Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated SGA) is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself based on the feature film Stargate (1994). All five seasons of Stargate Atlantis were broadcast by the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States and The Movie Network in Canada. The show premiered on July 16, 2004; its final episode aired on January 9, 2009. The series was filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Stargate Atlantis
- Canada
- United States
English
5
100 (list of episodes)
43 minutes
- Acme Shark Productions
- MGM Worldwide Television Distribution
- Sony Pictures Television
(2005–2006)
(season 2)
July 16, 2004 –
January 9, 2009
The story of Stargate Atlantis follows the events of Stargate SG-1's seventh season finale episode "Lost City" and eighth season premiere episode "New Order", in which the cast of that series discovered an Antarctic outpost created by the alien race known as the Ancients. In the pilot episode "Rising", Dr. Daniel Jackson discovers the location of Atlantis, the legendary city created by the Ancients, and Stargate Command sends an international team to investigate it.
The series was a ratings success for the Sci Fi Channel, and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia. Although it received little critical response, Stargate Atlantis was honored with numerous awards and award nominations in its five-season run. Merchandise for Stargate Atlantis includes games and toys, print media, and an original audio series. With the cancellation of Stargate Universe, the intended direct-to-DVD Stargate Atlantis movie, entitled Stargate: Extinction, was cancelled.[2][3]
Guest starring: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Beau Bridges, Robert Davi, Kari Wuhrer, Danny Trejo, Mark Dacascos, Mitch Pileggi, Colm Meaney, Connor Trinneer and others.
Broadcast and release[edit]
International syndication[edit]
Stargate Atlantis started as a spin off from the fellow American military science fiction series, Stargate SG-1. The pilot episode of Atlantis first aired on July 16 on American television broadcasting networks. The pilot episode, entitled "Rising" reached a Nielsen rating of 3.2, a height never surpassed by any other Atlantis episodes.[26] "Rising" is also the strongest rated episode and most watched episode ever broadcast by Sci Fi Channel, gathering over 4 million viewers in the United States according to Variety.[27] In the United Kingdom, it was viewed by 1.28 million people, placing it first in the most viewed shows in Sky One for the week.[28] "Rising" was nominated for several awards.[29][30][31] The follow-up episode to "Rising", earned a Nielsen Rating of 2.5, a drastic decline from the debut episode.[32] The average viewership of Atlantis first ten episode in the United States were around 3 million according to ABC TV Group analysis, there after the viewership declined until the second half of the last season, at this time the average viewer rating was around 2.1 million.[33]
Each season of Stargate Atlantis featured 20 episodes, and in the United States they are broadcast in two series of 10 episodes. The first 10 episodes air from mid-July to September in the United States, ending in the cliffhanger of a two-parter episode. The second half airs first in Canada, from November to January, ending also with a cliffhanger. In the United States, the second half aired from January to March during seasons 1 and 2, but season 3 aired from April to June 2007. Because of the offset, the show has often been bootlegged by American viewers.
Season four chalked up a viewer average of 1.8 million in the United States, beating the average Sci Fi Channel show.[34] The final episode, "Enemy at the Gate" got a Nielsen Rating of 1.5, which was also the highest rating in season 5.[35] "Enemy at the Gate" was viewed by 2.02 million people in the US, including 973,000 in the 18 to 49 demographic, and 1.12 million age 25 to 54.[36] In the UK, the finale was viewed by 633,000, placing Stargate Atlantis third in the top ten for Sky 1 in that week, behind The Simpsons and season seven premiere of 24.[37]
Cancellation and future[edit]
After the announcement on August 20, 2008, that Season 5 of Atlantis would be its last,[33] it was announced the following day that the series would be continued with at least one 2-hour direct-to-DVD movie. The show's co-creator Brad Wright explained that the decision to cancel Stargate Atlantis when there was still a lot of interest in the show was to ensure the success of the movies.[38] More movies were expected to follow in the Atlantis series if the first movie was to be successful.[39] Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi has said that the rise of the Canadian dollar and the decline of the American dollar has made life harder for Canadian television since it has become more expensive. He further stated "Both MGM and Sci Fi have been great supporters of the show and, if you go by SG-1's example, fans can be assured that the end of the series will not be the end of Atlantis."[33]
