“Amelia Banks” actor Sharon Taylor returns from the Pegasus Galaxy to share stories of her time in the Ancient city and take your questions LIVE!

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Timecodes
0:00 – Opening Credits
0:59 – Welcome and Episode Outline
02:14 – Guest Introduction
02:34 – How did you get involved with Stargate?
05:29 – Tell us about working with this troop of actors – legends in the field.
06:13 – Tell us about how you got into this industry.
06:53 – Is there any particular role that really stands out to you?
08:24 – Adding Parts of Yourself
10:11 – Did you lean on Gary Jones or Chuck Campbell at all?
12:08 – Growth Before Series Conclusion
13:22 – Do you kickbox in real life?
13:57 – What was it like working with Bam Bam?
16:27 – What was it like working with the creative team on Atlantis compared to other projects?
20:13 – What kinds of projects do you want to do that you haven’t yet had the chance to do?
21:52 – Actors Reinventing Themselves
23:27 – Bad Blood
27:19 – How was it working with a stunt coordinator while having martial arts training yourself?
29:42 – Any indications about the character and what a Season Six would have been like?
32:51 – What is your favorite kind of entertainment to watch?
35:32 – Thank you, Sharon!
38:04 – Jewel Staite and the Pop Culture Museum
40:45 – Thank you Sharon (Again)!
41:37 – Post-Interview Housekeeping
49:04 – End Credits

***

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read
Welcome, everyone to episode number let me see here. What are we on now? I believe it’s 93, if I’m not mistaken, 93 of Dial the Gate. My name is David Read. Thanks so much for tuning in. I’m really excited about this special guest, first timer to the show. But before we bring Sharon Taylor in, I have an invitation on behalf of our program. If you like Stargate, and you want to see more content like this on YouTube, it will mean a great deal. If you click the Like button, it makes a tremendous difference with YouTube’s algorithm and will help the show continue to grow its audience. We’re at 11,000, we’ll be crossing the 12,000 subscriber threshold really soon here. And please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend and if you want to get notified about future episodes, click the Subscribe icon. Giving the Bell icon to click will notify you the moment a new video drops. And you’ll get my notifications of any last minute guest changes. This is key if you plan on watching live and clips from this live stream will be released over the course of the next several days on the GateWorld.net YouTube channel. Thanks so much for tuning in. I have Sharon Taylor, Amelia Banks from Stargate Atlantis.

Sharon Taylor
Hi.

David Read
All the way from the Pegasus Galaxy.

Sharon Taylor
All the way.

David Read
How are you?

Sharon Taylor
I’m great. How are you?

David Read
I am very good. Thank you so much for joining us. This is fantastic to have you.

Sharon Taylor
Well, I’m honored to be here.

David Read
I almost called you Amelia. Sharon, take us back to your Atlantis audition. Had you auditioned for Stargate before Banks? Tell us about about this process of getting involved with this show that continues to grow its fandom after years and years.

Sharon Taylor
Yes, it’s actually kind of a funny story because I first auditioned to play the Replicator technician. And all the producers were in the room, both Martins, whole bunch of people in the room. And then I got the part as the technician and it was a small part and then I got a call a couple months, like a couple months later, same season that they’re shooting, and they said, “Oh, they want you back on the show.” And so back in those days scripts did not get emailed to you, they get dropped off at your house, like we had a courier come drop it off at your house. So the courier comes and drops it off at my house, this is a new script which I think is going to be the Replicator technician again. And it says female technician, Amelia Banks, on the starship like on the Atlantis. And then I was like, “Oh, they made a mistake. Because I’m a Replicator. I’m not human.”

David Read
Like from the return once the Replicators come back to Atlantis and take over?

Sharon Taylor
Well, that’s what I thought maybe that’s what was happening or something.

David Read
Okay.

Sharon Taylor
And then so I, I contacted my agent and I said, “Oh, they sent me the wrong thing. Like it’s not the character I played before.” And so he looked into it, and he said, “No, it’s you.” And he’s like, “And you’re the first actor to ever do that. Most actors would like quietly just take it and take the job and be like, haha, show up for work and take the money”. But I was like,”No, no, you have the wrong person.” And they’re like, “No, we have the right person.” So then they brought me back. And then when I was there, I said to Joe Mallozzi, I said, “Well, I’m like a Replicator. So now I’m a human. How does that work?” And then he said, “Well, we liked what you did, and then the Replicators can replicate any human form so maybe that particular Replicator was Amelia Banks.”

David Read
Yeah, that’s entirely possible. That makes a lot of sense. So that’s the thing with science fiction, they can do anything that they want, as long as they hang a lantern on it and it makes some kind of sense. And it turned into what was it a two-year gig for you that lasted all the way into the show. You are in that last major shot overlooking San Francisco Bay in season five. Tell us about working with this troupe of actors. I mean, Jason Momoa, for crying out loud, Robert Picardo. I mean, legends in the field.

