By Jamie Ruby
Visit SciFiVision.com for Jamie's complete coverage of the world of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Amanda Tapping of Stargate SG-1 fame, has not only been working on executive producing and starring in the new made for the Internet supernatural thriller Sanctuary, but after a decade on SG-1, will be joining the cast of Stargate Atlantis this season. She will be returning as Colonel Samantha Carter, who has been sent to oversee Atlantis. Tapping will also be returning to her SG-1 roots for the upcoming DVD movies titled Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum, which have been dated for a 2008 release.
This season Stargate Atlantis will also be introducing the new character, Dr. Jennifer Keller, who will be taking over as Chief of Medicine, now that Dr. Carson Beckett is gone. Dr. Keller will be played by Jewel Staite, who is most notably known for her role in the science fiction series Firefly, and the subsequent big screen adaptation Serenity as Kaylee Frye, the ship’s mechanic. Staite can also be seen soon starring in the new thriller The Tribe.
Both Amanda Tapping and Jewel Staite talked to MediaBlvd Magazine about the new season of Stargate Atlantis as well as other projects of their past and future.
Amanda Tapping has been playing the character of Samantha Carter going on eleven years, now that she is starring in the new season of Stargate Atlantis. She never expected Stargate SG-1 to last as long as it did when she first signed on. Her initial expectation was two years. After they hit the seven year mark, she and the cast expected the show to be canceled, with seven years being what worked for the usual science fiction franchises. After that; however, it took on a different set of rules. “Every year we kept waiting to get cancelled and they kept picking us up. And finally in Season 10, we went, oh, well, they’ll probably pick us up next year and then we got cancelled.” It doesn’t feel like it’s been ten years to Tapping. Fans will be happy to know; however, that Stargate SG-1 will at least be returning in the form of two made-for-DVD movies, that, although shot concurrently, will in the Stargate universe timeline take place before this season of Stargate Atlantis.
When Tapping was asked if she thought SG-1 had made a lasting impact on television, she said that, “In the broader spectrum in terms of mainstream television, I think sadly not so much. In terms of the sci-fi genre, most definitely it’s had an impact. And its legacy is that it lasted for a decade, which is unprecedented.” She also said that they are all really proud of it, and that their legacy is in DVDs right now.
Tapping was asked how her character would be involved in the new season, and if she would regularly be joining the team on missions. “Not as regularly as I would like. It’s very much a leadership role. She sits in the big office, the big fishbowl office, and oversees everything, so it’s a much different role for Carter. There are - I think I have only gone off-world three times this year, which is really hard, extremely frustrating for me as the actor, and for Carter as the character, too, to say, “you have a go,” and watch people go through the Gate without her. I’m kind of lost without my P-90, too, so it’s been a bit of a transition.”
When asked if she would be directing an episode any time soon, Tapping stated that she would love to, but it seemed unlikely right now because of how much time is involved. “I think the complexities that we’re facing with directing basically come down to trying to get enough prep time, which means taking an actor out of an episode prior to the one that they shoot and also taking them out of the episode after the one they shoot for post, and not being highly involved in the one that they direct. So that sort of takes you out for three episodes, essentially. And I think that the writers are sort of loathe to do that with any of us. And then Martin Wood actually did tell me once that every time an actor directs a kitten dies, so I sort of backed off on the whole… I made that up, but anyway…”
Both actresses were asked if there was something about the science fiction genre that drew them to it. Staite said, “I’m not really sure. I’m usually just drawn to really well written characters. I don’t limit my career choices on any particular genre. And I guess I’ve just fallen into this world of sci-fi over and over again because a lot of the time in this genre there’s some really well-written, intelligent women characters to play, luckily.” Tapping agreed with her. “But there are great female characters, so as an actor, that’s the best case scenario that you can hope for is to play somebody who is intelligent and fully realized and not stereotypical.”
Staite was also asked, that as her character was replacing that of Dr. Carson Beckett, what she felt her character was bringing to the table in terms of an ensemble cast, and how she was going to fill his shoes. She responded, “I hope I’m bringing something new and interesting to the dynamic of the relationships between the characters. But I honestly don’t view myself as replacing anyone. In sci-fi you know you never really die. And he could be coming back, so it just never really crossed my mind.”
