Atlantis: Season One
First Aired: January 28, 2005
First Aired: January 28, 2005
Sheppard’s team investigates a downed Wraith ship, and find themselves stuck on a planet with a lone Wraith survivor.
“The Defiant One” Facts:
- So, Wraith are reeeally long-lived. We’d known that they could survive for millennia in the hibernation clusters on board hive ships; here we see, remarkably, that a single Wraith soldier has survived alone on a barren planet.
- Actor James Lafazanos played just about every male Wraith character (excluding the big soldiers) throughout the show’s first two seasons. This was a deliberate choice to fit the mythology of the creatures, since each hive collective has a rather narrow gene pool. (This made it rather striking to viewers when Michael, played by Connor Trinneer, and Todd, played by Christopher Heyerdahl, were first introduced.)
- We’ve seen those little alien “light” bugs before — or at least a species very much like them — all the way in the Milky Way Galaxy, back in the SG-1 fourth season episode “Prodigy.”
- Recognize Dr. Brendan Gall? Actor Richard Ian Cox previously appeared on Stargate SG-1, as Nyan in the third season episode “New Ground.”
- “The Defiant One” may be a stand-alone episode, but it did introduce the Ancient defense satellite on the outer edge of the solar system. This would play a significant role in the climax to Season One (“The Siege, Part 1”).
- This episode includes the first time that the people who used to inhabit the city of Atlantis are referred to as “Lanteans” — which would become a standard name for this sub-branch of Ancients.
“The Defiant One” on GateWorld:
- Episode Guide
- Episode Review
- Episode Transcript
- Photo Gallery
- Screencap Gallery
- Discussion Forum
- Interview with Joe Flanigan (2004)
- Interview with David Hewlett (2004)
- Atlantis Season One Podcast
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Rewatch “The Defiant One” this week! Then post your comments below, or head over to the episode discussion forum and see what people were saying back in the day. What are your favorite moments?
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I remember this one like it was yesterday and its almost 10 years old, miss SGA SGU SG-1
I agree with the first comment. Its been so long yet seems just like yesterday. This wasn’t one of my favs, was kinda boring but, not all that bad. Those yellow things remind me of the ones that were in SG-1’s episode, ‘Prodigy’. I also was thinking about how it would’ve been to live all that time stranded on that planet. I’m surprised the Wraith individual didn’t go insane. Lol.
Loved the part where Rodney comes back to help Sheppard like a hero, (a hero who needes a little promting.) Set a nice tone for the future episodes, and gave some layers to McKay.
I also miss SG-1 SGA and SGU.
I liked this episode. I just wished they would have explored the yellow things more.