Sharon Taylor
Legends, legends. I’m so grateful to have worked with those actors. I had such a great working relationship with them. And then I actually just worked with Jason again recently on See.

David Read
Okay.

Sharon Taylor
So I’ve managed to still kind of stay friends with people. Last week, I just worked with Jewel Staite again on her new show. We’re working together again, and then actually it’s just so much fun to see everybody still. Like I still bump into some of the the actors, the ones that live in Vancouver.

David Read
Exactly right. Tell us about how you got into this industry? How far does it go back for you? How old were you when you knew that this is what you wanted to do?

Sharon Taylor
So it goes back to when I was a teenager, I was in all the school plays. And then you know, went to university and got my degree in theater. And then right after theater, I started a theater group with my friends. And we did professional shows all over Vancouver, and then eventually you realize you don’t really make a lot of money doing theater. So then got an agent going to auditions and just slowly worked myself up from there. And here I am.

David Read
Wow, is there any particular role that really stands out to you as one that challenged you in ways that you didn’t really expect or presented an opportunity to you that, that you didn’t anticipate?

Sharon Taylor
Actually, my favorite role that I have played is the character of Rose on Bad Blood, which is a Netflix series. And it’s a Canadian show about the Canadian Mafia. And I didn’t know much about the Canadian Mafia at the time. And I was like, I didn’t even know there was a Canadian Mafia. In the 80s and 90s, like, well, I guess it even started before that a bunch of the original New York Mafia, they came up that side of the continent and they came into Montreal, and they were running their drugs and booze all through the ports in Montreal. So there’s like all these incredible true stories of the Mafia in Montreal. And then so I got cast as Kim Coates’ girlfriend on the show and she’s also a drug runner. And so it’s such an interesting character for me because she was good, but she was doing bad things, because she’s selling cocaine and all this stuff. But she’s still a good person. So it was a complex, awesome character, who got to do everything. I got to fall in love. I got to shoot guns, I got to do everything.

David Read
Wow. Wow, when you’re exploring some of these other characters, how often do you feel like you’re able to employ a part of yourself or is a part of yourself always there?

Sharon Taylor
That’s a really good question. And because, you know, there’s actors like Julia Roberts, who she basically plays herself, and she just plays a piece of herself with every character, but I mean, she can win awards and Oscars and Golden Globes doing that, right? Not everyone can get away with that. But for myself, I recently worked with Vincent D’Onofrio, and he’s like such an incredible actor, and like he’s an icon for actors of our generation. And his advice to the actors that we were all working with, he’s like, “The scenes come from your tummy. Like the emotion comes from deep inside you. So you don’t necessarily, you’re not putting on a feeling, it has to come from inside you.” So to answer your question, I do think that it’s a little bit of you. So for myself, I think it’s a little bit of myself in every character. And the reason why Amelia Banks worked so well for me because it was my one of my first acting gigs ever. And Amelia Banks is like very like by the book and wants to do a good job in like opening the Stargate and very technical about things. And that’s how I felt. I was like, “This is my first day. It’s my first thing. I want to print all the right buttons on the thing even though they’re just stickers.” There’s nothing there but stickers, but I’m like, “That sticker means this, I’ve decided that sticker means that.” So I was essentially the same person for that character.

David Read
Did you lean on Gary Jones or Chuck Campbell at all?

Sharon Taylor
I did. I asked both of them. I said, “What do you guys do because I want to do the same.” So, yeah, I mean, like, I don’t want to do something different.

David Read
What works?

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, what works and what are you doing? And so that’s basically the advice they gave me to they’re like, “Oh, you just have to like decide in your head what those things mean, and just push the buttons with commitment.” Okay, I can do that.

David Read
Commitment, that solid. Well, I mean, there are, to be frank, there are expository characters, there are people who are there to service the story and make the story move forward. The Gate has to be run by someone, it has to be maintained by someone and those people have all their own lives, we just got off the Zoom chat with Gary Jones, for 10 years, that’s all he was. He opened the iris, he closed the iris, turned the Stargate on and off, and ordered parts. But at the same time, that’s not all that he did because there was a whole life to this character outside of that, that was built around his role, because he was there all the time, and would have known all the people who would have gone through that thing.

Sharon Taylor
Right, and like he would have seen them come back from their missions, all injured and broken and hurt. And like they would have seen them falling in love or not falling in love, so he’s still a part of it and same with all those secondary, I mean, we are essentially secondary characters within the plot.

David Read
To facilitate the story.

Sharon Taylor
That’s right, we facilitate the story, but at the same time, they know all the other characters and what’s going on. So it does become more of a cohesive team. But the cool thing about Amelia was that she was so close to the end of the finale to like having more to her character. So I was like if there was a season six like…

David Read
Yeah, that has to piss you off.

Sharon Taylor
Right? I was I kind of asked a couple of the producers about that too. I was like, “What was like gonna happen in the season six?” And they were like, “Yeah, you were gonna be in it a lot more.”

