Stargate’s global following is incalculable, and of all places, France continues to be very fertile ground for new fans. We are here to explore that fandom and the cultural differences that have impacted the French-dubbed version of the shows we love!

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Timecodes
0:00:00 – Preview
0:00:43 – Opening Credits
0:01:10 – Welcome and Episode Outline
0:03:54 – Welcome to our French Guests!
0:05:35 – Why is Stargate (Still) Huge in France?
0:09:00 – SG-1 VS Atlantis and Universe
0:11:23 – Stargate Fusion’s Inception
0:15:44 – The Original Owner
0:18:39 – When They Became Fans
0:20:44 – Stargate’s Modern Relevance
0:22:53 – A Look at Stargate Fusion
0:25:31 – News Stories
0:26:20 – Merchandise
0:29:44 – Episode Names in French
0:35:09 – Forever in a Day
0:36:37 – Cultural References Not Translating
0:39:07 – The Oprah Reference in “Emancipation”
0:43:02 – Spank Me Rosy in “Full Circle”
0:46:11 – David Has an Idea
0:48:34 – Favorite Cast Encounters
0:54:13 – When RDA Helped Marco Propose
0:57:34 – Starstruck with Michael Shanks
1:02:32 – What the Next Stargate Needs to Have
1:06:21 – Messaging in Science Fiction
1:09:17 – The Orville
1:12:27 – David’s Thoughts on Stargate’s Future
1:16:31 – Thank You, Guests!
1:21:26 – Marco’s Background
1:23:22 – Post-Discussion Housekeeping
1:25:28 – End Credits

***

“Stargate” and all related materials are owned by MGM Studios and MGM Television.

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TRANSCRIPT
Find an error? Submit it here.

David Read:
I always remember this line. It makes me laugh. “Spank me, Rosie.”

Lara Faivre:
“Spank me, Rosie.” How do I translate that?

David Read:
That’s what I’m getting at. It’s so … It’s sexual, but it’s playful. Rosie.

Lara Faivre:
Rosie. We don’t have a word for Rosie.

David Read:
Because you’re hitting it a lot.

Lara Faivre:
What?

David Read:
I would pay money to do this to you on a regular basis.

David Read:
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Dial the Gate: the Stargate Oral History Project. My name is David Read. This episode is very special for me, because Stargate is more than just American. It’s more than just English. There are a number of cultures around the world who derive the satisfaction and the entertainment value from the franchise, but also the deeper meaning of the messages, and this resonates everywhere. If you look at my stats for Dial the Gate, a huge percentage of our audience, an enormous percentage, comes from Europe. 50% is American. The other 50% is the rest of the world, everywhere from Slovenia to Russia, which is probably not that far apart, now that I think of it. But we really need to do a better job of connecting to these other territories, and that is what I am doing with this episode here. We have had foreign-language speakers in the show before, but I’ve never dedicated an episode to foreign-language fandom. France has a huge Stargate following, and we’re gonna drill down into some of the context as to why, maybe a little bit. I just got off the phone with — or the Zoom — with a number of French Stargate fans, and we are gonna join them now for a 90-minute-plus discussion on not just Stargate, but the way that Stargate interfaces with their culture through the lens of our own, and how some things change, and how some things don’t. You’re also gonna get a little bit of a history on Stargate-Fusion, which is the biggest French website in the French-language arena, and get a look at some of the top players. I wanna say this right off the bat. This is not gonna be our only French episode. There were only so many seats that I could have to give people a voice to communicate, and there are so many French fans that I know personally that I couldn’t fit into this. So, there will be other sectors of fandom, French fandom in particular, that we will bring on in the next couple of years to come. But I had to start somewhere, and this is where I landed, which was Stargate-Fusion. This was originally gonna be a Stargate-Fusion dedicated episode, and after the discussion that we’ve had, this really is gonna be our first dedicated episode specifically for French Stargate fans. So I wanted to start here. Hang through the translations and the interpretations, because there is some meat in this discussion. I’ve edited this to make it a little bit tighter, and I hope you enjoy.

David Read:
Thank you guys for joining me. It means a lot to have you.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Thanks a lot to you too. It means a lot for us too, for you to be with us today.

David Read:
Lara– Is it Lara or Lara?

Lara Faivre:
Lara, like Lara Croft.

David Read:
Lara. Lara Croft.

Lara Faivre:
Yes.

