George S. Hammond | |
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Don S. Davis in his final appearance as George S. Hammond in the Stargate SG-1 movie, "Stargate Continuum". | |
First appearance | "Children of the Gods" ( SG-1 ) |
Last appearance | "Continuum" |
Portrayed by | Don S. Davis Aaron Pearl (young George Hammond in "1969") |
In-universe information | |
Species | Human |
Occupation | United States Air Force ![]() ![]() |
Nationality | American |
Lieutenant General George S. Hammond, USAF (Ret.) is a fictional character in the Stargate franchise . Played by American actor Don S. Davis, General Hammond serves as the commander of Stargate Command (SGC) in the first seven seasons of the 1997 television series Stargate SG-1 . He is relieved of command in the series' season 7 finale "Lost City", but becomes head of the new Homeworld Security department at the beginning of season 8. Hammond's off-screen retirement is confirmed in SG-1's season 10, and the character's death is mentioned in the series finale of SG-1's spin-off series Stargate Atlantis , "Enemy at the Gate".
Don S. Davis left the regular role after the seventh season of SG-1 due to health problems, but appeared in later seasons as well as in a season 1 episode of Stargate Atlantis. Davis died from a heart attack in June 2008, making his appearance in the 2008 direct-to-DVD film Stargate: Continuum his last. For his portrayal of Hammond, Don S. Davis was nominated for a 2004 Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Male" for the season 7 episode "Heroes, Part 2".
George S. Hammond is a United States Air Force Major General (later Lieutenant General) from Texas, [1] who commands Stargate Command (SGC) in the first seven seasons of Stargate SG-1. The series pilot introduces Hammond as the successor of Major General West, the commander of the Stargate Project in the original Stargate film. [2] Hammond had been stationed as a Lieutenant at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex (the present-day location of Stargate Command) in 1969, [3] [4] Hammond's mentioned relatives include his wife, who had died of cancer four years before the events of the series began, and his granddaughters named Kayla and Tessa (whose telephone number occupies Hammond's first speed dial button above the President of the United States which occupies the second). [5] His father is also mentioned in the Season 2 episode entitled 1969. [3]
General Hammond has control over each SG mission, [6] but is rarely directly involved with the off-world adventures of SG teams. He is only shown off-world in season 2's "Prisoners", season 3's "Into the Fire" and "Forever in a Day", and the season 7 premiere "Fallen"; he also commands the Earth spaceship Prometheus in season 7's "Lost City" and season 8's "Prometheus Unbound". Hammond's command of the SGC is interrupted once in season 4's "Chain Reaction", where Hammond retires under duress and is temporarily replaced by Major General Bauer. [4] The series never clearly establishes Hammond's second-in-command, although producer Joseph Mallozzi stated in season 7 that "if Hammond were to retire, there's a strong possibility that [Colonel Jack O'Neill] could take over command of the [Stargate Command] base". [7]
In the season 7 finale "Lost City", newly inaugurated President Henry Hayes is pressured into replacing General Hammond with Dr. Elizabeth Weir for a three-month review process of the SGC. [8] Hammond is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and is placed in command of the new Homeworld Security department afterwards; Brigadier General Jack O'Neill takes over command of Stargate Command in the season 8 opener "New Order". [9] Hammond appears in the season 1 episode "Home" of Stargate Atlantis (although this was an illusion of Hammond created by telepathic aliens), and appears in seasons 8 through 10 of Stargate SG-1. After Hammond appears in season 9's "The Fourth Horseman" in a civilian suit instead of a military uniform, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter confirms Hammond's retired status in season 10's "The Road Not Taken" when meeting an alternate version of Hammond who remains in charge of the SGC. [10] In his last appearance in the alternate timeline film Stargate: Continuum , General Hammond acts as a military advisor to President Henry Hayes. Carter reports to Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard in the Stargate Atlantis Season 5 finale/series finale episode, "Enemy at the Gate" that Hammond recently died from a heart attack and that the Daedalus-class ship Phoenix was renamed the George Hammond in his honor. [11]