David Read
Yeah, well, we clearly see where things are going there. Because there were a couple of love triangles throughout the center of the show that begin to really get ironed out near the end of that there. Certain characters found their places and they found who to fight for. I mean, that’s a great, that shining moment with you and Jason in the Prodigal, five years of Kickboxing.

Sharon Taylor
Right.

David Read
She can kick some butt.

Sharon Taylor
Looking at her like, “What the fuck?”

David Read
I didn’t know you could. [inaudible]

Sharon Taylor
He’s like, “You can fight? I just watched you push buttons for the last four years.”

David Read
That’s my day job.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. Everybody needs to get a like a workout and vent. Right?

David Read
Teresa Mc asked, “Do you Kickbox for real?”

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, I do. And that’s actually why they wrote that into the character. Because one day, after pushing buttons for multiple episodes, again, Joe Mallozzi was like, “What do you do for fun?” And I said, “Oh, I have my second degree black belt. And I train all the time. I’m usually at the martial arts school.” And then he was like, “Oh, interesting.” And then literally, the very next episode, I was fighting Kickboxing.

David Read
He went upstairs and got to work. Absolutely. So you know BamBam pretty well.

Sharon Taylor
Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

David Read
What an awesome human being. What is it like working with him on on stunts and fights?

Sharon Taylor
Well, what’s really cool about him is that he’s a fighter himself. So he’s very talented physically. But he doesn’t take it, so obviously safety is an important, but he doesn’t get upset. He’ll just be like, “Nope, do it again. Nope, do it again. Do it again.” And so he’s very matter of fact but he can also crack a joke. So you really like him for that. And actually, what I think is really cool is that he went from being like a stuntman, and then a stunt coordinator on Stargate Atlantis, and then now, I’m sure you know, he’s the director. He’s ike directing all these…

David Read
Superman and Lois and [inaudible]

Sharon Taylor
Right, like, huge shows. So cool when you see someone make that transition and be so successful at it.

David Read
Well, it shows that industry is very good at promoting from within up there. And recognizing the strengths of the people who have started off, smaller, lower on the totem pole or higher depending on which which way it goes, and have advanced in their training and their process. And you can lean on them for all kinds of things, several years in because it’s an industry that really promotes its talent and promotes growth and learning.

Sharon Taylor
Yes, that is exactly true. And that’s a testament to the Vancouver Film Industry. It’s funny, there’s a big difference between the film industry in Canada on the East Coast and as on the West Coast. On the east coast, they tend to do a lot of more Canadian projects and create some more of their own work but in Vancouver, we’re more of a service industry for the American projects. So when the American projects come up here, it’s the same local actors that genuinely like get hired and work together. And so I’ve worked with so many people multiple times, like, I’ll be like, “Oh, here’s so and so here’s so and so.” Like, we’ve worked together on lots of different things.

David Read
As a shorthand.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. Yeah. And plus, like we all go to the same parties. So it’s like we see everybody. Yeah.

David Read
Absolutely. What was it like working with the creative team, like you indicated Joseph Mallozzi was wanting to throw in some extra points for Banks, because he wanted to incorporate that realism. What was it like working with he entire creative team on Atlantis, compared to other projects, and other shows that you’ve worked on up there? We’re talking about a franchise team that did 17 seasons before they wrapped. That’s a large chunk of time. That’s a lot of familiarity with people, then that’s a lot of, I would imagine, fairly a lot of comfortability, at the same time as doing the work and getting it done.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, I mean, essentially, that like when I got involved, like you said, it’s already been up and running for very many years, because a lot of the people from Atlantis were also like, from SG-1, come over. So not only are they kind of like a family, but it’s like a well oiled machine. They’re not making silly mistakes, or having to redo things because they’ve done this a million times, and they know how to fix it, and they know how to take care of business. So it was a very efficient way of working.

David Read
It’s a whole process. And there’s, I would imagine, there’s a lot of opportunity for levity as well, making sure you get the job done, but also you have to have a good time, long days.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, long days. And then so that’s what I mean, when there is that efficiency, the people are less stressed out. So you can like crack jokes and people are kind of like when they’re setting up the the lights and the camera shot, people can like can laugh a bit and hang out. But whereas there’s other sets that I’ve been on, where like everybody is so stressed out, you’re trying to get this shot, and this isn’t working and they can’t set this light. And so it’s like you don’t dare crack a joke or joke around or laugh, like everyone’s like, silent. Just waiting.

David Read
Is it a herd mentality from the director down? Or the lead.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, the director sets the tone for sure. But so does the number one and the number two, number three, like the lead actors, that’s what they’re called, like the number one actor, the number two actors.

David Read
Like on the call sheet.

Sharon Taylor
Thank you. Thank you. On the call sheet. Yeah, so those are the people that really set the tone too. So when those performers are relaxed, and the director is relaxed, and like everybody’s just, yeah, get the job done. But we can have fun while we’re doing it.

