THANKS FOR WATCHING! If you want more from "General Hammond" actor Don S. Davis himself, here's our 2-part interview with Don from back in 2006: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rNiDi6WEqM7HnGQ.html

"Best to dial 1 on the red phone, General." "My grandchildren?" "...2 then."

The thing about how Don S Davis played Hammond is that it never felt like anyone acting, he just WAS Hammond and watching him you always trusted the character because he was real

Hammond of Texas is the SGC, everyone else was a part timer.

I feel like it is worth noting that Hammond was invested in the Stargate history since 1969.

"Has Hammond of Texas fallen in battle?" One of my favorite lines

Hammond *gesture to head* of Texas. No contest.

What Don Davis brought to the role of General Hammond more than anything else was a unique authenticity having actually been a U.S. military officer before becoming an actor. His portrayal of how an actual real life American military officer would react to the multitude of weird situations in Stargate SG-1 was exactly how I would imagine from my own 20 years of military service.

Hammond was a fantastic character and amazing leader. Don did an epic job playing him, bringing across a firm, yet compassionate leader.

Hammond wasn't perfect but considering the challenges he faced I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. So glad he was able to appear in Continuum. RIP Don S Davis, you brought life to a character that we could all aspire to be more like.

One of my favorite jokes is that Hammond's Granddaughters are number one on his Red Phone and the President is number two.

A perfect summary. That moment with "Hammond of Texas" in the fighter craft shouting "Yeeha!" sums him up perfectly. Also his first time off Planet speaking to the authoritarian Alien nation and being unapologetic and taking no shit was perfect. Listening to cast interviews on this channel also showed him, as Don (the man) to be so funny and engaging and a Father figure to all. A child at heart and a full on Man by nature. Much respected and sadly missed. He will always be "Hammond of Texas" to me.

As a former military man General Hammond really came through to me as the best and most accurate.

Hammond being No.1 is a no-brainer. The actor and the character went above and beyond.

So touching! Don has ascended, he still take care of everybody but can't interfere due to ascended beings rules😸

I’ve been in uniform and worked for people who reminded me of all five characters. Don Davis’ portrayal of Hammond always struck me as genuine and heartfelt, probably less acting like a character and more like being himself. His work on the show still makes me smile. Fair winds and following seas, sir.

General Hammond is the toughest man at SGC who still has his grandchildren at the top of his speed dial list.

Honestly I'm surprised they never dropped a nod to Carter eventually running the SGC. She seemed way more suited for it than a lot of people. I'd say she's probably the most important character in the entire franchise.

Personally I would have swapped Landry with O'Neill, as Jack may have had his questionable moments, but he and his team were practically the standard that other SG teams were held to due to their extensive experience in the Stargate program, and maintaining a good standing with many other worlds even in difficult positions like when he had to lie to his friends to catch the NID in an elaborate sting operation. All that should have had him put second to Hammond of Texas.

Hammond to an over bearing colonel from Washington- "What do these stars on my shoulder say to you, colonel?".

I miss Hammond slash Don S Davis so much. This made me cry.

Landry had the best of both Hammond and O'Neill. Serious when it was time to be serious, and relaxed when there was no pressure. However, I don't feel like his presence ever overshadowed his predecessors, and was essentially his own character. However, outside of her time at the SGC, Weir is my overall favorite base commander. Even though Higginson has such a powerful and commanding presence on-screen, her interactions with Atlantis personnel felt appropriately civilian. And besides O'Neill and Carter, no other commander has made the kinds of sacrifices Weir has made for her teams. Even to go so far as to go back in time and spend her years in isolation just to save her expedition and another version of herself, whose life she would never live.

