An international team of scientists and military personnel discover a Stargate network in the Pegasus Galaxy and come face-to-face with a new, powerful enemy, The Wraith.

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-caliber, 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 teeth so bad they'd make the British blush, 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 specializes 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). As was the case with the Season One set, bonus materials are generous, including audio commentary (by actors, directors, and others) on every episode, various featurettes, photos, and more. Now if only there were a few Wraith interviews... --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

It gets better and better with each Season
I'm a huge fan of Stargate in general and this Is a great season. new characters and enemies are added and the main characters develop even more. This new series came just in time and gives the stargate frachise a fresh start. IS a great show to watch even if you have never seen stargate SG1.

If you love sci-fi you most watch Stargate Atlantis..... And Doctor Who.

Riveting season opener
Seige III was one of the very top opening season episodes and the plot devolment is good, not stagnet and boring. Haven't watched it all the way through yet(the whole season) but it's very promising. A must for Stargate buffs!

Fantastic Show!
Season 2 has finally hit DVD, and it does not dissapoint. I recently decided to start follwong this show, but I needed to start at the begining. I bought seson one a few months ago and was very impressed. Season two is more intense, with even better visiaul affects and more action! I only wish that I could get all of season 3 before season 4 starts up on The Sci-Fi channel next month. I unfortunately will be a little out of sync watching this new season, but it's a wonderful show.

Now I never got into the SG1 series, so I can't evaluate this show from that angle, but I do remember the origal Kurt Russell Stargate movies from the 90's; those are enough to make sense out of this show. If you like the "new school" Battlestar Galactica that's on the sci-fi chanel now, I think you'd enjoy this. Battlestar Galactica is more dramatic while Stargate Atlantis is more adventurous, so the 2 shwos are good to compare and contrast. This certainly matches Battlestar Galactica in my opinion.