Stargate Atlantis Season 2

Stargate Atlantis Season 2
Last DVD set of Season 2
Country of origin	USA Canada
No. of episodes	20
Broadcast
Original channel	Sci Fi Channel
Original run	July 15, 2005 — January 30, 2006
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1	March 6, 2007
Region 2	February 26, 2007
Region 4	November 8, 2006
Season chronology
Season 1 Season 3
List of episodes

The second season of the television series Stargate Atlantis commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 15, 2005, concluded on The Movie Network in Canada on January 30, 2006, and contained 20 episodes. The show itself is a spin off of its sister show, Stargate SG-1. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Season two regular cast members include Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Jason Momoa, Rachel Luttrell, Paul McGillion, and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay.

The second season focuses on the Atlantis Expedition making the Wraith think the city was destroyed, and make semi-regular contact with Earth. The central plot of the second season is the development of Dr. Beckett's retrovirus, which can, theoretically, turn a Wraith into a human.

Production

"Runner" is the last episode where Rainbow Sun Francks (portrayed Aiden Ford) is credited as a regular cast member. Jason Momoa joins the main cast in this episode. While rehearsing scenes for "Duet" where Cadman has control of McKay's body, Jamie Ray Newman would do a scene first, and then David Hewlett would try to mimic her movements, cadence, accent, etc. Alan C. Peterson, who played the Magistrate in "Trinity", previously played Canon in Stargate SG-1s "Demons". The episode title of Episode not found is a reference to the Trinity test. The outdoors parts of "Instinct" were filmed on location at Lynn Valley Canyon, North Vancouver. Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee Frye on the cult Sci-Fi show Firefly, is the second Firefly cast member to guest star on a Stargate series, the first being Adam Baldwin in Stargate SG-1 episode "Heroes". She would later go on to play Dr. Keller as a recurring guest star at the end of Season 3, continuing into Season 4 prior to becoming a series regular in season 5.

"Conversion" was actress Rachel Luttrell's first on-screen kissing scene. Her parents were present for the kiss. Every scene in "Aurora" where Ronon appears in the environmental suit had to be played by a body double because Jason Momoa's head would not fit in the helmet. The title of "The Long Goodbye" is an homage to Raymond Chandler's 1954 novel The Long Goodbye. "Coup d'Etat" was supposed to feature the return of Acastus Kolya (last seen in "The Brotherhood"), but because of conflicts with Robert Davi's schedule it was rewritten to feature Kolya's second in command Ladon instead. For "Allies", Brent Stait took over the role of Michael throughout the episode. Conner provided the voice after the crew felt it 'needed' it.

Release and reception

The strongest episodes on the Nielsen ratings were "The Siege" and "Instinct", "The Siege" was the only episode in the season that was able to get a syndication rating. The lowest rated episode in the season was "Michael". "The Hive" was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category "Best Sound in a Dramatic Series" in 2006. For "Grace Under Pressure", Joel Goldsmith was nominated for an Emmy in the category "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)".

Don Houston from DVD Talk said that the second season did "rise to the occasion" and surpassed its sister show Stargate SG-1. ComingSoon reviewer Scott Chitwood said that is "should satisfy" viewers, but commented that it didn't have the same quality as Battlestar Galactica and gave the series 6 out of 10 and the DVD package 8 out of 10. June L. from Monsters and Critics (M&C) gave the season 4 out of 5 and said that it was a "pleasure to watch the stories", compared to other new science fiction shows which depends on blood and violence. Dan Heaton from Digitally Obsessed said that the season suffered an "identity crisis," but was throughout good and entertaining because of the good acting among others.

Episodes

"The Siege", Part 3 "The Intruder" "Runner" "Duet" "Condemned" "Trinity" "Instinct" "Conversion" "Aurora" "The Lost Boys" "The Hive" "Epiphany" "Critical Mass" "Grace Under Pressure" "The Tower" "The Long Goodbye" "Coup d'Etat" "Michael" "Inferno" "Allies"

