Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: More Stills From 'Ghost in the Machine' - Aug 19 '09

At MGM Stargate:

(Please follow the link to view the photos in their original format.)

Six additional stills from 'Ghost in the Machine' have been uploaded.





Fran (Michelle Morgan)

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: Close Up: Michelle Morgan

At MGM Stargate:

(Please follow the link for the complete MGM Stargate article.)



Close Up: Michelle Morgan

August 18, 2008 (Actors)

A friendly Replicator? Surely not! But with the creation of F.R.A.N, it seems that Stargate Atlantis is ready to break the mold – and even bring one of our favorite characters back from the dead.


A brief excerpt:



“Ghost in the Machine” sees the return of guest actress Michelle Morgan, who first appeared as F.R.A.N in season four’s “Be All My Sins Remember’d”. The story goes that as soon as the producers saw the dailies of Morgan’s performance, they wished they hadn’t had the character destroy herself at the end of that episode. But, as the old adage goes, no one ever really dies in sci fi – particularly if the victim is a high-functioning machine.

In fact, “Ghost in the Machine” proves that saying twice over, as viewers also got to see what really happened to Dr. Elizabeth Weir following the events of “Lifeline”. Actress Torri Higginson declined to reprise her role as the Atlantis expedition’s first commander, but the hole left by her absence was perfectly filled by Morgan’s return.

Viewers may be surprised to learn, however, that even before “Be All My Sins Remember’d”, Morgan was due to be introduced to the Stargate universe, though in a very different role.

“I spent some time in Vancouver, where they shoot the show,” she explains, from the lunch tent of TV show Heartland, in which she stars as Samantha Louise Fleming. “I had been brought in [for auditions] a couple of times, and I was actually cast in an episode called “The Seer” last season, to play the Seer’s daughter. But I was involved in a film called Diary of the Dead, which had scheduled re-shoots, and the dates conflicted, so I couldn’t do it. I was quite upset because I really wanted to be on Stargate! But then they brought me in again and I managed to land the role of F.R.A.N, so that was good – it made up for losing that other part...”

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: Michelle Morgan Audio Interview

At GateWorld:



SOUL OF THE MACHINE

GateWorld talks with Michelle Morgan

The fourth season of Stargate Atlantis capped off a major story arc with "Be All My Sins Remember'd," an episode full of drama, villains, and fantastic space battles. But it also had something fans never saw coming: a captivating (if short-lived) new character, Fran. Actress Michelle Morgan helped to make that character compelling and memorable. Now, she returns to Atlantis for "Ghost In the Machine."

GateWorld caught up with Michelle on the set of the episode! In our interview, she talks about the role she was originally cast for (but had to back out), her introduction to Fran and the mythology of the Replicators, and the very unique challenges of playing Elizabeth Weir in this episode. She also answers the question, "Does Fran have a soul?"

GateWorld's interview with Michelle runs about 16 minutes. Listen online at your leisure, download it to your MP3 player, or subscribe to the iTunes podcast! The full interview is also transcribed [at the link above].


A brief excerpt:


GW: Who is Fran in your mind? Is she a combination of programmed Replicator nanites or does she have a personality? Does she have a soul?

MM: Oh, yeah! As far as for me as an actor, I try not to get too caught up in the fact that she's artificially created. She has to be a person. So, like I said, when I was playing the original Fran, I just wanted to play -- and I drew on different children in my life -- that she was just like a very straightforward, honest, pure person.

Actually my best friend in the world, this girl Sherry, is a lot like Fran. So she has a soul and she is a person. But it's different now because I'm essentially playing Elizabeth Weir. But at the same time, I'm not. Because the way that I'm thinking about it is that Elizabeth has been through something that we can't even imagine.

I'm essentially thinking of it as if Elizabeth has been to hell. Being a disembodied, essentially almost like an electric channel, going through Wraith tech and in and out of space.

She describes it as the worst migraine ever -- constant motion and horrible sound. It sounds like hell. And then to suddenly be in a body again. I think that Weir would probably have a sense of wonderment about being animated again. So ... is that like a long-winded way of describing it?

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: Michelle Morgan (Fran) Audio Interview

At GateWorld:



Soul of the Machine

GateWorld talks with Michelle Morgan

The fourth season of Stargate Atlantis capped off a major story arc with "Be All My Sins Remember'd," an episode full of drama, villains, and fantastic space battles. But it also had something fans never saw coming: a captivating (if short-lived) new character, Fran. Actress Michelle Morgan helped to make that character compelling and memorable. Now, she returns to Atlantis for "Ghost In the Machine."

GateWorld caught up with Michelle on the set of the episode! In our interview, she talks about the role she was originally cast for (but had to back out), her introduction to Fran and the mythology of the Replicators, and the very unique challenges of playing Elizabeth Weir in this episode. She also answers the question, "Does Fran have a soul?"

GateWorld's interview with Michelle runs about 16 minutes. Listen online at your leisure, download it to your MP3 player, or subscribe to the iTunes podcast! The full interview is also transcribed {at the site].

Stargate Atlantis - MGM Stargate: NEW Stills for 'Ghost in the Machine' Aug 11 '08

From MGM Stargate:

(Please follow the link to view all the photos in their original format. The photos on this blog have been reduced in size.)

Episode 5: Ghost in the Machine (preview)

14 stills have been added to the MGM Stargate site.



Fran (Michelle Morgan)



Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo)



Fran and Woolsey



Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett)



Lt. Col. John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan)



Shep, Fran, McKay and Woolsey



Koracen (Robert Moloney) and Shep



Shep

Stargate Atlantis - GateWorld: Morgan is a Friendly Replicator

From GateWorld:

(Please follow the link for the complete GateWorld article.)



Michelle Morgan as Fran

Morgan is a Friendly Replicator

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 (ACTORS)

Actress Michelle Morgan is set to return to the city of Atlantis in the next all-new episode -- in a surprising way.

Beware of SPOILERS for Season Four's "Be All My Sins Remember'd" and Season Five's "Ghost In the Machine" in the report at the link above.


A brief excerpt:

She won our hearts with the surprisingly compelling role of Fran (the "Friendly Replicator Android") in Season Four's "Be All My Sins Remember'd," and now actress Michelle Morgan is set to return to the city of Atlantis in the next all-new episode.

Stargate Atlantis - NEW 'Ghost in the Machines' Stills

Stargate Atlantis NEW fifth season episode, 'Ghost in the Machine,' airs Friday August 15 '08 at 10pm on the SciFi Channel (US). Guest stars include Michelle Morgan as F.R.A.N. (Friendly Replicator ANdroid), Robert Moloney as Koracen and David Nykl as Dr. Radek Zelenka.

Please click on the photos for the full-size, high-resolution formats.



Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa)



Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett)



Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Luttrell)



Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo)



Koracen (Robert Moloney)



Teyla, McKay, Woolsey and Lt. Col. John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan)



Fran (Michelle Morgan)



Woolsey



Koracen and Fran



Woolsey, Shep, Ronon, Dr. Radek Zelenka (David Nykl) and Teyla