Every Trick Stargate Used To WRITE OUT Jack O'Neill (Stargate Secrets)

COLONEL JACK O'NEILL is synonymous with Stargate. Along with Daniel Jackson, Jack was a hold-over from the 1994 feature film. Played by actor Richard Dean Anderson, he was the man who led the SG-1 team through the gate on new adventures each week.
But what’s a long-running show like Stargate to do when its leading man chooses to reduce his role after many years of hard work? Even before RDA finally retired after eight seasons, the writers’ room needed to do some creative thinking to adapt to his reduced time on set. Here we're exposing all the different ways that the show kept the actor around but sidelined the character during Seasons 6, 7, and 8.
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[@SardonicALLY]

I honestly think this was great for the show. We still had RDA in a central role, but the writers had to get creative to hide his reduced screentime. He was in the episodes and the writing was so good we just never noticed he wasn't on screen as much. It actually made his character more sought after in our minds, because ''you always want to leave them wanting MORE!''

[@Merlinthewise86]

Was just about to say that, defo feel the same. It allowed supporting characters to develop more completely than they would have otherwise also.

[@spacefanatic]

It was never the same after Richard Dean Anderson left. He made this show.

[@kpwpe]

Stargate was one of the very best shows of all time. Wish it was still going. ❤️

[@kpwpe]

And I’m going to add that Stargate Atlantis was right there with Stargate. Loved it. ❤️❤️❤️

[@kyelog4427]

you ain’t never lied pimp

[@yvindwestersund9720]

Yeah SG1 and Atlantis were the best shows around at the time ❤❤ Wish we could have had a resolution regarding Atlantis It never got the ending it deserve❤❤ On the note of RDA well they as you said gave us the opportunity to want more and that was a great way of writing him out of the show ❤❤ BUT WE WANT MORE SG NOW MORE THAN EVER ❤❤❤❤❤ Just saying 🇧🇻

[@FastDuDeJiunn]

its a tv show. there is no rule that says you cannot continue the story as you see fit. i personaly finished watching the 100. a ehh tv show, and imo bad ending. but in my head it has a perfect ending. because i mean why not. i dont have to rely on someone else to tell me how a story goes. have fun with them. dont let writers or anyone else tell u how something goes. let ur own imagination run.

[@heesingsia4634]

NGL I only realized him being written out when he was promoted to general. I thought to myself, Dang he's not gonna show up often after this.

[@CurryFeatures]

I genuinely can't believe that I didn't notice how little RDA was in the show when I first watched season 6 and 7 as they aired. I was a lot younger then... but even on rewatches I never noticed! It was only after watching content from this channel explaining how RDA had chosen to take time off from the show, that when I did my latest rewatch recently I kept saying to myself "Wow, his absence is really obvious!"

[@DuxGalt]

I really like how they did it. I never considered it was because the actors choice. My favorite thing about the SG series is that the plotline actually moves forward. its not just a same ol soap. The characters get promoted and learn skills and techniques they use. Earth builds ships and uses them, explores and makes bases, and alpha sites accumulates allies and what you have in the end is a world that feels real and more importantly a plot that can and will take turns. My first watch through I always considered the possibility of the gate going public because some event.

[@Mizzle420420]

I wish they would have had Sam learn to use the Goauld devices more and get proficient with them like the healing one, personal shield, invisibility device, and hand gizmos. Especially because it was explained that it wasn't really Goauld tech. The devices were made by the Ancients and just found and appropriated by the Goauld

[@rikgesamo2638]

Actual, this is very good done and you don't notice it. Just like it should

[@ckwongau2008]

the Video didn't mention episode "Citizen Joe " , one of the best episode about Jack with only a little work required from RDA it was clipshow episode , but about guy who connected his mind with Jack for almost 7 or 8 yr , Joe become a Fanboy of SG1 , and Jack also had Vision of Joe's life , but he didn't tell anyone .

[@Professor_Gamble]

hahaha, I never realized this. I just thought seasons 6 and 7 were truly about giving the rest of the cast their well-earned own episodes after playing second chair to RDA for years. It does feel like a different show during those times. It gave Michael, Amanda, and Chris lots of freedom to write and direct their own episodes too. I think that it was cleverly done in the end.

[@jamiemarchant]

Promoting him made the most sense.

