Stargate Atlantis / Characters

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Characters in Stargate Atlantis.

The Atlantis Expedition - Main characters

Elizabeth Weir

Dr. Elizabeth Weir

Played By: Torri Higginson

First Appearance: "Lost City, Part 1"

The original leader of the Atlantis expedition. An experienced diplomat prior to getting involved with extraterrestrial stuff, she prefers negotiation and talks to confrontation. Was left behind on Asuras in Season Four, and was replaced by Colonel Carter.

Beware the Nice Ones: Prefers peace and negotiation and genuinely values every life under her command, but that does not mean she can't be ruthless when crossed. As Kavanaugh discovered.
Brainy Brunette: Has two PhDs and lovely brown ringlets.
The Bus Came Back: In the sequel novels, Elizabeth is revealed to have Ascended after her time with the Asurans, but returned to human form after she interfered to save McKay at a crucial moment; she is later discovered with partial amnesia, much like Daniel's own return from Ascension.
Designated Parents: With Sheppard for pretty much everyone on Atlantis.
Emotions vs. Stoicism: The stoicism to Sheppard's emotions, she's far more likely to analyze a problem logically and make the tough calls, while he relies on gut feelings and puts personal lives before the big picture.
The Face: Not as much as expected given she's a diplomat but there are several occasions when she goes off-world to meet and negotiate with new groups. She's certainly the face of Atlantis in regards to communication with Earth, as the one who deals with Atlantis's superiors.
Fascinating Eyebrow: Her favourite way to express disapproval - and sometimes amusement - at the rest of the teams antics.
Iron Lady: Governs Atlantis with a poker face and rarely shows weakness to anyone, with the possible exception of Sheppard.
Heroic Sacrifice: She stays behind on the Asuras to keep the replicators from attacking the others.
- She then returns, and does this a second time, banishing herself and her fellow replicants to the vacuum of space to protect Atlantis.
The Kirk: Her role on Atlantis, particularly when mediating between McKay and Sheppard.
Like an Old Married Couple: She and Sheppard develop this dynamic, thanks to their close friendship and the shared burden of leading Atlantis.
Married to the Job: Her relationship with Simon ended due to her going to Atlantis and she refuses any other possibilities of a relationship due to her responsibilities as leader. When the expedition has to leave the city in Season 3, she pretty much shuts down and cuts herself off from her friends for weeks.
Put on a Bus to Hell: Jettisoned herself into space, but as a replicant, she will never truly die and will instead float along in suspended animation.
Only Sane Man: What with having to deal with McKay's tantrums, Ronon's violent tendencies, Teyla and the Athosians tribal customs and Sheppard's near-death experiences.
Plucky Girl: Not much of a fighter, but she's got guts.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Sheppard's Red. Generally in any situation, Sheppard will blast in, shoot someone and Weir will clear up the mess.
Shipper on Deck: Retroactively revealed to be one for Teyla and Kanaan.
Straw Civilian: At first, but she grows out of it. She will usually receive open contempt from the military people she interacts with, until she proves her worth to them.
Silk Hiding Steel: Comes across a reserved, soft-spoken diplomat but she's faced the Genii, Goa'uld, Asuran's and IOA, with nothing but her wits to prevent certain death.
The Smart Girl: Has two doctorates, though she focuses on humanities (politics and languages) rather than sciences like McKay.
The Stoic: The master of the poker face, which is pretty much essential to handle the problems and losses that come as part of leading Atlantis.
Team Mom: She is the leader of Atlantis base, and often the voice of reason to Sheppard's more gun-ho attitude.
Touched by Vorlons: Became part-Replicator.
Tough Leader Façade: She deals with the pressure of being leader of Atlantis with incredible control throughout the series. She may feel terrified but she'll be damned if anyone sees it.
Transplant: First appeared in the SG-1 Season 7 two-part finale. It was known at the time that she would be moving to Atlantis, although it was not known that it would be a parallel spin-off instead of a sequel show.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Self-applied.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Sheppard: the two share the burden of command, confide worries to each other unbeknownst to the rest of The Team and when the other is in trouble their worry is noticably stronger compared to their other friends. The actors also deliberately played the characters from a romantic angle.
Will They or Won't They?: With Sheppard. They don't, at least, not that anyone knows of.
Undying Loyalty: To Atlantis and it's inhabitants. An alternate Elizabeth sacrificed her life to preserve the city and make it safe for the future expedition and she eventually sacrifices herself to the replicators so the team can get away and save the city. On a more personal level to John, as seen when she absolutely refuses to let his superiors replace him and pulls out all her connections to keep him as her second in command.

John Sheppard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shepperd_229.jpg

Played By: Joe Flanigan

First Appearance: "Rising"

Originally picked because of his natural skill with Ancient technology. Known for having a bit of a problem with authority, but is a highly capable commander. Became Atlantis's ranking military officer and the leader of their main off-world team. Has a profoundly strong expression of the ATA gene.

