Kevan Ohtsji joins Dial the Gate to discuss his portrayal of Oshu, Yu’s First Prime, whom he played with nuance and depth! We are excited to welcome the actor LIVE alongside writer and Stargate novelist Diana Dru Botsford to explore facets of the part you may not know exist!

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Episode 316 of Dial the Gate: The Stargate Oral History Project. My name is David Read. I’m really thankful that you’re joining me for this one, because this is one that I have been waiting to do for a while, for a couple of different reasons. Kevan Ohtsji, who is– Did I pronounce that right, Kevan? Is that correct? Kevan Ohtsji played Oshu in Stargate SG-1 for several episodes over a few different seasons. And this is a character that is very close to me and of another person in my life, Diana Dru Botsford, author, writer, producer. She has written several different Stargate novels, and a short, and we’re gonna talk about that as well. So, there’s gonna be a lot condensed in this episode. This is a livestream, so the moderators are in the chat right now, ready to take your questions for Kevan and for Diana, if you have them. Let’s get right into it. Kevan Ohtsji, who played Oshu in Stargate SG-1, and Diana Dru Botsford, writer and producer. Kevan, let’s start with you. How you doing?

Kevan Ohtsji:
Very good, thank you. Yourself?

David Read:
I am well. I am thrilled to have you here. Huge thanks to Simone Bailly for connecting us. This was fantastic. This could not have happened without Simone, so I really wanted to get ahead of that and thank her. So, this is great to have you.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Indeed, she’s absolutely wonderful. And thank you again, Simone, as well, for arranging this, or putting us into contact. Thanks for that.

David Read:
That’s absolutely right. Diana Dru Botsford, how are you, my friend?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Hello. Long time. It’s been a minute.

David Read:
Absolutely. Right off the bat, I want to establish your connection with Stargate SG-1, and with Yu and Oshu specifically. Can you give us a brief rundown?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Well, I wrote a duology, basically, for MGM, Fandemonium, that the center of the whole thing was very much about Oshu and Lord Yu and their relationship, and how many thousands of years it went back, basically. So, I did a lot of research on it, but this was the one piece I never had the opportunity to do, is to talk to you, Kevan, so this is pretty cool.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I’m all ears, and looking forward to it. I find the character very fascinating, and the circumstance, so I’m looking forward to it.

David Read:
I suspect you’re gonna be surprised a little bit by some of the stuff that she’s come up with, but we’ll see. When she says thousands of years, she is not kidding. And Jaffa usually live a few hundred, but she has her ways about her. And there may be some spoilers for the novels, but hopefully we’re going to be getting people interested in more of them, going to have a look and reinvigorating some of this, because I know Fandemonium is–

Diana Dru Botsford:
Can I mention the names of the novels?

David Read:
Yes, let’s go ahead and do that, Diana.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Four Dragons was the first one, and then the sequel was The Drift. And for the sequel part of the research that I did, the sequel takes place in Antarctica, and I went to Antarctica for two weeks on a science research icebreaker. So, I did that research, but talking to you, I didn’t get to do. It’ll have to become a trilogy now.

David Read:
I would like that. Kevan, we wanna start off with this, mainly. We’d love to know, if you could share about a part that profoundly impacted you as an actor, as a person, and has bonded with your energy. It’s something that you regularly think back on and say, “I nailed that one,” or, “I really felt like I grew with a certain part that I was playing.” Is there any that hit you?

Kevan Ohtsji:
Off the top of my head, probably because I’ve just been in my mind reviewing this, I would say this role, Oshu. What comes to mind is two separate ones. I love character, I love drama, I love the exploration of humanity. One that was maybe a few years back: my dad had passed a few years ago, and I was playing the father on a show. And the scene was, myself and my wife in the show had to break it to my daughters on the show that their grandmother had just passed. My father had passed maybe about a year and a half ago, and it was fine. He lived a wonderful life and died naturally. But it was quite a special moment for me, because in that scene, while obviously satisfying the requirements of the scene, I was able to find within myself a way to kind of say hello to my father, and goodbye to my father again. So, I view that time filming was special. It was very sacred. So, it’s one of those moments that you wanna tuck away and just keep for yourself. So, that was something that was very, I shouldn’t say unexpected, but I had been reflecting a while back, I guess it had been a year since my father passed, and I was visiting my mom. And my mom’s neighbor said, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your father.” She put her hand on my arm. And it was interesting ’cause I thought, “No problem,” I was totally fine. But I couldn’t speak. Words, I couldn’t even formulate them, and I was– Moments later, I went, “That’s interesting. Where did that come?” And that’s real. So, anyways, years later, or not years, maybe a year and a half later, I found myself in a scene being able to link it with something. So, I don’t know if that’s profound or not. I think some–

David Read:
It’s pretty profound, man.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Oh, it’s absolutely profound.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Just reflecting, knowing that I was gonna speak with you both today, I was, for some reason, I’m not sure if you two are familiar with the film Dead Poets Society.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Oh, it’s one of my favorite.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Peter Weir, I believe. It’s one of my favorites as well too, and as a young, I guess I must have been a boy back then. I loved that film, and reflecting back, I can’t recall a specific moment, “Oh, I would like to act. Oh, I wanna do this.” But that film certainly inspired me, and there was one scene that I’ve been thinking about lately, and that was where Robin Williams’ character, for anyone who’s not familiar, he plays a headmaster, I guess, in a boys’ prep school. I’m not sure when it was set, the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, a while back. But anyways, he was teaching these young boys. There was one lesson where he said, “Stand. Get up on the chair. Stand up on the desk. Look around the room at you. It’s the same room, but it looks different, doesn’t it?” And I recalled, I guess, it was sometime when I was a kid, bored on a Sunday afternoon, no one was home, and laying on the carpet, just kind of, I don’t know, bored, but I was going, “Hey, the room looks very different from my cheek on the carpet, as it would if I peered up this way, as it would if I was looking down, as it would–” So, same room, but all these perspectives make it very, very different. And so, I was just thinking that of different roles that I’ve played, how amazing, how did I find myself so lucky in order to not only analytically examine these different perspectives, but also go a step further and try to really embody them with different words, and find my personal truth in that. And so, I love characters that have, obviously conflict, or are conflicted. But if I can find the character’s truth and somehow try to find a way to link it to where it can make sense to me, even if I’ve gotta make up backstory situations, et cetera, that’s what actors do, I find it incredibly rewarding. So, I go off on tangents, so…

David Read:
This is why we’re here.

