Compared to science fiction franchises like "Alien," "Star Trek," "Godzilla," "Star Wars," or even "Independence Day," the universe of "Stargate" has yet to make contact with the modern age of entertainment. While some of us are still discovering the original 1994 James Spader film for the first time, neither it nor its spin-off TV series has enjoyed the enduring cultural relevance they may have once seemed capable of. When the Syfy channel canceled "Stargate Atlantis" in 2009, citing the mounting
economic crisis and soaring production costs as factors, there was some hope -- like there once was for the mothership series "Stargate SG-1" -- that "Stargate" would live on through sequel films.
This didn't turn out to be the case. While "Stargate Atlantis" was not the final "Stargate" project produced, its cancellation did mark the beginning of the end for the franchise. It's a real shame, not least of all because "Atlantis" in particular had one of the most charming ensemble casts of any science fiction series produced for television -- including one actor who would go on to become a multi-billion dollar Hollywood juggernaut. Without further ado, let's begin the dialing sequence and venture through the diverging journeys of the cast of "Stargate Atlantis."
Read more: Here's Why The Mentalist Was Canceled By CBS
Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard)
Like any 2000s science fiction series worth its salt, "Stargate Atlantis" had a dashing, witty, rule-breaking protagonist in the form of Joe Flanigan's John Sheppard. A Lieutenant Colonel and skilled pilot in the U.S. Air Force (suffering from a bruised reputation at the beginning of the series), Sheppard is chosen for the Atlantis expedition mission after it's discovered that he possesses the genetic ability to use technology of the Ancients. In episodes like the exhilarating "Thirty-Eight Minutes," Flanigan cemented Sheppard in the canon of television sci-fi heroes.
Once "Stargate Atlantis" ended, the pace of Flanigan's career slowed down significantly, consisting largely of noteworthy appearances in television shows, TV movies, and lesser-known feature films. Film projects included "Good Day for It" (which starred Flanigan's one-time "Stargate" co-star Robert Patrick) and the 2012 Jean-Claude Van Damme action-thriller "Six Bullets." On TV, he guest-starred on episodes of shows like "Warehouse 13," "Fringe," "Major Crimes," and "SEAL Team." In 2013, he lent his voice to the video game "Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel," the third installment in Visceral Games and EA Montreal's third-person shooter franchise. Starting in 2019, he joined the cast of the soap opera "General Hospital" as Dr. Neil Byrne, appearing in over 80 episodes before exiting in 2022.
In a 2025 interview with Dial the Gate, Flanigan shared that one of his fondest memories of working on "Stargate" was sharing an apartment with co-star Jason Momoa. Though it came as a result of Momoa essentially moving himself into Flanigan's quarters (turning their two-bedroom into a "cave" as he recalls), Flanigan says Momoa's friendship helped him work through becoming a dad for the first time and losing his own father while shooting the series. The two still lean on one another to this day, having reunited on-screen for several episodes of the Apple TV+ science fiction series "See" (Momoa led the series from 2019 to 2022, while Flanigan guest-starred in several episodes in seasons 2 and 3). This is his most recent acting role as of writing, with no other projects currently in development.
Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford)
Throughout the entirety of season 1 and the first leg of season 2, Rainbow Sun Francks starred on "Stargate Atlantis" as U.S. Marine Aiden Ford. Fans were grief-stricken when a shockingly tragic turn of events (having to do with the addictive "Wraith enzyme" secreted from the bodies of the eponymous predatory species) forced both Francks and Ford out of the series. As Francks himself admitted in an interview discussing him effectively being written out of "Stargate Atlantis" in 2005, production struggled to figure out his function in the expanding character web, and were unsure of how they would utilize him if he was kept around as a series regular. Ford was not killed, however, and was seemingly meant to return in a recurring capacity that (to Francks' relief and excitement) would give the character stronger, albeit limited storylines in future seasons. He went on to appear in only one episode after his initial exit.
