We rarely got to see glimpses into other SG units operating out of Cheyenne Mountain. By Season Two SG-11 was under the command of Captain Conner, played by actor Roger Cross. The Character was introduced in Season One’s “The First Commandment.” We are excited to sit down with him to discuss his career and explore the first two seasons of the series!

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
Hello everyone. My name is David Read. Welcome to another episode of Dial the Gate, the Stargate Oral History Project, this is episode 285. I am privileged to bring Roger Cross to you today, he played Connor – originally a Lieutenant, I believe – and then later Captain Connor in Seasons One and Two of Stargate SG-1. Roger Cross. Sir, welcome to Dial the Gate. How are you?

Roger Cross:
I’m doing great, thanks for having me.

David Read:
I’m delighted to have you, sir. I always love getting to chat with the folks who were there early on – granted, we’re reaching way back, and I understand! – but this show has lasted, for all of us, the years since its ending with Season 10 SG-1, then Atlantis and Universe. Were you surprised when you got the call from me to invite you on, or was it like, “Yeah, I can see how that thing’s lasted as long as it has, in fandom.”

Roger Cross:
You know, I know it’s lasted, but I didn’t know you guys still did a talk-show, so I was kind of a little bit… but it speaks to the power of the show. It was a great show. I mean, it started from the movie. I remember watching that movie and it just blowing my mind, and then when the show came along it was like, “OK.”

David Read:
It’s 30 tomorrow.

Roger Cross:
Oh my goodness. That means I’m old, too, then.

David Read:
Did you see it in the theater?

Roger Cross:
The movie?

David Read:
Yeah.

Roger Cross:
No, I didn’t see the movie, I think I was still… the movie… oh, no, I… did I see…? I didn’t see it in the theater, but I saw it shortly thereafter.

David Read:
OK. I didn’t see it for years.

Roger Cross:
Really?

David Read:
I didn’t see Stargate until SG-1 premiered and then I went back and saw the movie, and it’s like, “Oh, now I get it!”

Roger Cross:
Oh, you hadn’t seen the movie?

David Read:
No.

Roger Cross:
Oh, jeez, yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Read:
You were born in Jamaica.

Roger Cross:
Yep.

David Read:
And settled in Vancouver with your folks.

Roger Cross:
With my folks, in Vancouver, yeah, when I was 10.

David Read:
So, the first 10 years of your life in Jamaica.

Roger Cross:
Yes.

David Read:
I loved visiting, a few years ago. It was a beautiful country with beautiful people. Can you tell me about your experience there and moving to Canada, and how all of that shaped your life and where acting fits in?

Roger Cross:
I love… as you said, it’s a beautiful country, beautiful people. People hear about, sometimes, the rougher areas, and we have the rough areas, like, in Kingston and Spanish Town, where – especially during election time – don’t go there.

David Read:
Well, sure, and so do we here, so that’s fair.

Roger Cross:
That’s true. No, it’s a beautiful place, and I was blessed to grow up there. Our motto in Jamaica is, “Out of many, one people.” And so, I grew up with all kinds of different people, we had Chinese people in our school, East Indian people in our school, Black, White, German… we have a German town there, I don’t know if you know that.

David Read:
I did not.

Roger Cross:
And so, there’s a lot of… it’s a melting pot in a lot of ways. So, for me, it was just… I grew up in a country area, as well, Manchester, and so it was more rural and… call it country, if you will, but that’s what it was, just a simpler life in a lot of ways. And then moving to Vancouver, which is another melting pot, I moved there with my whole family, so it was more of an exciting adventure for us, “Oh my goodness, OK, we get to check out a new place.” And so, I was lucky to go from one place that was a melting pot to another place that’s a bit more of a melting pot, and so I maybe call it sheltered, or spoiled, if you will. It wasn’t until later on, where I spent some time in the US, and there were places where I’d go, “Oh, there are some rougher, not-so-nice people around that are, frankly, racist, or this and that.” I never had to experience it when I was young, thankfully, and so I’m thankful for that part of my life, and how I was brought up. I think it shaped how I view life, and how I view and treat people.

David Read:
So, no culture shock around 10, 12 years old, like, some aspect of it that I wouldn’t even consider, like, “This is different. This is something that’s going to get used to.”

