Category: Atlantis

THE RETURN, PART 2

Summary

The team must rescue Richard Woolsey and Gen. Jack O’Neill from Replicants who have taken over Atlantis.

Details

Atlantis has been captured by Replicants, but Sheppard’s team manages to cause them considerable trouble. As the Replicants attempt to get the city back online, the team works on their plan from inside a puddle jumper. They have captured one of the Replicants while the Replicants hold Richard Woolsey and Gen. Jack O’Neill hostage.

Because the Replicants are similar to the human form Replicators of the Milky Way, O’Neill is familiar with their methods — namely, the sticking of the hand in the forehead to read the human’s mind. Woolsey and O’Neill use this modus operandi to their advantage by feeding them false information during the probes.

Guest Characters

SGC: Gen. Jack O’Neill, Richard Woolsey.
Replicants: Talus, Cetus, Niam.

Production

Written by: Martin Gero
Directed by: Brad Turner
Before cameras: starting May 9

NOTE: Spoilers are subject to change as the episode is still in production.

Reported earlier by Solutions, and now confirmed by Gateworld, is the guest appearance of Richard Kind in a Season Three episode. “Irresistible” is a comedic episode, thought to be the fourth in the season’s line-up. Kind’s alien character, Lucius Lavin, has a strange effect on the team and they begin to behave unusually. No further information is available at this moment for the episode, other than it has been compared to last season’s “Duet”. “Irresistible” is most likely being filmed March 21-29, if they are filming the episodes in order.

• Gateworld: Richard Kind Is ‘Irresistable’

Blogs tell the story

Stargate Atlantis‘s third season has been filming, and there are some interesting pieces of insider info coming from the blogs of James Bamford and Alex Levine.

According to the two, the currently-being-filmed episode is “Sateda”, written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. Bamford, stunt coordinator, says that there has been fight sequences filmed for each day of filming for this episode! He’s excited about the story and impressed with Cooper’s writing and directing. According to him, “This episode is like nothing that has ever been done on SG1 or ATLANTIS…ever…..ever….never…..before. Unreal.” Bamford is also excited because he gets to make an appearance as a Wraith — one with a limp, no less! (SG-1 viewers might remember Bamford’s performance as a Human Form Replicator in “New Order Part 2”, the first to be destroyed by Jack’s disruptor gun.) Filming on “Sateda” is due to wrap today, March 20.

Dropping the names of guest stars is one feature among many of Alex Levine’s blog. He enjoyed letting one name slip: “This season, get ready for more excitement in the Pegasus Galaxy — new villains, new guest stars (Richard Kind!), new stories.” Richard Kind played Dr. Gary Meyers in Stargate (the movie). It was his translation of the coverstone that Daniel immediately corrected on the chalkboard. Although Dr. Meyers was a bit offended, he was in awe of Daniel’s grasp of Egyptian hierglyphs. But, Levine mentioned Kind’s appearance in conjunction with Stargate Atlantis, so it is possible that he is not re-creating his role from the movie. Levine didn’t say which episode Kind was appearing in.

Both bloggers are also in awe of Atlantis's executive producer and co-creator Robert C. Cooper’s performance as both writer and director of “Sateda”. Bamford states, “Robert Cooper has always been a creative writer, knowing what he wants to see at all times…as a director, this man rivals John Woo, Tony Scott, Michael Mann…and its a TV series!!! I’m not writing that because the guy is my boss…that’s not like me. The visuals contained within this episode will surely entertain the fans and non-fans alike!! I can’t wait to see this cut together with all the bells and whistles to boot.” Levine, script coordinator, stated pretty much the same thing, “Meanwhile Rob Cooper has his director’s hat on and is shooting some of the most exciting footage I’ve ever seen on a Stargate show. He’s using different kinds of media — even a hand-cranked Bolex, shooting on 16mm — to give some depth to the flashback storyline. "Sateda" is going to be one action-packed blockbuster of an episode. Think John Woo action on acid. Strap yourself in for that one.”

• IMDB: Richard Kind
• James Bamford’s Blog at GW (March 19, 2006)
• Alex Levine’s Blog at SciFi.com (March 17, 2006)

3.02 SATEDA

Summary

Sateda is Ronon’s homeworld which was destroyed by the Wraith.

For several years Ronon was a Runner, tagged and hunted by the Wraith for sport. Wherever he took refuge, there was the risk that he’d bring the Wraith down upon the people. That happened when he went to Keturah’s homeworld. Keturah’s people helped him and then were soon targeted by the Wraith because of Ronon’s beacon. Keturah remembers Ronon simply as the “Wraithbringer”.

The team just so happens to visit Keturah’s world and they’ve been captured. Keturah has made a deal with the Wraith — if a Ronon were to return to his world, he’d signal the Wraith and the Wraith would take Ronon, but leave his people unharmed.

Guest Characters

Atlantis: Maj. Lorne
Off-Worlders: Keturah, Linor (Keturah’s daughter)

Production

Written by: Robert C. Cooper
Directed by: Martin Wood
Before cameras: March 10, 13, 14 (being filmed third, but labeled as the second episode to run)

Remember, spoilers are subject to change before the final cut!

PROGENY

Summary

The Atlantis Team finds a civilization of Human Form Replicators which have taken on the likeness of their creators, the Ancients. Their creators programmed them originally as nanites with aggressive behavior to combat the Wraith from within, but the nanites started to interlock and evolved into self-replicating machines, just as the Replicators did in the Milky Way. It is possible that one of the Ancients who was involved with this experiment was one who continued the research after the Ancients left the Pegasus Galaxy 10,000 years ago and created Reese, who in turn, created the Replicators and Human Form Replicators.

