Stargate SG-1

Amanda Tapping : Christopher Judge : Michael Shanks : Richard Dean Anderson

Cast

Main cast

  • Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill (seasons 1–8 main, seasons 9–10 recurring) – A United States Air Force Colonel who led the original mission through the Stargate in Stargate (where he was played by Kurt Russell). He is the leader of the SG-1 team in the first seven seasons, and takes charge of Stargate Command after his promotion to Brigadier General at the beginning of season 8. Reassigned to Washington, D.C. at the beginning of season 9, he is promoted to Major General and recurs in seasons 9 and 10 of Stargate SG-1. He also appears in Stargate: Continuum and in seasons 1 and 3 of Stargate Atlantis.
  • Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson (seasons 1–5 main, season 6 recurring, seasons 7–10 main) – A brilliant Egyptologist whose farfetched theories about pyramids led to his participation in the original mission through the Stargate in Stargate (where he was played by James Spader). He joins the SG-1 team in the search of his kidnapped wife and remains part of SG-1 until his ascension at the end of season 5. Following his de-ascension, he rejoins SG-1 at the beginning of season 7 and stays a member until the end of season 10. He also appears in both direct-to-DVD films and in seasons 1 and 5 of Stargate Atlantis.
  • Amanda Tapping as Samantha “Sam” Carter (seasons 1–10 main) – An astrophysicist and United States Air Force Captain who joins SG-1 under the command of Col. O’Neill. Following her promotion to Major in season 3, she is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel early in season 8 and assumes command of SG-1. She assists Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell in seasons 9 and 10. After her appearance in Stargate: The Ark of Truth, she is promoted to a “full bird” Colonel and becomes the new commander of the Atlantis expedition in season 4 of Stargate Atlantis before joining SG-1 again for Stargate: Continuum.
  • Christopher Judge as Teal’c (seasons 1–10 main) – A Jaffa alien who defects from being the First Prime of the Goa’uld Apophis and joins SG-1 in the hope to lead his race into freedom. Despite succeeding in this goal at the end of season 8, he remains a member of SG-1 until the end of season 10 and also appears in both direct-to-DVD films. He also appears in the Stargate Atlantis episode called Midway in season 4.
  • Don S. Davis as George Hammond (seasons 1–7 main, seasons 8–10 recurring) – A United States Air Force Major General (later Lieutenant General) who commands Stargate Command in the first seven seasons. Besides recurring in seasons 8 through 10 of Stargate SG-1, he appears in season 1 of Stargate Atlantis and in Stargate: Continuum.
  • Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn (season 5 recurring, season 6 main, season 7 recurring) – An alien who leaves his homeplanet Langara at the end of season 5 after witnessing Daniel Jackson’s lethal sacrifice and the following gleeful reaction of his planet’s leaders. He is a fast learner and fills Daniel’s empty spot on SG-1 in season 6. Following Daniel’s return, Jonas returns to his planet and remains a recurring character in season 7.
  • Ben Browder as Cameron “Cam” Mitchell (seasons 9–10 main) – A United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who is assigned as the new commanding officer of SG-1 at the beginning of season 9 and struggles to reunite its former members under his command. Assisted by Carter (who is of equal rank), he remains in command of SG-1 until the end of season 10, and appears in both direct-to-DVD films. He is promoted to the rank of full-bird Colonel in Stargate: Continuum.
  • Beau Bridges as Henry “Hank” Landry (seasons 9–10 main) – A United States Air Force Major General and the commander of Stargate Command in seasons 9 and 10. He appears in both direct-to-DVD films and is a recurring character in Stargate Atlantis.
  • Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran (seasons 8–9 recurring, season 10 main) – A con artist from an unnamed planet and a former human host to the Goa’uld Qetesh. Her first appearance in season 8’s “Prometheus Unbound” is followed by a recurring role in season 9, where she and Daniel unintentionally set off the new Ori threat. She joins SG-1 after giving birth to the new leader of the Ori at the beginning of season 10, and appears in both direct-to-DVD films.

Casting and cast changes

Richard Dean Anderson, who starred in ABC’s MacGyver from 1985 to 1992, had worked with John Symes, president of MGM during his Macgyver days. Symes asked Anderson to become involved with the project, and after Anderson had watched the original movie a few times, he decided that it was the perfect vehicle for a series. Although Anderson was never a real fan of the sci-fi genre, he was open to try anything once. Anderson said he was drawn to the role of Jack O’Neill by the opportunity to stretch, using Showtime’s freer parameters of language and content. After Anderson was cast, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner reviewed several thousands of taped auditions. They invited approximately 25 promising actors to screen tests in Los Angeles. Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping and Christopher Judge say to have gravitated towards each other during the casting process before they knew that they’d ultimately be cast. The producers asked Don S. Davis, who had worked as a stand-in and stunt-double for Dana Elcar in MacGyver, to read for the role of George Hammond and contracted him for multiple years.

When Michael Shanks announced his decision to leave Stargate SG-1 at the end of season 5 for concerns over being under-utilized, the Sci Fi Channel wanted to fill the void with a new character for season 6. Casting agents met Corin Nemec at the courtyard of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Santa Monica offices by chance and offered him the role. Nemec was cast for the penultimate season 5 episode “Meridian” after several more meetings, but both sides agreed to await the character’s look on film before deciding on a long-term involvement. After his main role in season 6, Nemec was open to continue playing Jonas Quinn after season 6 or in a feature film or a spin-off series, but a new contract was reached with Michael Shanks for Daniel to return in season 7. The role of Jonas was therefore reduced to recurring status in season 7. Don S. Davis decided to leave Stargate SG-1 after season 7 for health reasons but appeared in a recurring capacity until his death on June 29, 2008, shortly before the release of Stargate: Continuum.

After the Stargate producers had approached Claudia Black of Farscape fame several times when she had always been busy with other projects, Claudia Black appeared as a guest star in the Daniel-centric season 8 episode “Prometheus Unbound”. When the producers saw the on-screen chemistry between Black and Shanks, they decided to make the character a bigger part of the show and re-introduced her in a six-episode story arc to cover for the maternity leave of SG-1 regular Amanda Tapping at the beginning of season 9.