Matthew Scott (Stargate)
Encyclopedia
First Lieutenant
Matthew Scott is a fictional character
from the science fiction
television series, Stargate Universe
, the third live-action series in the Stargate
franchise, which centers on a group of soldiers and civilians trapped on the Ancient vessel Destiny. He is portrayed by Brian J. Smith
. Matthew Scott holds the rank of First Lieutenant
, and is described as a skilled and well-trained junior SGC member in his twenties, but is "mentally unprepared for the urgency of the situation" aboard the Destiny.
Originally named Jared Nash, Scott was among the first characters to have been created in the series. Before being cast, Smith had not seen the Stargate series, but caught up with much of SG-1
afterward. The character has been well received by critics as well as some of the cast and crew of the series.
whose alcoholism
led to his death when Scott was 17. He originally planned to enter the priesthood until he slept with a girl, Annie Balic, and she fell pregnant. Though Annie told Scott she was not going to go through with the pregnancy she changed her mind and had a boy who she named Matt, after his father.
In the present day, Scott is in a physical relationship with fellow Icarus Base officer Vanessa James (Julia Benson). After the base falls under attack, Colonel Everett Young
(Louis Ferreira) has him lead the expedition to the nine-chevron address after Nicholas Rush
(Robert Carlyle
) dials it instead of Earth
. Scott becomes the leader of the expedition's first off-world mission, where he finds lime
to repair the CO2 scrubbers on the Destiny, having followed a strange, swirling cloud of dust to its location. While on the ship he develops a friendship, and later intimate relationship with Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque
). In the second half of the first season, Scott participates in an off-world mission with Chloe, Eli
(David Blue
) and Greer
; during the mission, he and the team end up trapped underground, and Destiny leaves without them. After Destiny leaves the galaxy without them, the planet's Stargate mysteriously activates to Destiny and they step through, not knowing until later that it was the work of the blue aliens introduced in "Space".
in "Darkness
". Smith commented that Scott views Colonel Young as a father figure, but throughout the first season he is "starting to see him becoming something ugly and demented," though "he can forgive" and "he can learn." Concerning Scott's relationship with Chloe, Smith believed that although "so much happened so fast," behind the scenes, they share common hopes, dreams and fears, and tease and joke with each other. He also believed Scott would view Eli
as "bizarre and weird, and doesn't quite know what to make of him," but respects his brain power and friendliness, and doesn't think there is a sense of threat or competition between Scott and Eli concerning Chloe, since they both "understand the place that each of them have in Chloe's life."
and Robert C. Cooper
. Scott was created as a flawed hero, since the viewers could identify with this better than a "perfect hero"; in SG-1 and Atlantis, all the characters often knew the solution to various problems, but the creators didn't want this to be the case in Universe. Wright and Cooper also made the character religious because they avoided doing so in characters in the past.
Before being cast, Brian J. Smith had been working as a stage actor in New York City
for a year and a half and had seen a couple of Stargate episodes. When he was looking to start a television career, he saw himself to play for guest spots or multi-episode characters rather than series regulars. When he was approached for the role, he was attracted to the writing of the pilot episode and a talk with Robert C. Cooper
, who outlined the new approach to shooting the series. He was also attracted to his character's backstory, and was impressed to see "a young man in his twenties portrayed this way," and that the writers did not create Scott in other series where actors Smith's age are portrayed as egotistical, mindless, and sex-craved players.
Smith taped his Stargate Universe audition and was invited to a screen test in Los Angeles. He received the news of being cast a few days after the screen test. He prepared for the role by doing military research, particularly by reading books based on the Vietnam War
, and talking with Angelique McDonald, one of the series' Air Force advisers, about the nature of and how vulnerable First Lieutenants really are. He had not seen the Stargate TV series before being cast, but caught up with much of SG-1 afterwards. Smith has said that one of his favourite episodes in the first season was "Air
", partly due to the filming in White Sands, New Mexico
, but also said it was one of the most difficult to film, and "Life". When acting for the role, Smith wanted to make everything real. In an interview with SFX, Smith expressed being anxious and nervous over performing nude scenes in the series, stating "When you're doing a scene and you're very scantily clad, you can get a little bit nervous and don't know how it's going to turn out."
