The first season of the television series ''

Stargate Atlantis ''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper ...

'' commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 16, 2004, concluded on

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...

in Canada on January 31, 2005, and contained 20 episodes. The show was a spin off of

sister show Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one an ...

, ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrigh ...

''. ''Stargate Atlantis'' re-introduced

supporting character A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...

s from the ''SG-1'' universe, such as

Elizabeth Weir Elizabeth Jane Weir (born February 20, 1948) is a Canadian lawyer and politician in New Brunswick. She was elected leader of the New Democratic Party of New Brunswick in June 1988 and became an opposition voice to the Liberal government, whic ...

and

Rodney McKay Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'', two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two gal ...

among others. The show also included new characters such as

Teyla Emmagan Teyla Emmagan is a primary fictional character played by Rachel Luttrell in the science fiction series ''Stargate Atlantis''. In the show, she is the daughter of Tagan, and was a leader of a village on the planet Athos. She had seen much of her ...

and John Sheppard. The first season is about a military-science expedition team discovering

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

and exploring the Pegasus Galaxy. However, there is no way to return home, and they inadvertently wake a hostile alien race known as the Wraith, whose primary goal is to gather a fleet to invade Atlantis and find their new "feeding ground",

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

. The two-hour premiere " Rising", which aired on July 16, 2004, received Sci Fi Channel's highest-ever rating for a series premiere and episode ever released, it is also the most watched broadcast release ever released by the Sci Fi Channel in the United States. The average viewing rate for the first ten episodes were around 3-4 million in the United States. The series was developed by

Brad Wright Brad Wright (born May 2, 1961) is a Canadian television producer and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of the television series ''Stargate SG-1'' (with Jonathan Glassner), ''Stargate Atlantis'' (with Robert C. Cooper) and ''Stargat ...

and

Robert C. Cooper Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the ''Stargate'' franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of ''Stargate SG-1'', ''Stargate Atlantis'' and ''Stargate Universe''. He also co-created both ''Star ...

, who also served as executive producers. Season one regular cast members included

Joe Flanigan Joe Flanigan (born January 5, 1967) is an American writer and actor best known for his portrayal of the character John Sheppard (Stargate), Major/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard in ''Stargate Atlantis''. Early life Flanigan was born Joseph Dunnigan II ...

Torri Higginson Sarah Victoria "Torri" Higginson (born December 6, 1969) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles in the '' TekWar'' movies and series, and for portraying Dr. Elizabeth Weir in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' (2004–2 ...

Rachel Luttrell Rachel Zawadi Luttrell (born 19 January 1971) is a Tanzanian-Canadian actress best known for her role as Teyla Emmagan, an Athosian warrior leader on '' Stargate Atlantis''. Early life Luttrell was born 19 January 1971, in Dar Es Salaam, Ta ...

Rainbow Sun Francks Rainbow Sun Francks (born 3 December 1979) is a Canadian actor known for his role as Lt. Aiden Ford in the television show ''Stargate Atlantis'', and his recurring roles on ''The Listener'', ''The Umbrella Academy'' and ''High Fidelity''. Ea ...

, and

David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is a British-born Canadian actor, writer, and director known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the '' Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Cana ...

Cast

* Starring

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

John Sheppard *

Dr. Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

* With

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

Aiden Ford First Lieutenant Aiden Ford, USMC is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series ''Stargate Atlantis'', a military science fiction show about a combined civilian and military team exploring another galaxy ...

* And

Episodes

Episodes in bold are continuous episodes, where the story spans over 2 or more episodes.

Production

For " Rising", the Pemberton Glacier in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

doubled for Antarctica during the opening flying sequence. Simon, Elizabeth's fiancé in "Rising" and "Home", was played by

Garwin Sanford Garwin Sanford (born 14 March 1955) is a Canadian film and television actor known for his roles on ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis''. Career Sanford's most notable roles are Narim in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Simon Wallace in ''Stargate ...

, who had previously played Narim on ''

''.

Mario Azzopardi Mario Philip Azzopardi (born 19 November 1950) is a Canadian-Maltese television and film director and writer. Early life and emigration Azzopardi was born in Siggiewi, Malta, and was educated at St Aloysius' College ( Birkirkara, Malta), and the ...

makes his return to the ''Stargate'' franchise in "Thirty-Eight Minutes". He had the distinctive honor of directing the pilot episode of ''Stargate SG-1'', "

Children of the Gods "Children of the Gods" is the first episode of the military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1''. It was written by producers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright and was directed by Mario Azzopardi. The episode first aired on July 27, ...

." This is his first time directing an episode of the franchise since the Season 1 Episode "Cor-Ai." Mario Azzopardi (as of December 2006) has only directed Season 1 Episodes of both ''SG-1'' and ''Atlantis''. "Thirty-Eight Minutes" is the only episode in both ''SG-1'' and ''Atlantis'' to actually occur in real-time; between the opening of the

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

and the resolution, 38 minutes of screentime do occur. Courtenay J. Stevens, who appears in "

Childhood's End ''Childhood's End'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by the British author Arthur C. Clarke. The story follows the peaceful alien invasionBooker & Thomas 2009, pp. 31–32. of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decade ...

