David Hewlett, last year the unexpected demise of Dr. Carson Beckett [Paul McGillion] left a gap in Atlantis' core ensemble. How did you feel about that?

Hewlett: For me, there was a big hole there, because Paul, my friend, was no longer on set with me all the time. As it turns out, in sci-fi nobody dies—we've actually had him on set again recently, which was kind of fun. And I hope that we'll be seeing more of him. Well, that's just my hope. I wouldn't be surprised. What can you tell me about Beckett's return?

Hewlett: Well, it's certainly unexpected. Not unexpected, perhaps, from the fan standpoint, but it's complicated [laughs]. Let's just say that Beckett becomes a product of his own genius, to some extent. And we see not only old friends but old enemies. It's a pretty neat two-parter, and it's going to be pretty intense. The ending of the two-parter is wonderful, too. I think the fans are going to love where it goes, shall I say. We had a lot of fun shooting it. He was back in fine form. And McGillion is a real gentleman—or, as I would say, a suck-up. He bought pizza for the crew. And it was just really, really fun to have him back; everyone really enjoyed having him around. It's like life, except they get to come back. He's one of those actors who's always going to land on his feet, but I'm hoping that those feet then take him back to our little galaxy, too.How does introduction of a new doctor, Jewel Staite's Jennifer Keller, impact your character?

Hewlett: From a purely selfish level, I now get to build a whole other repartee with this other science officer. From an acting standpoint, I get to mix things up again. I think today's audiences—not just for sci-fi—are a lot more savvy now, and they demand much more from their shows than they used to. I think people liked the familiarity and almost a repetition to the way the shows and the characters interacted. And I think now they want things changing on a weekly basis. And this is certainly one way of doing this.

Not only is Jewel iconically cool from the sci-fi/Firefly angle, she's also a really, really good actress. It kicks me in the bum and gets me making sure I'm on the top of my game, because between Amanda and Jewel, they are chewing up the scenery. I've just gotta keep up. But don't tell them that [laughs].Your sister, Kate Hewlett, makes another appearance this season, in "Miller's Crossing."

Hewlett: The return of the McKays. I was so thrilled that they took what subtle hints I could give them about the idea of casting Kate as my sister, and they've run with it. And she's back again this year. Some of my favorite stuff this year is in that episode. Watching the McKay family trying to sneak their way out of a high-security building while squabbling about directions and bringing up stories about getting lost in malls is just really, really fun. The episode is kind of neat; it has a lot of fun backstory about McKay and the family. And that's the stuff that, as an actor, you just thrive on. So she's back. Of course, now I have to try and talk them into knocking her off. I don't want to be replaced.Are you satisfied with the direction season four has taken?

Hewlett: Oh, yeah. I wish I had more time to watch it. One of the things I'm looking forward to doing this hiatus is actually watching this season, because I never have any time to do it. People will always say, well, where do you see your character going, what is the one thing if your character could do, what would it be, and I'm always like, [the writers] have got a way better imagination than I do. I'm always thrilled with what they come up with. I find it a little alarming that perhaps they understand McKay so well, and that they seem to sympathize with him so much. It's a little alarming to think there could be a whole fleet of McKay-like writers up there, working.

This year, not only has it been a year of change, it's been a year of confusion. Because we're [spending], like, a day on one episode, a day on another. I keep announcing we're being attacked by the wrong alien race because I'm saying the lines for the next day, or yesterday's lines. I just hope to God it all makes sense when they cut it together.You obviously have a wicked sense of humor—it seems natural, then, that when you chose to write and direct your own independent movie, you opted to do a comedy—A Dog's Breakfast (available on DVD and for download on Sept. 18).

Hewlett: It's no surprise to anybody that, given the opportunity, I'd make more of an idiot of myself [laughs]. I've seen a lot of first-time filmmakers, and they're always so dark and twisted. And I said I wanted to do something fun—something the family could just sit down and giggle about. I'm a huge fan of the old Pink Panther movies and Arsenic and Old Lace and Cary Grant, and Buster Keaton and all of those kinds of things, and of course, more recently, things like A Fish Called Wanda, which is one of my all-time favorite movies. And I wanted to make something just like that.The production is very much all in the family. How did you pull this together?

Hewlett: Originally, I was all set to go off and buy a couple of digital Handicams and shoot it myself with my friends on the weekend, and then I roped Jane, my better three-quarters, into producing it, and then she talked to John Lenox, who's been doing SG-1 for years and years and years. And for some reason the idiot decided he wanted to, on his time off, come and organize our film. So, armed with two of the coolest producers you can possibly have, we ended up making a real movie.

It's just taken on a life of its own. We were going to self-distribute, and then someone said, "Oh, why don't you talk to MGM about it?" So we went off to talk with MGM, and told them about what we wanted to do with the self-distribution and the Web site, and next thing you know they're like, "OK," and we're like, "OK what?" And they're like, "OK, we'll buy it." "OK, so that's the U.S. looked after." "Oh, no: We want the world." And we're like, we just sold our film worldwide—who the hell does that?And the actors?

