Research: I DO EET

There's a quote about writing that I love which compares the writing process to an iceberg: for whatever shows above the surface (for whatever actually makes it into the final draft), ten times as much is below the waterline (went into the final product). Most of the time, the reader never learns about any of the behind the scenes process.

Today, dear readers, I want to share it with you.

As part of the background for my story In the Shadow of Giants, I researched all the SG teams and their named members as they appeared in each season. ALL OF THEM. Because I needed to know - I HAD TO KNOW - who showed up where, what they were doing, what kind of a team each was, who died and when, and so on. I had to get everyone and all the timelines straight in my head, first because I planned to use actual situations from the show - passing mentions of situations that I could expand upon - and later so I wouldn't overlap with established incidents or use names already claimed.

I compiled this information into a nifty little list that was both revelatory and sobering. Come, let me show you.

( The list )

There is so much going on in the Stargate universe - and, as a result, so much that we miss - and it's easy to allow yourself to brush over some of the details. Even more, the A plot (following Our Heroes) almost always obscures any B-side, unnamed, secondary/tertiary/third-MP-on-the-right stories that could be told or happen to be mentioned.

On the one hand, this is fantastic as it provides so much room for fanfic writers to play in and so many avenues for them to explore. On the other hand, it's disappointing (though expected) that we can't get that kind of depth on the show. Alas, no budget or running time in the world would allow for such depth as could be created from the Stargate verse.

Not that the fanfic writers are complaining. :)