Daniel Jackson's accident on the frozen ship was designed specifically to keep him out of the scenes shot in the Arctic. Michael Shanks could not make the Arctic trip due to filming on 24 (2001).
(at around 30 mins) The scenes in the Arctic with the submarine surfacing and submerging through the ice are not special effects. They were filmed live and show the USS Alexandria (SSN-757) breaking through the ice, and later submerging. The captain and crew play themselves during on-board scenes.
Ra appears unmasked for the first time since the original Stargate (1994). Jaye Davidson, who played the character in the film, retired from acting, so in the Season 8 finale Ra was always seen with his mask on. Here he is played by Jay Williams, but has no lines and is only seen on wide shots, never in close-ups.
With his death coming approximately one month before this film arrived in stores, this is the final appearance of Don S. Davis as Lt. Gen. George Hammond.
The film is dedicated to the memory of Paul McCann, 32, and Anthony Huntrod, 20, of the HMS Tireless, who died in an accident during the filming of the Arctic scenes. The accident was due to an explosion of an oxygen generator and not related to the maneuvers made for the movie.
Charles Cohen: (at around 36 mins) the Senior Executive Vice President of MGM has a small role as the man pushing Daniel Jackson down the hospital hallway.
Martin Wood: Wood and Props Master Kenny Gibbs--aka "Evil Kenny"--have small parts in the scene in the Arctic where Sam and Cam first meet up with Jack. Due to the secluded nature of the filming location, no extras were available.