This Friday marks the U.S. premiere of the final episode of Stargate Atlantis. We’re celebrating five years of the show with a count-down of our five favorite episodes featuring Lt. Colonel John Sheppard! Come back tomorrow for our favorite five Teyla episodes, and more for other characters every day this week.
Atlantis‘s leading man was a tough role to cast back in early 2004. The producers wanted an actor who could pull off the action, bravado, and humor that Jack O’Neill brought to the show’s predecessor, yet still make this new character his own man. They finally found their man in Joe Flanigan, then a 37-year-old actor from Los Angeles who had studied history at the University of Colorado before turning to acting.
In a bout of good timing, today is Joe’s birthday. He shares it with fellow Atlantis actor Paul McGillion (“Carson Beckett”).
Without further ado, here are our top five episodes featuring John Sheppard! Post a comment below to let us know which episodes make your list.
5. PHANTOMS
(Season Three, Episode 9)
After years of fan requests that we get to learn more about John’s back-story, the writers finally delivered with this third season episode. The team travels to a forested world and comes under the influence of a mind-altering Wraith device. We see flashbacks to a mission in Sheppard’s past, during which he acted against orders to try and rescue a friend from the deserts of Afghantistan, and was shot down. Sheppard begins to relive this incident in the present — opening fire on his friends, believing they are the enemy.
While not a particularly memorable episode in its own right, this one earns a spot on our Top 5 list because it filled in a vital piece of John’s history, an incident that has helped shape him into the man he is.
vegas should not be in there and what about remnants?
Wait… i just thought of this… Are the events that McKay talks about in Vegas the same events we see in Phantom??
Happy Birthday Joe!!!!
And Paul too.
My new favorite Shep ep is Vegas, but I also love Common Ground, Doppelganger, Outcast, Remnants, The Eye if I had to only pick 5.
So many others too, he is the reason I have loved Atlantis for these 5 years!
The Vegas epp was one of his best acting.
Vegas was awesome, and Common Ground is one my favourite episodes. The Eye was great and Phantoms was good too. Not sure about Doppleganger though, I found it a bit boring
This is a nice idea although as team leader I think you should have saved Sheppard for last. I’m betting you give that honor to McKay. Oh well.
If I had to pick I think I would have chosen the same five episodes. Doppelganger may not have been a favorite of mine but at least it allowed us a peek into Sheppard’s head and we learn a bit more about his character. The same goes for the other episodes.
Vegas was absolutely superb.
I liked all the above mentioned, but would have added Remnants to the mix instead of the Eye. I think it just said alot about the guilt that Shep carries around in that he pictured himself subject to that kind of abuse.
Vegas ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!
Common Ground makes my number one list and Phantoms would be my number two. The others wouldn’t be on my list. Hated Vegas. Dopplegangor wasn’t bad but not a favourite and didnt like the The Eye at all.
Others that would have made my list would be 38 minutes, Conversion and Infection.
Rising parts 1 and 2 and common grounda re up there but i love all of them really!
Oh yeah 38 minutes was good!
I just hope that the SGA movie will be good….
happy birthday Joe
Excellent choices. Couldn’t agree more.
darsfog-
no, it was diffrent, that is the sole reason he is not with atlantis, because that was diffrent.
He was so cute in Phantoms. “I’m sorry for shooting everybody!” Congrats for making it into all 100 episodes of the series…can’t wait to see him in the movies. BTW, am I wrong, or has he never taken his shirt off in the show? I think I would have remembered it if he did.
Good Choices. I have not seen Vegas yet as a friend hopping the pond later this month went into a pact to watch the last three epi’s together so we can cry on each others shoulders. I would have added Outcast And The Shrine <yes I know it’s a McKay epi but still showed what John wouldn’t do to keep his friends close and protected. Very emotional. Hope it gets number one for McKay epi’s :D.
One of my favorite John Sheppard episodes is The Defiant One. I prefer that one over Doppelganger. Vegas was superb! Happy Birthday to Joe and Paul! :)
Ok I am a little torn about Vegas. It was cool and all and really showed that John Sheppard could be a great detective any day. But I thought it was a waste of an Atlantis episode – like the one about Vala’s father. Why would you waste one of your last episodes on a CSI type story?
I am sure the producers and writers have their reasons, but I really missed Ronan and Teyla in this episode.
Ok I should have said like the SG-1 episode about Vala’s father in the last season. :)
All picks are great but I really enjoyed Last Man.
