Colonel Cameron "Cam" Mitchell,

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in the 1997 American

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...

television series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrigh ...

'', a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by

Ben Browder Robert Benedict Browder (born December 11, 1962) is an American actor, writer and film director, known for his roles as List of Farscape characters#John Crichton, John Crichton in ''Farscape'' and Cameron Mitchell (Stargate), Cameron Mitchell i ...

, Cameron Mitchell is introduced as a main character in the

season 9 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

premiere "

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

", holding the

military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. Learning of the

SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is ...

team's off-screen separation after the previous season, Mitchell is assigned as new

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of SG-1, which he remains throughout season 10 (2006-2007) and the direct-to-DVD films '' Stargate: The Ark of Truth'', ending at the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

for '' Stargate: Continuum'' (2008). The first episodes of season 9 show Mitchell's struggle to reunite the former SG-1 members under his command. With the aid of Lt. Col.

Samantha Carter Samantha "Sam" Carter, United States Air Force, USAF is a Character (arts), fictional character in the Canadian–American military science fiction ''Stargate'' franchise. Played by Amanda Tapping, she appears in all three shows in the franchise ...

, Dr. Daniel Jackson, the

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

Teal'c Teal'c of Chulak is a fictional character in the 1997 military science fiction television series '' Stargate SG-1''. Portrayed by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modifi ...

, and the alien thief

Vala Mal Doran Vala Mal Doran is a fictional character in the American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'', a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by former ...

, Mitchell attempts to stop the Ori threat to the

Milky Way galaxy The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. ...

during the series' run. Mitchell is an experienced fighter pilot and is often involved in

close combat Close combat means a violent physical confrontation between two or more opponents at short range.''MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat'', Washington, D.C.: Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 12 February 1999Matthews, Phil, CQB ...

. Despite Browder's popularity as former lead in the sci-fi TV series ''

Farscape ''Farscape'' is an Australian-American science fiction television series, produced originally for the Nine Network. It premiered in the US on Sci-Fi Channel's SciFi Friday, 19 March 1999, at 8:00 pm EST as their anchor series. The series was c ...

'', Mitchell's role as the SG-1 leader attracted some viewers' resentment for taking over Carter's former position. Browder noted a lack of Mitchell-centric episodes and insufficient interaction between Mitchell and the other main characters. For his portrayal of Cameron Mitchell, Ben Browder was nominated for a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

in the category "Best Supporting Actor on Television" in 2006.

Role in ''Stargate SG-1''

Character arc

Cameron Mitchell is the son of Frank and Wendy Mitchell, long-time residents of Auburn, Kansas. * Poster: "Class of 1987" * Mitchell: "You know, Colorado Springs, it's not that far away, so maybe someday soon, you might think about taking a little trip." / Amy Vanderberg: "Maybe." Mitchell occasionally mentions his

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

-thumping grandmother in comparison and contrast to the Ori religion. As shown in '' Stargate: Continuum'', Mitchell's grandfather was the captain of the ship that transported the Alpha Gate from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

to the United States in the late 1930s. Two episodes flash back to Mitchell's past. As revealed in "

Collateral Damage Collateral damage is any death, injury, or other damage inflicted that is an incidental result of an activity. Originally coined by military operations, it is now also used in non-military contexts. Since the development of precision guided ...

", Mitchell's father was a test pilot for the

and lost both legs in an accident when Mitchell was a child. When Cameron Mitchell was a USAF

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he piloted an

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

over the Middle Eastern desert and mistakenly bombed a vehicle containing innocent refugees rather than the enemy. * Mitchell: "We're watching the launch of the first Space Shuttle. I can't be much more than ten years old." * Mitchell: "Who was in the convoy, sir?" / Davidson: "As far as we know, it was a group of refugees. This wasn't your fault." / Mitchell: "That doesn't change the fact that I have to live with it for the rest of my life." The season 9 premiere "

" flashes back to Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell during the events over

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

in season 7's "

Lost City A lost city is an urban settlement that fell into terminal decline and became extensively or completely uninhabited, with the consequence that the site's former significance was no longer known to the wider world. The locations of many lost citi ...

". Mitchell led a squadron of F-302 fighters against the forces of the arch villain

Anubis Anubis (; grc, Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian () is the god of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depict ...

and was shot down, resulting in severe injuries. During his recovery in the hospital, he received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

and was promised any assignment by Brigadier General

Jack O'Neill Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the MGM's military science fiction franchise ''Stargate'', primarily as one of the main characters of the television series ''Stargate SG-1''. Richard Dean Anderson played O'Neill in all th ...