[@Matt7895]

Less RDJ meant the other characters could fully flourish. Season 8 was one of the best seasons. The only crime was not giving Carter command of SG-1 for 9 and 10

[@KyleDBZ117]

Jack O'Neill is a legend, love the character

[@Maine307]

so, as a retired Military 94-2014.. i enjoyed this show a lot.. i truly did, and yes of course.. not all entire mil format was followed to a "t" - if it was- it would have been boring..lol.. they did a awesome twist and turns and spins on it.. but they kept Jack in a good foundational roll as military , and promoted him as well, and along with the promotion comes typical less action and more office.. I think they were right on point and did a great job.. example, my Bn Cmdr ( LtCol) did not go on my patrols.. barely once did my company commander..lmao.. they did is perfect and kept good order and diciplin--with thier own movie twist! 100% loved it, and that coming from an Marine Infantry guy too!

[@JithinJacob333]

When I first watched the show, I didn't even realize that. Even on my next two rewatches, although I vaguely noticed it on my second rewatch but I never dwelled on it. Only when Dial the Gate started did I learn that.

[@ZKTheGreat]

Just finished watching Stargate SG-1 last night. Great show!

[@quinnsnextstep]

I'm going with the Jack clone, only because I still wonder what ever happened to him. And since we can hypothesize that Cassandra is still around, since we've seen her as an old lady in the future, what is she up to in her 30s or 40s, late 20s? Since you shared that Brad Wright already had stuff written, I'm excited to see it on screen someday, yet black-pilled that we never will. 😒

[@jamesflowers1295]

I would absolutely read a spy thriller with an early twenties Jack clone who knows too much and is being hunted for it.

[@Maine307]

yes!!!! i always felt, they could bring his clone into this, if or when he graduated from highschool, went to the Mil Acedemy..again..lol and right to stargate ! would be perfect !!

[@archeryguy1701]

I love O'Neill and he's my favorite character in the whole franchise, but I have to wonder how much this reduced schedule played a role in the.... not so great writing changes related to the character. Early on, O'Neill was always a good balance of seriousness and dry humor. It was apparent that he wasn't a dumb or as goofy as he sometimes liked to act, and that silliness wasn't his entire character. But the last few seasons of RDA's presence, O'Neill took a HARD left turn into almost pure quips and comedy. That serious side of Jack was mostly eliminated, and I feel like it was definitely a change for the worse.

[@rageagaintstheNWO]

Especially "liked" the episode with the crashed ship that was transporting prisoners, i don't remember what they were observing, but they had a telescope and Jack was acting like a total ...sorry for using this word, moron around the scope, like he never used one before, when we all know that he was an amateur astronomer

[@georgeharris572]

it was one of those open secrets that Anderson was prioritizing his family above the show. What all of this shows is both how good the writers where in how they handled the situation for the most part, and also how decent the fans of the show are to not make a real fuss about it and support his decision when the news fully broke and wasn't just online chatter.

[@TonyP9279]

"There was that time he was invisible!"

[@TheStargazer0118]

Jack is my fave, so SG1 never felt the same without him. It was an spinoff.

[@kvarga]

I think Jack's personal progression is similar to the technological progression through the whole Stargate franchise. It's a key factor why Stargate has such a great story. Consistency and progression. Like in real life, you have a job, then shift your focus and get a new job or promotion. Love it!

[@hisroyalness2]

GREAT WORK doing the focusing in on Jack, (R.D.A.) The dude we all still enjoy watching in this show. I've often wondered how much of his SCRIPTED humor lines were often an adlib on the fly.. I could see his real-life witty humor becoming his character in the series, as it was also manifested so well in MacGyver. He's always one cool dude, no matter what age he is. I could see him doing one-liners nearing a hundred in age, and still come off with his same suave quips.

[@margeryk000]

I just started re-watching the entire series yesterday, so this was great timing! Thanks for all your hard work and awesome content.

[@GateWorldDotNet]

Thank you! Enjoy your rewatch!

