Why did Jessica Steen not play Dr. Weir on Stargate Atlantis?
Stargate fans finally have an answer to this question, 18 years after the actress portrayed Dr. Elizabeth Weir in the seventh-season finale of Stargate SG-1, “Lost City.” Steen talked about her history with Stargate, and why she believes she was not asked to return, in a brand new conversation with “Dial the Gate.”
Read on for the full story of what happened back in the summer of 2003, including two video clips from the livestream interview show with Jessica’s account of events.
One of the bigger unanswered questions from the long history of the Stargate film and television franchise has to do with the recasting of a major character. In 2003 Stargate SG-1 was getting ready to launch its first spin-off series, featuring a new team and a new galaxy of adventures. Actress Jessica Steen was cast to portray Dr. Elizabeth Weir, a linguist and a civilian diplomat put in charge of Stargate Command by the newly inaugurated President Henry Hayes (William Devane).
Steen’s was a pivotal role, as General Hammond was reassigned and the Goa’uld Anubis invaded Earth. The SG-1 team, meanwhile, was flying off to try and find the lost city of the Ancients. Weir was a linguist and a civilian diplomat, and something of a fish out of water at the S.G.C. But the writers had long-term plans for the new character: Weir would join the spin-off series the next year, leading an expedition to the lost city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy.
This plan was in place when the casting call for “Dr. Theresa Weir” went out in the summer of 2003. (The character’s name would be changed during production.) The actress signed on not just for SG-1‘s season finale, but with an additional piece in her contract that paid her not to take other jobs while the new series entered pre-production. Dr. Weir was to be the crossover character bridging Stargate SG-1 into Stargate Atlantis.
But when SG-1 returned in 2004 to kick off Season Eight with “New Order,” followed by the series premiere of Atlantis, Steen was gone — replaced by actress Torri Higginson. Viewers, however, had loved Steen’s on-screen performance. So what happened?
Jessica Steen attributes her character’s recasting not to the performance, nor to personality conflicts on set (where she got along swimmingly with everyone). Instead, it came down to two things: frustrating the producers with excessive questions, and giving them the impression that her commitments were elsewhere.
“I think I actually drove the writers/producers bananas — to a not good degree,” Steen told “Dial the Gate” host David Read. “Because I would come in with all these questions that I would think she would have. I’m a stickler for detail. And maybe I should have done a bunch more homework, or they didn’t have the answers to certain things because they didn’t exactly … I don’t know. I know I drove them crazy.”
It made sense to Steen that she went into filming with a lot to learn about the Stargate program, because her character was also written to be a fish out of water when she was appointed by the President.
“Dr. Weir was green also,” she said. “So I went in there thinking, ‘I don’t need to know anything. I’m going to learn everything with the fans on the show. As the audience learns, I learn.’ And [Weir is] reading those boxes full of files.”
As a result the actress chose to avoid watching much of the show’s previous episodes, so that Weir would not come into this fantastical situation with a confidence and recognition that was not earned. (This was also at a time when the Internet was young, and Steen herself didn’t own a computer to quickly do research about the show online.)
She added that part of her questioning to producers was motivated by the possibility of playing the character for many years, and looking for a sense of where Elizabeth might be going in the future.
“I don’t know if they should have turned to me and said, ‘Would you go watch the show and get off our backs?’ Or whether my questions were dumb, or whether they didn’t have the answers so they didn’t want to be pushed on them. I was thinking [things like], ‘Is this an inconsistency?’ I drove them crazy. I know it.”
Since 1998 Steen had been personally and professionally committed to Burning Man, a massive event where she helped to organize and host an interactive acting community. Burning Man focuses on community, creative arts, and self-expression, today drawing nearly 80,000 people to the Nevada desert each year.
In 2003, however, many perceived the event as little more than a bunch of naked hippies doing drugs in the desert.
Steen was actively involved in planning and packing for Burning Man during the production of “Lost City,” even flying home to Los Angeles during an off day to help load a truck. She spoke with Stargate’s cast and crew about her enthusiasm for this work … but passed it off to the executive producers as a “family reunion.”
“For twenty years straight I went to Burning Man,” she said, “and it changed my life. … It was so gratifying. It was like producing a play — an amusement park kind of engaging [production]. We had everything. It was set dec’ing, it was music, we were painting and building and coordinating. It was so much. And we all had characters we were playing. And producing! And you have to bring everything, from water to food to fuel to generators … You’re bringing out huge structures, like huge scaffolding and stages and lighting and music. I loved it.”