David Read
But if it’s not, part of me would be like, I don’t care what they pay me for if I have to go through that again, with that configuration of people. Oh, I don’t know. Yeah, man.

Sharon Taylor
I have actually, like when I was before Stargate, I had done like a couple like independent films and short films, just to get experience and they were a disaster like, it was just horrible and people are upset and fighting and stressed out. Nobody’s getting paid because they were all volunteering, tried to get stuff done. It was just horrible and I was like, I’d come from theater which is also very, like a real sense of camaraderie and fun. A lot of us…

David Read
You’re in the trenches.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, and then I was like, “Oh my god, everybody’s miserable here.” I’m like, “Maybe I don’t want to be in the film industry.”

David Read
Am I getting a sign God? Geez.

Sharon Taylor
The universe sent me to Stargate Universe. And then got on that show. And then I was like, “Oh, actually, this is actually kind of fun, nice.”

David Read
Absolutely. What kinds of projects do you want to do that you haven’t had a chance to tackle yet? More drama more comedic?

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, more drama. It’s really interesting that right now I’m nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy for this TV show called Jann, which is on Hulu.

David Read
How did I not know about this?

Sharon Taylor
And I play. It’s about a Canadian singer, who’s a real person, named Jann Arden who had a bunch of hits in the 90s. And then so it’s like a fictional take on her life. It’s she’s like a aging popstar who’s like trying to come back at it. And it’s really funny and goofy, and I play her girlfriend in that. So it’s actually like, and we always break up and get back together and breakup and fight. And we have to go to therapy and all these things. So it’s over the top, but it’s still really fun. And then I couldn’t even believe I got the part because I’m usually very serious characters, and I’m usually arresting people or murdering people on TV. And then now I’m like, now I’m like the lead girl’s, partner. And I’m like, making people laugh. So and I’m actually nominated for an award.

David Read
Wow. Well, congratulations. Now she is based on a real person, the person you’re playing, was she her real girlfriend or was she an abstract?

Sharon Taylor
It’s a fictional character just to like make the plot extra funny. Yeah, yeah. The main character’s trying to like reboot her 90s pop career, but at the same time she’s a lot older now.

David Read
What is it about professionals in a lot of these industries who find themselves being forced to reinvent who they are? And does it give you an opportunity as performers to try and tackle another layer of your art in a way that you didn’t when you were younger because it also forced you to reassess a part of yourself and your own approach. When you’re when you’re going on to set and saying, “You know what? I was doing it this way five years ago, I want to try something else now. And maybe the response will be different.”

Sharon Taylor
Yes. Yeah, exactly. Because I used to take acting, because I have always done martial arts. And then I ended up being a martial arts instructor for a long time. There’s a rigidness to that, and rigidness to being a teacher. And so it was always like, “Yes, sir, Yes, ma’am.” And so I played lots of military characters, like even Faora when i played on Smallville was very strong, by the book, following orders. And so a lot of that, I think, also just crept in from my martial arts background, but then I took these acting classes, and then the acting teacher, he’d be like, “Do you just want to play like an outer space warrior your whole life? That all you want to do?” He’s like, “Okay, queen of outer space.” He’s like, “Don’t you want to try something different?” And I’m like,” Oh.e would like, make me so like, picking up me. “And then I was like, “No, okay.” He’s like, “Come on, be more vulnerable.” He’s like, “Even tough people are vulnerable. You can’t just be tough all the time.” And I was like, “Oh, yeah, yeah.” So I tried to layer that vulnerability in with some of my tough characters, and I think Bad Blood is the first time I actually accomplished it efficiently.

David Read
Okay. I’m gonna have to go check this thing out now. So is this the one that’s on Netflix?

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, it’s on Netflix.

David Read
Okay, it’s one season?

Sharon Taylor
It’s two seasons, but I’m a series regular in the second season.

David Read
All right. Got it. Will definitely hook myself up here. A sprawling crime drama.

Sharon Taylor
Well, yes. You’ll learn a lot about the Canadian Mafia.

David Read
The Rizzuto family.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, because that’s all true. And that’s why it’s so bananas because when I first auditioned for season two, I was like, “What is this?” and I started Googling it and looking it up, and I’m like, “Holy crap, these are all real people.” And then I watched the first season and they are ruthless. They’re killing, they’re shoot each other in restaurants and they’re just like like assassins, murderers. And I’m like, “This really happened in Montreal.” Like they were walking into restaurants and blowing each other’s brains out. It was an insane time back in Montreal back in those days.

David Read
Part of me would be a little bit nervous, because if these people were real, they potentially would have surviving family members. And if…

Sharon Taylor
We dealt with that.

David Read
I would think so.

