the following year I also pitched him one about these monks that were the priests of Anubis that lived in this giant cathedral, church thing on another planet that worshiped Anubis. And they had telekinetic powers, and at night they were gonna go after Teal'c and Daniel in Season Eight. And it resonated very strongly when the Ori came about in Season Nine. There were a lot of similarities between those two.

Brice "IBREC":

Again.

Michael Shanks:

So, I always look at Rob. I go, "I'm not telling you anything anymore," because he always-- 'Cause he-- And this is true. And I understand it. The attitude is that I didn't like your idea. I didn't steal your idea. I didn't like your idea. But what I did do, it planted a seed for me for an idea that I was germinating, that became this. So it's not technically stealing. It's borrowing seeds of, was the way he described it to me. And I went, "Uh-huh, OK." So anyway, there were a few things ...

David Read:

One more question, guys.

Michael Shanks:

... that I think somehow ended up on the show.

Brice "IBREC":

Talking about Atlantis, I have a question. Finding Atlantis means so much to Daniel. But once they find it, he only visits a few times, like two or three times. Did that feel a bit strange to you? Because we see Daniel's frustration in the show. But was it frustrating for you too? And was there a reason behind the scenes for that? Because Joe Mallozzi said they thought about bringing Daniel to Atlantis around Season Five. So what did they tell you about that?

Michael Shanks:

The simple reason is that when Atlantis started, I had a job. Daniel was part of SG-1 in Season 8 and Season 9 and Season 10. And we did a couple episodes where, the first season of Atlantis, they're trying to keep the shows separate. So you're not gonna have too much crossover. And then as time wore on, you had "Pegasus Project" in Season 10, and you had "Prometheus Unbound" in Season 8, where he was gonna try to get to Atlantis. But he couldn't. Michael had a job, and he had a contract. So he wasn't gonna go over there. Once the show was done... They did have characters that served his function, not directly. Weir very much was kind of his role, to a certain extent. And between Rodney and Weir, they were covering those bases in the early going. But it-- I guess the best way to put it is when he finally did go there in Season 5, it made the most sense the way, the reason, the story, all that stuff was sort of perfect. And it would've been nice, it would've been interesting to have him come back or continue that. If nothing, Rodney and Daniel seemed to work well, both as actors and as characters too. So that seemed to work well, and the storyline was appropriate for the character's involvement. And so it would've been nice, but that show ended too.

Brice "IBREC":

Because we saw Amanda in a reoccurring role. That's why.

Michael Shanks:

I think that for that they wanted something. They needed a military presence. They wanted something that was very contrasting to who Weir was in that civilian way, that they wanted this military kind of thing, in a way, that would also put a little more heat on Sheppard. Having somebody who was definitively his senior officer there in charge. And she was the natural choice for that. And I could never picture Daniel being in charge there. So that was the only, I think, functioning role that was available at times. So I couldn't see him going there to be in charge. But he got there, but not nearly enough for his own liking.

David Read:

Great questions, guys.

Brice "IBREC":

Thank you.

David Read:

Matt, Brice.

Brice "IBREC":

Thank you so much for your time.

Matt "EagleSG":

Thank you.

Michael Shanks:

Thank you.

Brice "IBREC":

And thank you, David, as well.

David Read:

Thank you. All right. So, we're leaving the French, and we're going to Germany.

Michael Shanks:

Neat.

David Read:

Hello, Nicole and Yvonne.

Nicole:

Hello.

Yvonne:

Hi.

David Read:

Stargate Project. How are you guys?

Nicole:

Great. How are you?

David Read:

Very good. Take it away.

Nicole:

Thank you that we can join this discussion. We're from StargateProject.de, the biggest German Stargate fan site. It was founded in 2003, and we joined at some point around 2005 or '06. We focus pretty much on news coverage and also offer guides, talk about conventions and everything. We're really excited for this new podcast. I think it's a really, really cool idea. Really looking forward to it. And I would like to know, did you watch or listen to any other podcasts from sci-fi actors for some inspiration, or would you rather describe this podcast as your own idea and wanting to go for something, "I do my own thing no matter what other people do with their formats?"

Michael Shanks:

I would say that I listened to some of the Smallville guys, the Talk Ville stuff, and I listened to a sports one, just to have an idea. I had no idea what I was doing. I said, "I need a rough idea of at least format context because I don't know how to structure this." So, I did listen to the Smallville one and I listened to a couple more and I can't think of, 'cause I didn't listen to a lot. I listened to bits and bobs and stuff like that. But I think that the way that it's fallen off the truck with David is very much a unique way. There's no-- We haven't even established a sort of game plan strategy. A kind of structure. We don't have full-on structure yet, per se. And we tangent when we tangent, and we tell stories till the story's told and try and keep the dead air to a minimum, and that's about it. We go through the episode for sure. We try and read the synopsis and describe what happens so we can remind ourselves, and then talk about our feelings on those scenes and other things, what was going on and stuff. But I didn't model it after anything specific. And certainly, the way we've gone about it, it's a little chaotic at times.

David Read:

I will say that I put a little bit more structure into it than-- We have our recaps, we have interviews, which was something that I really pushed for. Michael didn't wanna, in his words, "Piss in my pool." And it was like, "Dude, piss away." I wanted to give him an opportunity to provide what I, as a fan, would want. And so we've got those two. And then when we go on tangents, we put those tangent conversations in a place called Extras. And so those three will all be on Patreon first for 72 hours, and then all of them drop into YouTube for free after the 72 hours. So, every time that we're together, if he says something interesting, we capture it and we put it out there.

Michael Shanks:

“Every time he says something interesting.” So, we'll have one. 'Cause me rambling on isn't always interesting.

David Read:

It hasn't been boring yet.

Michael Shanks:

You're kind. You're kind. You're a loving man.

Yvonne:

So, in the Q&A section of the podcast, there is a mention whether Atlantis and Universe will be a topic on A Full Circle. It says that this is, of course, going to take a while. But our question is, have you ever watched all episodes of Atlantis and Universe, or would this be your first time watching these shows in a whole?

Michael Shanks:

Yes. I've watched episodes of each show. I think I watched a lot of the first season of Universe, and I watched some episodes of Atlantis. But to a large degree, I will be coming in at it as a new fan. I think I burnt myself out with the Stargate thing, watching our own show to death. So, by the time, in my spare time, I wasn't gonna devote it to watching those shows. But I still had to watch it for both homework and context sometimes. But I'll be watching. If we get to those shows when we're old men later on, I will be watching a lot of stuff for the first time, which is kind of cool. I'm kind of excited about that, about literally watching it from a fan perspective and sort of going, "What was that? What happened there? I don't get it. What was that?"

David Read:

He's gonna see things fit together in a way that he hadn't before because he was busy on other sections.

Michael Shanks:

'Cause I won't have the behind-the-scenes stories, so I will be commenting on it like a fan going, "So what was McKay doing there?" Or, "What was Sheppard doing?" Or, "Why is Jewel so pretty?" Shit like that.

Nicole:

Are there any specific guests you would really like to have on your podcast and talk to them about specific episodes or their characters on Stargate? Any ideas?

Michael Shanks:

I want James Spader to be on the show, but he's not gonna do it.

