SGA Gets New Cast Member * Spoilers *

[JME2]

Robert Picardo Joins Stargate Atlantis

Actor Robert Picardo will join the cast as Richard Woolsey assumes command of the Atlantis expedition. Says the press release: "The team, led by Lt. Colonel Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), Teyla (Rachel Luttrell), Ronon (Jason Momoa) and Dr. Jennifer Keller (Jewel Staite), must adjust to his unique leadership style."

Well, with Tapping leaving, we knew that Atlantis would need a new commander and the producers indicated that it would be someone familiar to the SG-verse. Having Woolsey become the new base commander is certainly an interesting way to go; hopefully this'll work out.

[KlavoHunter]

Fuck yes, Robert Picardo!

[Old Plympto]

I like his character. He isn't the stereotypical bureaucratic antagonist who jump on the characters just because.

He truly believes that his methods are correct even if he isn't proactive and experienced enough to be out in the front line, so to speak, but slowly and surely his sympathies seem to be shifting to the Atlantis expedition.

The shift isn't fast enough, I know, but I can't wait for the eventual episode when he finally flips off the IOA from Atlantis and give Sheppard and his team a carte blanch on doing their job instead of constraining them.

Or perhaps he gets killed after 6 episodes, who knows.

[PREDATOR490]

I would prefer Daniel to be the new cast member since he makes the most logical choice for being on Atlantis with his ancient knowledge and experience. Might even be somewhat amusing to see Shepard, Mckay and Daniel interactions. Much better than Carter ever being on the show at least.

That said, this could be more interesting given Woolsey's performance against the Wraith the last time. It would appear he has no problem making the questionable decisions like wanting to kill Daniel etc.
Although I sense the possibility of being an IOA puppet rather than supporting the expedition at first. Hopefully they wont remain entirely serious and distant with him. Wouldnt be too bad to have him deliver the same callibre he was doing in Voyager.

[[R_H]]

I would prefer Daniel to be the new cast member since he makes the most logical choice for being on Atlantis with his ancient knowledge and experience. Might even be somewhat amusing to see Shepard, Mckay and Daniel interactions. Much better than Carter ever being on the show at least.

That said, this could be more interesting given Woolsey's performance against the Wraith the last time. It would appear he has no problem making the questionable decisions like wanting to kill Daniel etc.
Although I sense the possibility of being an IOA puppet rather than supporting the expedition at first. Hopefully they wont remain entirely serious and distant with him. Wouldnt be too bad to have him deliver the same callibre he was doing in Voyager.

That episode where McKay was blathering about the new mission commander, thinking he would be it, Daniel was the first person to come to mind for me as well

[Zac Naloen]

Michael Shanks ("Daniel Jackson") will guest star in an unspecified number of episodes. The release does indicate that it will be more than one.

Shanks will be in a few episodes, but I can't see Daniels character ever wanting to be in a position of authority so putting him in as a regular unless he is replacing one of the current team doesn't really make sense. For the most part I like the current team so I can't really argue in favour of that...

[PREDATOR490]

Oh I never meant he should be in a position like expedition leader. I would prefer he was on the SGA equivelent of SG-1 team. A.K.A Make him a fifth member of Shep & co. or get rid of Tayla. If she is meant to be a parent then I suppose they could substitue her for Daniel a bit while she is on 'leave'

Regardless, knowing Daniel will be in it brightens my view of Atlantis. I can see him easily locking horns with someone like Woolsy or Shepard with his 'idealism'. I admit that as of late Atlantis has been leaning way towards the 'darker side' of decision making with feeding Wraith to civilians or the general 'what's in it for us' attitude so Daniel should liven that up a bit I hope.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I dunno about that. While early on in SG-1 Daniel was pretty idealistic, by the later seasons he'd become relatively jaded. He might take some issue with Woolsey, but I highly doubt he'd be too bothered anymore with the "greater good" type stuff we've seen.

[Zac Naloen]

I dunno about that. While early on in SG-1 Daniel was pretty idealistic, by the later seasons he'd become relatively jaded. He might take some issue with Woolsey, but I highly doubt he'd be too bothered anymore with the "greater good" type stuff we've seen.

Case in point the episode Prototype, he gets the killing shot on caleb and spends the entire episode advocating the need to kill him.

5 seasons ago that would have been O'neill and Daniel would have been saying they can't kill him.

[Braedley]

I don't know. Woolsey is an interesting character, just not the type of person I would put in command of a military and scientific base. He's a suit that has no command expertise, with his only real leadership role being a member of the IOA. Sure, Weir was a diplomat and was thrown into command, but it was apparent before she even sat in the big chair that she could handle it. Carter is perfect as the expedition leader because she's a scientist and is in the military. I just wish they made more of her character, especially her interactions with McKay.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Carter is perfect as the expedition leader because she's a scientist and is in the military. I just wish they made more of her character, especially her interactions with McKay.

