"Season Seven - wow! What can I tell you?," says the ebullient Christopher Judge. "The prodigal son has returned and everyone is ecstatic about it. I can't tell you who is most thrilled. It's probably me, although I'm not totally sure whether it's me or the writers because they're enjoying getting stuck in to some really juicy stuff that Michael can actually get his teeth into."

Close friends on and off screen, Judge says of Shanks, "Having Michael back full time even further highlights how much he vas missed last year in so many ways. You know, I don't want to make too little of Corin Nemec [Jonas Quinn] because he was great, but Michael and the character of Daniel Jackson - you just couldn't really fill that with anyone or anything else. Just the work that he's done since being back, his renewed energy and insight to the character - it all points to how much he was missed last year. See, Michael is my best friend. We are so different yet we complement each other perfectly. We disagree on absolutely everything but somehow it works for us. When we met, he was the quiet country boy and I was the seeming city slicker. We've taught each other and learned so much from each other over the years that I love him to bits. So, yeah, for that reason alone this season is going to be great."

Of the scantily-clad Amazonian story dubbed "Planet of the Strippers" by Michael Shanks, Judge has to say: "Well, I wanted to do an episode..." - he can't get the words out for giggling - "...that kinda, erm, on an intellectual level, really kind of explored the myth of the Amazons. Because they were fierce warriors, you know, as well as being big, buxom women, and I thought that might be interesting. And the producers were kind enough to let me pitch an idea that dealt with the ...the..." Judge gives up trying to be serious and jokingly suggests, "I hear they are selling tickets for the casting," before throwing his head back and laughing outright.

"Birthrite is not by any stretch of the imagination gratuitous sexiness. In fact, there's a line in there where Daniel Jackson is explaining the Amazon mythos and O'Neill says, 'You mean like Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner?' [from Wonder Woman for the uninitiated]. So that's kind of a way of showing that it's not going to be that type, as in sexy type of Amazon story. It really does deal with the warrior part of a powerful group of women and then explores the mythos from a different perspective. It has aspects of The Underground Railroad in it and stuff like that so it is not at all a cheeseball take on spandex and all that kind of nonsense. There is a valid message within for anyone who cares to ponder on it."

Judge confirms, "It was great fun to write. I really, really enjoy that process and just think it's great that our producers allow us to be part of that procedure. I'm eternally grateful for their encouragement and support. Writing is a skill I am very keen to develop and I can't think of a better place to learn and hone that craft." Sticking to his belief that actors are pains in any director's nether regions, he grins. "There is, however, absolutely no chance of my directing. I couldn't even think of trying with Richard Dean Anderson nor Michael Shanks. They would give me so much trouble. Amanda Tapping would be a delight but I've been too much of a pain in the past and joked around too much to even think about trying to direct an episode of this show. Even with a crowd as sympathetic and supportive as the guys we have on SG-1."

"The writers have been great at allowing Teal'c's personality to evolve gradually throughout the seasons. We sit down at the beginning of every year and discuss what is going to happen with his arc and I know there is going to be a lot more insight into what makes Teal'c tick this year. One of the pivotal episodes from last year was Changeling, which saw Teal'c lose his symbiote. Fans have asked how losing that would change him and all I can say is that though the thing that made Teal'c alien was the symbiote, he is originally from Earth. I think he is returning to his roots and getting closer to being more Humanlike, but I don't know if he will ever be a 'normal' Human being in spite of the loss of his symbiote. There is an episode right at the start of the season that deals with just that particular issue and we do investigate the repercussions of that situation later on too."

(c) Cult Times, 2003.  No copyright infringement intended. Extracts appear with permission.
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