Paul McGillion's first role in the "Stargate" franchise was playing the young Dr. Ernest Littlefield in the early "Stargate SG-1" episode "The Torment of Tantalus" in 1997. The Scottish-born Canadian actor did not return to "Stargate" until Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper held auditions for the spin-off series "Stargate Atlantis" in 2003–2004. Carson Beckett was originally meant to be an international character, but McGillion decided during his audition to play Beckett as a Scottish character. McGillion was in Portugal when his agent informed him that he got the part of Carson Beckett.