Hammond was the best, Jack O'Neill was the funniest

Hammond, O'neill with two l's, Weir and then landry. Weir had a spine

Yeah. That's pretty much the list. It's really hard to rank this particular list, because after the one bad leader you get 4 good leaders who all brought something unique to the table. Weir's dove headlong into one of the biggest invasions of Earth and astropolitical fallout without any experience, Jack saw the war with the Goa'uld through to the end when it got its nastiest for the galaxy (performing quite the tight-rope act between lots of hostile parties), Landry's steady hand kept Earth's head above water as stakes escalated with a vastly more powerful enemy than they'd appreciated came to light, and Hammond - Hammond struck out with no idea of the makeup of the universe, no foreign or alien allies to rest on (and too few real political friends), teams with no more knowledge or experience or allies than he had, and technology as far behind their foes as it would literally ever get during the program, and he built the entire damn standing of Earth in the universe from scratch. They were -nearly- all great leaders, but one definitely stood out over the rest and I think all 5 are ranked correctly here.

General Hammond was a great leader.. never foget what he told carter and jackson after he retired (while dealing with the ori)... IT’S ALWAYS DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT... i said this to a girl i knew that was on heroin.. she has since fixed her life and tells me all the time “when u said that to me i was in the darkest part of my life i had ever been in and it gave me the strength i needed to fix my life.. she thanks me on a regular basis... so thanks George “i know he got that saying from a famous song or writer or somewhere, cant remember”... i wanted to help her so much.. i am glad those words helped her

I was told a while back that Don S. Davis based Hammond on officers that he knew from his time in the Army.

Thanks for taking the time to do these. It helps to remember what happened, seemingly, so long ago. General Hammond was the best. The character was infused with Don S. Davis' own military experience and it showed.

Watched the series from the beginning and by far Don S. Davis was by far the best head of the SGC. The show would never been the same without him.

Hammond of Texas; clearly no one could be better. We’ll never see his like again. RIP

The exact ranking I'd go with.

Commenting before watching here ^^ I've always said, Hammond is about the only military guy I would follow into combat. He's got sense, humanity and trust in his officers. I wouldn't feel expendable and I would know that he would try everything to bring his guys home. Best commander.

I agree with this list but what needs added is a General Samantha Carter in a 4th series

Don S. Davis made Hammond into a more paternal type character without it being a trope. It really felt like any character could confide in him.

One of my favorite Landry scenes is in his first episode. "You know, the thing that's hardest to get used to around here is how good everybody is at their job. The fact is, I like yelling at people! Never get the damn chance."

Hammond had no idea what he was stepping into when he commanded recon/exploratory teams. But he had the organization adapting on the fly while constantly dealing with hostiles and maintaining relations with other planets and agencies. That's pretty epic.

It was probably due to the actor but O'Neil's time as General was so hilarious DGAF. It was believable that he'd fall into a "Eh, do whatever you want" attitude as commander and wouldn't last long, so Anderson's attitude matching that actually sort of made it work.

When the time comes I'm going to petition SpaceX to name one of it's Starships...The George Hammond.

I would Jack as #2 but that's probably because we already knew the character before he was base CO.

Hammond of Texas, sums up Don's portrayal perfectly.

Hammond, you always felt at peace when he was on screen. You could have absolute confidence in him.

he was such a good actor, and you could see him wearing stars. he has the real stars now, and while we can see them now, we will! RIP brother!

I think you got the order right. Nice overview. I miss this series. A couple of remarks... the script and characters were great. You don't hear much about the cinematography in this series but it was well done, very well done. Last but not least was the theme. For those of you musicians out there, look up the opening theme songs arrangement. Somewhat complicated. Compared to the tv series on the air today it's like Mozart compared to boys in the band or some other poorly designed musical auto tuned junk with three block chords.

This list is spot on. Don as Hammond was incredible, and I know I'm not the only one who likes to think of Hammond as a spiritual successor to Major Briggs from Twin Peaks, who was as kind and caring a man as any. I'm still sad that he's not with us anymore.

I was watching an old episode of McGuyver, and believe it or not, Don S. Davis played a truck driver while RAD tried to stop an explosion. Interesting how paths cross and re-cross!

To be fair, "Creek Mountain" in the film was Cheyenne Mountain. The film just called it by a different name. So Gen. West's complex really wasn't in a different mountain

One of the best episodes ever was when Anubis was attacking Earth and Hammond was on the verge of retiring. They had just finished a briefing in the oval office and the President pulls Hammond aside and says, ' I have one more job for you". Next thing we see is Gen. Hammond in the captains chair of Prometheis. He didn't back down for a second even when facing the most powerful G'ould ship to date, with a hastily built Terran ship.

