20 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
The first season of Stargate Atlantis launches a human expedition to the Pegasus galaxy, where they discover the legendary lost city of Atlantis. Led by civilian diplomat Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the team includes Major John Sheppard, a military officer with a rare genetic ability to operate Ancient technology, and Teyla Emmagan, an Athosian leader who becomes a vital ally and guide in the new galaxy. Their primary goal is to explore Atlantis, uncover its advanced technology, and find a way to survive in a distant galaxy with no immediate path home. However, their arrival inadvertently awakens the Wraith, a powerful and parasitic alien race that feeds on humans, becoming the expedition's most formidable enemy.
The season quickly establishes the dire threat of the Wraith as the team navigates the challenges of their new home. Atlantis, initially submerged, rises to the ocean surface, but its power reserves are critically low. Early encounters with the Wraith are brutal, leading to the shocking moment when Colonel Sumner is killed by Sheppard to prevent his full transformation into a Wraith. The expedition also encounters other human civilizations, like the Genii, who initially appear as simple farmers but are revealed to be a militaristic society secretly developing weapons to fight the Wraith. A dangerous Hoffan drug, intended to grant immunity to the Wraith, proves tragically deadly to those who take it. As the season progresses, the Wraith's intentions become clear: they plan to invade Atlantis and use its Stargate to reach a new feeding ground—Earth.
In a desperate climax, a massive Wraith fleet approaches Atlantis, forcing the team to prepare for a siege. During the preparations, Dr. Peter Grodin is killed when an Ancient defense satellite overloads. With Earth reinforcements en route but still days away, the Atlantis team devises a risky plan to cloak the city and trick the Wraith into believing it has been destroyed, all while bracing for the inevitable attack.
Season 1 of Stargate Atlantis covers episodes 1-20. Here's everything that happened:
Season 1, Episode 1: Rising, Part 1 - Dr. Weir's team, including Major Sheppard, travels to Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy, a one-way trip. They discover the city is underwater and losing power. Sheppard's ability to use Ancient technology becomes crucial. The team encounters the Athosians and, inadvertently, awakens the Wraith. The episode concludes with the team stranded, facing an uncertain future.
Season 1, Episode 2: Rising, Part 2 - The Atlantis team, along with captured Athosians, are imprisoned by the Wraith. Sheppard, Ford, and Teyla escape to rescue them. Colonel Sumner is killed by Sheppard after being turned into a Wraith. Atlantis rises to the ocean surface as its shield fails. The episode concludes with the Athosians settling in Atlantis.
Season 1, Episode 3: Hide and Seek - While McKay tests Beckett's gene therapy and becomes trapped in a personal shield, an Athosian child accidentally releases a shadow creature. The creature feeds on Atlantis's power, causing malfunctions. The team lures the entity through the Stargate to an uninhabited planet.
Season 1, Episode 4: Thirty-Eight Minutes - While returning from a Wraith planet, Sheppard is attacked by an Iratus bug. The team's Puddle Jumper becomes lodged in the Stargate, leaving them with only 38 minutes before the gate shuts down. Teyla accompanies Sheppard's body into the wormhole. McKay and Zelenka work to manually retract the Jumper's thrust pods. Ford depressurizes the Jumper, pushing it through the gate.
Season 1, Episode 5: Suspicion - After repeated Wraith ambushes, Weir suspects a traitor among the Athosians. Tensions rise as Weir confines and interviews the Athosians, leading to Halling's outrage and a mass exodus. Sheppard uncovers a Wraith transmitter hidden in Teyla's necklace, clearing the Athosians. A Wraith is captured, foreshadowing future conflict.
Season 1, Episode 6: Childhood's End - The Atlantis team crash lands on a planet where the inhabitants commit ritual suicide at 25 to avoid the Wraith. McKay discovers an Ancient electromagnetic shield protects them, powered by a ZPM. He deactivates it, unknowingly alerting the Wraith. The team reactivates the shield, convincing the leader, Keras, to reconsider the sacrificial tradition. The team departs, leaving the villagers to face an uncertain future, free from the mandatory suicide ritual.
Season 1, Episode 7: Poisoning the Well - The Atlantis team encounters the Hoffans, who are developing a drug to become immune to the Wraith. Dr. Beckett assists them, but the Hoffans rush into human trials. Despite a 50% mortality rate, they decide to inoculate their people. The drug proves effective against the Wraith, but also deadly, leading to widespread illness. The episode concludes with the realization that the Hoffan population is facing a grim future due to the drug's side effects.
Season 1, Episode 8: Underground - The Atlantis team, facing food shortages, negotiates with the Genii, seemingly simple farmers. However, they discover the Genii are a militaristic society secretly developing atomic weapons to fight the Wraith. During a mission to gather Wraith data, Tyrus is killed by a Wraith, and Teyla leaves him behind. The alliance dissolves after mutual betrayals, with the team obtaining valuable Wraith intel.
