Atlantis: The Lost City of the Ancients

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Atlantis: Lost City of the Ancients

Summary

After Dr. Daniel Jackson discovered the destination of the city-ship Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, Dr. Elizabeth Weir led the international Atlantis Expedition into the Lost City of the Ancients. Once they arrived, the Expedition faced several obstacles, including the lack of power to maintain and defend the large city and the attention of the Lantian Ancients' rivals, the Wraith. After nearly a year cut off from Earth, the city became a base of operations and a primary source of new technology to aid in the defense of Earth. With time to explore the city, the Expedition has had the chance to discover some of the history of its builders, the Ancients.

Atlantis: City of the Ancients

In the Milky Way Galaxy

Atlantis on Earth
Atlantis, the city-ship itself, was first located on Earth several million years ago in what came to be known as Antarctica. It is possible that this city existed on Earth for millions of years before it left for the Pegasus Galaxy. Dr. Daniel Jackson determined the Stargate address of the city-ship by studying the records left behind at the Antarctic Outpost and concluded that the Ancients left five to ten million years ago. They left behind the Ancient woman who was later discovered in the ice not too far from where the Antarctic Stargate and the Antarctic Outpost were located. It is possible that they left the Milky Way Galaxy because of the plague that was sweeping throughout the galaxy or because they merely felt the need to explore the universe. For whatever reason, Ayiana was left behind when the massive city-ship took off. Most of the history of Atlantis during the time it was on Earth those million of years ago is unknown. (6.04 "Frozen", 7.22 "Lost City Part 2"; Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1")

In the Pegasus Galaxy

Wraith Queen who led the attack on Atlantis 10,000 years ago (3.18 "Submersion")
Once the Ancients settled their ship on a planet they called Lantia in the Pegasus Galaxy, their history becomes more known. Just like how they started their time in the Milky Way, the Ancients built a network of Stargates, these being more modern looking but functioning basically the same. The large difference between the two networks is that the Stargate in Atlantis is the only one in the Pegasus Galaxy that has a special dialing crystal that permits the Stargate to connect to a Stargate in another galaxy (specifically, to Earth). (Stargate Atlantis: 1.09 "Home")

At first, the Ancients assumed there to be no life in the Pegasus Galaxy, so they seeded the galaxy with new life. Humans started occupying the various planets within the Stargate network. But, a problem arose: some of the humans were fed upon by an insect-arachnid-type life form later known as the Iratus Bug, and over time, the human DNA and the iratus DNA blended, evolving into a new species called the Wraith. The Wraith appear humanoid, but they retain their iratus tendencies of requiring humans as their food source. The Wraith, in effect, became predators and humanity, their prey. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 1.02 "Rising Part 2", 1.04 "Thirty-Eight Minutes")

The language of the Wraith is derived from the Ancients' own language and their technology is extremely advanced, but has some limitations, the primary weakness being that they don't have intergalactic hyperdrive technology. Their technology is organically-based, which also contributes to its weaknesses, but at the same time allows their starships to repair themselves. The Wraith grew in number by cloning their warriors, and eventually, the human worlds fell until only Lantia remained. The Wraith laid siege to the city, but even the advanced Ancient technology was no match for the relentless onslaught. The High Council, led by Moros, decided to sink the city into the ocean to lessen the intensity of the Wraith's weapons, but even with this tactic, the people in the city were the last survivors. The Council decided to abandon the city with the hope that they or their kind would return. Those who returned to Earth either blended into the primitive societies or ascended to a higher plane of existence as beings of pure energy (called Ascended Beings). (10.03 "The Pegasus Project"; Stargate Atlantis: 1.02 "Rising Part 2", 1.15 "Before I Sleep", 1.18 "The Gift", 3.20 "First Strike Part 1", 4.12 "Spoils of War")

Ten thousand years later, the Atlantis Expedition arrived. (Stargate Atlantis: "Rising Part 1")

Legacy of the Atlantian Ancients

Connections between Earth and Atlantis are still felt to this day and have even been recorded in history books.