The Nevada desert is transformed each year by the Burning Man festival.
Photo by Christopher Michel in 2010 (Creative Commons, cropped)
“And so for me, it was my family. I missed weddings, showers, bar mitzvahs, everything. My family knows how important it is to me. It is my family. It’s ‘Mecca.’ It was going back every year.”
Steen’s year-long commitment to coordinating the production overlapped with filming on “Lost City.” Because of the stigma around Burning Man at the time, her agent advised her to tell Stargate’s producers that she had to be wrapped and out in time for a family reunion that she could not miss — which was all entirely true, as far as the actress was concerned.
After learning months later that she had been released from her contract Steen paid a visit to long-time Stargate producer N. John Smith, who confirmed that word of her “family reunion” activities had reached the top. “He said, ‘They felt [that] you were more committed to naked drugging in the desert than you would be committed to doing the show the way they needed you to.”
She told Smith at the time that the irony of the decision was that, had she been hired for Stargate Atlantis, she would have given that job her same level of commitment.
In the end, Steen said that she was hurt not so much by being recast but by the way that it happened – by the fact that her commitment appeared to be misunderstood. She said that she regrets that she did not have a chance to explain herself.
“No one ever had the conversation with me,” she said. “I was unceremoniously let go. And [John Smith] said, ‘I think there are regrets about that — the way that went down.'”
Over the years Stargate fans have wondered why Steen was replaced, after such a manifestly strong performance on the series. While viewers are not privy to the myriad of issues in casting, contract negotiations, filming, and production, that didn’t stop them from theorizing about why the show might have needed to recast Dr. Weir.
Did the Los Angeles-based actress not want to move to Vancouver? Or perhaps she signed on for “Lost City,” but later decided she didn’t want to make a long-term commitment to a television series that could run as long as SG-1?
Steen appeared to be well aware of these theories, and addressed them head-on in her “Dial the Gate” interview.
“I’ve heard, ‘Oh, she didn’t want to live in Vancouver.’ And that’s so not true. I have family in Vancouver — no, I’m Canadian. ‘Do you want to live in Vancouver?’ ‘Sure, absolutely!'”
Dr. Weir is out of her element when meeting her first alien: Jaffa Master Bra’tac. (From “Lost City”)
So too did Steen say she was fully prepared to commit herself, 100 percent, to a long-term role like this.
She said that she asked herself questions like “Do I want to work on this show? … Could I do that for an extended period, or not? I would not have auditioned for it, or done it, if I had not been prepared to do it. And if I was going to do it I was going to do it … in a committed way.”
“Lost City” remains one of the finest stories in all of Stargate’s history – and that includes Jessica Steen’s performance. While fans will no doubt continue to speculate on what Atlantis might have been like with her in the role, this two-part season finale endures as a pillar of Stargate’s story.
In addition the clips above you can watch the full, 70-minute interview with Jessica Steen on “Dial the Gate.” Don’t miss the interview show’s first season finale and 100th episode in July, as “Dial the Gate” hosts an exclusive Stargate Atlantis cast reunion panel for San Diego Comic-Con!
Actor David Nykl looks back on Stargate Atlantis, being part of the fan community, and…
EXCLUSIVE: A classic Atlantis ship is now in the works from Master Replicas – one…
Fans in and around Vancouver, B.C. can attend a live recording of YVR Screen Scene…
Pre-orders go live this week for the next ship in Earth's fleet, set to ship…
Get ready for a cast reunion this spring in the U.K., with actors from across…
It's been two years since Amazon bought MGM. These factors likely have kept Stargate off…
View Comments
With all due respect, this article gets rather silly at times. It's an average episode at best and I've never seen anyone else say otherwise. Also, her replacement was so much better in the role. In the end, the part went to the right actor, and I've not encountered many people who were wondering why she'd been recast--near universally, fans seem to be glad that she was. So I can't help but chuckle at the over-the-top hyperbole in this article.
We seem to have moved in somewhat different corners of fandom then, Lorna. The above may not speak to your experience or opinion of the episode, but it's a bit much to call it hyperbolic. Newcomers to the franchise are still regularly asking on forums, Reddit, and social media why the character was recast. We had no answer. For 20 years I covered the show, and had no answer I could give. Now, we have it -- at least from the actor's point of view.
Sorry Darren, Lorna hit the nail on the head with her comment. Most of the fans where I come from thought Steens performance was inferior.
Well I certainly didn't say that it was superior to Torri's. I love Torri's Weir, and obviously she got a lot more time to live in the character's skin. I only mean that when "Lost City" aired (all pre-Torri!) a lot of us liked the character and the performance. And I still get comments here and on our YouTube channel praising Jessica's work and asking why she was replaced.
