W.O. West

W.O. West was a US Air Force Major General. He headed Project Giza in 1995, leaving his command to Major General George Hammond by 1997.

Biography
General West was a US Air Force pilot. He was part of the Vietnam War as well the Gulf War. He is an expert of small arms. Later, he was assigned as head of the Project Giza in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado Springs, allowing Catherine Langford and a civilian team to do researchs on an artefact known at this time as "Doorway to Heaven".

(1995)
Major General West sends two officers to Colonel Jack O'Neill's home to inform him he has been reactivated.

Two weeks after Daniel Jackson's discovery, he's leading a meeting where Jackson explains the meaning of the seven symbols found on the Giza coverstone. He allows Colonel O'Neill to show to Jackson an alien device, the Stargate, and orders to launch a dialing sequence with the dialing computer. After the connection is established, he orders to send a probe through the Stargate which collects all data for analysis. After Jackson sees that the arrival Stargate has different symbols than the Earth gate, West is about to cancel the mission, but Jackson convinces him that he can find a way to come back. West then assigns Jackson to the recon team, led by Colonel O'Neill.

Later he meets O'Neill who's looking at the Horus guards fossile found in the Giza digging in 1928. He warns O'Neill about the possible threat for Earth and tells him that this was the reason he asked him for the mission.

After the return of O'Neill, Kawalsky and Ferretti from Abydos, he sends a robot-probe through the gate which crushes instantly. Then, the Project Giza shuts down, the US Air Force ships all civilian personnel as they run out of money. West leaves the Cheyenne Mountain Complex for some reason (SG1: ).

(1997)
Major General West is replaced by Major General George Hammond.

Behind the scene

 * Leon Rippy, who portrays W.O. West, has already worked seven times with director Roland Emmerich.