[EN] PARIS MANGA & SCI-FI SHOW 2021: STARGATE CONFERENCE
I attended the Paris Manga & Sci-fi Show that took place on 6th and 7th November 2021, in Paris, France; and attended the Stargate conference, with Joe Flanigan and Michael Shanks.
Personal story: I haven't rewatched Stargate SG-1 since the series ended in the 2000s. A pandemic years later made me rewatch this series I loved when I was younger. As fate would have it, there was a rerun of SG-1 during the pandemic on a few TV channels in France, so, I seized this opportunity… and fell in love again with SG-1. Then, there was a rerun of Stargate Atlantis. Back in the day, I just watched a couple of episodes of this series, thus, I didn't really know it. The rerun made me appreciate it. It's never too late to discover a series^^
I was really surprised, when I rewatched SG-1 and Atlantis, to find out how the fandom was still very active, even many years after the end of the franchise. The cast and crew are still going to conventions. When I learnt that Joe Flanigan and Michael Shanks would come to Paris Manga & Sci-fi, I couldn't resist.
Below topics discussed during the conference (Sunday session):
- What items did the actors keep?
Michael Shanks kept Hammond's red phone. Joe Flanigan kept the People's Choice Award won by Stargate Atlantis. The award was kept in one of the producers' office. For Joe, the award was given to the actors and therefore, shouldn't stay in the producers' office, so, he took it.
- A technological device from the series that the actors would like to use?
Michael Shanks answered the stargate, so he could leave Earth, Joe Flanigan answered the ZPM.
- What was the actors' relationship with sci-fi before Stargate?
Michael Shanks was a sci-fi fan before Stargate. He used to watch Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica (the old version) when he was a child. Joe Flanigan hesitated before accepting the Stargate Atlantis project for he didn't think he was a sci-fi actor. He eventually accepted when he was told there would be humour in the series. Since then, he became a sci-fi fan.
- Story arcs the actors wished for their characters?
Joe Flanigan wished more girlfriends and Johnny Cash for John Sheppard. Michael Shanks said that Daniel Jackson should have gone to Atlantis (personal comment: I totally agree with this statement!).
- Did the actors prefer shooting in the studios or outside?
Joe Flanigan preferred outside, as the air could be suffocating inside. For Michael Shanks, it depended on the weather. In summer, he preferred shooting outside, but for the rest of the year, he preferred inside because it's raining a lot in Vancouver.
- Favorite season?
Season 7 for Michael Shanks. He was coming back from a break (note: the actor left the series in season 6) and felt good during season 7. Joe Flanigan couldn't choose because he doesn't think about a series in terms of episodes/seasons, but rather in terms of acting experience.
- Weird stories with fans?
Michael Shanks was asked to sign an autograph on a rubber p***s!
- The most difficult episode to shoot?
Urgo (season 3, episode 16) for Michael Shanks because it was difficult to keep a straight face in front of Dom DeLuise, who played Urgo. Doppelganger (season 4, episode 4) for Joe Flanigan, who had to play two roles and fight against himself.
- Joe Flanigan really wanted to purchase the Stargate franchise to MGM. Unfortunately, when he tried to do that, MGM went bankrupt and had already sold the license, so Joe couldn't achieve his project.
- Joe Flanigan would like to play Han Solo if he had to pick a character from Star Wars… with Jason Momoa as Chewbacca, the actor teased^^
- We also talked about Michael Shanks's role on Smallville. He was surprised by the heavy weight of the wings his character was carrying. When the wings were added via visual effects, well, his character died…
After the conference, I had the chance to meet the actors in private, with a few other fans. Michael Shanks explained why he left SG-1. We talked about the script written by Google's AI, collaboration between The Companion, Google, and Brad Wright. With Joe Flanigan, we discussed about famous series in France, his French voice, and the multigenerational success of the franchise.
Sériecalement Vôtre