Moros/Myrddin/Merlin

Moros as Merlin
Daniel discovered that one of the Ancients who left Atlantis 10,000 years ago became the man known as Merlin in Arthurian legends. Not only was Merlin an Atlantian Ancient, also known as Myrddin (Ancient name: Moros), but he was also a formerly Ascended Ancient who retook human form to develop a weapon that could neutralize an Ascended Being. This weapon was the Sangreal, also known as the Blood Stone and the Holy Grail. (9.18 "Arthur's Mantle", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Merlin developed this weapon because of the threat posed by a group of Ascended Beings known as the Ori. These Ori were once humans who were part of the same society as the Ancients in a distant galaxy. The Ancients were known as the Altera those millions of years ago. When both groups were on the evolutionary path to ascension, a rift was formed between the two groups, largely based on their philosophies concerning ascension and their role, if any, with the lower planes of existence (corporeal plane). The Ori sought to wipe out the Altera, but the Altera fled instead of engaging in a war. They found refuge after thousands of years of space travel in the Milky Way Galaxy, where, after a time, they became known as the Ancients. (9.01 "Avalon Part 1", 9.02 "Avalon Part 2", 9.03 "Origin Part 3", 9.18 "Arthur's Mantle")

The Ori's attention was drawn to the Milky Way, where they intended to convert humanity into worshippers to give them more power on the ascended planes. After gaining enough power, the Ori's ultimate goal was to destroy the Ascended Ancients. Ironically, it was through the use of Merlin's abandoned technology discovered in the Glastonbury Tor in England (Avalon) that alerted the Ori that there were billions of potential human worshippers in the Milky Way Galaxy. (9.02 "Avalon Part 2", 9.03 "Origin Part 3", 9.11 "The Fourth Horseman Part 2")

Daniel's search for Merlin's weapon was what sent him on his first visit to Atlantis. Eventually, his team discovered Merlin himself in stasis, and Merlin was willing to build another Sangreal since Morgan Le Fay had to destroy the original. Because he had been in stasis for well over a thousand years, his body was too weak to use the technology he needed in order to re-create the device, so he uploaded his consciousness into Daniel, and Daniel finished the weapon with Merlin's help. Merlin had to leave Daniel's body just before the weapon was sent to the Ori's home galaxy, however, so he wasn't aware if it had actually detonated and worked as planned. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2", 10.14 "The Shroud")

Ganos Lal/Morgan Le Fay

Morgan Le Fay
Ganos Lal was also one of the Lantians who left Atlantis 10,000 years ago and subsequently ascended. When her fellow Lantian Moros decided to retake human form to develop his weapon, Ganos was sent by The Others to watch his activities and stop him if necessary. Moros had come to be known as the wizard Merlin because he had great knowledge and powers. When Ganos began interfering with the development and use of the weapon, she came to be known as Morgan Le Fay in Arthurian legends — Merlin's greatest rival. Ganos was successful in obtaining and destroying the weapon all those centuries ago, but after the Ori invaded the Milky Way, she realized she needed to help Daniel in his search. She told him that she knew him when he was ascended and that she feared that The Others would punish her just as he was punished for breaking the rules. Just as she feared, when she tried to offer more information, she was pulled away by The Others, leaving Daniel with the conclusion that he'd never see her again and that the Ascended Ancients would abide by their rules of non-interference even when their very existence was threatened. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2")

Asurans/Replicators

Surviving Asurans under the leadership of Elizabeth Weir Replicant
When the war with the Wraith was going strong 10,000 years ago, the Ancients began experimenting in nanotechnology as a weapon. They designed nanites that would attack beings from within, but were programmed not to harm Ancients. To the Ancients' surprise, the nanites developed sentience and replicated themselves into the image of their creators. Their colony on Asura became highly developed, but the Ancients feared them and attempted to destroy them all. A few of the nanites survived and rebuilt the Asuran society at the same time that Atlantis was abandoned. When the Atlantis Expedition team found the thriving Asuran civilization, the Asurans realized that Atlantis was not destroyed in the war against the Wraith and sought revenge by destroying it themselves. Their first attempt at destroying the city was thwarted by some reprogramming done by McKay who realized that these Asurans were closely related to the Replicators from the Milky Way Galaxy. The exact relationship between the two Replicator generations has not yet been identified, but the "Anti-Replicator Gun", a personal defense weapon designed by Carter based on O'Neill's Replicator Disruptor Technology, proved equally effectual against the Pegasus Replicators. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.05 "Progeny", 3.10 "The Return Part 1", 3.11 "The Return Part 2")