Diana Dru Botsford:
If I may, there is a scene in the second of the books that deals with your genetic predecessor, who was the First Prime before you were, but he got into trouble and got stranded on Earth, where he is dying. He and his daughter are both dying, and they reunite as they die and ascend. And when I wrote that, it was very similar to what you said about connecting to– My father had passed away, and there was some imagery for me that I, to this day, gives me a lot of solace having to do with where he is, what he’s doing post this planet, as it were. And I tapped into that, and I still, to this day, really appreciated being able to use that in Stargate to be able to find a language where I could connect to others and to explain what I was feeling and sensing. And that’s the beauty of the franchise, is that it’s just got so much depth to it, so much language to it.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Agreed, and again, just reviewing some of the episodes, since this has been quite a while, there is a lot of depth that I’m going, “I don’t think I recognized at that time in my life when I was filming it.” I think it was early 20s. I recognized it, but with a much younger perspective, so to speak. Obviously, I’ve lived a lot more life. So, it’s almost like a good book. If you read it when you’re 17 years old, it has meaning. When you read it when you’re 25, “Oh, I didn’t see,” and then you read it when you’re, you know, say, 40, “Oh my. Wow, that, I…” And I guess that’s why we work and create what we do from the heart, because if you create what you do from the heart, then hopefully it resonates with many.

David Read:
Well, it’s just like what you said. You’re at a different height in the room. It’s the same room, but you’re experiencing the content differently. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a movie or a show at a different point in my life, and it’s like, “Oh my God, I had to get hit over the friggin’ head.” And it’s right there.

Kevan Ohtsji:
They’re speaking just to me.

David Read:
Absolutely. Getting hung up on all this stuff. No, that’s great. And if, for those of you in the audience who, ears perked up when Diana said, “Genetic predecessor. What’s going on there?” We’ll talk about that a little bit after Kevan gets to have his say about Oshu and fill in some of the more details in the larger canon of the show. But when did you discover acting? How old were you? What is it that got you into this thing that was like, “You know what? I can do this. And not only can I do it, but I think I can do it pretty darn good”?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I guess one would be Dead Poets Society. I remember as a kid I loved the– Again, I’m a kid. I loved the old, do you remember the old Perry Mason? I’m the youngest of three kids, and so I was kind of left on my own devices and I watched a lot of shows. But do you remember the old Perry Mason black-and-white show? I loved that. And so, I wanted to be either a lawyer or an actor. But I was extremely shy. I’m Japanese Canadian. I don’t know if that has anything to do with the lineage of just being quiet or soft-spoken, or whatnot. But I seemed to somehow… I was just a shy kid. That’s just how I was. And so, I think maybe the reason I’m recalling the Dead Poets Society is becau– Ethan Hawke’s character, again, a very, very shy kid in this story. At the very end of the film, it’s been a long time, so I don’t think I’m putting out any spoilers there, it’s kind of a little bit of a tragic ending, at least from my perspective, where Robin Williams, the headmaster, has really bonded with these boys and I think formulated some good ideas. But it went against the authoritative, I guess, headmaster or board of directors, just because this teacher was inspiring potentially creative and authentic ideas of the kids. And for a school, they just, no, they should be doing as they’re told. Anyhow, Ethan Hawke’s character was so, so, so, so shy, so I guess I identified with that. And at the very end, Robin Williams’ character gets kind of taken to the woodshed and removed of his position. And so, we as the audience understand, unfair, and then, anyways, at the very end, Ethan Hawke, who had been so afraid to speak, at the very end stands up on his desk and says, I believe it’s, “Oh Captain! My Captain!,” which was something that they had, a very– It’s been years since I’ve seen the show, but those moments stick with me. So, anyhow, I guess that inspired me a little bit. I took drama when I was in grade eight. I thought maybe a good chance to meet girls. And then I discovered it was fun. And I really enjoyed it. So, I continued on taking acting classes throughout high school. But as I got to my later years, it was interesting ’cause I recognized most people, I came to class with all my lines memorized and I was ready to work and explore. But I was a little bit disappointed that I found a lot of people viewed it as an empty block or they didn’t, it was just an easy course, so to speak. But anyways, I just continued. I didn’t know anybody from my family or friends, nobody was in this industry. But I lived in Burnaby, which is a suburb of Vancouver. And Vancouver at that time, I guess we had, it would’ve been, we had 21 Jump Street–

Diana Dru Botsford:
I remember that.

Kevan Ohtsji:
21 Jump Street. We had a few– Oh my goodness, Scully, Mulder, The X–

Diana Dru Botsford:
The X-Files, yeah.

Kevan Ohtsji:
The X-Files, et cetera. So, I just thought, “You know what? I feel this burning desire. I have no idea how to go about this.” So, I just searched through all these trade papers, anything I could get my hands upon. And I didn’t know anything, didn’t know anybody. Started taking classes. Got myself an agent. Began to audition for a few shows. There’s an old saying that when you’re on the right path, might be a Paulo Coelho saying, I’m not sure. But when you’re on the right path– Oh, yeah, The Alchemist. “When you have a dream, the universe can conspire to assist you in that.” Well, I don’t know, I know it’s a book, but I’m an artist, so that’s what you’re getting. But I had some reasonable success with a few shows, commercials, et cetera. But at that time I had thought there’s no lead roles. I could just get maybe bit parts, but nothing’s written for me. And I don’t blame the people. I mean, look, if I’m Icelandic, I would want to write and produce Icelandic shows. And at that time, there just weren’t that– At least not that I was aware of that many people that would write roles for me. So, I kind of went, “OK, I should be realistic here.” I mean, I grew up watching shows with a huge dream and a desire. But maybe that’s all it is. So, I went to BCIT, which is like a trade college for marketing and communications. And I had thought that if I couldn’t be in front of the screen, then perhaps I could still have, I could somehow still be dealing with film and media, et cetera. When I finished my final exams, I had auditioned for something. I still, in my mind, I half gave up filming or acting as a pathway, but when I’d finished my exams, my finals, I had auditioned and somehow booked a lead in a three-picture deal. It never got made. It was supposed to star Pat Morita, you know, Karate Kid, wax on, wax off? It was supposed to star him. It was called Yoshi and Aki’s Bound Adventure, and I was supposed to play Aki. And anyways, it was like a Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, so to speak. It was to do with snowboarding. Basic premise was, I guess, my best friend on the show, whose name I believe was Aki, he wanted to come to Canada to go snowboard and do all these amazing things, and my character wanted to just get laid. Anyways, I was so excited. I was still very young. The show got pushed. There were some issues with it. It never got made, but from that moment forward, I began to think, “Huh, there was a lead role that was written, and actually, not only was one written, but I got it. Yeah, it didn’t get made, but OK, maybe there’s actually a possibility.” So, from that point forward, I started to really enroll in study the hard acting classes, with theater scenes, and really immersed myself. And then just have been enjoying the ups and downs and cycles and waves of it all since.

