What The Cast Of Stargate SG-1 Is Doing Today
Stargate SG-1 hit television in 1997, giving sci-fi fans a spinoff of the 1994 movie Stargate. The show centers around a four-person military team that travels to other planets through an alien device called the Stargate, which is the public transportation system of the stars — you dial up a planet, it opens a portal, and you hop through to the other side in seconds. Like the film, Stargate SG-1 became a cult classic, lasting ten seasons and spawning two additional movies, as well as another spinoff series (Stargate Atlantis). Years later, fans still want more.
What made Stargate SG-1 so popular? Well, it certainly did an amazing job of world-building, combining elements of ancient Earth cultures with technologically advanced aliens. It also had a way of perfectly balancing action, humor, and profound messages. But one of the essential ingredients to Stargate SG-1's success is the talented cast that brought these rich characters to life on the screen. Who can forget Christopher Judge's facial expression when playing the passionate warrior Teal'c? Or Amanda Tapping's performance as Samantha Carter, the scientist who can hold her own in combat?
A lot of time has passed since Stargate SG-1 ended in 2007. Like most fans, you're probably wondering what happened to these actors after their days at Stargate Command. Here's what they're up to today.
Richard Dean Anderson
Few actors have the honor of playing the main role in one successful television show, let alone two, but Richard Dean Anderson is a member of this short list. Anderson played the beloved protagonist of the hit series MacGyver in the '80s and early '90s. In 1997, he returned to television as Colonel Jack O'Neill in Stargate SG-1. O'Neill is pulled out of early retirement when the Stargate device is activated and aliens come through attacking Air Force personnel.
After a rescue mission, O'Neill becomes the commander of military group Stargate SG-1, which explores new planets through the Stargate with the hopes of attaining technology and allies capable of defeating the powerful and sinister Goa'uld, who intend to enslave humanity. O'Neill frequently cracks sarcastic jokes, even in dire situations, often bringing an appreciated dose of humor to an otherwise serious character. Despite his comedic side, O'Neill takes his job very seriously, often risking his life to save his unit, and is haunted by the death of his young son, who accidentally shot himself with O'Neill's pistol.
After eight seasons, Anderson stepped down as the main character and took on a smaller role during the last two seasons as a guest star. After the conclusion of the Stargate SG-1 franchise, Anderson left the spotlight and only appeared in a handful of TV show episodes here and there, his last appearance coming in a 2013 episode of the sitcom Don't Trust the B— in Apartment 23. While Anderson has attended several conferences over the last few years, he largely remains quiet about his personal life and has essentially retired.
Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping played the intelligent and overall exceptional soldier Samatha Carter for all ten seasons of Stargate SG-1, as well as the two following Stargate movies and the spinoff series Stargate Atlantis.
Carter frequently struggles between choosing a military career and a more scientific route. She's often the brainiac that explains alien technology and phenomena to the audience, usually interrupted by an agitated Jack O'Neill, who wants things simplified. The show frequently teases a romance between O'Neill and Carter, but the two are never able to express their feelings due to military standards.
Tapping continued acting, as well as directing, after her Stargate years and her talents are evident both in front of and behind the camera. She starred in the sci-fi series Sanctuary as Dr. Helen Magnus and even directed quite a few episodes. Tapping played the recurring character Naomi in the television show Supernatural, but also directed several episodes of popular TV shows, including The Flash, Dark Matter, The 100, Travelers, and The Magicians. Tapping remains very active and has plans to continue directing, her most recent work serving as an executive producer and director for the supernatural TV show Motherland: Fort Salem.
Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks played the non-military archaeologist Daniel Jackson, who originally argued that the pyramids were built by aliens. When the team SG-1 assembled, he joined hoping to one day rescue his wife Sha're, who had been possessed by an alien parasite and ruled with her "husband" Apophis as galactic dictators. While Jackson doesn't have military training he can still hold his own, and often brings archaeological and cultural expertise on missions. And it doesn't hurt that he knows over 30 languages.
Jackson is the yin to O'Neill's yang — O'Neill is mission-minded and understands the importance of gaining technology to defend the human race, while Jackson wants to befriend and understand all alien races even if they don't have technology to offer. This sets up a lot of internal conflict on the team, though they're always good friends at the end of the day. For example, on one occasion O'Neill wants to help an alien race win a war in exchange for their technology, but Jackson wants to first understand the nature of the war they're helping with because, you know, maybe they're helping the wrong side of the war.
Shanks was in every season of Stargate SG-1, but only had a recurring role in season 6. He remained a very active actor after the Stargate franchise, starring in the medical drama Saving Hope as well as appearing in several TV series such as 24, Eureka, and Burn Notice. More recently, Shanks joined the television series Altered Carbon as recurring character Horace Axley.