David Read:

Good luck. He did that movie for the paycheck. We have nothing but ideas. Everyone is being considered. There is no one that's not considered.

Michael Shanks:

I want everybody that's relevant. I want Rick to come on, but that'll be an interesting get from the perspective of Rick technology showing up at a time at a specific place. That'll be an interesting challenge. I've already brought it up to him and he's on board, but I can't guarantee that-- I need to be in the room with him sometimes. We definitely wanna get Amanda on there. We're gonna have Teryl on there. We want everybody that was key in the episodes that we talk about. And we certainly want to, as a sidebar, have a chat with a lot of people that were part of the show, even as an aside, not necessarily talking about just that one episode, but their experiences overall. The blessing that I have with a lot of people that ended up guesting on the show, I have a huge history with a lot of them that has nothing to do with Stargate because I went to theatre school here and know so many people from that experience that I was doing plays with and things like that or from the professional community when I first started. So, I've been in British Columbia since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, in and around actors that all somehow ended up on the show. And so I have an untold history with a lot of these people that people don't know about. And I'm excited to talk about it because it's fun. It's little tidbits that people don't realize and don't know. So I'm excited to share that.

David Read:

One example, Kendall Cross, Julia Donovan, is basically his little sister, grew up down the street from him.

Michael Shanks:

I've known Kendall since she was in grade six, I was in grade seven.

David Read:

There you go.

Michael Shanks:

And the first play we did in elementary school was H.M.S. Pinafore. And then she was in theatre school with me. She was in the same class theatre school with me at UBC. I graduated in '94. So, Kendall and I go as far back as humanly possible. And somebody like Bill Croft, who I hired when I directed "Double Jeopardy." I hired him. The first ever professional show I did in Kamloops, I was a spear carrier, and he was-- Lion in Winter, and he played Richard the Lionhearted in that. And same with Robin Mossley, who was also in the same play. And so I got to remind them, "I don't know if you remember me, but I was the spear carrier." That kind of stuff. So, a lot of great experiences with a lot of people that ended up on the show that nobody knows about. So, it's great to share those stories with people.

David Read:

I am very cognizant of actors' and crews' ages at this point. So, there are a couple of people who are getting up there that I'm really gonna insist that we push a little bit further in front of the line because I don't want an obituary to come up online and be like, "Oh my God, we were so close," and I don't want that to happen. So, there's a couple of people that I haven't been able to get on Dial the Gate that I'm hoping that with Michael's help I can get. Like Beau. Beau's busy, but he'll be receptive, I think, to Michael. So, we have to convene in LA. So, one more question, guys, and then we're gonna bring in the Wormhole X-Tremists.

Yvonne:

OK. It's a two-parter. If you had to choose one episode of Stargate to convince someone who hasn't seen the show before to finally watch it, which episode would you choose, and which episode would you definitely not choose?

Michael Shanks:

I would choose "Torment of Tantalus" to introduce somebody to the show, because I think that that is early enough where it still-- We were still finding our way, and it was the one that was the most surprising in terms of delivering all the things that I thought Stargate represented. So, that would be the first one I'd show. It wouldn't be the only one I'd show, but if I had to choose one, that would be the one. It also does a great crossover from the movie with the appearance of Catherine in that as well. One would I definitely not show? I would definitely not show "Space Race." I would definitely not show "Space Race." I think that that was a swing we took on a particular bent that is an unintentionally silliest episode that we did that was kind of, I don't know what it was trying to be Star Wars-y. I don't know what it was, but it was a silly show.

David Read:

Star Trek Voyager had done that episode, so I think you guys were paying them ...

Michael Shanks:

They had? I-

David Read:

... back for "Workforce Part One and Two" and "Beneath the Surface," So they stole those--

Michael Shanks:

It was not our finest hour. With Teal'c in his Wendy's serving outfit and-- It's just-- I have so many things to say about that show.

David Read:

Guys, thank you so much.

Nicole:

Thank you.

Yvonne:

Thank you.

David Read:

Stargate Project. Thank you, Germany.

Michael Shanks:

Bye.

David Read:

Bye-bye.

Michael Shanks:

Thanks.

David Read:

The Wormhole X-Tremists. Yvie Cahill, Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo.

Yvie Cahill:

Hello.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

The not German ones.

Yvie Cahill:

Hi. Hi, Michael.

Michael Shanks:

Hi, guys.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Hi, Michael.

David Read:

So, London and Perth.

Yvie Cahill:

Perth.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Perth in Australia.

Michael Shanks:

My goodness.

David Read:

This is my rewatch team. Guys, take it away.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Hello.

Yvie Cahill:

As David mentioned, we are co-hosts on Wormhole X-Tremists, which is a Stargate rewatch channel. So, we've been watching the episodes chronologically, and we do commentary in real time. So, we don't stream the episodes as such, but we talk about behind-the-scenes stuff and general thoughts and frustrations and pleasures and everything that we love about the show, we talk about live.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

We disagree ...

Yvie Cahill:

And it syncs up with the episode

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

... on a lot.

Yvie Cahill:

We do disagree with a lot. David and Nicole have been known to have some pretty spicy conversations live on air.

David Read:

We're notorious for chasing each other around the kitchen table.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

And then Yvie's just there.

David Read:

And Yvie's sitting there going...

Yvie Cahill:

I'm just in the middle.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

It gets pretty dicey, but it's fun.

David Read:

But it's fun

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

It is fun.

David Read:

I love these two people with all my heart.

Yvie Cahill:

Aw. We love you back.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

I haven't been a regular since February, but David and Yvie occasionally come back in and play and wrestle. And David stayed with me back in June, so we had a really nice little time, sleepovers.

Yvie Cahill:

Absolutely.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

I wanna also throw in that, Michael, I met you when I was nine years old at London Film and Comic Con, and I have a photo.

Michael Shanks:

God, no.

David Read:

No.

Michael Shanks:

My.

Yvie Cahill:

Look at little baby Nicole.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

I'm now 28.

Michael Shanks:

My God.

Michael Shanks:

Thanks, guys

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

So I met you four years later.

Yvie Cahill:

Michael doesn't age at all.

Michael Shanks:

Thanks.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

No. Michael, you're still beautiful.

Michael Shanks:

Question to Nicole.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

No, actually, Yvie's going first.

Michael Shanks:

OK.

Yvie Cahill:

I was gonna go first.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Fire away.

Yvie Cahill:

So, my question is, Michael, you once told David that when things go well, there are no great stories, and the best ones come from when everything goes south. So, should we expect A Full Circle to be heavy on the disasters, and is there an episode where you already know the behind-the-scenes story is gonna be better than the episode itself?

David Read:

That's a good question.

Michael Shanks:

Yes. And that's absolutely true. When things go swimmingly, you see the show.

Yvie Cahill:

Yes

Michael Shanks:

We all had a great time making it, and you see the show.

Yvie Cahill:

There's nothing to remember.