Ace Pilot: If it has wings, rotors, thrusters, anti-grav emitters, or any combination of the above, he can fly it.
Achievements in Ignorance: He sits down in a chair, having only become aware of the whole Lost City and Stargate stuff....and it turns out he's got the exact genetics needed to operate the Ancient technology.
Amicably Divorced: Sheppard and his ex-wife Nancy divorced due to the high risk of his job, but are on friendly enough terms that she uses her position at Homeland Security to pass along important information to him regarding an investigation of his.
Arch-Enemy: To Kolya of the Genii.
The Atoner: Admits he constantly tortures himself for his past mistakes and shows a capacity for near suicidal self sacrifice. For more details see Broken Ace.
Badass in Distress: All the characters fall into plenty of trouble during the show but Sheppard seems to be the go-to guy for getting injured, tortured or held hostage, especially when Kolya's involved.
Beware the Silly Ones: Most of the time Sheppard is all goofiness and wise-cracks but he has a dark side that can veer almost into sociopath territory. His killing spree mentioned above is brutal enough to horrify even Kolya.
Boldly Coming: He's notorious for hooking up with and getting hit on by alien chicks. McKay nicknames him "Kirk" becomes of this.
- Although this is a bit of an informed attribute as, while he does frequently get hit on, he very rarely chooses to get involved with the women in question.
Broken Ace: Attractive, charming, beloved by his team, MENSA-accepted and the best Ancient pilot in two galaxies but also self hating, guilt ridden and secretly believes he deserves to be punished for every failure in his life.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Sheppard, when given the right motivation (mainly the safety of Atlantis), is a very accomplished pilot and soldier. He just prefers to goof off instead.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Sheppard is smart enough to join MENSA, but preferred not to join, and admits that he's "naturally lazy" (on the other hand, one alternate McKay mentions that his Sheppard did join MENSA and is an Insufferable Genius). He's also proved on multiple occasions that he does take his rank and position as Atlantis's military leader seriously.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Overly eager to put his life on the line, whether its to save the city, his team, Elizabeth or strangers he's just met.
Colonel Badass: After his promotion at the start of Season Two.
Day in the Limelight: Despite being the main character, actually has a really awesome one of these, "Doppelganger", in which he gets to play an evil energy being that looks exactly like himself (because the entity was first in Sheppard, and so took his appearance).
Deadpan Snarker: Being surrounded by insufferable genius and alien races means Sheppard often snarks his way through danger. McKay is a frequent victim.
Designated Parents: He and Elizabeth are this for the entire Atlantis expedition.
Emotions vs. Stoicism: Emotions to Elizabeth's stoicism, as he goes by gut instincts and lets his feelings cloud his judgement especially when it comes to saving lives while Elizabeth remains more detached and is prepared to make sacrifices. This is established right from their first argument about launching a rescue mission.
The Gadfly: Mostly towards McKay and of course any Wraith, though he doesn't mind winding up higher-ups like Woolsey or Sumner.
The Hero: The ace fighter pilot who can pilot practically anything, leads his band of True Companions around the galaxy finding new worlds and saving people, and as early as the third episode, the Athosian kids play at being him fighting the Wraith. Yeah, he's the Hero.
Heroic Sacrifice: Defied. Flies a cloaked jumper carrying a Genii nuke into one of the hives besieging Atlantis at the end of Season 1, planning to detonate it with him inside. The Daedalus shows up at that moment and beams Sheppard out before the jumper explodes. But he tries on plenty of other occasions to the point McKay can't even remember how many suicide missions he's flown.
Hidden Depths: He initially seems like your average gun-toting, charming flyboy, but is gradually revealed to be a math-whiz who's smart enough to join Mensa and almost as much of a dork as Rodney. His casual attitude also hides how seriously he takes his responsibility to Atlantis, the personal care he shoulders for every life under him, and a much darker, ruthless side whenever his friends are in danger.
Instant Expert: Has an incredibly good degree of control over Ancient Technology.
It's All My Fault: Sheppard faces this in particular in the novel "Casualties of War", when he actually tries to resign from Atlantis because his attempt to acquire a new weapon against the Asurans got the expedition involved in a tribal conflict on the planet that (apparently) led to Ronon and Teyla's deaths, and they have since learnt that the new weapon could cause neurological damage to humans and is therefore useless to them.
The Kirk: Fulfils this role on his team, with McKay as the everlasting Spock, and Teyla and Ronon as the McCoys.
- The McCoy: On Atlantis he's this in relation to McKay in many disputes, with Weir taking his place as Kirk.
Like an Old Married Couple: He and Weir develop into this as the series continues as co-leaders of Atlantis and their role as Designated Parents.
Martyr Without a Cause:
Sheppard: It's not like it's the first time. How many suicide missions have I flown?
McKay: I don't know. I lost count.
Married to the Job: In the past his job was so secretive and he was so devoted to it that it led to his divorce. In present day he's more committed to Atlantis than any woman.
Messy Hair: Try and find a scene where is hair isn't a mess. Just try.