. * Carter: "The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States of America. On behalf of the President..." * O'Neill: "Get well soon. And when you do, you can do anything you want, and I mean professionally, anything you want. Well not... anything." * Mitchell: "General, I'm here to join SG-1." / Landry: "Colonel, you're here to lead SG-1." / Landry: "Uh, what about Lieutenant Colonel Carter?" / Landry: "She's taken command of Stargate's R&D out of Area 51." ../ Mitchell: "And Daniel Jackson?" / Landry: "Dr. Jackson put in for reassignment. Teal'c left the program over a month ago." * Vala: "But I know nothing about your fair planet... other than it seems to have a rather interesting, if somewhat limited, gene pool." Mitchell began reading all mission reports that the SG-1 team had filed. In his first appearance in the season 9 premiere "Avalon", Mitchell has fully recovered and opts to join SG-1. When he learns that the original team has moved on to new assignments, he becomes the new SG-1 leader but fails to assemble a new team. After the alien

arrives on Earth, Dr. Daniel Jackson and the alien

assist Mitchell for a treasure hunt on Earth that eventually sets off the Ori arc. Mitchell takes his place at the head of this provisional team rather reluctantly. Lieutenant Colonel

temporarily joins Mitchell's team in season 9's sixth episode, "

Beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...

", which ends with Vala's disappearance. Mitchell officially reunites the former SG-1 team one episode later in "

Ex Deus Machina The ninth season of ''Stargate SG-1'', an American-Canadian television series, began airing on July 15, 2005 on SCI FI. The ninth season concluded on March 10, 2006, after 20 episodes on the same channel. The series was originally developed by Bra ...

". Vala reappears in late season 9 and officially joins SG-1 under Mitchell's command in season 10's "

Memento Mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'Stargate: The Ark of Truth'' and is promoted to

before his appearance in ''Stargate: Continuum'' (where the credits mistakenly list him as "Lieutenant Colonel").

Characterization

At the beginning of season 9, Mitchell's main motivation is to get the SG-1 team back together. Producer

Robert C. Cooper Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the ''Stargate'' franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Stargate Atlantis'' and ''Stargate Universe''. He also co-created both ''Star ...

wanted Cameron Mitchell to mirror the ''Stargate'' fandom and be a "super fan" of SG-1 and a "Stargate geek", who is enthusiastic about exploring the galaxy. Nevertheless, Browder described Mitchell as a "stoic" character who "actually follows military protocol"; the character has "a certain naïvety and innocence, even though he is neither particularly naïve or innocent". Mitchell's personality and attitude depends on his location (on-base and off-world) and the people around him. With Mitchell's team demeanor becoming subtler in season 10, Browder felt that the writers "finally figured out Mitchell's only superpower is getting beat up and bleeding". Browder considered Mitchell to be more restrained than his former ''

'' character

John Crichton John Crichton may refer to: * John Crichton (designer) (1917–1993), New Zealand furniture and interior designer * John Crichton (Farscape), a character on the TV series ''Farscape'' * John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne (1802–1885), Anglo-Irish peer ...

, who had higher emotional stakes and was "literally going insane through the process of the series. Mitchell's focus was on his job, and on the fun of his job. But Crichton's focus was on survival, and on the creation of a family." Crichton was also the center of the ''Farscape'' narrative, whereas the ''SG-1'' characters serve as nearly equal parts in an ensemble show. Browder did not view Mitchell as a substitute for

Richard Dean Anderson Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a retired American actor and producer. He began his television career in 1976, playing Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series ''General Hospital'', and then rose to prominence as the lead a ...

's role of Colonel

, the undisputed SG-1 team leader from seasons 1 through 7. While O'Neill's approach was "normally couched in sarcastic terms" in later years, Mitchell is "more optimistic and has a wry sense about him that's not so much sarcastic".

Relationships

Mitchell maintains a level of decorum around General Landry (

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

), but is more laid-back around the SG-1 members.

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor, writer and director. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and as Charles Harris on ...

( Daniel Jackson) and Browder did not want to repeat the "cliché original O'Neill-Daniel dynamic where views on military and diplomacy clash. The actors tried to find some commonality between the characters while trying to develop an entertaining rapport between them. By mid-season 9, their interaction had become playful, without being decidedly positive or antagonistic. Although Mitchell and

(

Christopher Judge Douglas Christopher Judge (born October 13, 1964) is an American actor best known for playing Teal'c in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1,'' and Kratos in the 2018 video game ''God of War'' and its ...

