"Stargate SG-1" is coming back for a ninth season with a big name -- "Farscape's" Ben Browder -- but a producer for the popular Sci-Fi Channel show said don't worry about whether or not Gen. Jack O'Neill will continue on the show. He'll be there.

Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper said that there will be a Brig. Gen. Jack O'Neill on "SG-1" next season. The only question now, however, is if it will be a recurring character or a main character played by Richard Dean Anderson.

"His character is going to remain very mucha live in the Stargate universe," Cooper said. "He ... is going to be integral in commanding what goes on in (Stargate Command). As to the appearance of Richard Dean Anderson in the series, that's really still undetermined. We are very hopeful that Rick is going to agree to participate in a number of episodes, but I have no idea as to how many or when that will be resolved."

The ninth season of the show will introduce new characters and new villains, Cooper said.

"While we say new direction ... the concept of the series is very much pulled from the mythology of SG-1, and I think fans are going to be very excited about teh direction we're going," Cooper said. "One of the things we're going to be exploring in Season 9 is the origin of the Ancients and the Gatebuilders. And it's something I know fans have been sort of very curious about, and I have sort of asked to see. And that is ... one of the things we're really going to be delving into ... who the Ancients really are, and where they came from, and we may even get a chance to go there."

Many fans of both Stargate and "Farscape" know that Ben Browder, who played Capt. John Crichton in the latter series, will be joining the "SG-1" cast for its ninth season. And Cooper finally shed some light on what exactly Browder will be doing in the series.

"Ben is playing a military guy, a lieutenant colonel," Cooper said. "And I can't tell you his name yet. It hasn't been legally cleared yet, so it could still change."

Browder's character, however, does have a past with the Stargate program, and that's something that's going to come up during the show's ninth season when it debuts this summer.

"He's actually played a key role in some major events that went on ... in the Stargate universe, and was in fact very instrumental in helping SG-1 succeed in one of their more important missions. And as a result of that,he was given ... his choice posting. And he ultimately chooses to join SG-1. So when he first appears on the show, SG-1 will already know who he is. And we'll see some of those scenes and how he was basically woven into the tapestry of the show through flashbacks."

New episodes of "Stargate SG-1" begins Jan. 21 in its new Friday 8 p.m. ET time slot. The ninth season of the show, however, will begin next summer.