Michael Shanks:

Exactly. Yes. And that's the stuff that I delight in talking about. The thing was that our production was a really good, smooth production, so they're rarely about big errors that took place behind-- I've done TV movies that were just dogshit behind the scenes. So, the retelling of those is a stand-up routine because of how absurd some of the things that happened were. Near-death kind of things. But for this show, there's a lot more shenanigans, a lot more personal things, a lot more interrelationship stuff. When we were talking about the pilot, we talked about Camp Stargate, which is what the hotel was that we were all staying in. It's summer camp for grownups. You all come from different walks of life and you get put up in this hotel, and there you are for a couple months, living in each other's pockets and getting to know each other and going for drinks and staying up late and telling stories and having a great time 'cause you're all excited for this experience. And things like that where people were meeting other people and getting together and showing up late because we're up too late, that kind of thing. So, those are the kind of stories. And then more interesting than that, obviously, I'm not getting too specific. But there's a lot of stuff that when you watch it, as I said before, that you don't remember as the actor. You watch the show, you comment on the episode. But sometimes it brings up these incredible things that were going on behind the scenes that you sort of, "Oh my God, right, this happened and this happened, and then this guy said this, and oh my God." That kind of thing. And there's always something. And it's sometimes just absurd. It can be little things. A bear wandering on set and Chris Judge refusing to come out of his trailer.

Yvie Cahill:

Wow.

Michael Shanks:

The raven in "Spirits" that became a refugee. We had a trained raven that we had on a location shoot that was supposed to be one of the spirit things. And little did they know that there were ravens that lived in the neighborhood, and they're very territorial. And our little raven, who was supposed to fly to the handler in a shot, ended up getting attacked.

Yvie Cahill:

No.

Michael Shanks:

And ended up being found ...

Yvie Cahill:

Oh my God, poor little raven.

Michael Shanks:

... a mile away wandering aimlessly like a lost child. Walking down the road back towards the circus, believe it or not. It's a very funny story.

Yvie Cahill:

Goodness.

Michael Shanks:

And I will get into this when we get into the--

Yvie Cahill:

His little wing out trying to catch a ride on the side of the highway.

Michael Shanks:

Honestly, they're so smart.

Yvie Cahill:

I can't wait.

Michael Shanks:

Honestly, we were wrapped for lunch, and we were like, "Oh man." 'Cause they wrapped us 'cause they couldn't get the raven back. He had disappeared. And we were like, "God." So, we get in this van and go down this mountain. And we drive around this corner onto the main road to get to where lunch is gonna be. And I look out the window, and there's this raven walking down the road, ...

Yvie Cahill:

So downtrodden.

Michael Shanks:

... faster than we were going. Probably with a caption above his head that said, "What the fuck just happened? Why did they do that to me?" Stuff like that. Again, people don't know those details until we get into it.

Yvie Cahill:

This podcast is gonna be great. I like to think of the Full Circle as the repository of knowledge, but for you. Like downloading all of your Stargate knowledge.

Michael Shanks:

We talk a lot about the show and what we think. But there's gonna be more about that kind of-- When that stuff comes up, it's gonna come out. It's the way my brain works. I go, "Oh my God, this happened and this happened and this happened." And that kind of stuff.

Yvie Cahill:

Pulling at a thread.

Michael Shanks:

Absolutely.

Yvie Cahill:

Nicole, did you wanna go next?

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Goodness. So, I feel like David's gonna smell this question coming from a mile away.

David Read:

That's how you tee it up.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

There it is. I fell in love with Vala really fast. She brought a new energy to the show, and she-- There goes David. And she brought out a side of Daniel that I hadn't properly seen come out. It was there and it brought itself out very briefly every now and again. What I wanted to ask, it's kind of a twofer. What was the most rewarding part of the dynamic you had with Claudia Black as an actor? And was there a possibility initially of Daniel and Vala reuniting in the original Martin Gero show that was gonna be happening?

Michael Shanks:

Sorry. What was the first part of the question?

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

What was the most rewarding part about working with Claudia Black in that dynamic?

Michael Shanks:

I think that to get to play the comedic beats with her. She's a wonderful comedic actor. And to play this sort of exasperated straight man in that scenario-- Rick and I had banter and back and forths, a certain type of Abbott and Costello kind of routine that we had worked out over time on the show. It was cultivated. It was no accident, 'cause we would get together and plot it out. "I'm gonna do this, you're gonna do that." That kind of stuff. With Claudia, the way it started was very spontaneous because she was playing this immensely frustrating character in "Prometheus Unbound." It grew from there. It was rewarding to play a different note that was also comedic, was also entertaining, but it was a different kind of note that I hadn't played before that was fun. And when it came to the new show, I don't think there was any thought to Vala being part of that. Certainly, what I know is very limited. I know the pilot that I read. I know where it took place, and the setting left no room for anybody, really. It was gonna be a real fresh beginning for Daniel in this different realm. For that character, anyway. With other new characters was the way it was gonna start. There was no Vala consideration at that point.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Just shooting my dreams. It's fine.

Michael Shanks:

Listen, to really shoot your dreams, it could have gotten around to that.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

I know. That's the shame, isn't it?

Michael Shanks:

That's the sadness. Of course.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

But thank you so much. I really loved the dynamic. You guys were amazing. Yvie, do you have another one in the bag or are we finished?

David Read:

Real quick, real quick.

Yvie Cahill:

OK. I was gonna ask about the new Amazon show that's apparently in development. I wanted to ask, a lot of fans are worried that it won't feel connected to what came before it. Leaving the cast and the characters aside, what do you think this new show has to have to make it feel like Stargate?

David Read:

I said real quick, Nicole.

Yvie Cahill:

That's easy.

David Read:

This is a very thoughtful question.

Michael Shanks:

That's an essay. Whatever I think, it's not going to have. That's the best way to put it. The things that I think make the show feel like Stargate to me, it's not going to have. There's a reason why our show didn't go, and it had nothing to do with the story. I've talked to David about this and have ranted about it. But people that are fans sat there and go, "Well, of course it didn't go because it looks like a reboot. We want a continuation." It was never gonna be a continuation. That was the problem, was that they didn't want a continuation. And even with this tiny, thin thread of a connection to the franchise that came before, they still didn't want it, and said as much. Right now what they're doing is what they said they would do, which is they brought in somebody who had no connection to the shows that came before for a quote-unquote "fresh perspective." This person is going to tell a version of the story that doesn't care about what came before. Whatever I think that the show needs, I believe this show's gonna be so far removed from what I would think. It's not even apples and oranges. It's apples and concrete. And again, it can still be good. That doesn't mean it's gonna suck. They've put that writer in a hell of a position. I will say this.

David Read:

I don't envy her.

Yvie Cahill:

I almost feel bad for her.

David Read:

No, absolutely.

Michael Shanks:

That's why I tweeted something to that effect the other night: “Give her a cigarette and a blindfold.”

Yvie Cahill:

That tweet made me laugh so much. It was so sad.

Michael Shanks:

It's not nothing, and no marks against her. From what I understand, my wife raves about WandaVision. My son loves it. He thinks it's wonderful. When I texted Martin, he said she's gonna make a great show.

David Read:

He said that to me, too.

Michael Shanks:

It can be good without being what I want it to be or what I think it should be. That's the way I see it.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Way to bring down the mood, Yvie. Christ. On our way out.

Yvie Cahill:

I'm sorry. I know.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

What were you thinking?

Yvie Cahill:

Sorry.