David Read:
Lara, you’re not a translator/interpreter for hire? You are a Stargate fan too?

Lara Faivre:
I’m a Stargate fan too, and actually, I’m a student. I still study languages, so I’m not a translator for hire yet.

David Read:
How many languages do you speak?

Lara Faivre:
I speak English and French fluently, but I’m studying German and a teeny-tiny bit of Chinese.

David Read:
Ah, all right. Very good. This is my first foreign-language episode, hopefully the first of many.

David Read:
It’s appropriate that we start here, because a huge percentage of the foreign-language audience for Stargate is French.

David Read:
So, my question to any of you three that I wanna pose first is why do you think that an American paramilitary show has captivated so many French fans? Why? I don’t know. It’s my number one question.

David Read:
This is for the floor.

Marco Maldini:
Very good question, David. Pourquoi, pourquoi?

David Read:
Pourquoi?

Lara Faivre:
So, to start off– I’ve gotta switch language, sorry.

David Read:
We’re just warming up.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Maybe because Stargate, the film, was also co-created with French people. So, it was a co-French creation.

David Read:
Très bien. That makes a lot of sense.

David Read:
Damien?

David Read:
I don’t think Damien got a memo. It’s OK. It’s all right.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, to start off where Damien left off, he said maybe it’s because we carry a kind of nostalgia, because we like the 80s, 90s, not only with Stargate, but also with series such as MacGyver. We really like this series. And also, Marco added that in a way, Richard Dean Anderson is like a carrier of nostalgia for us and we really liked him.

David Read:
That makes a lot of sense. That explains the feature film but it doesn’t– The Richard Dean Anderson portion begins to explain the series a little bit.

David Read:
I guess an extension to that question would be, do you find that Atlantis and Universe are as popular as SG-1 in France, or is it SG-1 that reigns absolutely supreme?

Damien Barbier:
No. It depends.

Marco Maldini:
Stargate, SG-1, number one.

David Read:
Sure.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, to give you a bit of context, in France, both were diffused at the same time. For example, Marco had a bit of trouble liking Atlantis at first because he didn’t find what he found in SG-1, and both were there at the time, so he had to pick a favorite, I guess.

David Read:
Marco, quel âge?

David Read:
What was that?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Thirty-four.

David Read:
Thirty-four. OK. So, you were old enough to see SG-1 in France before Atlantis came out?

Marco Maldini:
Yes.

David Read:
I wanna keep this in mind in dealing with France in the future. I would agree that SG-1 is the biggest out of the three here in the States, but also it had twice as many episodes as the next one.

David Read:
When did Stargate-Fusion begin?

Marco Maldini:
Very difficult.

David Read:
When was the website founded?

Marco Maldini:
Damien?

Damien Barbier:
Yes.

Marco Maldini:
France, Swiss–

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, the site Stargate-Fusion was founded in 2004 via the fusion of three other sites. It was called the Project Fusion, which came the name from the site. And it was a fusion of the site from France, the site from Switzerland, and the site from Québec.

David Read:
I understand now. Marco tried to explain this to me. I didn’t get it.

David Read:
Was the internet in these places running out of parking spaces and you all decided to get together in one house?

David Read:
Why was this necessary? Or was this a choice?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He thinks that us French, we’re brave, but we’re small. And in front of the American giants, we had to unite to do something

David Read:
So, did each of these sites have elements that were placed together into the final website that is Stargate-Fusion?

Marco Maldini:
Damien?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Yes, the database from the three sites were really fused together. We kept elements from each of the three sites.

David Read:
Wow. OK.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] The team that founded Stargate-Fusion is not the same. It’s not the same people that are active anymore on the site. Right now, Damien is one of the most– How do I say that?

Damien Barbier:
Ancient?

Lara Faivre:
Ancient, all right.

David Read:
Prolific?

Lara Faivre:
One of the most ancient users we can find, oldest user we can find of the site.

David Read:
Longest lasting.

Lara Faivre:
Longest lasting, thank you. I didn’t have the word.

David Read:
That’s all right.

Lara Faivre:
And the teams changed over time.

David Read:
In English, there is always another word. You will always find one if you look hard enough.

Lara Faivre:
But there’s so many words.

David Read:
That’s true. It’s ridiculous. Was the site sold or has the original owner always maintained control?
Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] The owner technically still owns it and still has a right to look at what is done and can still technically do things. But right now, he’s not one of the users that is most active. So, the team is free to do as they please.

