Puddle Jumper

From The Stargate Omnipedia

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Cylindrical, multi-purpose craft created by the Ancients and aerodynamically designed for transportation through Stargates. Each of the small craft is armed with at lease 12 drone weapons, hidden in weapons ports that emerge from the ship's port and starboard sides at mid-ship – directly in front of the drive pods. The drive pods themselves offer additional maneuverability and speed, and must be retracted into the sides of the ship in order for the vessel to fit through a Stargate.

The Puddle Jumper (nicknamed by John Sheppard – its true Ancient name is unknown) possesses an invisibility cloak that, when engaged, makes the craft invisible to the naked eye and to advanced sensors. The cloak may be engaged when the ship is in flight, or when it has landed and powered down.

A large view port occupies the ship's forward section, with a smaller port at the stern for individuals in the back. The ship can support roughly a dozen individuals in the event of a rescue (including seats for the pilot and co-pilot in the forward compartment), though this is not recommended for extended travel time. There are no rest facilities aboard the craft, nor are there any emergency escape pods. A bulkhead may be closed to separate the forward and rear compartments, and the rear contains junctions by which basic ship functions, such as drive pod control, may be accessed.

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Though the Puddle Jumper can be piloted by hand controls, these may be secondary, as the craft interfaces with the mind of the pilot (requiring the pilot to possess the Ancient gene). On-screen geographical readouts as well as relevant technology may be immediately put at a pilot's disposal with a simple thought. A center console sits between the pilot and co-pilot seats and includes a modified dial-home device, allowing the ship to directly access a nearby Stargate and dial an address. Automated systems guide the ship through the event horizon when the ship draws within a few meters of the gate.

The craft is capable of impressive speeds – but perhaps even more impressive are the braking thrusters, which can bring the craft to a dead halt upon arriving through the Stargate into an extremely tight space, such as the Atlantis gate room. The ship must also therefore possess advanced inertial dampeners for the safety and comfort of its occupants.

The command tower in the city of Atlantis is equipped with at least one bay filled with Puddle Jumpers.

DETAILS

USED BY - Lanteans, Humans
FIRST APPEARED - Rising, Part 1

KEY EPISODES

Rising, Part 1 - Atlantis personnel discover a bay filled with Atlantis support craft, which are soon nicknamed "Puddle Jumpers".
Rising, Part 2 - Sheppard pilots a Puddle Jumper on a rescue mission to the Wraith homeworld.
Thirty Eight Minutes - The team's Puddle Jumper becomes lodged in the Stargate, threatening their lives if they can't get through before the wormhole disengages.
Suspicion - McKay and Zelenka discover that the Jumper bay's roof retracts, allowing Sheppard and Ford to take a ship to explore Atlantis' home planet.
Underground - Sheppard uses a Puddle Jumper to infiltrate a Wraith hive ship, then must call on two more cloaked Jumpers to settle a dispute with the Genii.
Grace Under Pressure - A recently repaired Puddle Jumper spirals out of control and crashes into the ocean. The theory that the ships can be modified as submersibles is proven.
The Tower - In exchange for medicines and an I.D.C., Colonel Sheppard returns to Atlantis with a few additional Puddle Jumpers to augment the city's fleet.
Adrift - Sheppard leads a small fleet of Jumpers from the city in clearing a patch for Atlantis through an asteroid field, saving the drifting city.
Lifeline - The team uses an experimental Puddle Jumper capable of hyperspace travel to infiltrate the Replicator homeworld.
The Prodigal - The Wraith hybrid Michael uses a stolen Jumper to infiltrate Atlantis, but the team destroys his get-away vessel with the unstable vortex by dialing the Stargate.