) are both warriors and leaders, Teal'c is taken aback by Mitchell's enthusiasm at first, as he is more used to O'Neill's reserved attitude. Teal'c is unsure if he likes Mitchell, but Mitchell forces Teal'c to interact with him. By not letting Teal'c step back and observe, Mitchell makes Teal'c an active part of the scene. Because Ben Browder and

Claudia Black Claudia Lee Black (born 11 October 1972) is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in '' Farscape'', Vala Mal Doran in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Sharon "Shazza" Montgomery in the film '' Pitch Black''. She has had prom ...

(

) were well known for formerly starring as star-crossed lovers in ''Farscape'', the ''Stargate'' producers refrained from emphasizing the pairing of Mitchell and Vala beyond in-jokes.Upon meeting Mitchell for the first time in the Season 9 premiere "Avalon", Vala remarks "I know we haven't met. That I'm sure I would remember." The episode " 200" features a short parody segment where Vala imagines the SG-1 members playing various ''

'' characters. Vala plays Black's old role of Aeryn Sun, while Mitchell (Browder) plays the ''Farscape'' character Stark. Daniel (Shanks) plays Browder's old role of

. The producers instead opted to further the comedic chemistry between Claudia Black and Michael Shanks. When Vala's relationship with the SG-1 team members evolved in season 10, the producers grew comfortable with pairing Browder's and Black's characters more often, and even teased (and misled) viewers about them "end ngup in a motel room bed together" in the episode "Memento Mori", involving underwear, "handcuffs as well as creamy

Twinkie A Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc. (), having been formerly owned by private ...

s". A scene in the milestone episode " 200" also parodied the show's connection to ''Farscape''.

Amanda Tapping Amanda Tapping (born 28 August 1965) is a British-Canadian actress and director. She is best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian–American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1,'' ''Stargate Atlantis,'' an ...

(

) found that the introduction of the Ori threat inhibited major character and relationship development in season 9. The characters are of equal rank, and regard each other with respect according to producer

Joseph Mallozzi Joseph Mallozzi (born 16 October 1965) is a Canadian writer and producer. He is most noted for his contributions to the '' Stargate SG-1'', '' Stargate: Atlantis'' and '' Stargate Universe'' television series and as showrunner of ''Dark Matter ...

. They give each other fair weight in decision-making, and Mitchell defers to Carter on all science-related issues. Tapping's favorite Mitchell-Carter scenes were some "neat sibling-type moments" in " Arthur's Mantle", and moments showing their history and friendship in "

Line in the Sand Line in the sand is an idiom with two similar meanings: *The first meaning is of a point (physical, decisional, etc.) beyond which one will proceed no further. An example would be a person who might agree to visit a bar with his friends, but will ...

", "

The Road Not Taken "The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem by Robert Frost, first published in the August 1915 issue of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', and later published as the first poem in the collection '' Mountain Interval'' of 1916. Its central theme is th ...

", and ''Stargate: The Ark of Truth''. Browder regretted after season 10 that he had not worked enough with the cast besides Tapping, and that "the fans probably feel that way as well". Several episodes hint at Mitchell's love life. The early episodes of season 9 suggest a relationship between Mitchell and Landry's daughter, Dr.

Carolyn Lam Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series ''Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the S ...

(

Lexa Doig Alexandra Doig (born June 8, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She played the title role in the science fiction television series '' Andromeda'' (2000–2005). She also played the lead female role of Rowan in the science fiction-action horror film ...

); a scripted romantic subplot in "

" was filmed but was cut for time when the two-parter ran long for over twenty minutes. In season 9's "

", Mitchell has a romantic encounter with a female human researcher from another planet, named Reya Varrick but she is killed. At his 20-year high school reunion in "

Bounty Bounty or bounties commonly refers to: * Bounty (reward), an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for a specific task done with a person or thing Bounty or bounties may also refer to: Geography * Bounty, Saskatchewan, a g ...

", Mitchell lays the foundation for a relationship with his high school crush, Amy Vanderburg.