David Read:
Does he still maintain editorial control?

Damien Barbier:
No.

David Read:
OK. Wow. All right. And for the record, so that I have it logged, who founded Stargate– Who is the ultimate founder and architect of Stargate-Fusion?

Marco Maldini:
Damien?

David Read:
Write it down.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] The original founder was called Guillaume and he was from Québec, but it was long before Damien joined. We do not have all the information.

David Read:
OK. That’s not Guillaume St-Pierre, is it?

Damien Barbier:
[No.]

David Read:
Different Guillaume? OK.

Lara Faivre:
A different Guillaume.

David Read:
We’ve got Guillaumes running all over the place. All right.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] The founders are like the Ancients in Stargate. They’re there, they’ve done something.

David Read:
I see.

Lara Faivre:
But they’re not the ones in control. There’s a human down there taking care of it.

David Read:
They really are like the Ancients. Let’s set Stargate-Fusion aside for a minute.

David Read:
I wanna know when you all became fans of the franchise. And Lara, I’m gonna start with you.

Lara Faivre:
I became a fan really small. I don’t exactly remember when, but that was around six when I first saw SG1. My parents would cover my eyes when the Goa’uld came out.

David Read:
The pilot?

Lara Faivre:
Yeah.

David Read:
Cover up that Goa’uld, but those breasts are okay. It’s France. It’s true. I’ve been to France.

David Read:
Go ahead.

Marco Maldini:
Damien?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He became a fan– Stargate was on TV when he came back from high school, so he was 13, 14 years old when he became a fan.

David Read:
How old are you now?

Damien Barbier:
I am 36 years old.

David Read:
36? Wow. So, 20, 22 years? Fandom for 22 years?

Damien Barbier:
Yes, exactly.

David Read:
Why? Someone could ask me this question, but why are you guys still around? Show’s dead.

Damien Barbier:
It’s a really good question.

Lara Faivre:
He thinks … [translating from French] it cannot be explained.

David Read:
It has a certain “je ne sais quoi.” No, I do not accept that. That is not acceptable. Characters are relatable and fun and interesting.

David Read:
The themes are relevant always.

David Read:
The music. The visual effects kick ass.

David Read:
They kick ass.

Damien Barbier:
Great.

Lara Faivre:
I have other expression, but they’re in English. I’ve got fat ass, I’ve got kick ass, but I do not have it in French. Does not exist.

David Read:
We use ass frequently. Yes.

Lara Faivre:
I know.

David Read:
You smartass. No, that’s me. You’re a badass.

Lara Faivre:
No.

David Read:
Badass is good.

Lara Faivre:
I know.

David Read:
I would accept that. Let’s take a look at Stargate-Fusion and poke around. I’ve never actually been to different subpages of the site.

Damien Barbier:
Let’s go.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] You’re gonna see beautiful work as the French do.

David Read:
All right. I better. OK. “Tout savoir sur la franchise Stargate.”

Damien Barbier:
Yes.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] “Know everything about Stargate,” basically.

David Read:
Wow. That’s a tall order. Wow. “Accueil?”

Lara Faivre:
Film.

David Read:
Films. Series. Encyclopedie. Coulisses … glossary, like terms?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] In the settings, you can put it in English if you want.

David Read:
Ah, so much easier.

Lara Faivre:
And “coulisse” doesn’t mean glossary. It’s not the same thing. It’s like the back door, behind the scenes.

David Read:
You should hide that at the bottom somewhere, not just have it in front of everybody. “I can get in. You can’t.” All right.

David Read:
English. Where is English? Language. Where would the language button be?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Marco is saying that we can use the Google setting to translate it into English.

David Read:
No, you know what? This is too complicated. Let me go ahead and play with it in French.

David Read:
How often do you have news stories published?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It depends on the actuality. They try to do twice a month, but it really depends on the actuality, depending on the conventions, the interviews that have been done. Really depends on what’s going on right now in the Stargate fandom.

David Read:
Makes total sense. Absolutely. What are your thoughts– Let’s put a pin in this for a moment. What are your guys’ thoughts on the merchandise availability?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, to start off, there’s something. That’s good. And then there’s still goodies and merchandise coming out right now with Bluebricks. And Damien got… Shit.

