Actress Jewel Staite, previously a regular on beloved but cancelled series Firefly, will resurface on SciFi Channel's Stargate: Atlantis, according to SciFi Wire.  Staite will play Dr. Jennifer Keller, the new doctor.  She joins Amanda Tapping, whose character Samantha Carter is moving to the series after the finale of Stargate: SG1.  The two characters are likely to build a friendship, especially since Tapping is joining the cast because of the departure of series regular Torri Higginson, who plays Atlantis commander Dr. Elizabeth Weir.

Executive producer Robert C. Cooper said, "The difference between Carter and Weir is that Carter is in the military. In fact, when she joins them she's a full-bird colonel, and she's a superior to Sheppard [as played by Joe Flanigan], so there's really not much he can say or do; she's his superior officer." 

Regarding the story arc of the series, now that flagship show SG1 has been shown the door, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi said, "In terms of the stories, because we're not doing 40 episodes a week—we're doing 20 episodes—we can concentrate more on the individual characters.  Each of the characters will have a story in the front half. We'll be developing a lot more of the overall arcs. We'll be exploring a bit more of the Replicators and what makes them tick; we'll be finding out a little bit more about the Wraith as well. That should be interesting."