Jewel Staite

Firefly’s Staite Joins Atlantis

Producers of SCI FI Channel’s original series Stargate Atlantis told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming fourth season will add former Firefly cast member Jewel Staite to the cast as a new doctor. Staite, who also appeared in the Firefly feature film, Serenity, as well as the short-lived fantasy series Wonderfalls, will play Dr. Jennifer Keller. She joins Stargate SG-1 cast member Amanda Tapping, who also joins Atlantis’ cast, reprising her role of Col. Samantha Carter.

Staite is "fabulous," executive producer Robert C. Cooper said in an interview on the show’s Vancouver, Canada, set over the weekend. Other cast members hinted that Keller may develop a romantic relationship with one of the other characters and will become friends with Carter.

As for Carter’s joining the Atlantis team, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi said the transition won’t go smoothly. For one thing, Carter and Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) have a history, as fans of SG-1 know well. "There will be a little friction off the get-go," Mallozzi said. "But they’re both adults [about it]." McKay’s unrequited lust for Carter will be addressed, Mallozzi promised. "That gets touched on very early on."

"The difference between Carter and [Dr.] Weir [Torri Higginson] is that Carter is in the military," Cooper added. "In fact, when she joins them she’s a full-bird colonel, and she’s a superior to [Lt. Col. John] Sheppard [played by Joe Flanigan], so there’s really not much he can say or do; she’s his superior officer."

As for the season’s storylines? "In terms of the stories, because we’re not doing 40 episodes a week-we’re doing 20 episodes-we can concentrate more on the individual characters," Mallozzi said. "Each of the characters will have a story in the front half. We’ll be developing a lot more of the overall arcs. We’ll be exploring a bit more of the Replicators and what makes them tick; we’ll be finding out a little bit more about the Wraith as well. That should be interesting." -Melissa J. Perenson