Stargate SG-1's General George Hammond (Don S. Davis). Photo copyright of MGM.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, the late Don S. Davis talks about his character of General George Hammond on Stargate SG-1.
When a man or woman joins any branch of the armed services they do so with the understanding that they may one day be asked to defend their country against foreign aggressors. Little did General George Hammond realize that he would eventually be fighting to keep his entire planet from being destroyed by an ancient and violent race of god-like aliens called the Goa’uld.
Hammond oversees a covert government operation involving the Stargate - one of many portals the Goa’ulds use to journey to other planets throughout the universe. A group of archaeologists discovered one of these Stargates in Egypt in 1928 but it took many decades for military intelligence to learn how to operate it. The general commands nine Stargate teams whose primary mission is to explore the strange worlds connected by the Stargates while also searching for evidence of Goa’uld activity. A former Army officer, actor Don S. Davis brings a wonderful authenticity to his portrayal of Hammond on MGM Television’s hit science fiction series Stargate SG-1.
“In the pilot and the initial few episodes of the first season Hammond was pretty much a straight-shooter, no-nonsense, hard-headed kind of guy,” explains Davis. “Thankfully, our writers are very receptive to input from the actors. As we talked I explained that I had served as an officer with the United States Army for three years on active duty during the Vietnam era. I said, ‘You know, field grade officers by nature have to be by-the-book but they are not robots or automatons. There are all types of individuals - poets, artists, musicians - who just happen to wear the gold braid and command troops.
“I suggested that if I were allowed to introduce more of Hammond’s non-military side into the character it would make him more rounded and interesting. They agreed and let me play around with my performance and display more of the general’s humanity. They liked what they saw and we’ve worked to develop that, but because of his official position he’s still the one who ultimately says, ‘No, we have to do it the way our superiors have ordered.’ ”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of MGM, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Comments