Image credit: ALIAS: Scott Garfield/ABC

GARNER (LEFT) AND VARTAN

Alias

So, is a pregnant Sydney (Jennifer Garner) still an ass-kicking Sydney? ''The issue of Can she do what she's always done? will arise,'' says creator J.J. Abrams. ''And that can be a source of drama and comedy.'' Other sources of drama: Balthazar Getty (Into the West) and Rachel Nichols (Dumb and Dumberer) join the cast in season 5 as a black ops agent and a superspy-in-training, respectively. Lena Olin pops up again as Mystery Mommy, while Mia Maestro and Greg Grunberg (as Nadia and Weiss) have reduced roles.

As for reports that Michael Vartan — whose Vaughn was last seen getting hit by a car after confessing his name isn't Vaughn — will be written off the show? ''The rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated,'' says exec producer Jeff Pinkner. ''He remains a driving force in our storytelling.'' Still, Pinkner won't say how many episodes Vartan will appear in — or even if he survives the first episode. ''You'll know the answer to that by the second episode,'' he says. ''And this being Alias, that answer may prove to be untrue by the third episode.''