The Asurans attacked Atlantis a second time after Earth sent the Apollo with the Horizon Weapons Platform to destroy their conventionally-built starships. The Asuran retaliation resulted in the Expedition's having to remove Atlantis from Lantia, its home for millenia, and settle on a new planet (M35-117). Unfortunately, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the Expedition's leader, was captured by the Asurans. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.20 "First Strike Part 1", 4.01 "Adrift Part 2", 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3")

The Asurans, like the Human Form Replicators in the Milky Way, were built needing the same element neutronium, and it was this need for the highly dense material that led to their eventual defeat. Dr. Rodney McKay programmed a Replicator he named "FRAN" (Friendly Replicator ANdroid) to condense the Asuran nanites into one large mass that sank to the core of Asuras that was rich in neutronium, causing the planet to break apart in a massive implosion. The majority of the Asurans were eliminated, but unbeknownst to the Expedition, a small group, under the leadership of a Weir Replicant, survived. (Stargate Atlantis: 4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2")

Others

Janus of Atlantis
Only a few of the Ancients who left Atlantis and returned to Earth 10,000 years ago have been identified, but some, such as Merlin and Morgan, have obviously left their mark in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Ancient who built the time traveling "puddle jumper" discovered on Harry Maybourne's planet was most likely Janus who had built one in the Pegasus Galaxy as well. (8.13 "It's Good To Be King"; Stargate Atlantis 1.15 "Before I Sleep")

Others of this group probably merged into Earth's societies and introduced the Ancient gene into humanity's genome. These same Ancients were most likely responsible for the story of the sunken city of Atlantis. It is also possible, but not confirmed, that some among these returning Ancients were those who developed the Asuran nanotechnology and used it to build Reese, the originator of the Replicators in the Milky Way. (5.19 "Menace", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project"; Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 3.05 "Progeny")

Atlantis and the Atlantis Expedition

After Dr. Daniel Jackson found the Lost City of Atlantis, he attempted to get to the magnificent city twice after Dr. Weir's team left Earth through the Stargate (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound", 9.01 "Avalon Part 1"). He didn't get to see the wonders of the city for the first time after 10,000 years of abandonment. Dr. Weir's team discovered that the legend concerning the city's being submerged was actually true — it had just happened on a planet in another galaxy rather than on Earth. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1")

One of the first things that the team discovered was a holographic recording left behind by the Ancients who had to flee when a powerful enemy, the Wraith, besieged the city. Being fewer in number, the Ancients couldn't hold off the Wraith's relentless attacks. The Wraith need to feed on humans to survive (by draining their life force similar to a vampire), and they discovered that Atlantis had the only Stargate in the Pegasus Galaxy that could take them to new feeding grounds. Instead of destroying the city, the Ancients submerged it, hoping that one day they'd be able to return. They programmed the city's Stargate to only lower its energy defense shield for travelers dialing from Earth. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 1.15 "Before I Sleep")

