O'Neill, Director of Homeworld Security?

[Dave2]

Since by Season 9 O'Neill is supposed to have replaced Hammond as head of Homeworld Security, it seems peculiar that when plagues and viruses are around, not to mention the Ori, we hear little about Homeworld Security. Landry contacts the president and the Pentagon, but only once or twice do we hear the name of O'Neill.
Wouldn't he have been involved - at least off screen by phone - in these rough situations?

PS At first I thought of Cameron Mitchell as O'Neill Lite, but as the episodes continue he comes into his own. Of course he was not really acting the commander as O'Neill did of SG1, and he has the same rank as Samantha Carter. Sometimes he seems to be following behind Teal'c and seems to be about the same age as Daniel.

[AlexanderD]

Have you given thought to the idea that the SGC and Home World Security serve different missions? That alone could be the reason O'Neill isn't mentioned at every bad turn in the road.

[USS Thor]

exactly homeworld command could very well be focused on the defensive plans for earth. It's never very clear the point of it and its also possible that landry uses the red phone to provide instant updates instead of going through the chain of command

[Dave2]

So then where was O'Neill?? I figure RDA could have spent a weekend in Vancouver and done a couple of episodes at a time with short appearances.

exactly homeworld command could very well be focused on the defensive plans for earth. It's never very clear the point of it and its also possible that landry uses the red phone to provide instant updates instead of going through the chain of command

[SaberBlade]

It was always my understanding that Homeworld Security was a single military command that was basically in charge of commanding different groups associated with the Stargate.

While the Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force would ultimately report to the Pentagon, the deep space program (Daedalus, Apollo, Hammond, Odyssey), Stargate Command, Atlantis and Destiny would report to Homeworld Security.

[hedwig]

So then where was O'Neill?? I figure RDA could have spent a weekend in Vancouver and done a couple of episodes at a time with short appearances.

It was difficulties with TPTB as to why RDA was not in more episodes of SG1 in 9 and 10. He had agreed to come back to do 4-5 episodes with SG1, only to find out when he got to Vancouver that he'd been shuffled over to SGA instead. And it was apparently these "difficulties" that were responsible for his name not even being mentioned much throughout S8/9.

And Cameron Mitchell is the same age (or close to) as Sam Carter. Daniel is actually older than either of them, going by things said in various episodes.

Daniel says he was 4-1/2 years old at the time of their trip back to 1969 in the episode "1969", which would mean he was born mid to late 1964. Depending on which version you accept on this, Sam was either born in 1965 or 1968. I may not be remembering correctly, but I believe there was a scene with Cam and his father in one episode when Cam was a boy where they were watching the first moon launch in 1969.

[Snowman37]

I don't remember Seasons 9&10 well enough to answer your question as to why O'Neill was rarely referenced as a decision maker. However...

So then where was O'Neill?? I figure RDA could have spent a weekend in Vancouver and done a couple of episodes at a time with short appearances.

When the show was renewed for a ninth season, Richard Dean-Anderson declined the offer to return for another season. Instead, he agreed to appear in two episodes early on: "Air, Part 1" and "Origin." Ultimately, his appearances ended up as cameos rather than full guest appearances. In "Origin," he literally only appears in two scenes at the very end of the episode. That was disappointing. After that, the actor had retired from acting to spend time with his family. He was offered to voice himself on an episode of The Simpsons, one of his favorite TV shows. This reinvigorated his interest in acting. When he returned to the show, he signed on for five episodes for SG-1's tenth season. However, the producers decided that three of them would be Atlantis third season episodes. On SG-1, this meant he'd have a small role in "200" with a full on guest starring role in "The Shroud." The Atlantis episodes he appeared in that same year were "The Real World" and "The Return, Parts 1&2" which took place between SG-1's "200" and "The Shroud."

It was difficulties with TPTB as to why RDA was not in more episodes of SG1 in 9 and 10. He had agreed to come back to do 4-5 episodes with SG1, only to find out when he got to Vancouver that he'd been shuffled over to SGA instead. And it was apparently these "difficulties" that were responsible for his name not even being mentioned much throughout S8/9.

RDA had a starring role in Season 8. He did not return for more episodes in Season 9, because he had retired from acting at the time. The difficulties you speak of did not occur until the tenth season.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Sam was most likely born in 1965. And Amanda herself was born in 1965, which makes it an even better fit, IMO.

I was born in the summer of 1964, and I remember watching the moon landing myself in '69, when I was almost five. This is one of my clearest memories from early childhood (the other is watching Star Trek with my father a year or two earlier). If Sam was old enough to have watched the moon landing, this could explain a lot as to her fascination with space and her lifelong desire to become an astronaut prior to her involvement with the Stargate program. If her father, Jacob, is the person she watched the landing with, then that also shows us that he was there for the very beginning of her fascination with this. I like that thought.

