TVSquad

Robert Carlyle is a fine actor with an impressive resume (The Full Monty, 28 Weeks Later, 24: Redemption to name a few), but he'll always be the hard-drinking, C-word screaming, Ewan McGregor-slapping Begbie from Trainspotting to me. Which is why it comes as a surprise that he's been cast as the lead in the next Stargate series, Stargate Universe.

Carlyle will play Dr. David Rush, leader of a group of scientists and civilians trapped on a ship traveling through space. Word is that Dr. Rush, charged with finding a way to return his crew home, might not be the nice guy everyone thinks he is.

When it comes to science fiction conventions you can always tell the difference between those panelists who are newbies and those who are veterans. As soon as the panelists for Stargate Atlantis took their seats you could tell that they were all seasoned veterans of the convention universe. They were relaxed, had fun with each other, and had fun with the audience. Combine those elements together and it makes for an entertaining hour and gives you a sense that they are talking to you...despite the 4000 other people in the hall.

There weren't many new bits of information that came from this panel that hadn't already been mentioned during the Robert Picardo phone conference a few weeks ago. Yet, there were still some interesting pieces of information about the stars, the writers, and some behind the scenes items. You can read some of these after the jump.

During the panels for the Sci Fi shows present at Comic-Con this year, we're being given a unique opportunity to have you, our readers, ask questions to the panelists. What shows are we attending and who will be there? Here's the rundown:

• Stargate: Atlantis (Joe Flanigan, Robert Picardo, Brad Wright, Jewel Staite, Chris Sanagustin)
• Sanctuary (Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Robin Dunne)
• Battlestar Galactica (Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco, Ron Moore, David Eick)
• Eureka (Colin Ferguson, Sallie Richardson-Whitfield , Joe Morton, Jamie Paglia, Charlie Craig, Tony Optican)
• Ghost Hunters (Robb Demarest)

Use the comment form below to submit your questions and we'll give the best ones to the moderator to ask. We'll post the answers to those questions and others as soon as we can get to a WiFi hotspot and post away. You've got until this Thursday morning to send in your questions, so ask away!

More news is coming out about the third Stargate series that is currently under development. According to our friends at Gateworld (we're just saying they're our friends -- they may despise us) the show now has a working title. The name is . . . drum roll, please . . . Stargate Universe.

That's actually just the working title, according to executive producer Robert C. Cooper. It sounds like a decent title anyway, and they aren't making the mistake like Paramount did when they named the last Star Trek series just Enterprise. Editorial over, back to the story. Cooper says that the new program was originally conceived as a stand-alone movie, something that would fit into the scope of the Stargate universe. However,Cooper and producer Brad Wright were able to tweak the idea enough to turn the concept into a weekly series to the glee of the studios.

Universe will be set in the current Stargate continuity but, according to Robert, it will not relate to anything that has been in any previous series. In other words, there's probably a slim chance that you'll see any crossover from older sibling Stargate Atlantis. As to when the show will air, Cooper says he and Wright will concentrate on the Universe pilot after wrapping principal photography on the two new SG-1 movies in June.

There has been quite a bit of speculation about the move, but now it's official. Amanda Tapping will be joining the cast of Stargate: Atlantis for 14 episodes in season four. Executive Producer Brad Wright said that the idea is one that they have been considering for a long time, but they held back because SG-1 kept going. The recent announcement that SG-1 won't be returning after the current season has opened the door for Colonel Carter to make the jump.

Season four of Atlantis marks another change for the show. As Wright and fellow Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper turn their attention to the SG-1 movies, Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie will take over as show-runners for Atlantis.I like the addition of Tapping to the cast. I've always been a fan of Carter, and with Paul McGillion not returning as Dr. Becket in season four, there is an opening to be filled.

After it was announced that Stargate SG-1 had been cancelled there was word from MGM that this wasn't the end of the Stargate franchise. Much of that sounded like typical PR speak to be taken with a grain of salt, but MGM wasn't just jerking our chains. They have ordered two Stargate SG-1 movies which will be released direct to DVD, with the possibility of also being shown on cable TV. Plans call for a fall 2007 release.

Executive Producer Brad Wright comments that they are "not big budget" which makes me think that they will be more or less prolonged episodes. But there's nothing wrong with that. The first of the two movies will tie up the current Ori storyline while the second is reported to be about time travel. The Gateworld article also mentions the possibility that the movies could be used as a launching pad for a third Stargate series.