Stargate Atlantis: Season Four

Spoiler and Discussion Links

• Solutions: Atlantis Spoiler Blog
• Solutions On-Site Forum: Stargate Atlantis Discussion Board
• Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
• David Hewlett's Blog
• David Nykl's Blog
• Save Carson Beckett Campaign Site
• Alex Levine's SciFi.com Blog

Production Notes

Season Four Production and Direction

• "We start prep for season 4 in the last week of February and begin shooting the first week of March." (Joseph Mallozzi in his blog)
• Filming of Season Four is scheduled from March 1 to September 28, with a break in July. (Joseph Mallozzi's blog, British Columbia Film Commission website)
• Andy Mikita is scheduled to direct six episodes this season. He will be directing the third episode in production order. (Andy Mikita MGM interview)
• This season's writers are: Carl Binder, Robert C. Cooper, Martin Gero, Alan McCullough, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie. (Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
• This season's directors are: Robert C. Cooper, Andy Mikita, William Waring, Martin Wood. (Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
• "There will be “light” moments in all of the episodes but, to be perfectly honest, the show’s fourth season will be darker than its predecessors." (Joseph Mallozzi in his April 4 blog)

Characters/Actors

• "All of our characters will get a spotlight episode in the front half of season four." (Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
• Amanda Tapping will be in the main cast credits and appear in 14 episodes. (Brad Wright MGM interview; Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
• Jewel Staite will be appearing in 8 episodes as Dr. Jennifer Keller. (Chicago Tribune interview with Joseph Mallozzi; Keller's first name revealed in Mallozzi's March 28 blog entry)
• Torri Higginson will be in four episodes (as of April 10) in Season Four, portraying Dr. Elizabeth Weir as a recurring character rather than as a regular. These four episodes will be in the front half of the season, but there is the possibility for more episodes in the second half. (Brad Wright MGM interview; Joseph Mallozzi Chicago Tribune interview; Joseph Mallozzi's blog)
• Col. Samantha Carter will be the new leader of Atlantis. (SCI FI MAGAZINE June issue; link in Solutions Spoiler Blog)
• Dr. Carson Beckett (played by Paul McGillion) will return in the back half of Season Four for a two-parter and a third episode. At the end of Season Four, "...that door will be left open" for Carson to be alive and possibly have more appearances in Season Five. (Save Carson Beckett Campaign Site, April 9, 2007; Joseph Mallozzi's April 12 blog)

Stargate Atlantis Season Four Episode Guides

Episode information and order are subject to change as the season is in production.

