Working on the upcoming ninth season of Stargate SG-1 is like starting a brand new TV show, actor Christopher Judge told GateWorld — but it will also bring the show closer to its roots. “We’re definitely getting back closer to where the roots were,” Judge said in an interview. “We are, once again, explorers. We are a team of explorers and it’s great to get back to that.”

Season Nine makes its world premiere on July 15 on the U.S. SCI FI Channel, complete with two new cast members and high-profile recurring guest stars. Actors Ben Browder and Beau Bridges join the series following the departure of 8-year lead Richard Dean Anderson.

Both budget constraints and Anderson’s reduced shooting schedule have had an impact on the stories told over the last two years, and many fans have noticed.

“For as much as it was said to be a team it was always ‘Rick and the other three mooks,'” Judge laughed. “And then in the last couple of years then it became ‘the three guys, and Rick when he’s here.’ Now it really is a true team. And just like in any group of people you’re always kind of searching to see where you fit in within the group. And that’s kind of what we’re going through now, which is so interesting to see on camera — to see on the screen the struggle to find where you fit in.”

For Judge, the new cast members, new villains — and a bigger budget — make Stargate SG-1 feel like a show that is just getting started, with the potential to finally continue on rather than expecting this year to be the series’ last. And it’s brought a new infusion of fun to the set.

“I can honestly say this is the best time I’ve had since I’ve been on the show,” he said. “It’s amazing. It’s great that we have the safety of the Stargate franchise, but this really is an entirely new show. And we are just having a ball.”

Watch for GateWorld’s complete interview with Chris Judge this week!