Inside Stargate Atlantis' Season 5 Shake-up

• Feb 5, 2008 04:37 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

He might not be as easy on the eyes as Amanda Tapping, but when Stargate Atlantis starts filming its fifth 20-episode season later this month, Robert Picardo will join the cast on a full-time basis, just as the officious (and heretofore recurring) bureaucrat Richard Woolsey assumes command of the expedition from Tapping's Samantha Carter.

Tapping, whose Web series Sanctuary has been picked up by Sci Fi Channel for a 13-episode run, will appear in several Atlantis eps, as will her SG-1 costar Michael Shanks. Fan fave Paul McGillion (who was literally brought back from the dead by fan demand!) will also return for five shows. - Ileane Rudolph