Leela Savasta cast as Alicia Vega

UPDATE: This character’s name has been changed from “Alison Porter” to “Alicia Vega.” The story below has been revised accordingly.

Vancouver, British Columbia actress Leela Savasta has been cast in the role of Captain Alison Porter — today renamed Captain Alicia Vega — the actress’s management confirmed for GateWorld.

Vega appears prominently in the Season Five premiere of Stargate Atlantis, “Search and Rescue.” The character (Porter in the information obtained by GateWorld) is described in the script as a 28-year-old, fiery new addition to Atlantis’s military contingent.

It is anticipated that Vega will be a recurring character, though of course this is subject to various production concerns.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Savasta is a dual citizen with the United States. She made her acting debut on Smallville, and has also appeared in such series as Supernatural, Masters of Horror, Psych, and Bionic Woman. She has a recurring role as “Tracey Anne” in the upcoming fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, according to the Internet Movie Database.

Leela Savasta made her Atlantis debut as Dr. Esposito in “Tao of Rodney.”

Savasta guest starred in the third season episode of Stargate Atlantis “Tao of Rodney,” playing Dr. Esposito — who discovered the Ancient device with McKay and Zelenka. McKay later read her mind and believed that she thought he was hot … until he realized she was thinking of Ronon.

Savasta “did a bang-up job and caught our attention,” Mallozzi said on his blog. “‘We should bring that actress back,’ I suggested at the time. And now we have.”

“The character in ‘Search and Rescue’ has been changed to Captain Alicia Vega,” Mallozzi announced on his blog on February 8. “Now Doctor Allison Porter will be making her debut in ‘Whispers.’“

Captain Vega will not be assigned to Colonel Sheppard’s off-world team, according to Mallozzi. In fact, the character is initially concerned that she has not yet been given any assignment in Atlantis.

As with every episode that is still in production, remember that the names and details here are still subject to change.

The final episodes of Stargate Atlantis‘s fourth season air Friday nights at 10 p.m. (9 Central) on SCI FI in the United States. Season Five is now in pre-production, and begins filming in Vancouver later this month! Stick with GateWorld for the latest news and interviews as production gears up.