Robert C. Cooper
Encyclopedia
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
. He also co-created both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe with Brad Wright
. Cooper has written and produced many episodes of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as well as directing a number of episodes.
. He joined the crew of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
as a story editor until he was promoted to a writer in 1996 where he worked until moving to Stargate SG-1 in 1997 as a executive story editor.
Whilst working on Stargate SG-1, Cooper is credited with writing 52 episodes. Cooper became a co-executive producer of Stargate SG-1 in season 4, and a full executive producer in season 5. He made a cameo appearance in the Stargate SG-1 fifth season episode "Wormhole X-Treme!", in which he was a staff writer who was told to get back to work.
Cooper was responsible for creating much of the backstory of the Stargate universe. According to Stargate SG-1: The Essential Scripts, Cooper's ideas about the history of the Stargate universe were his own; he wasn't working from ideas in a series bible. Cooper created the Ancients
, the race that built the stargates
. He also developed the idea of the Alliance of Four Races, even though two of the races had been invented by other writers (the Nox and the Asgard
created by Hart Hanson
and Katharyn Powers
respectively).
In December 2003, it was announced that Cooper and Brad Wright
had been working on a Stargate SG-1 spin-off series titled Stargate Atlantis.
He made directorial debut with "Crusade" a ninth season episode of Stargate SG-1. In the 10th season premiere episode "Flesh and Blood", Cooper's daughter Emma played the 4 year old Adria. Later in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1, in early scenes of the episode "Talion", his older daughter Megan Elizabeth Cooper played a jaffa girl. Cooper also directed "Unending
" the final episode of Stargate SG-1. Following the conclusion of SG-1, Cooper wrote and directed the direct-to-DVD movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth
.
After Stargate Atlantis was cancelled, Cooper and Brad Wright went on to create another spin-off, Stargate Universe
which premiered on October 2, 2009. In June 2010, it was revealed that Cooper is "stepping back to ... a consulting role" for the end of Stargate Universe season 2, before leaving entirely.
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...
. He was formerly an executive producer of Stargate 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...
and Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
until both series conclusion and currently holds the same title on the third Stargate 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...
. He also co-created both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe with Brad Wright
Brad 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...
. Cooper has written and produced many episodes of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as well as directing a number of episodes.
Career
Cooper started his writing career with a series of films, the first of which was Blown AwayBlown Away (1992 film)
Blown Away is a 1992 erotic thriller film starring Corey Haim, Nicole Eggert and Corey Feldman.- Plot :After her mother dies in a car accident, 17 year-old Megan lives a reckless lifestyle. She begins a relationship with Rich , who works at her father's ski resort...
. He joined the crew of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal is a Canadian science fiction drama television series which was filmed in and around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and aired 88 episodes over four seasons from 1996 to 2000...
as a story editor until he was promoted to a writer in 1996 where he worked until moving to Stargate SG-1 in 1997 as a executive story editor.
Whilst working on Stargate SG-1, Cooper is credited with writing 52 episodes. Cooper became a co-executive producer of Stargate SG-1 in season 4, and a full executive producer in season 5. He made a cameo appearance in the Stargate SG-1 fifth season episode "Wormhole X-Treme!", in which he was a staff writer who was told to get back to work.
Cooper was responsible for creating much of the backstory of the Stargate universe. According to Stargate SG-1: The Essential Scripts, Cooper's ideas about the history of the Stargate universe were his own; he wasn't working from ideas in a series bible. Cooper created the Ancients
Ancient (Stargate)
The Ancients are a humanoid race in the fictional Stargate universe. They are called "Ancients" in the Milky Way, but are also known as Lanteans or Ancestors in the Pegasus galaxy and as the Alterans in their home galaxy, and they sometimes call themselves Anquietas in their language...
, the race that built the stargates
Stargate (device)
A Stargate is a portal device within the Stargate fictional universe that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The devices first appear in the 1994 Roland Emmerich film Stargate, and thereafter in the television series Stargate SG-1 and its spin-offs...
. He also developed the idea of the Alliance of Four Races, even though two of the races had been invented by other writers (the Nox and the Asgard
Asgard (Stargate)
The Asgard are a fictional highly advanced race in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. They are first mentioned in the episode , and first seen in . In the series, the Asgard gave rise to Norse mythology on Earth, as well as accounts of the Roswell "Greys"...
created by Hart Hanson
Hart Hanson
Hart Hanson is an American television writer and producer. Hanson's family moved to Canada when he was a child. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a MFA from the University of British Columbia, where he taught briefly...
and Katharyn Powers
Katharyn Powers
Katharyn Michaelian Powers was a writer for several television series from the 1970s through the 1990s. Among the shows she has written episodes for include Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island and Stargate SG-1. She was the story editor for Falcon Crest, Fantasy Island and The Fitzpatricks...
respectively).