Jack was funny as a commander. To quote Hammond : "It seems your counterpart is just as good at following orders as you are, Colonel". The responsibility of running an entire base was just too much for him, at the beginning. Too many things to micro manage, like the perfect potato for the cantina etc. And now he had to give orders instead of just following them (on occasion). I mean he did write his resignation. But in the end, he pulled through.

Hammond is one of the greatest military leaders in all of TV - he's intelligent, compassionate and most importantly trusts and listens to his people. Trusting those you lead is one of the greatest qualities a leader can have.

I would move O’Neil to #2 spot. I like Landry but he was still kinda new.

Hammond's the best. Don was actually a retired Lieutenant.

Gen Hammond summed up everything the SGC and the SG teams stood for. A fair man but firm and not one who just blindly followed orders but allowed his gut/instincts to guide his decision making so much so that SG1 often were given a degree of leeway within the regulations they had to follow because he knew they were on the frontline dealing with situations as they arose.

General Hammond was perfect as the SC Commander

Don S. Davis was the absolute best choice for General Hammond they could ever have hoped to find. He helped make SG-1 brilliant.

While I may have some thoughts on some of the rankings in this list, the one that I indisputably agree with is Davis as G. Hammond at #1. He was, in my mind, the real heart and soul of the show. 💖

My picks: 5 Bauer, not a good fit; 4: General Landry, along with Mitchell (both not a good pick after having Hammond and O’Neill who best portrayed their characters; 3: Dr Weir, I thought she was a good leader and did an excellent job in Atlantis; 2:Col Jack O’Neill, Kind of like Hammond with good leadership; 1 Major General George Hammond, they could not of picked a better leader.

Hammond of Texas reminds me of g1 optimus prime. Strong enough to be gentle, but ready to kick butt at a moment’s notice.

I think it goes to show you how much magic was captured by the casting on this show. I mean Oniel, Jackson, Hammond, Teal'c, Carter, Mccay these guys were perfect for there roles and made what was otherwise a cliché sci-fi set up into one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.

All hail Hammond of Texas

I've been bingeing the show on Hulu and I totally agree with your line-up. Hammond was awesome asa military commander stepping into an unprecedented position.

There is NEVER an argument on how good George Hammond was as a leader, you said it best.

A great assessment of all the leaders of SGC! WELL DONE!

Your review of General Hammond almost made me cry :)

O'Neill was Better than Landry, i didn't like Landry so much.

Landry is number two? You must be drinking! Jack was much much better, hence he was promoted to Homeworld Command

If you take into account Weir's command of Atlantis, she would be number 2 for sure, I loved Weir nearly as much as Hammond. Jack would be number 3 if he was there longer, but Hank was good.

This may be the only top 10 list I've ever watched that I fully and completely agree with.

I loved that tribute to Don S Davis at the end of Atlantis

Great vid. I would love it if you could make one for atlantis leaders as well

I would have to say that Elizabeth really sits as an equal to someone like Oneil. For someone who was not a member of the military she held on really well.

Pity the sarcophagus was just a prop. Great story line for Hammond with plenty of listening by tptb to chart the best arc. I miss him every time I watch .

When i think of how a leader should behave, the character of General George Hammond is one of my guiding stars.

Would have liked to have seen the clip where Supreme Commander Thor pops in on their meeting and expresses it is their preference that Hammond remain in charge.

I think like the 38 minute long Stargate open window was made to fit in the 42 minute long episode format haha

General Hammond of Texas, was my favorite leader at Stargate Command.

Would I move any of them around? Yes. Yes I would. I would move General Bauer around. Around to the front of the Stargate as it was opening..

I WOULDN'T CHANGE THAT ORDER. I LIKE IT AS YOU HAVE IT, LOVE THAT SHOW. RE-WATCHED IT SEVERAL TIMES, BEGINNING TO END.

Rip General Hammond, Never be forgotten. All time best actor Don S Davis for the role.

sg1 is great,i have met all the cast via rda,amanda was great,she remebered my broken hand from a yr earlier when i met her again,what a smile too!