Military Maverick: His lax attitude has gotten him nearly court-martialled more than once, and most of the other military commanders disapprove of his attitude.
More Hero than Thou: The flip side of his Chronic Hero Syndrome is that he always, always must be the one to make the sacrifice play, even in cases where a more physically capable team member (e.g. Teyla or Ronon) is the much more rational choice.
The Nicknamer: Has given names to no fewer than five Wraith. First there was Steve, on whom they tested the Hoffan drug, and who died as a result.. Then there was Bob, whom Sheppard and crew captured and interrogated prior to the Siege at the end of the first season, and who ended up shot to death by Sheppard when he wouldn't give up any good intel. Then there was Michael, a Wraith they (briefly) turned human. Then there was Todd ("Guy I knew in college. Very pale."), the Noble Demon and Lovable Traitor who probably ended up helping the Atlantis expedition more than any other non-Atlantis character, with the possible exception of the Travellers. And finally there was Kenny, Todd's second-in-command.
Not Afraid to Die: Definitely, and hinted to be a Death Seeker. He's shown to be haunted by his past mistakes and whenever there's a suicide mission he's the first to volunteer.
Number Two: An unusual example as he's The Hero and military leader of Atlantis, but is still second to Elizabeth who is overall commander of Atlantis despite being a civilian. He's not all that comfortable stepping up when she's not around though.
Obfuscating Stupidity: His detractors tend to underestimate his easy-going personality, believing him to be completely undeserving of his rank and position. It usually comes back to bite them in the ass when Sheppard's sharp unconventional thinking give way to show how good he really is.
One-Man Army: In one (two-part) episode in Season 1, kills about seventy Genii troops on his own (though 55 of those ran into the Atlantis stargate's shield).
Dr. Beckett: [looking at a life-signs detector] These dots don't tell us much about who's who. How do we know which one's the Major?
Lt. Ford: He'll be the dot getting rid of the other dots.
Team Dad: The leader of his team, and second in command at Atlantis. He has a generally laid back friendly personality, but will do anything to protect his people. He and Weir often act as parents of all of Atlantis.
Rank Up: Goes from Major to Lieutenant Colonel between Season 1 and 2, much to his surprise given his military superior's disdain for him. It's revealed Elizabeth was actually the one who persuaded them to promote him, as they were trying to replace him with a higher-ranked officer but she wouldn't accept anyone else but John as her second in command.
Rebel Prince: Was groomed to take over his father's business enterprise but chose to join the Air Force instead, passing the buck to his brother.
Rebellious Spirit: For a military officer he's a total wildcard and has serious problems obeying orders. At the beginning of the series he seems to have given up following anyone and just baits authority figures. He settles in better on Atlantis as, despite a few conflicts, Elizabeth is a leader he actually respects and she establishes a very equal command dynamic with him and being cut off from earth also means his independent thinking is an advantage rather than issue.
Red Herring Shirt: Was introduced this way in the SG-1 episode debuting Atlantis.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Weir's Blue. Much of the series involves her trying to hold back his more impulsive tendencies.
Rookie Red Ranger: While his rank made him the second-in-command of the military forces of the Atlantis expedition and he possesses the strongest natural form of the Ancient gene discovered on Earth, making him uniquely qualified to operate Ancient technology, John only learned that the Stargate even existed a few weeks before going to Atlantis, by which point the Stargate Program had been preparing for the expedition to Atlantis for weeks if not months and the program itself had been in operation for almost a decade.
Ship Tease: With Elizabeth.
Shell-Shocked Veteran / Survivor Guilt: Whilst serving in Afghanistan, he watched best friends Mitch and Dex killed when their helicopter was hit by a RPG. He similarly failed to save downed pilot, Captain Holland, disobeying direct orders not to mount a rescue mission and getting himself shot down in the process, earning him a permanent black mark on his record.
Stepford Snarker: It's gradually revealed he uses snark to cover up his boatload of insecurities, guilt and self-loathing.
Third Wheel: By the end of the series as the rest of his team, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon are all in relationships and Elizabeth has died.
Will They or Won't They?: With Elizabeth. They don't, as she gets killed off before anything can happen.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Elizabeth or Teyla, depending on the episode. More frequently with Elizabeth later on, as Ronon appeared and Teyla eventually hooked up with someone else. (Although, he did hallucinate having a dinner date with Teyla). Elizabeth was eventually captured, leaving Sheppard grief-stricken for the remainder of the show and ironically, the only long running cast member that was single at the end of the series. The semi-canon tie-in novels resolve his UST with Teyla, though whether the novels qualify as canon is very dubious.
Undying Loyalty: He'll protect his team and friends right to his last breath. It's hard to count the number of his impossible rescue missions, he frequently sticks up for Ronon and Teyla against Earth personnel and flat-out refuses to co-operate with visiting Colonel Everett unless he keeps Elizabeth in the loop.

