How Teyla Emmagan Actress Rachel Luttrell Reacted to Stargate Atlantis’ Cancellation

The outpouring of love enjoyed by the 10-season series “Stargate SG-1” has its origins in many factors. The appeal of “SG-1” lies in its competent expansion of an existing foundation, namely Roland Emmerich’s “Stargate,” which failed to turn into a trilogy of sci-fi films. Additionally, “SG-1” is representative of long-form genre television associated with wonderful nostalgia, where nuanced character construction goes hand-in-hand with its world-building elements.

So when Syfy and MGM announced a “SG-1” spinoff series, “Stargate Atlantis,” the cast of this new series was understandably worried about what kind of reception they would receive. Fortunately, “Atlantis” was received with enthusiastic warmth, as the series managed to stay true to the ethos of “Stargate” while bringing something new to the table. The adventures that take place over the five seasons of “Atlantis” therefore seem special, with the cancellation of the series unfortunately putting an end to various storylines that had to be condensed during the final season. Rachel Luttrell, who played Atlantis expedition member Teyla Emmagan in the series, spoke to GateWorld about the cast’s surprise reaction to the cancellation of “Stargate Atlantis”:

“Myself and my castmates were betting on what was going to happen whether or not there was a season 6. We kept freaking out. There were days where we thought, ‘Oh, my God. Absolutely, this is going to disappear.’ And then there were days when we would meet and talk about it and say, “This isn’t going to work.” So we went back and forth, but right before we heard the news, we were all pretty certain that we were going to go back for another season. So it was a little surprise. It sank in. It is what it is.

Luttrell also likened the show’s long-running production to a “house” for an actor, explaining how hard it is “for an actor to lose a house” because it’s not very often that an actor “feels like he has a place where he can hang his hat.” Although every production has its challenges, including creative conflicts with peers, Luttrell looks back on the experience fondly, calling the Atlantis team “a big, sometimes dysfunctional family.”

In the same interview, Luttrell highlights “The Queen,” a Teyla-centric Season 5 episode that was incredibly difficult to shoot due to the heavy prosthetics the actor had to don during filming. That said, Luttrell seems happy with Teyla’s arc, which isn’t as lore-heavy as one might expect, but provides fiery insight into her roots and priorities as a central character. “I was happy with Teyla’s growth and the character’s growth, but I think there would have been a lot of other things I could have explored,” Luttrell added, noting the bittersweetness that came with the beloved sci-fi series’ premature conclusion.

Although “Atlantis” was replaced by other franchise projects, including the promising “Stargate Universe,” those efforts were short-lived, with MGM halting all efforts to expand the franchise in 2011. “SG-1” and its spinoff films might have been the franchise’s brightest spark, but “Atlantis” kept the torch burning, airing on Syfy alongside its predecessor to offer a different “Stargate” experience. We must also keep in mind that “Atlantis” is based on a completely new premise, which doesn’t take anything from Emmerich’s original because it aimed to expand the scope of the franchise’s complex world-building (which was brilliantly cemented by “SG-1” over its 10-season run).

Luttrell’s final words about “Stargate Atlantis” summarize his experience with the series and how the show’s discontinued run directly conflicts with the accolades it received, demonstrating how popular and beloved it was:

“It was wonderful […] Like I said, it hasn’t always been perfect, but it was a wonderful experience and I can definitely say that I really liked the rest of my castmates. […] And we were surprised when we finally heard the news. We were surprised because we were fine. We had just won the People’s Choice Awards […] But ultimately, that decision didn’t fall into our hands…the decisions were made for whatever reason. »

All five seasons of “Stargate Atlantis” are currently streaming on Prime Video and Hulu.