Michael Shanks:

It's right there. We didn't plan it. It's not anything I announced.

David Read:

It's not gonna be boring.

Yvie Cahill:

We have to hope for something that is enjoyable in some respects. Even if it doesn't acknowledge what came before it.

Michael Shanks:

If I'm wrong, which I really don't think I am, but if I'm wrong, I will apologize and eat my word. But from everything I know, it's not gonna be-- It's certainly not gonna be a continuation of what we did. It's not gonna be anything to do. And they, like I said, they said as much. They killed our show because it smelled like the show that happened before. And it really didn't. It was completely different with a whole new cast. And it really wasn't anything like it, and they still didn't want it. It'll be interesting to see what they do. I'll be very curious to see what they do, but I don't have any expectations at all that it's going to be something that I would want it to be.

David Read:

Guys--

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Yvie Cahill:

Thank you so much for your insight, Michael. And I'm gonna put that aside. I'm gonna think of that poor raven hitchhiking on the side of the road.

Michael Shanks:

My God. So beautiful.

David Read:

And Yvie, thank you for naming A Full Circle.

Yvie Cahill:

It's my pleasure.

David Read:

Michael, that was her.

Nicole Rodriguez-Galdo:

Yvie's really good at that. She's so creative. It drives me nuts. I'm full of jealousy.

David Read:

Guys, thank you.

Michael Shanks:

Thanks, guys. That's fantastic.

Yvie Cahill:

See y'all.

Michael Shanks:

See you down the road.

David Read:

SciTrek. SciTrek, welcome on in.

Harris:

Howdy, howdy.

David Read:

Sarah and Harris.

Sarah:

Hello.

David Read:

Greetings. Salutations.

Sarah:

Hi.

Harris:

Heyo.

David Read:

Take it away.

Sarah:

All right.

Harris:

We're Sci Trek.

Sarah:

Go ahead.

Harris:

Your sci-fi TV and movie channel, of course. We nerd out about anything and everything sci-fi. Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, of course. The Expanse. We Fallout it up a little bit sometimes. We have a good time.

Sarah:

Yes, we do.

Harris:

Sarah, I think you wanted to start off with questions, huh?

Sarah:

Sure. With A Full Circle, you're returning to Stargate as both someone who helped make it and someone looking back years later. What are you most curious to discover about the show that you couldn't see while you were making it?

Michael Shanks:

I don't think I'm gonna have any terribly grand insights about the show. I know the show in and out. When I do a show, I OD on the show. It's one of the reasons why I have so many opinions, is because I'm so immersed in it that I watch six cuts of every cut that adds a different layer. The one that is the rough cut to the director's cut to the finished cut. And then when all the effects start getting put out, I'll watch all those for fun, and to learn how the show is put together and to understand the evolution and have all the questions at the time. So, I mean, I'd be very surprised if I learned something new. It is interesting to watch it with fresh eyes years later. Some things good, some things bad. Meaning that some things you go, "That's cooler than I thought. I remember. I have a different memory of that." Or, "That beat works," where it didn't feel like it did at the time, or, "That one really sucks." Or a lot of the time I'm like, "Ugh, this is... What was I doing there? What choice--" It's stuff like that. So, I'm not gonna be reinventing the wheel when it comes to an analysis of the show itself. I think what's interesting when I start watching it, what falls off the truck is actually the behind-the-scenes stuff. And it's pretty spontaneous because only when you start talking about the show and the making of it and what was going on. When you see a scene and you haven't seen it for a long time, you get this flashback to not how you feel about the episode, but what was happening when you were making it. Like when we were making "The Nox" and it was absolutely monsooning in the forest that we were in, and we have these wonderful guest actors who are only about three and a half, four feet tall walking into puddles that we think they're gonna drown in, and in these elaborate costumes and you have hairdryers because of the continuity and you don't wanna look soaked, as we were. You got people with hairdryers plugged in to wires that run down a canyon, where you think we're all gonna die from electrocution or something like that. And little tidbits like that sort of add up slowly. There'll be comments about certain aspects. But I've usually commented on them before, if not to fans, to fellow actors or to my parents if they were watching the show, where I say, "Watch this. This is really dumb here." I think it's the behind-the-scenes stuff that comes up fresh because you're watching-- You're jumping into a time capsule. And for me, it's not the time capsule of the show, it's a time period in my life that X, Y, and Z was going on, or X, Y, and Z was going on for somebody else, or the experience of making the show was such. So, it's usually pretty spontaneous what comes out.

Harris:

OK. We might have to nerd out on some acting real quick, 'cause I might be a bit of an actor myself. Not fancy or anything by any means, but stuck out in Holly-weird. So, while we have the chance to nerd out about some acting, Secular Monk, a buddy of ours that streams with us, asked a really cool question that we have to ask you. You went from a two-year apprenticeship at the Stratford Festival playing roles like Lorenzo in Merchant of Venice and doing what you've called the requisite spear-holder ensemble work. To straight into a massive sci-fi franchise as Daniel Jackson, of course.

Michael Shanks:

Sure.

Harris:

How did that intense physical grounding and classical ensemble theatre shape your stamina and approach when you suddenly found yourself on TV?

Michael Shanks:

Wow. First of all, it was one year apprentice.

Harris:

Oh.

Michael Shanks:

To correct. One year, only one year was apprentice. The second year was full ensemble member. If we're gonna tell the story, let's tell it right. Full Equity member, but it's, you know. Anyway.

Harris:

Full circle.

Michael Shanks:

I will say this. The reason why, I think, and it's funny when you really think about it, that theatre actors function really well in science fiction environments is because we're so used to talking about a big event that's happening just over there. When you're Henry and you're doing that speech and you're talking about the battle that is about to happen, that they're bringing their soldiers, and when you're gathering around and you've only got five people on stage but there are supposed to be 100 of you. And the Crispin Crispians speech and all those kinds of things, and pitted heads on pikes, you're so used to talking about that thing. When Hamlet sees his father, the ghost, and it's right there but he's not. The imagination has already been trained to engage. And when you're talking about the armada that's coming over us in "Thor's Chariot" or whatever, and you're seeing that, there's a training that's built in to work with green screen, to work with imagination that you don't get when you're doing a cop show or doing commercial work or something like that. It teaches you to raise the stakes, as there often is in science fiction. That's usually big things that are happening in science fiction, something ...

Harris:

Cosmic or--

Michael Shanks:

... catastrophic, world-changing, cataclysmic, whatever it is. It teaches you stakes right away, and it teaches you how to use your imagination to reconcile when you're talking to an alien and he's just a tennis ball for the day, that you don't feel self-conscious about it because you were trained to do it.

Harris:

Par for the course. I might follow up on something Nicole said earlier. 'Cause acting-wise, I know not everybody loves, loves, loves, but I'm a big fan of Claudia Black and Vala, of course. When y'all argue near the very finale, it's my favorite scene acting-wise in Stargate SG-1. I think it's--

David Read:

You mean when Daniel finally lets her have it?

Harris:

When the final letting her have it kind of deal. I think it's the most well-acted scene in SG-1, personally. From your perspective, what's the most well-acted scene in SG-1?

