Feature: Stargate SG-1

200 Not Out…

It’s the 200th episode of Stargate SG-1 and we are on hand to catch up with the stars as they party the night away

In September, Stargate SG-1 notches up its 200th episode, matching even the total reached by The X-Files, and as the appropriately named 200 isn’t the series’ finale, it’ll go on to exceed that figure. Of course, some people haven’t been around for the entire run, but after a year away, original star Richard Dean Anderson is back for the celebration.

“Put it this way, they didn’t kill me,” he laughs about his year off, at a party to mark the landmark episode. “Not that that would be a factor in Sci-Fi.”

Referring to the show’s longevity, Anderson comments, “I’m not surprised and certainly not shocked. After the first two seasons it became apparent to me that it had the potential it has and really had strong legs. Through the Stargate itself you can create whatever story you want and you have unlimited access to your imagination and whatever comes out of it, so if you have two very talented and intelligent guys like Brad Wright and Robert C Cooper it’s a no-miss situation. I didn’t have a number for it... 10 is nice.”

As for why he came back for the 200th episode, he comments. “Both Brad and Robert called and asked me if I would mind being in the 200th episode. It was a milestone and I was off the show for a fair amount of time. It was good timing for one thing. I really honestly missed the environment, missed the cast and the crew. That sense of community and family that we have on the show and I said, ‘Yes, of course. I miss you guys, I’ll come on up’. And then there’s an opportunity to add like four episodes and everybody said sure.”

Those other four episodes include appearances on Atlantis. “Atlantis needs me initially,” Anderson confirms. “They wrote me back in visually in an Atlantis episode, helping a storyline out, but the storyline I could not tell you as I don’t have the slightest idea what it was, neither did the director at that time! Then I started working on a two-parter for Atlantis, working with Brad Turner and Robert Picardo. They had solicited O’Neill out of Washington to go out to Atlantis and supervise some transition with some bad guy entity... I think it was the ancients and some other group.”

As on his previous hit, MacGyver, Stargate has brought Anderson a devoted fanbase, and clout in the television industry itself which he could exploit if he ever wanted to return to full time work, rather than spend more time with his family. “It had to be pointed out to me at one point,” he comments. “My agent was telling me, because I couldn’t understand, and she has been very protective and very maternal as far as my career goes, and she said that if I ever wanted to go back to work whenever it was just let her know and I could have a job tomorrow. Why is that? What is going on? I have very low self-esteem... I don’t get it. She said well you’ve got to understand your name is associated with longevity and with lasting energy for MacGyver was 139 episodes, and there’s this show which is going for 10 seasons.”

by Sue Schneider

Read the full coverage of the party in
TV Zone #206

Photo © The Sci-Fi Channel
Feature © Visual Imagination 2006. Not for reproduction

Taken from

TV Zone #206
October 2006
ships from Aug 16 2006
News-stand Price
UK £3.99 / US $7.99

Buy it now!

VI DIRECT
Stores Info

You can order any of
our magazines via this
secure service.
To buy this issue:

To SUBSCRIBE to
TV ZONE, use these
links to our stores: