"Stargate: Atlantis" Sateda (2006)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Robert C. Cooper

Writers:

Brad Wright (creator) &
Robert C. Cooper (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Stargate: Atlantis" (2004)

Original Air Date:

4 August 2006 (Season 3, Episode 4)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Plot:

After a group of people captures and gives Ronon to the Wraith, he becomes a runner again, but this time he's left in his home planet, Sateda, where the Stargate has been disabled. |

Plot Keywords:

Homosexual Subtext | Man Hunt | Title Spoken By Character | Scientist | Military

Cast

Joe Flanigan	...	Lt. Colonel John Sheppard
Torri Higginson	...	Dr. Elizabeth Weir
Rachel Luttrell	...	Teyla Emmagan
Jason Momoa	...	Ronon Dex
Paul McGillion	...	Dr. Carson Beckett
David Hewlett	...	Dr. Rodney McKay
Frank Collison	...	Keturah
Chiara Zanni	...	Melena
Curtis Caravaggio	...	Airman
Mitch Pileggi	...	Colonel Steven Caldwell
Dan Payne	...	Big Wraith
David Pauls	...	Aton
Chuck Campbell	...	Technician
Todd Scott	...	Malik
Alexandra Carter	...	Linor

Trivia:

The title refers to Ronon's home planet, where most of the action takes place.

Quotes:

Ronon Dex: Which one of you killed the Wraith?
Dr. Carson Beckett: [smiles proudly] That would be me.
Dr. Rodney McKay: My idea.
Teyla Emmagan: Ronon...
Dr. Carson Beckett: What?
[worried]
Dr. Carson Beckett: Don't tell me you're not happy that he's dead.
Major: I had him in my sights, but Ronon said he'd kill me if I shot him.
Dr. Rodney McKay: It was all Beckett's idea.
Ronon Dex: [hugs Carson] Thanks, doc.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References First Blood (1982)

The one where we see there is more to Ronon than meets the eye...

'Sateda' Season three, episode four.

This episode has to be one of the strongest in the series of 'Stargate: Atlantis' and proves this show has much potential if we get more of the same. 'Sateda' sees Sheppard and his team arrive on a planet only for the people to take Ronon hostage. They see him as responsible as having lead the Wraith to their planet years ago in an attack that left many dead and have made a bargain with a Wraith commander that he will leave them alone if they hand Ronon over should he ever return. Ronon is returned to Wraith custody where he is once again made their prey in their twisted cat-and-mouse game. He leads them back to his own home world of Sateda, where the final showdown begins. On his trail is Sheppard, determined not to leave a man behind.

Until this episode, the character of Ronon risked turning into a one-dimensional drone who was just good for fancy fighting scenes, all brawn but no content. 'Sateda' not only succeeded in giving him a rich background but gave motivations for his behaviour and depicted him to be more human than ever before. He is a man who had a happy life once only for it to be snatched away from him, leaving him only with vengeance until he met the Atlantis crew.

'Sateda' is not all drama and emotion. The darker scenes are nicely off-set by the Beckett and MacKay interactions (whoever decided Beckett's fate at the end of this season should be sacked for being a moron) as well as Teyla's realisation that Sheppard sees her and Ronon as valuable and close to him as people from his own planet.

This episode is definitely one to disprove the idea that some have that 'Stargate' is not as worthy in the science-fiction world as shows such as 'Star Trek'.