The Simpsons Episode That's Filled With Stargate Easter Eggs

"The Simpsons" has surely featured the best guest stars of any TV show in history. Some of that is simply by virtue of having run for a full 36 seasons, but in the early years especially, the show had so much cachet as a cultural force that big-name stars simply couldn't stay away. Though there is one type of guest star "The Simpsons" has yet to land, the long-running series has hosted everyone from A-list actors such as Michelle Pfeiffer to musical icons such as Johnny Cash.

As such, Richard Dean Anderson of "MacGyver" and "Stargate SG-1" fame might not seem like the most notable guest appearance. But the actor's cameo on "The Simpsons" was about more than simply securing yet another celebrity to add to the long list of guest stars. As it happens, Anderson's "SG-1" character, Colonel Jack O'Neill, is a big fan of the animated sitcom, to the extent that throughout the sci-fi series, which ran for 10 seasons before being canceled, O'Neill makes multiple references to the show and even records episodes to watch in his spare time. The leader of the SG-1 team also quotes Homer's famous "d'oh!" catchphrase and has compared the villainous alien race known as the Goa'uld to Springfield's nuclear power plant owner Montgomery Burns.

It was only right, then, that Anderson be given a guest appearance on "The Simpsons," especially when you consider that Marge's sisters Patty and Selma had also been big-time "MacGyver" fans for years. Anderson fronted that action adventure series on ABC for seven seasons between 1985 to 1992, and while his "Simpsons" guest spot came with plenty of references to the show that made his name, it also had plenty of references to "Stargate SG-1."

In 2005, Dan Castellaneta, best known as the voice of Homer Simpson and dozens of other characters on "The Simpsons," guest starred on "Stargate SG-1." The actor played Joe Spencer, a humble barber who effectively becomes a massive "Stargate" nerd after he's haunted by visions of the "SG-1" team and their inter-planetary exploits. Having unwittingly purchased an Ancient Long-range communication stone, Joe's mind is melded with Richard Dean Anderson's Colonel Jack O'Neill, which was fitting considering O'Neill was the biggest "Simpsons" fan on the show.

A year later, the roles were reversed when Anderson guest-starred in the 17th episode of "The Simpsons" season 17, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore." Appropriately, the episode was co-written by Castellaneta himself, who had evidently hit it off with Anderson during his "SG-1" appearance and penned the script for this episode with his wife, Deb Lacusta.

First airing on April 9, 2006, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" sees Homer put in charge of outsourcing the Nuclear Power Plant's operations in India, overseeing the new office overseas, and managing the Indian employees. But the B-story is where we get Anderson's guest-appearance. When he first appears, he's looking for an "SG-1" convention and runs into longtime "MacGyver" fans Patty and Selma (Julie Kavner) on the way. But when he reveals that he never liked playing the resourceful secret agent, the two sisters snap and kidnap the actor. In an homage to his "MacGyver" character, Anderson then escapes by using a contact lens to focus sunlight on his ropes, burning them away. But he quickly finds the thrill of having escaped so addictive that he asks Patty and Selma to put him through similar tests of his ingenuity. The sisters eventually grow weary of Anderson, ultimately convincing him to leave them alone by showing him slides of their vacation to the horse-drawn carriage museum in Alberta, Canada. But while the "MacGyver" references dominated most of the B-plot, there was also plenty of "Stargate" to go around.

"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" made several references to "Stargate SG-1" throughout, and in true "Simpsons" fashion, wasn't afraid to poke fun at the show which had been referencing "The Simpsons" itself for almost a decade by that point. The "SG-1" convention is, at least, depicted as a grand affair at a major convention center over which a blimp flies bearing the message "Stargate Is Awesome." At one point, Richard Dean Anderson also sits down for a Q&A with Comic Book Guy (Hank Azaria), who introduces the event by saying, "Of the four star franchises, 'Wars,' 'Trek,' 'Gate,' and 'Search', 'Gate' is easily my third favorite," to which Anderson replies, "I get that a lot." The crowd is also full of "Stargate" fans in replica "SG-1" crew uniforms, who respond with unbridled glee when Anderson tells them "I feel like I've just gone through the Stargate to one heck of a convention."

The actor himself seemed to have a great time guesting on "The Simpsons," telling Stargate Official Magazine in 2007, "I had more fun than is allowed [...] I was just in awe of what kind of talent [the 'Simpsons' cast] have, what kind of rapport they've developed over the years. It's so professional. It's so creative. I was reenergized about the TV business because if you can have that much fun doing what you do for a living, that's the idea. That's coming home. Those folks are just spectacular." The actor went on to reveal that he felt "a little weird" seeing his cartoon persona on-screen and claimed that his mother "didn't like it." As Anderson explained it, "She said, 'I thought they were mean to you.' I said, 'Mom, that's the idea. That's satire. I'm honored.' She didn't quite understand."

Otherwise, the episode was well-received enough, though by this point, "The Simpsons" was well past its prime. While this wasn't one of the five times "The Simpsons" was banned by an entire country, it did garner criticism for its portrayal of India, and some of the jokes fell flat — such as when Groundskeeper Willie (Dan Castellaneta) was swarmed by "Stargate" fans who considered his kilt to be as close to a "girl" as they'll ever get.