David Read:
I love what you said earlier about, there were a couple of quick points that I want to insert before Diana brings the next piece, but I think we underestimate our ability far too often to be brave. And how we, as anxious as we are as people, if we step a toe outside of our comfort zone, and it doesn’t get cut off, we can maybe find the desire and willingness to proceed further. And the other piece to that that I took away from what you said, based on what Ethan Hawke’s character did in Dead Poets Society, is– What was I trying to get at? Don’t underestimate the ability of a piece of art to influence you profoundly in ways that the creator doesn’t even anticipate. ‘Cause you took that away from that character. It’s like, “I can be that, I can be that guy in that moment. I’m willing to stand on the desk and risk,” I believe, risk expulsion, if I’m not mistaken the story correctly, because sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Have you never seen Dead Poets Society?

David Read:
I’ve seen it.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Oh, OK.

David Read:
I believe if he stood up on the desk, he was risking getting expelled. It’s been about seven or eight years.

Diana Dru Botsford:
I mean, they were reciting a Walt Whitman poem. “Oh Captain! My Captain!”

Kevan Ohtsji:
Listen to our–

David Read:
“Carpe diem, boys.”

Kevan Ohtsji:
Carpe diem.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Yes.

Kevan Ohtsji:
“But only in our dreams can we be truly free. ‘Twas always thus, and always thus shall be.”

Diana Dru Botsford:
Very good.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I forget a lot of films and novels that I’ve read, other than I really enjoyed it, but there are certain ones that do stick with me, and that’s one particular one.

Diana Dru Botsford:
That’s a pretty good one to stick. He was amazing.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes.

David Read:
Go ahead, Diana.

Diana Dru Botsford:
So, Stargate. Can you tell us about your first awareness of it, and what led you to your audition? How did that all come to be?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I was definitely aware of Stargate. I had seen a few shows, but I didn’t follow the show, and I believe– Sorry, one moment. I think I’ve got a …

David Read:
No, you’re OK.

Kevan Ohtsji:
… Amazon delivery.

David Read:
Priorities, priorities.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Where was I?

David Read:
You were aware of Stargate.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes, I believe I had auditioned a few times for the show. I can’t recall other than the role of Oshu, when I saw the breakdown for the sides– When I saw the sides and the dialogue, I was, “Wow, this is… This is profound. We’re dealing with worlds. We’re dealing with people. We’re dealing with gods. We’re dealing with duty. We’re dealing with duty where things get into conflict.” It’s interesting ’cause I was looking, I remember thinking that, for myself anyways, that this character would be, OK, he’s the First Prime of a god. At the time, I felt like I’m me, but looking back, I’m, “OK, I was a kid back then,” but I didn’t view it from that point. I had thought that this character should have some sort of… He’d be brought up in a court. He could be soft, soft-spoken, because it’s more the mind and the intellect, so to speak. And I had thought, for whatever reason, a bit of a British accent would be good. But I can’t do a British accent, and I know those that do, do it perfectly. But something about the regular Vancouver voice, it didn’t feel right when I put it on its feet. So, I played around, and I thought, “I’ll do my version of British.” It’s not a fleet on Earth, so it doesn’t make sense. Also, it wouldn’t have to match, because my character’s not from Earth. But something. And something to give it a bit more of, not regalness in an arrogant way, but I can’t quite find the word. But I can see Diana and David, you’re both nodding, so maybe the essence of it. Anyways, I just thought, “This is maybe silly, maybe not, but my best rendition.” So, I went with it, and I auditioned, and to my surprise, I got notice that I had booked it. This was my first guest-starring role ever. So, as an actor, you go through the different roles, of really trying to get any work at all. You’re happy with big roles, small roles, any, every– And I’ve done everything in between since then and to the present.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Kevan, can you remember what was on the page when you auditioned, or what you were given by the casting director in the way of direction? Besides your own really wise choices.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Carol Kelsay, casting director, very wonderful woman. I honestly can’t remember. I remember Martin Wood was in the room.

Diana Dru Botsford:
He was? OK.

Kevan Ohtsji:
He was the director. And I believe one of the producers, maybe a producer/writer, was also– I think there was Martin and someone else. There might have been Martin and two other people. But I just did my thing, and back in the day, we all, you’re sitting in the room opposite a dozen others that look like you, and you’re all–

Diana Dru Botsford:
No videotaped auditions like we do now, right?

Kevan Ohtsji:
No. In fact, I think back then, I think I got my sides by fax? Through this fax machine. And then my parents had this old fax machine that always had this black line that would be on the page. So, you’d have to look and see, did stuff get cut off? And you’d have to go to the production office for the script and then physically drive for the rewrites, et cetera. Sorry, what was your question?

Diana Dru Botsford:
I think what we’re trying to get at is that now you’ve had a chance, looking back, to watch some of the episodes, perhaps some that are not just yours, but others. And you brought a very different take to how a First Prime behaves than pretty much any other actor. They were very boisterous, had a lot of bravado. And you, as you said, you brought a lot of this quiet regalness to it.

David Read:
Nuance.

Diana Dru Botsford:
And intelligence to it. And strategy to it. So, I will tell you, in the books, you’re actually the descendant of Lao Tzu. The Art of War.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Whoa, Jesus.

David Read:
Uh-huh, boom.

Diana Dru Botsford:
So, you–

Kevan Ohtsji:
What?

David Read:
You’re not a Jaffa.

Diana Dru Botsford:
You are a clone. He has been cloning you since back then. Lord Yu was an actual emperor in China. He wasn’t a god, a mythical god, he was an actual emperor, and he did some pretty cool things to save the Chinese, including during a horrendous flood. He, out of the blue, came up with this great idea on how to dig extra tributaries for the river so that the cities didn’t flood. He was brilliant, in his own way. That in itself is a huge difference for the franchise. Every other Goa’uld System Lord was based off a mythological character. Here was a real person who had really existed. So, I had felt it was important that you really existed too.

David Read:
It was a very distinctive choice, ’cause he’s not a Jaffa at all.

Diana Dru Botsford:
He’s a cloned human. So, it explains some of these different choices that you as an actor made, or the writers creating him made, because he negotiates, he appeals. It’s not just cut and dry. You’re navigating that role of responsibility and, “OK, I must do as my god commands, yes, but I’m also interested in my god’s greater interests as well.” But you know what? I checked this, you only used the word “god” once in the entire… all of your appearances. The rest of the time, you used “Lord.” So, I took it that you knew he wasn’t a god. He was this great emperor, and you really respected him, and he was, in a sense, your father. You had a son’s love. So, not to go to your head, but you have to understand that your performance informed all of this. It’s not the other way around. It’s because of your performance that I came up with all these crazy, nutty ideas based off your performance. Which was wonderful.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Wow, that’s wonderful. It’s interesting ’cause now it makes sense also with the writing. I was looking at, I believe it was “New Order.” Was that season–

David Read:
That’s Season Eight. He’s really aging now.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Some of the dialogue, I was– Watching, I was, “Oh, yeah, I feel like I’m more human than the other System Lords.”

