The Stargate Atlantis Primer

Welcome to the Stargate universe! This primer is tailor-made for new viewers, especially those who are joining our adventure for Season Five of Stargate Atlantis.

So what is Stargate? If you’ve made it this far, you probably already know part of that answer! We’ll presume that you have a basic idea of the show’s premise, and have at least heard of Stargate SG-1 — the predecessor to Atlantis, which was spawned from the 1994 feature film and ran for 10 years (1997-2007). Stargate Atlantis is the spin-off of that show. The two ran concurrently for three seasons, and Season Four of Atlantis was its first year as the only Stargate show on the air.

Atlantis airs on SCI FI Channel in the U.S., with the previous season rerunning on local syndication stations. It also airs in dozens of countries worldwide, and is especially popular in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia. It has been a ratings winner everywhere it airs, and was SCI FI’s highest-rated premiere ever when it first bowed in July 2004.

Don’t worry — you don’t need all 11 years of Stargate history to jump in now. GateWorld’s Stargate Atlantis Primer will give you a crash-course on who these people are, what they’re doing each week, and what has happened in the story so far. When you are done, you’ll be all ready to join us for Season Five of Atlantis, beginning July 11, 2008 on SCI FI!

Be warned that spoilers abound in this primer. We will tell you all about the major plot and character developments in the show’s first four seasons, and give you a hint or two about what is coming up this year. If you would rather not know all this, turn back now! SCI FI also airs previous years of Stargate Atlantis weekdays at 5 p.m. (Eastern/Pacific).

Season Four will begin in syndication for the first time in September 2008, and is on DVD in North America on July 8.

Ready? Let’s talk Stargate!

NEXT: The Team