Walter Hadn't Learned His Lines ... (Dial the Gate)

GARY JONES is an ever-present fixture behind the dialing computer at Stargate Command. The veteran actor (and improvisational comic) played MSgt. Walter "Radar O'Reilly" Harriman on STARGATE SG-1, who went from a bit part to the glue that held the S.G.C. together.
In this video Gary tells "Dial the Gate" host David Read about the time he shot a scene with Richard Dean Anderson without having memorized his lines yet. (It's the opening moments of the Season 8 episode "Zero Hour.") Gary also tells the story of how he was first cast on SG-1, the advice he got from pilot director Mario Azzopardi ... and the perils of success on a long-running show.
This clip is from our full-length, 90-minute conversation with Gary Jones. Watch the full interview here: • 009: Gary Jones, "Walt...
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"Stargate" and all related materials are owned by MGM Studios and MGM Television. The "Dial the Gate" theme is composed by Neal Acree.
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[@MikaelMurstam]

"When I get to the seventh chevron I like to mix it up a bit and say...locked" hahaha

[@heathb4319]

"Chevron one is Lit Up" "Chevron seven...also lit up" Walter, 200th episode.

[@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705]

One of the few funny lines in an otherwise sad episode.

[@knerduno5942]

"Hey, don't get smart with me. This computer store pays your rent, mister. If it weren't for my mistakes, you'd be out of a job. "

[@geofrancis2001]

walter should have had his own episode, he was literally the first line of defence for earth.

[@jmrggrmj9330]

I always thought so.

[@offwhitemke]

I like to think the show was about Walter.

[@geofrancis2001]

He was like the guy in friends that worked the coffee machine.

[@darkhope97]

Or one a about syler

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

Yeah, make it a day dream episode where Walter is at his station and you see him kind of zone out and we see him portrayed as the hero, leading an SG mission with a 50-cal in hand (completely over the top action hero). This would be similar to "The Other Guys" episode in hilarity. lol

[@Synapticsnap]

The SGC's control room was not complete without Walter. Whenever there was a show and Walter wasn't at the helm; I felt someone important was missing.

[@camillal7302]

It still bugs me that he wasn't the one to dial Atlantis, when the expedition went out.

[@killerrosebudiscool]

@@camillal7302 speaking of Atlantis, Grodin and Chuck were pretty fun too, though shame about Grodin

[@ThePeacemaker848]

Indeed

[@muriloninja]

Exactly! Seemed odd. ha!

[@sampah89]

@@camillal7302 That had to be his day off. Dude needed a break after all

[@ceterfo]

My favorite scene with Walter has to be when he's explaining to the documentary crew what he does. "We could automate it but they feel better with somebody behind the iris yeah it's pretty great"

[@andybrown4284]

Always thought it was great that Hammond took Walter with him on the first prometheus flight

[@NetAndyCz]

The secondary characters are what made StarGate so enjoyable and alive.

[@Hawkcam1996]

The Stargate Program would’ve never lasted without Walter. 😊

[@flyingninja1234]

These dial the gate interviews have been great. Thank you for posting them.

[@GateWorldDotNet]

Glad to hear you are liking them!

[@dantetre]

Yes, in 90% Walter and Syler were always doing the same "boring" thing, but they could really shine and give a laugh, gig in the 10%. :D

[@guspaz]

The guy who played Siler was actually the show's stunt co-ordinator and Richard Dean Anderson's stunt double (among others) so he had plenty of work behind the scenes.

[@robd1329]

@@guspaz Siler got a memorable episode...walter didnt!

[@k-d-n]

I always loved Walter. He reminded me of "Radar" O’Reilly from MASH (which first name funny enough also was Walter).

[@HossBlacksilver]

From what I've heard, that wasn't coincidence.

[@jamesmartin9401]

Yes, exactly. Like Radar, but a little less insecure. They were both Walters played by Garys. How weird is that?

[@wsconsn]

The fact that this man can identify the episode form “it was a walk and talk with rda” means he’s the man for this job.

[@skipper4126]

I would have loved a short run mini series spinoff featuring the real heroes of the SGC and their daily ordeals Featuring but not limited too: Sgt Siler Sgt Harriman With supporting characters like: Dr. Lee

[@kataseiko]

Some nerds will probably have compiled all the gate addresses and made a time table and say "SG3 has been on this frozen planet where they sent Anubis, I'm sure that's a mistake that I will ask about at the next ComicCon.

[@amandasunshine2]

Nerds are thorough

[@JB52520]

"Boredom can lead to ingratitude." I'll have to remember that.

[@benw9949]

Walter always interested me. He clearly was a trained, skilled tech, more than we got to see. He was just doing his job, but he's more responsible than the dialogue and action might make you think at first. I was glad when he got chances to do more. He's like the Radar O'Reilly of Stargate. :) -- I would love to see him in some bigger role if we get a 4th Stargate series, now that Amazon has bought MGM and Stargate. Maybe Waler is now a civilian consultant. Maybe he has some other role. But I'd like him to be there, maybe a recurring guest star. Something.