Lara Faivre:
How can you say? The Aurora-class ship. He’s satisfied with it.

David Read:
The O’Neill or the Ori class?

Lara Faivre:
O’Neill or the Ori class?

Lara Faivre:
The ancient ship from Pegasus. Thank you.

David Read:
So the Orion?

Lara Faivre:
Orion?

Damien Barbier:
Yes.

David Read:
From “Inferno?”

Damien Barbier:
Exactly, yes.

David Read:
Where? Where is this? I haven’t seen it.

Lara Faivre:
On the Bluebricks site, I think.

David Read:
Bluebricks has done it. Let’s have a look.

Lara Faivre:
And Marco also added that there’s good merchandise, but there’s also a bit of bad merchandise.

David Read:
So, that’s official. Wow. OK. Yes, Bluebricks, the quality has been all over the place in my opinion, but I’m really glad that they’re putting stuff out.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He’s more of an adept of the older merchandise that he used to have than the newer ones. He’s showing off.

David Read:
Very good. Yes, the trading cards were really cool.

Lara Faivre:
We have a lot of them in France. There’s a lot of trading on that. We cannot see.

David Read:
Is there a Stargate episode name in France that you guys feel didn’t really translate well to French based on the story?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] In France, we have the habit of completely changing the names. It still holds a meaning. I have an example. For example, the film Jaws. In French, it’s called Les Dents de la Mer, which means the Teeth of the Sea.

David Read:
The Teeth of the Sea. OK, very good. Let’s see what they did for “Doppelganger.”

Lara Faivre:
But in French, “jaws” means “mâchoire,” and it wasn’t impressive enough. So, we changed the name to hold more meaning.

David Read:
Wow. It makes a lot of sense. And I like that there’s the English version to the right.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So to give an example, in Stargate Atlantis, there was an episode that Marco really liked called, in English, “Trinity,” but in French we called it “L’expérience interdite,” which could translate to “The Forbidden Experience.”

David Read:
Interesting. Very good. There’s a lot here to unpack in terms of the names. You could spend an entire couple of hours interpreting the names differently from one language to the other, from any of the shows.

David Read:
Except for “Coup D’état,” of course.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] There’s also the problem of adapting the names. We have to adapt the name to our cultural references, which are different in the US and in France.

David Read:
Disney does this all the time with a lot of cultural references in their movies. For instance, Inside Out, at the meal table, the girl goes, “Ew,” to a certain food item, and in every territory, the food is different.

David Read:
You know the movie Inside Out?

Lara Faivre:
I know the movie, but I watched it in English.

David Read:
Inside Out, the movie?

Lara Faivre:
Yeah, I watched it in English, so I don’t know the name in French.

David Read:
There’s a Disney film. OK.

David Read:
Emotions on the Inside.

Marco Maldini:
Yes. Vice-Versa.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] For example, we also have the film Vaiana. In the US, it was called Moana, but it was changed.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, we had a problem in Europe. In Italy, Moana is a reference to a kind of star in Italy you wouldn’t want your children to know about. So, we had to change the name.

David Read:
A what you wouldn’t want your children to know about?

Lara Faivre:
A kind of star you wouldn’t want your children to know about.

David Read:
That one?

Lara Faivre:
Let’s say that.

David Read:
OK, very good. Yes. Pentangle. I really want to see what the title is for “Forever in a Day,” because in German it is literally “Sha’re is dead.”

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] And talking of Sha’re, she’s the one voicing Vaiana.

David Read:
Vaitiare? She speaks French?

Marco Maldini:
No, US.

Lara Faivre:
In the US, she’s the one dubbing … speaking for Moana.

David Read:
What?

Marco Maldini:
Yes, Vaitiare is Tahitian.

David Read:
Oh my God. Wow. OK.

Marco Maldini:
Like the Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

David Read:
The things you don’t know until you do.

Lara Faivre:
Dwayne Johnson, both the dubbed voices in Moana.

David Read:
OK, this is really cool. I’ve gotta know, you’re watching an adaptation of a US show.

David Read:
What are the things from our culture to yours that they’ve really had to adjust or change, either with dialogue or with the story on the screen, that didn’t really assimilate with French culture? Is there anything over the course of the shows?

David Read:
Lots of words guys, lots of words. Smaller, smaller.

Lara Faivre:
I’m used to it.