David Read:
First Primes.

Diana Dru Botsford:
First Primes.

David Read:
Both of you are tapping into the same thing here, which I think is really interesting.

David Read:
I’m interested, Kevin, to see, in terms of what Diana has said, how much of that did you feel in your own performance when you were working it?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I did feel it. In fact, the actors themselves, wonderful people. But in terms of the scene, Mike, through the eyes of my character, Oshu, I was looking, going, all the System Lords are– They’re powerful. They have more intelligence. Everybody around them believes they’re gods. Their Primes do. They act like they believe they’re gods. I suspect, I don’t know anything for certain, but they don’t behave how they should be. And furthermore, they have very self-aggrandizing viewpoints. They’re highly, highly intelligent, but manipulative. And so, I didn’t– In the scene with Camulus and Amaterasu, I was thinking they’re using my lord, Lord Yu, understanding he can be pushed aside. I recognize I don’t have the same stature as them, but I’m protecting my people. But it’s a difficult situation because I have duty, obviously, 100%, Diana. That’s how I viewed it: Lord Yu is my father, with that fatherly duty, fatherly love. Yes, it’s a feudal system, but his most important duty is to his people. So, if he’s making decisions that could potentially destroy our whole civilization, then I’m bound to duty to him, Lord Yu. And so, when he orders something, I’m bound to that. But at the same time, if he’s losing some of his cognition and it puts the entire existence of all of what he stands for in jeopardy, what do I do? What can I do? And I’m the only one that recognizes this, compared– I’m the only one; I can’t speak. And so, that’s a wonderful scene with Teal’c. I made up in my own head when, I believe it was “Fallen” or “Homecoming,” I can’t remember. When I take Teal’c captive, because I believe Lord Yu had made an order and–

David Read:
Chodawa system, “Go this way, not this way.” Or, “Rules have changed.”

Kevan Ohtsji:
That’s right, and Teal’c goes, “You cannot.” And to me, I’m going, “Oh, fuck,” Now I have to do something because my lord cannot lose face. I have to imprison you, and I have to do as he says, but I recognize I don’t have as much experience. And in my viewpoint of preparing for the role, or at least working through it, in my mind I was thinking, I’d heard of Teal’c’s character before. I’ve heard negative things, that he was a traitor, but I’ve also heard that he was honorable, and so me in a position where I’m completely screwed. My people are, and time is running out. Here’s an opportunity to potentially confide? I don’t know, but reaching out to maybe even my conscience, to someone who might–

David Read:
Serve both interests.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yeah, exactly.

David Read:
That this First Prime was so unlike any of the others in terms of the fact that we’re in Season Seven at this point. We’ve seen a few of these guys. But they didn’t throw you a bone, they threw you a stake because he is one of the oldest, if not the oldest Goa’uld still around. And the character obviously relies on Oshu for a great deal in terms of the day-to-day pencil pushing at the office. You know he’s going. And I think by the time that Season Eight comes around, what’s happened is that the writers have gotten on board the fact that yes, Yu is getting ancienter, older–

Diana Dru Botsford:
Long in the tooth.

David Read:
Long in the tooth. He doesn’t have long for the universe, and Oshu is stuck in the middle of having to negotiate all these situations, and we’ve never seen a First Prime in that situation before, having to do that. A lot of them would just throw in the towel. “Oh, he’s not a god. I’m out. Who’s the real god?” And having to play all this politics. We’ve seen shots of Yu’s planet. This is not a– I would argue it’s probably not an under-the-boot society. I get the impression that Yu had a great deal of respect for his people and the worlds that he ruled. I mean, obviously it’s still a totalitarian system. But in terms of the Goa’uld, he’s probably– I would want to be there instead of any of these others.

Kevan Ohtsji:
More fair, would you say?

David Read:
Probably a little bit more fair.

Diana Dru Botsford:
I think that’s part of what Yu’s motivation was when he said, “Uh-uh, we’re going in the other direction.” He didn’t want to put his people in harm’s way.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Hence, Sun Tzu. All the principles and–

Diana Dru Botsford:
The four dragons were all four incredibly important historical characters in ancient Chinese history. Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Confucius, and I forgot who the fourth one was. But you were in charge, obviously, of the other three, and you were all four human clones of those originals, because when Yu was Gou’alded thousands of years ago when he left, he took all of you with him.

Kevan Ohtsji:
So, much wisdom in, I think I have The Book of Lao Tzu. It’s like … Caesar.

David Read:
It’s okay.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Anyways. Meditations by …

Diana Dru Botsford:
He’s the one who–

Kevan Ohtsji:
… Marcus Aurelius, yeah.

Diana Dru Botsford:
There’s Lao Tzu. There’s Sun Tzu. I’m sorry. Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, and that’s who you are.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Oh, I was confusing it with Lao Tzu. Sorry.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Of course. Lao Tzu is the one who, you throw the sticks, and it’s the whole–

David Read:
The I Ching?

Diana Dru Botsford:
But it’s also a bunch of meditations. But it’s interesting, as we’re talking about culture, ancient Chinese history is extraordinary. Ancient Japanese history is extraordinary. But let’s be frank here, they are two warring countries. And at one point, Japan, little Japan, went and took over China.

Diana Dru Botsford:
That’s when you had the last emperor.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes, and yet, kanji– So, Japanese language, there’s hiragana, and so that’s like alphabet—

Diana Dru Botsford:
[speaking Japanese]

Kevan Ohtsji:
[speaking Japanese] So, I’m third generation. My Japanese is not fantastic, either.

Dru Botsford:
I’m sure it’s better than mine.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I don’t know. But kanji, a lot of– I remember taking martial arts as a little kid, and one, two, the characters for one, two, three to ten are exactly the same in Chinese. And then I’m looking, going, my guess is we’re all connected somehow through obviously many wars and different things have occurred since. But at some point, obviously, I believe a lot of the characters in the Japanese language, they have the same meaning as Chinese. My assumption is that that’s where it came from. That’s my guess.

Diana Dru Botsford:
What becomes crazy then, though, is, Vince, who plays your boss, as it were. So, I looked him up on IMDb, and he, even though he’s– Correct me if I’m wrong. He’s Latino or Hispanic with a last name like that?