Vegas, Last Man, and Search & Rescue are my favorites……
@sammykewlguy
he did in The Lost Tribe
and 38 Minutes, though not completely off… =p
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul! Favourite John Sheppard episodes? I’d agree with Common Ground, The Eye and Doppelganger but my top five would also include The Last Man (being the last human alive has to be worth something!) and Conversion (Sheppard with scary Wraith abilities is definitely a winner – but only if it comes with a cure!). Of course there’s also The Defiant One (“Oh, you weren’t around for the end of the war. Your side lost.”) Quarantine (that climb was cool!), Outcast (“I’ve never been to Somalia”), The Shrine (I know this is a McKay one but the… Read more »
Oooooo how about best quotes?!? “I’m not taking a bath with you Rodney!” wasone of my personal faves. As well as “Yes Rodney I shot you and i said i was sorry” “You shot me too!” “I’m sorry for shooting everybody!!” I’m going to miss this show thank god for dvd’s remotes, good Canadian beer and junkfood. Oh and this has probably been asked and answered fifty million times already but why is Sci Fi not giving Atlantis the fanfare farewell SG1 recieved or at least a leave a thank you section would have been considerate dare I say even… Read more »
One last thing then i shut up for the night…
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul!!!
I really, really loved Vegas. It was a unique feel to SGA and John was at his best. My wife kept on asking, “Are you sure this is Atlantis? This looks like a new CSI.” (she’s a fan of CSI) Gatta admit, it wad confusing at first, but in the end all questions were answered (sorta kinda).
But yea, I would name that one number one in my book…but thats just me.
Oh, great. Common Ground is my favourite, too. And then I like Doppelganger very much. I don’t know Vegas yet (I’m from Germany), but Phantoms and The Eye are really great, too. I love so much Atlantis episodes, but my five favourite sheppard episodes are:
1. Common Ground
2. Doppelganger
3. Conversion
4. Search And Rescue
5. Phantoms
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul, hope you both have a great day. You are both amazing actors have a good one !!!
thegreatthor
my 5 favourites are:
remnants
doppelganger
and two cos of the humour harmony and the game
and conversion
Really enjoyed Vegas. It showed us how disturbed Sheppard’s character was even in a different reality. I also loved Common Ground and Phantoms, Outcast, Doppelganger, Remnants and anything else that Joe Flanigan is in. Happy birthday Joe and Paul.
I haven’t seen Vegas yet so I can’t comment but “Phantoms” and “Doppleganger”?! Two of the worst SGA episodes ever… “Commmon Ground” though was excellent. I absolutely loved the interaction between Shep and Todd.
And happy belated birthday to Joe and Paul!
I totally agree about Common Ground. The very best of JF. A also loved Conversion and, though not strictly a JS ep, he was great in Millers’ Crossing too. I think that he deserves real praise for the way he has developed the character and some terrific acting over the 5 years.
I can’t agree about Doppelganger. Loved it and Joe’s performance as ‘evil’ John.
hhmmm… my top five shep eps? thats a hard one. well i’d have to say…
doppleganger
common ground
the eye
conversion
phantoms
oh i can’t decide. defiant one, thirty-eight minutes, infection. they are all so good… there’s no way for me to pick five…
oh well, happy birthday anyways!!!
no, no, no, not common ground, that episode created a character that just wont go away and is responsible for ratings dropping. why not epiphany or something esle focusing on Joe?
Phantoms not a memorable episode? I think it’s one of the best Atlantis eps we’ve had. Credible performances from every actor on the show, all in one ep? Almost never happens, especially put together with engaging writing and respectable directing, as well as plot twists that we don’t see walking slowly towards us waving a red flag over the horizon. Once or twice, I even cared about what happened to the characters, because they developed and we learnt about them. It’s always the problem with action shows in which we know none of the leads are ever going to die;… Read more »
If we are talking about the character of John Sheppard, I think that “Sunday”, “Epiphany” and “Travelers” are perhaps more revealing than eps that focus on action. These obviously took more work out of Joe to come up with believable interraction, show feelings (yes…) and even in Sunday, interact on a personal level with Jason and others. Vegas struck me as a filler episode, interesting in that it cast Sheppard in a role which at first looks like it has nothing to do with his role in Atlantis, but in the end, loosely written and lacking continuity. Maybe it is… Read more »
That must have been hard to narrow it down for John Sheppard; he shines in like EVERY episode!! I wasn’t a fan of Vegas but Sheppard stood out, like usual.