Roger Cross:
Oh, no, it was definitely different, but I think it was because… there are five of us kids and our parents, it was an adventure for us, right, especially with my two brothers who were a bit crazier. And the first day when we moved in, the second day we were there, the neighbor kids came by – I guess their parents sent them over – “Go get those kids and go play soccer.” “So, you guys want to come and play ‘football’?” So, we’re like, “OK.” So, we go up to the field to play ‘football’ and then they showed us this weird ball, and we’re like, “That’s not football!” Football’s what you call soccer. And so, we had to learn how to play football, because we were like, “It’s a small rugby ball,” is what we thought aa first.

David Read:
Exactly right, little differences like that.

Roger Cross:
Yeah. But it was exciting. And then winter came and we experienced snow for the first time, which was kind of wild, and I think my younger brother and I shared a room, and we were in bed and my older brother came running in, probably five o’clock in the morning, going, “It’s snowing outside!” So, we were like, “Woah!” Tore outside to go be the first one to touch snow of us, and that sort of thing.

David Read:
Snow is magic for me. I don’t like driving on the ice, fine, but there is something about being out there in the stillness, when it’s falling…

Roger Cross:
That’s true.

David Read:
…and just hearing the wind, or nothing. There is something… I can only imagine what that must have been like, being relatively older, for getting into snow for the first time experience.

Roger Cross:
For the first time.

David Read:
Like, you’re not teeny-tiny.

Roger Cross:
No.

David Read:
Wow.

Roger Cross:
Yeah, so that was wild, man. And then, of course, we went on, later on, to learn how to ski and things like that.

David Read:
Yeah.

Roger Cross:
So, it was kind of wild and stuff. But as I said, it was more exciting and a new adventure for us, in a sense. I guess you’re right, maybe that did shape how I view my career in acting, because, originally – I don’t know if you know – I was a commercial pilot and that was my original path in life.

David Read:
I did not know that. I was going to ask that.

Roger Cross:
Yeah.

David Read:
So, that was what you wanted to do, originally?

Roger Cross:
Yeah, and I did. I got my degree in Aviation and Business, and all that sort of thing, and so trying new things, I guess, is something I enjoy doing, and being brave and doing it, because I hate regrets and I’ve learned that when you see some of the more… we’ll say angrier people in life are the people who regret not trying things. So, I’d rather try it and quote-unquote fail, but, “Meh, I tried it,” and then like, “OK, it wasn’t for me,” or, “It was for me,” and know. So, I like that.

David Read:
One of my favorite quotes from television, “There’s nothing sadder than a missed opportunity.” And it think it’s important to remind ourselves of that, because in the moment it’s like, “Do I have a chance to do something here? The worst that’s going to happen is, I’m going to give myself a story that I can tell for the rest of my life.”

Roger Cross:
Exactly, exactly. What’s the worst that can happen?

David Read:
Well, you could die, depending on what it is!

Roger Cross:
You could die, but you’d also learn.

David Read:
That’s right. Commercial Aviation.

Roger Cross:
Yes.

David Read:
Like, passenger jets, or, like…

Roger Cross:
I didn’t get to do jets, but I did some prop, little small flights and did some charters, and before I even really launched into that, this weird acting thing… started with some stunts, actually, and things like that.

David Read:
So, let me back up here. Tell me about the transition. How old are you when you start getting into this? And what prompted this?

Roger Cross:
OK, I enjoyed theater through school. Never considered it a career. Not once. I was, at the time, a straight-A student, kid from Jamaica, you were supposed to get these kind of jobs, supposed to do this, do that, and then everyone thought I was going to be a lawyer, doctor, all these different things they had planned for me.

David Read:
Of course.

Roger Cross:
But then, it was interesting, because I remember the first time I got on a plane was coming to Canada, and back then, they let kids go in the cockpit and check it out and they got your little wings. I remember just being fascinated by it, and thought, “Ooh, this could be something fun one day.” So, when it came time to think about it, I looked into it and goes, “I’d really like to try aviation, try being a pilot.” And so I looked into the schools that you could go to, and things like that and how you go about it, and to appease everyone as well I was like, “Hm, if I go to Trinity West University, they have an Aviation program, so I can get my degree at the same time as I’m doing that.” And so that was my sales pitch to my parents.

David Read:
When did you start getting into stunts?

Roger Cross:
OK, I did martial arts growing up, and so…

David Read:
So, you’re fluid with your body, or fluent with your body and aware of how it works and everything else.

Roger Cross:
Yeah, and so during some spare time these guys would say, “Oh, you wanna do some work on – OK, I’m gonna date myself – 21 Jump Street.”

David Read:
DeLuise!

