Final bow for Season Four; Atlantis returns this summer

Beware of minor SPOILERS for “The Last Man” in the report below.

The fourth season of Stargate Atlantis takes its final bow tonight on SCI FI. But not to worry: Season Five is a few short months away.

At 10 p.m. (9 Central) SCI FI Channel in the U.S. airs “The Last Man,” the last episode of the show’s current season. In the episode, John Sheppard returns from his latest Teyla hunt (his Athosian team member was captured by the Wraith Michael in “The Kindred, Part 1”). But instead of a bustling Atlantis, he finds the city abandoned, without power, and surrounded by sand dunes as far as the eye can see.

Sheppard has been flung some 40,000 years into the future. And only a hologram of an aged Rodney McKay can help him get home — and avert a disastrous timeline.

“It’s very-much a cliffhanger,” executive producer Brad Wright told GateWorld in a 2007 interview. “It’s a great story. It’s a great idea. It puts Sheppard in a very interesting situation. McKay is in it, too, in a very big way, although it isn’t really McKay. I don’t want to give away too much. It’s a great episode and it’s, I think, a perfect season ender.”

An older Rodney McKay hopes to bring Sheppard home. From “The Last Man”

And just how long will fans have to wait after the final frame of tonight’s cliffhanger fades away? Not too long at all. Though Season Four premiered in the fall, SCI FI is planning to start Season Five this summer, according to script coordinator Alex Levine in his blog.

“The good news: we’re airing early this year, starting in the summer,” he said. “So hopefully our ratings will stay up, and most importantly, you won’t have long to wait for more Stargate.”

Though the blog is published at its Web site, the network has not yet officially announced the summer premiere.

Safe money is on a July return for the show, after SCI FI has aired 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica‘s new season (starting April 4). Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis have premiered in July for most of the past decade, with the exception of 2007.

The summer premiere also means that a longer mid-season break is likely, as filming runs into October and visual effects and post-production typically continue for a few months after that.

Don’t miss “The Last Man” tonight at 10 p.m. (9 Central) on SCI FI, then head over to GateWorld Forum to tell us what you thought of the season finale and Season Four as a whole!

(Thanks to Morjana for the tip)

NEXT: Continue to Page 2 of this story to watch SCI FI Channel’s preview of “The Last Man,” and to post comments. Beware of SPOILERS!