Christopher Judge
Christopher Judge played the alien Teal'c, who was once the top leader for the evil Apophis (basically space Hitler). Teal'c defected and helped the main characters escape Apophis. He ended up swearing allegiance to Earth, joining SG-1, and trying to free his people, the Jaffa, from the clutches of their cruel masters, the Goa'uld.
Teal'c is comically serious, often misunderstanding human lingo like "Lucy, I'm home!" to which he responds, "I am not Lucy." He's an incredible tactician, often outwitting enemies on the battlefield, and a very loyal friend. Unfortunately, his ethnic and cultural differences often create conflict with upper military personnel who question his loyalties and are also curious to "study" him to learn more about aliens.
Judge went on to have a successful career outside of Stargate, appearing in popular TV shows like NCIS: Los Angeles and The Mentalist. Judge had a minor role in The Dark Knight Rises and he was in the very campy movies Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! What you may not know, though, is Judge has a very impressive voice acting career, particularly in video games. Most notably, he played Kratos in the popular video game God of War, but you can also hear his distinct voice in games like StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, and World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
Ben Browder
There was a large shift in Stargate SG-1 between seasons 8 and 9. Richard Dean Anderson took on a minor role, leaving a big hole in the team we came to know as SG-1. To fill that slot, sci-fi veteran Ben Browder stepped in as the new team's leader, Cameron Mitchell, for the last two seasons of the show. Browder had previously starred in Farscape and commanded a presence similar to the one Anderson had on SG-1, both as a strong military leader and someone who could bring a laid-back atmosphere to the screen.
Mitchell is less sarcastic than O'Neill and a little more optimistic and good-natured. Naturally, Mitchell's first challenge is smoothing things over with a disjointed SG-1 and getting along with all the other characters.
Like so many other talented actors from the series, Browder went on to have a successful acting career, appearing in TV shows like Doctor Who, Arrow, Chuck, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Criminal Minds. Browder played the Sovereign Admiral in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and has done a little voice acting for video games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops III. It's been some time since we've seen him in a leading role, but Browder remains active today.
Claudia Black
In its later seasons, Stargate SG-1 featured two actors from the sci-fi show Farscape — Ben Browder, who stepped into the male lead vacancy left by Richard Dean Anderson, and Claudia Black, who played Vala Mal Doran, originally planned as a one-off character in season eight of SG-1. Doran returned in seasons nine and ten as a main character and even appeared in the two movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum. Playfully mischievous and infatuated with Daniel Jackson, Doran brought a dash of fun and moral ambiguity to the team.
She joins Stargate Command in the fight against the Ori, who are the new villains in seasons nine and ten after the Goa'uld are defeated.
Since her Stargate days, Black has continued acting in television, taking on the recurring role of Dahlia in the fantasy drama The Originals and a main role in the drama Containment as Sabine Lommers. Black has also done a lot of voice acting for video games and animated shows: You can hear her voice in Diablo III, Mass Effect 2 & 3, Gears of War 3, Final Fantasy XIV, and the celebrated comedy show Rick and Morty. She continues to act in television and do voice work; recently, Black played a role in the sci-fi drama Roswell, New Mexico.
Corin Nemec
Corin Nemec played a rather unique role as Jonas Quinn, an alien from Langara. Initially, Quinn was a minor character but ended up becoming part of the main cast and a member of SG-1 in season six. Michael Shanks, the actor who played Daniel Jackson, left the show during season six over creative differences, leaving a hole in the main cast. As much as SG-1 fans loved Jackson, Quinn helped fill the void — a scientist who brought a quirky and fun spirit to the team, and for some reason is always eating onscreen, he was an immediate hit. Michael Shanks decided to return to SG-1 in the following season seven, which made Jonas Quinn a minor character again.
Corin Nemec continued acting after Stargate SG-1 and remains active today, with a filmography that includes guest roles on television shows like NCIS, Supernatural, and Ghost Whisperer. In 2013, Nemec suffered an injury on a boat while filming Poseidon Rex. His leg was shattered and required surgery, but afterward, he healed and continued acting. In addition to acting, Nemec occasionally writes and directs TV shows and documentaries. Most recently, Nemec started touring the United States filming a documentary called Love America Tour, which focuses on unifying themes among Americans.
Teryl Rothery
Teryl Rothery played the beloved medical examiner Janet Fraiser, who faced the unimaginable task of healing soldiers suffering from alien diseases and wounds caused by alien technology. Basically, it's a whole new frontier of medical science for humans, but she handled it with wisdom and optimism; although Fraiser typically butted heads with the members of SG-1 who usually didn't take doctor's orders, most of the time, her medical advice was spot on.
Despite staying behind the front lines, Fraiser occasionally saw some action. She went into the field a few times and also had to deal with foothold situations in Stargate Command. In season seven the character died in combat, although Rothery briefly returned to the series playing a parallel version of her character in season nine.
