Lower Decks

Tonight at 9:00PM ET, SCI FI Channel will broadcast the final episode of Stargate: Atlantis (it also happens to be the 100th episode). After five seasons of adventures, Stargate: Atlantis is going off the air to make room for a new Stargate series, Stargate: Universe. A spin-off of Stargate: SG-1 (which itself ended in June of 2007), Stargate: Atlantis premiered on July 16th, 2004 with a two-hour episode guest-starring Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks.

Cast of Stargate: Atlantis (Copyright SciFi.com)

Set in the Pegasus Galaxy, Stargate: Atlantis followed a new cast of characters as they investigate the “lost” city of Atlantis (built by the Ancients) and battle a new and deadly foe: the Wraith. As the series progressed, alliances were forged (even with the Wraith) and additional enemies combated as the Atlantis expedition battled both the Wraith and the Replicators.

Stargate: Atlantis had its share of cast turnover: Rainbow Sun Franks (Lt. Aiden Ford) left the cast after the first season, replaced by Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex). Star Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir) left after the third season and Amanda Tapping (as Col. Samantha Carter from Stargate: SG-1) joined the cast for its fourth season as commander of Atlantis. For its fifth and final season, Jewel Staite (Dr. Jennifer Keller) and Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey) joined the cast. Paul McGillion’s character, Dr. Carson Beckett, was written out of the series only to return later.

Tonight’s series finale, titled “Enemy at the Gate,” looks to be a thrilling conclusion to Stargate: Atlantis — but will it end on something of a cliffhanger as Stargate: SG-1 did? A made-for-TV movie has already been ordered and may or may not be a standalone story.

Post your thoughts on Stargate: Atlantis in the comments section. Are you sad to see the series end or do you think it was high time it came to a close?