Manny Coto and Peter Weller Scifi interview

[Tabitha]

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue270/interview.html

I can't figure out WHEN this was published, but I suppose it was likely to have been some time over the summer. Interesting interview, that clarifies one or two things - like what Bright Sky ACTUALLY is (an orbital Physics lab), and the actor's perspective on the conspiracy:

Weller: By the way, I don't know where this is going. You know, Manny has told no one. And a couple of Showtime executives have said, "Oh, we know where it's going." And so I'll talk to Manny. And I said, "You know, so-and-so came up to me and said he knows where it's going." And Manny just kind of giggles and says, "He thinks he knows where it's going." One of the actors came up to me and said, "Well, we have Sentians, we have synthetic beings. It's going too fast. I mean, why are they giving this away now?" And I suggested to this actor, "Perhaps Manny's just getting through that one so that we can get the Dune element out of the way, you know. Or Philip Dick, who is a great science-fiction writer. He's always moving on to something new." And this actor went, "Oh, you mean you don't think this is it?" I said, "Well, no. I hear we've got 18 episodes here. We're only at number two." I don't think that synthetics are the answer to the mystery anyway. But I don't know where it's going. It's a beautiful thing not to know where it's going.

LOL

 

[Dave]

The point was also made by RangerOne that the sentients may be just a red herring, but the Levianthan upload to the shuttle before the destruction of the Earth proves to me that there is a connection.

Thanks for the link. I had read a part of that interview before somewhere else, but not the whole thing.

 

[Tabitha]

I meant to post this bit too:

Do the astronauts have any clues?

Coto: They have minor clues. The one clue that comes up [involves] something that they launched, a satellite, and this is actually revealed after they go back, that the payload they launched is a secret military payload. There was basically an orbital physics experiment and the project was termed Bright Sky. There was something about this that they believe may have something to do with what destroyed the world. It's the only clue they have to go on.

How could that affect other worlds?

Coto: That's the big question. But I have it all worked out.

As a viewer, I'm glad.

Coto: [Laughs.] So am I, because I'd be in pretty bad shape if I didn't. What it was that destroyed the world, first of all, it happens from within mankind, so it's amongst us. And secondly, it has spread. It actually starts on Earth and it spreads. It's something that obviously is going to take time to unfold.

He has it all worked out, eh? I don't understand how come it has happened on other worlds already (according to the seeker), if it is supposed to have originated on Earth...

 

[Krystal]

Great interview and interesting, thanx for share it.

Krystal

 

[RangerOne SG13 SOR]

Coto: [Laughs.] So am I, because I'd be in pretty bad shape if I didn't. What it was that destroyed the world, first of all, it happens from within mankind, so it's amongst us. And secondly, it has spread. It actually starts on Earth and it spreads.

Hmmm that makes things so much clearer I can see how this fits with the AI/synths. But the "it actually starts on earth and spreads" is kinda tricky. Becuase if the AI was to have left Earth and influence other worlds to thier destruction well there must be some kind of "time travel" going on as the keeper himself has been travelling 300 years since the destruction of his home world. Now we have not had broadcast technology for 300 years, just over 100 years. So how did it leave? It isnt fully devoloped yet so cannot of been "picked up" 300 years ago by a passing space man :alienooh: hehe

This is gonna drive me potty figuring this one, I have some theorys but too many holes to justify at this time (no thats not a pun)

One thing that bugged me before rears its ugly head..

In LDU 07 the Synth said "we are the future" the word future has even more meaning now. Theres some crazy time links here that need working out.

I don't want to give that away, but I'll say it's not aliens. It's something completely different that they slowly uncover, or they think is responsible for what destroyed the world.

I KNEW IT!! the alien thing never felt right, The AI is of Earth origin and created by Man.

"they uncover,or think is responsable for what destroyed the Earth" sounds like hes talking about 2 groups. These have to be the AI and the Cadre, whos the good and whos the bad? Are they together or fighting each other?

Spoiler

Is project bright sky and the Leviathon AI and antidote to the original AI threat. They both seem to be developed away from each other. Is the final destruction of the Earth the result of them fighting each other like a chain reaction? If so how is this link to the other worlds... see I just created more questions than answers AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

On my next run ill put some serious thought into this, it helps to ease the boredom hehe


Great interview, great link cheers Tabitha

Ranger

 

[Dave]

Another interview...

There is another interview with Manny Coto here:
http://www.kclyn.com/odysseyfive/id36.htm

(It's from 19/07/2002 after 4 episodes.)

He says that he does have a five year story plan, and knows where he wants to end each season. And he's confident of making them.

There will be a cliffhanger after episode 12, then 6 more episodes, they same way that 'Showtime' shows 'Stargate SG-1.'

He finds writing the characters of Kurt, Chuck and Angela easy because they are each different aspects of his own psyche. He is most like Kurt Mendel.

 

[Tabitha]

Great interview Dave.

I especially liked this bit:

For Chuck Taggart, I was thinking of Tom Hanks. As kind of the
                quintessential NASA poster boy. And for Kurt Mandell, I was
                thinking of Jeff Goldblum.

Interesting casting - Hanks from his Apollo 13 days, and I would say Goldblum from Jurassic Park/ID4.


And also this:

jaxlee
                do you think of Kurt as a Doctor Smith from Lost In Space?
  Manny_Coto
                Dr. Smith is one of my all-time favorites ... when I was growing up
                watching Lost in Space. I always thought of Kurt Mendel as being
                more of a Jeff Goldblum type. And Sebastian Roche was a happy
                accident. I must admit that every once in awhile that he does
                remind me of Dr. Smith. But don't tell him that.

LOL

 

[Dave]

And another Peter Weller interview...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/tv/archive/s_87674.html

Nothing very exciting in it except:

In "Odyssey 5," Weller insists he has no idea how Taggart and his crew will end up. He declined an offer from series creator Manny Coto to look at the production "bible" outlining the series' storyline.

"I like playing it not knowing," he says.