Kevan Ohtsji:
Crestejo. I’m not sure of his ethnicity. I know I’d worked with his brother Michael Crestejo. He was doing stunts or was a coordinator.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Yeah, I saw that. But Vince did too. He did a lot of stunts too. So, talk about the collaboration of you and Vince, because there was a rhythm there as if you guys had been in every episode of all 200 plus episodes. It was amazing.

David Read:
You fit right in.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I don’t recall specifics of our discussion, but I remember Vince was just a super nice guy. A total genuine sweetheart type of a person. So, we probably had chatted about his brother. And I think he liked golf or he was gonna open a golf– I can’t remember, but he just was a really wonderful person. So, on set, you connect, and he was very open, and I guess so was I. So, I’m happy that that’s how it transpired onto film.

David Read:
There’s layers there, for sure, whether they’re intentional or not, they’re there. And since I started this show, I can’t find hide nor hair of him anywhere except on LinkedIn. I really would love to sit down and talk with him. So, if you know anybody who might know how to get in touch with him, I would love to talk with him about you, ’cause there’s a lot of depth to that character in those just few episodes, which you piggybacked off of. Are there any specific memories of your time on production that really stand out to you? Is there anything from that arc of experience that really jumps out?

Kevan Ohtsji:
In Stargate, I was in awe of the sets, not just the writing and then the character, and also the storylines. Rewatching it, how wonderfully crafted it was, these stories still are, because you have a levity and humor, but you’re dealing with such profound things. And they’re rooted, I believe, in our, as best as we can tell, our history. So, specific– I found myself oftentimes just looking at the cameras and the lighting and all the people behind it, and these beautiful sets. I guess it would be inside the–

David Read:
The motherships?

Kevan Ohtsji:
The mothership, the command c– Just the hallways, the lighting. I’d never seen one of those LED tube thingies, but they’re just– I mean, to my human eyes, I’m, “How?” ‘Cause there’s ceilings, there’s doors, they open. I was honestly, I had to make sure I could focus because I was just in awe of it all. And I guess I’d been acting for a few years, but, you know, in retrospect, I was still very green. So, yeah. I would just say in awe. Specific, I was impressed with Teal’c, obviously. I mean, talk about Christopher Judge. If you imagine stoic in a dictionary, I could see his picture in a dictionary. A picture of Teal’c.

David Read:
You turn that camera off, you better look out.

Kevan Ohtsji:
He’d crush me with a pinky, I’m sure. Everyone on the show was so friendly, so welcoming, and they made everything look easy. I still have immense respect for Martin… What was it?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Martin Wood?

Kevan Ohtsji:
Martin Wood. I worked with him a few years back on a few episodes of–

Diana Dru Botsford:
Virgin River.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Virgin River. And I think with more adult eyes, or more experienced eyes, and probably– I hope I’ve matured since my time on Stargate. I was watching him, and it’s he has such, at least my viewpoint of him is he has such a strong vision. And with just the slightest word, just the slightest touch, was able to give some direction or some nuance which someone in his crew or an actor would just naturally feel like it’s, “Oh, it’s… Thanks.” And they would go with it. And I was going, “This is true…” I mean, what a veteran. He has a very strong hand, but you never feel the hand. In fact, it feels like a nice, relaxed, well-oiled machine. And that’s the feeling I had going in, and filming in Stargate, was the whole crew, a very well-oiled machine. Gets the work done. When it comes time for crunch time, everyone seems to be on it, and– But throughout the day, and obviously if you’re working long hours, it makes sense to have a very friendly, loose feel. And humor was normal. I can’t remember what episode, but I believe it was Stargate. Pretty certain it was Stargate when they were switching from film to digital.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Season Eight.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes. And I could hear, I’m not sure if it was some of the gaffers or the DOP or– But I was listening, hearing the chatter of the crew going, “It’s supposed to be better. Yeah, we don’t have to edit all the film. Still takes us the same amount of time to set up, though.” So, I recall that because it was like, “It’s new. Oh, what’s this?” And we were dealing with using green screens obviously. Stargate and whatnot. But it was a new technology, so… I had actually forgotten, there’s a scene that I had with Torri Higginson, Doctor Elizabeth Weir and I. No. And I totally forgotten about that scene completely, ’cause it’s been many years. And I watch, and I’m like, “Oh, I’ve… I love that scene.” I really connected personally with that scene. Scenes like that, with that type of matter, is what prompted me to want to become an actor.

David Read:
Oh, I remember that scene. “Free us to fight. And if we must, die with honor.” I love that line. I love that line.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Me too. And that’s where I felt I think I’m more, definitely more human than– Which makes me– I’m not sure. I might have questioned it when I was filming it or acting it, but certainly, present day, I’m looking, going, “Yeah, I think I–” I’m pretty sure I know I felt that I was more human, but that makes a lot of sense. And it would make sense that I’m pleading with– What makes humans unique? Empathy. Which can be a weakness, or it can be a strength. It’s simply an attribute, it’s a tool. And so, I thought, “You’re not gonna gain from me.” I mean, you could torture me. That wouldn’t be fun and I would die. But I would, I lay down my life in a heartbeat, 100%, for my father, my Lord, and for my people. So, this is pointless. And if you’re not gonna help us, then at least let us fight. And if we’re gonna die, die standing up and not on our knees. And I thought– Anyway, wonderful scene. Wonderful writing.

Diana Dru Botsford:
The writing for your character was– I would love to have been a fly on the wall to know what drove them to decide to give you the words to be so different as a First Prime, versus the other First Primes that had come before who had just been bombastic and barked out orders. It was a very different direction. Teal’c was the only other First Prime, and that only for him came once he was off the yoke of his System Lord. For you, you were still with Lord Yu, and yet you had critical thinking skills, you had depth, sincerity. It had to have started in the writers’ room.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I’m guessing. So, so poetic and so much depth, so much meaning, so much– And Teal’c was– I guess, as a First– Honor. I mean, that guy, just his whole presence, to me just speaks honor. Both the charac– my interp– Well, he was a nice guy, but I always viewed him as stoic, serious, grounded, talented.

Diana Dru Botsford:
To avoid being stereotypical, but to work more with the archetypical end of this, the Asian cultures, this is what they’re known for. They have their entire cultures built on honor, truth, amazing military skills. I mean, hello, The Art of War is read. It’s necessary reading in the US military. It is necessary reading, and I suspect in other cultures it is as well. So, for them and you to have had the wherewithal to apply that was lightning in a bottle.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Really, really, really amazing stuff.

David Read:
Diana, is there anything more that you want to fill in to wet the whistles of fans who are going to go out to stargatenovels.com or some of these other websites that we’re going to talk about and pick up these two books to fill in more of the detail for them? Is there anything that you would like to express from the novels that we haven’t yet?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Well, first off, they’re only available as Kindle now ’cause they’re that old.