David Read:
I know.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Not so much was changed. Maybe some expressions or jokes which had to be adapted to work in French because some English jokes don’t work in French. They think other things that were changed were the food or the TV series that they talked about that didn’t come out in Europe. But Europe has this longing for America and its freedom and its way of life. So, we don’t really adapt shows from there. We adapt to it.

David Read:
I see. What was the episode called? In “Emancipation,” was Oprah changed or is Oprah intact?

David Read:
Oh, come on. “What is an Oprah?”

Lara Faivre:
We don’t exactly have the same definition in France and in the US for opera. So, I’m not sure–

David Read:
It’s a talk show host. She’s a woman.

David Read:
Oprah Winfrey. Is it different in the episode?

Damien Barbier:
Yes, it’s different.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Yes, they exchanged it for a Nobel Prize.

David Read:
Nobel Prize. That’s cool.

Lara Faivre:
Nobel Prize.

David Read:
Alfred Nobel. Booom. That’s cool. So, I would imagine that Richard Dean Anderson’s Jack-isms, O’Neill-isms would have to be changed all the time.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, Marco doesn’t think so much has changed and asked Damien, since he watched some series in original version, if he knew if that changed. But Damien answered that he watched all the series in [inaudible], in original version, but not really Stargate. But he said some jokes had to be changed to make it age-appropriate in France.

David Read:
Ooh, any that stand out in your mind?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, Marco said he hasn’t any that came to mind, but there’s one that Damien remembered. It’s when Jack O’Neill plays golf through the Stargate.

David Read:
“In the middle of my backswing.”

Lara Faivre:
Yep. In French, it’s quite the same. “You don’t stop me in the middle of my swing.” ‘Tis around the same.

David Read:
So much of what he says is innuendo, is saying one thing but meaning another.

David Read:
In “Full Circle,” Season Six finale, there is a scene in the catacombs under the pyramid.

David Read:
And I always remember this line. It makes me laugh. “Well, spank me, Rosie.” I use it a lot.

Lara Faivre:
“Spank me, Rosie.” How do I translate that?

David Read:
That’s what I’m getting at. It’s sexual, but it’s playful, and I’m curious–

Lara Faivre:
We do have–

David Read:
I would really love to pull up the scene and see how it’s written in French.

Lara Faivre:
I do not know how to translate that. All right.

David Read:
Let’s Google it.

Lara Faivre:
You know what? I’ve got DeepL open here. How do I translate?

David Read:
That’s what– “Moi une fessez, Rosie?”

Lara Faivre:
Rosie, we don’t have a word for Rosie. I know what it means. All right.

David Read:
Red, like pink. Because you’re hitting it a lot.

Lara Faivre:
What? All right.

David Read:
There we go. They got it. How would you translate something like that? Because so much of what he says doesn’t work outside of an English naughty context. He’s being naughty.

Lara Faivre:
Naughty, damn it. Wait a second.

David Read:
I love that I gave it to you. I love it.

Lara Faivre:
Naughty. Yeah, we are at this level.

David Read:
Lara, some of the things O’Neill says can be singularly execrable. Translate that. No, I’m kidding, I’m kidding.

Lara Faivre:
Can you repeat?

David Read:
He dicks around a lot. Try that one.

Lara Faivre:
In French. In French, we made him more chill.

David Read:
More chill. So, you guys have spawned an idea for me.

David Read:
I want to take Jack O’Neill’s most interesting phrases, Richard Dean Anderson’s most interesting phrases, from all the different languages and put them together with speakers from each language to tell us how they’re different. See, it’s already a good idea.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Yeah, it’s a good idea.

David Read:
Because so much stuff doesn’t translate, and you’re going to have to insert something that gets the same reaction out of a person. And that’s the idea.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He can’t wait to see Richard Dean Anderson in Japanese.

David Read:
It’ll take a long time to get through all the dialogue.

David Read:
I’ll bet it’s not dubbed.

David Read:
Stargate is not big in Asia. I lived there for a year. I know this.

David Read:
But I do need to get a list of all of the languages that it is dubbed in if I am going to do this.

David Read:
OK, Marco, you ready to go?

Marco Maldini:
Yes, I’m good.

David Read:
OK. Give me one or two of your favorite encounters with the cast.

David Read:
All three of you. OK, then fine.

David Read:
No, all three of you. All three. Not three … all three shows. But all three of you people.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So they all have something special. I think you would say it was his meeting with Richard, Tony Amendola, and I didn’t get the name of the last one.