The city was working on very little power upon their arrival. It was the detection of Weir's team that alerted the city's computers of the need to bring the city back to life. When power levels reached a critical low, the city's fail safes kicked in and Atlantis rose from the depths of the ocean. Even though the city could operate on some of the team's naquadah generators, what they really needed was the immense power only available from a ZPM (Zero Point Module) — actually, three ZPMs were needed to power the city fully. Luckily, about a year after their arrival, a fully-charged ZPM was discovered in an Ancient Egyptian tomb and sent to the city via Earth's newest Deep Space Carrier, the Daedalus. The powerful defense shields that the city needed to protect itself from enemies, such as the Wraith who had awakened from a centuries-long slumber, were available once more, but because they only had the one ZPM, the shields were not operated all the time. This single ZPM, which had also been used to form regular outgoing wormholes back to Earth, was drained of all of its power after an experiment to draw energy from alternate realities failed. Through a chance meeting with Ancients in the void between the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies, Atlantis was given three fully-charged ZPMs. Because of the Ori threat in the Milky Way, one of these ZPMs was used to power the Antarctic Outpost defenses and another was given to the Odyssey to strengthen its shields. The last remaining ZPM that Atlantis had was drained when they had to fly the city to escape an attack by the Asurans, the Pegasus Replicators. The Expedition stole a ZPM from the Asurans, and it is that ZPM that currently powers the city. One of the mandates of Stargate teams from Atlantis is to find working ZPMs, but most of the ones they've discovered were used by the human civilizations for their own protection against the Wraith. (8.20 "Moebius Part 2"; Stargate Atlantis: 1.02 "Rising Part 2", 3.08 "McKay and Mrs. Miller", 3.10 "The Return Part 1", 3.12 "Echoes", 4.02 "Lifeline Part 2")

Trips from Earth to Atlantis take about three weeks on one of Earth's Daedalus-class ships, so alternate forms of travel have been developed. The creation of the Intergalactic Gate Bridge, designed by Carter and McKay, was started at the beginning of the Expedition's third year. This Bridge is formed using 34 Stargates, half of which are from the Pegasus system, and the other half from the Milky Way's. They meet in the middle at the Midway Station. The Intergalactic Gate Bridge is situated in the vast void between the two galaxies, and a one-way trip takes about 30 minutes to complete. The first human to use the Bridge was Lt. Col. John Sheppard, who made the distance in a puddle jumper (small Ancient spacecraft that is designed to fit through the Stargate) because the Midway Station was incomplete and had no life support. Sheppard flew the puddle jumper into the SGC and used the silo to take the ship to its new bay on an upper level of the base. Not long after that, the Midway Station was completed and allowed for people to travel on foot through the Stargates. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.10 "The Return Part 1", 4.01 "Adrift Part 1")

The personnel assigned to the Atlantis Expedition come from all over the world, and some of the inhabitants are originally from Pegasus itself. Command of the Expedition was given to Dr. Elizabeth Weir, and she served as the city's leader for three years until she was captured by the Asurans. Weir was replaced by SG-1's own Col. Samantha Carter, making the city a military base under her command. The primary exploratory team is commanded by Lt. Col. John Sheppard, and manned by Dr. Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan (an Athosian leader from Pegasus), and Ronon Dex (a Satedan warrior from Pegasus). Sheppard's team lost one of its members, Lt. Aiden Ford, in the fight against the Wraith after a year into the Expedition's time in the Pegasus Galaxy. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 1.02 "Rising Part 2", 2.03 "Runner", 2.11 "The Hive Part 2", 4.02 "Lifeline Part 2", 4.03 "Reunion")

Commanders

American civilian Dr. Elizabeth Weir served as the leader of the Expedition for its first three years
Col. Dillon Everett temporarily relieved Weir of command when he led the military defense of the city during a Wraith attack (1.20 "The Siege Part 2")
Col. Samantha Carter replaced Weir after Weir was captured by the Asurans (4.03 "Reunion")

Primary Exploratory Team

Maj./Lt. Col. John Sheppard, leader
Dr. Rodney McKay
USMC Lt. Aiden Ford, lost in the war with the Wraith (2.11 "The Hive Part 2")
Athosian Teyla Emmagan
Satedan Ronon Dex (2.03 "Runner")