David Read:
Seriously?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Yeah. When I go to cons I have copies for sale, and I’m actually going to be at a con in a few weeks that I’ll have copies at. But they are only available as Kindle now. But one of the things that was fun to play with, with you and Jack O’Neill’s character, because this is also very much the theme for the two novels really, is about identity. It’s about Jack trying to figure out where is he going with his life, what’s he gonna do, and it’s about who are you. Y-O-U, Oshu. Who is Oshu? And who is Lord Yu and who is also this predecessor of yours who got stuck on Earth and actually had to deal with Chairman Mao in the ’50s?

David Read:
There’s a scene. “I am your chairman.” It was like, “Oh my God!” And I knew it was coming from Diana.

Diana Dru Botsford:
That is based on fact. In the Cultural Revolution, they executed all the ambassadors, and they took the gardeners and the plumbers and they made them ambassadors. And that is how your predecessor ended up becoming an ambassador to the United States. He went through the Gate into Antarctica, got lost, had to survive in Antarctica, actually stumbled across some of the artifacts that were left by the famous explorers going from the 19th into the 20th century. And then he was discovered by a group of explorers in the ’40s who were like, “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” They took him back with them and then they eventually, “You’re Chinese. You belong in China. We’re just gonna drop you off there.” And to survive, you became a gardener. And then the Cultural Revolution hit and you are outside gardening when Chairman Mao comes along, having just killed, slaughtered everybody inside the embassy and he makes you an ambassador.

Kevan Ohtsji:
What an amazing character.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Well, not you. Your predecessor.

Kevan Ohtsji:
It doesn’t matter. What an amazing char– Holy cow. I love it.

David Read:
‘Cause the Goa’uld do genetic memory really well.

Diana Dru Botsford:
I was a professor at a university, and we had a Chinese national in my department, and she provided me an enormous amount of insight into the language and the culture and all that. And I also did a lot of reading on my own. And I’m sure you can understand this, it is– I’m a white chick writing ancient Chinese culture, right? So, it’s even more important to get it right, and it’s even more important to open yourself up to what others can contribute to it. And I think that was another reason why, Kevan, I was so taken by what you did, is that you did so much honor to Lord Yu’s history while still maintaining your own identity. And again, I wish that they had– Did they discuss bringing you back for any more episodes or…

Kevan Ohtsji:
I personally had hope for that.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Obviously.

Kevan Ohtsji:
All I knew was I did the, I guess, “Fallen” and “Homecoming,” and then since time had passed, and then I got notice that in another episode, a few episodes. And so, it, I completely kept in the dark, but after “Homecoming” where Oshu had pleaded and Doctor Elizabeth Weir released the System Lords to fight and die with honor if they must, I was thinking, “Oh, I got a– My character has a connection. What’s going on.”

David Read:
There was a war.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I was hoping, and then the next time, Replicator Carter ended up killing Lord Yu and then it’s assumed that I was toast and so was Lord Ba’al’s representative.

David Read:
So, let’s back up for a second. You get this script. Is the script your first awareness of this? Was there a phone call having said, “Oh, you know, just so you know, in the teaser, you’re gone.” What was your reaction to this? Tell us, viscerally, if you can remember, what happened? You open the document, you’re sitting down.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I don’t know. “What? This can’t be real. No. This can’t be right. Read, read, read. OK.” Well–

David Read:
Not a bad way to go.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Not a bad way to go, but I’ve gotta– By the way, I enjoyed watching that episode. There’s a lot of really cool– Like I said, it’s the writers. Holy crap. Yeah, surprised. I’ve had that before too where I’ve got a great character, great character, then you get finally this episode or this script and then, “No, no, no.”

Diana Dru Botsford:
I never saw you as dying. That’s really interesting to have you–

David Read:
You don’t think she would have killed him?

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yeah, to me, I was going, “Is this real?” In the story, ’cause again, I wasn’t filled into the information between the episodes in between, where he got– It’s like an actor, you’ve gotta figure it out, make sense of it, and be truthful to what the story, what the scene requires. But I didn’t– It was news to me too. I really loved the character, I really loved the situation and the worlds, and the internal turmoil that this character was thrown into, so I really enjoyed exploring all that. But I was not happy to see that scene. Happy to work, happy to be on the show, obviously. But yeah.

David Read:
No, it’s one of the most visceral experiences out of the entire canon to watch, and I always went back and forth. Should he have stabbed him in the heart, or should he have taken his head off? I mean, in terms, what’s symbolically is the most interesting? I suppose stabbing him through the heart, but the reaction, the look on your face when that occurs, it’s literally, “I failed. I’m standing right here letting this thing happen.” What do you think the character was thinking when this happens? Thousands of years of service and then done. Out of a job. Soup line.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Out of a job. I think like most things that would be tragic to most people, shock in the initial moment. You can’t believe it’s happening. You can’t believe it’s real, 100%. I think in that instant, no actual thoughts, but within that visceral feeling is all of what you’d mentioned. How can this be? Is our entire civilization, is it all over? This can’t be real. But it happens in a split second. Only when we go back and think back and try to articulate would we make sense of that. But it was a visceral, “Oh my God.” Almost like anyone losing a loved one or seeing a close friend right in front of you, say a tragic accident. Knock on wood, I don’t want that to happen to anybody, but great scenes.

David Read:
For sure.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I wanted to say, maybe we’re going a little bit off the beaten track. You can just interrupt me if I–

