By Jonathan Klotz | Published
Stargate has its share of fan-favorite characters across the various films and series, from SG-1 Samantha Carter and Jack O’Neil, Rodney McKay in Atlantis, Ronald Greer in Universeand honestly, countless others, but none quite like the bureaucratic Richard Woolsey, who went from a supposedly annoying one-episode appearance to becoming a hero as a team leader. Played by Star Trek: Voyager Robert Picardo fans actually have a different series to thank for bringing him into the franchise: The outer limits. If it hadn’t been for the sci-fi anthology series filmed so close to Stargate SG-1 home studio in Vancouver, Picardo would never have been part of another successful sci-fi franchise.
Single appearance to the series lead
The outer limitsa science fiction version of The Twilight Zonefirst aired in 1963, but it was brought back in 1995 for a longer run, ending in 2002. Stargate SG-1 The filming schedule allowed Robert Picardo to take a quick trip to the studio while filming the episode “Sarcophagus,” in which he plays a man looking at the financial value of a rare extraterrestrial discovery to justify his betrayal. It’s also different from his role as Woolsey, which has more in common with his performance as the Doctor in Traveler.
Even though the Doctor has become a very different character after several seasons of personal growth and numerous episodes discussing the ethics and rights of his existence in hologram form, if you go by Richard Woolsey’s debut, you won’t. would have never thought that years later, Robert Picardo would be back at the head of the Stargate: Atlantis shipping. Woolsey was brought back several times during SG-1’s run to be, on purpose, an annoying obstacle to the team and a recurring annoyance to viewers. As Picardo said in an interview with Gateworld in 2008, “he basically came across as a conflict character.”
The evolution of Woolsey
Richard Woolsey’s second appearance, in “Inauguration”, brought a significant change to the character by adding a new dimension, as Robert Picardo himself described the Stargate SG-1 episode, “they began their rehabilitation of Woolsey’s character by showing that he truly had good intentions and was passionate about the importance of having civilian oversight of covert military operations.” This was an important moment for the character and planted seeds for how the character would grow, although surprisingly throughout the remainder of his appearances he remained true to himself. It’s just the world that has changed around him.
By time Stargate: Atlantis While the cast was in turmoil following Amanda Tapping’s decision to leave, there was a very short list of potential stars to bring in to replace her, with Robert Picardo leading the way, in what turned out to be a moment of genius. From a bureaucrat questioning the necessity of the SG-1 program to a leader who understands that there is nothing wrong with throwing out the book for the sake of the men and women under his command. The Woolsey who violates multiple security protocols in “The Seed” is a far cry from his first appearance in “Heroes, Part 2,” and legions of Stargate fans wouldn’t have it any other way, and all because The outer limits And Stargate SG-1 both filmed in Vancouver.
