You may not know the name Joseph Mallozzi, but you probably know his work: all told, he’s written or co-written dozens of episodes of Stargate: SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe, helping steward the franchise for the past decade. With Stargate benched by SyFy on indefinite hiatus, the creator is taking a much needed break… And releasing his own, original scifi series Dark Matter through comic book publisher Dark Horse.

We’ve read the first issue, and it’s a great introduction: six crewmembers of a space ship wake up from stasis with no memory, but each with a particular set of skills… And things get tricky from there. Mallozzi is very upfront about the fact that the first few issues are exactly what the first two episodes of his currently being pitched TV series would look like; but as a lifelong comic book fan, he’s made sure that Dark Matter isn’t just a pitch in graphic form, it’s the beginning of a saga he’s planned out, beginning, middle, and end.

To find out more about Dark Matter, as well as some major spoilers for where Stargate Universe would have gone next, and what might be going on with the franchise, read on!

MTV Geek: I’ve read a number of interviews where you talk about the process of how Dark Matter ended up at Dark Horse, but I don’t think I’ve seen where you originally came up with the idea… What was the inspiration for the book?

Joseph Mallozzi: Actually, I'm keeping my sources of inspiration for Dark Matter a secret for now, but I'll be happy to chat with you about them once DM's second issue hits the stands. I will say, however, that there wasn't a single source of inspiration for the series but a number of different influences: a few films, a couple of t.v. shows, and a comic book series.

Geek: Having read it, it almost seems like the anti-Stargate so far: people who aren’t friends, seem more like criminals than military, and are trapped in one place (for now)…

JM: In many ways, Dark Matter is very different from Stargate, particularly, as you pointed out, with regard to the characters and their relationships. On the other hand, the "trapped together onboard a mystery ship" motif certainly echoes Stargate: Universe. Still, I'm sure that anyone who reads the first issue will agree the similarities end there.

Geek: Can you run down the crew for us?

JM: The crew is made up of six members. In the original script, they assume number designations in the order in which they awaken from stasis. ONE is the hero, the moral center, and, quite frankly, he's a bit of a goof. TWO is a no-nonsense type and careful strategist. She assumes the leadership role from the beginning. THREE is a rough and tumble mercenary with questionable ethics. He's the flipside to ONE. FOUR is the quiet contemplator. His reserved persona belies a dangerous streak. FIVE is a pre-teen pixy with attitude - and a disquieting dark side. SIX, aka Tiny, is a bruiser with a sense of humor, a pragmatist making the best of a very bad situation.

Geek: You’ve worked with a lot of actors on TV, and given that this started – and continues – as a potential TV project, I imagine you have a few actors (or actresses) in mind?

JM: I do have a few in mind - some talented individuals I've had the pleasure to work with who I'd love to work with again.

Geek: Mysterious… Okay, I was particularly interested in the kid… What is it about potentially psychopathic children that’s so interesting? Is it just that it’s the opposite of what we expect?

JM: Possibly. And possibly because, let's face it, kids are inherently creepy. Seriously. Let me set the scene for you. It's the dead of night, a tick past midnight, and you're awakened by a sound - a soft, almost imperceptible scratching. You sit up, uncertain about what you heard, and scan the seemingly empty room. As you strain your ears to listen, you hear it again, a little louder this time - scritch, scritch, scritch - and you realize...it's coming from the closet. You sit, frozen in place, your heart hammering, staring at the closet door that seems to shift and then, to your mounting terror, slowly open. Dead silence as you wait and watch and then the most horrifying sight greets you as a figure steps out of the darkness and into the moonlit patch at the foot of your bed. It's a... Clown? Child? The Quebec Winter Carnival Mascot? Take your pick. Any of them would be enough to induce a heart attack.

Geek: I’m not going to spoil the story here, but there’s a ton of mysteries raised in the first issue alone. I imagine you’re well aware of the public’s feeling about “mystery” series, and how tricky it is to give info up at an even pace. What’s the plan here, to put people’s minds at rest?

JM: The plan is to take the readers/viewers on a journey that will, over time, give them the answers to the questions posed. It won't be that hard to do because I already know all of the answers. All of them. No fruitless wait for secrets to be revealed. No making it up as we go along. All will be revealed...in time.

Geek: Now, I think a lot of comics readers hear that a TV or movie writer is heading to comics, and their dander gets up… But as far as I’ve seen, you’ve been a comic book fan for a long time, right?

JM: Long-time fan. I used to read a lot of Marvel as a kid, eventually shifted to DC and the Bat titles and then, over the course of my life, have seen my passion for comics wax and wane. Even when other aspects of my life have taken precedence, I've always found time to follow a couple of books. Scalped and The Walking Dead, for instance, have been must-reads for a while now but recently I've renewed my interest in some of the superhero titles.

