Michael Shanks' Stargate SG-1 Look Came From A Silly Studio Note

"Stargate SG-1" ran for an impressive 10 seasons from 1997 to 2007, and during that time the cast changed quite a bit. Ben Browder joined in the 9th season, playing Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell and while he remained with the show until its cancellation, it seems initial concerns about his similarity to long-standing star Michael Shanks prompted the latter to grow facial hair.

The Dr. Daniel Jackson actor spoke to GateWorld in 2005 and was asked directly about his season 9 beard, initially laughing when the subject was brought. He then went on to explain the necessity of his facial hair. "It was my idea," the actor said, adding that it was a way to differentiate him from Browder, who bore a passing resemblance to Shanks at the time. "They wanted, obviously, to have a little, at least initial difference between Ben [Browder] and I," said Shanks, who added that he thought the concern emerged from "sheer paranoia." He continued: "But there's so many different things with our fans about associating Ben and I as looking alike, which we look at each other and sort of roll our eyes a little bit."

Prior to playing Colonel Mitchell, Browder played wayward astronaut John Crichton on "Farscape" and caught the attention of the "SG-1" producers for his performance. Browder was almost cast as two different "Stargate Atlantis" characters before the producers finally found a home for him on "Stargate SG-1." After "SG-1" somehow dodged cancellation at the end of season 8 and bid farewell to Richard Dean Anderson's Colonel Jack O'Neill, Browder's character debuted in season 9 of the sci-fi series, taking over as commander of the SG-1 crew and remaining with the show until its 10th and final season, before returning as Mitchell in two "Stargate" movies. For whatever reason, the producers were concerned that his initial introduction may confuse fans and that prompted the team to start brainstorming ideas before Shanks suggested not shaving for a while

In his GateWorld interview, Michael Shanks — who previously left "Stargate SG-1" for a season — did acknowledge that he and Ben Browder might be hard to tell apart in certain shots, even as he remained incredulous with regard to the confusion otherwise. "We're a couple of 6-foot tall white guys with blue eyes and brown hair," he said. "From a very wide camera that can be a little bit deceptive." To deal with this potential problem, there were suggestions that Shanks grow his hair, but as the actor noted, "that may take a bit." Ultimately, since Browder's character was seen as "the more clean-cut soldier type" and Shanks' could "get away with a lot more" it was decided that Dr. Daniel Jackson would go unshaven for a few episodes. "I really don't like shaving every day," said the actor. "So I said, 'Well, why don't I keep the beard for a bit and we'll see what happens.' And it was, 'Yeah, let's see how it works.' And they really liked it."

The actor went on to explain how he and the producers envisioned phasing out the beard after a few episodes, once audiences had a chance to see that Dr. Jackson and Colonel Mitchell were entirely different characters. Still, Shanks remained somewhat skeptical of the idea that viewers would have any trouble. As he told GateWorld, "I said to Brad [Wright, executive producer], 'They do know I'll be the one with the glasses, right?'"

Though he was a very late addition to the cast, Browder was part of some of the most essential "SG-1" episodes and became a beloved part of the "SG-1" journey. Whether Shanks' facial hair had anything to do with helping establish Colonel Mitchell as such remains unclear, but it's a neat little behind-the-scenes story nonetheless.