Welcome to SaveCarsonBeckett.com
Dr. Carson Beckett, the Scottish Heart of Atlantis, was written out of Stargate Atlantis in Season 3's 17th episode "Sunday." Read more here to learn how you can help save him!
Chicago Tribune Digs Deeper
20.Feb.07 by astrumporta | Category News |
Long-time Stargate reporter Maureen Ryan dug deeper into the Stargate Atlantis changes in a story published here today. Ms. Ryan interviewed showrunner Joseph Mallozzi as part of her story. Some key excerpts:
Mallozzi would not confirm one development that has been widely discussed on “Stargate” fan sites for months, which is the death of “Atlantis” doctor Carson Beckett, who’s played by Paul McGillion. The actor told Starburst magazine that his character is killed off in an upcoming Season 3 episode called “Sunday” (which has already aired in Canada).
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Mallozzi would neither confirm or deny the death of Beckett, but he did say, speaking hypothetically, that in the realm of sci fi, even “dead” characters have a way of turning up again in some way. Could Beckett make an appearance in Season 4? “It’s possible,” Mallozzi said. “This is sci fi, no one is every gone for good.”
He added that if the character were to exit, Beckett would not “ascend,” as Daniel Jackson did when his character exited for a season. “I can guarantee you that will not be the route we go,” Mallozzi said.
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On fan reactions to the upcoming season of “Atlantis”: I think fans are needlessly worried. They read spoilers and get upset [before they see the episodes]. The heartache and the anger — fans would save themselves a lot of that if they would wait and watch the episodes. I’m sure they are already starting their letter-writing campaigns. But in our case, to be brutally honest, they don’t really have an impact on creative decisions.”
Even going back to the Save Daniel Jackson days, Joe Mallozzi has always said that letters and campaigns have no effect on show decisions, so this is a not a new posture on his part. Newer fans might find it dismissive, but it is sadly part of the showbiz power game. Meanwhile we are not daunted in the least and in fact are pleased that the Chicago Trib thinks enough of the “Carson Issue” to write about it!
21 Comments »
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Comment by David F. W.Miles | 20.Feb.07 @ 6:15 pm
This Mallozzi guy is an ass when he says fans will have no impact on creative decisions. Well its the fans who make or break these show. You mess around enough with a popular show and you will feel the impact!
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Comment by Vladimir Krasnoshekov | 20.Feb.07 @ 6:42 pm
Joe Mallozzi is liar!!! Big, fat, m?%$%%$r LIAR!
Mallozzi would neither confirm or deny the death of Beckett, but he did say, speaking hypothetically, that in the realm of sci fi, even “dead†characters have a way of turning up again in some way. Could Beckett make an appearance in Season 4? “It’s possible,†Mallozzi said. “This is sci fi, no one is every gone for good.â€
PROVE IT MALLOZZI! Prove it! If not, you’re jucst a f%@#ing LIAR!
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Comment by Susan Malcolm | 20.Feb.07 @ 6:45 pm
Maybe letters won’t work, but actions will.
“Sunday” is on in the UK tonight and I won’t watch it or the rest of the series.
I do a daily TV survey for a media company and will ensure that my non-viewing of this programme is noted.
Moronic Mallozzi.
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Comment by Bendinae | 21.Feb.07 @ 6:59 am
Then why did they tell the fans that Paul McG was made a regular on Atlantis because of fan reaction to his character?
Were they just lying through their teeth again??
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Comment by Laura | 21.Feb.07 @ 12:04 pm
Mallozzi disgusts me.
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Comment by Jane Smith | 21.Feb.07 @ 1:23 pm
Found this website after watching Carson killed off tonight. Horrified. I really liked him. AND they’re bringing in some floozy to replace him. Not good enough!! Disgraceful. have now switched off Atlantis for good and I really did like it. Don’t you just hate it when they take a winning formula and change it for the worse. Have they no loyalty to the actors that have made it popular? Obviously NOT!!!!
I’m in England and I can tell you, a lot of folk will be mortified. I had tears rolling down my face. If I’da known this was coming I would never have watched it. -
Comment by Marie | 21.Feb.07 @ 1:30 pm
Someone really needs to advise Joe Mallozzi that when you are in a hole, stop digging.