Roger Cross:
Yeah, I got introduced to John Wardlow at the time, and he’s like, “OK, you used to do martial arts, do you wanna do some stunt work?” So, I’m like, “OK!” Jumped in there and my first thing was a scene where I was beating up Peter DeLuise, who’s now obviously directed and, you know…

David Read:
Absolutely!

Roger Cross:
…you’re familiar with Peter, I’m sure. So, that was my first real taste of it. It was something I dabbled in, and, of course, I’m a pilot, so I’m going back to that. But it wasn’t until… so that started happening a little bit. I graduated from University, Trinity Western, and trying to get the flying job, occasionally doing charter flights when they would bring me in. I was working on the tarmac, just kinda like airlines, hustling, trying to make ends meet. And then I did this and was like, “That’s kind of fun,” so, in my spare time I went to Breck Academy, and studied acting there just to do it. And then a while into, it a friend of mine – it’s the funniest story, and I know it’s been told a million times – a buddy of mine, Danny Wattley, was like, “Hey, there’s this audition for this movie that’s gonna go shoot in China, I’m gonna go to it, do you wanna come with me?” So, I’m like, “OK!” So, I went along, auditioned for this thing and then they called me back for it and I’m like, “OK.” So, I called him and go, “Hey, they called me back for this movie that’s gonna go over to China and film over there,” and he’s already a professional actor and he’s like, “No, I don’t want anything to do with that,” and I’m like, “Would you care if I went for it?” And he’s like, “Go for it, man,” and for me at the time I’m like, “I can get a free trip out if it.” That’s more what I was thinking.

David Read:
There’s an opportunity.

Roger Cross:
Opportunity to go see a different part of the world and things like that. Long story short, I get this movie and so I go to China to go shoot International Rescue, so many different things. We went to 14 different locations, we went into Vietnam, we went to Burma, went all over the place. I went into Southern China where they hadn’t seen tourists since World War 2, and so it was quite the experience and it was a beautiful thing, too. I got to work out with the top Kung Fu team in the world, that sort of thing, and training with these guys was wild, mind-blowing, and it’s humbling at the same time. While there, I had a… so, I do this World War 2 movie, explosions everywhere, all kinds of crazy things going on, fine, no problem. Day off, we go to this temple and we’re finding our Buddha, and all these different things we’re doing, and someone goes, “Oh, Sifu – our Kung Fu master – wants to talk to you.” So, I’m like, “OK,” but instead of going across the bridge like normal folks would, us hot-shots are jumping on these rocks across this river. I hit a moss-covered rock, I’m going in the river, I’m going downstream and I’m swimming and grabbing onto this thing and they come running down. They grab me and they’re laughing and they pull me out and I’m like, “OK,” and we’re making jokes about it. And a little while later we walked around and we ended up on the opposite side and Ray, one of my co-stars, was like, “Hey Roger, isn’t that the tree we pulled you out beside?” and I’m like, “Yeah,” and he said, “Look at it.” And I’m like, “What do you mean?” And I look, and if I hadn’t grabbed that rock, there was nothing to stop me before this 400ft waterfall. So, I was like, “Whoa! I could have been gone like that [snaps fingers].” And so, it was one of those moments in life where, “OK. One I don’t regret.”

David Read:
You take a breath and you think, “Had that not been, I might not still be.”

Roger Cross:
Yeah, and it didn’t really hit me until I woke up in the middle of the night at one point and went, “Oh my God, yeah, it could have been over!” At the time we were laughing about it, but it’s kind of like, “Oh, it really could have been.” And literally two days later I’m doing my death scene in the movie and there’s the whole thing of letting your character take life, tears are flowing down my face and all this, and just having this really powerful moment for me, and I’m like, “OK.” And the movie, of course, went a month over, ruined all our plans, all that sort of thing. I was supposed to come back for a flying job that I thought that I was going to get. And these guys are like, “What are you going to do when you get back?” and I’m like, “I like this acting thing, I need to give it a year. I need to give it a try and if it works, great, if not, back to my flying and blah, blah, blah.”

David Read:
We’re not going to stop flying.

Roger Cross:
They’re not going to stop flying.

David Read:
Someone’s going to need to do it.

Roger Cross:
So, I gave it a year, and there you go. Here I am.

David Read:
Wow. How did that lead to Stargate? Do you remember anything about your audition for Stargate? Your first episode was The First Commandment, which, according to Robert C. Cooper who wrote the episode, it was Stargate’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ episode, it’s kind of how they looked into it. You’re in this quarry, you’re tied up, “Kill me.” It’s like, “Really? I’m here to rescue you!” What do you remember about Stargate, about this episode?