SG-1 leadership

Mitchell was conceived as the leader of SG-1 who brings the team back together. Following negative fan reactions to Carter's cancelled leadership within the team (she commanded SG-1 throughout season 8), Browder noted the production difficulties that came with Amanda Tapping's maternity leave, and claimed that new leaders are brought in routinely into units in military reality. Tapping admitted to also have been "kind of put off" upon learning that someone else would lead SG-1, and hoped that the producers would make SG-1 more of an ensemble team in season 10 by removing the patriarchal line of command. The writers decided after an animated discussion after the initial season 9 episodes that Mitchell and Carter should co-command the team, although they left Mitchell in the official leadership position. Whereas Mitchell can hardly cope with leading the team in season 9, Mitchell is more comfortable with his leadership position in ''Stargate: The Ark of Truth''. Browder described Mitchell's early leadership difficulties as "dealing with what are essentially legendary characters within the mythology of the show"; ordering them around would ring false or as hubris from both an audience- and storytelling perspective. Tapping eventually considered the question of leadership irrelevant; Mitchell cannot give orders to his team since he and Carter hold the same military rank, and Daniel and Teal'c are not members of the United States military. Mitchell thus plays more to the strength of the team, choosing a leadership style that is comparable to elite teams like Delta units, where everyone participates to the fullest of their abilities and defers to the specialist quickly when needed.

Conceptual history

Conception

The producers had discussed casting Ben Browder as a possible Major John Sheppard and Colonel Dillon Everett for the first season of ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper ...

''. Browder was still filming ''

'' at that time, but had met several ''Stargate'' producers on sci-fi conventions. With

's (

) departure from ''Stargate SG-1'' after season 8 (2005), Ben Browder and the ''Stargate'' producers got together as soon as the introduction of new main characters was discussed. Browder's character was codenamed "M.M." until the producers settled on the name "Cameron 'Cam' Mitchell", with the

aviator call sign An aviator call sign or aviator callsign is a call sign given to a military pilot, flight officer, and even some enlisted aviators. The call sign is a specialized form of nickname that is used as a substitute for the aviator's given name. It is use ...

"Shaft", a pun on

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...

. * Pendergast: "Shaft... Welcome back to the Prometheus." / Mitchell: "Thank you, Colonel." / Carter: "Shaft?" / Mitchell: "My call sign. Cam. Shaft." Also joining the main cast in season 9 was

as General Hank Landry. The alien

(played by Browder's former ''Farscape'' co-star

) was re-introduced for a six-episode story arc to cover for the maternity leave of ''SG-1'' regular

(Lieutenant-Colonel

). Since the producers had not realized the physical resemblance between Browder and

( Daniel Jackson) when Browder was cast, Shanks grew a beard that he would sport in the first six episodes of season 9; the characters would also often wear differently-colored

Battle Dress Uniform The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) is a camouflaged combat uniform that was used by the United States Armed Forces as their standard combat uniform from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been replaced or supplanted in every br ...

s. Vala's line in "

" that Earth seems to have a "limited gene pool" refers to the actors' similar looks. Having sporadically watched episodes of ''SG-1'' over the years, Browder watched the first previous seasons of ''SG-1'' in two-and-a-half weeks to catch up with the show, which the writers would turn into a recurring in-joke that Mitchell had read every SG-1 mission report before joining the SG-1 team. Browder relocated to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada, where ''Stargate SG-1'' was being filmed. His family, who had been with him in Australia during his ''Farscape'' years, stayed in Los Angeles, although Browder's children would appear as background characters in " The Ties That Bind" during their set visit.

Development

Browder put the character's direction into the hands of the writers but thought that the audience would define Mitchell through the character's actions and words and not by his backstory in the end. He wanted to humanize the character without letting him be entirely dictated by military terms, while turning him slowly into as much a hero as the other SG-1 team members already are. Producer

, who wrote Mitchell's introduction in the first three episodes of season 9, wanted Mitchell to be enthusiastic about exploring the galaxy from the beginning. Mitchell should be a "super fan" of SG-1 and a "Stargate geek", mirroring the ''Stargate'' fandom. Browder did not want the character's first on-screen reaction to be enthusiasm, so the character was written to be stoic and guarded around General Landry in the first scenes. Cooper incorporated Mitchell into a flashback to a memorable ''SG-1'' scene from season 7's "

" to avoid a contrived heroic action by Mitchell in the season 9 opener. Although Mitchell was the leading man, most episodes in the first half of season 9 do not particularly focus on Mitchell. Several writers, who had been used to Anderson's reduced filming schedule in past seasons, subconsciously diminished Mitchell's role until Cooper reminded them of Browder's full-season contract. Although Mitchell had a more prominent role in the season 10 episodes " Uninvited", " Company of Thieves", and "

", Browder noted the lack of Mitchell-centric episodes in season 10. Producer

explained this as the result of having to service the Ori arc and Vala as the new main character. Mitchell also did not appear in any ''Stargate Atlantis'' episodes, which Browder explained with the lack of history between Mitchell and ''Atlantis''; for instance, Daniel possesses

Ancient Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...

knowledge, and Carter shares a history with the ''Atlantis'' character

Rodney McKay Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and '' Stargate Atlantis'', two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two ...

