One of the big arcs of the "Stargate SG-1" series was finding the Lost City of the Ancients, also known as Atlantis.
It also turned into fertile fodder for a spinoff series (come on, you KNEW they had to make one eventually). And though it had a slightly shaky start -- much like its parent series -- the first four seasons of "Stargate: Atlantis" blossom out into a solid sci-fi series with a legendary series, new alien parasites, and new nasty machines from long ago.
At the Antarctic base, Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) has finally figured out the location of Atlantis -- in the Pegasus galaxy. General Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) gives the go-ahead for an exploratory unit to go to Atlantis -- even though they don't have the power to return back to the Milky Way, and will be stranded there.
So Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) leads an international group of scientists and military to another galaxy, and arrive in the sunken Ancient city of Atlantis. After some initial problems, the ancient city is secured and has risen above the water -- but unfortunately the military unit, including Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), have run afoul of the parasitic, life-sucking alien Wraith, who destroyed the Pegasus Ancients long ago.
And the Pegasus galaxy has plenty of its own dangers -- nanoviruses, spies, life-sucking bugs, cannibal Wraith, enzyme addicts, whales, an egomaniac baker, weird Ancient devices, Wraiths transformed into humans, fear machines, a race of hybrid bug monsters, crystalline nightmare aliens, and a race of ruthless soldiers pretending to be Amish-like farmers.
The Atlantis base regains contact with Earth, but this may not be enough to save them from the Wraith's attempts to gain control of Atlantis -- and the only Stargate with Earth's coordinates. To make matters worse, they encounter a planet of what seems to be Ancients, only to find that they are in fact a mechanical experiment gone horribly wrong. And they really, really hate humans -- and an attack of theirs leads to Weir being horribly injured.
At the same time, Atlantis receives a new commander -- Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), formerly of SG-1. And it's not much easier than SG-1 was -- there are predictions of the future, a shocking pregnancy, an amnesia disease, and the sudden vanishing of Teyla's people from their world. And things take an even stranger turn when Sheppard finds that Atlantis has been abandoned...
"Stargate: Atlantis" has an easier introduction than most series, even spinoffs. The whole idea was introduced over a few seasons of "Stargate SG-1," some of the characters (Weir, Woolsey and McKay) were also recurring characters, and Tapping was a regular. And while the first season is a bit bland ("The romancing of the alien priestess? It's very 1967 of you") the storyline hits its stride in the second season.
And it has plenty of sci-fi staples -- ugly nasty aliens, tightly wound scientists, little tubular ships, explosions, moral quandaries and a bit of classic-style horror (just look at Michael's "experiments"). But it doesn't lose its laid-back style (Rodney massaging his feet during a conference), or its human side, such as the handling of certain characters who are lost
And the dialogue is pretty great, with lots of one-liners and snappy exchanges, with the occasional pop culture reference ("It's the ultimate answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything"). Most are from Rodney ("Just once, I would like to be taken prisoner by the sexy alien"), and Sheppard ("But then I'd be The Man, and who would I have to rage against?"). But there's humor from everyone ("He put his hand in my forehead! How can you resist that?" "Well, I like to close my eyes and think of England").
One thing Atlantis does have is a high cast turnover, compared to the relatively unchanging cast of the previous series -- Higginson does a pretty good job as the scientist-command but is given too little to do,. In the fourth season she was replaced by Tapping, who brings a bit of seasoned science-military fusion to the mix, as well as some gutsy humor (such as when she stares down Ronan).
Flanigan has a nice O'Neillian snap to his performance ("I HATE clowns!"), David Hewlett is hilarious as the antisocial, ever-exasperated scientist, and Paul McGillion is adorable as a Scottish doctor. And while Rachel Luttrell and Jason Momoa are never quite as endearingly alien as SG-1's Teal'c (who makes a guest appearance in the fourth season), they are quite solid as a psychic martial-artist and a rough-edged warrior.
"Stargate Atlantis" loses a few too many cast members, but the storylines and aliens add a fresh dimension to the Stargate universe. Definitely worth checking out -- including, one hopes, the upcoming fifth season.