Roger Cross:
Well, OK, so, I actually read for Teal’c.

David Read:
You did! Tell me about that!

Roger Cross:
I did, I read for Teal’c. I did, and Chris and I became friends and all that. I became friends with all those guys. And so, they were familiar with me, and so that’s how they’re like, “Oh, well, we have this great character in it,” and I’m like, “OK, cool.” Because I loved it, but I fully understood, he suited that so much better. He’s the bigger guy and he just looked more like a Teal’c! He did! So, I was like, “OK!” So, that’s why they were familiar with me and I was familiar with them and they were like, “Oh, we loved what you did with it,” and so they’re like, “You wanna do this?” I was like, “Sure!” and it was just, as I said, because they were already familiar with my work and I enjoyed the show, and went there, it was just easy. And of course coming back they’re like, “OK!”, and then he gets promoted and the whole bit, too, which is kind of fun. And just working with all those guys it was great experience because I think one of the things that we’ve lost, sometimes, and I see it more, is that the craft and the artistry nowadays sometimes gets lost in the shuffle because it’s more about the bills and paying and, “We have to meet this certain deadline,” and this and that. Now, you still had it then, but I think they allowed more room to play and create in a lot of sense, and so, it was fun and it was a great experience.

David Read:
The creativity behind that show, the folks who brought it to life. 17 seasons is so rare for television to have the same group of people. What do you think the alchemy is that kept it on for that long, or do you think it’s just that the product speaks for itself in terms of the ideas that it wants to tell? Or do you think it’s a number of different things?

Roger Cross:
I think it’s a number of different things and I think it’s also… it speaks to the quality of the writers and that people liked being there and liked doing it, because so many shows… I’ve been part of shows that have fallen apart because this producer can’t get along with this person at the network, or this actor starts fighting with that actor. These shows are falling apart because people can’t get along and don’t appreciate what they have. And so, these guys loved what they were doing, the actors were happy to be there and they were like, “OK,” so they kept doing it, kept writing it. Most of the time, as you know, most sci-fi shows, let’s be frank, they only get four or five years…

David Read:
Yeah, if they’re lucky!

Roger Cross:
…and some of them, even great ones, even Star Trek was, what, one season? Two seasons or whatever?

David Read:
Three seasons for the original and then barely got it.

Roger Cross:
And barely got it? Right. And it’s so… Firefly, a great show, but…

David Read:
Right, yeah.

Roger Cross:
So, for in the world of sci-fi to keep coming up with these stories and things, it’s not easy, and to keep the audience engaged, and this is a testament to it, 30 years later, people are still really passionate about it because it told a great story. And I think because you could go through the Stargate into this endless realm of possibilities, I think that’s what people really love, being able to go into different worlds and explore and stay true, still, to the mythology of it, but you still have the freedom to create new characters and create these new experiences that they were able to see.

David Read:
But also recognize that there is a continuity developing over the course of the show which is one of the reasons, I’m sure, that they brought you back for Season Two. There’s only – in the universe – there’s only a limited number of people who are operating on this base, and your character grew into a Captain in the second season. You’re commanding your own unit, SG-11. What was it like coming back?

Roger Cross:
Oh, it was great, because it was like coming home. And as I said, at this point, too, on the personal side I’d gotten to know… Shanks, Judge and I were hanging out and stuff. At the time, I was on a different show, First Wave, and so I was doing that, so it was great to come over here with these guys and play in their world and then go back to my world. It was coming home, everyone was comfortable, and they were open to, “Well, what do you want to do with this?” And, “We can talk a little bit and figure it out.” It was great.

David Read:
That’s wild. That episode had a lot of visual effects with a lot of people being taken away. It had wolves and all kinds of things going on. Do you remember anything about that particular shoot?

Roger Cross:
Well, here’s the thing, too. Sometimes when these things are happening, you have to pretend, obviously, because we weren’t really going away, so dealing with that level of effects and things, you have to really imagine it’s happening over here. But that’s what’s great about having a good guy, a good director who can say, “This is what’s happening here, do this. Alright, I need you to do this. It’ll be a little bit bigger on certain things, smaller on certain things.” Just guide you through it.

David Read:
Martin Wood directed that episode.

Roger Cross:
Oh yes! Martin! Martin I’ve gone on to work with. It’s so funny because even Joe Mallozzi, who ended up doing SG-1 and things, I ended up doing Dark Matter with him for three years. So, I’ve crossed paths with everyone from that world over and over again and it’s awesome.

