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Webposted: August 10, 2002
By: Kay Kellam

For those who have not read my article on Michael Shanks signing at the 2001 San Diego Comic Con that might be a good place to go get a better understanding of why I love to cover Stargate. There you will discover that Stargate is a mixture of the great loves of my life - two of which I spent four years in college studying, Classical Civilizations and Radio/Television/Film. So, for me, when Stargate comes to San Diego each year it is a great mix of work and fun, just as the show itself is all year long.

Last year Michael Shanks came, he signed until he was no longer positive he still knew his name, and then he left - with a huge stack of items to sign for con staff members, and others who had not been able to get in line but he, Light Speed Fine Art, and MGM wanted to make sure had something to take home with them.

This year Corin Nemec came - he was part of a panel with MGM President Hank Cohen and one of the writers/executive Producers, Joseph Malozzi. Then Corin Nemec went out to the autograph area & signed until his world was a bit blurry. I think he was at the very least overwhelmed by the support and loyalty of Stargate SG-1 fans.

The panel was an interesting experience, there were times when I had to wonder if Corin Nemec was curious why he had come. The fans were thrilled to see him, but like a boy nervous about asking a girl out on a first date, the fans were tongue tied and seemed unable to ask him questions. The look on his face when a question finally seemed meant just for him went from triumph and delight to utter confusion when he was asked if he would move 6 inches to his right to make a better angle for photographs. (There was sound equipment up on the table making it hard for half of the fans to see him.)

And yet he was grace under fire, or in this case amidst confusion, at all times. When a fan asked if he would wave to the camera so they could get a picture for a friend who wanted a shot of him waving at them he smiled, and remarked "still camera, still arm" and froze his arm in a good wave position so the picture wouldn't be fuzzy.

Was he taking Daniel Jackson's place on SG1? The question had to come up and yet all three men were quick to point out this was a different character with a different background that was stirring up the pot and creating all kinds of new situations - and that is what helps a show thrive and last even longer!

One fan asked if Jonas wasn't taking a bit of the role that Teal'c used to have with him being the fish out of water on Earth and needing to learn how to be human, and the Joe Malozzi was quick to point out that Teal'c's role has really come full circle. He is now in the mentor position, able to show Jonas how to adjust and fit in. For example, Teal'c has become acquainted with Earth drinks and knows to order ginger ale. (The writer also praised Corin's tasting of the ginger ale!) Teal'c is able to show the new kid on the block the ropes. He and Jonas have a bond of understanding that gives those two characters a fun dynamic and creates new situations for Teal'c.

And when the fans asked if the writers would write a long term romance for any character it was Corin Nemec who reminded the fans that Jack and Sam had snuggled in Antarctica - yes, he was totally up to speed on the continuity of the show and several times piped up with tidbits that the show had done well not to forget, and he had done well to learn!

If I had to give just one impression of Corin Nemec that I came out of that panel with it is respect both for him as a person and for his professionalism! He joined a show with 5 years of history, and learned that history, and lets that influence his understanding of the other characters he is interacting with. By all appearances, when he reads a script he brings to it the same understanding of history that the other cast members bring to it, then he steps back and reads it as a man just starting to find his bearings and truly earn the place he has been given on the team.

The best laugh of the panel? For me it was discovering that the writers did not bother to find out if Corin could swim before writing the great sequence (in the episode Descent) in which he swims to a control panel, shifts crystals around, then swims over the rings and gets dumped on the deck where Sam, Jack and Teal'c are trying to make their escape from the mother ship that is submerged beneath the sea! And yet Corin was quick to point out not only that he could swim, but he had used a shallow breathing technique that let him do takes that were over a minute and a half long! (Joe Malozzi was quick to apologize for cuts in the take as he thought the minute and a half with no cuts to prove Corin did it all would have been remarkable!)

Corin smiled with delight as the fans raved about the show, when others on the panel were speaking they had his full attention, and he enjoyed hearing Hank Cohen admit to how Corin had been cast. (Someone at MGM saw Corin at the gym and suggested him for a role on a different project and Hank Cohen said... nah, we want him on Stargate, and the ball was set in motion.)

As for the obligatory questions for the panel - DVDs. Season 2 is due out within weeks, Season 3 should hit the shelves for America in January, give or take, and as for why the DVDs hit the shelves internationally long before they do in America, contracts are simpler over seas. (This was the answer given at every panel that involved DVDs available abroad and in the US, it was not just an MGM or Stargate answer.)

And lest I forget - the most important quote worth re-quoting from the panel came from Hank Cohen. "Thank you, fans of Stargate, your letters have been received, they have been understood - and you can stop sending them. I get the point. You want Stargate to be on the air until the end of time!" Thank you for listening Hank - and I for one will stop sending letters... so long as you seem to have the point.

When asked about a 7th Season Hank Cohen did not say there will be one, but he said if there is one he can't imagine it without Richard Dean Anderson. To him the show and that particular man go hand in hand. As for the number of ideas that could easily evolve into episodes - Hank Cohen said he could see 12, 13 or more seasons, and with the addition of characters like Jonas Quinn there is no doubt in my mind that he is right!

From the panel it was off to the autograph line - which turned out to be a very similar experience to last year. Lots of wonderful people with good keen minds gathered together because of a wonderful common interest - many of them wanting just a moment to thank Corin Nemec for being a part of something so wonderful.

Though, for me, the highlight of the autograph line was noticing off to the side a woman with a familiar smile, reminiscent of Corin Nemec's. I finally poked my head over for a second and asked if it was as wonderful as it must seem to be "proud mama" at a time like this. She smiled even broader as she looked at the line of people waiting to shake her son's hand and say "Thanks for a job well done" and she said "Yes, yes it is."

Stargate is (C) MGM, 2002 All Rights Reserved. 
Images of Corin Nemec are (C) Kay Kellam, 2002, All Rights Reserved

(C) Kay Kellam, 2001 for PopArtsPlace.com
Prior to having her first novel, A Life to Di For, published author Kay Kellam enjoyed a variety of jobs that helped to shape her outlook on the world, and her profession.   more...


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