David Read:
Peter Williams, Apophis.

Lara Faivre:
Peter Williams. Thank you.

David Read:
OK, tell me about them.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Even though he’s done a lot of them, he met a lot of people, each time he’s brought back to childhood. It’s not like you lose your senses and everything. It’s complicated in a way.

David Read:
Yes, what’s the word in English? Nostalgia can be like that.

David Read:
What are you writing, girl?

Lara Faivre:
Taking notes.

David Read:
I guess.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He has an anecdote to illustrate that. When he met with Christopher Judge, he gave him a Zat’nik’tel in a box. And in this box, there was also a prop he had with Louis Gossett Jr, who had passed some time before. It made Christopher Judge really emotional in a way. And Marco felt guilty to make him feel that way.

David Read:
Chris cries easily.

David Read:
But I’m sure it still meant a lot.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It’s a complicated relation.

David Read:
Yes. Absolutely. There’s a lot of feelings there. But Christopher is the softest touch in the galaxy.

David Read:
Lara, I would pay money to do this to you on a regular basis.

Lara Faivre:
No.

David Read:
This is great.

Lara Faivre:
No, I have to work.

David Read:
Damien?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, without hesitation, he will talk about his meeting with Richard Dean Anderson.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Mainly because he thinks he’s the most human of them in a way. And it’s really special, as Marco said before, he was really brought back to childhood when he met him. And he’s really one of the most adorable actor you could meet.

David Read:
Richard is very cognizant of your time. Very aware of your time.

David Read:
He’s with you when you are there with him.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Marco said it’s true. When he asked him if he could participate in his proposal for marriage, Richard Dean Anderson accepted right away, even though they didn’t really know each other.

David Read:
You asked him to help propose to your girlfriend?

David Read:
I’m waiting with bated breath.

Lara Faivre:
All right. [translating from French] When Richard Dean Anderson came to Marseille, it was organized with his agent, Julian … With his agent and someone else knew Julian, Richard Dean Anderson had the ring when Marco and his wife came in Marseille, and he gave them the ring, I guess.

David Read:
You gave Richard your ring? How did you get it to him?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Actually, he didn’t really give anything in person. He gave it to Julian, who gave it to Richard Dean Anderson and took care of everything.

David Read:
Wow. And Richard agreed to this before the event?

David Read:
Any other special moments?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] So, my meeting was not in real person, but with Marco, when we had an interview with Tony Amendola. And he was really nice and joyful. Like a really kind granddad.

David Read:
Tony is authentic and genuine. He’s salt of the earth. He’s a great human being.

David Read:
He’s authentic. He’s real.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Marco said that Damien didn’t say the truth. What?

David Read:
Over here, we call that a lie.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Damien really lost all — Don’t cover yourself — really lost all his senses in front of Michael Shanks.

David Read:
Starstruck.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He was impressed.

David Read:
Wow, with Michael Shanks. All right. I’ve known them since I was a teenager, so it’s really hard for me to see them that way. I don’t put them up on a pedestal in my mind. I don’t feel that that’s appropriate. But if you’ve not been with them, and you see someone that you’ve watched all your life, I can understand it.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] The situation was that they had a one-on-one interview in real life with Michael Shanks.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It was the moment when the scenarists in the US were on strike.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] At the last moment, they were told, “You can talk about everything but Stargate.”

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Damien lost all his senses.

David Read:
Because it’s a US show?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] At this moment, they didn’t have the right to speak about Stargate with Michael.

David Read:
But five minutes before he got told that, you could have?

David Read:
I’m all ears.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] They were basically looking at each other, staring at each other for 20 minutes because their interpreter didn’t show up.

David Read:
No.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Damien understands English quite well, but he doesn’t speak very well. So in front of Dr. Daniel Jackson, that’s– Knowing that he’d come out.

David Read:
A linguist.

David Read:
In America, that is called a shitty situation.

David Read:
You’re there–

Lara Faivre:
In France, the translation basically means the same. And dipshit.

David Read:
Dipshit.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Once they were done with the interview, they managed to make something, but they weren’t feeling well about it.

David Read:
I would be really upset, especially because you’ve been planning for this moment and then someone drops the ball or forgets something.

David Read:
What are you looking for in a new Stargate project? What do you want?

David Read:
What will make the French happy again?