Joseph Mallozzi
, Brian J. Smith was "always a pleasure to talk to", "extremely talented" and reminded him and the character as "a young Ben Browder
." Smith himself positively received his character, saying "I just like the kid, I like him a lot." Fellow actor Jamil Walker Smith
named Scott his favorite character. Mark Wilson of About.com
called Brian J. Smith as Matthew Scott a "breakout performance", and that although Smith was relatively fresh out of Juilliard School
, he is able to "bring to bear his own situation as a novice shouldering a significant portion of the weight of a show like this."
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
Matthew Scott is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series, Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
, the third live-action series in the Stargate
Stargate
Stargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
franchise, which centers on a group of soldiers and civilians trapped on the Ancient vessel Destiny. He is portrayed by Brian J. Smith
Brian J. Smith
Brian J. Smith is an American actor who is known for his role as Trey in the 2006 independent film Hate Crime and as series regular Lt. Matthew Scott in the military science fiction television series, Stargate Universe....
. Matthew Scott holds the rank of First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, and is described as a skilled and well-trained junior SGC member in his twenties, but is "mentally unprepared for the urgency of the situation" aboard the Destiny.
Originally named Jared Nash, Scott was among the first characters to have been created in the series. Before being cast, Smith had not seen the Stargate series, but caught up with much of SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
afterward. The character has been well received by critics as well as some of the cast and crew of the series.
Character arc
In season one, Scott is said to be 26 years old. At age 4, his parents were killed in a car crash and he was raised by a priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
whose alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
led to his death when Scott was 17. He originally planned to enter the priesthood until he slept with a girl, Annie Balic, and she fell pregnant. Though Annie told Scott she was not going to go through with the pregnancy she changed her mind and had a boy who she named Matt, after his father.
In the present day, Scott is in a physical relationship with fellow Icarus Base officer Vanessa James (Julia Benson). After the base falls under attack, Colonel Everett Young
Everett Young
Colonel Everett Young is a fictional character in the Canadian-American Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer-Syfy television series Stargate Universe, a military science fiction serial drama about the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the...
(Louis Ferreira) has him lead the expedition to the nine-chevron address after Nicholas Rush
Nicholas Rush
Dr. Nicholas Rush is a fictional character in the Canadian-American Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-Syfy television series Stargate Universe, a military science fiction serial drama about the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the...
(Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
) dials it instead of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Scott becomes the leader of the expedition's first off-world mission, where he finds lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
to repair the CO2 scrubbers on the Destiny, having followed a strange, swirling cloud of dust to its location. While on the ship he develops a friendship, and later intimate relationship with Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque
Elyse Levesque
Elyse Marie Levesque is a Canadian film and television actress. She recently played Chloe Armstrong in the TV series Stargate Universe.- Career :...
). In the second half of the first season, Scott participates in an off-world mission with Chloe, Eli
Eli Wallace
Eli Wallace is a fictional character in the Canadian-American television series Stargate Universe, a science fiction drama centering on the adventures of a present-day, multinational scientific team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the Ancient spaceship Destiny, which is traveling...
(David Blue
David Blue (actor)
David Blue is an American actor, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Cliff St. Paul on Ugly Betty and Eli Wallace on the Syfy series Stargate Universe.-Early life:...
) and Greer
Ronald Greer (Stargate)
Ronald Greer is a fictional character from the science fiction television series Stargate Universe, the third live-action series from the Stargate franchise centering on a group of 80 soldiers and civilians trapped on the Ancient vessel Destiny. He is portrayed by Jamil Walker Smith...
; during the mission, he and the team end up trapped underground, and Destiny leaves without them. After Destiny leaves the galaxy without them, the planet's Stargate mysteriously activates to Destiny and they step through, not knowing until later that it was the work of the blue aliens introduced in "Space".
Characterization
Actor Brian J. Smith believed Scott started out like something of "the background character in SG-1" and that in Universe he's "all of a sudden [...] this main character in this tragedy." He describes Scott as "an emotional leader" and a "deceptively simple guy," with a very intense and sad back story full of loss and challenges. Scott would also be "at his best" in the episode "Water", and be "at his worst" in the episode "Pain". He is shown to be fairly religious, which is proven by reciting the words to Psalm 23Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
in "Darkness
Darkness (Stargate Universe)
"Darkness" is the fourth episode of military science fiction television series Stargate Universe, and is the first part of a two part story. The episode originally aired on October 16, 2009 on Syfy in the United States, followed by being aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 20...