From the first episode Torri played, I found her Weir was significantly superior to Jessica (comparing first episode to first episode). I am not saying Jessica was bad, but it did not hit me as caring whether she came back or not. Sometimes when I see a new character in a series, I think she/he would be a good fit for a spin-off or replacement character... but she did not. I really did not want her staying at SG-1 the next season either, her Weir just did not grab or endear me to her making a good addition to the series. I did wonder though why she was recast between seasons as usually to keep the character but to recast the actor is a rare event, but wondering is not the same as missing or wanting her back. Personally, I find the fact that she did not study up (you can get your agent to acquire background material/DVDs etc. - after all - it is in their interest for you to stay employed) on her character... to be problematic. I think during the break between the series producer/casting etc. probably sat down and evaluated the performance and came to the conclusion that for what may be a lengthy series, that she was not going to be the right fit for the franchise... (they likely had metrics that indicated the same).
I'm late to this party Darren but I wholeheartedly agree that pre-Torri, I was shocked when the show returned missing Jessica. I thought that she was going to be a fantastic fit for the spin-off. I agree that Torri did a great job in the show but still, to this day, think that Jessica would have done better. Her introduction to the show went off flawlessly. I don't see how that wouldn't have continued looking forward. I think the unceremonious way that Jessica was dropped without even being asked where her priorities would lie if she stayed in the role was a huge and incredibly insulting mistake by the management. They should be thoroughly ashamed.
And most of the fans - actually all of them in my friend circle - feels the opposite. Jessica Steen should have been kept in the role.
Most fans do not. I'm in different social media fan groups and many were not excited by Torri Higginson's performance, finding it flat and 2-dimensional.
Darren, I agree. Each time I watch the last episodes of S7 and the first eps of S8 (and subsequently Atlantis), I ask the same question. I loved Torri as Weir, but feel that Jessica did a phenomenal job in the role. She is a fantastic actress in everything I've seen her in and I think she would have done Weir wonderfully on Atlantis. It is unfortunate that she was recast, but Torri's take was wonderful as well.
Thank you for your article.
MA
Really? Lost City is THE go to SG1 story… it’s the one I would show to my non SG or even non SciFi friends.
Don’t get me wrong, Torri was brilliant, I loved her in the show and was a little annoyed when they killed her off apparently for the chance of a “bigger name” to replace her… I called it “doing a Jonas” at the time. But… I watch Steens performance in Lost City and it is so natural, her facial expressions at the conference table when the “Shrub” is arguing with SG1 and Hammond… just watch her… that is a stunning performance for someone apparently not committed to the show. I can only imagine how good she would have been if she had done a bit more to appear at least as if she wanted the gig. I’m guessing it would have been something very special.. no offence to Higginson, who I love.
That is your opinion only. The episode was great! She was great! The replacement was not great at all she was the weakest link in the Atlantis cast if you ask me.
I remember that when Atlantis started I looked up what happened to the actress because she had good stage presence and she was beautiful and gave off the strong yet soft characteristics that I expected from a diplomat because her role was supposed to be that. A diplomatic link between the army and the interest of the people giving a new less militarized but similar leadership.to the show. I think it was a great idea and she handled her role well. It is really a shame that they let her go the way they did ..simply not even communicating with her. My best guess is that someone was jelous or someone knew the replacement already and pushed her into the job. The replacement - not to offend the actress - in her role was not sympathetic to me at all, I'd describe her as rigid instead of strong and the lack of compassion was obvious. I'm talking about the character. She doesnt have the face of a diplomat and didnt carry her that way. She always give off the vibes that she should be much better as a military personal in uniform. Her face and demeanor would have fit that perfectly - still talking about her in the role and not the actual person playing the role -.
I hope that in an alternate timelime Jessica Steen got the role and played it well making the show better than it was in our timeline.
I really liked Steen's performance and was disappointed the role was recast. Interesting to learn what happened behind the scenes and it's unfortunate things went down the way they did. Thanks for doing this interview!
Lost City is amazing, as are seasons 8, 9 & 10 (as well as Ark of Truth and Continuum). If you're mad about Dr. Frazier being killed off, that's one thing, but don't trash the last few seasons of an amazing show because of one character.
Great interview, Darren! I gotta say, though, out of all the possibilities that went through my head over the years as to why Weir was recast, this was certainly not on the list.