David Read:
We want you to come to our rescue in World War Three.

David Read:
World War Two was just a speed bump.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] All he wishes for is that it doesn’t get politicized like all the new Disney and things like that. He wants to keep the spirit, the soul of the series.

David Read:
Damien?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Like a lot of Stargate French fans, he would like a new series, but he thinks that without the original producing team, the series would be a lot different. And maybe we could be … not satisfied.

David Read:
I wouldn’t count on it, my friend.

David Read:
What would your runner-up choice be?

David Read:
Second place.

David Read:
What would your next best choice be?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] For a new series?

David Read:
Series, new movie, new adaptation.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He thinks we would need a movie to close all that has already been done, like an end for Universe, for example, to be able to start off on good grounds.

David Read:
OK. So unless it has Brad Wright’s name on it, you guys are not interested. Am I hearing you right?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It’s not like that. He would like the older team to come back, but if it’s something else.

David Read:
Je ne sais quoi. Something else.

David Read:
I would have to push back on the no politics part.

David Read:
Because I think that much of the best of science fiction has political undercurrents, undertones … messaging. Undertones.

David Read:
The difference is …

David Read:
… it shouldn’t be so modern politically …

David Read:
… that you’re clearly intending to make part of the audience the enemy.

David Read:
Like, “You think this way, and therefore you’re just evil.”

David Read:
Gene Roddenberry had very specific political views, but he welcomed everyone in because he knew that that was the only way that he could transmit ideas.

David Read:
So what I think that you’re saying, and correct me if I’m wrong …

David Read:
… is that you don’t want mud throwing.

Lara Faivre:
Mud throwing?

David Read:
One side mistreating other people for the sake of mistreating other people, hurting other people.

David Read:
Am I in the ballpark? Ballpark, sorry. Am I getting near it? This American is on fire.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He understood what you meant, and he’s agreeing with you.

David Read:
There’s nothing more colloquial than ballpark. Geez, sorry. It’s all right. You’re in the dugout. He’s flagging you in. Now, have you seen The Orville? The Orville, Seth MacFarlane.

Lara Faivre:
What is it called in French? Damn it.

David Read:
Do you have this over there?

Damien Barbier:
No.

David Read:
How do you say that in French? You are missing a hell of a show.

Lara Faivre:
I’ve heard about it, but in English.

David Read:
This is excellent science fiction.

David Read:
Despite my greasy handprints from reading it last time.

David Read:
Seth MacFarlane has a very specific political perspective, but when he writes his science fiction, he writes for everyone.

David Read:
Science fiction is about all of us. It’s about being human.

David Read:
And I sincerely feel that if we can’t all get through this together …

David Read:
… I think we deserve to be destroyed.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] That’s radical.

David Read:
If we are to be saved at all as a species and fly around in these things, we’re going to have to get there together.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He’s agreeing with you.

David Read:
Any thoughts? Any closing thoughts before I let you guys go? It’s a school night. You have to get up for school in the morning. That’s what that means.

Lara Faivre:
No, I don’t have school. Tomorrow is–

David Read:
No, it’s a euphemism. You have to go to bed early. OK, fine. Any closing thoughts?

David Read:
Anything you want to cover for the archive before we close out the episode?

David Read:
Marco, this was your idea.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He has the same question to ask you.

David Read:
Which one?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] How do you see the future of the franchise, if there is one at all?

David Read:
There’s two things. How would I like to see it, or how do I think it’s actually going to play out?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] How do you think it will play out?

David Read:
Great. Terrific. You want the glass-half-empty answer.

David Read:
I think that they are far more interested, the modern writers, in what they have to say rather than honoring the material.

David Read:
And I don’t care if you agree with someone’s politics or not. That’s not relevant.

David Read:
You walk on two feet in this business. Go ahead.

David Read:
And you put one foot in front of the other.

David Read:
One is honoring what’s come before.

David Read:
And the other is sharing your own ideas.

David Read:
You must lead with this foot. You must.

David Read:
Then the next one can follow because people will be willing to follow you wherever you go.

David Read:
If you are honoring the original idea, if you are honoring the principle of what that represents …

David Read:
… we will follow you almost anywhere.

David Read:
Are they wise enough to understand that? I don’t know, but I hope so.

David Read:
Is that a fair answer?