Rodney McKay

Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay

Played By: David Hewlett

First Appearance: "48 Hours"

Atlantis's lead scientist. A brilliant astrophysicist, but also a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, an Insufferable Genius, and a Canadian.

Always Someone Better: It is painfully obvious that he feels inferior to Sam Carter in his appearances in Stargate SG 1, and even years later on Atlantis when Sam shows up to take command he is still excessively aware she's better than him and desperately seeks to prove himself her equal, especially to her.
- He considers himself the better someone when compared to Zalenka.
- When he & Ronon end up in what they think is a Love Triangle over Keller, he believes that he has no real chance with her, because of Ronon's extremely superior physical attributes.
Ascended Extra: Started off as a one-shot character on SG-1. Then became a 2-shot character and had a sympathetic back-story grafted onto his Insufferable Genius persona. Then became a regular on Atlantis and a fully-realized character.
Big Eater: Justified by his hypoglycemia. Or is his claim of having hypoglycemia just an excuse to eat more?
Bio-Augmentation: He went through gene therapy in order to be able to use Ancient technology.
Bizarre Taste in Food: He might be the only man alive who actually likes MREs. He's also allegedly deathly allergic to citrus.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Downplayed version. While not being really lazy per se, he only gives things his full brain-power when sufficiently motivated. This is eventually lampshaded as him being known as a miracle worker, but only under the threat of impending death. It is also probably why Carter managed to up-stage him twice back on Earth.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: When you can do "difficult" at once and "impossible" in a few minutes, such minor flaws as being a neurotic Insufferable Genius Jerk with a Heart of Gold who has No Social Skills are easily forgiven.
Character Development: Most likely undergoes more of this than any other character in the series. If not the entire franchise.
Child Hater: He's hilariously uncomfortable around children, so naturally, they tend to adore him.
Chivalrous Pervert: He might be often Distracted by the Sexy and openly joke about his long-standing lust for Carter, but he tends to be very nervous and cute when actually pursuing women, such as Katie Brown and Jennifer Keller. This is also a sign of his character development as the original McKay from his first appearance in SG1 was obnoxious towards Carter (even claiming to have a thing for "dumb blondes" - a comment he later admits was driven by the fact that he knows that she's smarter than he is, and was intimidated by it) but by the second SG1 episode after he'd been given some redemption his response towards the idea that she didn't hate him was much more like the later McKay's reactions to women.
Clueless Chick-Magnet: Surprisingly often, usually with McKay being utterly oblivious until it's pointed out.
Cowardly Lion: The guy frets like clockwork about their impending doom when it happens, but somehow frequently ends up coming up with some of his best schemes to extricate everyone from the impending doom while in such a state. He's also a surprisingly capable fighter, when stuck in a sufficiently tight corner.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: An enzyme powered Ford leaves him under guard by two of his enzyme powered minions, who're both about twice McKay's size. McKay tries to persuade them that something's gone wrong on the 'mission' that Ford has wrangled the Atlantis team into, and that he should go back to Atlantis to get help. They refuse. He promptly takes a massive overdose of the enzyme and beats the crap out of them, before (just about) managing to get back to Atlantis.
And that's what happens when you back a brilliant scientist into a corner!
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Rodney cannot help but point out Bond Villain Stupidity wherever he sees it, belittling the various bad guys for their idiotic plans even when being held hostage and threatened with torture or execution.
Embarrassing First Name: Revealed about halfway into the series once the team meets his sister. He prefers to go by his middle name, Rodney.
"Eureka!" Moment: Frequently employs these, usually signified by repeatedly snapping his fingers.
Gibbering Genius: He's frequently prone to babbling when he's thinking out loud. After an overdose of the Wraith enzyme, he becomes this even more, though he's not especially coherent.
Insufferable Genius: A very strong trait of his when he's first introduced in SG-1. It becomes much less prominent once he's spent some time in Atlantis and he gets some character development.
It's All My Fault: Flip-flops between this and Never My Fault, usually depending on whether the incident is being played for comedy or drama. For major mistakes and/or somebody was hurt or killed, he'll blame himself entirely, even if others were involved in the decision.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he may be rude and condescending to those around him, that doesn't mean he won't give his life to save them. He's also rather self-aware regarding his own flaws, and when he was shedding his burdens in the 'Ascendometer' episode, he specifically tells Zelenka a) that he is an absolutely brilliant scientist, b) that he does not deserve the crap that he's taken from McKay over the past couple of years. He's also much more caring than he'll generally admit.
- David Hewlett and the Atlantis Writers admitted this was part of the challenge of bringing Rodney over to the spinoff. They had to strike a balance between making Rodney a likeable character that audiences would care about every week, yet also not lose sight of how much of jackass Rodney can be.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Rodney is a coward most of the time, but if you corner him, get him sufficiently angry, or especially threaten his friends, watch out.
Mad Scientist: Rodney has, in no particular order, helped an authoritarian regime develop working atomic bombs, posed as a god to a pre-industrial society which he immediately transformed into a steampunk playground, destroyed 5/6 of a solar system futzing with an exotic power source, very nearly destroyed an entire universe futzing with a different exotic power source, removed the Restraining Bolt from a race of evil killer robots thus freeing them to begin a campaign of genocide against the human population of Pegasus...the list goes on.
Motor Mouth: Rodney is to Atlantis what Daniel Jackson is to SG-1. Naturally, when Daniel guest stars in the mid-Season Five duology, they're teamed up for the crossover.
Never My Fault: Flip-flops between this and It's All My Fault, usually depending on whether the incident is being played for comedy or drama. For minor screw-ups and/or nobody got hurt, he'll often try to pass the blame to someone else (usually Zelenka).
Prematurely Bald: Similiarly to Michael Garibaldi on Babylon 5, you can tell which Season of Atlantis you're watching based on how much Rodney's hairline's thinned and receded.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: He once accidentally destroyed ~~2/3rds~~ 5/6th of a solar system, and the rest of the team won't let him forget it. Luckily, it was uninhabited.
Perpetual Frowner: It's because his vast intellect causes Rodney's mind to jump to very worst possibility imaginable. Seeing a half-empty glass on a table will make him wonder just when it'll roll off the table and shatter, causing a laceration that gets infected, forcing him to amputate his hand with a rusty saw, causing him to die from tetanus.
The Engineer: Rodney is much more a theoretical physicist than an engineer, but he becomes one when the situation demands it. Engineering was actually his second Doctorate.
The Smart Guy: Along with Zelenka, he's the go-to-guy to fix up a tech solution to get the team out of some mess. He's well aware of it, and is more than willing to boast about it.
Spotting the Thread: In both "Home" and "Phantoms", McKay eventually notices that something is wrong with "reality" because both science and the laws of physics simply do not work that way.
Undying Loyalty:
- There is very little that Rodney won't do for the team, if pushed. He once spends the last 25 years of his life (in an averted timeline) developing a holographic AI companion of himself for Sheppard when a time travel accident sends Sheppard 48,000 years into the future.
- His alternate universe counterpart "Rod" is no slouch either, volunteering for a dangerous mission into another reality to save his Atlantis from destruction, before returning home via equally dangerous means because he "couldn't abandon his team".
Transplant: Appeared on SG-1 well before Atlantis.
- Unlike Weir, though, Rodney's transplant to Pegasus was not part of the original plan for Atlantis. The Expedition's lead scientist was originally an Afro-Canadian astro-physicist named Benjmain Ingram. However, they had immense trouble casting the role and they still hadn't found the right actor just as shooting was about to begin on "Rising". Despite being a different ethnicity than the character, David Hewlett came into audition and they decided to just swap out Ingram for Rodney.
The Woobie:
- Following the deaths of both Elizabeth and Beckett, two of the very few people he ever considered friends (and in the latter case, in his own words, 'the best friend I've ever had'), he's quite clearly utterly heartbroken and throws himself into his work to avoid dealing with it. When Zelenka gently tries to get him to open up about it, it's clear that he's on the verge of tears.
- The alternate universe counterpart that spent the last twenty five years of his life designing an AI and concocting a plan to help Sheppard (who'd been thrown 48,000 years into the future) back to the present and to avert the Bad Future that would otherwise have occurred. He'd already lost Elizabeth and Carson, and now he'd lost Sheppard - one of his other very few friends - and then it went From Bad to Worse: Teyla was found dead after she had given birth and was no longer of any use to Michael, Carter captained the USS Phoenix and was killed taking out three of Michael's Hives in an ambush, Ronon split off from Atlantis after the Expedition retreated and died with Todd taking out one of Michael's operations, and while he had a chance of a happy ending with Keller (the two of them deciding that they simply couldn't accept the prospect of standing by and doing nothing while Pegasus suffered), it turned out that she'd got an Incurable Cough of Death from complications from repeated exposure to Michael's variant on the Hoffan drug, and was dead within a year. After that, he spent the next twenty five years desperately trying to arrange a way to save Sheppard and undo the Bad Future (which ultimately succeeded), but in the process essentially became a hermit, driving away his sister and almost all his friends. While it isn't stated, the implication is that once he'd set his plan in motion, he died shortly afterwards, completely alone.

