Stargate Podcast: Shanks & Read on Fan Discourse, Favorite Bottle Ep

Posted in: Amazon Studios, streaming, TV | Tagged: A Full Circle, stargate

Stargate Podcast: Shanks & Read on Fan Discourse, Favorite Bottle Ep

A Full Circle hosts, Michael Shanks and David Read, spoke with us about Stargate fan discourse, Shanks' favorite bottle episode, and more.

Published Tue, 03 Nov 2026 18:37:08 -0600
by Tom Chang
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Article Summary

• Michael Shanks and David Read discuss Stargate fan discourse and how social media amplifies creative backlash.
• The pair compare Stargate and Star Trek, arguing milestone gimmick episodes work best when they honor a series.
• Shanks says Stargate creators must filter fan noise carefully while still respecting the franchise’s core audience.
• Michael Shanks names Stargate SG-1’s “Prometheus Unbound” his favorite bottle episode and praises Claudia Black.

If there's one thing that helps keep sci-fi franchises relevant, it's the robust fan communities that help keep the discussion going, which is something A Full Circle podcast hosts Michael Shanks and David Read wanted to do when Amazon announced the cancellation of Martin Gero's Stargate reboot that would have acted as a continuation of the beloved franchise. One of the reveals would involve Shanks' Dr. Daniel Jackson, who's not only part of the featured cast of SG-1 but also a bridge character for its spinoffs, Atlantis and Universe. As Stargate ventures into uncharted territory of an uncertain future, the nugget Amazon MGM Studios offered is a series in development from WandaVision and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, with no further details. In part two of our interview, Shanks and Read spoke to Bleeding Cool to discuss the ongoing discourse between creatives and fans by comparing Stargate with Star Trek and how the parallels of relying on new creatives as to shunting away the old guard, the balancing act of creatives trying to bring in new audiences while not alienating the existing dedicated base, and Shanks' favorite bottle episode from Stargate SG-1. Note: the following has been edited for clarity.

A Full Circle Podcast Hosts Michael Shanks and David Read on the Pressure of Creatives Today, the Struggle to Bring in New Stargate Fans While Not Losing Original Ones, and More

Bleeding Cool: I was wondering, with the general discourse of sci-fi fandom these days, something popped up with Star Trek, and I'm hearing the most ridiculous arguments I've seen are like with 'Strange New Worlds' doing a puppet episode (Level-Five Transporter Accident), and I think about that Stargate episode ('200') that you guys already did that already. People were taking this too seriously in a franchise that you're supposed to have fun in. Are we not allowed to have fun? On top of that, there's been a parallel culture where the original creatives have been pushed aside in favor of new ones. What can you speak about that?

Read: Michael, can I answer that one?

Shanks: Go ahead. Yeah, please.

Read: I have seen every single episode of the [Star Trek] franchise except for one or two seasons of the latest stuff that I just haven't reached yet. There is a difference between celebrating a milestone episode with something special and off the wall, like [episodes] 100 and 200, which 'SG-1' did, and doing something week to week, because it has consumed the nature of what the program is. 'Strange New Worlds,' this season has been nothing but one genre diversion after another, sequentially, to the point where, in my opinion, and in many fans of Star Trek's opinion, it has diluted its identity. 'Wormhole Extreme' and '200' were examples of celebrating the success of the show and then taking the comedy for all that it was worth.

It was successful with the fans that it was successful with, specifically because it was outside of the box rather than just doing something for the sake of doing something, because we've got to do something to put up on the screen since we're perhaps tired of what it is that we've been doing before. To me, that is the distinction of that, that where they've done a soap opera episode, and a noir episode, they keep on doing these things and everyone's like, "Well, where's the cerebral thought-provoking stuff to grab me that is the core thesis of what Star Trek is?" Which is designed to make you think. It's the exact same reason why JJ Abrams had that interview long ago where he said he wasn't interested in target. It was too cerebral. So that's my pure opinion.

Shanks: I'll keep an answer simple in that regard; I don't know anything about 'Star Trek', what David's talking about referencing 'Strange New Worlds' and whatnot. We certainly did our puppet sketch as a moment of self-parody, and it was specifically relevant because it was based on that 'Team America: World Police' movie that had come out, so it was a form of parody. I don't know what the Star Trek story is. I know regarding the discourse in general, I will say this: Even when we were doing peak Stargate back in the day, the advent of social media and whatnot was not there.

The din of fan response, which may have existed, and I'm sure existed in people's minds as opinion, was not as the volume wasn't turned up to 11 the way it is now, and I think creatives have to be careful about listening to that din, because you can get you know that kind of campaigned negativity that some shows get that is really a vocal minority. You can also get people if you ignore it too much…you can get what is essentially the large portion of your audience being alienated, because they feel they're not being heard like in the most recent case, so I do know that they have to be careful with it.

I'm not saying they shouldn't listen, but I'm just saying that they got to be pretty…the filtration process must be there, because the noise, and you also know that as a creative and everybody knows this: you are not going to please all the people all the time, and I mean, hell, when David and I leaked out little tidbits about what the initial premise of the new Martin's Stargate show was supposed to be just with me included and the fact where it was set and whatnot, some people flip their lids with negativity talking about how that was not going to fly, that didn't exist in their world, and whatever. Those are our fans, so there's a response you must take with a grain of salt and filter it, because the noise can be so overwhelming nowadays.

I've got a question with a little levity: do you have a favorite bottle episode of 'SG-1'?

Shanks: Oh, yeah, I think (season eight's) 'Prometheus Unbound' is my favorite bottle episode. It was just Claudia Black and I…"Claudia Black and I," which sounds like a band.

Read: It works.

Shanks: Claudia Black and I on a standing set that we had a lot of stuff that we got to do with our director, Andy Makita, at the time, was kind of like being mischievous kids kind of doing what we wanted to do. We're improving little tidbits, physicalities, the dynamic, and she's a wonderful creative force. She and I collaborated for the first meeting for the first time, and collaborating on that level, which is such a rarity, was a real gift. Of course, it ended up having her beyond the show as a regular character shortly thereafter.

My personal favorite was (season 4's) 'Window of Opportunity,' the 'Groundhog Day' episode.

Read: No one has ever suggested that.

Yeah [Shanks and Reed laugh].

Michael, do you communicate regularly with any of the cast if it's SG1 or beyond?

Shanks: I stay in touch with everybody, almost everybody. Of course, with doing this show, I mean, Amanda [Tapping] and I are always in touch. We live in the same neighborhood, and we run into each other all the time, strangely enough. I see these guys at conventions and whatnot, regularly. I think with the advent of this show, coming about the genesis of it. I started to become in touch with them a lot more, so we could get them as guests. I'm in touch with them even more now than ever before.

For more, you can check out A Full Circle Podcast on YouTube and new episodes here, including Stargate SG-1 creators Jonathan Glassner and Wright, and upcoming ones with Peter Williams (Apophis), and Teryl Rothery (Dr. Janet Fraiser).

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