Image	Title	Ep. Nb	Written by	Directed by	Original air date
	"The Siege", Part 3 (3 of 3)	2.01	Martin Gero	Martin Wood	15 July 2005
	Daedalus arrives to defend Atlantis from the Wraith onslaught, but it may not be enough when the team discovers that an even larger armada is on the way.
	"The Intruder"	2.02	Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie		22 July 2005
	Daedalus is infected by a Wraith computer virus, while members of the expedition hope to return to Earth.
	"Runner"	2.03	Robert C. Cooper	Martin Wood	29 July 2005
	Sheppard and his team attempt to locate Lieutenant Ford, only to find themselves captives of a former soldier who is being hunted by the Wraith.
	"Duet"	2.04	Martin Gero		5 August 2005
	A run-in with a Wraith Dart leaves the consciousness of a precocious Atlantis security officer trapped in Dr. McKay's mind.
	"Condemned"	2.05	Teleplay by: Carl Binder		12 August 2005
	The Atlantis team finds a culture that lives in relative safety from the Wraith, because they hand over their criminals to the Wraith — and crash-land in the volatile penal colony.
	"Trinity"	2.06		Martin Wood	19 August 2005
	McKay puts the team at risk when he tries to perfect unfinished Ancient technology that wiped out a civilization. Ronon Dex discovers that he is not the lone survivor from his world.
	"Instinct"	2.07		Andy Mikita	26 August 2005
	The team discovers a young Wraith girl who has been raised by a human, and is in hiding from the people of her human village in fear of her life.
	"Conversion"	2.08	Story by: Robert C. Cooper, Martin Gero Teleplay by: Martin Gero	Brad Turner	Unknown
	Colonel Sheppard begins to undergo a disturbing physical transformation after being exposed to Beckett's anti-Wraith drug.
	"Aurora"	2.09	Story by: Carl Binder Teleplay by: Carl Binder	Martin Wood	Unknown
	When the team finds an Ancient warship adrift on the edge of the galaxy, its crew still alive, Colonel Sheppard enters their virtual reality stasis to communicate with them.
	"The Lost Boys" (1 of 2)	2.10	Martin Gero	Brad Turner	Unknown
	The team is captured by the missing Lieutenant Ford, who is now leading a group of young men who are taking the Wraith enzyme — and who wants the team's help in a suicide attack against a hive ship.
	"The Hive" (2 of 2)	2.11	Carl Binder	Martin Wood	Unknown
	Colonel Sheppard and his team find themselves prisoners of the Wraith following Ford's attack on a hive ship. Dr. McKay goes to great lengths to help them.
	"Epiphany"	2.12	Story by: Joe Flanigan		13 January 2006
	Sheppard finds himself on a planet where time passes more rapidly, with no way to contact his team or return to Atlantis.
	"Critical Mass"	2.13	Story by: Carl Binder Teleplay by: Carl Binder	Andy Mikita	20 January 2006
	When an operative of the Trust plants a bomb in Atlantis, the team must find a spy within their own ranks before the Wraith arrive and discover the city.
	"Grace Under Pressure"	2.14	Martin Gero	Martin Wood	27 January 2006
	When Dr. McKay is trapped underwater in a sinking Puddle Jumper, his only chance for survival may be an hallucination of Samantha Carter.
	"The Tower"	2.15	Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie	Andy Mikita	3 February 2006
	The team finds a world that possesses Ancient defense technology, where Colonel Sheppard finds himself a pawn in the rivalry between the heirs to the throne.
	"The Long Goodbye"	2.16		Andy Mikita	10 February 2006
	The team discovers two pods that contain the minds of alien beings, who take control of Weir and Sheppard's bodies to continue their personal war.
	"Coup d'Etat"	2.17	Martin Gero	Martin Wood	9 January 2006
	After a team from Atlantis goes missing, the expedition finds itself in the middle of a Genii coup.
	"Michael"	2.18	Carl Binder	Martin Wood	16 January 2006
	An amnesiac young Lieutenant in Atlantis suffers from disturbing nightmares that he is a Wraith, only to make a shocking discovery about himself.
	"Inferno"	2.19	Carl Binder		23 January 2006
	Sheppard's team meets a civilization about to be destroyed by a super-volcano, and is trapped there when the Stargate is destroyed during the evacuation.
	"Allies" (1 of 3)	2.20	Martin Gero	Andy Mikita	30 January 2006
	Michael and his Wraith faction arrive at Atlantis to propose an alliance, hoping to use the retrovirus to transform their Wraith enemies into prey.