Stargate Atlantis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis intro card
Genre	Science fiction
Running time	approx. 42 minutes per episode
Creator(s)	Brad Wright Robert C. Cooper
Executive producer(s)	Brad Wright Robert C. Cooper Joseph Mallozzi Paul Mullie
Starring	Joe Flanigan Torri Higginson Paul McGillion David Hewlett Rachel Luttrell Jason Momoa
Country of origin	United States Canada
Language(s)	English
Original channel	Sci Fi Channel
Original run	July 16, 2004–present
No. of episodes	50 (to date) (List of episodes)
Preceded by	Stargate SG-1
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Stargate Atlantis is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the television series Stargate SG-1, which was based on the film Stargate (1994). Produced by MGM, Stargate Atlantis premiered on the US Sci Fi Channel on July 16, 2004 with "Rising", a movie-style two-part episode, that guest starred Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks from Stargate SG-1.

Developed by longtime SG-1 producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, Stargate Atlantis originally starred Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, David Hewlett, Rachel Luttrell and Rainbow Sun Francks. Francks became a recurring guest in season 2, replaced in the main cast by Jason Momoa. Paul McGillion, himself a recurring character in season 1, joined the regular cast in season 2. The series also features a recurring cast that includes David Nykl, Mitch Pileggi, Kavan Smith and Robert Davi. On August 21, 2006 the Sci Fi Channel announced that it would be renewing the show for another year.

The series is currently broadcast in several countries around the world; in some places, like Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia, the series is broadcast in HD.

Contents 1 Production 1.1 Conception 1.2 Casting 1.3 Format 1.4 Filming locations 1.5 Soundtrack 2 Plot synopsis 2.1 Season 1 2.2 Season 2 2.3 Season 3 3 Cast 3.1 Regular characters 3.2 Recurring characters 4 Setting 4.1 Races 4.1.1 Human civilizations 4.1.2 Non-human races 5 Broadcasters 6 DVD Release Dates 7 Other media 7.1 Fiction books 7.2 Non-fiction books 7.3 Comics 8 Trivia 9 References 10 External links 10.1 Official sites 10.2 Miscellaneous sites

[edit] Production

[edit] Conception

When the Stargate SG-1 producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper thought the series was going to end after season five (when Showtime dropped it), they came up with the idea of making a new feature film. But when the ratings on its new home Sci-Fi channel skyrocketed, the idea got pushed after season six and later after season seven. But then there was talk of a spin-off series and the producers were left with a serious dilemma, since the whole seventh season had been planned to lead up to the great discovery of the lost city of the Ancients. "Lost City" was supposed to be a bridge between SG-1 and a new show or a movie, which wasn't supposed to run at the same time as SG-1. Wright and Cooper rewrote the script as the two-parter season seven finale, and moved the setting of the story. The city, originally planned to be on Earth under Antarctica in place of the SGC, moved to the Pegasus Galaxy. By doing so, they wanted to avoid the fans wondering why SG-1 wasn't coming to help them, and also gave them the chance to wipe the slate clean.^[1]

The series got the green light on November 17, 2003 and started shooting in February 2004.^[1] It premiered on July 16 of the same year.

[edit] Casting

From the start, Wright and Cooper ruled out casting "star names", on the basis of the financial pressures they were already experiencing with "star names" on Stargate SG-1. The casting was made more complicated because Atlantis got the go-ahead in November, and had to compete with other networks during pilot season. ^[1]

The character most difficult to cast was the then-called Dr. Ingram, a excitable scientist expert in the Stargate. As the first day of shooting drew nearer and they were unable to find the right actor, they came to realize they had brought in the wrong character. Longtime Stargate director Martin Wood and Brad Wright thought it should be Dr. Rodney McKay, who had already appeared in a guest role in three episodes of Stargate SG-1. Actor David Hewlett was contacted and arrived to the set the day after filming had started. ^[1]

Season 2 brought casting changes. The creators found themselves with a problem with the character of Lt. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks), a first season regular that the producers, and the actor himself, felt had not worked like intended and was highly underused as a result. Unwilling to write him out, the writers came with an idea to make the character more important, but that downgraded him to recurring. To replace him, they created Ronon Dex as a sidekick for Lt. Col. John Sheppard, but finding an actor with the physical presence and the acting ability necessary was not easy until they saw Jason Momoa's tape. ^[2]

With the first season success, the producers thought they could add some "name" actors and X-files veteran Mitch Pileggi was cast in the recurring role of Col. Stephen Caldwell. ^[2]

[edit] Format

Each season of Stargate: Atlantis features 20 episodes broadcasted in two series of 10 episodes each. The first 10 episodes air from mid-July to September in the United States, ending in the cliffhanger of a two-parter episode. The second half airs first in Canada, from November to January, ending also with a cliffhanger. In the United States, the second half aired from January to March during seasons 1 and 2, but season 3 will air from March to May 2007.

