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
• James Bamford's Gateworld Q&A

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. "It looks like we’ll be off for a couple of weeks in early July, then taking a long weekend so that we can all head down to Comicon [July 25, 26-29]." (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. 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.

• "As things stand, the airing order will be - Adrift, Lifeline, Reunion, Doppelganger, Travelers, Tabula Rasa, Missing, The Seer, Miller’s Crossing, This Mortal Coil." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 24 blog)

• Click on the episode title to visit the new episode guide for further information.

4.01 "Adrift Part 2" With only 24 hours of life support remaining, the city-ship Atlantis is suspended somewhere in space without the use of the Stargate. Guide | Transcript
4.02 "Lifeline" While the team risks going into the Replicators' city to obtain a ZPM to power the city-ship Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter joins the crew of the Apollo to search for the missing base. Guide | Transcript
4.03 "Reunion" Ronon is reunited with those from his homeworld and is asked to leave the Atlantis Expedition to rejoin them. Col. Samantha Carter becomes the new leader of the Atlantis Base. Guide | Transcript
4.04 "Doppelganger" Sheppard encounters a psychopathic crystalline entity that takes on his likeness in his team's nightmares. Guide | Transcript
4.05 "Travelers" Sheppard becomes the 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 Aurora-class battle ship. Guide | Transcript
4.06 "Tabula Rasa" With almost everyone on Atlantis infected by an amnesia-causing bacteria, McKay finds himself zip-strapped to his desk with cryptic letters on his arm and no memories of who he is or what has happened. Guide | Transcript
4.07 "Missing" Teyla's and Dr. Keller's friendly visit to New Athos turns into a matter of survival when they find the Athosians have disappeared and they are attacked by primitives. Guide | Transcript
4.08 "The Seer" Atlantis encounters the Vedeenans and tries to save their ill leader, Davos. Davos appears to see the future, and predicts the destruction of Atlantis. Carter must decide how to react to his prophesy when the Wraith Todd proposes a collaboration but then brings the enemy to Atlantis. Guide | Transcript
4.09 "Miller's Crossing" Jeanie McKay Miller and Dr. Rodney McKay are kidnapped by businessman Henry Wallace on Earth. Wallace wants the McKays to fix the nanites he implanted in his daughter to cure her cancer — they are malfunctioning. Wallace injects nanintes into Jeanie to make his point, and Rodney must rely on Todd and his team to save her. Guide | Transcript
4.10 "This Mortal Coil Part 1" A rogue group of Replicators creates duplicates of Sheppard's team and Dr. Elizabeth Weir in the hope of discovering how to ascend like their creators, the Ancients. Guide | Transcript
4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2" The Atlantis Expedition and the Wraith join forces to execute a daring plan against a common enemy. Guide | Transcript
4.12 "Spoils Of War" The Atlantis team successfully salvage a partially damaged Hive ship and in the process retrieve some critical information that may help in their war against the Wraith. Guide | Transcript
4.13 "Quarantine" Atlantis suddenly activates a quarantine lockdown, trapping personnel in various parts of the city with no way in or out and, more importantly, with no medical help. Guide | Transcript
4.xx Flanigan's Earth-Based Episode Story by: Joe Flanigan Teleplay by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "We start the spinning. There’s the other Earth-based episode Joe F. pitched out. The return-of-that-character two-parter with its Fargo-esque first part, the big team-up eppy, and the puzzle piece." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 1 blog)
4.xx Second-Half-Season Two-Parter - Part 1 Written by: Carl Binder 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) "Alas, the Beckett episode count is presently at 2 because the planned third episode was temporarily shelved." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 10 blog) "We start the spinning. [..] The return-of-that-character two-parter with its Fargo-esque first part..." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 1 blog) "After all lunch, we finally started work on the first part of the late season two-parter, what Carl has tentatively titled “Rise of the Googlions”." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 6 blog)
4.xx Second-Half-Season Two-Parter - Part 2 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) "Alas, the Beckett episode count is presently at 2 because the planned third episode was temporarily shelved." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 10 blog) "We start the spinning. [...] The return-of-that-character two-parter with its Fargo-esque first part..." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 1 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) "We start the spinning. There’s the other Earth-based episode Joe F. pitched out. The return-of-that-character two-parter with its Fargo-esque first part, the big team-up eppy, and the puzzle piece." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 1 blog)
4.xx Puzzle Piece Episode Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "We start the spinning. There’s the other Earth-based episode Joe F. pitched out. The return-of-that-character two-parter with its Fargo-esque first part, the big team-up eppy, and the puzzle piece." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 1 blog)
4.19 Penultimate Episode Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: The last two episodes of the season "will not be a two-parter." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 6 blog)
4.20 Finale Written by: Directed by: Storyline: Production Notes: "We also took the time to discuss [...] Paul’s very cool idea for the season (?) finale, a little episode we’re calling…“Finale“. The last two episodes of the season "will not be a two-parter." (Joseph Mallozzi's June 6 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)

Shelved

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) "Alas, the Beckett episode count is presently at 2 because the planned third episode was temporarily shelved." (Joseph Mallozzi's May 10 blog)

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