Sharon Taylor
We had to change the name of the show while, you know how when you’re shooting they list with the little neon signs set with the name on the telephone poles or on the roads to leave directions to the set. Like at first it was Bad Blood, but then we would get threats. So then they had to change the name. And so they kept having to choose all these fake names.

David Read
These people are not screwing around.

Sharon Taylor
No, because one time the production showed up to shoot a scene. And there was a bunch of guys there and they’re like, “You’re not filming here today.” And everybody was like, “What? Is like, oh, yeah, not filming here today. Okay, I guess we got to find a new place to film.” Yeah, it’s real. It’s real.

David Read
Wow. Did you ever yourself feel like, I’m putting myself out there for this drama, reflecting a true crime syndicate family made perhaps in the past, but still, was there ever like a fear for your own safety?

Sharon Taylor
Well, I never did though, I never did feel worried I was playing a fictional character. But because by the second season, they had to add in a bit of fiction, just because there weren’t very many female characters, or there weren’t very many females involved in that whole true Mafia story. So in order to include more female characters, they had to make them fictional.

David Read
Okay, so and thus making it less like a group of people who would have a problem with what you were, okay.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. So I think they have less problems with season two, season one they definitely had, yeah, people had some problems. But my mom was worried. My mom was scared. She was like, “Oh, no I don’t like this.”

David Read
Mom, I can take care of myself.

Sharon Taylor
They keep changing the name. They don’t know it’s us.

David Read
The things that you guys have to deal with sometimes like to get a story across. There are some stories that have a harder time being told than others. Certainly, life sucking aliens from the Pegasus Galaxy are not going to be beating down your door saying…

Sharon Taylor
Go at it.

David Read
Yeah, we dislike your portrayal.

Sharon Taylor
Yes, that was not an accurate portrayal of that particular alien.

David Read
You do it like this not like, so that’s funny. Bernd Backhaus wanted to know picking up from his, so we had we had BamBam on earlier this year. “How was it working with a stunt fight choreographer if you yourself have martial arts experience? Are they willing to let you incorporate some of your own experience? Or do you approach a new scene and a new fight with a blank slate and just absorb what they’re giving you?”

Sharon Taylor
So I’ve had to do, so on Stargate Atlantis, that was my very first fight scene ever. And then since then, I’ve actually done a lot. It’s different kind of with every show you work on, sometimes I show up and they’ve already got it choreographed.

David Read
I see.

Sharon Taylor
I feel like this is what I want you to do.

David Read
Got it, you to do.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. But with BamBam and also it was my very first time and he knew that. So we met beforehand and he said, “Show me what you can do. Like just so I know what I’m working with, show me what you can do.” So we met and I just showed him that I like to kick, I was a kicker back then, I like to kick and everything. And so he’s like, “Alright, alright, sounds good. We’re gonna do the kicks.” And then so we had another rehearsal, and Paul Lazenby played the hybrid, and he and I fight. And then Paul’s like a real fighter in real life, too. And he’s like a very strong man. And so when we were rehearsing, he’s like, ‘You can just really kick me. You can just like kick me. If you want kick me.” And I like I’m kind of laughing because he’s selling it like I’m really kicking him. But I’m actually more like a fly. Like, “Bing, bing,” on him because he’s like, “No, really kick me.” I’m like, “I am.”

David Read
Wow, he’s a wall.

Sharon Taylor
He’s a wall. He’s a wall. So we did that. And then it turned out great. And it was funny because one of my best friends, she worked in the production office for Stargate, and she was like, “Oh, did they get a man to double you?” And I was like, “That’s not a man, that’s me. We didn’t frickin cut away anything.” I’m like, “That’s all me.”

David Read
You can tell it’s to you.

Sharon Taylor
She’s like, “Oh, I thought maybe it was a man. It was so good.” I was like, “That is sexist.”

David Read
Geez. Go watch it again. Pause it on my face.

Sharon Taylor
There you go.

David Read
Pulling your leg. Has to be. I just rewatched it. I’m like, “There’s no way, it’s can’t be anyone else.”

Sharon Taylor
No, it’s just me. Yeah.

David Read
Oh, geez. Let’s see here. So REDUX​Q wanted to know, “Were there any indications, and we touched on it a little bit, for what your plans may have been for the future of the show in season six. There was a lot of new female blood in that and that last season.” And we had an all female team at one point, that we were probably going to see some kind of a return for. I think that there would have been definitely some stuff for you to chew on with Momoa, being in the inner circle then.

Sharon Taylor
Yes, from what I understood that was where it was gonna go. So right when after the series finale, they right away talked about going into a movie.

David Read
Correct. Extinction.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. So right away, they talked about going to a movie, and then I was told that my character was in a movie. So I was like, “Oh, darn it.”

David Read
Yeah, not everything pans out the way that we want it to. But have you heard about Amazon’s acquisition of MGM?

Sharon Taylor
I did. Yes. I have been reading some of those things on Twitter that people have been posting and this is really interesting.

