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An interview with Robert Cooper

Dr. Nicholas Rush looks through the microscope and examines the tiny droplets of water on the specimen slide. Frowning, the scientist sits back in his chair; clearly his findings are not good. He and Lt. Tamara Johansen explain to Colonel Everett Young that the ice brought back to the Destiny from a planet they recently visited is contaminated. Everyone, including the three of them, has been infected and unless a cure is found and soon, they are all going to die.

“Cut! That was great; let’s try it one more time,” says Stargate Universe co-creator/executive producer and on this episode, director, Robert C. Cooper.

Although he loves writing and, of course, producing, it is obvious from the look on his face and enthusiasm in his voice, that Cooper equally enjoys his work behind the camera as a director.

Experience Applied

Stargate Universe is Cooper’s third outing with the Stargate franchise, having previously been one of the writers and directors, as well as executive producer, on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, and a co-creator alongside Brad Wright of Atlantis and Universe. Even with all that combined experience, though, getting this latest dramatically different installment of the franchise off the ground was just as difficult as launching any new TV series.

With Universe being given the go-ahead, Cooper and Wright began penning its pilot episode, Air. What started out as a two-hour episode eventually became a three-hour adventure, and the show’s direction took a slightly different turn even before going in front of the cameras.

“Writing the first episode of anything is always a struggle because you’re trying very hard to come up with something that introduces your characters to the world,” explains Cooper. “It’s very easy, though, to get pilot-oriented and write something that is overly focused on the introduction. For us, what made the pilot work was its actual structure where we tell two stories that are inter-cut, one story being the present situation of the team appearing on the Destiny, and then the other story of how they got there, which is told in flashbacks. I think that helped propel us forward with regard to how we wrote the pilot.”

“As far as the filming of Air, we’d talked a lot about the style of the show and what we wanted to try to do. To then actually see it happen and come to life was great. There is a certain magic that comes out of this specific type of filming, which is documentary style and having the cameras sort of hang back and just try to capture the action that’s happening on the stage. It’s much more like watching a play unfold. Right away it was clear that we were getting something we’d hoped for but weren’t sure was going to happen, which were stronger and more natural performances. That’s obviously a testament to the high quality of our cast.”

Read the full interview in issue 33

An interview with Brian J Smith (SGU: Matthew Scott)

When Lt. Matthew Scott signed up for military service, he never imagined just how much it would one day change his life. People who do join may expect to serve their country, while some are following in the footsteps of family or friends, and others want to make a better life for themselves. Few expect to find themselves hurled across the galaxy with a random bunch of strangers, with little chance of returning to Earth.

While Scott faces his predicament head-on, Brian J. Smith—the actor who plays him on Stargate Universe—has his own challenges. “My character is fresh out of [military] training, so he’s very much by the book,” explains Smith. “Scott could probably tell you what the manual says and the procedure for handling a certain situation, but he’s actually now in a position where he is forced to experience the stress of being a leader in a really visceral way.”

Right off in the show’s pilot episode [Air], we see Scott starting to come into his own. He’s got a big military heart, and as we’re watching him grow, we’re also seeing him making mistakes and losing it, sometimes more than he should.

“Scott is a very emotional kid, and that’s not surprising considering his past. He lost both his parents in a car accident when he was very, very young, and the man who raised him, a preacher, drank himself to death when my character was around 16 years old. Scott then got a girl pregnant, so he had to face that aspect of himself, which was extremely disappointing and disturbing to him. The thing that saved him was the military. Instead of running away, turning to drugs or becoming a delinquent, he bucked up and decided to make something of himself.”

Positive Support

Although he has only been working in the industry for a few years, Smith has been an actor long enough to know what makes such a career rewarding for him.

“It’s all about the people,” he says. “You hear terrible things about the stars of some TV shows and the terrors that they’ve put people through. I’ve never had to deal with that. I’ve had wonderful role models and people who have always set a great example, worked hard, were positive and supportive of their fellow actors.”

“I’ve found that once again with Stargate Universe. There could have been one of
10 other actors sitting here, but for whatever reason, the cards played out in my favor. It’s a miracle, so why not enjoy a miracle when you’ve got one, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy more than one so far. Believe me, I have no complaints. I’m one very happy guy.”

Read the full interview in issue 33

More information:
http://titanmagazines.com/stargate