Michael Shanks:

Boy. Whoa. That's a tough one to ask. Boy. Put me on the spot there.

Harris:

Oops

Michael Shanks:

I think... There's so many different flavors, right? I would say Rick, when he was in "Broca Divide," did some divine work. I think that when he's in "Cold Lazarus," he does some wonderful work as well, that's really understated. And I think that, strangely, Saul Rubinek in "Heroes" really rips it up in a few scenes as well. Which is a strange thing to say as a guest actor. But oftentimes our show wasn't about the acting, it was about the action and the story and stuff like that. There were some great moments to find the acting beats and whatnot. But those are the ones that stand out for me. And I understand why you feel that way about that particular scene. I think a lot of other people feel the opposite, that they didn't like it because it was uncomfortable. Which we didn't do very much of. We didn't make people uncomfortable. Which is why I think people always go, "Oh, it's their comfort show," is because we never made them that uncomfortable. You always knew that the good guys were gonna win and everybody was gonna get along, even if they disagreed for a period of time. And in that moment, Daniel wasn't being the Daniel that we always see. He was being a little bit of a prick. But that was what Claudia and I had decided. That if we were gonna get to the catharsis of this relationship that they were gonna have, an unspoken hurdle needed to be gotten over quickly. And that's the key about it, is we couldn't do it-- We didn't have four scenes to build into that. We had one scene to make that arc both go up and end in the place that we wanted it to where we could say, "Hey, I think they're ready to be together in this moment." Some people like it and some people don't. Some people don't like Daniel in that moment. But I do understand why you feel that way, because it's different. It's uncomfortable.

Harris:

It's beautiful. Sarah, you wanna ask a question--

David Read:

We've got two more groups, guys. We've got 11 minutes with him left. I appreciate you guys joining us very much. Thank you so much for popping in.

Sarah:

Thank you.

Harris:

Thank y'all.

David Read:

All right, guys. Thank you.

Michael Shanks:

We can go longer though, too.

David Read:

Are you sure about that? OK. Go ahead and ask your question. All right.

Michael Shanks:

Don't hit the panic button.

Harris:

If we have one, should I do the Space Jesus question real fast, Sarah?

Sarah:

Sure.

Harris:

Because you know Daniel Jackson is Space Jesus. Like Anakin Skywalker, like Paul Atreides. It's a quick question, but we want your definitive ranking of who utilizes Space Jesus-ness the best. Who's the best space Messiah out of y'all three?

Michael Shanks:

Ben Kenobi.

Harris:

Touché.

Michael Shanks:

Ben Kenobi from the original Star Wars. He is the original Space Jesus. He sacrifices himself to save everybody else. And he comes back.

Harris:

That's awesome.

Michael Shanks:

And he's actually wearing robes in the desert.

Sarah:

It works

Harris:

Who knows.

David Read:

Guys, great. Thank you so much.

Harris:

Thank you, all.

David Read:

Thank you, SciTrek. Sons and Shadows with the Stargate Files.

Jeff:

Yes. Thank you so much for having me.

David Read:

Hello, Jeff.

Jeff:

Hey, what's up, buddy?

David Read:

Good to see you.

Jeff:

We just hung out a couple weeks ago.

David Read:

I know. Let's do this again.

Jeff:

I am Jeff from the Sons and Shadows Network on YouTube. We also have a Stargate Files show. We do a little bit of news, jibber-jabbering. We also like to talk about 3D printing, merchandise that's going on out there. It's minimalistic at times, but we still like to talk about anything Stargate. And then we review two episodes, much akin to what you're gonna be doing with David. So, it's really awesome to see that we're gonna get some tidbits, we're gonna get some insights between the episodes and your moments. But first, before asking any questions, I wanna say I think I speak for a lot of the fan base out there, and almost everybody here: your passion for Stargate, doing A Full Circle podcast, this could not happen at a better time. It's been very infectious. You've reinvigorated the fan base at large. And we wanna say thank you for your work and the work you're about to be putting into. So, my first question actually is, you are a creative actor. What part of A Full Circle podcast is satisfying that sort of itch for being creative? And how much work are you doing with David behind the scenes to get this all going?

Michael Shanks:

Boy. First of all, thank you for that lovely setup. I certainly don't look at it as me being the guy that's reinvigorating anything. I am following the lead of the people that are out there and responding to their passions and following along. Following, joining in with, as I've said before, the fans have really gotten the short shrift on this. The fans that have made this show the IP that it is in its absence from the screen, that continue to come out and see us at shows and be online and talk about it and do your podcasts and go over... You guys are the IP for this thing. I've said that before, but I mean it, is that you are the value that if there's any monetary value that you can put to an enthusiasm or whatever, which is a shitty equation, but that's how companies look at it. The fans and you guys are that value. You are the IP. Which is what makes this whole situation so puzzling, that they have dismissed the value part of the franchise because they want to go after something completely different. You can always go after something completely different. You don't have to do Stargate. Start fresh somewhere else. Why do you have to do it... Anyway, I digress. But thank you for that. The podcast is simply a response to that enthusiasm. It was something I was contemplating doing anyway. When I was supposed to do the new show, it was something that I was contemplating doing in between seasons as sort of a content filler or whatever. That was something that crossed my mind then. And then it got pushed way up, obviously, with what happened with the show. And here we are. And for me, in terms of the actor's itch, this is me. It's not a lot of acting. But it is telling-- I have come to the age of, I can weave a good yarn, especially if there's good content, and I can also have a good rant, as my wife will absolutely-- And Erica Durance, too, was subject to many when we were doing Saving Hope and I glommed onto something I didn't like. I can go on a rant about it for minutes, and I can weave a story. When I see something funny that happens, I can go on about that in a bit of a stand-up routine. So, if there's any performance itch, I guess that's where it's getting scratched. But this is me. This is just me recounting stories. Because I'm also passionate about it because when I tell one of these stories to my wife, she goes, "Yeah, I know. You told me." And so, in this situation, I get to tell it. David hasn't heard a lot of this stuff at all, so I get to tell him in front of everybody else, and it's fun for me because I get to, A, recount things I haven't recounted publicly before, but I also get to do it for a fresh audience that-- What? That keeps happening.

David Read:

You keep on doing that, man.

Michael Shanks:

See, that's-

David Read:

I'm gonna have to edit out all of these thumbs in the other videos. It's just--

Michael Shanks:

I know. Anyway, so if there's any itch to be scratched, it's more like I get to monologue a little bit. But it's not acting. It's stand-up to a certain degree if it's not too painful, or it's ranting. It's the guy from Network standing there saying, "I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore."

Jeff:

Very fair. Now, you have done some other projects. There's been some awesome questions. This whole panel has basically asked nine of all of my questions.

David Read:

Ah.

Jeff:

So, I'm gonna do some quick little side ones here. On your other shows and projects and movies you've done, are there any that stick out as favorites for you? Because I also really enjoyed you on Burn Notice, and a lot of people don't bring that up. You were a great bad guy in Burn Notice. But do you have any that you recommend people should check out?

