When filming on Stargate SG-1 commenced in 1997 the new sci-fi action series found its
leading man in Richard Dean Anderson.
Cast to take over the role of Colonel Jack O’Neill from Stargate movie actor Kurt Russell,
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:
Anderson’s name was literally too big to fit over the title.
Stay tuned to hear Brad tell the story to RDA himself as we preview their upcoming conversation
for The Companion.
After his role as Dr. Jeff Webber on General Hospital in late 1970s and early 80s Richard
Dean Anderson went on to play MacGyver on the hit ABC series, which also spawned two
TV movies.
Then in the mid-90s he starred as Ernest Pratt in the short-lived but incredibly fun UPN
adventure show Legend, co-starring John de Lancie.
RDA would play Jack O’Neill for eight years as a main cast member on SG-1, followed by
semi-retirement that brought him back to the franchise for numerous guest appearances.
Back in 1997 Anderson’s agents negotiated a pretty standard contract for a leading man
of his caliber – someone who could bring his own established fanbase to the show.
His name would appear above the title of the series, both in the opening titles and also
on all the marketing material.
But the contract also originally required that Anderson’s name must appear on all
materials in the same size font.
That created some real design challenges for advertising the new show.
Here’s Brad Wright with the full story, courtesy of The Companion.
Brad Wright: My other favorite story from the beginning of Stargate – I don’t know
if you remember this, but it’s a great Richard Dean Anderson story.
Contractually … contractually, your name “Richard Dean Anderson” had to be the
same size as the title “Stargate SG-1,” in terms of the same font.
Now that’s not something you requested, obviously.
That was just something that your agents and lawyers stuck in.
And in fact I know it’s not something you requested because I remember you laughing
your head off when I showed you the poster that couldn’t fit “Richard Dean Anderson”
any more.
It could only fit the word “Hard Dean Anders!”
“Hard Dean Anders” was all that fit.
And you had the same reaction as you did just now.
You went, “I kind of like it!”
“Hard Dean Anders, let’s go with that!”
Richard Dean Anderson: Oh, my God.
I’m just now finding out about the font size!
Wright: Oh, no, I remember you just laughed at that and said, “Don’t worry about it.
Change it to whatever you need.”
It was pretty funny.
Anderson: “Make it fit.”
Wright: Yeah.
That was you NOT exercising your tremendous star power at the time.
You just said, “Ahh!”
At least we didn’t go with “Hard Dean Anders.”
That would have been different.
Narrator: This is just an excerpt from their full conversation, which is coming to Brad
Wright’s “Conversations in Sci-Fi” podcast.
It premieres as a livestream event for members of The Companion on Saturday, January 22,
2022.
The video is then available on demand for subscribers on January 23 (which also happens
to be Anderson’s 72nd birthday).
And yes, there’s going to be a shorter cut made available for free for non-subscribers.
Look for the links in the description below.
We’ll have another preview from the full-length chat over at GateWorld.net in the days prior
to the premiere.
Brad’s conversation with Rick is the first video edition of the podcast, which premiered
on The Companion last spring.
The previous audio installments include long-form conversations with Stargate cast members Michael
Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Ben Browder, plus David Hewlett, Robert Picardo, and writer
and producer Naren Shankar.
The two of them worked together for MGM on The Outer Limits in the 90s, and Shankar went
on to write and produce favorites like Farscape and The Expanse.
So what is The Companion and why do they keep kicking out cool content that we talk about
here on GateWorld?
The group is based in London and was originally hired to create content for MGM’s official
Stargate platform, Stargate Command.
Now that that site is shut down, The Companion serves as an online subscription platform
dedicated to all of science fiction television and film.
They produce original articles, podcasts, and more, and Brad Wright himself is an ongoing
contributor.
So as a result they do a lot of Stargate content, and we're covering that for you right here
on GateWorld.
This isn’t a sponsored video, but we do have a handy code you can use to save some
money on your subscription.
You can try out The Companion with a free trial at TheCompanion.app, or use the code
GATEWORLD for an extra $10 off an annual subscription.
Meanwhile keep your browser locked on our Web site, at GateWorld.net, for more from
Brad and Rick’s conversation later in the month.
Thank you so much for all the incredible support for the channel!
Please subscribe now if you haven’t already, and share this video with a Stargate-loving
friend.
We’ve got lots of Stargate news, special features, and more in store for 2022.