TVSquad

After a fairly brief hiatus (only 4 months) Stargate Atlantis returns to the SciFi channel with all new episodes starting on July 11th. Now entering its fifth season, the show is reaching a turning point thanks to a number of off-season cast changes. First and foremost in is the replacement of Amanda Tapping's Colonel Samantha Carter as administrator of Atlantis with Robert Picardo's Richard Woolsey. This is one year after Tapping replaced Tori Higginson on the show. It's an interesting turn of events since Woolsey has not been the most popular of characters in the entire Stargate franchise. And, as the character has never been a people person, there is bound to be some conflict between members of the Atlantis team and himself.

For those of you who were gnashing their teeth over Samantha Carter's (lack of) administrative abilities on this season's Stargate Atlantis you can relax your jaws. Well, only for a moment, because you may not like who will be replacing her in the show's fifth season.

According to a press statement released today by MGM and the SciFi Channel, the newest administrator of Atlantis will be: I.O.A representative Richard Woolsey, played by science fiction veteran Robert Picardo. Ah, I see you're gnashing your teeth again. No surprise there, since the members of the Atlantis team aren't too fond of him, either. In fact, the SciFi release mentions that Colonel Sheppard and his team must adjust to Woolsey's leadership style. Look for some friction between the two sides as the season progresses.

Those of you who are suffering from extreme Stargate SG-1 withdrawal are not going to be happy with the news I am about to deliver. According to a report on Gateworld Stargate: Ark of Truth, which had originally been scheduled for release this fall, has now been pushed back until the first half of 2008. If that makes you unhappy then the announcement that the second film, Stargate: Continuum has been pushed back as well is going to downright make you depressed.

(S10E20) So, here we are. After ten seasons as the longest-running, first-run American science fiction program Stargate SG-1 is finally coming to end. Well, at least as a first-run series since there are a number of direct-to-DVD movies in the works. Also, technically, it's the official end for only us late-as-usual Americans, since the finale aired already in other parts of the world. And, hey, while it hasn't been as hyped up as the series finale of The Sopranos, there are still many, many people who are extremely sad to see it go. Including myself.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're going to have a chatroom live for all of you to join in on as the show goes on and share your theories, reactions, and opinions in real-time. Shortly after the finale you'll be able to read a review of the show here. You can read the review after the jump. And, the chatroom is still open to express your opinions and feelings on the series finale.

You can enter the chatroom here.

(S10E19) Before I begin this week's review I wanted to talk for a moment about last week's poll. In it I asked who your favorite Stargate SG-1 character was. I wasn't very surprised that the majority of you (37%) selected Colonel/General Jack O'Neil as your favorite and Daniel Jackson as your second favorite (28%). These two have been the most popular and recognizable characters throughout the entire run of the series and you could see that the show took a bit of a hit when both of them left.

How can I tell that? Well, the two least favorite characters in the poll were Cameron Mitchell (4%) and poor Jonas Quinn (1%, tied with General Hammond).

(S10E17) Greetings! You were probably expecting to see Will O'Brien in this spot. Unfortunately, the stress of home buying and moving burnt the young man out. He's now resting comfortably at the Sunnyside Egg Recovery Center for the Home Buyer and I hear that the nightmares are only coming every other night. While he recuperates I will be handling reviews on the last four episodes of Stargate SG-1.

On Stargate SG-1, actor Michael Shanks plays Dr. Daniel Jackson, who the Sci Fi channel's web site describes as an "anthropologist, linguist and expert in ancient and current cultures."

Maybe those skills will come in handy when he joins that cast of 24.

Michael Shanks Online, as well as a Stargate fan web site, are reporting that Shanks is joining 24 in a "recurring role" and is filming scenes this week.

No word on whether he'll be able to apply Dr. Jackson's linguistic and cultural expertise to help Chloe O'Brian with her social awkwardness issues.