I'm not sure if it was because I saw Tori Higginson in the role first (at the time i had missed the SG-1 episodes) but I think overall I liked her performance of the role better than Steen's.
They should be focusing on remaking the movie, and ignoring the spin off shows. The shows were entertaining but overall awful and constantly retcon the movie which was honestly the best part of the lore.
I don't think you'll get a lot of takers around here, Edward. I loved the movie, but the TV shows spent 14 years and more than 350 hours fleshing out the world, growing the characters, and expanding the mythology. After so much content, to me that is what Stargate is.
The film does get retconned a bit, and might as well be set in a parallel universe. But we can love both for what they are.
You seem a bit misinformed about how Stargate is perceived in TV history. I'm guessing you didn't watch all of the seasons, but SG-1 is often considered to be one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time. As for the movie reboot, you'll find that the vast majority of the millions of Stargate fans do not agree with or want that.
I thought Jessica did a good job on star gate but I think she got the last laugh, 15 years and counting on the same show. She is laughing all the way to the bank!
My friend, I won't say you're on the wrong Stargate fandom site but....most of us here love the tv series.
I, uh... where do you think you are, Ed?
I can only assume Edward is trolling since the show is near-universally beloved, whereas the movie is largely viewed as all spectacle, no substance, and exceedingly corny.
Yeah of course. Let's remake a rather boring movie that most people don't actually like or care about and throw out 17 seasons of TV series that clearly people liked because one show lasted ten years, two movies and two spinoffs.
I kind of agree and disagree. The movie was so huge it allowed for three shows, but the shows were never that big, and did not allow for a theatrical film ever again. Let's be fair... As much as we love the shows, if these were as good and famous as some people is pointing out, we would have had some streaming platform buying the rights and producing three or four Stargate-related shows already. However, these have not taken the step because Atlantis and Universe plummeted in ratings. SG1 seasons 1-to-5 were seen by millions in the US and also worldwide. However, 6 to 10 went unnoticed by many countries due to Sci-Fi's and MGM inability to sell it properly. Let alone Atlantis and Universe. These two were almost not broadcasted outside of America. If Wright brings together SG1, Atlantis and Universe in the new show, most people will be confused, and it'll be really hard to get new fans onboard trying to make sense out of all the tie-ins, I think. To this end, rebooting the whole thing would be good for the saga. A new, big theater movie could span interest in a new show again, like it did with Star Wars or Star Trek. But I've got to agree that, most people don't like this idea. SG1 will never be erased of our minds. It will be forever awesome. But SG1 was a product of the 90's, and now we need a product of the 20's. So I hope there's more of 20's than 90's, for the sake of the show itself and its continuity with new fans. Anyway, we're all here for the same, our love for Stargate. I just hope whatever they chose to do, they do it right. But it is common sense to think that if there too much Atlantis/SGU in the new show, people won't be able to follow. One petition: bring Ra back, like Star Wars brought the Emperor back. Goa'uld were a hundred times better than the Ori. We need them and their Egyptian stuff, come on.
"One petition: bring Ra back, like Star Wars brought the Emperor back."
You're playing a dangerous game here, kid.
The shows, specially SG-1 are universally beloved by the fans and I'm pretty sure the woulnd't want them any other way.
Stargate's time may have come and passed, but trying to shove the disney strategy into this franchise would poison it for years to come.
I have always wondered this! I liked both Weirs, but I never saw why she needed to be recast.
I only have one problem with this article. It mentions that this happened 18 years ago. I refuse to acknowledge that reality.
To bad she came out a long time ago stating that she signed up for the movie and the movie only and wanted to further her movie career and not be in TV. BOOM !!!! But after learning she has been doing Burning Man I understand her confusion for all those people are self righteous, hippi, narcissist's. She is fitting the role perfectly. I knew she wasn't going to be in it before it even aired.
Your comment makes literally no sense.
She wasn't in any of the Stargate movies, but in a 2-parter.
You also sound like someone that thinks that assumptions based on ignorance are a virtue.
What are you even talking about, Lord Monk? She wasn't in any movies. She was only in a TV episode.
I enjoyed Jessica Steen's portrayal, but I think Torri Higginson was a better fit for the role. Her chemistry with the other actors was much better, and I am not sure how Jessica's portrayal would have meshed with Shepard, McKay and the others.
She gave up life changing money and a good table multi-year job for a burning man display? I bet she's kicking herself now!
As for who was better. I think Tori had a little more gravitas / sternness that you'd expect from a leader in this position.
Steen seemed more vulnerable and in a way less serious.
It's close, I'd give it to Tori.