Destroyer of Worlds: Stargate’s Mad Scientist Speaks

One of Stargate SG-1‘s most memorable antagonists early in the series (aside from the Goa’uld, of course) was Linea, a brilliant scientist whom SG-1 found on the prison planet Hadante. They presumed she had been unjustly imprisoned like they were, and with her help they escaped.

But when Linea turned on them – nearly destroying Stargate Command in the process – they learned that she is a criminal psychopath, who had earned the gruesome moniker “Destroyer of Worlds” (echoing the famous line in the Bhagavad Gita) because of her practices of genocidal experimentation on the population of various planets.

The episode was “Prisoners” — an early entry in just the second season of the show. The guest star was actress Bonnie Bartlett.

In a conversation with “Dial the Gate” host David Read, Bartlett talked about the villain she brought to life nearly 25 years ago. She says that while she loved working with this cast in the great city of Vancouver, Stargate posed some real challenges for her.

Listen to her reflections on Stargate in this clip from “Dial the Gate”:

“It had a lot of technical stuff, which was hard for me,” she said. “So I had to really study.” And as an American actress she discovered that the Canadian union gave her a shorter break than she was used to between shooting days — leading to some friction with the producers.

Bartlett made her name across TV and film with roles in dramas, comedies, soaps, procedurals, TV movies, and mini-series — including Grace Snider on Little House on the Prairie, Ellen Craig on the classic hospital drama St. Elsewhere (for which she won an Emmy in 1986), and Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor’s mother Lucille on Home Improvement. She also dipped her toes into science fiction with appearances on V and Firefly.

Today she is 93 years old and has more than 100 screen credits. She most recently appearing as Helen on Better Call Saul.

Bartlett’s memoir, Middle of the Rainbow, has also just been published! There she talks about her remarkable career and family life, including her more than 70-years-long marriage to veteran stage and screen actor William Daniels (St. Elsewhere, Boy Meets World). Look for it on Amazon or wherever you find your books.

Head over to “Dial the Gate” on YouTube to find the full, 50-minute conversation with Bonnie Bartlett. While you’re there, subscribe to GateWorld on YouTube for more brand new content and video clips each week!

What did you think of the character of Linea? Would you have liked to see Bonnie return to the show? Let’s hear it in the comments below!