Stargate: Atlantis - The complete series
Stargate: Atlantis is not very profound. It's an adventure/science-fiction show that was made purely to entertain. And it has entertained me. The special effects, set pieces, costumes and make up are not bad for the time it was made in. The actors seem quite capable as well, they managed to convince me even though they are using made-up scientific and military jargon. They do seem to understand it, or at least it appears as if they do. Stargate: Atlantis is the first spin-off series of Stargate: SG-1. Contrary to that show they aren't present in the Milky Way, but are instead located in the Pegasus galaxy. That's where the ancient city of Atlantis is located.
The first season has quite a bit of pace going. There's no rush to tell the story, but it all happens incredibly fast. Alongside the new team, we get to explore the Pegasus galaxy. I must admit, all planets look alike, but it's still a fun experience. The humour, the action and the drama are all well-balanced and all get an appropriate amount of screen time. Just when you're in the middle of it, it's almost as if someone in the distance is shouting 'beam me up, Scotty' and then you're thrown into an episode of Star Trek. It's good to see that the creators have used a similar style to Star Trek as it means that the sci-fi will be good and most importantly, credible.
In the second season they manage to keep up the pace, but it is a bit repetitive. The most interesting character is a new one, found on the planet Sateda and named Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa, Game of Thrones). He and Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Lutrell, Street Legal), who is from the planet of Athos, are the only two alien members of the team. Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett, Traders) is the scientist of the group. He has to use a lot of scientific jargon and does so in a very credible way. His aggrieved facial expression is almost legendary. Alongside Lt. Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan, Sisters) and Dr. Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion, Sanctuary) they all form the expedition team, who are tasked with exploration and finding suitable trading partners in the Pegasus galaxy.
It's pretty clear, all the characters appear as if they could've come straight out of a Star Trek show, but this is not a problem. The team does good work and they complement each other well. And why change a concept if it has already worked before. Stargate: Atlantis is a roller coaster that you can just keep on watching. The pace, the actors and the storyline provide such an experience that we remain interested. At some points the storylines turn a bit ridiculous as we get to see two Rambos, an episode out of Boston Legal, an episode out of CSI: Las Vegas and various time-travelling episodes. After three seasons, Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson, The City) is replaced by Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping, Sanctuary) and the transition feels natural. A bigger transition which is harder to accept is when Carter is replaced by Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo, Star Trek Voyager) in the fifth and final season.
Some supporting characters are quite interesting as well and they perfectly complement the main story. I personally consider Stargate: Atlantis to be a welcome addition to the meagre collection of interesting science-fiction shows. The stories are less serious, which makes the show fun, quite varied at times and most certainly entertaining. It's definitely not as good as Stargate: SG-1, but it gets quite close. I would've preferred it if they had stopped after four seasons, because the fifth has too much of the same. The end of the show is a bit over the top, but it provides us with a suitable conclusion. All's well that ends well. If we want to, we can always watch SGU Stargate Universe or the animation show Stargate Infinity. And who knows, maybe there will be another Stargate show in the future.
7 points for a solid spin-off and highly recommended to science-fiction lovers.
The first season has quite a bit of pace going. There's no rush to tell the story, but it all happens incredibly fast. Alongside the new team, we get to explore the Pegasus galaxy. I must admit, all planets look alike, but it's still a fun experience. The humour, the action and the drama are all well-balanced and all get an appropriate amount of screen time. Just when you're in the middle of it, it's almost as if someone in the distance is shouting 'beam me up, Scotty' and then you're thrown into an episode of Star Trek. It's good to see that the creators have used a similar style to Star Trek as it means that the sci-fi will be good and most importantly, credible.
© Syfy
In the second season they manage to keep up the pace, but it is a bit repetitive. The most interesting character is a new one, found on the planet Sateda and named Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa, Game of Thrones). He and Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Lutrell, Street Legal), who is from the planet of Athos, are the only two alien members of the team. Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett, Traders) is the scientist of the group. He has to use a lot of scientific jargon and does so in a very credible way. His aggrieved facial expression is almost legendary. Alongside Lt. Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan, Sisters) and Dr. Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion, Sanctuary) they all form the expedition team, who are tasked with exploration and finding suitable trading partners in the Pegasus galaxy.
It's pretty clear, all the characters appear as if they could've come straight out of a Star Trek show, but this is not a problem. The team does good work and they complement each other well. And why change a concept if it has already worked before. Stargate: Atlantis is a roller coaster that you can just keep on watching. The pace, the actors and the storyline provide such an experience that we remain interested. At some points the storylines turn a bit ridiculous as we get to see two Rambos, an episode out of Boston Legal, an episode out of CSI: Las Vegas and various time-travelling episodes. After three seasons, Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson, The City) is replaced by Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping, Sanctuary) and the transition feels natural. A bigger transition which is harder to accept is when Carter is replaced by Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo, Star Trek Voyager) in the fifth and final season.
Some supporting characters are quite interesting as well and they perfectly complement the main story. I personally consider Stargate: Atlantis to be a welcome addition to the meagre collection of interesting science-fiction shows. The stories are less serious, which makes the show fun, quite varied at times and most certainly entertaining. It's definitely not as good as Stargate: SG-1, but it gets quite close. I would've preferred it if they had stopped after four seasons, because the fifth has too much of the same. The end of the show is a bit over the top, but it provides us with a suitable conclusion. All's well that ends well. If we want to, we can always watch SGU Stargate Universe or the animation show Stargate Infinity. And who knows, maybe there will be another Stargate show in the future.
7 points for a solid spin-off and highly recommended to science-fiction lovers.
© Syfy
