According to writer-producer Martin Gero, Beckett was set to appear in only a handful of episodes after the "Stargate Atlantis"' pilot episode, "Rising", but the character had such a big connection to the fans that Gero labeled McGillion the "breakout star" in "Stargate Atlantis". The producers decided to give Beckett a larger role and made him a recurring character with a total of fifteen episode appearances in the first season, followed by a regular in season two. Although McGillion was born in Scotland, he only put on a Scottish accent during filming. McGillion said in an interview with The Sci-Fi World, "We improv a lot after the scene's over, and sometimes they'll keep some of the material and sometimes they won't. I'll often throw in little things like 'Ya cheeky little bugger'."