This opinion piece has no major spoilers for season 9 of Stargate but if my theory is right, it’s a spoiler. Spoilerphobes, please consider yourselves warned.
From what Michael Greenburg said at London Film & Comic Con, actor negotiations are still taking place (they definitely still were then). He predicted that Richard Dean Anderson would do four episodes in season 9 (although that situation could, of course, change in negotiations). Amanda Tapping is pregnant which may affect the amount we see of Sam in s9. The writers and TPTB certainly have to consider the possibility that we may have less of Sam than usual.
So the predicted situation for season 9 is SG-0.5 and no General O’Neill at the SGC for most of the season.
On the same weekend as LFCC Don Davis was at the Wolf SG-8 con and said that he will not now be doing the art show he was working so hard on because he’d been offered a regular acting job on a television series which meant giving up other commitments for the time being. Don usually gives us details of his projects, but was uncharacteristically quiet about this one.
Now who is the only man fans would accept as General at the SGC instead of Jack? Who is probably the only actor the fans would accept with open arms and no unfavourable comparisons with RDA or Don Davis? And given how hard Don was working on his art show, for what tv show would he be willing to give that up? Don cares about his art, but he also cares about his friends at Stargate very much too, and he cares about the show itself which is why he left in the first place.
TPTB are looking at a season of Stargate SG-0.5 and no Janet (be sure your sins will find you out, boys!), so how can they make fans happy?
Well, why not bring back fan favourite Don Davis? It’s easy to bring Hammond back if Jack isn’t going to be around enough to command the SGC, and since fans of every persuasion love George Hammond, TPTB would actually please everyone for once.
Look at the press release we put up on Solutions recently: “MGM is currently in negotiations with the original cast for their return.” That could easily include Don Davis.
The only way this can’t happen is if Don already accepted a part on another show. If he’s actually negotiating with Stargate, he may well have been asked to keep quiet about it so TPTB can surprise fans by compensating with some good news when they have to announce RDA’s diminished role.
I love watching General O’Neill, but if I can’t watch him I’ll be very happy with General Hammond. Let’s hope that TPTB have the good sense to bring him back.