Atlantis and SG-1

Dr. Daniel Jackson

Daniel in Atlantis
The Milky Way Galaxy was under threat from the Ascended Beings known as the Ori, and Daniel led in the search for a weapon that was developed by a formerly Ascended Lantian Ancient who had become known in Arthurian legends as Merlin. When he left Atlantis 10,000 years ago, Merlin was known as Moros, the last High Councilor of Atlantis. Daniel found various clues about the weapon, known as the Sangreal, which led him to search the database in Atlantis. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Daniel's time in Atlantis was brief, but he did discover that Morgan Le Fay, Merlin's greatest rival, was also an Ascended Being who had been sent by The Others to watch Merlin's activities. Both Merlin and Morgan had been with the group who left Atlantis 10,000 years ago and had subsequently ascended. Moros retook his advanced human form, keeping all of his Ancient knowledge and powers, and started developing his weapon. Morgan, known by the Ancients as Ganos Lal, apparently stopped his using the weapon by stealing it from him, thus starting King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, Merlin's most trusted men, on their quest. Merlin himself disappeared at about the same time. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Daniel met Morgan Le Fay in Atlantis, but she said that she had known him when he was ascended. She feared helping Daniel any further in his search because of what had happened to him — his interference and use of his ascended powers was stopped by The Others and he was returned to human form without his memories. The Others use different punishments against those of their own who break the rules of non-interference, and Morgan feared she would not fare much better than Daniel. After Daniel gave a most empassioned plea for more help, Morgan was pulled away by The Others before she could complete her reply. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Daniel's first visit to Atlantis was a bittersweet one. Ever since he had discovered it, he had wanted to spend time there, perhaps the rest of his life, exploring the city and its archives. His personal desires had to be put aside as he continued in the search for Merlin's weapon. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Lt. Col/Col. Samantha Carter

Carter in the Pegasus Galaxy
Carter, along with her teammates, went to the Pegasus Galaxy on the Odyssey when the Milky Way was being threatened by the Ori. She briefed Dr. Weir and her leads concerning the mission that SG-1 had undertaken to create a wormhole in the Ori's intergalactic Super Stargate ("Supergate") that was being used by the Ori to invade the galaxy in their massive and powerful warships. Using a Stargate from the Milky Way powered by a black hole in Pegasus, Carter and McKay successfully established a wormhole of indefinite duration, and at the same time, they destroyed both a Wraith hive ship with their blasts and an Ori warship with the unstable vortex of the Supergate. Teal'c was the only member of the team to not go to the Pegasus Galaxy because he was in charge of reporting the success or failure of the team's efforts at the Supergate. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

After receiving a promotion to Colonel, Carter was reassigned to the Pegasus Galaxy as the commander of the Atlantis Base, replacing Dr. Elizabeth Weir who had been captured by the Asurans, the Pegasus Replicators. Carter was selected for her vast knowledge of Ancient and Replicator technology, as well as her command experience. She left SG-1 with a heavy heart, feeling that she had unfinished business, but stepped into the position with the benefit of over ten years of Stargate Program experience. (Stargate Atlantis: 4.03 "Reunion")

Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell

Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell
The newest leader of SG-1, Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, went to Atlantis with Carter and Daniel in order to block the Ori's Supergate with an incoming wormhole originating from the Pegasus Galaxy. He wasn't quite as impressed with the city as Daniel was, calling it "Daniel Disneyland", but was more focused on the mission at hand to "save the galaxy". He acted as a buffer between Carter and McKay while the two worked together on the calculations to detonate the bombs necessary to get the wormhole to jump to the Supergate. He also coordinated the mission with Teal'c, who was observing the Supergate in the Milky Way. Afterwards, Mitchell returned home with his teammates to once again fight against the Ori. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Vala Mal Doran

Vala Mal Doran
Although not an official member of SG-1 at the time, Vala Mal Doran accompanied Daniel Jackson to Atlantis because he was responsible for her during her probationary period with Stargate Command. Vala was present when Daniel uncovered Morgan Le Fay's attempt at deception as a holographic avatar in order to give Daniel important information in his search for Merlin's anti-ascended weapon known as the Sangreal. Not patient with Daniel's methodical research techniques, Vala prodded him to ask the avatar his question directly, even though Dr. Weir had already done so with no results. After Daniel decided to do as Vala suggested, he was surprised when the avatar actually gave him the information he sought. It was because of this revelation that Daniel identified the avatar as an actual Ascended Being, namely Morgan Le Fay. If Vala hadn't irritated Daniel so, it might have taken much longer for him to get the information he wanted. (10.02 "Morpheus", 10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

