The first season of the television series ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an Adventure film, adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad W ...

'' commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 16, 2004, concluded on

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian premium television network and Streaming service provider, streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service ...

in Canada on January 31, 2005, and contained 20 episodes. The show was a spin off of

sister show Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one ...

, ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

''. ''Stargate Atlantis'' re-introduced

supporting character A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo a ...

s from the ''SG-1'' universe, such as Elizabeth Weir and

Rodney McKay Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D., is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'', two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two ...

among others. The show also included new characters such as

Teyla Emmagan Teyla Emmagan is a fictional character played by Rachel Luttrell in the science fiction series ''Stargate Atlantis''. In the show, she is the daughter of Tagan, and was a leader of a village on the planet Athos. She had seen much of her family ...

and John Sheppard. The first season is about a military-science expedition team discovering

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

and exploring the Pegasus Galaxy. However, there is no way to return home, and they inadvertently wake a hostile alien race known as the Wraith, whose primary goal is to gather a fleet to invade Atlantis and find their new "feeding ground",

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. The two-hour premiere " Rising", which aired on July 16, 2004, received Sci Fi Channel's highest-ever rating for a series premiere and episode ever released, it is also the most watched broadcast release ever released by the Sci Fi Channel in the United States. The average viewing rate for the first ten episodes were around 3-4 million in the United States. The series was developed by

Brad Wright Brad Wright (born May 2, 1961) is a Canadian television producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (with Jonathan Glassner), ''Stargate Atlantis'' (with Robert C. Cooper) and '' Star ...

and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Season one regular cast members included Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson,

Rachel Luttrell Rachel Zawadi Luttrell (born 19 January 1971) is a Tanzanian-born Canadian actress best known for her role as Teyla Emmagan in ''Stargate Atlantis'' (2004–2009). Early life Luttrell was born 19 January 1971, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, th ...

, with

Rainbow Sun Francks Rainbow Sun Francks (born 3 December 1979) is a Canadian actor known for his role as Lt. Aiden Ford in the television show ''Stargate Atlantis'', and his recurring roles on ''The Listener'', ''The Umbrella Academy'' and ''High Fidelity''. Ea ...

, and

David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is an English-Canadian actor, writer and director, known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the ''Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Canadian ...

Cast

* Starring Joe Flanigan as

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

John Sheppard * Torri Higginson as Dr. Elizabeth Weir *

* With

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Aiden Ford First Lieutenant Aiden Ford, USMC is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series ''Stargate Atlantis'', a military science fiction show about a combined civilian and military team exploring another galax ...

* And

as Dr.

Episodes

Episodes in bold are continuous episodes, where the story spans over 2 or more episodes.

Production

For " Rising", the Pemberton Glacier in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

doubled for Antarctica during the opening flying sequence. Simon, Elizabeth's fiancé in "Rising" and "Home", was played by

Garwin Sanford Garwin Sanford (born 14 March 1955) is a Canadian film and television actor known for his roles on ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis''. Career Sanford's most notable roles are Narim in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Simon Wallace in ''Stargat ...

, who had previously played Narim on ''

''.

Mario Azzopardi Mario Philip Azzopardi (born 19 November 1950) is a Canadian-Maltese television and film director and writer. Early life and emigration Azzopardi was born in Siggiewi, Malta, and was educated at St Aloysius' College ( Birkirkara, Malta), and the ...

makes his return to the ''Stargate'' franchise in "Thirty-Eight Minutes". He had the distinctive honor of directing the pilot episode of ''Stargate SG-1'', " Children of the Gods." This is his first time directing an episode of the franchise since the Season 1 Episode "Cor-Ai." Mario Azzopardi (as of December 2006) has only directed Season 1 Episodes of both ''SG-1'' and ''Atlantis''. "Thirty-Eight Minutes" is the only episode in both ''SG-1'' and ''Atlantis'' to actually occur in real-time; between the opening of the

Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...

and the resolution, 38 minutes of screentime do occur. Courtenay J. Stevens, who appears in " Childhood's End", had originally played the role of Lieutenant Elliot in ''Stargate SG-1'', appearing in the Season 5 episodes "

Proving Ground A proving ground is an installation or reservation in which technology such as weapons, military tactics and automobile prototypes are experimented with or tested. Proving grounds can be operated by government bodies or civilian industries. The ...

