Richard Dean Anderson’s Stargate Contract Made An Impossible Demand

When filming commenced in 1997 Stargate SG-1 found its leading man in Richard Dean Anderson. Cast to play Colonel Jack O’Neill, the star of MacGyver, General Hospital, and Legend, Anderson was a household name who brought real TV star power to MGM and Showtime’s ambitious new science fiction show.

There was just one problem, as series co-creator and executive producer Brad Wright tells it: RDA’s name was too big to fit over the title.

Anderson’s agents negotiated a pretty standard contract for a leading man, who could bring his own established base of fans to the show. His name would appear above the title of the series, both in the opening titles and also on all marketing material.

But the contract also originally required that Anderson’s name also appear in the same size font. That created some real design challenges for advertising the new show.

Watch the video for the full story:

“I remember you laughing your head off when I showed you the poster that couldn’t fit ‘Richard Dean Anderson’ any more,” Wright said. “It could only fit the [words] ‘Hard Dean Anders.'”

The clip is part of their full-length conversation, coming to Brad Wright’s “Conversations in Sci-Fi” podcast. It’s the first video edition of the podcast, which premiered on The Companion last spring.

Wright’s previous conversations include RDA’s SG-1 cast mates Michael Shanks (“Daniel Jackson”) and Amanda Tapping (“Samantha Carter”), plus actors Ben Browder (“Cameron Mitchell”), David Hewlett (“Rodney McKay”), Robert Picardo (“Richard Woolsey”), and Farscape and The Expanse writer and producer Naren Shankar.

His conversation with Anderson will premiere as a livestream event for members of The Companion on Saturday, January 22. The video will be available on demand for subscribers on January 23 (which is Anderson’s 72nd birthday), with a shorter cut also available for non-subscribers.

The Companion is an online subscription platform dedicated to science fiction television and film. They produce original articles, podcasts, and more, and have Brad Wright himself as an ongoing contributor. Sign up for a free trial now at TheCompanion.app, or use the code GATEWORLD for an extra $10 off an annual subscription. (With the site’s current 50% discount, that’s $24.99 for your first year.)

Keep your browser locked on GateWorld for more from Brad and Rick’s conversation after it debuts later this month.

On Twitter: @bradtravelers