By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Stargate has its share of fan-favorite characters across the various movies and series, from SG-1’s Samantha Carter and Jack O’Neil, Rodney McKay in Atlantis, Ronald Greer in Universe, and honestly, countless others, but none is quite like the bureaucratic Richard Woolsey, who went from a one-episode appearance meant to be annoying, to becoming a hero as a team leader. Played by Star Trek: Voyager’s Robert Picardo, fans actually have a different series to thank for bringing him into the franchise: The Outer Limits. If it wasn’t for the sci-fi anthology series shooting so close to Stargate SG-1’s home studio in Vancouver, Picardo would have never been a part of yet another hit sci-fi franchise.
One-Time Appearance To Series Lead
The Outer Limits, a sci-fi version of The Twilight Zone, first aired in 1963, but it was brought back in 1995 for a longer run, ending in 2002. Stargate SG-1’s shooting schedule allowed for Robert Picardo to make the quick trip to the studio while filming the episode “Sarcophagus,” in which he plays a man looking at the financial value of a rare alien discovery to justify betrayal. It’s also different from his role as Woolsey, which has more in common with his performance as The Doctor on Voyager.
Even though The Doctor wound up a very different character after multiple seasons of personal growth and plenty of episodes discussing the ethics and rights of his existence as a hologram, if you went by Richard Woolsey’s debut, you’d never have thought that years later, Robert Picardo would be back as the leader of the Stargate: Atlantis expedition. Woolsey was brought back a few times during SG-1’s run to be, on purpose, an annoying bump in the road for the team and a recurring annoyance for the viewers. As Picardo said in an interview with Gateworld back in 2008, “he basically came in as a conflict character.”
The Evolution Of Woolsey
Richard Woolsey’s second appearance, in “Inauguration,” brought about an important change to the character by adding a new dimension, as Robert Picardo himself described the Stargate SG-1 episode, “they began their rehabilitation of the Woolsey character by showing that he really meant well and had a passion about the importance of having civilian oversight of secret military operations.” It was an important moment for the character and planted seeds for how the character would grow, though amazingly, during the rest of his appearances, he stayed true to himself. It’s just the world that changed around him.
By the time Stargate: Atlantis was going through a cast upheaval 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 at the top, in what turned out to be a moment of brilliance. From a bureaucrat questioning the need for the SG-1 program to a leader who understands it’s okay to toss out the book for the good of the men and women under his command. The Woolsey that violates multiple security protocols in “The Seed” is far, far removed from his first appearance in “Heroes, Part 2,” and legions of Stargate fans wouldn’t have it any other way, and it’s all because The Outer Limits and Stargate SG-1 both filmed in Vancouver.