Why Kurt Russell Didn't Return As Jack O'Neill For Stargate SG-1

This side of "Star Trek" or "Doctor Who," it's hard to find a sci-fi TV show that had a more successful run than "Stargate SG-1." The series, which is based on Roland Emmerich's 1994 movie "Stargate," ran for 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes, even switching networks along the way. For the actors involved, it was the sort of steady paycheck that is hard to come by in Hollywood. So, does Kurt Russell have any regrets about not reprising his role as Jack O'Neill? It sure doesn't sound like it.

In a 2006 interview with Dark Horizons, Russell was asked if he would like to return to the world of television in relation to the success of "Stargate SG-1." The actor, who had previously starred in shows such as "The New Land" and "The Quest," made it crystal clear that he was far more interested in movies — at least at that point in his career:

"I did three television series. They're hard work. They are very frustrating in many different ways. They're a great place to go to work and make money as an actor. I say that not frivolously. It's not easy to make a living as an actor. People hear me say that and they look at that, they put it into a zone of he just works for money. Yeah I do. What do you do? Do you do this for free? Would you do this for free? Five years of listening to this s*** for free? (Laughter) You have to work. It's not easy making money as an actor. It's just not an easy thing to do. There's so many that want to do it and so few opportunities to do it that it's not as easy as it would seem."

"Stargate" was originally meant to kick off a trilogy of movies, even though that never came to pass. That freed up Russell to star in a number of films in the late '90s and early 2000s, including "Executive Decision," "Breakdown," "Vanilla Sky," "Miracle," and "Sky High," among others.

Russell got to do a lot of varied projects and wasn't locked down on one show for more than a decade. That was a luxury the actor was afforded, as he had become a very big star by the mid-'90s whose value was proven time and time again. But his loss turned into someone else's gain — namely Richard Dean Anderson, of "MacGyver" fame, who took on the role of Jack O'Neill on the small screen for "Stargate SG-1."

Anderson was used to being on a show for a long time but in this case, he was dedicating more than 10 years of his life to the "Stargate" franchise. He was the lead character on "SG-1," which ran from 1997 to 2007. But after that, he also had smaller roles to play in several of the spin-offs, including "Stargate Atlantis" and "Stargate Universe." This was the role that ended up defining Anderson's career. And who knows? A "Stargate" reboot wasn't in the cards several years ago but, the way things are going in the streaming era, it wouldn't be hard to imagine such a thing.

Russell got to go off and make a bunch of movies for the last three decades, while Anderson got the sort of long-lasting role that most actors would die for. It all worked out. Plus, Russell eventually returned to the small screen in "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" on Apple TV+, which is going to run for at least two seasons. Despite his reservations, the business eventually brought Russell back to TV anyhow.

"Stargate SG-1" is currently streaming for free on Pluto TV.