Geek: This is a straight up geeky question, but being a lifelong fan, what was it like getting your own comic in your hands (or e-mail) for the first time?

JM: To tell you the truth, I've yet to get my hands on a finished copy of the first issue, digital or otherwise. I have received various incarnations (layouts, pencils, inks, colors) leading up to the final product and found the process very exciting. Hell, very cool.

Geek: Well, it looks great! Other than script translation, what were the challenges you found translating a TV script to comics?

JM: Breaking the story down into panels and pages, providing enough details for the panels, and building the narrative in a way that allowed for dramatic segues from the bottom of one page to the top of the next.

Geek: General question again, but in your opinion, WHY are comics considered a stepping stone to TV or movies? Is it that they provide visual (and hopefully sales) proof of what a concept would look like?

JM: I think that part of it is the fact that, like novels, they're established properties and established properties are always enticing. Studios are attracted to the security of a proven commodity. And, as you pointed out, in the case of comic books you're providing them with the means to visualize the story. Hate to say it but a lot of the time, left to their own devices, people will automatically imagine the worst case scenario.

Geek: MTV Geek has SGU’s Alaina Huffman writing Agent Mom for the site… Any chance of a Dark Matter/Agent Mom crossover?

JM: Probably no crossover but maybe a guest spot or recurring role for Alaina. I'd love to work with her again!

Geek: Let’s talk about your TV work a bit… To start off, insert obligatory “any chance of SGU coming back?” question here.

JM: Oh, it'll definitely come back. It's too valuable a property to set aside indefinitely. "When will it come back and in what form?" are the big questions.

Geek: Now, I’ll mention I actually loved SGU – and the series (sob) finale in particular, which you wrote with Paul Mullie. Can you talk a little about the challenges of writing “Gauntlet?” Did you know the show was cancelled at that point? And either way, how did that play into the writing?

JM: We didn't know we were going to be canceled but we knew there was a chance we wouldn't be coming back. To be honest, given everything we heard behind the scenes, we were cautiously optimistic that we WERE coming back for a third and final season. Still, we were taking nothing for granted and ended up writing an episode that could, in retrospect, provide some closure.

Geek: In your mind, did Eli live, or die? I’m curious if you and Paul had a definite resolution in mind.

JM: In my mind, Eli lived. Whether he ended up saving the crew or somehow joining them in stasis, he lived. Back in May of this year, I offered up some potential scenarios of possible ways we might have handled Eli's situation had we come back for a third season: May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been!

Geek: Looking back at the series, what do you think you could have done better – and what worked even better than you expected?

JM: To be honest, I think it all worked very well. We had a fantastic cast backed by an equally fantastic crew. The visual effects were second to none. All of these elements came together, time and again, to continually surprise and impress. From a creative standpoint, I would have probably made less liberal use of the stone technology that allowed the crew to communicate with Earth, especially in those early episodes.

Geek: I’ll back that up! One thing that made me love the series is that you weren’t afraid to push the show into some very, very dark places – and make the crew-members of Destiny actual deal with survival on a day to day basis. Do you think that turn towards the dark side hurt the show at all?

JM: Oh, I'm sure it turned off some fans of the franchise who were accustomed to a lighter tone. On the other hand, I'm sure it brought in fans who didn't watch SG-1 or Atlantis because of that same lighter tone.

Geek: Like me, I guess? I know you’re taking a break from the whole Stargate franchise right now, but where would you see it going if it did continue? Back to basics, or bold reinvention?

JM: Hey, I'm not taking a break. The franchise was put on indefinite hiatus. Given the opportunity to come back, I believe the franchise would benefit from a bit of both - back to basics for longtime fans and bold reinvention for new viewers.

Geek: What other TV series that are on right now are you really into? Or is your bookshelf getting more of a workout than your DVR?

JM: Reading a lot of comics (Surprise! Surprise!), a special super-secret advance copy of a friend's super-terrific novel, and books on the Italian city states. On the dvd front, I'm heavy into Breaking Bad, presently working my way through season 3. It's brilliant. Have you seen it? Yes? Great, isn't it? No? What are you waiting for?!

Geek: Back to Dark Matter, you had a post on your blog talking about pitching the idea to TV companies… Is this something we could expect to be set up at your former Stargate production house?

JM: Ideally, I'd love to get the band back together and shoot the series here in Vancouver, maybe even at the Bridge Studios, home to the Stargate franchise for so many years.

Geek: Lastly, any words to the casual buyer who might be hesitant to get into a new Scifi universe?

JM: Why so hesitant? It's a whole new series to discover. I promise action, adventure, humor, engaging characters, mystery and answers. I promise answers! Also, if you pick up the first four issue opening arc, you'll be getting a sneak peek at a potential new SF television series (if all the pieces fall into place). How cool is that?

Dark Matter #1 hits comic book stores on January 11th, 2012 from Dark Horse Comics. Read a preview by clicking below!