Robert Picardo Straddles Two Sci-fi Franchises Like a Colossus

Robert Picardo is well known as the doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, but many people may not know he is now a cast regular on Stargate: Atlantis, which is in it's fifth season. All too often, wee see great actors who seem to avoid sci-fi after long stints in successful series, as not to pigeonhole them into a single genre, but in the excerpt below, the actor explains why it works for him.

Asked what made him decide to jump back into another sci-fi show after Voyager, Picardo said that enough time had gone by and he likes the routine of being on a television series, the sense of family. It gives you great freedom to do other things. "In your time off, if you want to go do a play, you have the money to go do that. You don't have to make decisions based on financial concerns because that part is taken care of. So, it gives you all kinds of freedom to do creative and different things, whether it's travel, take time off, write a book or do something with my children or go on an extended college tour. I have the freedom to do all this other stuff because I'm now working steadily for seven months of the year. But more than that, Star Trek has given me a dedicated group of fans who like to watch me and they watch me in any other show I pop up in. They're particularly gratified to see me pop up in another science fiction show that they like anyway. It's been a win-win for me. And I also think I'm the first actor to play a regular part in both of the major science fiction franchises. Straddling two studio franchises like a colossus!"

Check out the full set of Atlantis cast interviews at PopCultureZoo

Related Stories:

• Don S. Davis of Stargate Has Passed
• Star Trek XI Delayed
• Robert Picardo joins the cast of Stargate Atlantis
• Star Trek XI Teaser Trailer