Stargate: Atlantis episodes feature a self-contained story that also contributes to the larger storyline of the war against the Wraith and their search for the means to destroy their enemy. Each season has also featured a two-parter episode, and a few episodes that, while not technically two-parters, had continued directly the story of the previous episode (for example, season 3 "Progeny" and "The Real World").

Each show begins with a cold open, sometimes preceded with a recap of events relevant to the upcoming narrative. The opening credits feature an original theme by Joel Goldsmith. Though they were drastically cut at the start of season 2, the full credits were recovered after the mid-season parter.

The show blends different types of approaches to science-fiction, from action to comedy.

[edit] Filming locations

Stargate Atlantis is filmed at Bridge studios in Vancouver and on location in several places in British Columbia. The Pemberton Glacier doubled for Antarctica during the opening flying sequence in series premiere "Rising". ^[3]. Lynn Valley Canyon was, for example, where the episode "Instinct" was filmed.^[4]

Stargate Atlantis inherited Blade Trinity's effects stage. The Blade Trinity production gave the set to Stargate Atlantis to save the high cost of dismantling the massive construct. The set has appeared several times. For example, the walkway Sheppard walks in "The Storm" is the topmost part of the Blade Trinity set.^[5][6]

[edit] Soundtrack

Stargate Atlantis features a symphonic orchestra soundtrack composed by Joel Goldsmith. Goldsmith's first task for the series was to compose the main title song, which was nominated for the Outstanding Main Title Theme Music Emmy award in 2005. When composing the music, Goldsmith went for a more pastoral, European and Americana approach, while keeping the adventurous, symphonic approach the producers wanted. ^[7] Goldsmith's score for season 2 episode "Grace Under Pressure" was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Dramatic Underscore) in 2006. ^[8]

In November 22, 2005, Varèse Sarabande Records released the Stargate Atlantis Original Television Soundtrack CD. It contains 16 tracks, all from the series pilot "Rising", with a total running time of 42:18.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Main articles: List of Stargate Atlantis episodes and Timeline of Stargate

The events of Stargate Atlantis follow the cliffhanger Stargate SG-1 seventh season finale "Lost City", where the SG-1 found an outpost made by the race known as the Ancients in Antarctica. After the events of Stargate SG-1 season eight premiere "New Order", the Stargate Command sends an international team to investigate the outpost. Soon, Dr. Jackson discovers the location of the greatest city created by the Ancients, Atlantis.

The series follows the adventures of a group of scientists and soldiers that take this possibly one-way trip to this lost city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. Like the SG teams of Stargate SG-1, the new team's use of the Stargate has brought humanity into contact with other cultures, some human and some alien, some friendly and some quite hostile, including their new and most powerful enemy: the Wraith. All while trying to uncover the secrets the Ancients left behind.

[edit] Season 1

Season 1 began airing in the United States on July 16, 2004. The Atlantis expedition, led by Dr. Weir, arrives to the city of the Ancients and quickly find themselves in a dire situation that forces them to seek new friends, the Athosians, but that also lands them with a powerful new enemy: the Wraith. Cut off from Earth, the expedition must survive in a new galaxy, while deciphering the Ancient's technology and finding a way to destroy the Wraith. Major Sheppard puts together a team consisting of himself, Dr. McKay, Lt. Ford and the Athosian leader Teyla, who serves as Atlantis first contact team. In one of their first missions, they make another enemy in the Genii, a human militaristic civilization with a 1950s level of technology. The season closes with a cliffhanger, with Atlantis under siege by the Wraith.

[edit] Season 2

Season 2 began airing in the United States on July 15, 2005 and it picked up just where season 1 ended. The Atlantis expedition successfully avoids being culled by the Wraith by making them believe Atlantis has been destroyed, and recover semi-regular contact with Earth thanks to the Daedalus and the new ZPM. Sheppard is promoted to Lt. Colonel and former Runner Ronon Dex replaces Lt. Ford, now MIA.

The central plot of this second season is the development of Dr. Beckett's retrovirus, which can, theoretically, turn a Wraith into a human. While a not yet ready version makes a young Wraith girl lose all her humanity and almost turns Col. Sheppard into an Iratus bug, a more developed version is tested in a living Wraith, Michael, with mixed results. The season closes again with a cliffhanger, with the Wraith on their way to Earth.

