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September 10, 2007
The cast of Stargate Atlantis contends with casting changes as they open the iris on season four
By Melissa Perenson
Change is afoot at Stargate Atlantis as the series enters its fourth season. For starters, the cast gets an infusion of new blood, with Stargate SG-1's Amanda Tapping and Firefly's Jewel Staite joining the lineup. And the stories will take some new directions in what has been described by many cast and crew as a shakeup of the status quo and a "soft reset" of the series. No surprise that Stargate Atlantis would be shaking things up a bit—after all, the stakes are higher now that companion series SG-1 is no longer on the air.
Let's listen in on what cast members David Hewlett (Rodney McKay), Amanda Tapping (Col. Samantha Carter), Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan) and Joe Flannigan (Lt. Col. John Sheppard) have to say about the upcoming season. Stargate Atlantis season four begins on Sept. 28 on SCI FI; season three comes out on DVD on Sept. 18.
David Hewlett, last year the unexpected demise of Dr. Carson Beckett [Paul McGillion] left a gap in Atlantis' core ensemble. How did you feel about that?
Hewlett: For me, there was a big hole there, because Paul, my friend, was no longer on set with me all the time. As it turns out, in sci-fi nobody dies—we've actually had him on set again recently, which was kind of fun. And I hope that we'll be seeing more of him. Well, that's just my hope. I wouldn't be surprised.
**snippage**
Amanda Tapping, you get to bring Carter to a whole new level in Atlantis. What's different about your character in Atlantis as opposed to Stargate SG-1?
Tapping: She now has to prove herself as a leader of an entire base and, of course, her style is that she doesn't want to piss anyone off. She's coming into a situation on Atlantis where there's a lot of heartache. They've lost one of their very dear leaders, and I think they're reluctant to welcome someone new at first. And then of course it turns out to be Sam Carter, which is good for some people and not so good for others. So she has to tread lightly, but I think part of her command, at least the way that I've chosen to play it, is that she relies entirely on the strength of the people who are around her.
She understands Shepherd's military expertise, and even though she may have the same amount of military expertise, it's not in this galaxy. She's never fought the Wraith before, so she defers to him a lot. She defers to McKay and his scientific expertise in the Pegasus galaxy. There's not as much head-butting with McKay as you might think — partly because she's in command and she has to show a certain modicum of respect even though he drives her crazy. And then Teyla and Ronon are complete unknowns to her, so she really has to make her way with them. So it's a lot different. It feels a lot different. The relationships are very new and fresh. Jewel Staite's on the show now as the doctor, and she's awesome—there's a neat friendship burgeoning there between our two characters.
**snippage**
Rachel Luttrell, the fourth season is taking things in a different direction—a soft reset, so to speak.
Luttrell: Yeah, in many ways it kind of has to be. First of all, the reins of the show have been passed on. Now Brad and Rob are taking much more of a back seat, and they've passed it on to Paul Mullie and Joe Mallozzi, our show runners. They're our go-to guys, and it's their vision that's being impressed on the show. Not only that, but season three was quite a big season, because we lost some very pivotal characters. Paul McGillion, Dr. Beckett, we lost him halfway through the season last year. And Dr. Elizabeth Weir, her character is taking on a completely different persona and going in an entirely new direction, and her involvement in the team is not as broad as it was in the past. That in itself has completely changed the face of the show. Having said that, there are still the key elements that make SGA what it is. But yes, it is different. We now have Amanda Tapping as part of our show—and they're working her to the bone [laughs]. And Jewel Staite has joined us.
**snippage**
Joe Flannigan, how has the interpersonal dynamic on the show changed in season four?
Flannigan: We've lost Paul McGillion, who was a valued member of our team, personally and professionally. So we miss him. We have lost Torri Higginson—my God, this sounds like a funeral—who was also a really valued member of our group. And we've also gained a really valuable member of our group, Amanda. She's a real veteran, a real professional, she knows the genre, and she can tackle the gobbledygook of science-fiction dialogue, perhaps even better than David, which is hard to do.
The dynamic that's developed by having Amanda in the show is that she and David Hewlett have a pre-existing relationship, so that's a very funny and entertaining thing to watch. My character now, I'm just listening, trying to keep up with the science of it. You find me listening a lot more. Or trying to listen.
**snippage**
© 2007, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
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