Staite: ‘Trio’ is a turning point

Beware of SPOILERS below for Season Four of Stargate Atlantis in the story below.

Season Four shooting wraps October 12, and Jewel Staite‘s first full season as Dr. Jennifer Keller will come to a close, production-wise. She reflected on this past season’s surprising happenings with co-star Amanda Tapping (“Samantha Carter”) in a SCI FI channel press event today.

“For me ‘Trio,’ the one we just shot, was the turning point for Keller,” Staite said. “Especially since she was with Carter, who she really respects, and she was with McKay, who she really respects as well, and got to prove herself to the both of them.

“[Shooting ‘Trio’] was really hard work but it was really, really fun,” she added. “I didn’t expect it to be that fun. We did a lot of laughing. That blooper reel is going to be two hours long!”

Amanda Tapping, also in the conversation, added her two cents: “Jewel and David [Hewlett, “Rodney McKay”] and I were stuck in a quite hideous set, covered in dirt and on an angle in this little metal box. We decided to come up with a new show called Stargate Titanic: The Musical. It’s specifically for small-town dinner theater.

“We just started writing and singing and dancing about the set. I hope some of it appeared on camera because it was really quite hilarious. David [was] singing a song about ‘the Wraith, the Wraith, they’re a very bad race.’ It sounds really silly, but it got us through the days.”

“I hope somebody gets that,” Jewel laughed. “I hope it’s not just me and you who think that’s really hilarious.”

The writers also provided an opportunity for a romantic moment between Keller and one of the show’s regulars. “I’ve had a yummy moment with someone yummy … but not necessarily a guest star!” Staite teased. “She actually has a couple [of romantic interests]. She’s a bit of a flirt! I don’t know where that came from. I always play these shameless flirts. I don’t know why that is. It has nothing to do with me.

“There’s some unexpected romances happening that even surprised me. I think they’ll definitely come to the fans [as] quite a surprise, too.”

Who would Jewel like to romantically pair her character with, if she had her choice of Stargate Atlantis‘s men? “I would have to say Ronon,” she said. “I like the fact that he makes Keller feel a little bit uncomfortable. She is usually very much in her element in the med-lab, she’s very confident, and whenever he’s around she kind of doesn’t know what to do with herself. And I think that’s sort of cute. I like that he brings that out in her.”

Be sure to tune in for the season premiere of Stargate Atlantis this Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on SCI FI! The season premiere also airs Monday, October 1 on Canada’s Movie Central, and Tuesday, October 9 on Sky One in the U.K.