Hewlett: It really is a family film. I made it with my family; I made it with my friends; my dog is one of the stars. I wish I could have put more of [my friends] in it. Had I known that people would react the way they did to it, I would have gone much farther. I could have gotten a lot more people involved. As it was, this was pretty much our own money. Myself and my friends put it together. We got the whole film done, finished—post-production, everything—for $120,000. By film standards, that's nothing. And that's because people were working on it for free, basically, and deferral, where we'll pay them as the money comes in.

The nature of making a film like this is that you've got to be incredibly flexible. I wrote the script with the help of Jane. We looked at a laundry list of what we knew we had without any doubt, and then we went a little further afield with things like, [he changes his voice] "Hi, Chris Judge? Do you want to play a loser who can't get a date?" And surprisingly he said yes, and so there you go—we got Chris involved. Poor Rachel [Luttrell] didn't have any choice. I think I just threw some wardrobe at her and said, "Here, say these lines." And [Paul] McGillion, God, he's got nothing else to do [laughs jokingly]. He was in it from the beginning.Amanda Tapping, you get to bring Carter to a whole new level in Atlantis. What's different about your character in Atlantis as opposed to Stargate SG-1?

Tapping: She now has to prove herself as a leader of an entire base—and, of course, her style is that she doesn't want to piss anyone off. She's coming into a situation on Atlantis where there's a lot of heartache. They've lost one of their very dear leaders, and I think they're reluctant to welcome someone new at first. And then of course it turns out to be Sam Carter, which is good for some people and not so good for others. So she has to tread lightly, but I think part of her command, at least the way that I've chosen to play it, is that she relies entirely on the strength of the people who are around her. She understands Shepherd's military expertise, and even though she may have the same amount of military expertise, it's not in this galaxy. She's never fought the Wraith before, so she defers to him a lot. She defers to McKay and his scientific expertise in the Pegasus galaxy. There's not as much head-butting with McKay as you might think—partly because she's in command and she has to show a certain modicum of respect even though he drives her crazy. And then Teyla and Ronon are complete unknowns to her, so she really has to make her way with them. So it's a lot different. It feels a lot different. The relationships are very new and fresh. Jewel Staite's on the show now as the doctor, and she's awesome—there's a neat friendship burgeoning there between our two characters.Your character and that of Dr. Rodney McKay have a longstanding history that stretches back to the early days of SG-1. How does that impact your relationship now that you're in charge of the station?

Tapping: Well, I think he just simply has to concede that Carter's smarter and better [laughs]. I think he's come to terms with that, and if he hasn't then he should. Have they resolved it? I don't know. In my mind they have. I'm better and I'm smarter. And in David's mind he'll say the same thing. There's less butting heads this year for sure. But I think we'll get to that. What about his ongoing romantic interest in you?

Tapping: Well, he has a girlfriend, and he actually says that. There's this wonderful scene where McKay says to Carter when she very first arrives on the base as the new commanding officer, "You know, I just thought you should know that I'm seeing someone and—" and then Carter's like blink, blink, blink. And it's quite funny, and David plays it brilliantly. He continues, "You know, so if you had any thoughts you and I would ..." It's pretty funny. In his typical McKay arrogant way, it's great.Rachel Luttrell, the fourth season is taking things in a different direction—a soft reset, so to speak.

Luttrell: Yeah, in many ways it kind of has to be. First of all, the reins of the show have been passed on. Now Brad and Rob are taking much more of a back seat, and they've passed it on to Paul Mullie and Joe Mallozzi, our show runners. They're our go-to guys, and it's their vision that's being impressed on the show. Not only that, but season three was quite a big season, because we lost some very pivotal characters. Paul McGillion, Dr. Beckett, we lost him halfway through the season last year. And Dr. Elizabeth Weir, her character is taking on a completely different persona and going in an entirely new direction, and her involvement in the team is not as broad as it was in the past. That in itself has completely changed the face of the show. Having said that, there are still the key elements that make SGA what it is. But yes, it is different. We now have Amanda Tapping as part of our show—and they're working her to the bone [laughs]. And Jewel Staite has joined us.How has it been integrating Amanda into the cast?

Luttrell: The truth of the matter is, both shows, although they are separate entities, the casts have had a pretty cohesive relationship thoughout the four seasons. Amanda has been wonderful. She's always been an incredible supportive force in the industry, as a woman in the industry, and as a woman in this particular franchise. So for me, it's been great to have her on board. And in terms of what she brings to the show, I suppose it speaks for itself that she's been on SG-1, but I think it's a really good energy for us.What can we expect for Teyla in season four?

