Hey, Louis Ferreira, you're basically the Stargate Universe version of Captain Kirk.

"I didn't think of myself that way, and to be completely honest, it probably was a good thing, because I love my Shatner!" Ferreira said with a laugh.

Ferreira then launched into a spot-on William Shatner impression for a few seconds.

"I can only imagine how much fun it would have been to really embrace that," Ferreira said.

"But I knew we were trying to do a different, grittier, edgier, new Stargate show, so that was the head space I had to get into.

"But I hear what you're saying about Captain Kirk. I can take that to all my friends!"

Ferreira -- a veteran Canadian actor formerly known professionally as Justin Louis -- stars as Col. Everett Young in Stargate Universe, which debuts tomorrow on Space.

The latest installment in the Stargate franchise, Stargate Universe follows a group of scientists, soldiers and civilians who must fend for themselves when a military attack on their hidden base forces them to escape through a stargate.

They find themselves on an ancient, damaged space ship -- the Destiny -- which is far from Earth and locked on an unknown course.

Stargate Universe also stars the always excellent Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush.

The tension between Ferreira's character, whose job is to keep everyone safe, and Carlyle's character, whose motives are cloudy, is palpable.

"We hadn't worked together before, but we met and it was instant, one of those great moments where two actors just kind of have parallel lives, from career to family and all that kind of stuff," Ferreira said of his relationship with Carlyle.

"He's Scottish, I'm Portuguese (Ferreira was born in Portugal before moving to Canada when he was very young), we both come from certain backgrounds, so it was instant brotherhood from the get-go.

"The tension that you mentioned between our two characters, it just builds and builds. So to have that friendship in real life allows us as actors to explore those other areas in a comfortable, safe place, which is not always the case.

"So believe me when I tell you, I was just grateful for this man to be part of it. When I heard his name, it was one of the things that drew me to the project."

Speaking of being drawn to projects, Ferreira certainly has built a diverse career for himself, appearing recently in such award-winning projects as Durham County (as the creepy Ray Prager in

Season 1) and Grey Gardens (alongside Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange).

Now that Ferreira is tackling science fiction, too, we had to ask, is this wide-ranging approach by design?

"That's a great question, and I have to say, if I had my druthers, I'd love to be the guy who always tries to change it up," Ferreira said.

"But having said that, these are the auditions that come forward.

"Now, I always look for something I haven't done before. But it has not been so calculated and planned.

"Hey, in the back of my mind, I'd love to have Johnny Depp's career, please! But this is what's going on, and you're an actor and you're trying to survive."

Well, Louis Ferreira is surviving just fine.

"With those three projects you mentioned (Stargate Universe, Durham County and Grey Gardens), I'm really happy with the way it's going," Ferreira said.

"Those quality projects are rare. More than not, I would say it has been by accident. But I'm really proud of these accidents, I guess."

Ferreira back to his roots

Louis Ferreira had three good reasons to change his name: His dearly departed mother; his kids; and his own sense of comfort with his career.

Until recently, Louis Ferreira's professional acting name was Justin Louis.

But Louis Ferreira -- whose new series Stargate Universe debuts tomorrow on Space -- is his actual name.

"When I initially started acting, it was simple: I was a Portuguese kid growing up at Jane and Finch (in Toronto) with his mother on welfare, and I had an opportunity to make some money in acting," Ferreira said.

"But they were like, 'The name is too ethnic, change it.' And I said, 'OK, whatever you want.'

"Then it became a rationale for me, in that I was able to keep myself separate from my career. I could keep my family and friends here, and all the other stuff that had to do with acting and business over there.

"But then my mom passed last year, so this was a tribute to her.

"And also, at this point in my life, having been in the industry for 25 years, I was just ready to say, 'You know, I'm good, I'm safe, I'm who I am.' As well, I have two kids, and it was important for me to have my name, which is their name, up there.

"So those were the reasons, if that makes sense."

It does.