In December 2003, it was announced that Cooper and Brad Wright
Brad 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...
had been working on a Stargate SG-1 spin-off series titled Stargate Atlantis.
He made directorial debut with "Crusade" a ninth season episode of Stargate SG-1. In the 10th season premiere episode "Flesh and Blood", Cooper's daughter Emma played the 4 year old Adria. Later in the tenth season of Stargate SG-1, in early scenes of the episode "Talion", his older daughter Megan Elizabeth Cooper played a jaffa girl. Cooper also directed "Unending
Unending
"Unending" is the season finale of the tenth season and series finale of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, and the show's two-hundred sixteenth episode overall. Written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, the episode originally premiered in the United Kingdom on Sky One on March...
" the final episode of Stargate SG-1. Following the conclusion of SG-1, Cooper wrote and directed the direct-to-DVD movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of...
.
After Stargate Atlantis was cancelled, Cooper and Brad Wright went on to create another spin-off, 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...
which premiered on October 2, 2009. In June 2010, it was revealed that Cooper is "stepping back to ... a consulting role" for the end of Stargate Universe season 2, before leaving entirely.
Selected filmography
| Writer | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2009 | 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... |
(4 episodes, 2009-) |
| 2008 | Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of... |
Direct to DVD film |
| Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself... |
(8 episodes, 2004–2008) | |
| 2007 | Stargate 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... |
(45 episodes, 1997–2007) |
| 2001 | The Impossible Elephant | Also known as: The Incredible Elephant |
| 2000 | Best Actress | TV Movie |
| 1997 | Flash Forward | (1 episode) |
| 1996 | Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal is a Canadian science fiction drama television series which was filmed in and around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and aired 88 episodes over four seasons from 1996 to 2000... |
(4 episodes, 1996–1997) |
| 1994 | The Dark | |
| No Contest | ||
| The Club | ||
| 1992 | Blown Away Blown Away (1992 film) Blown Away is a 1992 erotic thriller film starring Corey Haim, Nicole Eggert and Corey Feldman.- Plot :After her mother dies in a car accident, 17 year-old Megan lives a reckless lifestyle. She begins a relationship with Rich , who works at her father's ski resort... |
|
| Director | ||
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2009 | 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... |
TV Series (1 episode) |
| 2008 | Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of... |
Direct-to-DVD Movie |
| 2006 | Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself... |
TV Series (3 episodes, 2006–2009) |
| Stargate 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... |
TV Series (2 episodes, 2006–2007) | |
| Producer | ||
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2009 | 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... |
TV Series (executive producer: 11 episodes) |
| 2008 | Stargate: Continuum Stargate: Continuum Stargate: Continuum is a Canadian-American military science fiction film released through MGM Home Entertainment , written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. The film is a time-travel adventure and is the second sequel to Stargate SG-1, after Stargate: The Ark of Truth... |
Direct-to-DVD movie (executive producer) |
| Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 Canadian-American military science fiction film written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1 Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of... |
Direct-to-DVD movie (producer) | |
| 2004 | Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself... |
TV Series (executive producer: 99 episodes, 2004–2009) |
| 1999 | Stargate 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... |
TV Series (executive producer: 126 episodes, co-executive producer: 22 episodes, co-producer: 12 episodes, producer: 11 episodes, supervising producer: 11 episodes; 1999–2007) |
Awards
Out of fifteen nominations, Cooper has received four awards.- 2009 - Leo Awards, Best Direction in a Dramatic Series: Stargate AtlantisStargate AtlantisStargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
: "Vegas" - 2009 - Leo Awards, Best Dramatic Series: Stargate AtlantisStargate AtlantisStargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
(Shared) - 2009 - Leo Awards, Outstanding Achievement Award - Individual (Shared with Brad WrightBrad WrightBrad 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...
) - 2006 - The Constellation Awards, Best Overall 2006 Science Fiction Film or Television Script: Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate 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...
: "200200 (Stargate SG-1)"200" is the sixth episode of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1s tenth season, and the 200th episode of the series overall...
" (Shared with Brad WrightBrad WrightBrad 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...
)