Teyla Emmagan

Played By: Rachel Luttrell

First Appearance: "Rising"

Leader of the Athosians. Joins Sheppard's team after Athos is destroyed in the pilot.

Action Girl: Manages to keep up with Proud Warrior Race guy Ronon. She's later promoted to Action Mom.
Mama Bear: Don't threaten her baby. She'll not only kick your ass, she'll make sure to throw you off a tower to your death.
Ms. Fanservice: In terms of an actual character, Teyla is given very little to do, and scenes of her sparring with either Ronon or Sheppard as a means of opening an episode became suspiciously frequent. She does get some screen time, but it is usually only to show her fighting. In terms of who she is as a person, we really learn very little.
The McCoy: Always, though sometimes has competition in this regard from the equally emotional Ronon, but she's far more compassionate and much less violent.
Pragmatic Hero: Usually, she is the voice of compassion on the team, but she has the potential for extreme ruthlessness, especially when her child or husband are threatened.
Pregnant Hostage: Was kidnapped while pregnant.
Proud Warrior Race Girl: Not an extreme example; much closer to Proud Hunter Race Girl.
Real Life Writes the Plot: Rachel Luttrell's pregnancy was written into the show.
Shipper on Deck: Ships Elizabeth with a one-off character in the third-season episode Sunday, clearly with the goal of getting her to unwind a little.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Sheppard or Ronon, depending on the episode. She is close to both men; using Sheppard's name as her son's middle name (though, at that point, it's probably more just gratitude and enormous respect), and bonding with Ronon due to their shared history under the Wraith threat and status as the 'outsiders' of Atlantis. However neither relationship went anywhere, as she hooked up with Kanaan and became a mother.

Aiden Ford

Lt. Aiden Ford

Played By: Rainbow Sun Francks

First Appearance: "Rising"

A member of Sheppard's team. Didn't get much Character Development in Season One; they didn't seem to know what to do with him. At the start of Season Two, became addicted to a Wraith enzyme and went rogue and was replaced by Ronon, a more colorful character with an interesting backstory. Was last seen in the Season Two mid-season two-parter; after, everyone on the show talks like it's taken for granted they will never run into him again.

Bus Crash: They gave us a huge hint that he might show up again but he never did - until the follow up novels, anyway.
Demoted to Extra: In season one, he was a crucial part of the team, but rarely had anything to do other than to be Sheppard's lieutenant. Season two saw him go rogue in an misguided and enyzme-addicted effort to prove himself to Sheppard.
The Generic Guy: Other than being Sheppard's rookie lieutenant, there wasn't much backstory to make him stand out to the audience.
Nice Guy: Was always friendly towards others, even people like Rodney.
Perpetual Smiler: Not too much, but noticeable.
Reassigned to Antarctica: A literal example in "Home", where this happens to him in the Lotus-Eater Machine.
Uncertain Doom: The last we see of him, he's last seen fighting aboard a Wraith ship that explodes several minutes later. They Never Found the Body and the characters even note that they've survived similar situations several times in the past, but the fact he never shows up again does suggest against his survival.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Was something of a background character in Season one, despite being part of the main cast. In season 2 he was given a new exciting storyline... and then disappeared for half the season before returning in a two parter that ended with his apparent death. He wasn't seen in the series proper again, and popped up again in the sequel books
What the Hell, Hero?: A non-verbal one in "The Eye", when Beckett's facial expressions makes it look like he doesn't believe Teyla's claim that she didn't kill Tyrus in "Underground", Ford gives him a Death Glare in response.
What Happened to the Mouse?: His return was left open since the team Never Found the Body. Unfortunately, the fact he never shows up for the rest of the series suggests he's likely to be dead after all, until he popped up in the sequel series.

Carson Beckett

Dr. Carson Beckett

Played By: Paul McGillion

First Appearance: "Rising"

Atlantis's senior medical officer. Scottish. Has the ATA gene, but is afraid of using Ancient technology.

Badass Normal: He doesn't fight often, being a doctor. But when he does he fights for keeps.
Chick Magnet: Hoffan scientist Perna, Dr Porter and most notably, Lieutenant Cadman all take an interest in him.
Clone Angst: After his death, a clone of him is found in Michael’s lab, six months later with the exact memories and personality. It turns out that Michael cloned him to help with his research into the Hoffan drug and that he has been hoping for a rescue for almost two years. Learning that he’s not the ‘original’ causes him no end of confusion and grief.
Expy: He's a simple, home-loving doctor who detests certain high-tech sci-fi gadgets with a passion and who always tries to find a humane solution over a military one. In Beckett's case, the technology he hates is powering Ancient weapons and spaceships as opposed to Star Trek transporters, but his connection to Dr. McCoy is even lampshaded in-universe.
Sheppard: He's worse than Doctor McCoy.
Teyla: Who?
Sheppard: The TV character that Doctor Beckett plays in real life.
The Heart: As Elizabeth says in her Eulogy he was a kind soul, and no one ever came to her with a complaint about him.
Hospital Hottie: He's quite a handsome doctor, which has not gone unnoticed in-universe or out.
Mad Scientist: Carson fits the bill just as well as McKay, and possibly better. As early as the teaser of the second episode, he's cheerfully injecting Rodney with his experimental (and not FDA-approved) ATA retrovirus because, as he puts it, "It's legal here in the Pegasus Galaxy." His experiments really only get less restrained as the series goes on.
The McCoy: Often tries so hard to help everyone that he has to be reasoned with or even physically restrained to preserve his own safety (very important, considering he's by far the most qualified medical doctor/surgeon in the entire galaxy, for quite a while).
Meaningful Funeral: The first one we actually see on the show, though Dr. Weir does refer to other losses. We see his coffin carried through the gate, with the main cast as his pallbearers.
The Medic: The head of Medicine on the Atlantis base, he is frequently fixing up our heroes after their many scrapes with death.
Promotion to Opening Titles: He was originally a recurring character but was given main cast status at the beginning of Series Two.
You Look Familiar: Previously appeared in SG-1 as the Young Ernest Littlefield in "Torment of Tantalus".