[@TriNity-GER]

Man the thing with the planets is gold. This'll enhance my next binging so much :D

[@ManicPandaz]

The episode Heroes with the Walters interview about his job was some of the most cathartic comedy in all of Star Gate. We always wondered and he answered with a perfect straight man. Plus that women in the background that gave him the look, priceless lol

[@In5idious1989]

Amazing! Just went and rewatched the start of 'Zero Hour', then couldn't help myself and rewatched '200'.

[@steve64464]

I considered him the "Gate Master" :-)

[@heathermakesthings5499]

This is awesome, Walter is my family's favorite character.

[@ky5666]

"Boredom can lead to ingratitude." I think there are many celebrities that could learn alot from that statement.

[@mikesmith2102]

The radar O'reilly of Stargate!! You were perfect. You always knew what the general needed before he did. I just watched "Dead raising: watchtower" on Amazon Prime where you're the Fema director.

[@sunnypumkin]

I know I’m late to comment on this clip…”Walter” might have done basically the same things but at times his expressions were priceless and made the scene! One of my favorite characters for sure!

[@GateWorldDotNet]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Mimi!

[@lidlrini]

Gary/Walter is so wholesome, I adore him so much.

[@chrisdelagarza8048]

WALTER DIAL THE GATE... Close the IRIS, Open the IRIS, SHUT IT DOWN..... Oh my God I love this guy. That would be awesome if he came back

[@madpogue]

Hearing these interviews with Jones, Shea, McBeath all these years later, I get a better appreciation for what a bang-on job they did putting on American accents.

[@mrsenstitz]

His acting grabbed me when he rolled his eyes ( nearly) at Samuels. In the season 1 finale.

[@thomasloh86]

"Chevron 1 - 7 encoded"

[@ManicPandaz]

Chevron 1 - 6 encoded. Chevron 7 locked.

[@rogue_angel]

I have a little story about when I first met Gary Jones. I work at a hotel in downtown Seattle. The Mayflower Park hotel and we get our share of Canadian celebs here. Gary Jones, Amanda Tapping a couple years before that, John de Lancie (who played Q on STNG), Jim Byrnes who played in The Highlander tv series (He's a regular). This particular day I was off but stopped by the hotel for something and I was talking to one of the valet guys just inside the doorway and happened to glance to my left and noticed this man standing just outside of the Concierge office but his back was to me and he was looking towards our upper level of the lobby. I don't know why but the body, the height, and hair looked familiar. I kept looking waiting for him to turn around, thinking....is that?.....then he turned around and I just yelled out, "OMG! Stargate SG-1!" (Cause I was in shock and couldn't immediately remember his name) He looked at me and smiled and said, "That's right!" His girlfriend was in the Concierge office talking to the Concierge so he came over and we chatted for a while talking about episodes and mentioned how sad I was when Doc Frazier was killed. I told him that Amanda Tapping stayed with us just a couple years ago but I was off that day. It was a nice little chat. I got to at least take a pic with him: postimg.cc/BX07SyWS

[@beholder9]

It must be very cold inside his house......

[@joemck74]

There should have been a USS Walter Merriman as a logistics/support ship or an orbital defence platform for Earth. Something that would either control the traffic and shoot threats in the space immediately around Earth, or something that worked in a support role for the USS George Hammond.

[@deancain1841]

Man, loved Walter, such a solid character and performance. Thank you for being a great actor!

[@phunkydroid]

They could have just put his lines on a clipboard and it would fit the scene just fine.

[@erikvo5268]

I. Love. Walt. This was a treat to watch, thanks!

[@skippyjo2468]

Walter is still one of my fave characters!

[@quinnsinclair7028]

I wish they'd done an episode of Stargate like Next Generation's Lower Decks, where it's from the perspective of all the side characters we see often but dont spend time with. So we see the major contributions Sylar and Walter and such are making while SG-1 just sort of passes through the background of the episode.

[@rkleblanc1]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Gary, I'm sure there are a MASSIVE number of fans out there that, at the time, tracked and logged all of that technical stuff, and somewhere out there in the far reaches of the internet, your ASS was roasted over and over again in chat rooms because you got the planet numbers all wrong. I'm still smiling over that admission. Way too funny.

[@SteelWolf13]

Nice to have a guest put an interupting host in their place. He's like shush david i'm not done wait your turn all by just saying his first name like he's wanting to back hand him quietly.

[@franksanta-teresa971]

The only thing that used to bother me was when they would call him "sergeant". The character he played was a Chief Master Sergeant and the proper way to address him would be "Chief".

[@theprpljypsy]

The "Radar" Walter of SC1.. My personal favorite Character. After Dr. Fraser of course.. (She was So Cute!)