Talking more about her character, Staite revealed what she thought about her strengths and weaknesses. “Well, she’s a bit of a scaredy cat. She’s not very good in dire or violent situations. She scares easily, which is not such a good thing when you’re in the world of Atlantis. And as for her biggest strength, she’s really great under pressure. I think that’s when she’s at her best, especially when she’s in her element; anything to do with medicine or a complicated medical situation she’s just there. She’s just on. She’s very, very, very smart and very focused.”
When asked how Keller was different from the character she played on Firefly, Kaylee Frye, she said, “They are completely night and day, I would say, expect for the flirting part. They’re both flirts. But yeah, they’re totally different. Keller is a lot more mature. She’s a lot more seasoned. She’s very smart and she’s not as trusting as Kaylee was. Kaylee just trusted everyone right off the bat, which I think was one of her faults. And Keller has a bit of apprehension to her. She’s a lot more serious.”
When Staite was asked about her character and any romantic developments this season, she revealed that she has a couple, which will surprise the fans, and that her character of Keller is a bit of a flirt.
When Tapping was asked if any of the old SG-1 cast would be crossing over to Atlantis, she revealed that Christopher Judge, who plays the character of Teal’c, would be appearing in an episode this season. “Most of the episode he does is with Ronon, and as the resident expert on being the new alien onboard, Teal’c has a lot of information he can pass on to Ronon; a lot of expertise, but there’s also…when I talked to Joe Mallozzi he said the fans have always wondered in a fight between Ronon and Teal’c, who would win. So this episode sort of addresses that.”
They were also asked about other guest stars. Amanda talked about one of them. “Mitch Pileggi, as strange as that sounds, was the first love scene I ever did on camera was with Mitch in The X-Files. He’s yummy and so he was on our show this year.”
The two also talked about their experiences at Comic-Con this year. Staite said, “Comic-Con is a different one. I’ve done a few sci-fi conventions and Comic-Con is so gigantic that it feels a little impersonal. There’s not too much interaction with the fans. So I would say that we didn’t have too many runs with exuberant fans there, but I’ve definitely had some in the past. But it’s usually because they’re nervous and they don’t really know what to say. They kind of have really funny blunders that, you know, I shouldn’t be laughing at - like fainting and things like that.” Tapping agreed with her. “It’s so huge… It’s the other conventions where you actually get to meet people and shake hands and they tell you a bit about themselves and that’s where it gets really cool.” Staite added that “It’s really nice to have the Q&As that aren’t so enormous. Like the smaller they are, the more intimate they are and yeah, you really kind of feel a connection with them, as opposed to being on stage at Comic-Con where it’s just - you can’t even see the crowd and there’s just so many people.” However, Tapping did admit, “There’s a mild rock star moment when you first step on stage and all the flashbulbs.” She also enjoyed being able to see immediate feedback after the fans saw the trailers, because they don’t get that shooting a television series.
Staite, as expected, was also asked about her series Firefly and its future. “Well I think it’s safe to say that for now we’re finished. There’s always been talk of a couple more movies being done at some point in the future. But I think that’s up to Joss and then that’s up to somebody else to give us some money to do them. But I would do it in a heartbeat. I had such an amazing time on that show and the movie was so great for us because it was closure. We got cancelled in a hurry. It was over in a second, it felt like, and I just - we all really felt that we didn’t get enough of a chance. So with the movie, it was just a sense of closure that we all really needed.”
She was also asked to compare and contrast the production of Firefly and Atlantis. “Well the sets are a lot cleaner and they’re better lit. The thing with Firefly was the world that we were in was a very dangerous world. It was kind of about a group of people really struggling to survive and dealing with all of these different aspects and not really being able to - not being well-equipped to deal with them. And on Atlantis we’re so well-equipped to deal with all of these disasters and we face peril and danger every day, but we have such a conglomerate backing us that the world feels a lot safer. So…and in terms of production value, it’s just - it’s such a beautiful set and it’s very, very clean. It’s very pristine.” She also talked about the working environment of the two shows. “I think in terms of the people that I work with, there’s not too much of a difference. On Firefly we were one big happy family, and on this show I feel like we are, too. Everybody hangs out and you know we don’t rush off to our trailers between takes or anything like that. We hang out a lot, which is really nice. Everybody is very open about who they are and that’s cool. And the other difference, I’m not really sure there are a lot. I mean, both shows have fantastical elements to them. They’re very, very different from each other in plot and synopsis but they’re about people that are forced into a world and forced to really accept each other and like each other and they’re all each other has, and Firefly and Atlantis are very similar in that respect, I think.”