[edit] Season 3

Season 3 began airing in the United States on July 14, 2006, picking up just where season 2 ended. Having stopped the Wraith from reaching Earth and having achieved another failure with the Wraith retrovirus, the expedition faces its third year in the Pegasus galaxy with the Wraith still a threat and a new powerful enemy bent on destroying the expedition and Atlantis: the Asurans. Things get complicated when an experiment gone awry drains their only ZPM, leaving them without a power source for the city's shields.

The midseason cliffhanger has the the team setting out to retake the city of Atlantis after an invasion by the Asurans, following a brief period during which some of the original Ancient inhabitants of the city returned to reclaim it.

[edit] Cast

Main article: Characters in Stargate#Stargate Atlantis characters

Stargate Atlantis employs an ensemble cast to portray the members of the multinational Atlantis expedition, their friends and enemies. The core of this cast are the highest ranking characters: military commander Lt. Col. John Sheppard, expedition leader Dr. Elizabeth Weir and head scientist Dr. Rodney McKay. Around them, head doctor Dr. Carson Beckett and Pegasus galaxy natives Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex round the ranks of the series regulars, the latter replacing season 1 regular Lt. Aiden Ford.

The series also features a recurring cast that includes Dr. Radek Zelenka, Maj. Lorne and Col. Steven Caldwell, some of them real fan-favorites. Also, since season 2, some characters from sister series Stargate SG-1 appear in guest roles with some regularity.

[edit] Regular characters

Actor	Character	Origin	Position	Seasons
Joe Flanigan	Lt. Col. John Sheppard	Earth, US	Atlantis military commander, USAF	Season 1– Present
Torri Higginson	Dr. Elizabeth Weir	Earth, US	Commander of the Atlantis expedition	Season 1– Present
David Hewlett	Dr. Rodney McKay	Earth, CAN	Head Scientific Advisor	Season 1– Present
Rachel Luttrell	Teyla Emmagan	Athos		Season 1– Present
Jason Momoa	Ronon Dex	Sateda		Season 2– Present
Paul McGillion	Dr. Carson Beckett	Earth, UK/Scotland	Head medical officer	Season 2– Present, recurring in season 1
Rainbow Sun Francks	Lt. Aiden Ford	Earth, US	USMC	Regular in season 1, recurring in season 2

[edit] Recurring characters

Actor	Character	Origin	Position	Seasons
David Nykl	Dr. Radek Zelenka	Earth, CZ		Season 1– Present
Kavan Smith	Maj. Lorne	Earth, US	USAF	Season 2– Present
Mitch Pileggi	Col. Steven Caldwell	Earth, US	Commander of the Daedalus, USAF	Season 2– Present
Robert Davi	Cmdr. Acastus Kolya	Genii		Season 1– Present
Connor Trinneer	Michael Kenmore	Wraith		Season 2– Present

[edit] Setting

Main articles: Atlantis (Stargate), List of Stargate planets#Pegasus Galaxy, and Technology in Stargate

Stargate Atlantis is set in the city of Atlantis, in the Pegasus galaxy, built millions of years ago by the most advanced race of the Stargate universe: the Ancients. Due to the Wraith threat, they were forced to flee to Earth and submerged their city into the ocean, which, in the Stargate universe, is the source of the Greek myth of the Lost City of Atlantis.

The city of Atlantis hosts much of the action in the series and is the source of much of the technology which the characters employ. While trying to uncover the secrets the city still holds from her new human inhabitants, the Atlantis expedition also use the Stargate to explore the Pegasus galaxy, looking for energy sources and other technology that the Ancients may have left behind and that may help them defeat the Wraith. They have only explored a handful of planets in Pegasus. While some of them are friendly, others have become enemies (the Genii) or were completely culled away by the Wraith. Even others have made moral choices the expedition could not agree with.^[9]

The expedition also use human SGC technology, itself a blend of human-developed technology and technology adapted from the Goa'uld, as well as given by the Asgard and, recently, acquired from the Wraith.

[edit] Races

[edit] Human civilizations

Main article: Human civilizations in Stargate Atlantis

Apart from the Terran (Tau'ri), humans from Earth who came to the Pegasus galaxy in search of the mythical city of Atlantis, where they now reside, the Pegasus galaxy is inhabited by several human civilizations. These civilizations are the result of the Ancients seeding several planets with human life upon their arrival in the Pegasus galaxy. Most of these planet's civilizations are pre-industrial, but a few have developed more advanced technology.