David Read:
I think that when you really connect with someone on a professional and personal level, they are in your orbit especially when you’re – folks like Joseph Mallozzi, Martin Wood – when something comes up later on and it’s like, “I know a person who would work with that, let’s bring them in and give them a shot.” And I think that it creates its own self-fulfilling prophecy of, “If I know someone who can do the job, why not bring them in and see if I’m right on the material?”

Roger Cross:
Yeah exactly. And so, I love working with those guys, and as I said, all these decades later… it was Joe’s birthday two weeks ago!

David Read:
Right, yes it was!

Roger Cross:
We still talk to each other and things, it’s great.

David Read:
I have some fan questions for you.

Roger Cross:
Oh, OK!

David Read:
Tracy, actually, brought up Dark Matter. “I thought your character of Six was fantastic, but I thought you were wonderful in one of my other favorite series, The Strain, as Reggie, as well. Can you share a quick story about working on The Strain?”

Roger Cross:
On The Strain, oh my goodness.

David Read:
I know, we’re really pushing you here!

Roger Cross:
No, no, it’s awesome. I loved The Strain. Guillermo del Toro is a genius, and to get to work with that man… that first day it was kind of like, “OK! I’m working with Guillermo del Toro.” But he is so down-to-earth and so amazing. Talk about a creative mind. Going back to that, someone that doesn’t forget that we’re… it’s an art, and we’re trying to capture that art on film and give the actors room to breathe. Myself and – oh, my God, I’m blanking on his name right now – we called ourselves, basically… we had a pawn that we worked with, because he was my boss… we loved being able to… we were filming in Toronto, first off.

David Read:
OK.

Roger Cross:
And we started in, I believe, December, we started the first episode. And so – I don’t know if you’re familiar – it gets really cold out there.

David Read:
Yes.

Roger Cross:
And so, I remember some of those nights, all the vampires and everyone else, they’re all these crazy outdoor thing in the middle of it, and here we are in this beautiful penthouse because we never had to leave. Actually, the first season I didn’t, the second season I did. But we’re in this beautiful penthouse doing our scenes, all, because everyone had to come to us, so, I was so thankful to not having to be out in the elements.

David Read:
It can really beat you up!

Roger Cross:
It can beat you up, because I had to definitely be in the elements there. And when we did Dark Matter out there, we had to be in the elements. It’s great. But, honestly, I loved working on The Strain, it was just… Guillermo was brilliant.

David Read:
He is a creative genius. Have you seen Pinocchio?

Roger Cross:
I’ve not seen Pinocchio.

David Read:
It’s on Netflix. It’s so good.

Roger Cross:
I need to watch it.

David Read:
It’s a beautiful piece of art. And it leaves you thinking about it, afterwards. I love art that does that.

Roger Cross:
Definitely. He’s done that in all his movies, so, yeah. I’ve not watched Pinocchio yet. Shame on me.

David Read:
Check it out, yeah. Antony said you’ve got a huge amount of credits, but he’s curious, in all of your different genres, what has been your favorite genre to work in?

Roger Cross:
My favorite genre to work in… I mean, honestly, I love the world of sci-fi because all the possibilities. I’ll be frank, for me, it’s all about if you have a great character, it doesn’t matter the genre. If I have a great character, I love that, but I do love the sci-fi world because of the endless possibilities and in a sense… maybe I’m a bit kumbaya-ish and stuff, but I love that we can get past color and race and that sort of thing and now we’re dealing with bigger issues than those very limited things that seem to detract from harmony in this world right now.

David Read:
I think transcending our problems is a good thing to see represented on television.

Roger Cross:
Yeah. So, I do love that and then the possibilities of it, but I’m more of a, “Give me a great character, it doesn’t matter the genre, I want to do it.” But if I had to pick one, I would probably pick sci-fi. Sci-fi/adventure, yeah.

David Read:
Lockwatcher says you were one of 309 actors killed off by Jack Bauer. Tell us a little bit about Curtis Manning, and was working on this series as intense as it looked on screen?

Roger Cross:
Yes, it was. It was incredible. Especially… season five really kicked it up a notch. I remember sometimes just getting those scripts and going, “Oh, I get to do that, that’s kind of great, right?” I didn’t free-rope out of the helicopter, that was a double, but…

David Read:
That would have kind of fit in! “Hey, I’m a pilot, I got this!”