Luttrell: A lot. There's a lot going on for Teyla this season, which is wonderful for me as an actor. There have been little things as an actor that have been touched on throughout the past seasons; you know, the fact that she has these powers that are innate to her, her physiology, etc. So we expand that a little bit, in terms of her links to the Wraith. But even larger than that, it's her attachment to her people, and the fact that she actually does have a love interest that she's been hiding from everybody. We haven't met him yet—I haven't met him yet. I hope I'm part of the casting process.How has Teyla changed over the years?

Luttrell: It's been huge. The first time we met her she was happily with her people, as happy, I suppose, as one can be given the nature of how they lived. But she's gone from being an integral part of her people and a leader of her people to part of this new group of people who bring so many different perspectives to the table. She's changed in many ways.

[All of that is] a huge part of the direction that Teyla goes in this year. There are quite a few new colors that we're going to see take place with Teyla. There's a darker color, a more vengeful side of her, which is linked to her loyalty to her people. During the beginning of the season, there's a great mystery that surrounds her people. And it's something that follows her throughout the season. There are also some lighter elements that are taking place in Teyla as well. She's becoming a very fleshed-out woman.Fleshed out literally and figuratively: Your real-life pregnancy has been written into the storyline. How will the pregnancy impact Teyla?

Luttrell: As an actor, it's thrilling to be able to portray those different sides. I mean, they're golden, not only the fact that she's going to have this darker side, but also the fact that she's going to be faced with taking care of someone who may be the last of her kind. There are so many interesting colors that are now coming out. I'm very excited about the storylines.Joe Flannigan, how has the interpersonal dynamic on the show changed in season four?

Flannigan: We've lost Paul McGillion, who was a valued member of our team, personally and professionally. So we miss him. We have lost Torri Higginson—my God, this sounds like a funeral—who was also a really valued member of our group. And we've also gained a really valuable member of our group, Amanda. She's a real veteran, a real professional, she knows the genre, and she can tackle the gobbledygook of science-fiction dialogue, perhaps even better than David, which is hard to do.

The dynamic that's developed by having Amanda in the show is that she and David Hewlett have a pre-existing relationship, so that's a very funny and entertaining thing to watch. My character now, I'm just listening, trying to keep up with the science of it. You find me listening a lot more. Or trying to listen. Has it been a smooth or rocky transition?

Flannigan: It's also been interesting how we've dealt with the transition, going from Torri to Amanda. We had long discussions about that. I was concerned that the transition was too quick. So I went upstairs and I talked to them and I said, "I think we're just moving way too quickly on this." I felt, shouldn't we pause, say, "Oh, we should try to find Dr. Weir and rescue her, hold out hope that she could come back, that we could rescue her," things like that. And so they wrote that back in and tried to create that, and I think we did a pretty good job.How has it been adjusting to having Amanda Tapping in command?

Flannigan: Amanda and I have tried to find some areas of [conflict]. Drama isn't interesting when people get along; it's interesting when they butt heads. That's why people love soap operas. They're all killing each other or making love to each other or killing each other and making love to each other. When everybody just gets along, it could be a little dull. And so we were trying to create some areas where we would have a little friction. One of the problems is she's such a likable character, it's impossible to find any fault with her character. You can find it with mine—I'm a smartass [laughs], David's a pain in the ass, so there we have character faults that we can kind of get nailed on. But she's a deep, functional human being. So I'm trying to find an area of weakness that we can all exploit to create a storyline. And it's been a little challenging.How does shooting science fiction differ from shooting an ordinary drama?

Flannigan: My training is in prime-time drama, cops, things like that. They tend to shoot tight, like you see on C.S.I., and rely on close-ups quite a bit. Science fiction—when I first saw the pilot of this show, I called one of the assistant directors and said, "If you're going to shoot big, giant wide shots and stay wide all the time, I need to know," because that does change your performance. You disappear. When you keep your performance here [marks a low level], it vanishes when you're showing the whole thing. So I needed to make those adjustments. Additionally, you're not dealing with as much human-to-human interaction; you're dealing with green screens, you're dealing with effects, and trying to establish natural relationships is challenging. They'll do a thing called block shooting—where they stick you in the puddle jumper, and they'll shoot literally 10 scenes at once, and it's very difficult to keep track of what's going on, because there's something blowing up over here, and a planet over there, and all you're doing is staring out at a crew with a bunch of equipment. So that's a challenge, for sure.In the show, you get to play with technology and fix things through technology? How about in real life? Are you a gadget freak?

Flannigan: I'm very much a fixer. I love fixing things. I'm remarkably successful at fixing things. I'm very tactile. I would not say I'm a technology expert, though. But I am a gadget freak. I love gadgets. I can spend all day in gadget shops. Between my computer and my Treo and my iPod, I don't need anything else. I function on all pistons with that stuff. I'm always in search of the Holy Grail, that all-inclusive piece of machinery.