Michael Shanks:

One of my favorites to do, I'm not entirely sure it's everybody's cup of tea, but I did a TV movie about Gordie Howe called Mr. Hockey that was one of my favorites to do. It was actually directed by one of our regular directors for Stargate, Andy Mikita, who is a big hockey fan. We played hockey together on the Stargate team. And so it was a passion project for both of us that you couldn't believe that you got the opportunity to do this. And we got to marry our two things, which is making a movie and playing hockey. And I got to play the greatest hockey player of all time in a really sort of poignant time slice of his being. So, if you enjoy hockey or you wanna see me do something really off the beaten path, that's certainly something. But we had-- I enjoyed-- That was my most fun to make because of the passion that I have for both subjects. So, there's that. One of my other favorite characters, strangely enough, is Burn Notice. What a great gift that I was given with that character, with Victor. I didn't know when I first got the first episode, I didn't know where that was going. And Matt gave me this tremendous gift that a lot of people, including him, were rethinking whether or not that character should go the way he did or should go at all. And I always say that if it wasn't for the end, you wouldn't have had such a poignant story that was told. But to play both the bad guy, the craziest, a shithouse rat bad guy for three episodes, and then to finish it off playing the explanation. To play the client. To all of a sudden realize that he's actually a good guy all this time is quite a journey in four episodes. So, it was a real gift that I got to play that. So, thank you, I appreciate that.

Jeff:

Absolutely. Now, there is a cruise coming up in January. You are gonna be on board with that. Are you looking forward to that as an experience or have you done convention cruises before?

Michael Shanks:

Nope. No, I'm scared as hell, actually. I...

Jeff:

This'll be my second cruise, so.

Michael Shanks:

I was very reticent about it. The funny thing was, I signed up for it thinking I wasn't gonna be able to do it anyway. I would say yes in case something went south, because I thought I was gonna be in London shooting a show. And of course, as luck turns out, that went away and then the cruise came up and I went, "Oh, wow, I signed a contract to do the cruise." And I'm a little bit-- It's one thing to do conventions. You go, you make your appearance, and then you go to a hotel and you hide out and eat room service. And to be on a floating hotel with everybody is a whole different ball of wax. So, I don't know, what did I-- I haven't heard any people, other people that have done cruises, don't have any complaints about them. They love them. So, I will take their counsel and say, "OK, I guess I shouldn't be afraid." But some part of me-- 'Cause my wife doesn't wanna go, so she's not going.

David Read:

Lexa doesn't wanna go?

Michael Shanks:

No. No, she's not going. She's-- Listen, she doesn't wanna go to the States right now. That's a whole other conversation. It'll be--

David Read:

She's never cruised at all?

Michael Shanks:

Never cruised. Never, ever.

David Read:

OK. This'll be my 15th or 16th, so.

Michael Shanks:

Never even overnighted on a boat.

David Read:

OK. It's gonna be an experience

Michael Shanks:

This will be... Yes. It will be, for sure. So, I'm curious.

Jeff:

Awesome.

David Read:

All right. Thank you so much, Jeff.

Jeff:

May I ask my last question.

David Read:

OK. Cheers.

Jeff:

Just one quick question.

David Read:

All right, one more.

Michael Shanks:

Go ahead.

Jeff:

We ask this to all of our guests on our show when we have some fun, exciting, interesting people on. What is the most interesting thing you have ever autographed?

Michael Shanks:

The most interesting thing is something I refused to autograph, which was a three-foot-tall, eight-inch-wide dildo that was at a Creation event. That, strangely enough, had 100 signatures on it. And I was like, after everything that you sign, I was like, "No. No." And I don't even know why I would. I don't know. I'm not gonna do it. I can't really say. It wasn't like it-- I don't know. I was like, "I don't wanna do it." In that moment, I went, "Nope, uh-uh."

Jeff:

Very fair.

David Read:

It's one of those things, you've had hundreds and hundreds of them. You're run down at a cert-- Your personality is all invested in what it is that you've been doing. And sometimes you're not there for that at that time.

Michael Shanks:

That's really-- It was completely unexpected, and, "No, no, no. No, I don't want that." I don't even know what the motivation was. That was really perplexing. But maybe, I'm sure it was-- 100 people autographed. I'm pretty sure it was a prop, but I didn't autograph that.

Jeff:

Oy. No kidding.

Michael Shanks:

But I've autographed body parts so that my signature would be turned into a tattoo, which I find very interesting. Which is exactly why our autographed signatures have to be different from our contract and pec signatures. Because somebody's walking around with a copy of your autograph on their body.

David Read:

Exactly.

Michael Shanks:

They know how you sign.

David Read:

Jeff, thank you, sir.

Jeff:

Hey, thank you. You all have a great rest of the weekend.

Michael Shanks:

Really appreciate you, man.

Jeff:

And hashtag Save Stargate.

Michael Shanks:

Cheers.

David Read:

Thank you. OK. And last but certainly not least, the Stargate Fandom podcast duo. Ladies, come on in. Alyssa Oska, Emily Ippolito, Stargate Fandom. How you guys doing?

Alyssa Oska:

Hi, Michael.

Emily Ippolito:

Great. How are you? We're so happy to be on. Thank you so much.

Alyssa Oska:

Yes. Thank you.

Michael Shanks:

My pleasure.

Emily Ippolito:

We'll be very quick. We are two best friends who started a Stargate podcast so that we would have an opportunity to talk about Stargate together in a very silly, chill way. Someone asked about how we would describe ourselves, and we're the Jack O'Neill of podcasts. We like to have a good sense of humor, and we are really bad at trivia. Terrible, actually.

Michael Shanks:

They don't remember anything. That's the Jack O'Neill of trivia.

David Read:

They are orchestra musicians, Michael.

Emily Ippolito:

We're both actually composers, and we even did a Stargate-themed concert with recording. It was ...

Michael Shanks:

My goodness.

Emily Ippolito:

... really, really, really special.

Michael Shanks:

Very cool.

David Read:

They're participating in a Joel Goldsmith documentary that I'm producing.

Emily Ippolito:

And UBC grad, by the way.

Michael Shanks:

Are you really?

Emily Ippolito:

I did my master's there.

Michael Shanks:

What year did you graduate?

Emily Ippolito:

2011.

Michael Shanks:

2011. I was a little bit before you.

Emily Ippolito:

But I took a picture of myself in front of the Chan Center. And I remember, "This is exactly where Michael Shanks went to school."

Michael Shanks:

No, we were never in the Chan Center.

Emily Ippolito:

Really?

Michael Shanks:

Aha. Non-sequitur story time. Non-sequitur story time is the Chan Centre. I have to tell this story.

David Read:

OK, go ahead.

Michael Shanks:

I graduated in 1994, so a little bit before you. And the Chan Centre was being built the year that I was graduating. They broke ground and were building. And it was supposed to be built for the following year, of course, as luck would have it, in time for me to graduate, of course. The UBC fine arts theatre students were supposed to get both rehearsal space and performance space in the lower theatre there, OK? But they tore down the building. It was an armory, an old armory that was in a space right beside the theatre building. There was a big old armory that they used to have tennis courts in, and they would make it a multi-use space. Our theatre classes were in these upstairs rooms that were chipped paint, dusty, and asbestos. And they finally tore that building down. We were homeless for one year, and they didn't know what to do with us. And they were about to tear down the janitorial service buildings, which are about three city blocks--that would be, I guess that would be--east. No. That would be south. Whatever. Fuck it. Not towards the water. Anyway, they were gonna tear down these janitorial service huts. They decided at the last second, because they were to be condemned because they found asbestos in the upper layers. So, what they did was they took two of them, they repurposed them, half renovated so that they could be used for one year. So, we had our last-year classes in these janitorial service huts that were meant to be condemned. And the following year, the BFA program was supposed to move into the Chan Centre. Now, cut to me going back to visit, not knowing any of what had transpired, going back to visit, I think, in 2000 and I wanna say 2007, I got invited to go talk to the graduating class up there. And lo and behold, where are they still doing their classes? In those huts.