Okay he doesn’t care about fan opinion. I’m pretty certain he cares about viewing figures however. This has been a PR disaster for the stargate franchise from the first rumours to the latest little classic from the show runner. Insulting the fans is not going to get Atlantis a fifth season. If I was one of the money men I would be asking serious questions about the ability of the show to recover from this as well as employing someone who only wants to make programmes he wants to watch instead of what they know the paying customer wants to watch. And as for those saying this is business; first rule of business, keep the customer satisfied, if you don’t they shop elsewhere. Fan loyalty is fickle and once it turns on you. Well, we all know what happened to that other franchise with the word Star in the title.
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I wrote a pumping letter against that kind of decision.
I said that it wasn’t necessary killing off Carson because huge mistakes had been made before it in the show and that we are fans, not milky cows, and that if they continue this way the show won’t last longer.
I added too:
You have signed death sentence of the show!It means everything, isn’t it?
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Comment by Marie | 21.Feb.07 @ 3:20 pm
Actually, on reflection, Joe Mallozzi’s response is entirely logical. He is the show runner, if things go wrong next season he is the one that is going to carry the can. Of course he can’t admit that he’s got it wrong. From what I can make out he is betting the farm on the appearance of Sam Carter boosting ratings (as well as an actress from let’s face it a failed tv show that became a failed movie - nothing against the quality of either I’ve never seen them, but then again, most other people haven’t either.). Let’s think about that for a moment, will the Sam Carter character attract that many SG-1 fans? Perhaps, for one episode, maybe two, but - and i think this is key - the SG-1 fans who really want to watch the show are already doing so, Sam Carter isn’t going to change things long term because unless the producers of SGA are fans of career suicide the show isn’t going to become the Sam Carter show. Joe Mallozzi may say he doesn’t care about the fans opinion or campaign but I have the feeling that might just be bluster. We can’t know for sure until the new series starts and the ratings come in, but if he has got this as badly wrong as the indications are that he has it’s him on the chopping block. Of course he wants to ignore the fans, but i’m pretty sure that he’s not quite as sure of himself as he sounds. So I would suggest that the most important thing to do now is for everyone to remain calm, no nasty letters to Joe, in fact, my advise would be to ignore Joe altogether. Write to HIS bosses, MGM, SCI-Fi, Cooper and Wright. Keep the letters polite, respectful but most of all firm and make him as irrelevant to the fans as he believes the fans are to him.
Few, bit of a rant but i feel loads better having got that down -
Comment by kris | 21.Feb.07 @ 4:27 pm
So fans “don’t really have an impact” on creative decisions, says Mallozzi.
Maybe we should have. In my book we wouldn’t do any worse with our ideas than TPTB did by axing Dr. Beckett. It was incrediblycallous of them to make Paul McGillion a full member one season then do this to hiim (and his fans) the next. And to do it in such a way as they did, as though they were tossing out a old computer that still worked fine but just wasn’t wanted anymore.
I give up. Not watching season four.
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Mallozzi was yet like this towards Jonas Quinn in season 7 of Stargate SG1.
that’s sure that IF they keep up this way, the show will sink.
what this mallozzi guy doesn’t understand is that WITHOUT US they are nothing, no show anymore.
And I think that the only way to make our voices heard is (to my big regret) to stop watching and boycotting the show. Make the word spread to make our voices heard and making them understanding that WE ARE NOT MILKY COWS!
Because they consider US like this!
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Comment by howard michaels | 22.Feb.07 @ 1:00 am
As a british fan,I was totally shocked when I saw Dr. Beckett killed off.What a waste of a great character. Would Bones have been killed off in star trek? Of course not! They made the same mistake with Daniel in stargate, but to do it again beggars belief. Don`t they care about the fans?
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Comment by Vladimir Krasnoshekov | 22.Feb.07 @ 1:45 am
No Ripley. They thinks that you will “eat what they will give you”. And you will pay for that, of course.
Sorry, if I’ve “hurt” you. But I think it is true. Last “messages” from MollyBolly-Guy (Mallozzi) tells me this.
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Comment by Reaper | 24.Feb.07 @ 1:48 pm
Down with that idiot Mallozzi ! Bring back back the boy from Paisley, Scotland(Beckett). I thought this show was about an international expedition. God is anyone without an american accent safe, who’s next the russian(Dr. Zelenka)? Why not , seeing as he’s the only other non american. If anyone were to be killed off then it should be Teyla. You suck Mallozzi!
I’m a big fan of both SGA and SG1, but to bring in Amanda Tapping is going to do my nut in, no matter how good she is, she just won’t fit the show. It’s no wonder that SG1 has found it hard going if people like Mallozzi have anything to do with it.
Sorry for the rant but I just needed to vent! -
Fans don’t have impact?
