Why Robert Patrick Was Only In Two Episodes Of Stargate Atlantis

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Though he may never have hit megastar status, Robert Patrick has been a stalwart presence in Hollywood ever since his biggest role as the T-1000 in James Cameron's seminal "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." So definitive was his performance that Patrick has actually played the T-1000 outside of "T2" multiple times, despite the fact that his character was never officially brought back for any of the sequels.

But any fan of the actor will know that he's also had a consistent and actually pretty darn impressive run of work ever since that 1991 blockbuster. He also remains active today, most recently showing up in season 2 of Prime Video's "Reacher" series, where his primary antagonist was a clear homage to his role in Cameron's classic. Patrick also played a frankly horrible human being in season 1 of "Peacemaker," and could be seen in season 1 of the short-lived HBO series "Perry Mason." 

In fact, TV has been where Patrick has really shone in recent years, as his film roles have mostly been in smaller, direct-to-VOD type action fare. But then, TV has always provided a good home for the actor, who actually helped kick off the "Stargate SG-1" spin-off "Stargate Atlantis" back in 2004 when he guest starred in the two-part pilot episode "Rising." Patrick played commander of the Atlantis expedition, Marshall Sumner, but didn't make it out of the second part of the pilot. Why wouldn't "Atlantis" want to keep such a dependable talent onboard? According to Patrick, he had other commitments.

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When "Stargate Atlantis" debuted, it did so amid a TV landscape packed with sci-fi offerings, from "Star Trek: Enterprise," to a "Battlestar Galactica" reboot and, of course, "Stargate SG-1." That show, itself a spin-off from Roland Emmerich's 1994 "Stargate" movie, featured "MacGuyver" star Richard Dean Anderson in the role originally played by Kurt Russell, leading the crew tasked with exploring the universe via the titular artifact. It proved successful enough to spawn the "Atlantis" spinoff in 2004, as well as several other spin-offs.

While Robert Patrick seemed like just as worthy a star as Anderson when it came to leading the new series, his character was unfortunately killed off in the second half of the "Atlantis" pilot. After Colonel Marshall Sumner is captured by the Wraith, the Wraith Keeper feeds upon him in an attempt to harness his strength for her own means. By the time Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) shows up, Sumner has aged dramatically as a result of the Wraith Keeper's actions, and Sumner believes it best to shoot him rather than watch him suffer any more. So, whether fans liked it or not, that was the end of Sumner after just one and a half short episodes.

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Speaking to Den of Geek, Robert Patrick explained how he'd previously appeared as Major John Skokes on two episodes of the sci-fi anthology series "The Outer Limits" and had "some great experiences" on the show. He then recalled his work on the pilot for "Stargate Atlantis," which he remembered doing "mostly with the same guys as 'The Outer Limits.'" The two shows did indeed share a Vancouver shooting base as well as several directors and producers, and Patrick managed to parlay that into his appearance on "Atlantis" in 2004.

When asked whether he was disappointed that he didn't make it out of the "Atlantis" pilot alive, however, Patrick said that the show was initially presented to him as, "We'd like you to come do the pilot" and nothing more. The actor continued:

"I had done two shows with them with 'The Outer Limits,' and they had written two great – I thought – episodes of television with those 'Outer Limits' episodes. I enjoyed the experience very much but at that point [...] I live and work in LA primarily and my kids are young enough that I go and take them to school every morning and spend a lot of time with them, so I'm only interested in working in television if it's a show I'm gonna film in LA."

As far as Patrick is concerned, then, the reason he didn't stay on "Atlantis" was due to its Canadian shooting location and his need to be with his kids. The actor added, "That's another set of parameters that circle my life as far as decisions I make on what I'm going to do and where I'm going to go."

Meanwhile, "Atlantis" lasted for five seasons before the Sci-Fi channel cancelled the show in 2009. The series was a hit for the network and retains a cult following to this day, which in a sense makes it a shame that Patrick wasn't able to stay on and showcase his talents in something that actually gained somewhat of a following. You can hardly fault the man for wanting to spend time with his kids, but he's definitely been deserving of a part in something that gained as much popularity as "Atlantis" did. Still, it's not as if missing out on becoming a regular cast member of the series slowed him down: He basically hasn't stopped working since, demonstrating a relentlessness that the T-1000 would be proud of.