According to Approaching The Possible by Jo Storm, the season 2 episode "1969" showed that Hammond climbed the military ladder "by being shrewd, intelligent, and [by being] possessed of a long vision" despite being a "spouted bottom-line pragmatis[t]". [12] Don S. Davis described General Hammond as initially "hard-nosed and straight-ahead", [6] and later as seemingly "stern and straight-laced". [13] Recognizing the need to fulfill the role as a General, Davis still tried to "bring a few levels to him that show some understanding and that make him a little more likeable." [6] The welfare of the men and women under Hammond's command is paramount in the general's mind. [13] Besides knowing that people may not return from his sanctioned missions, General Hammond has to decide when to forgo rescue attempts to not put more lives in danger, even if he "always does so reluctantly and with regret". [14] As shown in "Chain Reaction", Hammond would rather leave the military quietly than risk the careers and lives of his staff and his family, "which must go against all his blustery Texas background". [15]
Davis appreciated Hammond's closeness to the SG-1 team and his willingness to compromise. [14] At the beginning of the series, Hammond does not accept the alien warrior Teal'c but comes to trust and respect him after realizing Teal'c's devotion to the Stargate Program. [14] Despite his admiration for Dr. Daniel Jackson's enthusiasm in the beginning, Hammond has a hard time understanding Daniel's unorthodox and non-military approach to problems until Hammond comes to realize the importance of a civilian viewpoint to SG-1's mission. [14] When the alien Jonas Quinn joins SG-1 in season 6, Davis compared Hammond's response to Jonas to his reaction to Teal'c in season 1. Although Hammond does not blame Jonas for Daniel's death in "Meridian", "the situation does make it difficult for [Hammond] to totally take the young man under his wing and embrace him like family as he has the rest of SG-1". [14] Davis named the NID as Hammond's only source of frustration, since they regularly outflank Hammond and SG-1. Hammond's only option is to call the President for support, but most cases end with SG-1 or Hammond breaking the rules to assure the survival of humanity, so "Hammond will do whatever he must to get things done". [16]
Don S. Davis was a stand-in and stunt-double for Dana Elcar in MacGyver , a 1985–1992 television series that starred Richard Dean Anderson (who also portrayed Stargate SG-1's lead character Jack O'Neill). [6] At the time, Davis had suffered burnout from teaching acting classes at the University of British Columbia for ten years, and later considered the work on MacGyver "a new lease on life". [16] [17] When the producers cast Stargate SG-1 in 1996, they asked Davis to read for the role of George Hammond and contracted him for multiple years. Davis considered General Hammond in the initial character breakdown as a two-dimensional by-the-book character and a mere foil for O'Neill, and was dissatisfied with the view of the pilot episode's director, Mario Azzopardi, who in particular wanted Hammond to be a military stereotype. Davis, who had served as an army Captain in Korea in the 1960s, felt that the character breakdown did not mirror the reality of military service, and he was reluctant to portray such a role for several years. The producers eventually allowed Davis to humanize the character during the run of the show. [17]
The producers wrote season 4's "Chain Reaction" as "a bit of a Hammond episode" [18] after they had not devoted an episode to Hammond during the first three seasons. The episode ended up "very different" from writer Joseph Mallozzi's original pitch, which he had envisioned as "a Hammond story in which the general faces a court martial after being implicated in the death of an off-world SG team leader". [19] When no more Hammond episodes were written in the following seasons, Davis cited Stargate SG-1's focus on the off-world adventures of the SG team, the military framework and the general's knowledge for why Hammond "can be nothing more than peripheral to that action." [20]
After playing General Hammond for nearly 150 episodes in seven seasons, Don S. Davis decided to leave Stargate SG-1 in late 2003. He had suffered from prolonged health problems and was grateful that the Stargate SG-1 producers had previously continued his employment and had scheduled episodes around his surgeries. [21] Davis turned towards painting and sculpting, but continued to work in the film and television industry including the Stargate franchise, continuing to appear in every season of Stargate SG-1. [17] Davis died from a heart attack at the age of 65 on June 29, 2008, shortly before the release of Stargate: Continuum, his last on-screen appearance as General Hammond. [22] The Stargate producers closed the final Stargate Atlantis episode, "Enemy at the Gate", with a dedication card to Don S. Davis; the episode also mentions the off-screen passing of General Hammond, with Earth's newest ship being named in his honor. [11] [23]
