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"Rising" is a two-part pilot episode of the series Stargate Atlantis. The episode was written by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper and directed by Martin Wood. It first aired on July 16, 2004. Its first syndicated airing was September 19, 2005.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
Plot
Rising, Part 1 picks up shortly after the Stargate SG-1 Season 7 episode, "Lost City, Part 2. In the episode, an Ancient outpost was discovered beneath the Antarctic ice on Earth.
The episode opens with a scene from several million years ago. The city ship of Atlantis rests on Earth, Antarctica. The ship takes off leaving behind the outpost and one ancient who is discovered frozen in the ice but still alive, several million years later. She becomes known as Ayiana.
In the present day, an international team has been organized to study the Atlantus Outpost and its technology. The team is led by Dr. Elizabeth Weir who has been transferred from Stargate Command, and Dr. Rodney McKay the outpost’s lead scientist. Other scientists include Dr. Carson Beckett, a medical doctor; Peter Grodin, a British scientist; and archaeologist and linguist Dr. Daniel Jackson.
Dr. Jackson, an expert in Ancient language, discovers a Stargate address he believes refers to Atlantis and informs Dr. Weir and Mckay. Daniel believes the city is further away than they thought, in another galaxy known as Pegasus Galaxy.
General Jack O'Neill makes his way to the outpost on board a helicopter piloted by Major John Sheppard. Stationed at McMurdo Air Force Base, Sheppard has no knowledge of the Stargate program. He gets a quick introduction to alien technology when Dr. Carson Beckett, sits in the Ancient Control Chair at the outpost on the urging of Dr. McKay. Beckett accidentally activates the weapon and is unable to control it. The drone tracks the only object in the sky, Sheppard's helicopter. He manages to avoid being shot down and Beckett successfully disables the weapon before O'Neill and Sheppard are killed.
O'Neill and Sheppard arrive at the outpost safely and he is warned not to touch anything. When he sits in the control chair believing nothing will happen, it instantly responds to his control and lights up. The scientists are surprised and excited that he is able to control the technology with an ease no one has exhibited before.
Daniel briefs Jack on his findings and is thrilled about the possibility of visiting Atlantis. When O'Neill discovers that dialing the address would deplete the outpost's only ZPM, he refuses to approve the mission. Daniel and Dr. Weir manage to persuade him to change his mind by dangling the prospect of Ancient technology and more ZPMs they may find in the city. She also requests that he convince Sheppard, who is wary of the prospect, to join the expedition as he is capable of operating Ancient technology with ease.
Weir assembles an international team of scientists and military personnel, many of whom are already members of her science team and have volunteered, knowing they may never return home. They prepare for what will likely be a one way mission packing vast amounts of supplies. Jack refuses to let Daniel join the expedition, believing he'll need him on Earth. O'Neill convinces Sheppard to join the expedition and he does so under the command of Colonel Marshall Sumner the expedition's military commander. Sumner makes it clear that he disapproves of Sheppard because of his military record.
The expedition team goes through the gate and find the Ancient city in perfect condition. It begins to light up and come to life as they spread out from the gate room, exploring. Their explorations uncover that the city is under several hundred feet of water, protected by an energy shield.
Beckett discovers a holographic recording left behind by one the Ancients who abandoned the city. She explains that they seeded life in Pegasus and one day discovered a dark world. They awoke an enemy whose power rivaled their own. Their enemy began feeding on the human worlds. The planets quickly fell until only Atlantis remained. Atlantis' shield withstood a siege by their enemy for several years but in order to preserve the last remnants of their civilization, they submerged the city and returned to Earth to live out their lives hoping one day their kind would return.
McKay's exploration of the control panels soon uncovers a problem. He orders everyone to return to the gate room to reduce power usage. Because of their arrival, the city is on the verge of destruction. The shield holding back the ocean is failing as two of the three Zero Point Modules have been completely depleted and the third is almost empty. The naquadah generators they brought are not enough to sustain it.
A quick decision is made to dial a local planet and Colonel Sumner leads a team through. They hope to find a safe place to evacuate or a ZPM. They arrive on Athos during the night and find two children playing in strange masks pretending to be what they call Wraith. They are surprised to learn the team is unaware of the Wraith. They come across an Athosian man, Halling, who mistakes them for traders. He leads them to Teyla Emmagan a leader among their people. Teyla is initially cautious but she warms to Sheppard who makes an effort to be friendly.
In the morning, Teyla leads Sheppard to Ancient ruins the Athosians avoid, believing it will bring the Wraith. Teyla shows Sheppard cave drawings depicting the last great Wraith attack. She explains the Wraith keep planets like Athos as feeding grounds. They appear every now and then to cull their human herds, though sometimes not for hundreds of years. Teyla is surprised to learn John has never heard of the Wraith. She's never come across a world that has not been touched by them.
As Teyla and Sheppard return to the Athosian camp, the gate is activated and Aiden Ford a marine, witnesses three alien ships coming through.
Continued in Rising, Part 2
Notes
- This is the first episode in which Torri Higginson appears as Dr. Elizabeth Weir. The role was previously filled by Jessica Steen.
- The Character of Dr. McKay was not scheduled to appear in Stargate Atlantis. The role of lead scientist was written as Dr. Benjamin Ingram. David Hewlett auditioned for the part and it was rewritten for the character of McKay who'd previously appeared on SG-1.
- Legal issues prevented Carter and Teal'c from appearing in the Atlantis pilot as the characters had been created specifically for SG-1.
Guest Stars
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