[AlexanderD]

So then where was O'Neill?? I figure RDA could have spent a weekend in Vancouver and done a couple of episodes at a time with short appearances.

You do realize that in order for things to happen, you don't have to see O'Neill on screen directly. It's called background action.

[fems]

Since by Season 9 O'Neill is supposed to have replaced Hammond as head of Homeworld Security, it seems peculiar that when plagues and viruses are around, not to mention the Ori, we hear little about Homeworld Security. Landry contacts the president and the Pentagon, but only once or twice do we hear the name of O'Neill.
Wouldn't he have been involved - at least off screen by phone - in these rough situations?

Uhm, Homeworld Security (or Homeworld Command as it's renamed in SGU) is at the Pentagon, so it's very likely that when they say Pentagon they mean HWS. Also, we've seen Landry on the red phone talking to "Sir", often in Washington who could easily be Jack since we know Hammond also had other numbers besides the President on that line.

[Dave2]

Too bad about RDA. The show just wasn't the same without him, plain and simple. I don't really blame him. Seven or eight years in that role with the years as MacGyver might have worn him out from acting. But then again, look at people like James Arness, who spent 20 years on Gunsmoke.....or actors working on soap operas having to appear every day for years.

But the active element of Homeworld Security really was missing without anyone from there. I didn't like Woolsley very much.

[hedwig]

RDA had a starring role in Season 8. He did not return for more episodes in Season 9, because he had retired from acting at the time.

No offense, but D'uh! Who doesn't know this by now?

The difficulties you speak of did not occur until the tenth season.

Sorry to disagree. But the difficulties came when he was no longer an executive producer and Rob Cooper was. Rob wanted things done his way (and apparently didn't care what he had to do in order to get his way) and there was a big dispute between the two of them, and RDA even said himself things were very frosty between the two of them. And that is the reason for his lack of appearance in Season 9 and barely even a mention of him in S9, not because he was retiring. Yes, he did retire, but he also agreed to come back and do several episodes of SG1 in both Seasons 9 and 10, and in an interview he said that when he arrived in Vancouver to film what he thought was going to be SG1 episodes, he was shuffled over to SGA instead. Maybe you should go read stuff on his website if you don't believe this.

Sam was most likely born in 1965. And Amanda herself was born in 1965, which makes it an even better fit, IMO.

That is pure speculation and not canon about Sam. There was never anything shown on the program to confirm that. It's nothing more than a personal choice on anyone's part to believe it.

[Snowman37]

No offense, but D'uh! Who doesn't know this by now?

Dave2, the guy who started the thread. What kind of question is this? Not everyone follows behind the scenes like you and I.

Sorry to disagree. But the difficulties came when he was no longer an executive producer and Rob Cooper was. Rob wanted things done his way (and apparently didn't care what he had to do in order to get his way) and there was a big dispute between the two of them, and RDA even said himself things were very frosty between the two of them. And that is the reason for his lack of appearance in Season 9 and barely even a mention of him in S9, not because he was retiring. Yes, he did retire, but he also agreed to come back and do several episodes of SG1 in both Seasons 9 and 10, and in an interview he said that when he arrived in Vancouver to film what he thought was going to be SG1 episodes, he was shuffled over to SGA instead. Maybe you should go read stuff on his website if you don't believe this.

I am well aware of the tenth season shenanigans. I just assumed his two cameos and later absence in the ninth season was simply due to retirement. Can you cite your source for the ninth season shenanigans?

[Dave2]

When discussing the Baal clones in "Insiders" in Season 10 General Landry tells Agent Barrett that although the International Committee has oversight of the SGC program he technically doesn't have to follow their orders unless the PRESIDENT tells him to do so. That apparently also precludes having to take orders also from either the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs OR the Secretary of HOMEWORLD SECURITY, General Jack O'Neill.
Have I missed something in the development of the chain of command, especially given the fact that the boss of the entire Homeworld Security program is almost never around in Season 10....???

[AlexanderD]

When discussing the Baal clones in "Insiders" in Season 10 General Landry tells Agent Barrett that although the International Committee has oversight of the SGC program he technically doesn't have to follow their orders unless the PRESIDENT tells him to do so. That apparently also precludes having to take orders also from either the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs OR the Secretary of HOMEWORLD SECURITY, General Jack O'Neill.
Have I missed something in the development of the chain of command, especially given the fact that the boss of the entire Homeworld Security program is almost never around in Season 10....???

Falling outside of the purview of the NID does not mean the SGC falls outside of the command structure flowing Dow from the joint Chiefs, Home World Security, or SecDef. How you came to that conclusion I'll never figure out. The last sentence of your post shows this is a continued rehash of the original question. Based on the confusion over the chain of command, I'm guessing you never served in the armed forces.