Ronon Dex

Played By: Jason Momoa

First Appearance: "Runner"

Satedan warrior. After the fall of his homeworld, the Wraith implanted him with a tracking device and hunted him for sport from planet to planet for years. Replaced Ford and became The Big Guy.

Back-to-Back Badasses: Once with Teal'c, and about 40 times with Sheppard and the rest of the team.
Badass Family: According to Ronon, his grandfather taught him how to track and fight, in addition to how to use a triple-barreled shotgun when he was just ten years old.
Badass Normal: Sheppard and McKay have the ATA gene. Teyla has the ability to sense and later sightjack the Wraith. What does Ronon have? A particle magnum, years of military service, and seven years of surviving being sport-hunted by the Wraith. He's capable of fighting Wraith in hand-to-hand combat and winning.
The Big Guy: He is played by Jason Momoa, who is is 6'3'', and does most of the heavy hand-to-hand combat for the team.
Celibate Hero: It's mentioned that he gets a lot of attention from the female base personnel on Atlantis, but the only woman he displays interest in is Keller, at least until she tells him she's interested in someone else. When Sheppard once asks him if he's interested in anyone, he admits it's too soon, despite having lost the woman he loved over seven years ago. He meets Amelia Banks when she comes round from a Wraith stunner nearly as fast as he does and then helps him kick Wraith ass in hand-to-hand combat. The finale gives the pair a Maybe Ever After.
Crusading Widower: Although flashbacks in "Sateda" imply he was in a relationship with Melena, the hospital worker who perished in an explosion during the fall of their homeworld. "Sunday" reveals they were living as a married couple when he tells Sheppard that he wasn't married but was "close enough".
The Determinator: If he has to drive the Wraith to extinction all by himself, he has absolutely no problems with doing exactly that. Sometimes he has to be reminded that he's not alone any more and that he does have teammates who are willing to help him fight the Wraith.
Dreadlock Warrior: They became such a signature look that when Momoa cut them off in season 5, the producers made him wear a wig.
Enemy Mine:
- Subverted in "Michael". Despite the eponymous character having lost his memories of being a Wraith, believing himself to be a amnesiac soldier, Ronon still remains completely hostile to Michael throughout the episode and repeatedly looks for even the slightest excuse to try to kill him.
- Played straight in an alternate reality shown in "The Last Man", where Ronon and Todd become Back-to-Back Badasses, teaming up in order to destroy a Wraith hive and sacrificing themselves in the process.
Everyone Has Standards: While years as a Runner left him somewhat paranoid and hard to get along with,as well as a deep hatred of the Wraith, Ronon is always willing to give other humans a chance to prove themselves. This attitude prompted him to break ties with the V'drai, a group of Runners who taught Ronon most of his skills shortly after the destruction of Sateda, as the group's commander attacked a village of harmless natives on the chance that they would betray the group to the Wraith in future, whereas Ronon declares that he would be cautious giving others his trust but he wouldn't jump to the worst possible conclusion.
Fantastic Racism: While no-one in the Pegasus galaxy, save for the worshipers, like the Wraith, Ronon despises them, albeit for good reason. When the team encounters the seemingly innocent and benevolent Elia, Ronon is never anything but hostile towards her, insisting that she's a killer and a monster just like the rest of her species. Even a human, amnesiac Michael got nothing but contempt at best and outright hatred at worst from Ronon, which leads them to particularly despise one another after Michael reverts. He manages to get this under control in later seasons, though, to the point of being willing to work with Todd without constantly trying to kill him.
Going Native: Like his Proud Warrior Race guy counterpart on SG-1, he adapts to living in Earth culture over the course of the show. First he clashes with the military chain of command and can barely disguise his annoyance with diplomats and scientists. As he lightens up he begins to work well with Atlantis's Marine detachment and becomes a low-key movie buff. When Atlantis travels to Earth in the finale, his response to assurances that Stargate Command will make sure he gets home is "I am home." In the follow-up novels, while he is grateful to learn that his people are working to rebuild life on Sateda, he declines an offer to return to the planet full-time, both because he felt that he wouldn't be a good fit for the offered role and because he has come to identify himself more as a Lantean than a Satedan.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Extremely easy to piss off to the point of drawing his firearm or physically assaulting others with little to no provocation, especially if they are wraiths or used to be them, such as Ellia or Michael. They may get a single warning if he has been recently told to restrain himself.
Hidden Weapons : Only three things are infinite: The universe, human stupidity, and Ronon's supply of hidden knives.
Lt.Col. Sheppard: How many of those do you have?
Ronon: How many do you need?
The Hunter Becomes the Hunted: He hunted his Wraith pursuers just as much as they hunted him.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ronon may not have the best manners and is quick to say whatever is on his mind, but he's deeply loyal to Sheppard and is capable of showing a softer side.
Meaningful Name: "Ronon" is pronounced like "ronin" — the term for a masterless, wandering samurai. Given his backstory, his situation when he meets the Atlantis team, and his fondness for blades...
The McCoy: Often, in a very bloody-minded way.
Mr. Fanservice: Momoa won Hawaii's Model of the Year in 1999.
Multi-Ranged Master: There probably isn't a weapon type in existence that Ronon can't immediately pick up and use. He is shown as being a very competent wrestler/grappler as well. Though he does seem to have a bit of difficulty with the railguns on the Daedalus. Console-controlled weaponry doesn't seem to be his thing.
The Paralyzer: His pistol does have a stun setting, though he often needs to be reminded to use it. Ronon prefers to keep it set at the highest kill setting possible, particularly when dealing with Wraith.
Perpetual Frowner: Rarely smiles, but it's worth it when he does.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Satedans were so good at combating the Wraith that they decided to wipe them out rather than continue culling them, just to be safe. They frequently have tribal style tattoos, and an intensely strict code of honour. Ronon frequently boasts about how good the Satedans are at fighting.
Real Life Writes the Plot: A minor example. His tattoos, at least the ones on his left forearm, are real. Jason had his arm tattooed between episodes so the producers wrote in a scene where Ronon gets his arm tattooed in a tavern.
Revolvers Are Just Better: His trademark energy pistol is shaped much like a revolver, and its energy cell is swapped out in a manner similar to break-action revolvers. He sticks with it despite the considerably greater volume of fire that the more standard issue Earth-made SMGs that the rest of the excursion teams prefer. It helps that it has variable output levels, ranging from stun to hilariously lethal. It is one of the only weapons that can kill one of Michael's super-hybrids with a single shot — they're otherwise capable of tanking an uncomfortably large amount of P90 fire before going down.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Due to the fall of Sateda, the annihilation of his race at the hands of the Wraith and witnessing the death of his lover right in front of his eyes, before being forced to spend over seven years as a Runner.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Talking too much, for villains, tends to end with a mouthful of gun.
Trauma Conga Line: Was raised like everyone in the Pegasus galaxy under the constant threat of the Wraith. When he was in his twenties, his planet was overrun, his "wife" was killed in front of his eyes, and he then spent the next 7 years being used as a Runner for the Wraith in mock hunts. During this time he was lead to believe his entire race had been destroyed. He later discovered that some had survived, but many of them had become drunks and mercenaries. Some of his closest friends had even allied themselves with the Wraith. Poor guy can't catch a break.