Many of the Replicants, called Asurans, carry a grudge against the Ancients because the Ancients, upon seeing that their nanite experiment had evolved into an aggressive form which was out of control, including harming humans, decided to destroy them. The Asurans were programmed not to harm the Ancients, so they could not defend themselves. Some survived and they grew into another civilization, but they kept themselves hidden. They assumed that Atlantis was destroyed in the war with the Wraith — until the Atlantis Team showed up. The Asurans probed the Team’s minds and their leader, Oberoth, learned the truth about Atlantis. It was his intention that the city and all the humans therein be destroyed as retribution for their first generation’s destruction.

Weir and her team learn this story about the Asurans from two Council members who want to follow a different path which some of the Ancients followed — one not filled with aggression, but of the pursuit of ascension. They bargain with the Team: In order to save Atlantis from destruction and help in the fight against the Wraith, McKay will reprogram them to remove the aggression so that they can endeavor to ascend.

The Asurans have the capability of destroying Atlantis because they have a similar city-ship, powered by ZPMs and capable of traveling in hyperspace.

Guest Characters

Replicants/Asurans: Oberoth, Niam, Arria

Production

Written by Carl Binder
Directed by Andy Mikita
Before cameras March 30-April 7

Spoilers subject to change

Connor Trinneer reprises “Michael” role

Stargate Atlantis has ended its second season run in Canada, so many viewers have already seen the season finale “Allies”. Viewers in the US will see the episode on March 10, while those in the UK will see it March 14.

As the “To Be Contined” displayed on the screen, Michael was involved in an elaborate plan for the Wraith to gain access to Atlantis and plant a virus in the city’s computer system which would enable them to find Earth. The hunt for new feeding grounds has caused the Wraith to fight among themselves, but they still have it in them to join together in their hive mind to reach for a common goal: new feeding grounds in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Connor Trinneer established the character “Michael Kenmore” in the episode “Michael”, but, due to personal reasons, he was unable to reprise the role in “Allies”. Instead, the role was filled by Stargate SG-1 veteran Brent Stait, better known as Major Louis Ferretti. Producer and writer Martin Gero told Gateworld that Stait looked very much like Trinneer’s Wraith persona after the make-up was applied.

In Alex Levine’s latest entry in his blog on SciFi.com, he revealed that Trinneer returned to the set for a guest starring appearance. Most likely, this appearance is as Michael in Atlantis’s third season’s premiere, “No Man’s Land”, written by Gero.

• Alex Levine’s Blog at SciFi.com
• GateWorld: Brent Stait Returns to Stargate

2.18 COUP D’ÉTAT

Summary

The Genii have decided that the best way to destroy Wraith hive ships is to use Atlantis’ Puddle Jumpers to deliver their nuclear weapons directly onto the ships through suicide missions.

Details

Cowan, the Genii leader, has decided that the best way to defeat the Wraith hive ships is to obtain Atlantis’ supply of Puddle Jumpers to deliver their nuclear weapons as close to the ships as possible. Sheppard had decided to use this very same tactic when Atlantis was under siege by the Wraith just recently. (1.20 “The Siege Part 2”).

On an off-world mission, Major Lorne’s team has gone missing, their last whereabouts incinerated. Dr. Peel, an Atlantis scientist, was being escorted by the team on a planet where she had been helping the villagers produce abundant crops. While she was downstairs, the team was attacked upstairs, apparently by someone using Wraith weapons. Maj. Lorne ordered her to get to the Stargate and she called for help.

Ladon, a Genii, and a small group of his friends, including his sister, Dahlia Radim, are staging a rebellion. All of them, however, appear to have an illness which will eventually lead to their deaths. Dr. Beckett attempts to discover a way to cure them. Ladon, however, is not the leader he appears to be as Sheppard soon finds out…

Guest Characters

Genii: Ladon, Dahlia Radim, Cowan; Atlantis: Maj. Lorne, Dr. Peel

This episode is still in production at this time, and information is incomplete. Be aware that things can, and do, change at times in the actual filming.

2.15 THE TOWER

Summary

The team happens upon a society which has a throne chair to combat the Wraith and a royal family made of those with the gene to activate it. Unfortunately, the bloodline has begun to deteriorate, but the family finds hope in the form of Lt. Col. John Sheppard and his strong Ancient gene.

Details

The Tower is the home of the royal family and has an eighteenth century feel to it. The royal family is the one which passes the Ancient gene on from generation to generation in order to protect the people from the Wraith through the use of a throne chair.

When Sheppard and his team visit, the royal genealogist, Otho, scans Sheppard and finds that his version of the gene is stronger than that of the royal family from the past 300 years. The Lord Protector is an aging, sick man who has a son and a daughter who are heir to the throne. His daughter, Mara, intends to seduce Sheppard so that he might pass the gene on to her offspring. His son, Tavius, heir to the throne, realizes that his sister might produce a stronger progany and plots against her.

Sheppard enjoys the seduction Mara orchestrates, but ultimately turns her down. He gets Dr. Beckett involved with helping these people with their problem, but some of that help comes too late.

This episode is still in production at this time, and information is incomplete. Be aware that things can, and do, change at times in the actual filming. We will post further spoilers as they become available.