After Morgan was pulled out of the conversation by The Others, Vala tried to comfort Daniel, who wasn't at all happy about what The Others were telling him through their action. Although Daniel had gotten the Stargate addresses of two of the planets involved in Arthur's quest to find the Sangreal, he realized that The Others were sending the message that they were not going to directly involve themselves in the war against the Ori and that they would prevent any of their kind from helping, even though the Ori threatened their very own existence. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Maj. Gen. Jack O'Neill

Jack and Richard Woolsey negotiate with the Tria Ancients
When the Lantian Ancients from the starship Tria were encountered in the void between the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies during the testing of the Intergalactic Gate Bridge, the Atlantis Expedition was excited to finally meet living, breathing Ancients who could possible share in their knowledge. But instead of opening their arms in welcome and thanks, these Ancients retook the city and sent the Expedition away. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.10 "The Return Part 1")

Gen. Jack O'Neill and Richard Woolsey of the IOA were sent to Atlantis to maintain Earth's presence in the city. While there, the Pegasus Replicators, the Asurans, attacked and killed all of the Ancients. Jack and Woolsey managed to evade capture for most of the time, but they were eventually discovered. The Replicators probed their minds for information, just like they had done with the Ancients before they killed them. Sheppard's team returned to the city in an unauthorized rescue mission and eliminated the Asurans with the use of the program crystals of Carter's "Anti-Replicator Guns" and the city's shield emitters. The Atlantis Expedition returned to the city, but Jack and Woolsey went back to Earth soon thereafter. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.10 "The Return Part 1", 3.11 "The Return Part 2")

Allies

  • Athosians — As far as allies go, the Expedition befriended Teyla's people, the Athosians, early on. The Athosians once lived in a technologically advanced city, but eventually left to become a more simple, agrarian society. They had to leave their world when it was destroyed by the Wraith during the Expedition's first off-world mission through the Atlantis Stargate. Eventually, the surviving Athosians were relocated on another planet, called New Athos, but mysteriously disappeared during the fourth year of the Expedition's time in Atlantis. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.01 "Rising Part 1", 1.02 "Rising Part 2", 3.10 "The Return Part 1", 4.07 "Missing")
  • Satedans — The Satedans also were almost totally wiped out by the Wraith seven years before Sheppard's team met the "Runner" Ronon Dex. Only about 300 survived, scattering to various planets in the galaxy. Ronon stayed with the Expedition after they removed the tracking device the Wraith had implanted in his back so that they could hunt him for sport. Ronon encountered three of his Satedan friends after becoming part of Sheppard's team, replacing Lt. Aiden Ford who had been lost in the fight against the Wraith, and felt the need to rejoin his people, but much to his disgust, discovered that they had become Wraith worshippers. (Stargate Atlantis: 2.03 "Runner", 4.03 "Reunion")
  • Genii — Another ally of note are the Genii who are under the leadership of Ladon Radim. Teyla led the Expedition to the Genii because her people had a trading arrangement with them. Secretly, though, these apparent farmers were actually soldiers who lived underground. They had advanced far enough in the sciences to create nuclear bombs, which they planned to use against the Wraith. Most of the Genii were wiped out by the Wraith, but the ones who survived organized under Redim or became mercenaries. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.08 "Underground", 2.17 "Coup D'Etat", 4.14 "Harmony")
  • Travelers — A newly-formed relationship with the humans known as the Travelers was made during the Expedition's fourth year. These people live on starships, so they are hard to locate. They are the most advanced of the human cultures in the galaxy, and they joined with the Expedition's Daedalus and Apollo and a fleet of Wraith hives to destroy the Asurans. The Travelers have one Ancient Aurora-class battleship that was brought to life by Sheppard's using his Ancient gene. This ship had been in an orbit for 10,000 years, but still was operational after the Travelers repaired the radiation leak that caused the Ancients to abandon it. Even though they formed an alliance with the Expedition to fight against the Asurans, the Travelers went their own way after the battle was over. (Stargate Atlantis: 4.05 "Travelers", 4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2")
  • Wraith — Once in a while, the Expedition makes alliances with specific hives of the Wraith in order to overcome a common enemy. These alliances are short-lived and dangerous, especially if the Wraith have ulterior motives. One such alliance almost saw the end to Earth when the hive obtained its location and the technical information on how to get there. Another Wraith alliance was formed against the Asurans, but lasted only until the Asurans were gone. (Stargate Atlantis: 2.20 "Allies Part 1", 3.01 "No Man's Land Part 2", 4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2")
  • Other — Through Teyla's trading connections, the Expedition has befriended several human worlds, all under the threat of the Wraith. They even encountered a society that lived in a city almost identical to Atlantis that had been nearly completely buried except for the central tower. The history of that city-ship was never explored, however, so it isn't known what its name was or whether it had originated from Earth or the Milky Way like Atlantis had. The Expedition couldn't salvage the ZPM from this city, but they did obtain more puddle jumpers and drones. Another society had an Ancient Aurora-class battleship, named the Orion by Sheppard, which the Expedition used until it was destroyed by the Wraith. (Stargate Atlantis: 2.15 "The Tower", 2.19 "Inferno", 3.01 "No Man's Land Part 2")

