User:Bilby/Grounded Theory and Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe was a science fiction television series developed by MGM. Part of the larger Stargate franchise, it followed the success of Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis and the original Stargate movie. Given the success of the series that came before it, with the notable exception of the animated Stargate Infinity, it would have been reasonable to presume that Stargate Universe would go well. However, it appears to have performed worse than expected, having dropped from an initial high of 2.447 million US viewers to a low of just 0.814 million, and was cancelled prior to the end of the second season.

This raises the question as to why it failed. The aim of this research project is to explore how content and related issues affected the ratings figures, using a Grounded Theory-style approach. It will not employ a strict Grounded Theory methodology, as the aim is light enough to take a permit informal approach to the research, but it is hoped that there will be some valid findings and that they will prove interesting. If nothing else, it may point to future lines of research.

Limitations and data set
The initial data will be limited to material on the ratings, release dates, and information garnered from the episodes. Casting a wider net would be valuable, but also risks creating an unworkably large data set, so the aim at this point is to focus on possible correlations between show content and ratings. Some comparative data from other SF television shows may be sought, but given the potentially small sample size and the number of possible external factors outside the scope of the research, such data will be a rough guide at best.

As a result of these limitations, information such as the presence of other shows, changes in marketing methodologies, and the influence of events outside of the show's sphere of influence will not be taken into account.

Methodology
As is normal practice with Grounded Theory, the initial work will involve data collection and coding. There will be no attempt to analyse the data as it is collected, except for some visual representations, and the research will be conducted with as few prior preconceived ideas as possible. The data will be tagged using a faceted model, rather than made to fit into pre-calcualted categories, and stored on-wiki.

Initial data will be collected from Wikipedia, focusing on ratings and the dates on which each episode first aired. After that the two main sources will be the episodes themselves and the Stargate wiki. Those sources will be used to identify plot features and elements, characters, guest stars, and other possibly relevant components - there is not going to be a fixed list, as the intent is to be flexible enough to grow that list over time.

During collection the data will be coded using an open system. Once collected, if all goes well, patterns that warrant further consideration should emerge, and this may result in recoding using a more narrowly defined model.

Note that this is an open research project, and anyone is encouraged to take part.

Ethical concerns
None. Only publicly available quantitative data will be employed.

Initial data collection

 * Ratings figures