Emily Ippolito:

Really?

Michael Shanks:

They never got rehearsal and training space in the Chan Centre. They could use the studio space there to produce two or three plays a year in there. The huts were then fully converted, these buildings that were about to be condemned. My daughter is now in the UBC theatre program. She is graduating this year. They are still doing their classes in those same huts.

Emily Ippolito:

That's crazy.

Michael Shanks:

And this is the first year, too, that the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts decided that they make more money renting their studio space out to film productions for the different productions that shoot in Vancouver than UBC Theatre provides for them. So, this is the first year they don't allow them to even produce a play there anymore. They had to convert another one of them into a studio space. So, we never ended up in the Chan. They were performing, I think in 2000 and, from, what, about 2001 to about 2025, in the studio space down below. Never on the big stage up top. That was only for the main show. For completely independent shows, nothing to do with the theatre program. But the fine arts students are no longer allowed to perform at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, right around the corner from the Freddie Wood Theatre.

Emily Ippolito:

That's so UBC, though.

Alyssa Oska:

That's insane.

Michael Shanks:

It's so UBC. And they only do half their productions. It's all about money, and that program has gotten squeezed. We used to complain about it when I was there, and now I look back at what we had, which was a luxury compared to what they have now. Anyway, sorry. I know I took up a lot of time. But I will stay here for your questions. Please.

Emily Ippolito:

So, we'll start. As I said, we're kind of goofy, but I'll start, I apologize, with a little bit more of a serious question about the podcast. I know myself, and possibly some other fans, look at Daniel Jackson as this diplomat and mediator, often between ancient cultures, between military and civilians, between the ascended and unascended beings. And as a podcaster, your role is actually, I could see it being kind of similar in a way between behind the scenes and fans, and the podcast world and the fandom world at large. Do you kind of agree, and do you feel any sort of responsibility as this person walking all these different lines, and also occupying a different role than you normally have as an actor?

Michael Shanks:

I certainly feel a certain amount of-- Whether or not it's a Daniel Jackson-type role, you are bridging certain things. You're bridging fandom with the behind-the-scenes stuff. You're taking the veil off of-- We're opening up the hood on the making of the show. But in retrospect, so it's a little safer to do it 30 years later than if we were talking about it having happened. Feelings are no longer fresh. Emotions are no longer high. Whatever it is, it's a little different. But you are bringing people, you are an intermediary between the fans and the production. So, there is a certain amount of responsibility that I feel to not make it about me; it's about the show. It's about other people's experiences. And that's why I wanna have guests on, because I wanna learn a few things about what was going-- Glassner was on the other day, and he told me a few things that I had misconstrued or misremembered. And some behind-the-scenes stuff that I didn't know. So, I'm looking forward to other people coming and telling me things I didn't know, as much as I'm looking forward to telling the fans all the things that I do know and sharing all that stuff with them. It always feels that when we're done, that there was a lot more to say. So, sometimes I feel there's never enough time, literally, in that sense. But I wouldn't say it's a huge responsibility. I feel that that's the job, that's the task, is to let people into this world and entertain them. And it's a show that people, if they're tuning in, they liked the show. You also are walking this fine line of being brutally honest about feelings sometimes, about certain scenes and certain--

David Read:

Which he is.

Michael Shanks:

And sometimes it's not always kind, and that goes for me too. It goes for choices that, acting that I did, and I'll certainly get to tearin' apart some beats and moments that I was responsible for, choices that I made, that it's like, "What were you doing, Mike?" That kind of thing. But it's also stuff that, when the finished show was aired and whatever, it's like looking back on it now with a 30-year difference, you do have a visceral reaction to the show. The memories are consistent, but the reaction to the show itself is a different feeling. It's no longer fresh. You can watch it with modern sensibilities and modern expectations, and it doesn't always stand up to--especially the early stuff, we know this--it doesn't always stand up to the test. So, it'll be interesting. But you don't also wanna take a big dump on it either, because people love this stuff. So, you're walking this fine line of, I wanna be honest, but I also don't wanna sugarcoat how I feel about certain parts of it, because we had to live it. And I'm not gonna BS you. There was some stuff that, even the stuff that fans love, that you go, "That was not good," or, "We did not dig that." Or, "This was my reaction to that." So, there's a lot going on there.

David Read:

I think that it's interesting that he selected a fan to pair off with, because unlike Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling, people who were both behind the scenes in Smallville and actually doing the production, for me to come in, I have the ability to raise a couple of flags with him and say, "While he's providing this information from the perspective of shooting it, I can provide any context that he may be missing or has forgotten about, or larger structural things from the perspective of the viewer as to what this means to the audience." So, we can meet in the middle there, through the TV.

Michael Shanks:

David does a wonderful job of, sort of when I'm pounding away at something and talking about the negative aspect about it, he can then ground me in the sense of, "Well, it didn't read that way. My interpretation of that was something completely different." Which is, again, that's the prerogative of somebody who's not so close to, your nose is not so close to the grindstone that you can be objective, because you're not as emotionally involved in the pulling of the gears, that sometimes we can get lost in that process and not realize that how we think it reads is not necessarily how it's interpreted by people who are watching it.

David Read:

But the perspective is still very valid, so we get to see both.

Emily Ippolito:

That's fantastic.

Alyssa Oska:

This ties into maybe your answer--I'm not exactly sure--but are there any episodes that you will be rewatching that you are nervous about? And if so, why?

Michael Shanks:

I don't think there's any that I will be nervous about, per se. I think that it'll be interesting when we get to Season Six. 'Cause I haven't seen it.

David Read:

'Cause I have mine.

Michael Shanks:

I have not seen all of them. I think that if there's any nerves in it, I don't want to have anything be taken out of context when I'm watching something freshly, that it's some sort of baggage or issue, especially with Corin, who stepped in to do a job that he was given and was doing it admirably. But I'm gonna be watching this stuff and not having, I guess, a vested interest or a story going on behind the scenes, 'cause I wasn't there. So, there's some of that--

David Read:

It's one of the conversations that we haven't had yet, is that very specific thing. In the middle of this thing, for 20, 25 weeks of recording, we're gonna take a break while not taking a break. And that's gonna be interesting.

Michael Shanks:

It will be interesting. I'm curious. I wouldn't say I'm nervous about it, but I'm more like, that's gonna be different. And when we get to that point too, the point of leaving, there will be some emotions and stories that are gonna be relatively new to people. So, that'll be certainly an interesting time period. But that's in the future. We'll get there. But bit by bit.

Alyssa Oska:

Nice.

