The final season of Stargate Atlantis has just arrived on DVD!
The last few years of Stargate Atlantis have been quite a roller coaster ride. Not only did we see Dr Weir (Tori Higgenson) replaced by Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) as the head of Atlantis, but we also saw Atlantis relocate to a new planet! Under Col. Carter's watch, the city of Atlantis has thrived and has managed to defeat a large number of enemies. Now, the IOA has decided to replace Carter with someone that they have complete control over: Agent Woolsey (Robert Picardo). The Atlantis team must now adapt to Mr. Woolsey's strick way of operating, while still managing to save humanity from the Wraith and many new threats!
Highlights:
Search and Rescue: After the explosion during the 4th season finale, Col. Carter must find John and the rest of his team before they are crushed under debris. Will they be able to save Teyla and her newly born son before Michael can use them to create a new breed of Wraith warriors? Following the rescue, Carter is recalled to the SGC only to find that she has been replaced as the head of the Atlantis Expedition…by Agent Woolsey!
The Seed- The clone of Carson Beckett is back! Can his expertise save the life of one of his close friends?
The Daedalus Variations- When the Daedalus appears above the planet, John and his team go to investigate…only to find that this is not the ship that they know! Suddenly the entire ship starts jumping between dimensions and start to encounter strange alien races.
Ghost in the Machine- Dr. Weir returns…but not as we know her. Using Ancient technology Weir is able to take the form of FRAN in order to communicate with Atlantis and end the Replicator threat once and for all.
The Shrine- Rodney is exposed to a disease from the Pegasus Galaxy that causes him to slowly loose his intelligence. Now, with the help of his sister, McKay must travel to a shrine which will supposedly grant him one last day with his loved ones before he looses his mind all together.
The Queen- Teyla goes undercover as a Wraith Queen in order to help Todd create a new Wraith Alliance.
First Contact/The Lost Tribe- In the midseason two part episode Daniel Jackson returns to Atlantis to seek out the lab of the Ancient known as Janus. When he accidently activates a device, a mysterious new race attacks and captures Jackson and McKay. We soon learn that this isn't actually a new race, but someone we know quite well…as the Asgard have returned!
Brain Storm- Dr. McKay and Dr. Keller attend a special presentation by McKay's rival Malcolm Tunney (played by Dave Foley). When things start to go wrong, the two must step in to save the attendees from certain doom. Bill Nye the Science Guy appears in this episode as himself.
Vegas- You know the guys who make this show just love what they do. The original concept for this episode was "CSI: Atlantis". This story takes place on an Alternate Earth where John Sheppard and Robert Woolsey joined the FBI and relocated to Las Vegas. When bodies suddenly start appearing with strange markings, Sheppard must find the murder before he can kill again. But how is it that a Wraith is on Earth? We soon learn that this is the world where the Alternate Rodney "Rod" McKay came from. With McKay's help, Sheppard is able to track down the Wraith for one final shoot out. Unfortunately for us, the Wraith has set off a beacon to summon more Wraith to Earth…and that signal has crossed over into our own dimension!
Enemy at the Gate- Todd travels to Atlantis to warn that the Wraith now know where Earth is located…and that they now posses several ZPMs and have integrated them into their own system. This new Super Hive ship will reach Earth soon! The team scrambles to get Atlantis ready to fight and travel to Earth in a last ditch effort to save humanity. Don't miss out on this great battle between the city of Atlantis and the Wraith! The final moments of this episode will shock you!
Special Features:
-Audio Commentary by Directors, Producers, and Stars!
-Exclusive Mission Directive Featurettes
-Deleted Scenes
-Photo and Design Galleries
Overall:
Stargate Atlantis truely became its own series after SG-1 ended. With all focus shifted to this series, it was able to grow and become a great story with equally entertaining characters. The development of the relationship between McKay and Keller was a great addition to the season. The return of Carson Beckett was something fans had been demanding for quite a while and this season made sure to use him to his full potential. The addition of Robert Picardo to the cast was a surprise move after Amanda Tapping decided to pursue her own SciFi series, Sanctuary, but he proved to be a strong addition to the cast. The use of Todd as a Wraith foil was probably the best reoccuring character usage of the season. The biggest surprise was when we learned that the Asgard were still around…but not as we had seen them before.
Luckily for fans, this is not the end of story of SGA, as the series will make the jump to Direct to DVD movies like its predecessor did. The new movie, tentatively titled Stargate: Extinction, will pick up shortly after the events of the final episode. Until then, we can go back and rewatch this series from the beginning with anticipation for what is to come.
ComicsOnline gives Stargate Atlantis: Season 5 – 5 out of 5 continuing adventures!