"You might want to press 1 on the old speed dial" My grandchildren? "Number two then" Love general Hammond, what a character.

100% agree. At first, I disagreed with your decision to exclude General West but you made a compelling case.

My list was the exact same. Though I did think it was a toss-up between oniell and Landry, I did think oniell was 3 just because he only led the SGC for one year.

In regards to General Lorne, that would be my idea of a new show: It would be like ancient mirror alternate universe, Stargate meets Sliders. SGC finds new device, so they recruit Jack's kid clone, Tealc, Vala/Jackson's alternate timeline daughter, and Jerry O Connell, led by General Lorne.

Your perception is on point for ranking the generals.

Hammad was the best. He knew from the time he was a Lieutenant that he would play a pivotal role in the development of SG1.

Mostly agree. Obviously Hammond is number one! I would has switched Weir and O'neil. Not that either did a bad job. I just felt like Wier showed why she was there with the negotiations. Jack tries his best, but kind of struggles. As he said he doesn't know how to "be the man". He clearly missed the action and struggled not to focus on his old team before everything else. Character wise it makes sense that he would find a good replacement and step down after only one year. At least the character does see action again ;).

That was a great summary, I would have picked the same order 👌

Where do you suppose that O'Neill, Landry, Carter, and the other members of the SG1 team would currently be, and where do you think their careers would end up?

"Everyone's too good at there jobs. I like yelling at people, Colonel. No one around here gives me the damned chance." - General Landry - (More or less).😁

RIP Don S Davis. The greatest military commander character of all television history.

No question whatsoever. General Hammond wasn’t just the best SGC commander. He was one of if not the best leader in sci fi.

Jack should have been second

Hammond was the best hands down. I pretty much agree with this ranking. Do you have a similar video but for Atlantis? I like Richard Woolsey a lot, because of his character development from NID to SGA.

George Hammond was absolutely the very best commander of SGI! I wish we could have a new STargate program; it was so good!

Don put so much of himself into George Hammond. He was a powerful figure when he needed to be, but at heart a compassionate leader who did not drag his staff with him but led at the front with an open hand. Those who served under him respected him and followed his commands because of trust and a true desire to do so. That is why I truly believe Don Dacis portrayed one of the greatest generals to ever be put to film in any capacity. Maybe ever

1. Hammond 2. Landry 3. O'Neill 4. Weir 5. Bauer Hammond and Landry are easily #1 equally in leadership skills, just Hammond doesn't have weird quirks like Landry which makes me favor him more. I have a lot of issues with O'Neill of ever being a colonel much less a general (regardless of star). I prefer the Kurt Russell O'Neil because he was much more believable and contrary to what Richard Dean Anderson said about the character, Kurt's portrayal wasn't that strict and is actually a lot softer than than a lot of officers I worked for 20 years with. I didn't care for a lot of RDA's comedy routines because most of it was insubordinate and unbecoming of an officer, especially a colonel however I liked him in SGU which is how I always thought he should be and not everyone's buddy. I liked the original Weir because she went toe-to-toe with Kinsey and her voice wasn't whiney and crackly like second Weir, nothing against the actress but I just can't stand her voice. Bauer seemed like a last-minute afterthought. His character should've been introduced in a much earlier episode with some interaction as a squared away officer before finding out he's corrupt, much better storytelling that way. It would've been a better segue for Harry Maybourne to be this character because in the episode he helped Sam with the alien beachhead at SGC looked like they were doing this with his character but they turned him into a classic mustache-twirling NID badguy instead.

So you've very much put them in the order or the tenure length. And since aside from Bauer they were all great, I absolutely agree that's the correct way to do it. All hail Hammond of Texas! /touching invisible hat/

I still find it mad that the SG programme was shut down after the mission to Abydos. They just found out that can instantly transport anything to another planet "in another galaxy". Even if they didn't know the gate could go other places it would sure as hell have been studied by every engineer and physicist in Area 51 from that moment on.

Excellent list. It is perfect.

Totally agreed with the list, good job.