A R T I C L E S   &   I N T E R V I E W S

Title: SGA Season Two Official Companion Excerpt: Teyla Emmagan
Publisher: Titan Books
Publishing Date: July 2006
Byline: Sharon Gosling
Source: Stargate: Atlantis--The Official Companion, Season Two


The renewal of Stargate: Atlantis for a second season was a welcome surprise for Rachel Luttrell, who had from the outset prepared herself for the worst. After all, successful television shows are few and far between, and of the plethora of new shows launched every year, those that are cancelled far outweigh those that run.

“It was just exciting to come back,” the actress explains. “In the first season, I kind of imagined that I’d be up in Vancouver for maybe six months, and shoot this show and then head back to Los Angeles. So it was a tremendous feeling to be coming back for the new season! We connected more as actors and as people, and certainly as characters as well.”

For Luttrell, one of the most significant aspects of the season was the introduction of Jason Momoa, the new regular cast member, who would be appearing as Ronon Dex. “I think the biggest thing that stands out for me from season two is our new cast member,” says Luttrell with a laugh. “Getting Jason on board meant our dynamic had shifted a little bit. All of a sudden we had another warrior, and that was very cool, very interesting. I remember the very first time that he showed up on set. I had met him in the make-up trailer, and bumped into David [Hewlett] on the way to my trailer and David said, ‘So what do you think? What’s he like?’” She laughs, “Everyone was nervous, because we weren’t sure whether or not he would fit into our little group that we had cultivated so wonderfully in the first season. But it all worked out fantastically well. He’s definitely part of the family.”

This shift in dynamic on set was echoed on screen as Ronon appeared in Atlantis and became a valued part of Sheppard’s team. As one of his earliest acquaintances in the city and with a similar background, Teyla was among the first to get to know the young warrior, and their bond continued to grow throughout the second season. “I think it’s made her more comfortable, in a way,” says the actress of Ronon’s influence on Teyla. “Now there’s a member of the team that shares part of her perspective, who has a similar background in terms of where they both come from and what they had to deal with growing up, with reference points to the Wraith. And certainly, having someone else on board who is a warrior, somebody who has battled and run from the Wraith for so long, it’s given her a very unique ally on the team. She doesn’t feel as much of an outcast—not that she necessarily did, but now there’s somebody else there who really shares her perspective, and I think that’s really cool.”

Even with a new ally to empathize to some degree with her situation, for the only Athosian on the intrepid Atlantis team, the second year in the city of the ancestors would bring many challenges. Teyla’s year became progressively more difficult emotionally, particularly with the loss of a loved one in “Critical Mass”, and new experiences of the Wraith in episodes such as “Instinct” and “Michael”.

For Luttrell, Teyla’s response as she was forced to consider the Wraith in a new light in “Michael” is a measure of her personal strength. “I loved ‘Michael’ in particular, and I thought it was a wonderful turning point, specifically for Teyla. Just being faced with the human side of the Wraith and actually feeling a connection to this character that we decided to call Michael—and I really do think that they shared quite a connection. Teyla was against the whole retrovirus to begin with. She was against the whole tampering with genes and what that would mean moralistically. It really shifted things for her, not necessarily in terms of how she looked at the Wraith, because they’re still an awful, evil creature, but in terms of just, ‘How much right do we have to tamper with another creature, whether or not we agree with their being alive?’ There’s a line right at the very end of ‘Michael’, where she looks at him and he’s starting to change and she says, ‘You and I will no longer be friends.’ And that was very interesting that she would even consider that they were friends. That was a very fun episode for me to shoot, because I think Connor and I worked together really well.”

Teyla’s connection to the Wraith as a whole was another aspect of the character that expanded from season one to become a feature of season two. Though she was able to use this power to help save the city in “The Siege III”, it remains to be seen whether the fact that Teyla has Wraith DNA will be a blessing or a curse for both herself and those around her still battling the enemy. “The fact that she shares some DNA with them is very interesting,” agrees Luttrell. “It’s not clear, but there’s something brewing there. The DNA and what that means for her definitely need to be explored. It’s who she is, and at this point none of us really know how far-reaching that will be, but I think that’s something that could be a cornerstone, certainly of who Teyla’s character is and perhaps even of the storyline. Already we are seeing Teyla make use of those skills, and hopefully we’ll get to deepen that and her understanding of it, because it’s something that’s new to her.”

There are several other aspects of the character that Luttrell looks forward to pursuing, particularly the idea of seeing more of Teyla’s personal life. “I’m interested in exploring Teyla’s past,” the actress explains. “That would be fascinating—how did she become the leader of her people, what were the dynamics with her family, and are there any family members still out there somewhere? There is a whole wealth of backstory there that I would love to get an opportunity to explore. I would also like to explore some romance for Teyla.” Of course, season two did touch on the idea of something of the sort could grow between Teyla and Sheppard, but Luttrell is less sure what path a romantic interlude for her character could take. She laughs when asked who she has in mind for the job of Teyla's love interest. “No one in particular! It could come from an incredibly surprising place. It could come from a place we don’t know and haven’t visited. I don’t know, but I would like that opportunity. I think that would be an interesting way of exploring another side of who she is.”