Feature: Stargate SG-1

The Carter Command

As Colonel Jack
O'Neill goes part-time, a rather cool Major Samantha Carter is taking charge of SG-1 – Amanda Tapping is seriously relaxed and enjoying her last tour of duty as the major…

“It’s all gone to Hell in a handcart – the whole show,” she says, before bursting into fits of laughter. “Honestly,” she smiles, “It is so much fun. This is probably the most fun we’ve had in the show since Season One – not to say that the others haven’t been great. I mean every season has had its own personality and it’s always been fun, but this year… maybe because we know it’s our last… we’re just digging it. We’re having a great time.”

She’s right. I have. Tapping and crew are currently filming an episode called The Other Guys, a fun-filled frolic involving two great comedic actors, Patrick McKenna and John Billingsly, who have managed to keep the SG-1 cast in hysterics. “Our guest stars are very, very funny.” Confirms Tapping. “They play two dim-witted, bumbling, Keystone Kop-like scientists who are huge fans of SG-1. We get captured by a Goa’uld and though they are supposed to return home, they decide to stay and rescue us. Of course, all is not as it appears, for reasons that will become clear in the episode, so madness ensues.”

Tapping reveals a little more of what’s in store. “It’s been a good season actually. There’s a lot more humor in Carter this year. She’s cracking a lot of jokes, or at least she’s attempting to and we get to see a lot more humor in Teal’c too. Part of it is that we’ve got this new team member in Jonas Quinn and we’re all still a little wary of him. He, maybe, in some ways has bonded the three of us together more. It’s kind of like ‘Watch out for this guy!’ because, you know, he makes mistakes based on his naïveté and we’re all rolling our eyes.”

Well pleased with the way the production has been unfolding this year, Tapping is particularly happy about her character’s development. “For Carter it’s been a cool season. For example, Richard [Dean Anderson] and I got sunk underwater in one episode. Actually,” she shudders, “we nearly drowned in this set that goes underwater. The set was meant to go underwater but it flooded. However, aside from the near drowning experience, the episode had a major cool factor for us.” Tapping also reveals her character had some excitement several miles above, rather than below, sea level. “I got to fly in the X303, which is our new ship. We shot out at Vancouver Airport on a truck and had to pretend to fly the craft so we got to hang out with all these pilots from the States.” Shrugging innocently she sighs, “It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it!”

by Thomasina Gibson

There is more from Amanda Tapping on Stargate SG-1 and from the series' Major Davis (Colin Cunningham) in the latest issue of:
Xposé #72

© MGM
Feature © Visual Imagination 2002. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Xposé #72
October 2002
ships from Sep 12 2002
News-stand Price
UK £3.40 / US $5.99

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