4.01 "Adrift Part 2" Written by: Martin Gero Directed by: Martin Wood Storyline: Picks up where "First Strike" leaves off. Production Notes: This episode is paired with "Lifeline" as a two-parter, but more like "Progeny" and "The Real World", with "several like story elements that will run through a number of episodes in the show’s fourth season." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 2 blog) Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is "desperation". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "They are both big episodes [Adrift and Lifeline], offering much in the way of eye candy visual effects, character moments, and major revelations." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog) "Since Martin Wood is Up north shooting scenes from Continuum, Andy Mikita will be stepping in to direct some days from Adrift and Lifeline." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog) "Carter’s first appearance will be in the season four premiere, Adrift." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 16 blog)
4.02 "Lifeline (Part 3?)" Written by: Carl Binder Directed by: Martin Wood Storyline: "Big op eppy" (Joseph Mallozzi's blog) Production Notes: This episode is paired with "Adrift" as a two-parter, but more like "Progeny" and "The Real World", with "several like story elements that will run through a number of episodes in the show’s fourth season." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 2 blog) Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is "gamble". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "They are both big episodes [Adrift and Lifeline], offering much in the way of eye candy visual effects, character moments, and major revelations." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog) "Since Martin Wood is Up north shooting scenes from Continuum, Andy Mikita will be stepping in to direct some days from Adrift and Lifeline." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog) Images from the set of Lifeline are included in Josesph Mallozzi's March 30 blog entry (including Dr. Weir with others in a puddle jumper). "Doppelganger and Lifelife certainly have their dark moments as well." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog)
4.03 "Reunion" Written by: Joseph Mallozzi (and Paul Mullie) Directed by: William Waring Storyline: Ronon is reunited with those from his homeworld and is asked to leave the Atlantis Expedition to rejoin them. Spoiler blog link Production Notes:"While the script offers plenty of action, it is primarily a character-driven story." (Joseph Mallozzi's blog) Christopher Judge will be making a cameo in this episode. We'll see more of Ronon's "specialist" skills as well as possibly some of his fellow Satedans who survived the Wraith attack which destroyed their civilization. (Joseph Mallozzi's blog) Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is "roots". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "Also ran into Jason today and he told me he loved Reunion, has been jotting down notes, and is looking forward to the read-through." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog) "Meanwhile, Paul suggests that one of the local actresses who auditioned today, while not right for Larrin [Travelers], would make a perfect Ara in Reunion. Genius." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog) "Reunion, Missing, and Miller's Crossing offer varying degrees of darkness." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it's tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: [...] Reunion for Ronon [...]" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "As things move along, Bam Bam, our stunt coordinator [James "Bam Bam" Bamford], grows increasingly anxious about the casting as he has fight scenes to choreograph. Producer John Lenic informs us that all is good because Mark Dacascos has signed on to play the role of Tyre. Mark was terrific in Brotherhood of the Wolf (and his stint as the host of Iron Chef America - hmmm, wonder if he can get me on as a guest judge), and is apparently a very, very sweet guy according to Bam Bam who worked with him on The Crow. When the meeting eventually wraps up, Executive Producer John Smith sounds the alarm: “This episode is going to be big!”." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 18 blog) "Spent the afternoon watching dailies for Reunion (some good blooper material here) and, before going home, dropped by Jason’s Airstream to tell him I thought he did a great job in the mess hall scene with Joe." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 1 blog)
4.04 "Travelers" Written by: Paul Mullie (and Joseph Mallozzi) Directed by: William Waring Storyline: Sheppard is taken prisoner of a group of ship-faring people known as the Travelers who wish to use his Ancient gene to reactivate long-dormant Ancient technology — specifically, an Ancient battle ship, similar to an Aurora class. Spoiler blog link Production Notes: "a gift for all those of the Shep-whumping persuasion" (Joseph Mallozzi's blog) Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is "rivalry". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "Joe Flanigan swung by the offices today to give us his thoughts on a couple of scripts. He LOVED Travelers. No surprise there." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "Thor94 writes: “Will we find real ally with advanced technology (…) beause there are ever 3 season and all people with advanced science was enemy(assurans,wraith,olesian) or destructed(ancient,people of "the ark")?” - Answers: Yup. Check out Travelers." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 19 blog) "Wil and I do a casting session for Travelers. This Larrin casting will be the death of me. [...] We talk to Paul Weber, our L.A. casting agent, regarding the Larrin part. Lots of interesting potential candidates." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog) "The lovely and talented Jill Wagner, formerly of Blade" has been cast as Larrin. (Joseph Mallozzi's March 27 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it‘s tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: Travelers for Sheppard [...]" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "Jill is great as Larrin. Her group will put in at least one reappearance in the back of season four." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 18 blog)
4.05 "Missing" Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "I took a stroll through the art department and checked in with [...] our production designer, James Robbins, who was more than happy to show off some of the nifty weapons he designed for Missing." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 2 blog) Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is, for the lack of a better word, "missing". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog) "Reunion, Missing, and Miller's Crossing offer varying degrees of darkness." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it‘s tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: [...] Missing for Teyla, [...] and Missing again for Keller." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog)