Emily Ippolito:

Do we have time for one more?

David Read:

One more. Sure.

Michael Shanks:

Yeah.

Emily Ippolito:

OK. Someone left a comment. A fan wanted to ask this question, and we are liaisoning the question. What is one behind-the-scenes story from your Stargate journey that you've actually never had the chance to share with fans?

Michael Shanks:

Oh, God.

Emily Ippolito:

And maybe that's a can of worms, I'm sorry.

Michael Shanks:

Whoa. That's the thing. A lot of this stuff-- Because fans ask about the show. They ask about what-- They ask what they see, and a lot of the things that we end up talking about are the things they don't see. So, there's a lot of things that I was never asked that come up in this that I'm more than enthusiastic to reveal because David's never heard most of them. Some people in my life have, but very few. And so there's a lot of questions. Nothing... People always ask the question, "Is there a question you were dying to be asked?" And it's like, no, there's nothing I was dying to be asked, 'cause I can yap for hours about simple things, especially if I find it amusing. I can go on and on.

David Read:

Do you wanna tell them from your perspective why Daniel got his leg cut off in "Continuum?"

Michael Shanks:

You want to hear that story? You want me to tell that story?

David Read:

It's at the very end. Might as well.

Michael Shanks:

OK. In "Continuum," Daniel loses his leg in this sequence on the whatever the heck the name of that ship was. The--

David Read:

The Achilles.

Michael Shanks:

Nice.

Alyssa Oska:

That's appropriate.

Michael Shanks:

Appropriate, isn't it? A lot of people were wondering why that happened or was that necessary? I don't know what-- Some people know a little bit of detail or whatever, and some people have a misinterpretation. When that came up, which was the opportunity to shoot in the Arctic, the opportunity was provided outside of the shoot dates that were planned for us to do the two movies on. And it came up right away because of the Navy having a submarine there. So, it was all kind of spontaneous. And so I get this call. I'm doing a show called 24 in Los Angeles, where I have this recurring role on it. And I'm asked if I'll be able to come shoot this. And I said, "I don't know," because I'm recurring on this other show. And they make it up as they go. They write those episodes as they go. So I could be dead, I could be alive, I could be the President of the United States by the time that happens. I don't know, because they literally, it's 24. They write it as they air it in real time kind of thing. And so I didn't know if I was gonna be available. And so as things got closer to those shoot dates, they kept asking me, "Are you available?" And I kept saying, "I can't give you an answer. I really don't know. They don't know, and they won't tell me." And so what ended up happening was Brad had a contingency plan. By the time they had to go up there, I was still saying, "I don't know," and I was still filming as well. So I couldn't go up to the Arctic to shoot, so he had to figure out a way to adapt his script that discluded me from those shots of walking on the ice and being there when the submarine comes up and all these things. And so the way that he did it was to write Daniel getting his leg frozen and not being able to walk with everybody, which we ended up shooting all of that in the studio during the actual dates that we were contracted to be there for later on. And so we did all this stuff on the boat, and then they had a little separate area where Daniel was laying in the snow, which was in the studio. Those guys had already been up in the Arctic and shot everything up in the Arctic by the time we were doing that. And so the accidental beauty of that ends up being that some people go, "He was punishing you. He was punishing you for not going." And it's like, no, the gift of that was he gave me something great to play. Daniel would've been like everybody else, going through this thing. Emotionally, he would've been consistent with everybody else. And he gave me something. I could still do that and with this other layer of this loss that he had that gets erased, of course, when we reset the timeline and everything's fine and whatever, and none of that ever happened. And so I got to play this wonderful sort of emotional, contextual thing in small snippets as an accidental beauty of not being available to shoot at that particular moment. And the other part too, which I always say, 'cause Ben and Amanda always sort of get together and they think, "That was so great and so amazing," and Ben loved it up there and all this other stuff, and everybody looks at this amazing opportunity. And I go, "I'm glad I wasn't there, 'cause that's really cold.” So, I don't feel bad. I don't sit there and go, "Man, I missed that opportunity." I never do that. I go, "I'm happy." I was in LA being warm when you guys were up in the Arctic dodging polar bears.

David Read:

And working on a hit show.

Michael Shanks:

And working on a great show.

David Read:

Alyssa, Emily, Stargate Fandom Podcast, thank you, guys. Thank you so much.

Emily Ippolito:

Thank you.

Alyssa Oska:

Thank you so much.

David Read:

Thanks.

Alyssa Oska:

Thank you.

David Read:

And thank you everyone. Anyone, turn your videos back on if you're still with us. Guys, thank you so much for being a part of this. It means so much to me and Michael to have this conversation with all of you exactly a week before we really get cooking with gas on this thing and move forward. This is going to be a big chunk of our lives for the next few years. It's certainly, for me in terms of editing and discovering and trying to keep all these balls in the air. But it's one that I-- And I think I speak for Michael, too. I think we feel so blessed that we've been so well-received in bringing this together so far, and knowing that we're going to have something very special to provide fandom in a time when God knows what's happening next. So, we feel like a bit of an anchor for some of this stuff, and look forward to producing the project. Michael?

Michael Shanks:

I think it's a-- Strangely enough, at first I was like, "Of course they're gonna come in here and talk about this bloody new show when we're about to give this blanket of comfort to the fans," and they decide to take a knife to it right at this moment. But I think that makes this even more important and urgent to do and also to give our fans something to embrace. Because a lot of people have a bad feeling about the fact that it's not going to embrace the previous mythology. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. So this is a great thing for the fans of our franchise that has happened. It's a nice way to go. If we're gonna go and they're gonna move on from us, then this is a great way to revisit the beauty that we had in what we did. So, it's a great time to do it, and I thank you guys all for being on board with us, and I hope you join us on the bi-daily, bi-weekly or whatever we're gonna do and hear some stories, and we'll share. Thank you.

David Read:

Thank you so much, sir. Thank you, Michael. I'm gonna go ahead and wrap up the show on this side, OK?

Michael Shanks:

You got it.

David Read:

Take care of yourself.

Michael Shanks:

All right.

David Read:

Matt, EagleSG, unmute for a second here, buddy.

Matt "EagleSG":

Yes.

David Read:

So, we're about to show your opening credit sequence with Sergei Mukhorin's music. How did you create this? What software did you use, and what can you tell us about its creation?

Matt "EagleSG":

So, I did it on Lightwave 3D, which was one of the software that was used to do the VFX on Stargate at the time. And how I came up is, you pitched me the idea of what you wanted to have, and you already had a concept of the logo that Brice did before. So, I just animated your thoughts, which is cool because you give ideas, then I do things, and then I show you, and usually you like it. So it's pretty straightforward.

David Read:

This guy's been a great collaborator. So I'm so thankful for you and for Sergei and for Brice and for all you guys who helped me pull this stuff off. So guys, thank you so much for spending the past couple hours here. This has been fantastic. The best truly to all of your projects. We're gonna move forward together as one for whatever we're gonna get next. My love to all of you. And everyone out there, enjoy our opening sequence. Wow, goodbye, Brice. Come back, Brice. All right. Geez. OK. Guys, thank you so much, and see you on the other side. Take it away for the premiere of the Full Circle trailer.