Roger Cross:
Oh, I’ve done that. Yeah, that’s been a lot of fun. 24 was a hell of an experience, man. It was one of those great shows that only comes along once in a…

David Read:
Unique.

Roger Cross:
It’s a unique show, it was well written…

David Read:
In terms of its configuration.

Roger Cross:
Yeah, well done. I remember, even, we got the military to agree to come and do some of that stuff that you saw in the desert with the helicopter coming. And I remember getting out there and there was all these gats around, and I’m going, “Wow! This is insane!” But it was intense, and it was great. I loved working on that show.

David Read:
Does a project like that encourage you to raise your A-game a little bit more than you might ordinarily? When you’re seeing a group of people who are… I suffer, often, from imposter syndrome. It’s like, “OK, I really have to…”

Roger Cross:
Step up.

David Read:
“…feel that I need to step up.” Does working with people like del Toro, or like Keifer Sutherland, do that when you see a certain professional, or is it always you go 150% all the time?

Roger Cross:
I give it all I got, whatever it is. Even if it’s a small role, back in the day, I believe that once I accept it, I give it my all and I do the best I can. Of course, when you’re on a bigger show and you meet someone like that, when you are working with some of the bigger people… I did a movie with Sharon Stone, playing her husband in the thing. The first time you meet some people, you’re like, “OK, you got to work with Roger Moore.” First time you meet certain people you’re like, “Wow, this is kind of cool.” But then, “OK, I gotta put that aside now, I gotta do my work.”

David Read:
Now it’s time to work.

Roger Cross:
“Because all of that’s great, but now I gotta lock in and do my thing.” I was doing a movie, Mad Money, with Diane Keaton and Ted Danson, all these people that I’m working with, and you’re like, “This is great, but OK, put that aside, now we’re into this character.” And so, I guess, in a sense, probably subconsciously, definitely, you’re like, “Boom.” But you wouldn’t be there if you didn’t qualify, because, obviously, I had to audition and work for these things, and so, you know you belong, so you just have to do your job.

David Read:
That’s a great point. You know you belong because you’ve already been selected.

Roger Cross:
Yeah.

David Read:
Absolutely. S V said you did an episode of The Outer Limits, produced by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner. How did that differ – if you recall any specifics from that – from working with them on Stargate? Obviously, also shot at Bridge [Studios].

Roger Cross:
Mm-hm, yep.

David Read:
You got a pretty high production value.

Roger Cross:
Yeah.

David Read:
Any notes from Outer Limits?

Roger Cross:
I believe I did three different Outer Limits.

David Read:
OK. They’re all different.

Roger Cross:
All very different because it’s anthologies, and so I was all different characters. No, it was great working with… once again, it’s that whole thing, we knew each other from there, so when you go back and work together, they know what to expect from you, you know what to expect from them. I just have to show up and deliver and that’s what it is. Actually, the first one I did, I believe Rebecca De Mornay was that one and she directed it. It was her directorial debut.

David Read:
I remember this episode. The is the episode of the guy swapping bodies.

Roger Cross:
Yes.

David Read:
Right? She has a cameo in that episode.

Roger Cross:
Yes, and she directed it.

David Read:
Not every episode goes the way that you think it will. I remember getting to the end of that… because that’s an episode about redemption and about forgiveness, and that’s why I love sci-fi, because you never know what you’re going to get.

Roger Cross:
Exactly.

David Read:
Especially The Outer Limits, or The Twilight Zone.

Roger Cross:
Twilight Zone! Yeah, all of them. I love that, I used to watch that as a kid. I love it.

David Read:
Have you seen Jordan Peele’s new Twilight Zone?

Roger Cross:
I have, I have.

David Read:
It’s good.

Roger Cross:
It’s good, it’s good. Little darker.

David Read:
Yeah, absolutely! I like that they dial things up a little bit, it doesn’t have to be…

Roger Cross:
It had to.

David Read:
Yeah, absolutely. The things that you can do in-camera now and with stories are more intense.

Roger Cross:
Definitely.

David Read:
And to stay socially relevant, also, you have to be willing to go there, and they do.

Roger Cross:
It’s true.

David Read:
Misadventures Of a Little Wolf, “What was your favorite thing about playing Travis in Continuum?” Continuum is a show I’ve not seen.

Roger Cross:
Oh, that’s an awesome show, you should check it out.

David Read:
Time travel?

Roger Cross:
It is time travel, but the relevance of that show is, first, you meet these people and they’re the rebels and being hunted by the law but then you realize they’re actually freedom fighters. And, you know, one person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist, in a sense, in some ways.