Jennifer Keller

Dr. Jennifer Keller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/47da800fdc2958a74e3c72829e63752a.jpg

Played By: Jewel Staite

First Appearance: "First Strike"

Replaced Beckett as chief medical officer for the last two seasons.

Hospital Hottie: Becomes the new head of medical, and is played by the adorable Jewel Staite.
Improbable Age: She's named the head of the expedition's medical team at the ripe old age of twenty-six. She does mention in one episode that she was forced to sacrifice her childhood to do it and that she does have regrets about that.
The Load: Freely acknowledges being this in "Missing", although by the end of the episode she manages to take a few levels in badass at least.
Love Triangle: While Ronon and Rodney assume they're going to be in one and make a gentleman's agreement behind her back to let the best man win, it doesn't interfere with their personal relationship. Keller herself puts a stop to it a few episodes later as soon as she realises Ronon may be getting the wrong impression from her friendship, telling him she's interested in someone else. He immediately stops pursuing her, although it takes Rodney much longer to figure out he's won... not because he thinks Keller doesn't want him, but because - despite knowing that - he still has trouble asking her on a date until she tells him to just call his invitation a date.
The Medic: Takes over as the head of medicine after Carson's death.
Promotion to Opening Titles: Season Five.
Teen Genius: Supposedly how she got the head doctor's job so young.

Samantha Carter

Colonel Samantha Carter

Played By: Amanda Tapping

First Appearance: "Children of the Gods"

Transplant from Stargate SG-1. Replaced Weir as head of the Atlantis Expedition for Season Four.

Badass Bookworm: Carried over from SG-1. Carter's a genius and a Colonel Badass to boot.
The Kirk: Pulls this off sometimes, despite having an extremely hard science background like McKay
Transplant: From SG-1.

Richard Woolsey

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stargate_atlantis_woolsey.jpg

Played By: Robert Picardo

First Appearance: "Heroes, Part 2"

A high-ranking IOA operative, who primarily performed reviews of both Stargate Command and Atlantis and made reports back to the IOA committee. Due to his being a bureaucrat and his job necessitating judging the actions of the main characters, he is not the most popular person in the Stargate program. Despite this, he is known as a fairly reasonable bureaucrat, and is willing to forgive some rule-bending if the results are satisfactory. Succeeds Carter as leader of the Altantis Expedition in Season Five.

For tropes applying to him in SG-1, see here.

Badass Boast
"I was Harvard Law Review. I was chief counsel of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to that, I was an appellate advocate for Hartshorne & Slaughter, one of the most prestigious litigation boutiques in all New York City. Believe me, I can handle three tribal leaders with a stack of papyrus."
Badass Bureaucrat: Once he undergoes some loosening up, he uses his eminent skill in navigating bureaucracies for the betterment of the Atlantis expedition.
Break the Haughty: Continuing his arc from SG-1, as he learns to take himself less seriously and know when to bend the rules.
Butt-Monkey: Nobody liked the fact that he replaced Carter, especially Sheppard. None of them made any effort to hide this from him either. For a while he was bordering on being The Woobie. Even Atlantis itself won't give the guy a break sometimes. There was a time the motion-sensing door of a conference room closed and decided to ignore his efforts to reopen it.
Character Development: Learns to bend the rules and become less of an Obstructive Bureaucrat during his time in command, continuing this character arc from SG1. The writers and producers referred to his arc as being one of redemption.
Cowardly Lion: When he was first introduced. He spent most of his time hiding in a corner, until he Took a Level in Badass.
Guile Hero: He's no fighter, but as his Badass Boast and what he follows it up with show, Woolsey's one hell of a negotiator.
Heel–Face Turn: Beginning in SG1's Poorly Disguised Pilot for Atlantis, when he realizes what an absolute tit Kinsey is, and arguably reaching a head in "Inquisition", when he goes into the field solo to defend the team.
Hidden Depths: Becomes more apparent over the course of his time in command, particularly in "The Shrine".
Informed Ability: He brags about his legal skills in the quote above, but he argues like an amateur trial lawyer, though he was able to convince the more reasonable judge. Given that of the two other judges, one was already intensely biased against the Atlantis Expedition and the other was being bribed to rule against them, it's not as if he could've done any better than that. Plus, he demonstrates a significant degree of skill in what might be considered the dark arts of legal negotiating, by figuring out which of the other judges is amenable to influence, and then essentially offering a bigger bribe.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: Though he becomes one less and less during his time in command. His character arc basically spans from being an antagonist, to being merely less obstructive than any other bureaucrat, to being annoying and nit-picky but generally benevolent towards the SGC and Atlantis Expedition.
Pet the Dog: Even before being made leader of the Atlantis Expedition, he had a few moments to show that he is really more pleasant than any other IOA bureaucrat, such as leaving out certain details in his Atlantis reports so as to not harm Carter's Command excessively.
Straight Man: Always straight-laced and straight faced, despite all the insanity he encounters in his job.
Straw Civilian: Eventually grows out of it, but it takes longer than for Weir. This probably has to do with the fact that he was cast as an antagonist on SG-1, so he needed to be given a redemptive arc.
Transplant: Just like Rodney, he first appeared in a couple of Stargate SG-1 episodes.