(

David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is a British-born Canadian actor, writer, and director known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the '' Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Cana ...

). Having penned two ''Farscape'' episodes, Browder did not pitch possible ''SG-1'' storylines to the producers until season 10. Browder received story credit for his basic pitch for season 10's "

Bad Guys A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...

", which ''Stargate Atlantis'' producer/writer

Martin Gero Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co- executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''. Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontar ...

developed into a teleplay.

Stunt work and on-screen violence

Mitchell is often at the center of the action and fight sequences. Browder joked for years that "Mitchell's super power is getting his ass whipped", which was the opposite of the powerful warrior Teal'c. Browder enjoyed the physicality of the role and wanted to do many of his own stunts. Browder had acquired first fight experiences in drama school, and had done much stunt work on ''Farscape''. Browder worked with fight choreographers in seasons 9 and 10 of ''Stargate SG-1''. Browder's first fight sequence on ''SG-1'' was a sword fight with a knight in "Avalon", where Browder did not have a stunt double and used real swords because heavy swords look more real in action. This fight was followed by an elaborate fight to the death with a Sodan Jaffa warrior in "

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

". Although writer

Paul Mullie Paul Mullie is a screenwriter and producer. He is credited for writing episodes of '' Stargate Atlantis'', '' Largo Winch'', and '' Stargate SG-1''. He has also worked as executive producer on ''Stargate: Atlantis'' and is the co-creator of ''Dark M ...

was concerned that fans might be put off by the violence and darkness of "

", where Mitchell has memories of beating a love interest to death, the producers did not want to shortchange Mitchell's emotional journey and chose to not shy away from violence in the episode. Browder played another sword fight in "

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

", and was involved in an extended hand-to-hand combat with a Replicator-possessed IOA member James Marrick (played by

Currie Graham Currie Graham (born February 26, 1967) is a Canadian stage, film and television actor. While primarily recognized as a TV actor, he has numerous film credits, including the action thrillers ''Rancid'' (2004) and ''Assault on Precinct 13'' (200 ...

) in ''The Ark of Truth''.

Reception

Although ''

TV Zone ''TV Zone'' is a British magazine that was published every four weeks by Visual Imagination that covered cult television. Initially, it mostly covered science fiction, but branched out to cover other drama and comedy series. History ''TV Zone'' ...

'''s Stephen Graves believed that Ben Browder and Claudia Black's first post-''

'' encounter in "

" was "somewhat underplayed", he considered Mitchell's introduction entertaining, with Mitchell's "excruciating" interviews with potential new recruits as "a particular highlight". However, Graves was disappointed that Mitchell did not contribute much to the story after the knight fight, and that Mitchell's "frantic" efforts to get the old SG-1 team back together hinted too much at the production team's efforts to turn around the season 8 finale. While some fans were upset that Carter did not resume command of the SG-1 team after her return, Leonard Fischer of ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington (s ...

'' considered Browder and Michael Shanks to have developed "some fun on-screen rapport" by the middle of season 9. By season 10's "

Memento Mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie''s Anthony Brown felt that "Ben Browder and Claudia Black have ..reached a point where they can play out an amusing take on '' Misery'' without you feeling that heir ''Farscape'' charactershave somehow starbursted onto ''SG-1'''s Earth". Maureen Ryan of ''

The Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' called Browder and Black's interaction in season 10 "great fun; the rapport they developed on the stellar ''Farscape'' was still much in evidence, even though they played radically different characters on ''SG-1.''" For his portrayal of Cameron Mitchell, Ben Browder was nominated for a

in the category "Best Supporting Actor on Television" in 2006. Per popular demand, Diamond Select Toys included Mitchell in their third series of ''Stargate'' action figures.

References

External links

Cameron Mitchell
at

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Cameron Fictional lieutenant colonels Fictional colonels Fictional characters from Kansas Fictional space pilots Fictional United States Air Force personnel Stargate characters Television characters introduced in 2005