David Read:
Sure, depending on what they’re doing.

Roger Cross:
And, so, they were actually fighting for the freedom of the people to be able to express themselves, because at this point in the future, the government controlled everything, and what you did. Simon Barry who created it, he’s a genius, he’s great, and he’s one of those guys that kind of… I remember we did this episode where they had these watches that they gave people that monitored your heart rate, monitored different things and all that – and this is, as I said, way back, what, 15 years ago, or whatever it was, 16 years ago – and what they did with it, he says, “OK, we’ll give them to people, everyone has them.” But what people didn’t realize was that they could use it to crank up people’s adrenaline or calm people down if there’s the mass crowd that’s getting out of control and that sort of thing.

David Read:
Population control.

Roger Cross:
Yes. And so, you cut to now, and everyone has their – not saying they do this! – their Apple watches and everything else like that, that monitors everything you do and tells you when to walk, when to get up, when to sit down!

David Read:
Facebook has admitted to running an illegal social experiment where they provided information on-screen that would make either people happier or make them more depressed.

Roger Cross:
Yep.

David Read:
They admitted to this a few years ago, and everyone was like, “Wow.” And they had quantifiable data showing that they were able to actually do that to people. We are so influenceable by that which we eat, that which we take in, anything that we consume. And I think that, especially now, with AI kicking things in and starting to tweak us just a little bit, even if it’s 51% in one direction or another, I think we all should be reasonably wary.

Roger Cross:
Yes, we should be. I mean, if you look at all our… I have two boys, and you look at the kids and TikTok…

David Read:
Oh, God.

Roger Cross:
…use these to influence a lot of people’s behavior and their social norms, all getting the… I mean, I’m not a conspiracy theorist or anything, it’s just fact.

David Read:
They’re shortening our attention span.

Roger Cross:
Yeah.

David Read:
A lot of that. That alone really terrifies me, our inability to sit still.

Roger Cross:
Yes. It’s true. How many times are you watching a show, now, and half the time you’re on your phone?

David Read:
“Someone’s communicating with me right now, I must answer.” No, it’s like, “Can they wait a little bit?” Or, “I’m spending time with someone. How important is the person that I’m with?”

Roger Cross:
Yeah, so, there’s a lot of that. I loved Travis Verta, he was one of my favorite characters. Continuum is also one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever worked on because we had a great group of people, and, as I said, these people were people who were looked at as angry. They were actually fighting for the right side of the law and the people who we thought were the good guys, they were actually on the wrong side of the law, so we all go on this great journey. And even Travis, he’s very militant, he’s a super-soldier, he comes and kicks butt, whatever. He even goes through the growth of learning that, “OK, maybe I’d only have to be as violent or as crazy.” When you see it, you’ll see what I mean, he’s a bad mamma-jamma, we’ll say that. And he comes in… when Travis shows up you know things are going down.

David Read:
I love entertainment that defies our expectations in the way where we were locked into… Narratively, there are only a certain number of configurations where we are pre-programed to expect content in certain ways, and when it is flipped on its head and light is dark and right is wrong and it’s like, “Oh. This piece of information has unfolded that I didn’t consider these things happening the way they are. What if I am wrong in my assumptions on this? If I’m wrong in my assumptions on this, what else could I be wrong about that I need to reassess?” That’s what I love about sci-fi. Opening the mind.

Roger Cross:
Opened your mind and you’ll allow yourself to consider other possibilities, other perspective on things. And as I say, with a lot of people say, like, “I’ve done nothing wrong so I have nothing to worry about.” It’s true, but if someone decides to manipulate that and use it for their own good… Yeah, so, love Travis.

David Read:
Could you see yourself going back to flying full-time one day? My father flew for 40 years, so I’m always curious. He flew helicopters in Vietnam and retired in 2013 and he’s never been the same, ever since. He misses it so much.

Roger Cross:
Yeah? It’s… honestly, I love going up, and I totally could. I even considered it a few years back, I’m like, “Maybe I’ll just take a break and go back to my flying for a while and stuff.” But then another show came up and I did it.

David Read:
Right, and it’s school, you have to update yourself on everything that’s new.

Roger Cross:
You do, yeah. You have to stay current, and as you get older, too, you have to do more currency checks that you have to go through and stuff, so it’s not as simple as that. No, I love what I do. I love the craft of acting, I’m glad I went on a journey, I love flying, but I’m glad I took that path that I did. So, I don’t ever see myself going back to that full-time, but it’s something that, maybe, when I decide, “Oh, I might retire,” and get a little plane and go island hopping in Jamaica, or something, who knows.