This statement makes absolutely no sense. We received a free Sci-fi Magazine back in October and I read an article about fans saving (or trying to) shows and characters, and fan outrage over Daniel’s disappearance was a big reason on why he was brought back. It went on to say that if you wanted the show or character to stick around you should let the creators know before something drastic happens. The problem is, many of us don’t know this and that’s why we freak out and start writing when something *does* go wrong.
This makes no sense. Why would their own magazine write something about this sort of thing and then he denies it’s true? *sigh* Idiots…
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Comment by KittyB | 27.Feb.07 @ 4:07 am
As a Scot I really appreciated having a decent Scots character on TV. Carson was the heart of the Atlantis Expedition. I feel like I’ve lost a friend. I think its shocking the way Paul has been treated
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Comment by Timespirt | 02.Mar.07 @ 8:06 pm
Gee, three years ago I heard TPTB say that SG-1 would not be a factor in Stargate Atlantis. They said they wanted the show to stand on it’s own, to be different and not be SG-1 in another galaxy. So why are they taking the character of Sam Carter to Atlantis? I really don’t want to see her on there. We already have McKay doing that part. So what happens now with Sheppards character? Will she be leading the team or joining them on their missions (too many people is over kill). Was the part of Weir cut down and Beckett killed off to make room for her expensive character? Think about it people, why would you kill off a favored character and cut the part down of another one unless you needed to offer the money to an incoming character from the parent show that you decided to bring in? That’s my 2 cents worth, or rather my dollars worth, because of inflation.
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Comment by Timespirt | 02.Mar.07 @ 8:19 pm
Well, afetr reading around this website, I find that there are a lot more changes that I had not heard about. Weir is to be demoted in favor of Carted to take command. Like I said before, I don’t care to see her or any of the SG-1 cast in Atlantis on a permenant basis. They had their hayday and should go do their movies and leave Atlantis to it’s own cast. Don’t get me wrong, I liked SG-1, but I don’t want them on the newer Stargate show.
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Comment by Jana from Germany | 08.Mar.07 @ 6:30 am
I’m still upset. after a month of watching “sunday”, I am still very angry. I mean how could they kill Carson? Why?
Couldn’t they kill someone stupid and unimportant like Teyla od something?And now, after reading this article I’m beyond angry. I’m soooooo fed up with the stargate producers.
I was already a part of save daniel jackeson. and the campaign worked! Daniel Jackson is back… So I do not believe the producers words..
M. may like to think that we have no power over this but how will atlantis will go on if people start watching?
I’m not watching Atlantis until Carson is back!
Enough is enough.
As German it is hard enough to see the original intelligence of the movie going over the edge thanks to the producers, but this is way too much.Roland Emmerich would not have done something so cruel… And STAR TREK was always nice to its doctors.
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Comment by scruffy | 23.Mar.07 @ 6:26 am
Oh The Irony….
” Never underestimate your audience. They’re generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment”But, hey, not caring about the consumer has worked fine for Bill Gates!
While the SG series might have a “cult” following, it is stil light entertainment, and dare I say it, disposable. These are not great works of literature that can afford to wait decades to be recognised.
If SGA stops entertaining the fans, or pushes their tollerance, they’ll drop it, as witnessed by the legioins of Babylon 5 Fans who smugly recite `MY B5 only ran for four seasons.”
If Mallozzi felt that he would breach his artistic integrity if he kept Beckett, then that’s just fine, he can take his artistic integrity, his interpretation of a concept that has taken on a life of it’s own and is in a very real sense owned by the fans, and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
If we are to conisder SGA to be an art, then it’s first remit is to stimulate the audiance, certainly Beckett’s death, and the handelling did this admirably but it was an expensive stunt. In particular Beckett was the everyman, Informing or challengeing the audiance, particularly in episodes such as “poisoning the well” was SGA’s sweet spot.
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I do a fair amount of moaning about this guy over at my blog and I have to admit that I had to restrain myself from verbally buring him in my Fandom Dissertation project but he just doesn’t know when to stop does he?
It’s not the fact that he’s said ‘fans don’t factor in the decision making process’ that bugs me, Russell T. Davies said the exact same thing and I agree to a certain extent. What bothers me is how much he courts the opinions of CERTAIN fans who suck up to him to push their own agenda, the Sam/Jack fans who (good on them - even if it did ruin the show) managed to finesse a lot of shippy screen time by stroking his already inflated ago.
When says ‘fans don’t have an impact’ what he really means is ‘fans who have anything other than sickening devotion towards me don’t have an impact’.
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