David Read
Yes, it is. And all of us are campaigning, please do not erase the current continuity that exists and do something in the Brad Wright universe.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, yeah. I did actually read an article saying that like Michael Shanks and Amanda Tapping have already been approached. If you read that same article.

David Read
Yes.

Sharon Taylor
So I don’t know what that means.

David Read
What’s happened, everyone is saying that the rumor, a lot of the news websites that are just jumping on anything to write are saying, a new Stargate, the fourth one is in pre-production, and that it’s going to involve Amanda Tapping and Michael Shanks. And all that’s happened that is publicly available is that Brad Wright has asked them, “Would you be interested in coming back for another project?” And they both said, “Yes, we will be interested,” and Ben Browder as well. But that’s all that means, could there be more? Yes. But is that public knowledge? No, it’s not. And quite possibly, there may be nothing else other than, “Yes, we’re interested.” So I want to get that out there to everyone who’s listening, that we are just, that they’re just getting the feelers out there for moving forward, so that’s what that is.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, they have to write the script. So they got what they have available to work with.

David Read
Who they are. Yeah, that’s right. Yeah.

Sharon Taylor
Who they can pepper in or make a story or build a story around. Yeah.

David Read
Yeah. So I am hopeful that an SG four will be a continuation of the existing mythology and I’m really hopeful that it’ll bring in lovely faces like yourself. Would you be game for an SG four reappearance?

Sharon Taylor
Oh my god, of course. Yeah. Such fun people. And it’s like such a beloved franchise to, right? You can do anything with a Stargate, anywhere you can do everything. You can have like a Man in the High Castle vibe.

Sharon Taylor
Alternate Earth or yeah.

Sharon Taylor
Alternate episodes, alternative, like, oh yeah, alternate realities and dimensions and everything. Yeah, everything, time, eras, planets.

David Read
What’s your favorite kind of entertainment to watch? Do you watch TV?

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. Well, I actually watch a lot of TV. More than probably, I should admit, but I’m like, the beginning of the pandemic that’s all I did. I just like watch so much. And even before that, I’m a big TV person. I reckon that it’s my industry and my job. I kind of need to know what’s out there. And sometimes I receive an audition and I look at it, and I go, “Oh, they stole this idea from this show.” Like, I know this is exactly what this is. I know how to change it and make it better or I know how to work with this. Because I’m one of the only people that I know that I have cable, I have all the channels, I have Crave, I have Amazon, I have Netflix, like I watch everything.

David Read
Sharon, why is that? Why are you one of the only people? Why is it so many actors stay away from it? Is that they don’t have time or is it that it’s not their thing?

David Read
I don’t know. Maybe they’re not, well, this is gonna sound really like, mean. But I think most actors are actors for themselves. Not because they want to tell a story. And for me, the storytelling part is my favorite part. I love stories. My favorite TV shows growing up were Quantum Leap and shows like that, where they could see the story that the main characters had a story character arc, but at the same time, like they could still like jump into all these other stories and you still like as an audience, you still feel so satisfied, right? Because I mean, well, actually even a lot of things out now. They’re all like, there’s there’s so much great story [inaudible]

David Read
So much is so good. It’s great that you bring up Quantum Leap, though, because it was a great combination of historical science fiction, with a pair of actors that I mean people just loved to watch and talk about another ending that brings tears to your eyes. It certainly does me when I go back and watch it.

Sharon Taylor
I mean, they need to do a remake of that.

David Read
I would love to, there was talks on the table for years about like Sam’s daughter.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, I did read something. Yeah, I read something about that too. And I was like, “Aah.”

David Read
That would have been good.

Sharon Taylor
But that’s ultimately what Stargate is able of achieving the same idea.

David Read
It’s another kind of portal to storytelling, for sure.

Sharon Taylor
Yeah, exactly. I mean, even on Star Trek when you go in like the holodeck was part of my favorite part, growing up when they would go into the holodeck too.

David Read
They could do anything.

Sharon Taylor
They could do anything.

David Read
Make a landscape or a room full of Klingons with paint sticks. Sharon, this has been terrific. absolutely terrific having you. I apologize, it’s taken so long to bring you in. But I am privileged to have you and I am thrilled with the news of your work with Bad Blood. I’m going to go and check it out now and I encourage all my listeners to do the same on Netflix. Is there anything else that you want us to keep eyes open for the near future?

Sharon Taylor
No, not right now. I’ve actually got lots of like, smaller, recurring parts on a bunch of different shows.

David Read
Gotta pay the bills.

Sharon Taylor
The one I’m most proud of, then there’s Jann, if you want like the goofy comedy, like about like a middle-aged woman, it’s right up there, too. It’s pretty funny. It’s on Hulu.

David Read
Jann is on the Hulu. Alright. Absolutely. Thank you so much.

Sharon Taylor
Thank you. I’m looking at all your memorabilia is that mostly Stargate memorabilia behind you?

