Jewel Staite

Actress Jewel Staite ("Jennifer Keller," interview) has been promoted from recurring to regular cast member, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi has confirmed on his blog.

The actress joins Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, David Hewlett, Jason Momoa, and newcomer Robert Picardo on the 6-person main cast (story).

"Dr. Keller is a pretty cool girl so far," Staite told GateWorld in a 2007 interview. "She has a lot of sides to her personality, all depending on what the situation is. She has this apprehensive side to her where she has a tendency to doubt herself — which is kind of ridiculous because she’s so capable and really intelligent. She feels she has to prove herself a little bit. Maybe because she’s new, and maybe because she’s young and has always had to prove herself around people that doubt her abilities."

Dr. Keller was first introduced in the show’s third season finale, and appeared in about half of Season Four as a recurring character. The actress quickly won the hearts of the writers and her fellow cast members, not to mention many fans.

Before her turn on Stargate Atlantis, Staite was well-known for her role as Kaylee Frye on the short-lived but cult favorite series Firefly.

"I’m really happy about the way things have turned out so far, and I’m learning more and more about her with each episode we film," Staite said.

Catch Jewel in this week’s new episode of Stargate Atlantis, "Trio!" The episode premieres Friday at 10 p.m. (9 Central) on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., and next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Sky One in the U.K.