More Cool and Whimsical Sci-Fi with ‘Stargate Atlantis’: Season 4

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 22, 2008

Over the past few years, I have grown quite fond of the Stargate series. I didn’t watch SG-1 when it was first broadcast (although I did gain an affinity for it by watching the DVDs), but I picked up on Season 2 of Stargate Atlantis and have enjoyed it ever since.

In this respect, I come to the Stargate universe from a different angle than most. While most fans became such by watching the first series, I stepped into the universe after the Goa’uld had pretty much been defeated, the Ancients revealed and the Asgard having bestowed their technology to us.

In many ways, Stargate Atlantis is more like the later series of the Star Trek universe than the old SG-1 shows. But what makes this series better than Star Trek is that it has plugged a lot of the holes. Sure, aliens from different galaxies are able to speak perfect English, but at least the Stargate series have a decent explanation as to why humans can be found so far and wide in both the Milky Way and the Pegasus galaxies.

What I love about Stargate Atlantis is how imperfect the characters’ actions are. Indeed, they result in  uprooting a lot of evil out there. Even when the Atlantis team is trying to do some good (or fix problems they started), they make things worse. If this isn’t a metaphor for the entirety of human existence, I don’t know what is.

Season 4 of Stargate Atlantis picks up with the ancient city under siege by the Replicators. Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) is injured, and the team is forced to fly the city off into space. The loss of Dr. Beckett (Paul McGillion) in the previous season was a sign of things to come as we see more cast changes. While Weir is still around for part of the season, her command is compromised, and the I.O.A. sends Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping, originally from SG-1) to be the new mission leader.

Other changes in this season is the introduction of a new doctor, played by Jewel Staite from Firefly fame. We also see a much stronger arc with Teyla (Rachel Luttrell), which incorporates her real-life pregnancy into a chilling storyline. We also see the return of some familiar faces that have become favorite antagonists – Todd the semi-good Wraith and Michael the hybrid.

The only real complaint I have in Season 4 is the choice to bring Samantha Carter on as the mission leader. I always liked her in SG-1, but because she’s been there and done that with practically everything in the Stargate universe, there was really no room for her to grow. Her character was stagnant, and she was unfazed by anything that happened. Even the rocky sexual tension with Rodney McKay is lost with her as his superior.

Still, that didn’t stop me from continuing to enjoy the show. While I consider Seasons 2 and 3 to be the best ones out there, Season 4 is up there with strong storylines.

The episodes that the filmmakers seem most jazzed about in the special features (including “Trio” and “Quarantine,” which features different characters trapped with each other) aren’t my favorites. Rather, the ones I enjoyed the most are the ones that furthered the overall storyline of the series. The Michael story arc is a meaty and not terribly comfortable one, and the interrelationship between Dr. Weir and the Replicators were the most interesting to me.

The Season 4 DVD set includes audio commentaries on key episodes, as well as “Mission Directive” mini-docs for them as well. There’s a blooper reel – a first for the Stargate Atlantis series – along with 25 minutes of deleted scenes, a gushing spotlight on Amanda Tapping, a look at Paul McGillion as Dr. Beckett, a look back at the season and multiple photo galleries.

Today, the cable stations – and SciFi Channel in particular – continue to give us some of the best science fiction television in years. Along with Stargate Atlantis, we’ve got a Friday night line-up that also includes Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. Throw in Tuesday nights with Eureka, and you can now see the SciFi Channel becoming everything we hoped it would be when it launched in the early 1990s.

THE UPSIDE: More Stargate awesomeness for the fans.

THE DOWNSIDE: Yeah, I’ll say it again. Colonel Carter was somewhat lukewarm as the new leader. But her replacement in Season 5 is bound to be better.

ON THE SIDE: My wife and I named our third son Nicholas Ronon, after the character played by Jason Momoa. Yup, we’re geeks.

Read more articles by Kevin Carr