Enemies

  • Wraith — Besides the entire Wraith race as a whole, the Expedition has found personal enemies within their ranks, namely, a Wraith the Expedition named Michael Kenmore. Michael was captured by the Expedition and treated with a retrovirus created by Dr. Carson Beckett that would turn off the Wraith DNA, basically turning the Wraith into a human. The retrovirus had to be injected on a daily basis, and when Michael discovered his true identity, he fled, allowing some of his Wraith DNA to be activated once again. The process, however, did not revert him back into a Wraith completely, so he became something not quite human and not quite Wraith. The Expedition tried to convert him a second time, but he escaped and started his one-man crusade to oppose the Wraith and humanity because he had been rejected by both. Michael genetically engineered an army of super-Wraith, which appear to be bipedal clawed bugs that stand about seven feet tall. He created this army by doing experiments on whole human populations, wiping out many who had once been friendly with the Expedition. (Stargate Atlantis: 2.18 "Michael", 3.02 "Misbegotten Part 3", 3.19 "Vengeance")
  • Asurans — The Pegasus Replicators, the Asurans, were created by the Ancients 10,000 years ago to destroy the Wraith. The Ancients declared them a failed experiment and tried to wipe them out, but some of the nanites survived and went on to create a prosperous society. After the defeat of the Ancients, the Asurans had built up enough to attack the Wraith, as was their original programming, but the Wraith managed to alter their code so that the Asurans didn't follow their primary function. The Replicators then developed in isolation, thinking that the Ancients and Atlantis had been destroyed by the Wraith. When the Expedition found them, they decided to destroy Atlantis because they hated the Ancients and the humans who lived there for taking their place as the Ancients' favorite "children". The Asurans tried to take over Expedition leader Elizabeth Weir by injecting a nanovirus into her, but the nanites were deactivated in time to save her. They tried a few times to destroy Atlantis and their last attack left Weir gravely injured. In an attempt to save her life, Dr. Jennifer Keller and McKay reactivated the nanites within her to heal her, but they didn't have time to create the proper programming and the nanites replaced damaged tissue instead, making Weir part Replicator. The Expedition used this to their advantage when they needed a new ZPM to save the city, and Weir successfully tapped into the Replicator network to locate one. Unfortunately, she was detected and captured by the Asurans, but Sheppard's team made it back to Atlantis with the ZPM. Soon thereafter, the Expedition formed an attack fleet composed of the Daedalus, the Apollo, some ships of the Travelers, and some hives of the Wraith. Together, they destroyed the Asuran homeworld. Unbeknownst to them, however, a rogue group of Replicators survived, headed by none other than a Weir Replicant. Their purpose is not yet known, but there had been other rogue groups of the Asurans who wished to live peacefully and to achieve ascension like their creators, the Ancients. (Stargate Atlantis: 3.05 "Progeny", 3.06 "The Real World", 3.20 "First Strike Part 1", 4.01 "Adrift Part 2", 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3", 4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2")
  • Genii — The Genii were enemies of the Expedition when they were under the leadership of Cowen. Cowen sent one of his finest soldiers, Acastus Kolya, with an invasion force to take over Atlantis, but the mission failed. One of Kolya's soldiers, Ladon Radim, orchestrated a take-over that assassinated Cowen and several of his soldiers, and Kolya felt betrayed because he had intended to overthrow Cowen himself. Kolya even used a captured Sheppard to exchange for Radim, but Weir didn't give into his demands, saying that she didn't negotiate with terrorists. Kolya tried to get Weir to give in by having a captured Wraith feed on Sheppard. Eventually Sheppard and the Wraith joined in their escape, and the Wraith returned Sheppard's life to him. Afterwards, the Wraith, whom Sheppard nicknamed "Todd", would play an important role in the defeat of the Asurans. When Sheppard encountered Kolya again, he shot and killed him. Now, there are at least two groups of Genii: those who follow Radim, who are allies to the Expedition, and the mercenaries, some of whom were organized under Kolya. These mercenaries do the bidding of whoever hires them, even if it means killing members of the Expedition. (Stargate Atlantis: 1.08 "Underground", 1.10 "The Storm Part 1", 1.11 "The Eye Part 2", 2.17 "Coup D'Etat", 3.07 "Common Ground", 3.13 "Irresponsible", 4.11 "Be All My Sins Remember'd Part 2", 4.14 "Harmony")