". Smith commented that Scott views Colonel Young as a father figure, but throughout the first season he is "starting to see him becoming something ugly and demented," though "he can forgive" and "he can learn." Concerning Scott's relationship with Chloe, Smith believed that although "so much happened so fast," behind the scenes, they share common hopes, dreams and fears, and tease and joke with each other. He also believed Scott would view Eli
Eli Wallace
Eli Wallace is a fictional character in the Canadian-American television series Stargate Universe, a science fiction drama centering on the adventures of a present-day, multinational scientific team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the Ancient spaceship Destiny, which is traveling...
as "bizarre and weird, and doesn't quite know what to make of him," but respects his brain power and friendliness, and doesn't think there is a sense of threat or competition between Scott and Eli concerning Chloe, since they both "understand the place that each of them have in Chloe's life."
Conceptual history
In the original casting call of the series, Matthew Scott was originally named Jared Nash. He was among the first of the main characters to have been created by Brad WrightBrad Wright
Brad Wright is a Canadian television producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known as the creator or co-creator of the television series Stargate SG-1 , Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe...
and Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the Stargate franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis until both series conclusion and currently holds the same title on the third Stargate series Stargate Universe...
. Scott was created as a flawed hero, since the viewers could identify with this better than a "perfect hero"; in SG-1 and Atlantis, all the characters often knew the solution to various problems, but the creators didn't want this to be the case in Universe. Wright and Cooper also made the character religious because they avoided doing so in characters in the past.
Before being cast, Brian J. Smith had been working as a stage actor in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for a year and a half and had seen a couple of Stargate episodes. When he was looking to start a television career, he saw himself to play for guest spots or multi-episode characters rather than series regulars. When he was approached for the role, he was attracted to the writing of the pilot episode and a talk with Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the Stargate franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis until both series conclusion and currently holds the same title on the third Stargate series Stargate Universe...
, who outlined the new approach to shooting the series. He was also attracted to his character's backstory, and was impressed to see "a young man in his twenties portrayed this way," and that the writers did not create Scott in other series where actors Smith's age are portrayed as egotistical, mindless, and sex-craved players.
Smith taped his Stargate Universe audition and was invited to a screen test in Los Angeles. He received the news of being cast a few days after the screen test. He prepared for the role by doing military research, particularly by reading books based on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and talking with Angelique McDonald, one of the series' Air Force advisers, about the nature of and how vulnerable First Lieutenants really are. He had not seen the Stargate TV series before being cast, but caught up with much of SG-1 afterwards. Smith has said that one of his favourite episodes in the first season was "Air
Air (Stargate Universe)
"Air" is the three-part opening episode of the military science fiction television series Stargate Universe. The first two parts aired on Syfy in the United States on October 2, 2009, while the third part aired on October 9. In Canada, SPACE aired the first two in tandem with Syfy...
", partly due to the filming in White Sands, New Mexico
White Sands, New Mexico
White Sands is a census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but also said it was one of the most difficult to film, and "Life". When acting for the role, Smith wanted to make everything real. In an interview with SFX, Smith expressed being anxious and nervous over performing nude scenes in the series, stating "When you're doing a scene and you're very scantily clad, you can get a little bit nervous and don't know how it's going to turn out."
Reception
According to Consulting ProducerTelevision producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi is a Canadian writer and producer.He is most noted for his contributions to the Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe television series. He joined the Stargate production team at the start of Stargate SG-1s fourth season in 2000...
, Brian J. Smith was "always a pleasure to talk to", "extremely talented" and reminded him and the character as "a young Ben Browder
Ben Browder
Robert Benedic "Ben" Browder is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1.-Early life:...
." Smith himself positively received his character, saying "I just like the kid, I like him a lot." Fellow actor Jamil Walker Smith
Jamil Walker Smith
Jamil Walker Smith is an American actor. His best known role is as the voice of Gerald, a fourth grader and Arnold's best friend in the Nickelodeon TV series Hey Arnold!. He also appeared on various shows like Sister, Sister, Girlfriends, Bones, The X-Files, and The Bernie Mac Show...
named Scott his favorite character. Mark Wilson of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
called Brian J. Smith as Matthew Scott a "breakout performance", and that although Smith was relatively fresh out of Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, he is able to "bring to bear his own situation as a novice shouldering a significant portion of the weight of a show like this."
External links
- Matthew Scott at SyfySyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.com