Agreed. The mismanagement and poor writing of Carter has been downright criminal. It could have been perfect, developing Carter's character while enriching Atlantis as a whole, all while not stepping on the toes of the main cast. All they really had to do was write Carter much like Hammond, only with more hands-on technical expertise.

Instead we got this... well, I'm not sure what it was, because there really wasn't anything of substance. I don't know why the writers are incapable of writing Carter in a command position believably; they've done it before without even realizing it as early as Season 2 of SG-1. Whenever a big issue isn't being made of Carter being directly in command of anything, it's fine - she snaps out orders, makes decisions, and is generally a solid officer. Then when an issue is made of it it's like the writers go limp-wristed and wuss out. ("Fragile Balance," Season fucking 8, 9 and 10 for that matter too, even "Spirits" to some extent)

[Zac Naloen]

The problem with putting Carter into a command position of that level, at her age, is that she's wasted there. She's a scientist and of much more value in charge of research at somewhere like Area 51 or in charge of research at atlantis. Not as exhibition leader.


In universe I could never understand why they put her in charge of the exhibition in the first place.

[Crazedwraith]

In there a season where Atlantis hasn't fucked about with an constantly re-organised their main cast? For I'm very dubious that a decent show would have to do this. Is Atlantis just coasting off SG-1's appeal?

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

The problem with putting Carter into a command position of that level, at her age, is that she's wasted there. She's a scientist and of much more value in charge of research at somewhere like Area 51 or in charge of research at atlantis. Not as exhibition leader.


In universe I could never understand why they put her in charge of the exhibition in the first place.

I think you're seriously underestimating the value of Atlantis. As this takes place after Ark of Truth, the Ori have presumably been dealt with and the galaxy safe enough without SG-1 around. The Next Big Thing are the Ancients, and the biggest link to them is in Atlantis. Carter is perfect for the position; she's more than qualified and frankly I don't think she'd be very happy in a non-field posting.

[Zac Naloen]

The problem with putting Carter into a command position of that level, at her age, is that she's wasted there. She's a scientist and of much more value in charge of research at somewhere like Area 51 or in charge of research at atlantis. Not as exhibition leader.


In universe I could never understand why they put her in charge of the exhibition in the first place.

I think you're seriously underestimating the value of Atlantis. As this takes place after Ark of Truth, the Ori have presumably been dealt with and the galaxy safe enough without SG-1 around. The Next Big Thing are the Ancients, and the biggest link to them is in Atlantis. Carter is perfect for the position; she's more than qualified and frankly I don't think she'd be very happy in a non-field posting.

But as expedition leader?

She needs to be using that brain for research, not command.

I can see the value of Carter being in Atlantis, but not in the position she's in.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

McKay and Zelenka have handled it quite well without Carter before. I don't see the problem, honestly. By your logic she should have never been on SG-1 as a mere 2IC of a field exploration unit, and instead should have remained at the Pentagon and Area 51.

[Zac Naloen]

McKay and Zelenka have handled it quite well without Carter before. I don't see the problem, honestly. By your logic she should have never been on SG-1 as a mere 2IC of a field exploration unit, and instead should have remained at the Pentagon and Area 51.

The only problem I see is that as the expedition commander her brain is being wasted. She could be off invented cool stuff or finding new technologies and backwards engineering them on site... instead she's sat behind a desk.. managing.

Where is the logic in that?

[Luzifer's right hand]

Fuck yes, Robert Picardo!

Indeed.
We are talking about an actor which can turn shit(Voyager) into gold.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

The only problem I see is that as the expedition commander her brain is being wasted. She could be off invented cool stuff or finding new technologies and backwards engineering them on site... instead she's sat behind a desk.. managing.

Where is the logic in that?

Why is "her brain being wasted"? And how is it any different from being a member of SG-1? The same argument you're making could be applied just as well to her inclusion at all right from "Children of the Gods." Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with her being behind a desk now. She's over 40 and she's a very senior officer, and she's not in O'Neill's position of being the only person around with any gate experience.

If anything that just makes her a better candidate for the position, because she's uniquely qualified to understand all aspects of 'gate operations, in a way that Hammond, Weir, or Landry never could.

[Zac Naloen]

her age is precisely the reason why i am making the arguement i am. She is too old for the field. But she is not less intelligent. Now should be the time where she can sit down and do her best work. She said herself in upgrades that working in the field she doesn't have enough time to do that working in sg 1. So where is she? She's in atlantis, where she should be. But not doing what she should be. She should be working along side mckay at the cutting edge of science not wasting away her proven skills doing a role that any number of other people can do. She may well be more than capable of administrating atlantis but it's a waste of abilities she could be using contributing much more in another role.