4.xx "Doppelganger" Written by: Robert C. Cooper Directed by: Robert C. Cooper Storyline: Sheppard encounters a psychopathic crystalline entity that takes on his likeness in his team's nightmares. Production Notes: "a.k.a. N.O.A.S." (Joseph Mallozzi's blog) This is the first episode to go before cameras on March 1. (Joseph Mallozzi's blog, David Hewlett's blog, David Nykl's blog) "Day two of production means our first day of dailies (a.k.a. the previous day’s footage). Stand-outs sequences included a mesmerized Keller, that Rising-era look, and an armed and barefoot Lorne." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 2 blog) "By the way, we watched our very first director’s cut late last week. Rob Cooper did a terrific job on Doppelganger. Some wonderfully way-out sequences in this one as well as some effectively creepy scenes as well, not to mention the full-contact extreme Shep whumpage in this one. This one is a lot of fun and, believe me, you cannot wait to see it! But, alas, you’ll have to." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 19 blog) "I think there's actually more Shep whumpage in Doppelganger [than in Travelers], both A [being whumped] and B [whumping someone]." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "Doppelganger and Lifelife certainly have their dark moments as well." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "When you find out what the episode is about, it will become obvious [what N.O.A.S. stands for]. I think. Alternately, knowing what it stands for will pretty much tell you what the episode is about." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 12 blog) "GW Whumpers writes: “Our suggestion for NOAS is Nightmare on Atlantis Street.” Answer: Affirmative." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 17 blog) "O'Neill went out, touched a crystal and all this stuff happened [ 1.07 "Cold Lazarus" ]. We've never done that again. And I thought, 'Well, wouldn't it be interesting if we found another crystalline life-form like that.' But in that case we were kind of lucky that it had reasonably good intentions. There was a sinister aspect to it in that we didn't know what was going on, but at the end of the day it was kind of just curious. So I took the flip side of that and said, 'What if it's a psychopath? What if it's truly evil?' And it enduces some pretty freaky nightmares. [...] What would our characters dream about? The fun part of the episode is, because it's Sheppard that initially engages and touches the crystal, and thus unleashes the entity on everyone, the physical form it takes in the nightmares is Sheppard. And so everyone is having these nightmares that are being pulled out of them by the entity, but Sheppard is appearing in those dreams as the sort of negative enciting [sic] force." (Robert C. Cooper in Gateworld interview, April 18, 2007)
4.xx "The Seer" Written by: Alan McCullough Directed by: Andy Mikita Storyline: Carter must decide how the use the knowledge of the future after having been given a vision by a seer who claims he has never been wrong. Spoiler blog link Production Notes: Mallozzi says that hints to the plot of this episode can be found in his poem in his December 31, 2006 entry. The line for this episode appears to be "Receive a grand gift from an all-seeing shaman." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) There is a "very good chance" that we'll see Robert Picardo (playing Richard Woolsey) in The Seer. (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it‘s tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: [...] The Seer for Carter [...]" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "James [Robbins, Production Designer] and Tom [Wells, Supervising Art Director] pop in for an impromptu meeting with Paul and I, looking ahead to possible builds for the next few episodes. No major construction for The Seer, but we will marry some of the exterior scenes from this episode to the This Mortal Coil shoot. James and Tom also pitch out how they’d like to pull off the “horrific reveal” at script’s end. I love it!" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 18 blog) Questions: (a) "In which episode are we going to see again the Wraith from Common Ground? In the Seer? Is he going to be the Wraith who wants to work with Atlantis?" and (b) "Will he become a recurring character?" Answers: (a) "We will see him in The Seer." (b) "Maybe." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 4 blog) "And then, look at who dropped by the office today: none other than Bob Picardo who is in town filming an episode of Stargate: Atlantis (The Seer)." Photo included. (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.xx "Tabula Rasa" Written by: Alan McCullough Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: Title revealed in Joseph Mallozzi's March 9 blog entry. "Tabula Rasa" is Latin for "scraped tablet" (also has been translated to mean "clean slate" or "blank slate") (Dictionary.com) "Alan worked on his final pass on Tabula Rasa (Lorne fans take note)." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog) "We discuss Alan’s Tabula Rasa rewrite. How could Lorne top his barefoot scene in Doppelganger? Well how about this meaty role? Oh, and poor Katie." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog) "Zach Selwyn was on the lot today. For those of you not familiar with the larger-than-life host of G4’s Attack of the Show, he is the star of a SGA rap video that took youtube by storm. In fact, Zach rapped and danced his way into a guest-starring role as episode linchpin Scientist #2 in season four’s Tabula Rasa. His big scene is tomorrow, first up! I wished him luck and assured him that, as much as I would love to watch his early morning performance, I’m the victim of a rare medical condition that necessitates my sleeping in past 7:30 a.m. every morning. Despite the fact that he was celebrating his birthday, he did come in to interview cast members for his show and, God knows why, thought it might be a good idea to interview me as well (a decision, I’m certain, he now deeply regrets). Still, since we were shooting the interview on Stage 3, I did manage to snap some pics of the Daedalus." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 23 blog)
4.09 "Miller's Crossing" Written by: Martin Gero Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "...I'm revealing the working title for episode nine: Miller's Crossing. I like it. We’ll see if it sticks." [Miller is the married name of Rodney McKay's sister, Jeannie, played by David Hewlett's real-life sister, Kate Hewlett.] (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "Reunion, Missing, and Miller's Crossing offer varying degrees of darkness." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog) "Martin’s top secret script, Miller’s Crossing, offers a glimpse at a much more sympathetic, vulnerable McKay." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 12 blog) "Even Teyla and Ronon will don some atypical civvies in Miller’s Crossing." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 14 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it‘s tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: [...] Miller’s Crossing for McKay [...]" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog)
