SGA 5.14 "The Prodigal" Episode Guide

Précis

Michael uses his stolen puddle jumper to infiltrate Atlantis and take it over from the gate room. He is driven to take Teyla's son, and Teyla as well if she's willing. He intends to destroy Atlantis in vengeance for what was done to him. Sheppard and the Lanteans must stop Michael once and for all.

Guide | Transcript

MGM/SciFi.com Official Summary

Col. Sheppard and Dr. McKay are enjoying some recreational time on the pier level of the city when Atlantis is plunged into darkness, with only the top tier of the central tower unaffected. Struggling to make their way up to the Gate Room on foot, more than 70 levels above, McKay speculates that someone has taken control of Atlantis by hacking into the city’s mainframe. As they close in on the location, McKay picks up extreme energy readings. An unusual force field has been established to prevent them from gaining access to both the Gate Room and Control Room.

Meanwhile, as Teyla checks on her son, Torren, two dark figures infiltrate her quarters and fire, rendering her unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself in Woolsey’s office with the baby sleeping nearby. Distraught, she moves to reclaim him, then realizes she is not alone. Her ultimate nemesis, Michael, stands before her—and he is bent on revenge.

Cast

• Joe Flanigan as Lt. Col. John Sheppard
• Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan
• Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex
• Jewel Staite as Dr. Jennifer Keller
• Robert Picardo as Richard Woolsey
• and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay

Guest Stars

• Connor Trinneer as Michael
• David Nykl as Dr. Radek Zelenka
• Kavan Smith as Maj. Lorne
• Sharon Taylor as Technician Banks
• Six Hybrids (including Lead Hybrid and Hybrid #1)
• Lorne's Team Member

Production

• Written by Carl Binder
• Directed by Andy Mikita

Related Articles

Keywords

• Atlantis
• Puddle Jumper
• Wraith

Other

• Season Five Episode Guides
• Episode Guides
• Season Five Transcripts
• Transcripts
• Previous: SGA 5.13 "Inquisition" Episode Guide
• Next: SGA 5.15 "Remnants" Episode Guide

Related Links

Official

• Official MGM Stargate Atlantis Website
• SciFi Channel 5.14 "The Prodigal" Episode Guide

Fan

• Solutions On-Site Forum: Season Five Discussion Board
• Solutions News and Spoiler Blog
• Stargate Screencaps: Season Five

Galleries

Stills Galleries

• MGM: Episode Stills
• Andreas at LJ: Episode Stills
• Dryope at LJ: Episode Stills

Production Galleries

The following are links to images concerning the production of this episode and were published by Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog:

• Concept Art: Circular Staircase (June 27, 2008)

Production Notes

• "Carl is spinning ideas for his third [script]..." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 11, 2008.
• "We spent the afternoon spinning Carl’s idea, a story Alan is calling “The Red Shirt Diaries”." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 15, 2008.
• "Carl Binder’s latest (the beat sheet arrived on my desk late this afternoon and I’m going to try to read it tomorrow morning)..." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 29, 2008.
• "Well, I finally did make it back to the production offices in time to [...] give Carl notes on his beat sheet (formerly The Red Shirt Diaries then First Day and now ???)." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 1, 2008.
• "Carl’s script, formerly titled The Red Shirt Diaries before being re-titled to First Day, has become Prodigal." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 8, 2008.
• Marc writes: “There is a lot of talk about not leaving our people behind. Does this include the dead?” Answer: "Yes, it definitely includes the dead. In fact, Carl pitched out a story that was to deal with this very issue (The Red Shirt Diaries) but, after much discussion, it was temporarily shelved. Season 6 maybe?" — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 30, 2008.
• Iamjohn writes: “Are there any city specific episodes this season?” Answer: "Yep. Carl is working on one as I file this entry." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 30, 2008.
• "Participate in the Prodigal notes call (the network loved it)." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, June 4, 2008.
• "We finished shooting episode 14 (Outsiders) and prepping episode 15 (Prodigal) before heading off on hiatus." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, June 18, 2008.
• "Prodigal has already been prepped. However, our costume and construction departments will be working a week or two during the hiatus to make sure the episode is ready to shoot when we return in mid-July." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, June 20, 2008.
• "Mucho angst for Teyla in The Queen and later Prodigal." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, July 8, 2008.
• "Stair-climbing and techno-babbling at the same time tomorrow...practicing by trying to keep Baz out of the dog bowl while I learn the lines!" — David Hewlett's Twitter, July 16, 2008.
• "Breakfast? Eggs, sausage and explosives. We're blowing things up (again) here on the Atlantis set! Yipee!" — David Hewlett's Twitter, July 18, 2008.
• "So I wandered down to the FX stage where they’re currently shooting “The Prodigal” to see if I could slip in and out without anyone noticing. Just my luck, they’re in a tiny little corridor on the blade set – 30 people in a small corridor, with the dolly rigged up, actors, producers and crew all milling about. My toes suddenly felt very vulnerable. I thought to myself, “this is a sensible rule, this thing about no sandals at work.” And just then, I walked by Andy Mikita. First he gave me a friendly hello, but then his disposition changed and that telltale scowl came across his face as he glanced down at my inappropriate footwear. “No flip flops on set”. I felt like a six year old. I sheepishly told him that I already knew and skulked off to get Carl’s lunch order. Lesson learned. Because Andy Mikita is not a man to be trifled with, trust me. Remind me to tell you someday about the time some moron stole his golf clubs. Not pretty, my friends. Not pretty." — Alex Levine in his scifi.com blog, July 18, 2008.
• "They're loading the automatic shotguns...but I'm about to be wrapped...I've got to say...sometimes it sucks to be the nerd!" — David Hewlett on his Twitter, July 21, 2008.
• "All is great, yes.....and busy on Atlantis...yes.....just you wait for the huge action episode, "Prodigal" that we are just working on right now.....oh....boy." — James "BamBam" Bamford, stunt coordinator, in Gateworld Q&A, July 22, 2008.
• "My favorite episode is The Prodigal. When you watch it you’ll know why. ... There is a scene in The Prodigal that is definitely the most memorable for me so far." — Sharon Taylor, Q&A in Joseph Mallozzi's weblog, August 30, 2008.
• "After some discussion, it was decided that we would reconvene on Thursday to spin AND watch a Day 1 mix of The Prodigal." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, September 23, 2008.
• Thornyrose writes: “What is your all time favorite episode to have worked on?” Carl Binder: "Wow. That’s like asking which child is your favorite. So I’ll pick four — one from each season (2-5) I’ve been on staff: Michael, Phantoms, Missing and The Prodigal." — Carl Binder in his Q&A in Joseph Mallozzi's weblog, September 23, 2008.
• "A Day 1 Mix of The Prodigal is on tap tomorrow after which we all scatter to the four winds for a week or so." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, September 24, 2008.

Further Reading

• Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
• Solutions: SGA S5 Spoilers: "The Prodigal", June 5, 2008.
• David Hewlett's Twitter
• Alex Levine's scifi.com blog, July 18, 2008.
• James Bamford's Gateworld Q&A, July 22, 2008.
• Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog: Q&A with Sharon Taylor, August 30, 2008.
• Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog: Carl Binder Up Close and Personal..., September 23, 2008.
• Alex Levine's scifi.com blog, Red Shirts and Kick Boxing, November 3, 2008.
• Solutions: SGA Spoilers: "The Prodigal" Has Returned. . ., November 7, 2008.
• MGM: Close Up: The Prodigal (interview with Rachel Luttrell), November 10, 2008.

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--DeeKayP 07:26, 5 June 2008 (PDT)