Sky One to premiere Atlantis in October

Beware of SPOILERS for the upcoming fourth season of Stargate Atlantis in the report below.

U.K. fans, the wait is almost over! Sky One has announced the start date for the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The new season kicks off on Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. on the network, as well as on Sky One HD.

The October 9 premiere puts the U.K. less than two weeks behind the United States, where the season will make its worldwide premiere on September 28.

Season Three’s cliffhanger episode “First Strike” picks up with the Season Four premiere, “Adrift.” As the episode opens, the city of Atlantis has taken flight to flee a deadly Replicator satellite weapon. But after a trip through hyperspace, Dr. McKay realizes that the city-ship is off-course and nowhere near its new intended home planet. And they are quickly running out of breathable air.

Here is how the network describes the new season (beware of spoilers):

Atlantis enters its fourth season, carrying the torch of the Stargate franchise alone. Joining the crew this season, Amanda Tapping reprises her SG-1 role as Samantha Carter, who soon takes over as the commander of the project from Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson).

Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi explains Carter’s takeover: “She’s so multifaceted. She’s got the science background, so she can take some of the heat off of McKay and his gobbledygook. She’s got the military background, so if she needs to head off-world, she can head off-world with the team. She’s also got teh leadership backgroun to basically settle in quite nicely as the new commander of the Atlantis expedition.”

There are many new faces aboard Atlantis this season, whilst existing characters will be given stronger story arcs. Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Luttrell) finds herself pregnant, as the actress’ real-life pregnancy is written into the script.

Atlantis will also see a new race this season in the form of the Travellers, Mallozzi comments: “They are nomads, travelling on ships and establishing a civilisation. They are very rustic and have a very cool look.” (Sci-Fi Now)

This season of Atlantis is set to be one of transition, as the Stargate crew get set to rise to the challenge of filling the void of SG-1.

New episodes will air every Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Sky One.

Season Four premieres on Friday, September 28 on SCI FI Channel in the United States, and Monday, October 1 on The Movie Network in Canada. Learn more about upcoming episodes in GateWorld’s Season Four episode guide!