A formerly advanced turned pre-industrial civilization, the Athosians were the first Pegasus natives the Atlantis expedition encountered, just after arriving to Pegasus^[10]. Their planet was culled shortly thereafter, and they moved to Atlantis' mainland. Their leader, Teyla, stayed in Atlantis and became a member of Major Sheppard's team.

In one of the team's first mission, they meet the Genii, an advanced, militaristic culture with a technology level similar to mid-20th century Earth, that hide under the mask of simple, Amish-like farmers^[11]. They were at odds with the Atlantis expedition up until the "Coup D'etat", when they arrived to an uneasy truce.

[edit] Non-human races

Main article: Alien races in the Stargate universe#Pegasus Galaxy aliens

Stargate Atlantis features also a number of non-human races. The most important are the Ancients and the two main enemies, the Wraith and the Asuran, though an Asgard and a Goa'uld (main races in sister series Stargate SG-1) are also featured.

Though long gone from this plane of existence, the influence of the Ancients (or Alterans) is felt deeply in the Stargate universe, for both good and bad. A highly technologically advanced race that once existed on Earth and other planets throughout the Milky Way Galaxy, the Ancients were the builders of the Stargates. Many million years ago, the Ancients travelled from Earth to a planet in the Pegasus Galaxy using their space faring city Atlantis. In Pegasus, after a long period of colonisation, they encountered an enemy, the Wraith, who despite their inferior technology overwhelmed the Ancients with their strength of numbers. Besieged in Atlantis, the remaining Ancients submerged the city to prevent its technology from being exploited by the Wraith, before retreating to Earth, passing on not only the legend of Atlantis but also the gene that will be known as ATA gene to the humans of Earth.^[10]

A hive-based species that once drove the Ancients off the Pegasus galaxy, the Wraith are the primary antagonists of the Atlantis expedition. They feed off the life force of humans following a regular feeding cycle. That cycle, however, was upset when Major John Sheppard accidentally awoke all the Wraith from hibernation about 50 years ahead of schedule. Having learned of a new feeding ground, Earth, the Wraith's main purpose is to find the way there through Atlantis. ^[10]

First appearing in the episode "Progeny", the Asurans are another powerful enemy of the Atlanteans. They are artificial life forms that evolved from an Ancient experiment to create powerful and aggressive nanites to attack the Wraith on a cellular level.^[12] But the microscopic creatures came together to form increasingly larger and more complex organisms, eventually imitating their creators to become human in appearance. When the Ancients realized their experiment had gotten out of hand, they attacked this new race with their fleet of warships and nearly wiped them out. The Atlantis expedition became their enemies when they learned that the humans from Earth were descendants of the Ancients and living in Atlantis.

[edit] Broadcasters

Country	Network	Title
United States	Sci Fi Channel WB (syndication)	Stargate Atlantis
Argentina	Fox Channel Sci Fi Channel AXN iSat	Stargate Atlantis
Australia	Seven Network Sci Fi Channel	Stargate Atlantis
Austria	ATV	Stargate Atlantis
Belgium	Kanaal 2 La une (RTBF) (French)
Brazil	Fox Channel
Canada	The Movie Network Movie Central Space: The Imagination Station City TV
Canada (French)	Z Télé	La Porte d'Atlantis (The gate of Atlantis)
France	M6
Germany	RTL II	Stargate Atlantis
Netherlands	Veronica	Stargate Atlantis
Hungary	TV2	Csillagkapu: Atlantisz
Ireland	Sky One
Israel	Israeli Channel 1
Italy	Fox (Sky Italia)	Stargate Atlantis
Japan	AXN	Stargate Atlantis
Malaysia	TV2
Mexico	Fox Channel
New Zealand	Prime TV
Romania	TVR 2
South Africa	ActionX (DStv)
South Korea	Super Action
Spain	Sci Fi Channel	Stargate Atlantis
UK	Sky One Five	Stargate Atlantis

[edit] DVD Release Dates

DVD Name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Stargate Atlantis Season 1	November 15, 2005	March 14 - July 11, 2005 (five 4 ep. vols) March 13, 2006 (complete pack)	November 14, 2005
Stargate Atlantis Season 2	January 2007	April 10 - June 2006 (five 4 ep. vols)	November 08, 2006

[edit] Other media

[edit] Fiction books

Main article: Stargate literature#Stargate Atlantis

In late 2005, Fandemonium Press, which also publishes Stargate SG-1 books, launched a new series of books based on Stargate Atlantis. These books are available in all English-speaking countries and through online bookstores.