[@Richard_deVries]

Richard-Dean was one of the major reasons the series managed to take off. Sci fi was not in a good spot in those years and often was relegated to poor time slots and people tended to dismiss it. His charisma and the way he portrayed Jack helped the show get its feet. Once it was running and the characters and show was more developed it could handle not having Richard in it, or as much. I do still find it a shame that Amanda's character was not fully put in lead of the team with Ben Browder character as a new supporting member. Although I did understand, as he had just come off the lead role in Farscape as John Chrichton. A series that was canceled far to quickly IMO. And Sci fi wanted to throw him and Claudia Black a bone with new roles. But IMO Amanda and the character Samantha had earned the right to be full squad lead, instead of the cop out Shared leadership they ended up with. Even if it did work

[@godlyBlade]

The choice may have been made for them given that Amanda was on maternity leave so they had to work around her not being in a large chunk of the start of season 9 somehow and then it worked so well that by the time she was back they just kept it.

[@jamesboaz4787]

I loved this show, it truly was an amazing work of art. I'll check it out if they ever do a reboot but i don't think you can do something like this twice.

[@lukematic812]

I think it was a missed opportunity that we never saw RDA acting as the Tok'ra between Frozen and Abyss

[@elizabethclark394]

Loved this informative short, wish it could have been extended fit him, but also separate ones for other key cast members too. Noticed his absences, but also, given his black ops/special forces experience he'd be utilised in other ways given constraints - undercover, investigation, rescue etc, not forgetting his experience would be imperative to newbies and cadets joining the program so he'd be seconded to training when team not offworld and after reports and 2IC of base duties allowed. More please

[@blueray15]

My favorite honestly is "invisible O'Neil" from 200. Seriously want this as a whole episode ;).

[@ich8583]

Diese Folge gibt es nicht wirklich, war eine "Fake"-Erinnerung....genau wie mit den Hochzeitsszenen. Das hat auch nie stattgefunden.

[@nybsfp7486]

Season 8 was rough. I loved Jack so much - he’d have me ROFL. But Ben and Claudia were perfect replacements. Ben was also really funny.

[@rageagaintstheNWO]

Have to disagree, Ben was discount Jack, same black ops training, same sarcasm. Claudia was too much, i could not stand her character at all. She was like a child with ADHD

[@TonyWhitehead]

Nice job!

[@RyanNerdyGamer]

4:05 One of my favourites by far. 😁

[@Pengalen]

So oddly, I did not originally regard Jack O'Neill as "the main character". Then I noticed that the show did, and then I noticed, more towards the later seasons, that they were intentionally moving him out, which I generally assumed was at the RDA's wish. So overall, I felt like they took him more seriously than I did.

[@skippyjo2468]

I thought they were all great! My favourite I think was Mimi Jack - just nc the kad who played him didxa spot on job "being" Jack - he picked up and portrayed the subtle and not so subtle nuances of O'Neill to perfection.. He should hv really got way more credit than he did for his work.

[@DeclanMBrennan]

Writers are often at their most creative when they are given constraints.

[@Krahazik]

Sometimes. Other times their solution is to just off the character and be done with it. The SG1 writing team was brilliant though. Not only did the manage to keep the character around, but they were cleaver, so at tines did not even notice the reduced screen time and the reasons made sense in most cases and just felt natural.

[@nothingness863]

good stuff

[@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305]

tbh i never believed jack would accept a promotion to general

[@MihzvolWuriar]

Stargate is unique, for me, it's the best show ever created, all 3 shows, all 3 movies, even the lesser Origins, I like it, it's fun, not on the quality of the shows and movies, but it's fun.

[@ohkav]

and i thought he was just unlucky ROFL :D :D :D

[@geraldmansfield2631]

A really smart kid could build a homemade star gate and need rescuing.

[@petramateus2017]

❤️💖🥰😍💯

[@Dantes74302]

One of the problems a revival would face is that O'Neill / Richard Dean Anderson is older then the mandatory retirement age. Not even the US President can change that. (Yes, the President can give USAF Generals two years extra. But that won't cut it here.)

[@Hayatti1]

Without him it was more boring actually this is move of my favorite Tv show and character once they reduce his screen time it’s become more boring

[@megamaverickhunterx]

!!!!!!!!

[@kennethsalyers3809]

jack one else could take his place

[@geraldmansfield2631]

A transporter malfunction could put Asguard Loki's torso on a goat.

[@nysunra]

I couldn't watch Stargate after Jack left. It was horrible. They should of just canceled it.

[@Deathraven]

first

[@Knights_Oath]

The quick answer is take refugees from the recently canceled Farscape to take other characters place.