Robert Picardo: 'Stargate' Has Eclipsed 'Star Trek'

As former star of Star Trek: Voyager, and still a regular guest on the convention circuit, Robert Picardo (the Holodoc) has had ample opportunity to notice the global popularity of the Trek franchise. But this week, Picardo revealed that he's also learned that Trek's popularity has begun to lag behind a bit compared to other science-fiction shows.

"I am always amazed when I travel abroad that Stargate has become huge," Picardo told Stargate SG-1 fan site GateWorld. "[It's] huge in Britain. It's far eclipsed Star Trek. It's now huge in Germany. I understand they're making big inroads in other countries."

A few years after the end of Voyager, Picardo appeared in two episodes of Stargate SG-1 as Agent Richard Woolsey, a role he will be reprising at least once more during the current season. The actor said that since he first worked on the show, he's grown to be a fan of it. "I'm an outsider who hasn't seen the show from the beginning but watches it sporadically -- although not only when I'm on it. When I was up there [in Vancouver, B.C., where the show is filmed] I was so enthusiastic that I think I watched about seven or eight new shows. I watched two or three from the last season and the two part opener, uncut. I'm very optimistic for their new season and new cast members."

For his new Stargate episode, called "Prototype," Picardo got to work with actor Beau Bridges, an actor he'd admired for a long time. The feeling ended up being mutual, as Bridges gave Picardo the nickname "Sure Shot Bob" for never forgetting his lines -- an ability Picardo gained on Voyager. "After all of the things that I managed to temporarily thumb-tack into my brain all those years," Picardo joked. "What our current administration calls 'frivolous lawsuits' where you sue McDonald's for making you fat? I really want to go after Paramount for brain cell loss. 'Techno-babble-related Brain Cell Death.'"

For more from Picardo, including his thoughts on Stargate's recent cast changes, head over to the full interview at GateWorld.

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