", "

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

" and "

Last Stand A last stand, or final stand, is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are d ...

". Writer Martin Gero compared Ares in "Childhood's End" to a villain in ''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer ...

''. In the scene of the final confrontation with Major John Sheppard, he began "monologuing," which is a key feature of villains in the film. The dog that appeared in Dr. Weir's illusion in "Home" is actually owned by actress Torri Higginson who plays her. Michael Puttonen, who played Smeadon in "The Storm", first appeared in the second season of ''Stargate SG-1'' as Simian, the blind prisoner in the episode "Prisoners." "The Defiant One" was filmed at the Richmond sand dunes. Richard Ian Cox, who appeared in "The Defiant One", previously appeared in the season 3 ''

'' episode " New Ground" as Nyan. "Letters from Pegasus" is the first

clip show A clip show is an episode of a Television program, television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows include a frame story in which cast members recall events from past installments of the show, depicte ...

episode of ''Stargate Atlantis''. The title of this episode was inspired by the 1987

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

TV documentary '' Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam''. This was Samantha Carter's first appearance on ''Stargate Atlantis''. At the end of the episode, she and Sergeant Harriman were briefly shown at

Stargate Command Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series ''Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the S ...

(SGC) when they received the data burst from

. A deleted scene from Part two of "The Siege" showed Sora being returned to the Genii as part of their deal for the nuclear weapons, but this was cut due to time constraints; so it is unclear if the event occurred or if Sora may still be being held.

Release and reception

" Rising" was the strongest episode to date gaining a 3.2 on the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. "The Brotherhood" received ratings of 2.3 when it initially aired on Sci Fi. The worst rated episode in the season was "

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

", which received a 1.7 rating. John Sinnott from '' DVDTalk'' called season one a "very good spinoff," certifying it "highly recommended." Dan Heaton from ''Digitally Obsessed'' was positive to the first season, and said the pilot started "in fashion." Reviewer Dan Phelps from ''DVDFanatic'' gave the series "thumbs up" and gave the series an A−. "Rising" was nominated for a

Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Production Design". " Childhood's End" was one of only two ''Stargate'' franchise episodes (with "Poisoning the Well") directed by Sci-Fi veteran

David Winning David Winning is a Canadian- American film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, th ...

. It won three international awards for directing; New York, Chicago and Houston. For "Poisoning The Well",

Paul McGillion Paul McGillion (born January 5, 1969) is a Scottish-Canadian actor, who has worked in television, film and theatre. He is best known for his role on the television series ''Stargate Atlantis'' as Dr. Carson Beckett. Early life McGillion was bo ...

and David Nykl were nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Male", and Allison Hossack was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Female". "The Storm" was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Overall Sound". "The Eye" was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

in the category "Best Visual Effects", was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Picture Editing", and won a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects". For "The Defiant One", director

Peter DeLuise Peter John DeLuise (born November 6, 1966) is an American and Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Officer Doug Penhall in the Fox TV series ''21 Jump Street'' and for directing and writing episodes ...

was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Direction" and in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Screenwriting". "Before I Sleep" was nominated for a

in the category "Best Achievement in Make-Up". For "The Brotherhood", writer

Martin Gero Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co- executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''. Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontari ...

was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category "Best Writing in a Dramatic Series".

Cultural references

" The Defiant One" is the first time

refers to John Sheppard as "

Captain Kirk James Tiberius Kirk, often known as Captain Kirk, is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterp ...

" which is a recurring joke in the series. It refers to Sheppard's protective nature to the puddle jumpers and his tendency to pick up alien women. In the continuing list of references in Stargate to '' The Wizard of Oz'', McKay mentions in "

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

" to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain", a reference to the Emerald Wizard of the story. He also compares Sheppard's actions with Chaya to Captain Kirk, continuing the links between Stargate and ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''.

References

External links

Season 1
on

GateWorld The ''Stargate'' fandom is the community of fans of the military science fiction film ''Stargate (film), Stargate'' and its Spinoff (media), spinoff Television series, television and web series including ''Stargate SG-1'' (SG1), ''Stargate Infini ...

Season 1
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Season 1
on TV.com * *.1 2004 American television seasons 2005 American television seasons Atlantis 01 2004 Canadian television seasons 2005 Canadian television seasons {{good article