[@mrsenstitz]

I used to say "oh look Gary's got lines again".

[@Shervin86]

Who paused and went to check out the scene with all the planets he's talking about? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jasonscottjenkins]

To be honest, I've never kept track of the planetary designations.

[@Shervin86]

@@jasonscottjenkins ya same... I am sure he's not the only one who mixed things up... I mean cmon!!😄😄

[@silmarian]

As someone whose first career was IT, Walter was my favorite character 😊

[@aytviewer2421]

That was a great interview. Loved it!

[@kenk4158]

Sure, walter spent a lot of time counting chevrons, but you knew shit was getting real when he picked up an MP5 during a foothold.

[@ClaudioBOsorio]

I love this so much. Nice interview. Gary can definitely tell stories man. I love it

[@Indyjonesfan]

Got to meet and hangout with him at a hotel Bar such an awesome guy and one of my favorite characters on the shows.

[@erictaylor5462]

6:00 I literally saw that episode yesterday. A stitch in time.

[@somebuddyX]

One of my favourite scenes is in There but for the Grace of God where it's the last stand of the SGA in the alternate universe and Walter and Colonel Hammond are shooting at the approaching Jaffa

[@Lordoftheapes79]

Gary's moment in the 100th episode was one of my favorite. How different would the show have felt without him?

[@BwucceM]

"Daniel : You take some coffee ??!!!!!!!!!!!....... Walter :Euhhhhh...... Daniel : lol i'm joking !"

[@NexXxus86]

well opening and closing the iris saves lives.

[@MrTheJiugo]

Walter made the show awesome! 🥳

[@dswpro]

My favorite episode is when the gate gets beamed out right behind Walter.

[@lindapoel3685]

Gary, they couldn't have done it without you!! 😘

[@user-mm6tn1gp4q]

Otro actorazo del sg1

[@september9024]

Walter and Siler best 2 side characters

[@2bituser569]

He was an ass in Sliders. I remember him in the Escape Clause with Tim Allen.

[@2bituser569]

Where did they get the planet designations from??

[@richardtbenton]

Where did you get your Pegasus logo from Weirs office?

[@jaimemunoz5920]

Gary Jones can you do a video where you lie and say you don't miss stargate at all. them cut to saying chevron 1 encoded chevron 2 etc when dialing a rotary phone?

[@muriloninja]

lol..."Dial The Gate" guy was cool and I really don't know why but I am thinking consistency of being in a lot of those scenes so you were comfortable knowing he was there in the control room.

[@doniotte681]

Bring back STARGATE and Hopefully New Shows. Please? ......Thanks

[@user-mm6tn1gp4q]

Saludos desde Ecuador

[@itselliexoxx]

Walter is the staple of the sgc

[@andywood5699]

Intense fans will remember the planet number sequences. Crazy I know but they do. (not me)

[@alwenke212]

Sci Fi fans tend to be high IQ science nerds, which means they are often math nerds who are used to memorizing strings of numbers at a glance. So,,, continuity !

[@benw9949]

An easy solution that would work in the show: Give Walter a clipboard to consult notes, and he can have a sticky note or script page with the planet names. They're always in a hurry, fighting against the odds in these things. Or a modern solution, he'd have a computer tablet, but he still might have paper notes or sticky notes! It would be realistic and would fit the show situation. (I'm doing a rewatch. I don't recall what's going on in that episodes and scene, but I'd think that's an easy fix for a problem like that. And in real life, he'd have trouble keeping track of multiple random text strings, even if he's been dealing with them for hours.

[@Fexone718]

Walt was great ! I enjoyed his char !

[@ThePeacemaker848]

We all liked when he got some more scenes in the show. SG1 was great but the episodic format can give a tiresome feel to the 4 main cast. Adding just a few more lines/scenes for Walter/Syler really made the show come together from a viewers perspective.

[@mikeknapp6305]

👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✌️✨🛸✨

[@HossBlacksilver]

I have a shirt, the Evolution of Harriman

[@hussssshie]

tbf he had one of the most repetitive scripts on set. Only behind Teal'c's Indeed.

[@blitzkriegtwo]

6:05 haha this man is so hippie and his caracter has same behaviour like he has haha. This is when we realise this real people made the series more great than star wars.

[@kozmabalazs]

Hungarians love stargate xD

[@mortenk98]

I suppose that would be this scene kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaSVf6Zmnc2XirM

[@darrenkrivit6854]

PX-2 Blah blah blah 😆

[@plaguemaster308]

Wait he fired a machine gun?

[@danielyeshe]

I think it was in There But for the Grace of God - or the one with the alternate Carter and the quantum mirror.

[@unionjackjackson4352]

Great to hear from the actors but it would be nice if you'd stop showing off your knowledge and interrupting them! I get it, you know alot about Stargate, but I'm not watching the video to hear you am I?