David Read:
Yeah, absolutely. It’s good that you know what you want, so that’s awesome. And raising boys, that’s no easy task as well.

Roger Cross:
Oh yeah.

David Read:
Marcia Middleton, “Is that a Dodgers jersey you are wearing?”

Roger Cross:
Of course, Marcia!

David Read:
“I’m a long-time New York Mets fan, so that hurts…”

Roger Cross:
I’m sorry, but, you know…

David Read:
“…the Mets and Dodgers did have a good NLCS. Have you been able to go to any games?”

Roger Cross:
You know, I did. I went to that game… I did not get to go to game one, Friday night, because, actually, I was in Vancouver and I flew down Friday, so I wasn’t able to go, but I actually got an invite and I was like, “Oh, I won’t be able to make it.” But I saw the end of that game and wow! We were at dinner with a friend, it was his birthday. I got in, went to dinner, and we’re sitting there, of course we have our phones sitting at the side, watching the end of the game, and when he hit that home run, oh my God! I think we all jumped up and some of the people in the restaurant were going, “What are they doing?” It’s so funny.

David Read:
It’s not hockey, but we’re having a good time.

Roger Cross:
It was great. Listen, Yankees are going home, I know they’ll be heard from. I love it, and of course I wanted Dodgers to win, but I want a game seven would be… MLB is so happy right now, they couldn’t have asked for a better World Series between the two most storied franchises. It’s gonna be epic.

David Read:
It’s Greek to most of the people in this chat, but I have to respect the passion for loving something that can go any way at any time. I love going to baseball games because most of the time, I go to catch up with my friends, but there are micro-bursts of real action.

Roger Cross:
Exactly. That’s what I say to people. I go, “Baseball…” OK, it can be boring to just sit there and just watch it, but when you’re there with everyone, you’re interacting, you’re having some drinks, you’re having your Dodger dogs! I don’t know, do they have Yankee dogs?

David Read:
Diamondbacks dog, D-dogs.

Roger Cross:
See? There you go. I guess everyone has their version.

David Read:
I spent most of my time in Pheonix, so, yeah, exactly. Roger, this has been terrific, and I really appreciate you coming on and exploring your career a little bit with us and sharing some memories from your production, so I really appreciate you taking the time.

Roger Cross:
Ah, man, thanks for having me. It was a pleasure talking to you guys.

David Read:
Absolutely. Be well, sir.

Roger Cross:
Alright, you too.

David Read:
That was Roger Cross, Captain Connor in Stargate SG-1. Really appreciate y’all tuning in today and thank so much to my moderating team, Tracy and Antony and Marcia, for stopping in to make sure that y’all behave yourselves in the chat there. We come to you every week and bring you new Stargate content and we’re privileged to do so. If you like Stargate and you want to see more content like this on YouTube, click the Like Button. It does make a difference with the show and will help to continue to grow our audience. Please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend, and if you want to get notified about future episodes, click Subscribe. Giving the Bell icon a click will notify you when a new video drops and you’ll get my notifications of any last-minute guest changes. And clips from this livestream will be released over the course of the next few weeks on both the Dial the Gate and GateWorld.net YouTube channels. I did have a question for me from a previous episode. Stargate Seed, “Any ETA on the definitive Stargate Timeline?” I’m probably not going to release it this year, it’s probably going to be a part of season five. There is some financial consideration in here, because I’m hiring actors to take part, so we want to give them a little bit of cash, and right now I’m kind of cash strapped, so, it is coming, but I’m going to put it off until 2025 because I do want some of the Stargate cast to reprise… well, not really reprise their roles, but do voice-overs. The demo that’s already available on Dial the Gate includes Janus, Gildart Jackson who played Janus, he did a little bit of that, so that’s what we’ve got going on for you here. I’ve got Stargate Trivia heading your way in 15 minutes, hosted by Tom McBeath. This is going to be Stargate Feature Film Trivia, so, hope you can join us at the top of the hour. My thanks to Frederick Marcoux at ConceptsWeb, he keeps DialtheGate.com up and running, my Producer, Linda “GateGabber” Furey, all of my moderators, Tracy, Antony, Jeremy, Marcia, Sommer, appreciate you guys for making the show possible. My name is David Read, for Dial the Gate, and I will see you on the other side.