Jo Storm commended Don S. Davis in her book Approaching The Possible for "bring[ing] out his character's actions and motivations with the confidence and thoughtfulness that only a professional of many years can". [12] In the Stargate SG-1 pilot, Hammond "set[s] up things as advantageously as he can" and proved to be a "competent" and "believable" commander. [12] Talking about Hammond in the season 2 time-travel episode "1969", Storm also credited actor Aaron Pearl, who had done "an amazing job as the younger George Hammond, right down to the slight head tilt and speech lilt". [12] For his portrayal of Hammond, Don S. Davis was nominated for a 2004 Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Male" for the season 7 episode "Heroes, Part 2". [24]
Stargate SG-1 is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 science fiction film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. The television series was filmed in and around the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The series premiered on Showtime on July 27, 1997, and moved to the Sci Fi Channel on June 7, 2002; the final episode first aired on Sky1 on March 13, 2007.
Daniel Jackson, PhD, is a fictional character in the military science fiction franchise Stargate, and one of the main characters of the 1997 series Stargate SG-1. He is portrayed by James Spader in the 1994 film Stargate, and by Michael Shanks in Stargate SG-1 and other SG-1 derived media. Jackson is the only Stargate character to appear in all films and series in the franchise.
Teal'c of Chulak is a fictional character in the 1997 military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Portrayed by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modified human with an abdominal pouch that serves as an incubator for a larval Goa'uld. The larval symbiote grants enhanced strength, health, healing, and longevity; Teal'c is around 100 years old during the show's run and ages an additional 50 years in the final SG-1 episode. Teal'c's most notable feature is a golden tattoo found on his forehead, a sign that he once served the System Lord Apophis as First Prime, the most senior Jaffa rank.
Dr. Samantha "Sam" Carter, USAF is a fictional character in the Canadian–American military science fiction Stargate franchise. Played by Amanda Tapping, she appears in all three shows in the franchise: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe. She was a main character in all ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007). Following a recurring role in Stargate Atlantis for three seasons (2004–07), Carter became a main character in Season 4 of Atlantis (2007–08), and also appeared in the 2008 direct-to-DVD SG-1 films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. Amanda Tapping accepted a starring role in Sanctuary and appears in only the first and last episodes in Season 5 of Atlantis (2008–09). Carter also appears in two episodes of Season 1 of Stargate Universe.
"Children of the Gods" is the first episode of the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. It was written by producers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright and was directed by Mario Azzopardi. The episode first aired on July 27, 1997, on Showtime. Originally presented as a television movie, the episode would later be split into two parts for repeats and syndicated viewings. A new, updated cut, which is entitled "Children of the Gods – The Final Cut" was released on DVD on July 21, 2009 by MGM Home Entertainment.
Jonas Quinn is a fictional character in the Canadian-American television series Stargate SG-1, a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by Corin Nemec, Jonas is introduced in the season 5 episode "Meridian." Jonas fills Daniel Jackson's empty spot on the SG-1 team in season 6 and the beginning of season 7, and last appears in the mid-season 7 episode "Fallout".
Colonel Cameron "Cam" Mitchell, USAF is a fictional character in the 1997 American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by Ben Browder, Cameron Mitchell is introduced as a main character in the season 9 premiere "Avalon", holding the military rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. Learning of the SG-1 team's off-screen separation after the previous season, Mitchell is assigned as new commanding officer of SG-1, which he remains throughout season 10 (2006–2007) and the direct-to-DVD films Stargate: The Ark of Truth, ending at the rank of colonel for Stargate: Continuum (2008).
