"Stargate SG-1" couldn't have celebrated its forthcoming 200th episode without the presence of former leading man Richard Dean Anderson, said executive producer Brad Wright, according to SciFi Wire.

Anderson has been back on the Vancouver set for several guest appearances on both SG-1 and sister series, "Stargate Atlantis," returning as Gen. Jack O'Neill.

Anderson's first appearance will be in "200," SG-1's 200th episode, which will air Aug. 18 as part of the series' upcoming 10th season.

"It's been a lot of fun to see him again," Wright said. "He's doing two episodes of SG-1 and three episodes of Atlantis." Anderson left Stargate after the eighth season of SG-1 in order to spend more time with his young child.

"He was so much the face of SG-1 for so many years," Wright said. "We did go on without him and made some fine television, but for the 200th episode there was just no way we could even consider doing it without bringing him back. And, of course, when we called him to ask him to do that, he said, 'Just one?'"

"So it was nice to know that he wanted to come back. And it's actually kind of a testament to the environment we have here. People miss it when they're gone,"Wright said. "It's just a fun place to work, and it's a fun show to work on. That's why everybody still works their butt off and why we're still on the air, I guess, because it shows on the screen."

Both "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" return with new episodes on the SciFi Channel, beginning on July 14.