Ever since his introduction as the resident “alien warrior” type on Stargate Atlantis, fans have debated if Ronon Dex can take out the masterful Jaffa warrior Teal’c in a fight. Debaters have duked it out on fan forums, trying to assess both warriors’ training, mental control, and sheer brute strength to determine on whom they’d place a wager. The final verdict? That’s what’s going to be presented in tonight’s episode, “Midway”, written by Carl Binder and directed by Andy Mikita, when Teal’c comes for a visit to Atlantis to offer guidance to Ronon in standing up to the scrutiny of the International Oversight Advisory (IOA).
Now, some people might think this is just totally unfair that Ronon is under such review. After all, he’s helped Sheppard save people on Earth twice this year alone (“Miller’s Crossing”, “Outcast”) and played a major role as a Pegasus expert in not only saving the lives of every Earthling in Atlantis (“Tabula Rasa”), but also of several human populations that were under the threat of destruction by the Asurans (“Be All My Sins Remember’d”). So, why is Ronon’s evaluation of great concern?
Well, there was that test of loyalty incident when Ronon met up with his fellow Satedans (“Reunion”), or maybe it’s just a usual process, but for whatever reasons, Carter feels that perhaps Ronon could benefit from the experience of a fellow alien who has had to deal with Earth’s political machine for over a decade: her former SG-1 teammate and long-time friend, Teal’c. If anyone knows about the inner struggle of loyalty between the saviors of the galaxy and his own people, it’s Teal’c. He’s lived both lives to their fullest, finding the common, or middle, ground, and carefully keeping it all in balance. This balance didn’t come easily, so his mentoring of Ronon could be seen as one of his last duties as an aging warrior, like Master Bra’tac before him: to pass on his knowledge of how to win one of the most important battles a warrior will ever face: the one within himself alone.
But, there is another middle ground that will be tested first, before Ronon finds his balance and sits before the IOA committee: a Wraith invasion at the Midway Space Station of the Intergalactic Gate Bridge. The Midway Station is almost like Ronon himself, stuck between two worlds and bridging them both. The two warriors put aside any personal animosity to fight side-by-side in a battle that determines the fate of billions of lives and for which there can be no compromise.
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