David Read:
No, go ahead.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I was thinking of the concepts of Replicator Carter. I can’t remember what episode, but I believe it was Daniel Jackson character who was speaking to Replicator Carter, or the representation of her, and he was saying, “It doesn’t matter how much– You have all the information in your system downloaded. Way more than any human could ever be capable of. But what is it you want from humans?” It’s the understanding, the cognition, the piecing together, the putting together the dots in our humanity, or our empathy, or compassion, or these things for better, for– These things: the comprehension is something that your infinite data, as much money, as much power as you want, you can’t have the real thing. So, to me, I’m thinking, what will AI look like as we have to live through it? Now, obviously there’s a– It’s a tool, it’s a wonderful benefit. My concern is, much like, let’s say there are young people today that are, say, 16 or 17. Let’s say they have children. What are the chances they’re gonna be able to navigate without a GPS? What is the chance they’d be able to not even write cursive handwriting, but even be able to read someone else’s? To me, I’m thinking if we’re relying, if we’re going into a world– This is me as Kevan just thinking, and I find parallels within Stargate SG-1, which is awesome, but if suddenly, my phone or whatever device we use: here’s the AI intel– Here’s the logic, here’s these things, that’s wonderful, that’s amazing, there’s a lot of benefit. To me, I have a few questions. One is: What information is put in there? Is it accurate? Can it be infiltrated? Can it be– Meaning, if we become so dependent on this, is there a possibility these things can be corrupted? Because if they can be, and if they are, even if it’s a 1% chance, and we rely completely on it, then what does that mean for humans? And then furthermore, I guess the question I had which spurred the thought in my mind was, what about our reasoning, our critical thinking, our logic that you, David, have, that you, Diana, have, that I have, what if we have a generation or two where that logic is now on a– You’re getting it, it’s not your own? So, might we lose the ability to have the understanding of logic? So, these are deep questions. I don’t know the answer, and frankly, it’s almost like you can’t put the toothpaste back in the toothpaste container. So, it’s here whether we want to. So, I’m going, “Well, how do we move forward?” And obviously we can find benefits, and I was thinking, imagine you could have all these wonderful artists using amazing software to create these wonderful songs with a beat that they don’t need to necessarily have to know how to drum– You can have amazing works of art, and no doubt we will. Will it be abused? Probably. Can anybody do anything to change it? Not really. Things have gotta run their course. But I’m thinking if we do have, let’s say, years and years and years and years and years and years of synthetic artificial stuff being created, after a number of years, I get a sense that, you go to a cafe or somewhere, and there’s just a lone person with an acoustic guitar singing their heart out, and people that go, “That, we want that.” It’s like having fast food all the time. No offense to fast food restaurants. And if that’s your whole, that’s what you have on a daily basis for four years, and suddenly an average home-cooked meal, and you sit down and you’re like, “Oh. This is so nice.”

Diana Dru Botsford:
But the question is, will humanity prevail with these LLM models? ‘Cause this is not AI. We have not hit a singularity. This is all fourth-dimensional search engines. They’re just spitting back text that they’ve found somewhere else. There’s no original thought. They are not sentient.

Kevan Ohtsji:

It’s the quality of the information that gets put into there. So, yeah, technically we don’t– I agree with you. But will we go to the point where we do have the, and a lot of films have been made about man versus machine intellect and this… Anyways, these are things I think about.

David Read:
There’s a lot to unpack there for sure.

Diana Dru Botsford:
But you were writing. Kevan, are you writing about this kinda stuff? Are you looking at this theme?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I get intrigued and I get inspired, and then I write all this sort of stuff and the ideas. And then usually I look back and go, “Was that just me with a spark, with a spur of–” Often I find, and I don’t think I’m being so self-critical, but I’m like, “Maybe that story is just meaningful to me, but it doesn’t really seem like it would capture that much, and my–” So, I have a lot of– I finished a few projects, but in all honesty, I’m just being honest. If they were decent, I’d say so, but I’m going, “The work you do and the writers do is absolutely phenomenal.” And furthermore, I’ve also found even though my characters do sound quite similar, because it– Even though I’m an actor, I like to get into the… walking a mile in someone’s shoes. What would their upbring– But even still, it’s a wonderful craft, yes.

Diana Dru Botsford:
But who’s to say what is decent?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I know.

David Read:
You present this to someone else that they factor in as well. And two, and I cannot emphasize two enough, perfection is the enemy of completion. So, you may be stalled and someone else will be like, “Oh my God, you’re almost there. Keep going.” You need the right people around you, buddy. Because there are times it’s like, “Yeah, that sucked,” but maybe not.

Diana Dru Botsford:
And also, quite frankly, writing is about sitting your butt in the chair and just doing it every day. Just doing it every day.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I wrote… I have this on my computer from a–

David Read:”
Try and fail and get up again and fail better. Repeat.” That’s right.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I’m not sure. Maybe I should word that in a more positive, instead of fail, but it kinda makes sense of– I agree with you, and it’s the same thing with acting. You can only do your best at 2:47 PM on a Tuesday.

Diana Dru Botsford:
You saw the movie The Lion in Winter, right? With Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole?

Kevan Ohtsji:
I am not familiar with that.

Diana Dru Botsford:
“It’s not about the falling down, it’s about the getting up that matters.” Very famous line in there. Great movie. I do highly recommend it. Everybody fails every day, and our superegos, our parents, our inner heads saying, “Not good enough, not good enough, not good enough.”

David Read:
Or don’t even try.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Where’s the A? You got an A-minus. Where’s the A?

Kevan Ohtsji:
0.99, where’s that extra 1%?

Diana Dru Botsford:
Exactly. And that’s what— David’s right. It’s about completion. It’s not gonna be perfect.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I know. We’ve gotta be kind to ourselves. Yes.

David Read:
There’s a balance to strike there. ‘Cause self-criticism is so important, because if you’re thinking, “Oh, I am perfect,” that’s just as bad. Could be worse. So, I have some fan questions to get to …

Kevan Ohtsji:
Sure, please.

David Read:
… for you. A lot of this we went over. I’m just reading these through pretty quickly, first time myself. So, if you want to put a bow on anything, and then we’ll move on, that’s fine. Lockwatcher says, “You worked with Martin Wood as a director more than once in Stargate. You worked with him again in Virgin River. What was it like getting back with Martin again?”

Kevan Ohtsji:
Awesome. You feel like you’re in strong, very strong, capable hands. I did notice he does a lot of movement. So, I remember I was shooting a scene where I think it was all dialogue, and I played an eye specialist doctor that was– In any case, the scene was written where I’ve got some dialogue, and I’m on the phone in my car. But, obviously, on the day, we started outside the car with a whole bunch of extras. It was rainy, walked down this sort of– You gotta be on your game. For me, I found, be extra prepared when I work with Martin, but I know I’m in very strong hands, and a very, very creative, talented guy. I can’t say enough. I have huge respect, and I had said, from my observation, that’s, in my viewpoint, the quintessential director. One that has a very strong hand, has a very strong vision. And with the slightest touch, you don’t even realize he doesn’t just get what he wants, but he inspires others to bring out the best of themselves. That’s what I witnessed. So, huge respect. What a fantastic director and person. I’m very appreciative I got to work with him the amount of times I have.

David Read:
Great human being. So, insightful. Jeremy Heiner wanted to know, “You were in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, what was that experience like, and how is voice acting in a video game different from being on camera?” What are some of the different parts of yourself that you access to pull off the performance? What changes?