[PREDATOR490]

The only fun in having Carter in Atlantis comes from the history between Mckay and Carter which with her position makes it impossible to do hence she is wasted. Mckay already beats her in the quick thinking department because of his experience with Atlantis thus all she has left to rely on as a character is past experience and hero worship.

Having her sit in a desk and give the occassional beat down on abuse to her 'crew' is hardly the kind of thing worthy of bringing her in at all. This is the person who destroys suns, proposes jumping through shields etc. stuck behind a desk telling Ronan she aint gonna rescue Mckay and co. It is much more resonable to bring in someone like Woolsey who can be 'developed freshly' rather than have to constantly worry about continuity with SG-1 and Carter while avoiding clashes with Mckay's role.

Daniel on the other hand has experience none of the others have in dealing with Ancients / Ascended and makes a nice place for them to create conflict over the 'right thing to do'.
Mckay - Dosent give a fuck about being 'moral' realistically
Sheppard - Is a soldier like O'Neil who is trained to be dirty if need be.
Ronan - Purge,kill, destroy pretty much sum up him
Teyla - Her character is so fucking bland even after they attempt to use her as the moral sound board.

Getting Daniel / Shanks in would make it so much better I think because in universe it makes the most sense and out of universe the guy has been a good actor throughout SG-1. As of late SGA has become heavily reliant on Mckay and Shepard for the humor episodes while being so dreary for everyone else hence getting some 'fresh' talent might be helpful.

On the subject of Woolsey / Picardo, his performance in Voyager was definetly good but I'm doubtful we will see him in the kind of light we got in Voyager. Least of all becaues Voyager gave us 7 season of him from start to finish. I suspect SGA is going to have him for at least a season with its constant changes in cast or three if they want to stop at 7 seasons. Personnally, I get the feeling the inclusion of Daniel and Woolsey might be the leading up to a finale but then again maybe Picardo will have the misfortune of being in another show which the writers milk bone dry to the point he is seen as being the only piece of 'gold' again.

[Stargate Nerd]

Good news. Robert Picardo was one of the brighter things about Voyager and I don't mind Woolsey too much.

[Braedley]

her age is precisely the reason why i am making the arguement i am. She is too old for the field. But she is not less intelligent. Now should be the time where she can sit down and do her best work. She said herself in upgrades that working in the field she doesn't have enough time to do that working in sg 1. So where is she? She's in atlantis, where she should be. But not doing what she should be. She should be working along side mckay at the cutting edge of science not wasting away her proven skills doing a role that any number of other people can do. She may well be more than capable of administrating atlantis but it's a waste of abilities she could be using contributing much more in another role.

You do know that you're implying that the SCO of field bases away from the front line should be a Lt-Col instead of a BGen, right? Granted, Atlantis isn't big enough for a BGen, but a Lt-Col in command of the military forces needs someone above him in command of the entire base, say a Col. Now if I had to choose from the two most senior, non General officers (ie a Colonel), from the SGC, would I pick Mitchell (who presumably was also promoted after Arc), who has a lot of leadership experience, but knows next to nothing about ancient tech, or would I choose Carter, who is one of the top three experts on ancient tech (with the other two already in Atlantis), has an equal amount of command experience, and has worked with a number of the members of the expedition more often and/or longer (Maj. Lorne, McKay). Other than a civilian or another senior officer at the SGC that we don't know about, Carter makes for the best choice.

[Zac Naloen]

her age is precisely the reason why i am making the arguement i am. She is too old for the field. But she is not less intelligent. Now should be the time where she can sit down and do her best work. She said herself in upgrades that working in the field she doesn't have enough time to do that working in sg 1. So where is she? She's in atlantis, where she should be. But not doing what she should be. She should be working along side mckay at the cutting edge of science not wasting away her proven skills doing a role that any number of other people can do. She may well be more than capable of administrating atlantis but it's a waste of abilities she could be using contributing much more in another role.

You do know that you're implying that the SCO of field bases away from the front line should be a Lt-Col instead of a BGen, right? Granted, Atlantis isn't big enough for a BGen, but a Lt-Col in command of the military forces needs someone above him in command of the entire base, say a Col.

Err what? Where have I implied anything about rank?

You do know Atlantis technically isn't a military field base?

It's a civilian operation with military support.

The leading Military member of staff of Atlantis up until Carter came along WAS a Lieutenant Col. The person pulling his strings up until Carter came along was a civilian and it worked. So why does the base need a Bgen exactly?

What's changed between Carter and Weir?

Nothing at all.

There isn't even the old Carter/Mckay dynamic.

Moving Carter to Atlantis was a big missed opportunity. I was excited about it, but after more than half the season I'm just disappointed.

[Dooey Jo]

It would be interesting if they'd bring in Jonas Quinn...

Fuck yes, Robert Picardo!

Indeed.
We are talking about an actor which can turn shit(Voyager) into gold.

He was pretty awesome in Legend.