", had originally played the role of Lieutenant Elliot in ''Stargate SG-1'', appearing in the Season 5 episodes "

Proving Ground A proving ground (US) is an installation or reservation in which technology such as weapons, military tactics and automobile prototypes are experimented with or tested. Proving grounds can be operated by government bodies or civilian industries. ...

", "

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

" and "

Last Stand A last stand is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are defending a tactic ...

". Writer Martin Gero compared Ares in "Childhood's End" to a villain in ''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah V ...

''. In the scene of the final confrontation with Major John Sheppard, he began "monologuing," which is a key feature of villains in the film. The dog that appeared in Dr. Weir's illusion in "Home" is actually owned by actress

who plays her. Michael Puttonen, who played Smeadon in "The Storm", first appeared in the second season of ''Stargate SG-1'' as Simian, the blind prisoner in the episode "Prisoners." "The Defiant One" was filmed at the Richmond sand dunes. Richard Ian Cox, who appeared in "The Defiant One", previously appeared in the season 3 ''

'' episode " New Ground" as Nyan. "Letters from Pegasus" is the first

clip show A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...

episode of ''Stargate Atlantis''. The title of this episode was inspired by the 1987

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

TV documentary '' Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam''. This was Samantha Carter's first appearance on ''Stargate Atlantis''. At the end of the episode, she and Sergeant Harriman were briefly shown at

Stargate Command Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series ''Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the S ...

(SGC) when they received the data burst from

. A deleted scene from Part two of "The Siege" showed Sora being returned to the Genii as part of their deal for the nuclear weapons, but this was cut due to time constraints; so it is unclear if the event occurred or if Sora may still be being held.

Release and reception

" Rising" was the strongest episode to date gaining a 3.2 on the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. "The Brotherhood" received ratings of 2.3 when it initially aired on Sci Fi. The worst rated episode in the season was "

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

", which received a 1.7 rating. John Sinnott from ''

DVDTalk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

'' called season one a "very good spinoff," certifying it "highly recommended." Dan Heaton from ''Digitally Obsessed'' was positive to the first season, and said the pilot started "in fashion." Reviewer Dan Phelps from ''DVDFanatic'' gave the series "thumbs up" and gave the series an A−. "Rising" was nominated for a

Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Production Design". "

" was one of only two ''Stargate'' franchise episodes (with "Poisoning the Well") directed by Sci-Fi veteran

David Winning David Winning is a Canadian-American film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thri ...

. It won three international awards for directing; New York, Chicago and Houston. For "Poisoning The Well",

Paul McGillion Paul McGillion is a Scottish actor, who has worked in television, film and theatre. He is best known for his role on the television series ''Stargate Atlantis'' as Dr. Carson Beckett. Early life McGillion was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Sco ...

and

David Nykl David Nykl (born 7 February 1967) is a Czech-Canadian actor of film, television, commercials and theater. He is best known for portraying Dr. Radek Zelenka in the SyFy television series ''Stargate Atlantis'' and Anatoly Knyazev in the DC Com ...

were nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Male", and

Allison Hossack Allison Hossack (born January 26, 1965) is a Canadian actress. Early years Born in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, Hossack grew up in Killarney, Manitoba, and participated in musical theatre productions while a student there. She began her studies ...

was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Supporting Performance by a Female". "The Storm" was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Overall Sound". "The Eye" was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

in the category "Best Visual Effects", was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Picture Editing", and won a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Visual Effects". For "The Defiant One", director

Peter DeLuise Peter John DeLuise (born November 6, 1966) is an American actor, television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Officer Doug Penhall in the Fox TV series ''21 Jump Street'', and for directing and writing ...

was nominated for a

in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Direction" and in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Screenwriting". "Before I Sleep" was nominated for a

in the category "Best Achievement in Make-Up". For "The Brotherhood", writer

Martin Gero Martin Gero (born July 6, 1977 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian screenwriter and co-executive producer for ''Stargate Atlantis'' and the creator of '' Blindspot''. Born in Switzerland, Gero spent much of his childhood in Ottawa, Ontario ...

was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category "Best Writing in a Dramatic Series".

Cultural references

The Defiant One The first season of the television series ''Stargate Atlantis'' commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 16, 2004, concluded on The Movie Network in Canada on January 31, 2005, and contained 20 episodes. The show was a S ...

" is the first time

refers to John Sheppard as "

Captain Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in '' Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk lea ...

" which is a recurring joke in the series. It refers to Sheppard's protective nature to the puddle jumpers and his tendency to pick up alien women. In the continuing list of references in Stargate to '' The Wizard of Oz'', McKay mentions in "

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

" to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain", a reference to the Emerald Wizard of the story. He also compares Sheppard's actions with Chaya to Captain Kirk, continuing the links between Stargate and ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

''.

References

External links

Season 1
on

GateWorld ''Stargate'' fandom is a community of people actively interested in the military science fiction film ''Stargate'' and its television shows including ''Stargate SG-1'' (SG1), ''Stargate Infinity'' (SGI), ''Stargate Atlantis'' (SGA), ''Stargate Uni ...

Season 1
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Season 1
on

TV.com TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...

* *.1 2004 American television seasons 2005 American television seasons Atlantis 01 2004 Canadian television seasons 2005 Canadian television seasons {{good article