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"Redemption" is the two-part season 6 premiere of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Airing on June 7 and June 14, 2002, it was the first all-new SG-1 episode to be broadcast by SCI FI, the new home of SG-1 after the series' move from Showtime. The episode was written by producer Robert C. Cooper, and directed by Martin Wood. "Redemption" is the first episode where actor Corin Nemec had main cast status, his character Jonas Quinn replacing Daniel Jackson who died at the end of season 5. The episode also marks the second appearance of David Hewlett's character Rodney McKay, who later became a main character on Stargate Atlantis. "Redemption Part 2" was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category "Best Visual Effects".
"Lockdown" is the third episode for season eight of the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, and directed by Will Waring. This was the only episode in the eighth season to receive a syndication rating, but was also one of the lowest rated of the season on the Nielsen household ratings. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.
"Avenger 2.0" is the 9th episode from the seventh season of military science fiction adventure television show Stargate SG-1 and is the 141st overall. It was first broadcast on August 8, 2003, on the Sci-Fi Channel. The episode was written by duo Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, and was directed by Martin Wood.
"Full Circle" is the season finale for season six of the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. It was originally intended to be the last episode of Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by executive producer Robert C. Cooper and directed by Martin Wood. The episodes received an average Nielsen household rating and a low syndication rating compared to other season six episodes. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.
"Window of Opportunity" is the sixth episode from season 4 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, and first aired on the American subscription channel Showtime on August 4, 2000. The episode is based on a time loop scenario, with SG-1 team members Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c repeatedly reliving the same ten hours after a mission on a planet. Since the rest of their team and all personnel at Stargate Command are unaware of the happenings and do not remember the time resets, O'Neill and Teal'c are forced to find a solution on their own.
"Nemesis" is the last episode from season 3 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Written by Robert C. Cooper and directed by Martin Wood, the episode first aired in the United Kingdom on Sky One on February 11, 2000, and had its American premiere on Showtime on March 8, 2000. The episode sets up the Replicators as a new major enemy, ending in a cliffhanger that is resumed in the season 4 premiere "Small Victories".
"Small Victories" is the first episode from season four of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Penned by Robert C. Cooper and directed by Martin Wood, the episode first aired on the American subscription channel Showtime on June 30, 2000. "Small Victories" resumes the story of the season 3 finale, "Nemesis", in which the SG-1 team encountered the Replicators for the first time. As the Replicators threaten Earth and the Asgard home galaxy, the team must split to master their job.
The eighth season of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian military science fiction television series, began airing on July 9, 2004, on the Sci Fi channel. The eighth season concluded on February 22, 2005, after 20 episodes on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci Fi Channel in mid-season. This was the first season of the show to have 20 episodes instead of 22, as well as the first to air concurrently with Stargate SG-1 spinoff series Stargate Atlantis. The series was originally developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, while Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper served as executive producers. Season eight regular cast members include Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks
The first season of the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 commenced airing on the Showtime channel in the United States on July 27, 1997, concluded on the Sci Fi channel on March 6, 1998, and contained 22 episodes. The show itself is a spin-off from the 1994 hit movie Stargate written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Stargate SG-1 re-introduced supporting characters from the film universe, such as Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill and Daniel Jackson and included new characters such as Teal'c, George Hammond and Samantha "Sam" Carter. The first season was about a military-science expedition team discovering how to use the ancient device, named the Stargate, to explore the galaxy. However, they encountered a powerful enemy in the film named the Goa'uld, who are bent on destroying Earth and all who oppose them.
The fifth season of the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 commenced airing on Showtime in the United States on June 29, 2001, concluded on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2002, and contained 22 episodes. The fifth season introduces future main character Jonas Quinn portrayed by Corin Nemec from 2002–2004. The fifth season is about the ongoing war with the Goa'uld Empire after the death of Apophis at the start of the season and the rise of a new System Lord named Anubis. SG-1, a military-science team, are set to explore the Milky Way Galaxy.
The seventh season of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on June 13, 2003 on Sci Fi. The seventh season concluded after 22 episodes on March 9, 2004 on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci-Fi Channel in mid-season. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner. Season seven regular cast members include Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis, and Michael Shanks.
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