Introduction

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

The show was a spin off of sister show, Stargate SG-1.

Stargate Atlantis re-introduced supporting characters from the SG-1 universe, such as Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay among others. The show also included new characters such as Teyla Emmagan and John Sheppard.

The first season is about a military-science expedition team discovering Atlantis 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.

The two-hour premiere “Rising”, which aired on 16 July 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 and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers.

Season one regular cast members included Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rainbow Sun Francks, Rachel Luttrell, and David Hewlett.

Outline (Season 01)

The series picks up the story arc from Stargate SG-1’s “Lost City”, where people from all around the world come together to form an expedition and discover the wonders of Atlantis. Discovering that they have been cut off from Earth, they must fend for themselves, and discover a powerful new enemy bent on human subjugation.

Outline (Episode)

Eager to experiment with new technology, Dr. McKay volunteers to be Dr. Beckett’s first patient for his new ATA gene therapy.

Now able to use a personal shield emitter, McKay recklessly tests its properties, only to find that it could lead to his death.

Elsewhere, a “living shadow” entity threatens the city after it was accidentally released from a container where the Ancients were studying it.

It roams the city looking for energy to feed on, and the more it feeds, the more lethal it becomes.

Finally members of the Atlantis expedition manage to send it to planet M4X-337.

Stargate Franchise

You can find a full index of the Stargate Franchise here, whilst clicking on the following links for films, documentaries, and TV series (all and Stargate Atlantis only).

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): David Warry-Smith.
• Writer(s): Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper.
• Release Date: 23 July 2004.
• Running Time: 43-45 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.