Mallozzi called the Atlantis film Project Twilight,[40] until the title of the first Atlantis film was revealed as Stargate: Extinction in late May 2009.[41] Paul Mullie and Joseph Mallozzi completed the scripting of the movie in May 2009.[42][43] Andy Mikita was going to direct the first Atlantis film.[44] The tentative shoot-date of the movie was bound for late 2009. As of May 2009, the confirmed actors were to be Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter, David Hewlett as Rodney McKay, Joe Flanigan as John Sheppard, Paul McGillion as Carson Beckett, Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan, Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex, Robert Picardo as Richard Woolsey[45] and Christopher Heyerdahl as Todd the Wraith.[46]
The script for Stargate: Extinction had been written and was ready to go into production, according to Joseph Mallozzi, "it involved a return mission to Pegasus, the tragic end of one relationship, the beginning of another, and a surprising progression in the alliance between one man and one wraith."[47] The project was on hold due to financial troubles at MGM and in the wider economy, particularly the rise in value of the Canadian dollar.[38] In the meantime, an episode of Stargate Universe featuring Atlantis characters Rodney McKay and Richard Woolsey was filmed.[48]
At the Creation Stargate Convention in Vancouver on April 17, 2011, Stargate writer and executive producer Brad Wright confirmed to the audience that the proposed Stargate Atlantis movie has been indefinitely shelved.[49]
Speaking at a convention in Edmonton on 28 September 2013, Joe Flanigan stated that a few years prior, he had negotiated with the then boss of MGM about leasing the series in order to produce season 6 of Stargate Atlantis, and potentially more. Flanigan took it upon himself to secure the necessary financing from various investors as MGM would be unable to back the series due to them going through financial difficulties. Securing the needed backing to produce a full 20 episode season, Flanigan and his team began planning out the production itself, with a planned move from MGM studios in Vancouver to a studio in Europe in order to save money. Flanigan's team, their investors and MGM came up with "all the numbers" as well as working out television networks for broadcasting, studios and plans for a 10-year lease of the Stargate franchise.[50] However, MGM filed for bankruptcy in November 2010.[51] The company then reemerged later, but Spyglass Entertainment now held the rights for Stargate, meaning Flanigan had to begin negotiations all over again. Flanigan stated that he believed Spyglass were more interested in working with Roland Emmerich on another feature film, outside of the main continuity of the series.[50]
Impact[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Stargate Atlantis garnered mediocre media attention with mixed reviews. Michael Abernethy from PopMatters said "the series has much to offer", and further stated that the program had many unanswered questions, but gave it mostly positive reviews.[64] Jonathan Wright from the British newspaper, The Guardian called the series "fun".[65] The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reviewer Laura Urbani said that the television series "cleverly" mixed "humor with action" with "political intrigue".[66] Virginia Heffernan from The New York Times called the pilot episode "dull" and further commented that it was a "relic of our own unenlightened time," but said that the show could win fans with its "lavish special effects".[67]
David Nusair from Reel Film Reviews reviewing "Rising" said "as a pilot episode, there's no denying that "Rising" gets the job done," commenting to the one episode release of the pilot on DVD format.[68] Critical Myth rated "Adrift" 8 out of 10, praising the direction the writers took with the episode, Sheppard being rather forced to be in command of the city with the incapacitation of Weir, as well as comparing the characters' "chance to prove their mettle through extreme adversity" to "The Siege, Part 2".[69] Marx Pyle of SyFy Portal (since renamed Airlock Alpha) described the episode "The Daedalus Variations" as Atlantis' version of Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Q Who?". It was praised for being a "fun filler" episode, and Pyle enjoyed the scene where the two Sheppards converse, and the space battle, believing only Battlestar Galactica could beat them. Pyle criticised the episode for the absence of Woolsey, and McKay's apparent quick understanding of new technologies including the alternate reality drive, as well as feeling that Sci-Fi gave away too much information from the previews of the episode.[70] When reviewing "Enemy at the Gate", IGN reviewer Tory Ireland Mell has given the episode a "mediocre" score of 5.8 out of 10, where the reviewer felt that everything on the episode was "forced", and felt the final scene was "uninspiring", though the episode was praised for the conversation between Sheppard and Carter.[71]
Season one of Stargate Atlantis garnered mixed reviews. John Sinnott from DVDTalk called season one a "very good spinoff," certifying it "highly recommended."[72] Dan Heaton from Digitally Obsessed was positive to the first season, and said the pilot started "in fashion."[73] Reviewer Dan Phelps from DVDFanatic gave the series "thumbs up" and gave the series an A−.[74] Oladotun Ogunsulire from Science Fiction Buzz said the series should be "treasured."[75] June L. from Monsters and Critics (M&C) gave season two of Stargate Atlantis 4 out of 5, and said that it was a "pleasure to watch the stories", compared to other new science fiction shows which depend on "blood and violence."[76]