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Tapping and Staite were also asked about the season finale that they are close to shooting already. They said that it was a huge cliff-hanger. It sets the stage for them both to return the next season if the show is renewed.
On a light note, the two actresses were asked who they would choose from Atlantis as romantic interests for their characters if they had a choice. Tapping talked about two different male characters. “I think for just a night of pure unadulterated fun, Ronon, for sure. But I think Carter could absolutely go for McKay in a sick, twisted sLisort of let’s see how this works out intellectually, sexy way.” Staite stuck with one. “I think I would have to say - I would have to say Ronon, too. I like the fact that he makes Keller feel a little bit uncomfortable. She is usually very much in her element in the med lab. She’s very confident and whenever he’s around, she kind of doesn’t know what to do with herself, and I think that’s sort of cute. I like that he brings that out in her.”
Tapping was also questioned on how the tension between McKay and Carter would develop. “There’s a couple of scenes right off the top that are very funny between the two of them, and I mean laugh out loud funny, for me when I read them. And then she backs off. She really does allow McKay his chance to shine and she doesn’t want to usurp his power. And she does the same with Sheppard. She really backs off a lot in terms of, you know, that sibling type of rivalry. She knows that she can’t really go there especially publicly with McKay. There’s the odd barb because she can’t help herself and because he’s McKay. But there’s an episode coming up towards the end where the relationship comes back again. That sort of sibling snarkiness comes back. There’s a different amount of respect that she has for McKay now because he’s in a different position and she has to respect where he is. So it’s a more respectful relationship in a lot of way.”
The two were asked about any stories that might make it to the blooper reel this year. Amanda thought of one quickly. “Well on the last episode Jewel and David [Hewlett] and I were stuck in a, you know, really quite hideous set covered in dirt and on angle in this little metal box, and so we decided to come up with a new show… It’s called Stargate Titanic: the Musical. And it’s specifically for small town dinner theater and we just started writing and singing and dancing about the set. I hope some of it appeared on camera because it was really quite hilarious. David singing a song about the wraith, the wraith, they’re a very bad race. It sounds really silly, but it got us through the day. I think most of the blooper reels I think will be us cracking each other up the entire cast. Everyone on the cast has a really good sense of humor, so generally it’s just people making each other laugh. And of course the Stargate Titanic, the Musical.
The actresses were also asked about their current and upcoming projects besides Stargate Atlantis. Tapping was able to talk about her new series, Sanctuary. “We’ve done eight webisodes which is basically two hours or three TV hours, I guess you could say, but two full hours, so they’re eight webisodes. They’re about 15 minutes each, the webisodes and we’re hoping to shoot 10 more hours this fall/winter.” She also stated that they are now looking at television distribution as well.
The question of special effects in this series also came up. “It’s very different. 95% of the sets on Sanctuary are computer rendered… After the first maybe three days when you get over the green screen headache because that’s really all you’re looking at is this bright green which is just crazy, once you get over that, then we were really lucky that Jim Menard lit the show for us and you actually have a real sense of windows and fireplaces and doorways and candlelight based on the way he lit it. So you get used to it. It’s much different initially though, because I’m used to sort of looking at a green screen through the Stargate or looking at a green screen off to one side that’s going to be a matte painting or whatever but this was everything. I sit at a desk and that would be the only thing on the stage. So it was very different.”
Staite was also asked to talk about her new film that will be coming out. “The Tribe is an action movie, basically. It’s got a lot of suspense and a lot of thrills. There’s been a misconception that it’s a slasher movie, which it totally is not. It’s basically about a girl who starts off as being very meek and kind of subservient and scared about life in general, and then really has to step up to the plate and become the leader; become the alpha in the situation. So it was really fun to play. It was a really complex character and yeah, it should be coming out next summer.”
The new season of Stargate Atlantis starts this Friday, September 28, on the SCIFI Channel.