The official Stargate Magazine, produced by Titan Publishing, began publishing short stories written by Fandemonium authors in their 8th issue. The stories alternate between both SG-1 and Atlantis.

[edit] Non-fiction books

• Stargate Atlantis: The Official Companion Season 1 by Sharon Gosling. Published by Titan Books.
• Stargate Atlantis: The Official Companion Season 2 by Sharon Gosling. Published by Titan Books.

[edit] Comics

Main article: Stargate Comics#Stargate Atlantis

In 2006, Avatar Press launched a series of comics based on Stargate Atlantis. Set in season 1, Wraithfall features story by Stewart Moore and art by Mauricio Melo. In this story, the Atlantis team meets the Karrans, a race that has made a bizarre deal with the Wraith.

[edit] Trivia

• Atlantis contains more pop-culture (specifically science fiction) references than SG-1. Star Trek is the source of most of these allusions, but a few have been seen from other places, such as Star Wars and Back to the Future.
• Colonel/Brigadier General Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson are the only characters to appear in the original Stargate film, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. They are also the only ones to appear in both series' pilot episodes.
• Of the five original (season 1) cast members, Joe Flanigan is the only American. Torri Higginson and Rainbow Sun Francks are Canadian. Rachel Luttrell (born in Tanzania) and David Hewlett (born in England) were raised in Canada.
• Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett) previously portrayed the young version of Dr. Ernest Littlefield, the first human in the 20th Century century to go through the Stargate, in the Stargate SG-1 Season One episode "The Torment of Tantalus".
• Actors that have played the same character on both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis include:
  • Richard Dean Anderson (General Jack O'Neill)
  • Michael Shanks ( Dr Daniel Jackson)
  • Torri Higginson (Dr Elizabeth Weir)
  • Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter)
  • Don S. Davis (General George Hammond)
  • Joe Flanigan (Major/Lt. Col John Sheppard)
  • David Hewlett ( Dr Rodney McKay)
  • Beau Bridges (General Hank Landry)
  • Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman)
  • Dan Shea (Sgt. Siler)
  • David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka)
  • Ona Grauer (Ayiana)
  • Ellie Harvie (Dr. Lindsey Novak)
  • Kavan Smith (Major Lorne)
  • Bill Dow (Dr. Bill Lee)
  • Peter Flemming (Agent Malcolm Barrett)
  • Robert Picardo (Agent Richard Woolsey)
  • Tamlyn Tomita (Shen Xiaoyi)
  • Matthew Walker (Merlin)
  • Andy Maton (British Representative Chapman)
  • Penelope Corrin (Dr. Lindsay)
  • Chuck Campbell (Atlantis technician)
• Stargate Atlantis has had many ties with the Star Trek series and films including sharing many actors. These actors have included:
  • Robert Picardo (Stargate: Agent Richard Woolsey; Star Trek: Voyager: The Doctor)
  • Connor Trinneer (Stargate: Michael; Star Trek: Enterprise: Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III)
  • Colm Meaney (Stargate: Cowen of the Genii; Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Senior Chief Petty Officer Miles Edward O'Brien)
• This series follows the formula established by Stargate SG-1 in which major events (namely the introduction of a villain) are inadvertently caused by human curiosity. The Wraith are "awakened" early after the arrival of the Atlantis expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy and the Asurans are discovered by a gate address in an Ancient Outpost.^{[citation needed]}
• James Lafazanos has appeared in 16 episodes as numerous incarnations of the "Male Wraith" (including "Steve the Wraith" and "Bob the Wraith").^[13]
• Andee Frizzell has appeared in 5 episodes as three different female Wraith (including "The Keeper" in "Rising" and as "The Hive Queen" in "The Lost Boys" and "The Hive" and as a different "Hive Queen" in "Allies" and "No Man's Land").

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Official sites

• MGM: Stargate Atlantis
• SCI FI: Stargate Atlantis

[edit] Miscellaneous sites

• Stargate: Atlantis at The Internet Movie Database
• Atlantis episode guide at GateWorld
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc
• TV.com

Topics in Stargate		v • d • e
Story of Stargate	Stargate, Stargate SG-1 (episodes), Stargate Atlantis (episodes), Stargate Infinity (episodes), Literature, Comics
Stargate Universe	Alien Races, Planets, Technology, Characters, The SGC, SG-1, SG Team, Atlantis, The Stargate, Ascension
Factions in Stargate	Tau'ri, Jaffa Resistance, Tok'ra, Asgard, Ancients Goa'uld, Jaffa, System Lords, Replicators, Ori, Wraith, Lucian Alliance, The Trust, NID, IOA