In addition to acting in over 70 episodes of Stargate SG-1, Rothery reached for the stars, acting in several well-known TV series, including Eureka, Supernatural, Caprica, and Arrow. While she typically appears in sci-fi and supernatural TV shows, she's also played taken a few roles in drama shows, particularly on the Hallmark Channel, including Cedar Grove. More recently, Rothery appeared in the sci-fi comedy show Upload and continues to play recurring roles on The Good Doctor and Virgin River.
Tony Amendola
Tony Amendola played the memorable Master Bra'tac, the wise warrior who taught Teal'c everything he knows. Bra'tac is a retired military Jaffa on his planet, but continues to secretly train others because he plans to start a rebellion against the Goa'uld, who are the slave masters of the Jaffa. Bra'tac is a bit of a father figure to Teal'c and is an important connection between the Earthlings and Jaffa. While these two species are technically on the same side fighting the Goa'uld, they often have cultural differences. And there's also the awkward fact that they've both killed each other many times since the Jaffa are the soldiers for the Goa'uld.
After Stargate SG-1 ended in 2007, Amendola continued landing in various roles in television and also started voice acting in video games and animated series. He played a minor villain in the dark mystery show Dexter, starred in the sci-fi series Continuum, and had a recurring role on Once Upon a Time. Amendola also appeared in CSI: NY, The Mentalist, and Numb3rs. In addition to a successful career onscreen, Amendola also has an impressive voice acting career. You can hear his voice in video games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Final Fantasy XV, Fallout 4, World of Warcraft: Legion, and Call of Duty: Black Ops III. He continues to act, mostly in television or voicing acting in video games. More recently, Amendola appeared in a 2020 episode of Will & Grace.
Peter Williams
Peter Williams joined the ensemble cast of Stargate SG-1 as the appalling Apophis, who would serve as the main antagonist for the first half of the show. Not only is Apophis a tyrant that enslaves and murders humans, but he also has a unique connection with several of our beloved characters. Teal'c served under Apophis as his First Prime before defecting to Earth, but naturally, those days haunt Teal'c for a long time. Apophis also took Daniel Jackson's wife, Sha're, as a host for his queen, and for his son, Apophis kidnapped Skaara, who is like a son to O'Neill.
After playing the sinister Apophis, Williams continued acting primarily in television, appearing in the Jordan Peele-produced Twilight Zone revival and Fallen, but also had roles in films like Catwoman and The Chronicles of Riddick. Williams continues to act, mostly in television, and recently took on a role in the sci-fi series The Expanse.
Carmen Argenziano
Carmen Argenziano's character, Jacob Carter, is beautifully woven into the Stargate series. Jacob Carter is Samantha Carter's father, although the two don't exactly get along. Initially, Jacob is dying from cancer and it seems that Samantha must finally say goodbye without much closure to their fractured relationship. But Jacob is saved by allowing a Tok'ra to inhabit his body, "blending" two persons into one, which was quite a shocking decision for Jacob considering he didn't even know aliens existed until that time. From that day, Jacob served as a powerful liaison between the Earthlings and their ally the Tok'ra. He's a bit headstrong but loving, loyal, and courageous. Despite appearing in fewer than 30 episodes, Jacob is a memorable minor character in the Stargate franchise, often appearing in key episodes contributing to the overarching plot to destroy the Goa'uld.
Carmen Argenziano had an insanely busy career as an actor, with over 200 acting credits. After leaving Stargate SG-1 in 2005, he didn't slow down at all — he appeared in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, House, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, and Hawaii Five-0, in addition to acting in big movies like Angels & Demons. While he tended to play overbearing authority figures, he took on a variety of roles in many genres. Argenziano remained very active in his career until he passed away in 2019 at the age of 75.
Don S. Davis
Don S. Davis played the altruistic General George Hammond (or "Hammond of Texas" if you're Master Bra'tac). He's a loyal, no-soldier-left-behind leader and frequently goes to bat for SG-1, even when they may have broken the rules a little bit. Despite his strong leadership, Hammond has a bit of a soft side — his two granddaughters are "1" on his speed dial, one above the President of the United States.
Unfortunately, Davis didn't live long after the end of Stargate SG-1, passing away in 2008 at the age of 65. At the end of the seventh season, Davis stepped down as a regular actor on the show for health reasons and only appeared as a guest from then on out. Despite slowing his career down a bit, Davis continued booking small-screen roles like so many of his fellow cast members. He appeared in the pilot episode of Psych and the video-game-turned-movie Far Cry. In addition to acting, Davis was a U.S. Army captain and an artist, often supplementing his income by selling paintings, sculptures, and drawings. To commemorate Davis, the Stargate franchise decided to have Hammond pass away in-universe; after his death, his friends named a spaceship after him in his memory — the U.S.S. Hammond.