Stargate Atlantis is on TV2 Thurdsay nights at 9.00 pm. It started 2 weeks ago with the two-part pilot episode “The Rising”.
Score one for sci-fi television on Malaysian TV. The last time a Stargate was on it was the fourth season of Stargate SG-1, probably 3 or 4 years ago on TV3, so I’m guessing anyone who has a passing interest in it would miss out on Daniel’s ascendancy (and back), Jonas Quinn, Anubis, alliance with the Asgard, the new Earth warship Prometheus and the X-302 fighters, and the Battle of Antartica that led to the discovery of the Zero Point Module and the DHD coordinates that enabled the Cheyenne Mountain Stargate to open a wormhole to Stargate at the Ancient city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy.
Beware of Spoilers!
Like the Milky Way galaxy, the Pegasus Galaxy has a network of Stargates that allow persons to travel from planet to planet throughout the entire galaxy. But unlike the Milky Way, they found that the Pegasus Galaxy’s humans are under constant threat of the Wraith, a humanoid species that evolved from a parasitical insect-like species known as the iratus bug. Over the years they fed on human and absorbed the human DNA to become humanoid, developing technology to hunt down and feed on more humans. Because of the periodical Wraith culling of humans, most of the humans of Pegasus are kept from developing high technology.
Another major problem for the Atlantis expedition, of course, is that they have no way of dialling the Stargate back to Earth without finding a charged ZPM in the Pegasus Galaxy. In effect, they are trapped there with the locals without any way of returning to or communicating with Earth… until the siege of Atlantis, but that’s another story.
Here’s a rundown of who’s who in Atlantis, with a 80px by 80px avatar.
[[image:sga_sheppard.gif:Col John Sheppard:center:0]]
Major John Sheppard was a USAF pilot who was assigned to McMurdo base at Antartica. During an assignment to bring Brigadier General Jack O’Neill to the Antartica Ancient outpost, it was discovered that he had the Ancient gene that allowed him to use and manipulate Ancient equipment and vehicles. Upon being selected to tag along with the Atlantis Expedition, he became the de facto leader of the Atlantis military team after its official commanding officer Colonel Marshall Sumner was fed upon by the Wraith. He was later promoted to the rank of Colonel.
[[image:sga_weir.gif:Dr. Elizabeth Weir:center:0]]
Formerly the leader of Stargate Command when it was placed under civilian control, Dr. Elizabeth Weir is the civilian leader of the Atlantis Expedition and an accomplished diplomat for the United Nations.
[[image:sga_mckay.gif:Dr. Rodney McKay:center:0]]
One of the best theoretical physicist and Stargate expert in the world, Dr. Rodney McKay is the head scientist of the Atlantis Expedition. When he was assigned to Stargate Command from Area 51, he was a boon and burden to SG-1’s Major Samantha Carter. He has a tendency to be condescending and arrogant, but everyone tolerates it because he is the best at what he does.
[[image:sga_ford.gif:Lt Aiden Ford:center:0]]
Lt. Aiden Ford is the second in command of the Atlantis military forces after Colonel Sheppard. His life has now taken a turn after the Wraith siege of Atlantis a year after the expedition’s arrival on Atlantis, when the Wraith feeding enzyme flooded into his bloodstream turning him something more than human.
[[image:sga_teyla.gif:Teyla Emmagen:center:0]]
Leader of the Athosians, a race of humans in the Pegasus Galaxy, Teyla Emmagen relocated her people to Atlantis after a major Wraith culling destroyed their home. A skilled hand-to-hand combatant, she is now a member of Colonel Sheppard’s offworld team. Wraith DNA within her allows her to sense the presence of Wraiths close by.
[[image:sga_beckett.gif:Dr. Carson Beckett:center:0]]
Dr. Carson Beckett is the chief medical officer of the Atlantis Expedition, and one of the few Earth humans with the Ancient gene that enables him to control Ancient equipment. He later develops a gene therapy method that allows others to also control Ancient devices. He is curently trying to develop a retrovirus that could neutralize the iratus bug DNA of a Wraith to gradually transform them all into humans.
[[image:sga_ronon.gif:Ronon Dex:center:0]]
Specialist Ronon Dex is one of the few survivors of the planet Sateda in the Pegasus Galaxy, where a great Wraith culling killed most of the populace there. He was captured and turned into a Runner, where a tracking device was surgically placed into him and the Wraith use it to hunt him for sport. After 9 years of running, he crossed paths with the Atlantis team and Dr. Beckett removed the tracking device. Ronon is now a member of Colonel Sheppard’s offworld team.
[[image:sga_caldwell.gif:Col Steven Caldwell:center:0]]
Colonel Steven Caldwell is the commanding officer of the Daedalus, a first of a new class of Earth-built warships built using Asgard and Goa’uld technology. He is in constant conflict with Weir and Sheppard, because he was expected to take command of the Atlantis military forces but Weir lobbied for Sheppard to have a promotion and take the position instead.
[[image:sga_lorne.gif:Major Lorne:center:0]]
Formerly a member of one of Stargate Command’s SG teams, Major Lorne is a leader of another Atlantis offworld team.