Season 1, Episode 9: Home - The Atlantis team discovers a planet with an energy-rich atmosphere and uses it to dial Earth. They return home, but strange occurrences reveal it's an illusion created by energy beings who are killed when the gate is activated. The team returns to Atlantis, their hopes of rescue dashed when they learn of an accident that destroyed the Prometheus' hyperdrive.
Season 1, Episode 10: The Storm - As a massive hurricane threatens Atlantis, the team plans to evacuate. McKay and Zelenka devise a risky plan to harness the storm's energy to power the city's shields. The Genii, led by Kolya, infiltrate Atlantis, capturing Weir and McKay. Sheppard must stop the Genii and save Atlantis from invasion before the storm hits. The episode concludes with Weir and McKay as hostages.
Season 1, Episode 11: The Eye - With a massive storm approaching Atlantis, Commander Kolya and his Genii soldiers seize the city, taking Weir and McKay hostage. Sheppard wages a one-man war, sabotaging the city to divide the Genii forces. Sheppard activates the gate shield, killing Genii reinforcements. Kolya is shot and falls through the Stargate. The storm subsides, and Atlantis is saved.
Season 1, Episode 12: The Defiant One - Sheppard's team investigates a downed Wraith ship and discovers a hibernating Wraith who kills Dr. Abrams and feeds on Dr. Gall. The Wraith takes control of their Jumper, but Sheppard, with McKay's help, lures it out. Lt. Ford arrives and destroys the Wraith with a drone strike.
Season 1, Episode 13: Hot Zone - After a storm, a survey team discovers a lab where a deadly nanite virus is released, causing hallucinations and death. A city-wide quarantine is initiated. Sheppard and Teyla, in hazmat suits, pursue an infected individual. To eradicate the virus, Sheppard detonates a Naquadah generator above Atlantis. The nanovirus is exterminated, and the city returns to normal.
Season 1, Episode 14: Sanctuary - The Atlantis team encounters a seemingly Wraith-free planet protected by a mysterious energy field. They discover a pre-technological society led by the priestess Chaya, who is secretly an ascended Ancient. Chaya declines to offer sanctuary to outsiders but visits Atlantis, sparking a connection with Sheppard. Ultimately, Chaya returns to her planet to defend it from a Wraith attack, revealing her true nature and power.
Season 1, Episode 15: Before I Sleep - The Atlantis team discovers an elderly woman in stasis, who is revealed to be Dr. Weir from an alternate timeline. She recounts a disastrous arrival where Atlantis flooded, resulting in many deaths. Weir traveled back in time to alter events, but dies in the present. Young Weir then scatters her older self's ashes over the city.
Season 1, Episode 16: The Brotherhood - Sheppard's team seeks a ZPM on Dagan, encountering the Genii and a local Brotherhood. They navigate a puzzle, but Kolya's team suffers a casualty. The Brotherhood, led by Allina, reveals they aren't giving up the ZPM, believing they must protect it until the Ancients return. A Wraith dart scans Atlantis.
Season 1, Episode 17: Letters from Pegasus - Facing an approaching Wraith fleet, the Atlantis team prepares a data burst to Earth, including personal messages. Sheppard and Teyla scout the Wraith, promising aid to Orin's village, but can't guarantee their safety. The team records heartfelt messages. The episode concludes with the successful transmission to Earth, offering a somber farewell as Atlantis braces for the impending Wraith attack.
Season 1, Episode 18: The Gift - Teyla is plagued by nightmares and discovers she has Wraith DNA due to ancient experiments on her ancestors. This gives her a mental connection to the Wraith. While attempting to gather intel, a Wraith takes control of Teyla, revealing their plan to invade Earth. The episode concludes with the realization that the Wraith are heading to Atlantis to reach a new feeding ground: Earth.
Season 1, Episode 19: The Siege, Part 1 - As Wraith hive ships approach Atlantis, McKay's team tries to reactivate an Ancient satellite weapon. Teyla faces suspicion. Grodin is killed when the satellite overloads. Weir initiates the self-destruct. A Wraith infiltrator, Bob, is discovered. The episode concludes with Atlantis preparing for the inevitable Wraith attack.
Season 1, Episode 20: The Siege, Part 2 - As the Wraith close in, Atlantis prepares for evacuation and activates the self-destruct. Earth's reinforcements arrive, led by Colonel Everett, but the situation remains dire. The team turns to the Genii for help, securing nuclear weapons. Ultimately, they plan to cloak the city after beaming a nuke above it, tricking the Wraith into believing Atlantis is destroyed.
