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

'' is a Canadian-American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

television series created 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 '' Sta ...

and Robert C. Cooper as a spin off from its

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 television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

''. The series resumes the story of the " Lost City" and " New Order" episodes of ''SG-1'', where a military team led by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

(now Brigadier General) Jack O'Neill,

Dr. Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

Daniel Jackson, Major (now Lt. Colonel)

Samantha Carter Samantha "Sam" Carter, USAF is a fictional character in the Canadian–American military science fiction '' Stargate'' franchise. Played by Amanda Tapping, she appears in all three shows in the franchise: ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Stargate Atlantis'' ...

and the Jaffa

Teal'c Teal'c of Chulak is a fictional character in the 1997 military science fiction television series '' Stargate SG-1''. Portrayed by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modifi ...

, use an ancient alien artifact called the Stargate to travel to different planets to explore and find new technology. The series pilot " Rising" takes place in the year 2004 after the events of "Lost City" and "New Order", when they finally find the lost city of the Ancients. ''Stargate Atlantis'' premiered on July 16, 2004 on the channel

Sci Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. The Sci Fi Channel would air all the five seasons made for the series. Since the American broadcast splits each season to allow the production to catch up, the British and Canadian channels Sky One and

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...

aired the second part of some seasons before their American counterpart. ''Stargate Atlantis''' finale episode premiered in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel on January 9, 2009. The series finale was also the series' 100th episode. All five seasons of ''Stargate Atlantis'' are available on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

. A direct-to-DVD film tentatively titled ''Stargate: Extinction'' was planned, but was later shelved. The cast of the first season consisted of

Joe Flanigan Joe Flanigan (born January 5, 1967) is an American writer and actor best known for his portrayal of the character John Sheppard (Stargate), Major/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard in ''Stargate Atlantis''. Early life Flanigan was born Joseph Dunnigan II ...

starring as Maj. John Sheppard,

David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is a British-born 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 Canad ...

as Dr.

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 ...

Rachel Luttrell Rachel Zawadi Luttrell (born 19 January 1971) is a Tanzanian-Canadian actress best known for her role as Teyla Emmagan, an Athosian warrior leader on '' Stargate Atlantis''. Early life Luttrell was born 19 January 1971, in Dar Es Salaam, Ta ...

Teyla Emmagan Teyla Emmagan is a primary 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 h ...

Torri Higginson Sarah Victoria "Torri" Higginson (born December 6, 1969) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles in the '' TekWar'' movies and series, and for portraying Dr. Elizabeth Weir in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' (2004–2 ...

Elizabeth Weir Elizabeth Jane Weir (born February 20, 1948) is a Canadian lawyer and politician in New Brunswick. She was elected leader of the New Democratic Party of New Brunswick in June 1988 and became an opposition voice to the Liberal government, whic ...

and

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''. ...

as First Lt.

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 gala ...

. Aiden Ford was reduced to recurring character in season two and was replaced by

Jason Momoa Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the S ...

as the extraterrestrial human

Ronon Dex Ronon Dex is a fictional character in the 2004 science fiction television series ''Stargate Atlantis''. Played by Jason Momoa, he is from Sateda, a civilization which was at a technological level comparable to Earth in the mid-20th century before ...

in episode three of season two. Francks continued to have a recurring role in season 2, until his character's death (although this was not confirmed). After Torri Higginson's departure as a main character from ''Stargate Atlantis'' after Season 3, she was replaced by

Amanda Tapping Amanda Tapping (born 28 August 1965) is a British-Canadian actress and director. She is best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian–American military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1,'' ''Stargate Atlantis,'' an ...

's Carter from the sister show.

Paul McGillion Paul McGillion is a Scottish 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 born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Sco ...

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on '' The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' S ...

and

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the Fox television series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its spin-off theatrical film '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on Sc ...

were also main characters. McGillion became a main character in season two until season three as

Carson Beckett Dr. Carson Beckett is a fictional Scottish character in the 2004 Canadian-American science fiction television series '' Stargate Atlantis'', a spin-off series of '' Stargate SG-1''. He is portrayed by Scottish-born Canadian actor Paul McGillion ...

, Picardo replaced Tapping as a main character as the new leader of the Atlantis expedition as

Richard Woolsey Richard P. Woolsey is a fictional character in the '' Stargate'' television franchise about military teams exploring the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by actor Robert Picardo, Woolsey made hi ...

for season five, and Staite portrayed Jennifer Keller as a main character in season five.

Series overview

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

Episodes

Season 1 (2004–05)

The series picks up the story arc from ''

s " Lost City", where people from all around the world come together to form an expedition and discover the wonders of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

. Discovering that they have been cut off from

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, they must fend for themselves, and discover a powerful new enemy bent on human subjugation.

Season 2 (2005–06)

The story continues when the Daedalus arrives and renews the expedition's connection to

. This takes place alongside the Ori story arc in SG-1, and the Wraith become an even larger threat in the Pegasus Galaxy. But what they deal with in their second year might be more than they can handle, and Dr.

's retrovirus is more trouble than it's worth.

Season 3 (2006–07)

This season concentrates on more character driven stories. Along with new insight on the characters, the expedition discovers a new threat, one that could be the precursor to the Replicators. Some important characters leave the series in this season, and the fate of Atlantis once again is in the hands of the humans from Earth.

Season 4 (2007–08)

( Col. Samantha Carter) joined the cast as a regular for 14 episodes,

(Dr. Jennifer Keller) became a recurring character for eight episodes, while regular cast member

( Dr. Weir) became a recurring cast member for four episodes. The season started September 28, 2007, airing on the SCI FI channel in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the season premiered on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 on Sky One.

Season 5 (2008–09)

After being a regular character in season four,

(Colonel

) became a guest star in several episodes.

(

) joined the cast as a permanent character as Woolsey assumes command of Atlantis. Actress

(Dr. Jennifer Keller) was promoted from a recurring character to a permanent cast member.

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor, writer and director. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series '' Stargate SG-1'' and as Charles Harris ...

(Dr. Daniel Jackson) and

(Dr.

) appeared as guest stars in this season, with McGillion appearing in five episodes. Actress

had stated that she would not be reprising her role as Dr.

in the fifth season.

as Aiden Ford was given a brief cameo appearance in "Search and Rescue". This was the last season of Stargate Atlantis.

Movies

After the August 20, 2008 announcement that Season 5 of Atlantis would be its last, it was announced the following day that the series would be continued with at least one direct-to-DVD movie. More movies were expected to follow in the ''Atlantis'' series if the first movie had been successful. However, this first project (entitled '' Stargate: Extinction'') was put on hold and eventually got shelved permanently in 2011.

Fan's Choice

Stargate Atlantis Fan's Choice is a Special Edition Blu-ray, released on August 9, 2009, which contained two episodes voted for by fans.Fan's Choice
The episodes chosen were the first, " Rising", and last, " Enemy at the Gate", episodes of the series. The cover artwork was also submitted by fans, with the eventual winner being William Johnson of New York City.

DVD & Blu-ray releases

References

External links

Official ''Stargate Atlantis'' site

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

. Most of site requires

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

.
Episode guide
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...