David Read
So you’ve got this guy here, the Wraith. So we just did the Stargate Atlantis cast reunion. We shot that for San Diego Comic Con at home. So that’s going to be premiering in late July. And my viewers were like, well, you I’ve had a universe statue in the room here. And everyone’s like, “Well, you need to bring the Wraith back in.” So I have one statue from each show. So and then of course,

Sharon Taylor
That’s awesome

Sharon Taylor
Oh, cool.

David Read
…stuff out there. It’s just absolutely insane and Destiny and everything. But most of its props from the show.

David Read
Thank you. And then of course we got Atlantis over here. That is a fan made 3D printed Atlantis, guy from a 3DTechPro. Just brilliant fan….

Sharon Taylor
Yeah. When I’ve been to a couple of the conventions, specifically the Chicago one, some people made some incredible things like [inaudible] they built, yeah, replicas and [inaudible}

David Read
It’s just crazy how you guys have inspired us to create physical stuff like this to create programming, like Dial the Gate. It’s a gift that just keeps on giving and giving and you never know what’s gonna come out of it next. And I think it’s one of the reasons why Stargate will just never die, as long as there are people, families who continue to watch it with new generations that are born, every decade and a half. It’s not going anywhere.

Sharon Taylor
I love that. I love that. And that’s like you said, it like inspires creativity. You know, again, because we all like good stories. All that stuff behind you reminds me of a funny story. When, last year before the pandemic, Jewel Staite and I did a short film together and it was airing in Seattle at a film festival. And so her and I drove down to Seattle together. And the day before we were like, “Oh, what should we do?” We wanted to go to the Seattle Museum of Pop Culture. And it’s so cool in there. They have like memorabilia from Wizard of Oz…

David Read
Everything.

Sharon Taylor
Everything, everything. It’s so cool. And so we walked into this one room and it’s got like a wall of guns. Like guns, guns, guns, guns, guns, like laser guns, old fashioned guns, like guns from all different TV shows. And I’m staring at it and I go, “Hey, i recognize that gun?” And she’s like, we’re looking at it. And we’re like, “The Stargate Atlantis gun.” And so it was so funny that we’re both, I was there with her and we’re both staring at the Stargate Atlantis gun on this wall.

David Read
Can you give me five seconds?

Sharon Taylor
Yeah.

David Read
Hang on just a second here. I’ll show everyone something too. You should recognize it as well.

Sharon Taylor
Okay.

David Read
I can’t walk away and continue to listen to you. But you had indicated that you were a Replicator first.

Sharon Taylor
That’s right.

David Read
Do you recognize this?

Sharon Taylor
Well, I never shot any guns because I was a technician but that’s definitely like a, it’s definitely a sci fi gun.

David Read
So these were the Asuran Replicator weapons and so these are what your Wraith carried around. And so you got the Ancients here. The craftsmanship of these things is absolutely crazy. This thing is several pounds. It’s CNC’d metal, for I think they do it with water. And the amount of production manufacturing that goes into creating something like this is insane. It comes out of James CD Robbin’s head and willing it into physical reality.

Sharon Taylor
The practicality of it is impressive.

David Read
It’s just nuts. And as performers. I can’t imagine the actors getting these things into their hands and not feeling like, “I’m sorry, but I own the universe. I mean, I really do.” I mean, it’s just it’s absolutely crazy. So.

Sharon Taylor
That’s right, go ahead, it’s my universe.

David Read
That’s great, exactly. Sharon, this has been wonderful having you on and I appreciate you sharing parts of yourself. And we’re gonna look into, I’m gonna look into Jann and Bad Blood and go forward from there. And I wish you all the success in the world as we move out of this pandemic and back into real life.

Sharon Taylor
Yes, thank you, same to you. Thank you for taking the time to talk today.

David Read
Thank you for taking the time to come on. And you know what, the conventions all these things, we’re going to start getting back together. I hope you can do GateCon next year.

Sharon Taylor
I hope so too.

David Read
All right. Well, we’ll see about crossing paths once again.

Sharon Taylor
Thanks, David.

David Read
Thanks so much, Sharon. You take care of yourself and I’ll email you later. Thanks so much for your time, be well.

Sharon Taylor
You too.

