Stars: Torri Higginson, Joe Flanigan, Paul McGillion

Summary: A team of scientists and military personnel is dispatched to the distant Pegasus galaxy to explore the remnants of the Lost City of the Ancients also known as Atlantis.

A team of scientists and military personnel is dispatched to the distant Pegasus galaxy to explore the remnants of the Lost City of the Ancients also known as Atlantis. The Ancients were an advanced human race that initially created the Stargate network, and diplomat Dr. Elizabeth Weir and pilot Major John Sheppherd head the international squad that is sent to investigate. The team arrives at Atlantis to find the city abandoned and their ship permanently stranded, unless they can find a power source to get themselves home to earth. They make contact with a brave but primitive native civilisation as well as with the evil Wraith, a species that feeds on fear and, it quickly becomes clear, poses a threat to human life everywhere. Sheppard's brash, instinctive nature contrasts with the calm thoughtfulness of Dr. Weir, and their team is rounded out by Sheppard's second-in-command Lt. Aidan Ford, witty Scottish doctor Carson Beckett, Pegasus native leader Teyla Emmagen, and inimitable scientist Rodney McKay.

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If Stargate Atlantis isn't the coolest sci-fi series on television, this five-disc, 20-episode box set from the second season (2005-06) offers ample evidence that it's right up there. The writing is good; the stories are intriguing, and the science part of the equation is credible enough to justify our suspension of disbelief. The characters are for the most part well-defined, and the acting, while perhaps not Emmy-calibre, is just fine. The action is exciting, the effects work impressive, the costumes and sets first-rate. But what Atlantis really has going for it is the presence of some of the baddest bad guys in the cosmos: the Wraith.

With their flowing white locks, cat-like eyes, pale, almost translucent skin, and shockingly bad teeth, the Wraith rock. They also have a constant need to feed--on humans, of course--and are a serious threat not only to Atlantis but to the entire known universe, including good ol' Earth. And although there are occasional diversions, the producers and writers have wisely kept the focus on these implacable antagonists; in fact, the newest member of the team, one Ronon Dex (played by the dreadlocked and hunky Jason Momoa), is a "runner" who escaped the Wraith's clutches, was a fugitive for years before being found by our heroes, and specialises in dispatching the villains with cold precision. In the course of the season, via single episodes and several multi-parters, the Stargate team, commanded by Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson in the show's least interesting role) and led by insouciant Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), with genius-neurotic Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) handling the scientific intricacies and yet another doc, Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion, affecting a Scottish brogue), overseeing medical matters, deals with the enemy on many fronts. Lt. Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) defects after assuming Wraith-like characteristics. The team experiments with a "retrovirus" designed to turn Wraiths into humans (the results are decidedly mixed). They encounter a human who raised a Wraith female from childhood and insists she's just like us (she's not). They're captured and imprisoned on a Wraith "hive" ship. And in the final episode, the humans and the Wraiths even form an alliance of supposedly mutual convenience (the episode is a cliffhanger that awaits resolution until Season Three, but anyone who thought this "partnership" was a good idea for our side clearly hasn't been paying attention).--Sam Graham

Aspect Ratio:	1.78
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Cast profiles, Episode commentaries, Featurettes
Subtitles:	English
Release Date:	February 26, 2007
Runtime:	830 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	3442301000
Keywords:	Five, Atlantis, English, Box, General, Series, Fiction, Set, Science, Complete, Discs, Stargate
Genre:	Science Fiction