You know, I don't know if RDA knew Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner at all, beforehand... I can't find any evidence that their paths had crossed (in the sense of working on the same projects, anyway.) Wright's big work prior to SG-1 was "The Outer Limits" (and some "Highlander"); Glassner's was other stuff, including "21 Jump St." (which explains the DeLuise connection.) Michael Greenburg was a production-partner of RDA's going way back into the MacGyver era, so the two of them (as Gekko) came as a set, as it were.

The way I always heard the story was that Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner had the idea to turn the "Stargate" movie concept into a TV series independently, and pitched it to MGM independently, were put in touch with each other, and teamed up to do it. But if I ever heard what exactly made them decide to approach RDA about being the star... I've forgotten it. I just knew that they did, as their next step, they got him on board and then cast around him.

(I also don't recall if they approached him to also become an exec. producer on it... or whether when they approached him to star, he turned around and made that a stipulation, and they said "sure". RDA + Greenburg had become producers on MacGyver late in its run. Greenburg + RDA were ALSO exec producers on Firehouse! ;-) Just as with SG-1, Gekko is a secondary production company listed for that show. Gekko was the *primary* production co. for "Legend". So what I'm saying is -- by the time Wright and Glassner would have approached RDA about SG-1, RDA had several years under his belt in the role of a producer as well as an actor, although I think you could say that Gekko didn't exactly have a 'proven track record', considering that Legend didn't last, and Firehouse didn't even get picked up. It makes it understandable, though, that he came onboard SG-1 wanting to be both star and a producer... but doesn't tell me whether Wright/Glassner approached him in both capacities or what.)

But I agree with you that I bet they would have approached somebody else, if he hadn't come on board at that time. God knows who!

It would have been totally different with someone else playing Jack, because Stargate has Rick's personality all through it. And yeah, then they might not have had Amanda, Chris, and Michael. Weird idea. Although I tend to think those three would have stood a good chance - having that chemistry with one another... and with Michael's similarity to James Spader, he'd surely have been in the running, at least.

I agree with the latter, although -- well, we just don't know who else auditioned! :) So you never know what other actors might have been bringing good Spader-as-Daniel impersonations to the table, or whatever. (And... I thought I remembered hearing that MS, AT, and CJ encountered each other at auditions, and hit it off really well, and thus were thrilled when they ended up cast; but all I recall hearing is that they and others were tested individually with RDA, not together.)

And I *really* agree that I often wonder what SG-1 would have been like without RDA's personality infusing it. I've heard many times the story that his big stipulation for taking on the role of Jack was to bring his humor to it. Sure, he wasn't a writer -- but he clearly had lots of input early-on (and throughout the show) on the portrayal of the character and his dialogue, and I think that what he established for Jack, the attitude, just infused the show to a great degree. (Plus, he *was* a producer; though I have heard that mainly what he did was editing work -- but that's it's own tangent with interesting implications for the way some things were portrayed/established, based on comments he later made after he stepped away from that role.)