In Children of the Gods Jackson's wife Sha're, and Skaara, a young boy from Abydos are taken captive by Apophis, the leader of the Goa'ulds. The doctor reluctantly accompanies O'Neill
and his team back through the Stargate in the hope of using it to find Apophis' world. The new overseer of the Stargate project General Hammond (Don S. Davis) is surprised when Jackson
tells him that there are Stargates all over the universe. The general orders the creation of nine teams, SG-1 to SG-9, to carry out reconnaissance missions. He is reluctant, however, to let Jackson
join O'Neill's group because the doctor is not a member fo the military. It takes some persuading by O'Neill to change Hammond's mind. "General Hammond represents the hardcore old school military.
I'd say that he and Daniel are probably the two characters that are the most opposite in their interpretations of how they see the world," explains Shanks, "but Hammond as played by Don is a very
caring and humane individual. As the show has continued I think there's a little more of a father/son mentality developing between them, but they still see things from very different perspectives."
Although Colonel O'Neill defends Jackson in front of the general, the two are hardly bosom buddies. The colonel is no great love of superfluous details, so Jackson's occasional scientific ramblings
tend to get on his nerves. He does, though, acknowledge the debt of gratitude he owes the doctor for having saved his life and the lives of his fellow team members during their first visit to Abydos.
"The relationship between O'Neill and Jackson was pretty much outlined in the movie," he says. "There still is and always will be, I think, that strong polar opposite relationhip that existed from the
beginning. They're just two very different people, but because of these differences and their dependence on each other for things the other is incapable of doing there's also a trust and a respect
as well as friendship that's developing."
Co-Worker
One member of the team Jackson immediately identifies with is Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping). She is an expert on the Stargate, having studied its technology for two years before O'Neill and Jackson
first used it, so she is comfortable speaking the doctor's language. "From an intellectual point of view she and Daniel see eye-to-eye," notes the actor. "In terms of enthusiasm of scientific study I think Daniel
is much more emotionally attatched to the discoveries they make than Carter. She approaches things from a scientist's point of view where Daniel sees it through the eyes of a child with that type of wonder, so they
differ in that respect." Surprisingly, Jackson also has much in common with the fourth member of the team, the ex-Jaffa guard Teal'c (Christopher Judge), who helps O'Neill's people escape from Apophis and travels
back with them through the Stargate to Earth. "I'm looking forward to this relationship being explored more in upcoming seasons. I think of Daniel and Teal'c as being children of an unfolding universe. They
both see things from a similar point of view, although coming from different backgrounds and having contrasting physicalities and make-ups, and they relish new discoveries in much the same way."
Favourites
"There's an episode called Need that we did at the start of this season which I really enjoyed because it allowed me to take an emotional journey when Daniel is faced with an addiction. It was
something totally opposite to what I'm usually asked to do so I appreciate that story for the stretch and the push it gave me as an actor," he says. "In another episode we did fairly recently I spent over six hours
being transformend by all this prosthetic makeup into a completely new character, so I like that for the acting challenge as well.
"My favourite story as it stands so far is Torment of Tantalus. It is one of the first episodes that really allows my character to carry the ball, but beyond that I think everything that's good about this series
is represented in that episode. All the elements fit perfectly into place in terms of problem solving, ensemble work and a great story [by Robert C. Cooper] that keeps you hooked right up to the end."
Bear Trap
Some of the biggest surprises often take place when the cameras are not rolling. "Christopher Judge has this fear of bears," explains Shanks. "He's from Los Angeles and we're up here in wilds of British Columbia
where I'm from and where bears live. He's a big guy and the old adage, 'Bears are more afraid of you than you are of them,' is very true, so he really doesn't have anything to be afraid of. On one episode there was a grip working in the
forest. He was dressed completely in black and throughout the day I kept saying to Christopher, 'Did you hear something? Did you see that?' He'd give me a punch or whatever and say, 'Quit messing with me.' Finally there was a point
where this grip was bent down in a ditch and I said to Christopher, 'Did you see that?' Of course, I had him looking in the right direction so when this grip in his black outfit stood up Christopher jumped probably three feet in the air.
He was ready to run for his trailer until he figured out at the last second it was just a grip," laughs Shanks.
Besides his role on Stargate SG-1 Shanks has guest-starred on a number of television series, including The Outer Limits and Highlander. Shanks is also an accomplished theatre actor and this January he will tackle the role of
Hamlet in Vancouver before starting on Stargate SG-1's third season in February. Like his character of Daniel, the actor expresses a childlike anticipation for what next awaits SG-1. "Because it's Science Fiction and because anything is possible
opening a script is still lke unwrapping a Christmas present because you really don't have any idea what's going to happen. There's nothing that can possibly limit us other than our budget," laughs Shanks, "and our own imaginations.
TV Zone Article: "Michael Shanks: Through the Looking Glass"
By Steve Eramo
December 1998
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