SPOILERS – SPOILERS – SPOILERS – SPOILERS – SPOILERS – SPOILERS
Consulting producer Joseph Mallozzi announced in his weblog last night that veteran actor Christopher McDonald has been cast in the pivotal role of Senator Armstrong, Chloe’s father and mentor.
Here’s his announcement: “Christopher McDonald (Senator Armstrong): Another experienced Hollywood veteran, Chris brings gravity and charisma to the role of Senator Armstrong. When I was on set the other day, he approached me, shook my hand, and told me how happy he was to be working on the show. A class act.”
The Stargate producers were looking for a name actor to play Senator Armstrong, who has a two-episode arc on the show. Senator Armstrong is present in the Icarus Base when it comes under attack, and unfortunately, it appears he gets killed either during the attack or during the evacuation. What we know thus far is that his death is tragic and has a profound effect on his daughter Chloe, who is also present at the Base as her father’s aide. Chloe’s dream is to walk in her father’s political footsteps, but without his guidance, she’ll have to learn to survive on her own with mostly strangers. On top of that, she’ll have to learn the hard way how many of her “friends” were only interested in her because of her being a senator’s daughter.
With such talent as McDonald, perhaps fans can hope that he’ll be able to return to the show despite Senator Armstrong’s apparent death (it’s sci-fi after all).
Born 15 February 1955, in New York City, New York, McDonald has an impressive filmography, including his early works in such films as Grease 2,Thelma & Louise, and Grumpy Old Men. His most recent television appearance, according to his IMDb profile, is on Law & Order as John ‘Jay’ McIntyre. Also according to IMDb, McDonald has either finished work on or is attached to seven movie projects for this year alone. Sci-fi fans might recognize him as Lt. Richard Castillo in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.
Visit McDonald’s homepage for more about the actor.
Spoilers are subject to change as the episodes are in production.