4.10 "This Mortal Coil Part 1" Written by: Joseph Mallozzi (and Paul Mullie) Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "Brad will probably be too busy to write an episode of Atlantis this season but has come up with a terrific story that should figure into the mid-season two-parter." (Joseph Mallozzi's February 21 blog) "No hints but I will say that it will be very different from previous mid-season two-parters." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 19 blog) "I put out the outline of the first part of the mid-season two-parter, an episode Carl Binder is particularly [looking] forward to." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog) "As for which episodes fans should be looking forward to most for each member of the team - it's tough to say only because my opinion could be very different from fan opinion especially when you start factoring in the different fan factions. But, in my opinnion, I’d say: [...] This Mortal Coil for Weir [...]" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "I do a final re-read and pass on This Mortal Coil and hand it off to Alex Levine who will proof it and then put it out to the writing department." (Joseph Mallozzi April 18 blog) "James [Robbins, Production Designer] and Tom [Wells, Supervising Art Director] pop in for an impromptu meeting with Paul and I, looking ahead to possible builds for the next few episodes. No major construction for The Seer, but we will marry some of the exterior scenes from this episode to the This Mortal Coil shoot. James and Tom also pitch out how they’d like to pull off the “horrific reveal” at script’s end. I love it!" (Joseph Mallozzi's April 18 blog) "Well, we started prep on This Mortal Coil today with a nice line-up of all-day meetings." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 4 blog) "Paul finished his pass on This Mortal Coil and did a great job. The script is much clearer and cleaner." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.11 Part 2 of Mid-Season Two-Parter Story by: Brad Wright Written by: Martin Gero Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "Brad will probably be too busy to write an episode of Atlantis this season but has come up with a terrific story that should figure into the mid-season two-parter." (Joseph Mallozzi's February 21 blog) "No hints but I will say that it will be very different from previous mid-season two-parters." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 19 blog) Martin Gero will be writing this episode. (Joseph Mallozzi's April 16 blog) "Anonymous #4 writes: “Joe which will be the science geek eppy in season 4.. I mean the one where we will see a hell of a lot of space ships and advanced technology at work…” Answer: The second part of the mid-season two-parter certainly fits the bill in a big way." Additionally, "development and evolution" of the Asgard Legacy from SG-1's "Unending" will be addressed in this episode. (Joseph Mallozzi's April 17 blog) "Martin is finishing up work on the second part of the mid-season two-parter." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.12 Part 3? of Mid-Season "Two-Parter" Written by: Alan McCullough Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "Spent the day spinning - Alan’s story which is looking more like a third part to the mid-season two-parter. Another revelation in a season full of surprises, an unlikely alliance, and things develop for Teyla." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 20 blog) "Alan is working on what [we] like to call “the third part of the mid-season two-parter”." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.xx Untitled Carson's First Appearance Story Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "It’s looking like three episodes now [for Carson Beckett's appearances]. Not sure when they will air - one a little after the mid-season two-parter, the next two not that much later. There may be repercussions of his time away and the circumstances of his return. As for season 5 - we’re not even thinking ahead that far." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 12 blog)
4.xx and 4.xx Second-Half-Season Two-Parter Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "I am pleased to announce that Carson Beckett will be returning to Atlantis for a two-part story in the back half of season four. When he returns for the two-parter, it will be Carson Beckett in the flesh. Late in season three, we discussed the manner in which the character had been written out and the possible ways in which he could be brought back. I threw out an idea that not only brought Carson back, but answered a very big question I had concerning a late-season arc. In order to lay the groundwork for his possible return, we threaded a subtle hint into one of the late season three episodes. So, if fans want to know how we plan on bringing the good doctor back from the dead, they should seek out the hidden clue when the back half of season three returns to SciFi this Friday, April 13th. Well, I don’t want to give too much away but I can say it won’t be an AU version of Carson - or a time-hopping Dr. Beckett either." (Joseph Mallozzi in an interview at the Save Carson Beckett Campaign Site, April 9, 2007) "Then there’s the two-part return of THAT character. Which brings us to episodes 17." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.xx Big Crossover Episode Written by: Carl Binder Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: There will be an SG-1 crossover episode, but when asked if Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson will be included, Mallozzi responded, "It’s possible but we have another actor in mind for the big crossover episode that Carl will be writing." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 15 blog) "And Carl has started work on the relationships episode. He’ll be moving onto the cross-over episode once he’s done." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)
4.xx Carl's New Story Written by: Carl Binder Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "We also discussed Carl’s new story which we’ll probably break next week - potential for a lot of nice character moments in this one." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 20 blog) "And Carl has started work on the relationships episode. He’ll be moving onto the cross-over episode once he’s done." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 7 blog)

Stories for Season Five

5.xx Untitled Sheppard Story Story by: Joe Flanigan Teleplay by: Carl Binder Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "Joe Flanigan pitched out an idea for a very [angsty] Sheppard episode that the fans are going to LOVE and that Carl Binder will be writing. It's a terrific idea and Carl is the perfect person to write it. Very, very, very cool. And, incidentally, it will address an issue fans have been discussing since - well, the late back half of season three." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 11 blog) "And for those of you asking - after much heated discussion, it was decided that the story Joe Flanigan pitched had elements that were too similar to stories already in the works. As a result, this story will be pushed to season five." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 20 blog)

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