With "Stargate Atlantis" behind him, Francks took on a variety of film and television projects (including "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem" in 2007) before landing another starring TV role in the Canadian fantasy series "The Listener," playing a former hacker turned investigator who works with a telepathic paramedic. When it ended in 2015 after five seasons, Francks landed a string of recurring roles on "Eyewitness," the Guillermo del Toro-Chuck Hogan FX vampire horror series "The Strain," "Upstairs Amy," and "Imposters." In 2019, he landed a major supporting role in the 1st season of the Netflix superhero drama series "The Umbrella Academy" as Detective Chuck Beamen.
Francks has continued to work consistently over the past few years. He has recurred on Hulu's "High Fidelity" with Zoë Kravitz, Netflix's "I Woke Up a Vampire" and "Daniel Spellbound," "Bakugan," and the Zachary Quinto-led medical procedural "Brilliant Minds."
David Hewlett (Rodney McKay)
David Hewlett was raised on the sci-fi escapades of "Doctor Who," thus making his role as Dr. Rodney McKay on "Stargate Atlantis" a dream come true. He played the eccentric Chief Science Officer for all five seasons (one of only three actors, including Joe Flanigan, to make it through the series' entire run as a main cast member), even getting to act alongside his sister at one point.
As one might have guessed, Hewlett stayed close to genre fare after the end of "Stargate Atlantis," appearing in films like 2008's "Splice," 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (in which he plays Douglas Hunsiker, the curmudgeonly next-door neighbor of James Franco's Dr. Will Rodman), and Guillermo del Toro's Academy Award-winning romantic fantasy drama "The Shape of Water" (playing the role of Fleming, a laboratory manager working for the government). Similarly, on television, he could be seen in episodes of the anthology horror series "Darknet," as well as Syfy's own "Dark Matter" and "Incorporated." At the same time, he was also embraced by the world of crime procedurals, guest starring on the likes of "The Closer," "Murdoch Mysteries," "Hudson & Rex," and "Suits." In 2011, he reprised his role as Dr. McKay for an episode of "Stargate Universe."
In the 2020s, Hewlett collaborated with del Toro again on his noir mystery thriller "Nightmare Alley" and the anthology series "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities." He also reunited with "Stargate Atlantis" co-star Jason Momoa for seasons 2 and 3 of "See." Other notable roles from this period include Bill Ratch in the Peacock drama "Departure" and Anthony Hermann in the CBS "Silence of the Lambs" prequel "Clarice." As of writing, he is currently working on the film "Being Heumann," which also stars Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O'Brien, Rob Delaney, and Ray Fisher.
Torri Higginson (Elizabeth Weir)
Coming from a relatively noteworthy role on "Stargate SG-1," Torri Higginson was aware of how big the franchise had gotten -- as well as understandably wary of its temperamental fanbase. When she was preparing to make her first public appearance after filming her first season as foreign relations specialist Elizabeth Weir, she anticipated that she and the rest of her cast would be handily dismissed by viewers angry with "Stargate Atlantis" for "killing" "SG-1." Of course, this couldn't have been further from the truth -- if anything, "Atlantis" prolonged the "Stargate" franchise far beyond a reasonable expiration date.
Higginson herself left "Stargate" behind in 2006, at the end of the 3rd season of "Atlantis" (though she would return for a few episodes of the subsequent season). Immediately after her exit, the actor mostly worked as a guest star on television series of varying popularity, including "NCIS" and "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (another, shorter-lived spin-off of a long-running TV show). In 2015, she was cast as the star of a Canadian television drama called "This Life" (not to be confused with the '90s BBC legal drama of the same name), in which she plays a young mom living with terminal cancer. At the same time, she also starred in the short-form web series "Inhuman Condition," playing a therapist. From 2015 to 2017, she also recurred on Syfy's "Dark Matter." Her most recent starring role on television was in the CTV series "Transplant," a medical procedural that ran from 2020 to 2024.
Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan)
Along with Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett, Rachel Luttrell is the only other actor to have been a series regular for all five seasons of "Stargate Atlantis." She played Teyla Emmagan, an Athosian leader and ally of the humans, whom they meet after venturing to their first Stargate mission planet, Athos, in the series premiere. She remains part of their team from that moment onward.
Once the series came to an end in 2009, Luttrell worked sporadically on episodes of popular TV shows as a guest star. She could be seen on "NCIS" and "NCIS: Los Angeles," as well as an episode of the hit CW DC Comics series "Arrow," in which she plays one of Damian Dahrk's (Neal McDonough's villain from season 4) evil henchmen. She had a minor recurring role on "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce," appeared on "The I-Land," and had a small, unnamed role in "Zombieland: Double Tap."
In 2018, she began working as a stunt performer for Marvel Studios, credited in both "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," as well as the Disney+ special presentation "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special." She is also credited with stunt work in the Netflix drama "Hillbilly Elegy," which famously helped launch the political career of current U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Most recently, in 2023, she played a supporting role in the indie drama "Black White and the Greys."
Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex)
When Jason Momoa's hair became a $10,000 problem for "Stargate Atlantis" after the actor decided he needed a break from Ronon Dex's trademark dreadlocks, it isn't hard to imagine that at least one producer, executive, or other money-person from Syfy had the thought they're hired to have: "Is this guy really worth it?" As time would ultimately prove, the up-and-coming former "Baywatch" star would eventually be worth 100,000 times that much.
In 2009, the same year Momoa would make his final appearance on "Stargate Atlantis," the actor would land a role in an even larger, behemoth fantasy franchise -- Khal Drogo in HBO's "Game of Thrones." Even in spite of the horrific box office bomb that was his "Conan the Barbarian" movie in 2011, his memorable performance as the ill-fated Dothraki warlord was so impactful that it landed him on the radars of the kind of blockbuster casting agents that would go on to shape the next chapter of his career. He was offered the chance to audition for Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn's first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film, but ultimately turned it down. Of course, the role wound up going to Dave Bautista, with whom Momoa would one day share the screen in Denis Villeneuve's acclaimed sci-fi epic "Dune."
However, Momoa did reluctantly take an audition to play none other than Bruce Wayne/Batman in Zack Snyder's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and while that role went to Ben Affleck, it was the audition that landed him the life-changing role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman. The rest is history -- Aquaman helped turn Momoa into a household name, and once his solo film crossed the billion-dollar benchmark, he became one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood.
It earned him a sequel in 2023, the lead in the Apple TV+ series "See" (which ran for three seasons), a surprising role as the final villain in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, and, most recently, starring roles in both "A Minecraft Movie" (which grossed just $50 million shy of $1 billion) and Apple's lauded 2025 miniseries "Chief of War." As of writing, Momoa has at least 10 projects in active development, including sequels to "Dune" and "Fast X," as well as the upcoming "Supergirl" feature, in which he will finally play his dream comic book character Lobo.
Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett)
When Paul McGillion was written off "Stargate Atlantis" as a series regular at the end of season 3, it was fairly confusing for everyone -- including McGillion himself. His character, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carson Beckett, had been a fan favorite, and the precise manner in which his storyline was ended wasn't exactly satisfying or cathartic. The actor was apparently never given a clear reason why the decision was made outside the immediate narrative goal, but he has theorized in the past that the studio was anxious to change the status quo of "Atlantis" after the cancellation of "Stargate SG-1."
Whatever the reason, McGillion certainly seems to have had an easy transition out of his "Stargate" years. He acted consistently immediately after his exit, largely in lesser-known projects, but occasionally in high-profile hits like J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek," the political thriller series "24," "Fringe," and "The Killing." In two episodes of the 1st season of the ABC fantasy mystery box drama "Once Upon a Time," McGillion played the Knave of Hearts. In the late 2010s, he could be seen in episodes of "Supernatural," "The Good Doctor," and "The Flash," as well as in the films "Tomorrowland" and the 2017 Netflix adaptation of "Death Note."
