One of the showpieces for the new spin-off series Stargate Atlantis was the rising of the city of Atlantis itself, submerged beneath the ocean thousands of years ago by the Ancients. The show’s creators even titled the pilot episode “Rising” to reflect this pivotal moment in the story.

In the 2004 premiere our heroes reach Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy by Stargate, triggering it to release from the sea floor and rise to the surface.

As visual effects supervisor on the pilot, John Gajdecki led the team that conceived and executed this series of impressive VFX shots. He showed “Dial the Gate” host David Read the early pre-visualization videos for all the different shots, which would be assembled together to create this exciting climax in the episode’s second hour.

Check out the original working VFX files in this early peek at the upcoming conversation:

Gajdecki notes that the final wide shot – with the city resting on the surface of the water with a wave rippling outward – was a late addition to the plan.

“I just said to Brad, ‘You know, it would be super cool to just cut really big and wide and see that ring coming out,'” Gajdecki remembers. “So this was not part of the original design.”

Don’t miss the full conversation with John Gajdecki this Sunday, October 15, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. in the U.K.)! There is plenty more effects work he will be showing off from his years on Stargate. Look for it on the “Dial the Gate” YouTube channel. And while you’re there subscribe to GateWorld’s channel for new videos each week.

John Gajdecki, the VFX supervisor behind #Stargate SG-1 and #Atlantis, returns to Dial the Gate to present animatics from "Rising," production images, and share more stories about his industry, Sunday October 15 @ 10 AM PT! Hope you join us!https://t.co/CUiULp6L8l pic.twitter.com/lUxwCf8DNs

— Dial the Gate | The Stargate Oral History Project (@dial_the_gate) October 13, 2023