20 DEC 02: STARGATE IN 2002 - XPOSE SPECIAL #22 YEARBOOK 2002-2003.

On the return of Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson...

This will, no doubt, be seen as something of a victory for the ‘Save Daniel Jackson Campaign’ that spearheaded awareness of the actor’s contribution to the show and waged a controversial web campaign against changes that were made in SG-1's sixth season. The truth is that while their vocal stance and its effects cannot be denied, it was almost certainly a combination of other factors that brought these events to a head.

Both fans and executives realised that losing two main leads in less than a year would make the current format of the show untenable.  After several months of negotiating, Anderson formally agreed to stay as an actor and producer. Shanks will return as a series regular, with his name restored to the opening credits. Nemec’s contract will see him reprise the Quinn role for the start of the seventh season, but any episodes beyond that wiill be confirmed later.  Michael Shanks IS definitely back, though the series will not ignore the experiences of his character in the last year.

Exec Producer Brad Wright explains, "I did want Michael to be back as himself when we did the feature.  He took his experiences of this last season and the three guest appearances positively.. .so it seemed reasonable and appropriate to be back as a descended human being in Season Seven.   When you see the latter part of Season Six, you'll see why it's doable.  Michael did want to come back and seemed re-energised to take on the role, knowing what it is."

[Solutions sidebar:  John Mosby commented on the reaction to Jonas Quinn being largely a matter of indifference.  "The character simply didn't have the spark that was needed."]

(c) John Mosby, Impact, MAI 2002.  All rights recognised.  No copyright infringement intended.  Extracts from published interviews and features appear with permission.