McGillion began recurring on the Netflix drama "Firefly Lane" in 2021 as the character Bud. In 2023, the same year it came to an end, he recurred on the 5th season of FX's acclaimed "Fargo" anthology series.
Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey)
After Robert Picardo debuted on "Stargate SG-1" (to the certain amusement of Syfy fans who recognized the actor from "Star Trek: Voyager") as wise intelligence agent Richard Woolsey, he and his character joined the ensemble of "Stargate Atlantis" and remained part of the core cast through its final three seasons. The usual string of guest-starring roles followed -- highlights included episodes from series like "Pushing Daisies," the spy comedy series "Chuck," the FX western "Justified," and "Supernatural." He also voiced U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in the hit video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops" (and would return to voice characters in all three sequels).
This trend continued throughout the 2010s, with Picardo appearing in some small feature films and TV movies in between guest star appearances on the popular shows of the time. From children's programs like "Jessie" and "Austin & Ally" to adult procedurals like "Bones," "The Mentalist," "Grey's Anatomy," and even "Lucifer," it would be easier to find shows he hasn't appeared in. It wasn't until the late 2010s and early 2020s that Picardo began to take on larger roles. He voiced Puddingtown in Pendleton Ward's animated series "Bravest Warriors," recurred on Seth MacFarlane's "Star Trek" pastiche "The Orville," and played the Flash Museum curator Dexter Myles on "The Flash." Most notably, he was part of the supporting ensemble for the Hailee Steinfeld-led Apple TV+ biographical drama series "Dickinson" and later lent his voice talents and likeness to the animated series "Star Trek: Prodigy."
Jewel Staite (Jennifer Keller)
Coming from the world of the cult sci-fi series "Firefly," Jewel Staite was more prepared than most to step through the Stargate. Playing Dr. Jennifer Keller (a member of the crew's medical staff), she was promoted to series regular shortly after Paul McGillion's Carson Beckett was written off the show.
After "Stargate Atlantis" wrapped up, Staite was quickly cast as one of the leads of the Canadian lifestyle drama "The L.A. Complex," in which she played a washed-up actress insecure about the young talent rising up around her. When it was canceled after two seasons, she joined the recurring cast of the AMC crime thriller "The Killing" as District Attorney Caroline Swift (who was romantically connected to Joel Kinnaman's Stephen Holder). She also guest-starred on a number of shows during this period, including the Nathan Fillion-led crime dramedy "Castle" and the CW superhero ensemble series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow."
Staite kicked off the 2020s by returning to Syfy to play the librarian Phyllis on the fantasy series "The Magicians." A few years later, she joined the cast of "Resident Alien" as Jules Gardner. In 2021, she was cast as the star of the Canadian legal drama "Family Law," in which she plays Abby Bianchi, a disgraced lawyer who is forced to join her distant father's (Victor Garber) practice. The series is currently running in its 4th season as of writing.
Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter)
Finally, and arguably fittingly, we'll end our voyage through the "Stargate" universe with one of its most important figures. Before Amanda Tapping brought Samantha Carter to "Stargate Atlantis" (becoming a series regular in season 4), she had been one of the stars in the even longer-running mothership series "Stargate SG-1." With appearances in "Stargate: The Ark of Truth," "Stargate: Continuum," "Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods," and "Stargate Universe," she is, without question, the actor most integral to the franchise mentioned on this list.
And yet, after "Stargate Atlantis" season 4, Tapping took a reduced role in the franchise at large. Despite her success in front of the camera, directing the "Stargate SG-1" episode "Resurrection" helped her discover a new passion. She went on to direct episodes of shows like "Dark Matter," "The Magicians," "Van Helsing," "Travelers," "Anne with an E," "Supernatural," "The Flash," "Batwoman," "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," "The Irrational," and "Dead Boy Detectives." She still continues to act, playing the angel Naomi in season 8 of "Supernatural" and leading the Syfy series "Sanctuary" from 2008 to 2011. Most recently, she reunited with David Hewlett for the science fiction feature "LEVELS."
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