David Read:
Hey, you know, as Jack O’Neill would say, “Hey, you know.” How do you translate that? How would you translate that? Because he says that two or three times in the show. “Well, you know.” Does it mean the same thing in French? “I’m just really cool. I’m just that awesome. Because, of course, it’s me.”

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It’s the same.

David Read:
See, Marco, we’re not all that different. [***] Go ahead.

Lara Faivre:
How do I translate that? All right.

David Read:
You know what it is.

Lara Faivre:
No, I do not know how to say it in French.

David Read:
This has been great. You guys have been really charming and thoughtful.

David Read:
I really appreciate, Lara, your patience.

Lara Faivre:
Thank you.

David Read:
Absolutely.

Lara Faivre:
You’re being patient because my translation is–

David Read:
I was going to run you through it, for sure.

Lara Faivre:
All right.

David Read:
Are you okay, Marco?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He wanted to also thank you about your community and your channel Wormhole X-Tremists. Every time when they go there, they’re really well welcomed.

David Read:
Yes, our commentary channel. I’m very proud of it. It’s a good time.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He really wanted to thank you because it’s a great honor to get to do this video with you. And even though in French, he still watches your videos with the subtitles to get through.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] You’re a reference no matter the language. Even outside of GateWorld, everyone’s watches you. So, we’re really awaiting to have subtitles accessible in every language.

David Read:
Thank God that YouTube has what is has at least now.

David Read:
It’s only gonna get better. Zoom now has a language plug-in.

David Read:
If you set up a meeting beforehand, you can actually load the language into it that you’re gonna be using.

David Read:
OK, guys. I really appreciate you taking the time. This was much more interesting than I thought it would be.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] Stargate-Fusion would like to thank you one last time because this is really, really important for them. It’s a reunion between the European and the American. It’s the first time it’s happening, and it’s 30 years after the film came out. It’s a really big, big thing for them.

David Read:
Absolutely. I am very happy to do this, and want to make sure that this is the first of many to come.

David Read:
Marco, where did you render your background?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He made it himself.

David Read:
You made that?

Marco Maldini:
Yes.

David Read:
All of it?

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] He modified it a lot, but the base came from Grog, wasn’t it?

Marco Maldini:
Yes.

David Read:
Grok, X. Very cool. I could tell the Stargate was AI generated a little bit, but it looks really good. They’ve gotten much better.

Lara Faivre:
[translating from French] It’s many pictures meeting together in a way. The vortex he made on the computer. The Stargate was AI generated, but the pyramid was already there. The background was also another picture. So he all assembled it together to get this.

David Read:
It’s very cool. And I appreciate all of you taking your time today, again.

David Read:
And [***] is not going in. I was kidding. Mostly.

David Read:
My tremendous thanks to Marco and Damien and Lara for a thoughtful discussion that I really wasn’t expecting, to be perfectly honest. Marco had pitched this idea about a month and a half ago. And I’m like, “Sure, Marco. We’ll give this a spin.” And boy, was I wrong. There was a lot of thoughtful discussion in this and a lot of banter. And we made Lara laugh a lot, which is funny. That’s the thing where one culture connects with another. How do you get certain things to come across? And there was some that we cut from this that was really inappropriate. Once I knew how much I could make her laugh, I was off the reservation. That was it. OK, my goal now is to make Lara laugh as much as possible. I really hope you enjoyed the episode. If you enjoy Stargate and you wanna see more content like this, maybe a German episode, ja, I would really appreciate it if you click the Like button. It does make a difference with the show and will continue to help us grow our audience, in whatever language they speak. Please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend. And if you wanna get notified about future episodes, click the Subscribe icon. And if you click the bell icon, you will get notified the moment a new video drops and you’ll get my notifications of any last-minute guest changes. And clips from this episode will be released over the course of the next few weeks on the Dial the Gate YouTube channel. That’s what I have for you. My tremendous thanks to my producers, Antony, Kevin, and Linda. My moderators, Antony and Kevin, Jeremy, Lockwatcher, Marcia, Raj, Summer, and Tracy. I could not do the show without these folks. They make the wheel go around, make it spin. And big thanks to Frederick Marcoux over at ConceptsWeb. He is our web developer who keeps dialthegate.com up and running. That’s what I have for you here this week. I appreciate you tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this one. Merci. I’ll see you on the other side. Ooh, I should have had them translate that. [***]

David Read:
On se voit de l’autre coté.