Fans of Stargate: Atlantis are in for a great night Friday, as the cast that navigates the Pegasus Galaxy and beyond.
Amanda Tapping (UPI Photo/Heinz Ruckemann)
Atlantis is under siege, and is grappling with unresolved lurking Wraith danger and other alien race challenges, too.
Joe Mallozzi
Sci Fi channel's Stargate: Atlantis is a show that never fails to please; the size of the worldwide audience it attracts is astounding. Thanks to executive producers and writers, Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, the wealth of storylines, character and alien race ideas combined with their good fortune to have a cast with chemistry makes for great television.
The third season ended with Atlantis under attack from the Replicators, and set up the exit of the beloved Dr. Weir from the cast.
Weir was gravely injured at the end of season three, and in the first episode of season four, titled “Adrift”, she is being tended to in intensive care.
Without giving too much away, it comes all comes down to the wire when the Replicator planet must be breached to save Atlantis and Earth. The energy core must be dismantled under Oberoth’s nose, played perfectly as an arrogant leader by terrific actor David Ogden Stiers, Charles of “M.A.S.H.” fame.
Val Halverson, the costume designer for SA
You can imagine the pace of the dialog between Ronon, a man of action, McKay, a man of possibilities, and Sheppard, a man of “just the facts” please.
I'm still trying to imagine McKay's brain in Ronon's body, good times there. No offense to Sheppard.
Torri Higginson as Dr. Weir will be greatly missed. Mallozzi and Mullie gave Weir a heroic and dignified second episode exit, titled, “Lifeline”.
Enter SG-1’s Samantha Carter, played for a decade now by Amanda Tapping.
Back during this past summer, I had a chance along with a few other journalists to ask Teyla, played by Rachel Luttrell, some questions regarding Tapping joining their “family.”
"I love working with Amanda," says Luttrell, "Amanda has been a wonderful support since we started doing Atlantis, at least for me, as a another woman in the industry, and certainly having been on the SG1 series for as long as she had. Being a part of this cast—it's great. I am always for more women in the cast," she laughs.
Rachel Luttrell
"It was great for me because that is how I effectively started with SG1 and Amanda. Those scenes are the ones that sort of brought me into this whole franchise. It's fantastic to have her back both personally, and also as a character, because McKay has such a great repartee with the Tapping character. It has definitely changed the feel," says David Hewlett at the same cast interview. "There is more tension with the characters."
Ah, Carter’s “history” with McKay will most definitely be picked up by fans in the new season of Stargate.
Carter and her military aide Bill, an anxiety-ridden sidekick who has a penchant for stating the obvious. “Space is quite... vast.”
They are summoned by Col. Ellis of the Apollo to come to the aid of the struggling Sheppard party, still trying to wrest the control of their doomed fate from the unrelenting hands of the Replicator’s leader, Oberoth.
Bill Dow as Bill Lee
Even the special effects are even better this season, and enhance the story, rather than overstep the writing.
A scene in the second episode of season four that has Atlantis docking on an Earth-like planet, that turned out nicely in effects.
Despite worrywart McKay’s barking at Sheppard to “slow down” the descent of Atlantis, it falls on deaf ears. McKay offers advice: “We should be landing like a leaf kissing the surface of a pond.”
Splat.
Tsunamis ripple out as Atlantis hits the water hard, as the annoyed McKay yells at Sheppard, “Nice kissing!”
The continued connection with SG-1 and command center gives the show great future opportunities for interaction and surprise guest stars in cross-over episodes.
The producers and writers have effectively delivered a drama balanced with humor and insight into human nature; the Stargate characters carry the ideals of duty, friendship and service. Reason, intelligence and good humor are celebrated over mindless acts of violence and political power plays.
Teyla will become pregnant this season, mimicking her real-life pregnancy.
Rachel Luttrell said, "I am whirling sticks with a huge belly...no...the first part of the season actually was probably the most physical season for me.
An additional new character is also introduced this season, Jewel Staite.
Staite plays Dr. Keller, the main medical official in "Stargate: Atlantis," once the position of another loved character, Carson Beckett.
"All I can really say is that I hope I'm bringing something new and interesting to the dynamic and relationship between the characters," Staite said in a phone interview yesterday.
"I don't view myself as replacing anyone. It would seem presumptuous of me to say that I would be replacing him as I know how beloved a character he was. I can only hope that people give Keller a chance, and enjoy her. She has a lot of complexity, and she is a lot of fun. And there are definitely a lot of surprises coming to her personality later this season."
At the same time, she knows characters are not safe, no matter how popular they are.
"I definitely flip to the last page every time I read a script just in case," Staite said. "I've been lucky because I usually don't have to go out on any field missions, so I am out of danger so far."
Staite has a number of scenes in the upcoming fourth season with Amanda Tapping, but she shared that it was Joe Flanigan she could spend more time with on screen:
Joe Flanigan
“She's bonded with McKay mostly because she likes to tease him and flirt with him and make him feel uncomfortable, and she's bonded with Ronon (Jason Momoa) a little bit."
Tomorrow we will post the entire interview with Amanda Tapping and Jewel Staite and their take on which of the SA guys would be their dream romance or fling, if they could script it, plus more good SA plot points, guest star details and other Atlantis juice.
SPOILER ALERT:
Yes, Carson Beckett fans, you won a battle, but the jury is still out on the war.
Rumor has it he is being cast as Scotty in the big, JJ Abrams, “Star Trek” movie.
Paul McGillion's character Beckett will be making at least a two-episode comeback this season, producers are tight-lipped but say fans will be pleasantly surprised.
Mitch Pileggi fans take note, he will be back too.
Traveler's costume sketch by Val Halverson
Also look forward to meeting a Wraith Princess who will factor heavily in one story, and "The Travelers," an advanced alien race in the Pegasus galaxy that roam as space-nomads.
Will they play nice with Atlantis? You’ll have to watch every Friday to find out.
Stargate: Atlantis premieres Friday September 28 at 10 PM ET/PT.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
JOSEPH MALLOZZI
BRAD WRIGHT
N. JOHN SMITH
CARL BINDER
MARTIN GERO
MARTIN WOOD
ALAN McCULLOUGH
ANDY MIKITA
JOHN G. LENIC
MARTIN WOOD
MICHAEL BLUNDELL
ALEX PAPPAS
JAMES ROBBINS
THOM WELLS
VAL HALVERSON
MARK SAVELA
WRAY DOUGLAS
KEVIN SANDS
LEAH EHMAN
TODD MASTERS
BRENDA TURNER
KENNY L. GIBBS
JAMES BAMFORD
PAUL WEBER
STUART AIKINS
JENNIFER JOHNSON
BRAD RINES
BRIGITTE PROCHASKA
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