Technology of the Pegasus Ancients

Atlantis is a technological marvel. Its size is comparable to that of Manhattan, making its full exploration difficult and time-consuming. Even so, the Expedition has discovered various labs and technology left behind by the Ancients, one of the most prized of these discoveries being the Ancient Database. Researchers have only begun to retrieve useful and understandable information from it. Whenever information is discovered, it is packaged for use by the SGC. Information as to the physiology of Ancient humans was one such package sent, as well as the layout of the city-ship itself, and the manifest of those who left the city 10,000 years ago. (9.01 "Avalon Part 1", 9.09 "Prototype"; Stargate Atlantis)

Up to the time that Daniel made his first trip to Atlantis, just over half of the city had been explored. The Expedition has city schematics, so they have a fairly good idea of what's where, but there still remains entire sections of the city and whole systems that they don't even pretend to understand. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Although not all-inclusive, the following are some of the technology of Ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy:

The City-Ship Atlantis
Hologram tells story of the Atlantian Ancients
Atlantis Stargate has 36 symbols instead of 39
Atlantis Dialing Computer
Staircase from Stargate to Control Center illuminated with Ancient writings
Puddle Jumpers are designed to travel through the Stargate
Some Stargates are on planets
DHD
Some Stargates are in planetary orbit
ZPM found in Egypt provides protection
Drone activating defense chair
Ancient Database

Atlantis Articles

Atlantis in Antarctica Ayiana of the Ancients left behind Moros, last High Councilor of Atlantis
Tablet Found on Abydos Daniel Jackson discovers Atlantis Elizabeth Weir leads Atlantis Expedition
Atlantis Stargate Atlantis hologram tells history Atlantis

This series of articles covers the history of Atlantis, the Lost City of the Ancients, and of its creators, the Ancients. After its discovery, Earth sent an Expedition to explore the city-ship, hoping that they'd meet with the Ancients themselves and find advanced technology that would help in the defense of Earth.

Episodes

Stargate SG-1

Stargate Atlantis

Related Characters

Related Articles

--DeeKayP 19:08, 7 February 2008 (PST)

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