Categories: Episodes

Episode of the Week: Coup Tears Apart The Genii

MAY IS GENII MONTH!

COUP D’ETAT

Atlantis: Season Two
First Aired: February 17, 2006

After a team from Atlantis goes missing, the expedition finds itself in the middle of a Genii coup.

Our rewatch of favorite moments in Stargate history continues! Each month we’ll pick a theme, and feature a key episode every week. Join us by watching the episode this week, and then head to GateWorld Forum (or posting below) to talk about it!

Meet the Genii …

They have a secret nuclear program underground
Their leader, Cowen, had big plans …
… until Ladon Radim decides to replace him in a coup d’etat
The brilliant and ruthless military leader Acastus Kolya made himself a very personal enemy in John Sheppard
In the meantime, enjoy a hot cup of tava bean coffee!

“Coup D’etat” Facts:

With this episode actor Ryan Robbins goes from a deep background player to a front-and-center recurring guest star, as Ladon Radim. He would go on to co-star on Amanda Tapping’s series Sanctuary, and then to major roles on other Vancouver-based genre hits like Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies, Continuum, and Arrow.
Why pull a minor character up to such prominence? The short answer is: actor availability. The story was originally written for none other than Acastus Kolya, but had to be reworked when actor Robert Davi was unable shoot the episode. (The result was that, when Kolya eventually did return, he bore a major grudge against Ladon.)
Early leaked spoilers pointed to the apparent death of fan-favorite Major Lorne in this episode, prompting months of worry for some fans. Fortunately it ended up a head-fake, and actor Kavan Smith would live on to appear in nearly 30 episodes of SGA.
Dr. Lindsay (Penelope Corrin), Lorne’s team member who raises the alarm in the opening scenes, is actually someone we’ve seen before. Before she was assigned to Atlantis she tried out for Cameron Mitchell’s new SG-1 team (“Avalon, Part 1”), and then turned up again on assignment for the S.G.C. in “Origin.”
According to script coordinator Alex Levine “Coup D’etat” has the longest opening teaser in Stargate history, clocking in at 6 minutes and 44 seconds.

“Coup D’etat” on GateWorld:

Download “Coup D’etat” now from Amazon or iTunes!

Rewatch “Coup D’etat” this week! Then post your comments below, or head over to the episode discussion thread and see what people were saying back in the day. What are your favorite moments?

Every month we’re featuring a new theme from Stargate’s 17 seasons. Watch the weekly episode with us join in the fun!

GateWorld

GateWorld was founded in 1999, and is the Internet's premiere destination for Stargate news and fandom.