Hewlett talks Season Four changes

Actor David Hewlett (“Dr. Rodney McKay“) recently took time out with TV Zone to discuss some of the changes in the upcoming fourth season of Stargate Atlantis, from leadership in Atlantis to the series itself, the return of both Hewlett and McKay’s sister, and the arrival of new villains.

“This was another of those weird saying goodbye moments like we had last season with ‘Sunday’ and Carson Beckett,” says Hewlett, speaking of the soon-to-depart Dr. Elizabeth Weir. “We’re essentially saying goodbye to Torri [Higginson] and the Weir character as we know it. Again, it’s always rather uncomfortable, like dealing with death in life, if you know what I mean. It’s this strange sense of what do you say, what don’t you say, how much of this discomfort I’m feeling is my character’s and how much of it is me as a person in this circumstance.”

Season Four opens with a bang, and a bigger budget, in the episodes “Adrift” and “Lifeline,” which will feature the return of the Pegasus Replicators. “As episodes go,” says Hewlett,” I have to say these are some pretty neat ones. Again, visual effects-wise they’re huge, and they also set the tone for the rest of the year. This is very much a season of change, and they’re dramatic changes. We’ve got some new faces on the show as well as some old ones, and we see then interacting, but on new levels.”

In addition to villains, some familiar good guys will be returning as well. Kate Hewlett, widely regarded as a favorite of the guest stars in Season Three (as Jeannie Miller, McKay’s sister), will return for a second appearance in “Miller’s Crossing.”

“We’ve got Kate back, which I know is going to make a lot of fans happy,” David tells TV Zone. “She had a terrific repartee with Steven Culp, who’s done a million things, but is probably best known for playing one of the Husbands on Desperate Housewives. In this Atlantis episode he plays a wonderful villain who isn’t really a villain, but more of a guy who does all the wrong things for the right reasons.”

With Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper giving Executive Producer control of Atlantis to Stargate veterans Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, the tone of the show may sound different in certain areas. “… This is kind of like their Season One,” says Hewlett. “This is when they get to really spread their wings and they’re being very smart about it. Joe and Paul are eager to make their mark, but they also are very respectful of what’s been established. I think the first half of this season rocks and I can’t wait to see what they do with the second half.”

Look for more of this interview in Issue 219 of TV Zone, available at bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. Season Four of Stargate Atlantis airs this fall on the SCI FI Channel.