Kevan Ohtsji:
That was a cool character. I was in the sound booth quite often and had to fly a few times into Montreal for mocap, motion capture. He was known as the Great Traitor. So, interestingly, before our contact, it’s been a few decades since SG-1, but I realized, actually just with this interview, Akechi Mitsuhide was known as the Great Traitor. He was one of the generals under Oda Nobunaga. And he actually betrayed them at the end, and I believe my character– Anyways, I’m getting way off. It’s a wonderful experience. Inside the sound booth, it’s great ’cause I can just speak like this. I found a wonderful internal life now, to me, going back to feudal 16th century Japan, of a real character. And a character who, actually I love playing antagonists because I have to try to get into a different frame of reference of where my words are still truthful, but from that very different perspective. Much like we were saying of the Dead Poets Society or the analogy of the five blind people touching the elephant all arguing with each other. This character got to experience the moment of his death and the realization that he would be killed. And recognizing that he had betrayed his master in a big way. But at that time, I have to wrap my mentality around, this is a different era that I wouldn’t understand. This is an era where, if you’re not strong, if you’re not able to kill, someone will come and take it from you. They will take your women, your children, rape them. You will be enslaved. There is no second chance. This is the world we live in. Now, it’s different ’cause that’s not the world we live in, not the world I live in. But how can I imagine marinating in that world and try to think of the humanity, together with all of the faults that we all have of viewing the world in our– We have egos, we have hurt, we have all these different things that make us human, which is why I like the work that we do in film. We get to explore these things. So, it was wonderful. And again, cast, crew, phenomenal. I want to say that 98, 95% of all the productions I’ve ever been on, they’re all amazing, grounded, down-to-earth people. There is the odd, very small percentage of a very large ego. And it’s interesting because just observing, it translates all the way down, it filters all the way down, if it’s from someone of a position of power, whether it be a producer, exec producer, you can see that– Even one of the leads on a show, you can see that filter all the way. Everyone still does their job, but it’s a different feeling. But I wanna say, the vast majority, famous, not so famous, big budget, not big budget, most people, I’d like to think because we recognize we’re doing something very special.

Diana Dru Botsford:
But it is very much about number one on the call sheet, and the cast. I used to be in the TV/film industry also, so. I would imagine RDA had a lot to do with setting the tone for the Stargate set, Richard Dean Anderson.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Worked out quite well, I would say.

Diana Dru Botsford:
A lot of humor, a lot of heart, and a lot of professionalism.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Yes. Just putting a button on the question, David: I wanna say it was a great experience, a wonderful, fun experience to me. And also, getting to put on an accent with the 16th century– And I can get the T-shirt and sweatpants and, you know, you gotta make–

David Read:
Plate of Oreos.

Kevan Ohtsji:
But I think the real juice for me, or what I really enjoyed that was different, I think that was to your question, was I got to be very, very intimate, so to speak. So, very connected with the soul and mind. You’re probably not hearing it, ’cause you’re playing the video game, but for me as a performer, I’m able to really explore and internalize, and I can be very subtle, because the microphones are very good.

David Read:
And the stakes are less. You don’t have 100 people standing around waiting for you to hit your mark and hit the words exactly. You can be more intimate with yourself and explore, I would imagine, a little bit.

Kevan Ohtsji:
That’s right.

David Read:
I’ve got two questions, one for each of you. These will be quicker. Kevin Weaver wants to know, “Kevan, did you get to keep anything from the set or the show?”

Diana Dru Botsford:
Good question.

Kevan Ohtsji:
From Stargate? I don’t– I would have liked to. No, I gotta say no for that.

David Read:
OK, all right. And Diana, “If you could single out your favorite storyline from the franchise,” Raj Luthra wanted to know what it would be.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Wow.

David Read:
And Lockwatcher asked a huge question that I’m not even gonna approach, because I would love to have you back to talk about your love of science fiction and your writing.

Diana Dru Botsford:
Is that for Kevan, you mean?

David Read:
That’s for you, Diana. I wanna have you back.

Diana Dru Botsford:
OK, honestly, that duology, it was Jack’s storyline that I explored in Four Dragons and then the sequel, The Drift, because he was adrift. You could see it in him, in his acting choices. And especially once he became General, you could see he was still–

David Read:
He wanted to quit.

Diana Dru Botsford:
You knew the actor was tired and wanted to be with their child, and you knew all the backstory, but you try to be in the world. So, I was trying to come up with– He was going through a midlife crisis. He was trying, he was going through, “Who am I?” And, “What’s next for me?” And, “How can I still give and be the best I can be, but how can I grow? I’ve done–” If you think about everything the guy has done, what is there left to do? So, for me, that was definitely my favorite storyline, was watching what was happening with that character in Seasons Seven and Eight.

David Read:
Thank you both so much. Kevan, this was tremendous. I hope you’ve had as much fun as Diana and I clearly have had. This has been a really great experience to have you on and share some stories from production.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Thank you, huge pleasure. Feels like we’ve been talking for just five minutes.

David Read:
I know. And Diana, I really appreciate your insight and being willing to explore so willingly so many of the facets of what you put on paper decades ago that are still relevant to our lives as Stargate fans, and people can still go out there and pick it up on Kindle.

Diana Dru Botsford:
This is a franchise that could have a million episodes, and it wouldn’t tire out. Thank you for having me, David. It was great to meet you, Kevan.

Kevan Ohtsji:
Likewise. Both, thank you.

David Read:
If either of you guys have to split, I understand, but I’m gonna wrap up the show on this end.

Kevan Ohtsji:
I’m cool. I’ll stick around with you.

Diana Dru Botsford:
That’s OK.

David Read:
All righty. I’ll be right back. Thank you. OK, if I can push the right button. All right. Kevan Ohtsji, Yu in… Not Yu. My gosh, I made it through almost the whole thing. Kevan Ohtsji, who played Oshu in Stargate SG-1, and Diana Dru Botsford, writer/producer, author of The Drift and Four Dragons. I really appreciate you tuning in. If you enjoy Stargate and you wanna see more content like this on YouTube, I’d appreciate it if you clicked the Like button. It makes a difference with the show and will continue to help us grow our audience. I don’t know why it’s that size, but I’ll expand. And please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend. And if you want to get notified about future episodes, click Subscribe. And if you plan on watching live, give the Bell icon a click so you get the notifications of any last-minute guest changes and the moment a new video drops. 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 have a tremendous team that helps me pull this off week in and week out. I do not sail this boat alone, and I’m thankful for all of them. My producers, where’s my producer list? There it is. ‘Cause I don’t wanna miss anybody. Antony Rawling, Kevin Weaver, Linda “GateGabber” Furey, you guys make this show possible. My moderating team, Antony, Jeremy, Kevin, Lockwatcher, Marcia, Raj, Sommer, and Tracy. Thank you for having my back literally in the chat. And to Frederick Marcoux over at ConceptsWeb, he keeps DialtheGate.com up and running. We have a huge slate of guests heading your way very soon. Keep it on DialtheGate.com for the complete schedule. Some things get moved around, and that’s the best place to keep an eye on everything. Another guest, Matthew Bennett, coming up in just a moment here, and tomorrow, two episodes as well. My name is David Read for Dial the Gate. I appreciate you tuning in, and I will see you on the other side.