I get the impression that at that point they really hadn't put a lot of thought into it and there were several possibilities for what kind of background he came from. They were just tossing around ideas and hadn't ruled anything out.

As for the Sci-Fi bio I said all along that it wasn't canon - nothing is canon unless we see it on screen. When a show starts they sketch out a basic idea for the characters but once they start filming those character outlines are often thrown out the window due to the way an actor plays the role or the chemistry between two characters etc etc. I'm guessing that the bio was written before they had even cast the role.

For example when Enterprise was first announced the bio they released for Connor Trinneer's character said he was called "Spike" and was supposed to be best friends with Mayweather. By the time they started filming he had become Trip, barely had any interaction with Mayweather and was best friends with Archer.

To be honest I'm glad they're not going the obvious military father route, its too predictable. Joe M said they wanted to come up with a background for Sheppard that was atypical and it looks like they have done that.

I just wish we'd get a scene with McKay when he discovers Sheppard's wealthy - he'd never live it down.