David Read
Sharon Taylor, Amelia Banks from Stargate Atlantis. Thanks so much for tuning in. My name is David Read and you’re watching Dial the Gate. I do have some artwork for Atlantis that I came across. I thought this was so cool. Just absolutely blew me away. Nebulan’s work is just outrageous some of the quality of the stuff in terms of like the ideas and everything else I love. I love their style. And let me pull this up here. So this is Stargate Atlantis Football by Nebulan. “I wanted more stuff about the planet Atlantis is on but they mostly just stay indoors.” they say, “They don’t really associate the characters with the city as much. Granted a shot like this would probably take some special effects. I’m sure John would get Teyla and Ronon to learn how to play. The other two who are playing are Cadman and Lorne, because they seem sporty enough to want to join. In the back of Zalenka with his “football” quote unquote. I thought hockey would be another one they’d love to play on the landing pier. But Rodney doesn’t seem like he’d want to step outdoors more than he has to. So it’s the Canadian technician who’s ready with the blades and the stick.” All right, and Dial the Gate is brought to you every week for free and we do appreciate you tuning in. But if you want to support the show, consider buying some of our themed swag, we’re now offering T-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts and hoodies for all ages in a variety of sizes and colors at Red Bubble. You can check out with your Pay Pal or Amazon account and visit DialtheGate.RedBubble.com for more information about that and thanks so much for your support. I think I did have a question for me here. Theresa Mc, “Are you moving because you need to get more space for your collection?” Alright, so in the last episode I announced that I was moving houses. I mean that is on the list as a fair reason. But it’s like number 10. I am planning on moving to a bigger place. There is a rather large Stargate segment from the Destiny Gate room that I have owned for the past two years but it has been in storage in a lockup in Culver City or somewhere like that. So I am next week going out and getting that and we’ll be making that as part of the collection in the Midwest when I move out there. I don’t know if it will be featured in the shot behind me for my new set but we will see. Looking for ideas to like kind of upgrade the set. I may go with the ladder shelves again, may not I’m not entirely sure. So looking for some ideas there. I’m sure there’s someone online who, we make a business in helping you design your perfect YouTube set or whatever. So that’s the thing that’s going on for me. So yes, I am moving. And so we will be having one more live show. Next week is going to be pre-recorded, because I have to go out of town to get some stuff. So next Sunday, June 13 at 12 noon, Valerie Halverson, costume designer for SG-1 seasons nine and 10, Atlantis seasons four and five, and SGU, will be joining us in a pre-recorded interview. We talked for about an hour and a half. Fantastic discussion, countless drawings of hers, pre-production drawings and then production assets, photos of the costumes themselves to share with you guys. So you see a lot of A B comparisons. It’s really cool. And Valerie is just one of my favorite people. I worked with her directly when PropWorks went out and got lovely pieces like this. So she has a lot of stories to tell and a couple of confessions, a couple of interesting confessions as well, where she was designing something and they did not want it that way. And so it was a really fascinating discussion with her. Then at 2 pm on the 13th, Pacific Time, 2pm. Stargate novelists panel, Sally Malcolm brings together several of the Stargate novelists that have been responsible for creating a lot of the Fandemonium content over the past 15, 16, 17 years. Sally Malcolm and I are joined by Jo Graham, Amy Griswold, Laura Harper, Melissa Scott and Susannah Sinard, and you can check out their body of work over at Stargatenovels.com and just click on Bookshop and see their content. A big chunk of the discussion is the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series. According to Fandemonium’s timeline what happened after Atlantis season five. And we had a long discussion about this and it was fascinating. So if you’re a fan of Atlantis in particular, I think you’re really going to enjoy it. And all the authors talk about their books and give pitches for why you should go out and grab them and the the kind of the impetus for each of their stories and what really made them tick. Currently scheduled for the 19th of June is our last live show, which will be a Stargate trivia program at 11 am. So I’m currently getting people together for that. If you think that you have the chops to join us, I am considering people joining us for this particular program. If you’re in the audience, and you know your Stargate content backwards and forwards and think you would be an interesting face on the show. If you’d like me to consider you’re joining us for our group. I can’t guarantee anything but you can write me at [email protected] and see about getting on. If you’re willing to video chat with me and introduce yourself we may be able to pull something off. But that’s currently scheduled for the 19th of June and that’s going to be a Saturday at 11 am Pacific Time. We’ve also recorded Joseph Mallozzi, part nine, Atlantis season one, we cover that and that will be airing the 27th of June at 12 pm Pacific Time. So there’s a lot of content before we run out of runway and I take off. And of course we’ve already recorded episode 100, The Stargate Atlantis cast reunion. We brought together Robert Picardo, Rainbow Sun Francks, David Hewlett, David Nykl, we had Paul McGillion and Torri Higginson and Rachel Luttrell, recorded for San Diego Comic Con at home and that’s going to be debuting the weekend of July the 23rd for San Diego Comic Con and that will then premiere on Dial the Gate, a few hours later. They have it for themselves for about four or five hours and then releases it to us. So that’s what we’ve got all planned out here. That’s everything that’s going on. I appreciate everyone who’s tuned in for this episode. Thanks so much to Sharon Taylor for joining us. She was just terrific. Thanks to my production team, my Producer, Linda Furey “Gate Gabber” and my production assistant, Jennifer Kirby, Sommer, Tracy, Keith, Jeremy Rhys, Antony, my moderating team. These are the people who make the live shows happen week in and week out and we couldn’t couldn’t do it without them at all. My name is David Read for Dial the Gate. I appreciate you tuning in. And I’ll see you on the other side.