The Atlantis Expedition

Radek Zelenka

Dr. Radek Zelenka

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a4364b2f8e8f7ef8c3d226a2daedb088.jpg

Played By: David Nykl

First Appearance: "Thirty-Eight Minutes"

Atlantis's number two scientist. Exists primarily to discover impending Wraith attacks and take abuse from McKay.

Beleaguered Assistant: Is constantly put upon by Dr. McKay and often acts as his helper/second fiddle, even though he's still the 2nd top scientist in an organization full of Earth's best and brightest.
Bilingual Bonus: Speaks a lot of Czech.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: He says the following in Czech at one point: "Jesus, I can't work with these actors!"
Character Catchphrase: Well not exactly a catchphrase, but he does have a habit of storming away cursing in Czech when people irritate him.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While under the influence of an amnesia virus (as was most everyone else), he successfully evaded the Marines and took one out to boot.
Fake Guest Star: He's one of the most frequently appearing characters and one of the few recurring faces to last over all five seasons, but Zelenka never makes it to the opening credits.
Foil: Is often put in scenes with with McKay to make him appear both smarter, and crabbier. He's also very nervous about off world travel, which McKay often seems to be, but once Zelenka is around we realise that McKay is actually way more game for the action stuff than most of the scientists.
Foreign Cuss Word: He swears in Czech when he's annoyed and frustrated.
Zelenka: I'm trying, do prdele^csfor fuck's sake!
Foreign-Language Tirade: Has a habit of bursting into one of these when annoyed. Frequently accompanied by him throwing his hands up in the air and storming off.
Genius Ditz: Can come off as a bit forgetful and comical and is often proven wrong by McKay. But then it's easy to forget, that he is the number 2 scientist on the whole base, as McKay's second in command.
Homeless Pigeon Person: Is a major pigeon enthusiast, having raised pigeons back on Earth.
The Klutz: He's not that big a klutz, but it is noticeable.
Perma-Stubble: He didn't even shave for Carson's funeral.

Evan Lorne

Major Evan Lorne

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lorne_6243.jpg

Played By: Kavan Smith

First Appearance: "Enemy Mine"

Atlantis's military second in command. Joined the expedition in Season Two.

Deadpan Snarker: At times.
Fake Guest Star: He's a common sight from season 2 on, but he stays a guest star for the entire series.
Hero of Another Story: He first appeared in SG-1, then he popped up now and again afterwards.
Hidden Depths: One episode reveals him to be a professional-quality landscape painter, though the fact all his landscapes are of highly classified alien facilities means it's doubtful he'll ever be allowed to sell them.
Majorly Awesome: A major and a badass.
Mauve Shirt: Has little in the way of characterisation beyond being a straight arrow with a slightly dry sense of humour, but managed to survive to the end of the series.
Number Two: He's implied to be second-in-command of the military personnel, but he is not The Lancer.
Sixth Ranger: Joins the expedition in season 2, becoming a regular face from then on.
Transplant: First appeared in the SG-1 episode "Enemy Mine".

Steven Caldwell

Colonel Steven Caldwell

Played By: Mitch Pileggi

First Appearance: "The Siege, Part 3"

Commander of USAF starship Daedalus. Not officially a member of the expedition, but definitely someone they can always depend on.

Colonel Badass: A colonel and commander of the Cool Starship Daedalus.
Driven to Villainy: Thanks to the Goa'uld spy symbiote implanted in him against his will. He gets better after it's excised, though.
Fake Guest Star: He appeared on a more or less regular basis in season 2, yet never made the leap to the opening credits.
Hero of Another Story: Commander of a starship which travels between the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxy, he pops up as a supporting character on both Atlantis and SG-1.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's not the most personable guy and frequently grates on the Atlantis team's nerves but Goa'uld possession aside he's got nothing but good intentions.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Once that pesky Goa'uld's gone, anyway.

Abraham Ellis

Colonel Abraham Ellis

Played By: Michael Beach

First Appearance: "First Strike"

Commander of the Apollo another USAF starship and sister ship to the Daedalus.

Colonel Badass: Dropping six planet-buster sized nukes on the Replicators certainly qualifies him as one.
Hero of Another Story: Being the commanding officer of a 304-class battlecruiser means he's dealing with any problem that the IOA or Stargate Command needs him to.
Jerkass: Not the nicest of the military leaders.
Replacement Flat Character: Takes up the banner of the unlikable military leader after Colonel Caldwell gets his symbiote removed and loses most of his Jerkass qualities.

Chuck

Played By: Chuck Campbell

First Appearance: "The Brotherhood"

Canadian technician who works in the Atlantis Gate room.

Deadpan Snarker: Feels like Woolsey doesn't show him the respect he deserves and snarks about it.
Flat Character: If Lorne has minimal characterisation, Chuck has virtually none. The odd moment aside, his dialogue is almost purely functional.

Bates

Sergeant Bates

Played By: Dean Marshall

First Appearance: "Rising"

Atlantis's head of security in Season One. Later discharged and became an IOA agent.

Anti-Hero: He's not evil, just an ass.
The Bus Came Back: He shows up again as an NID agent after being Put on a Bus in season 2.
Fantastic Racism: Makes it very clear he doesn't like the Athosians.
Jerkass: He must have written the book on being a jerkass.
Properly Paranoid: Immediately comes to the conclusion that Teyla was giving away their position to the Wraith. He actually was right, sort of. Turned out her father's pendant had been implanted with a tracking device.
Series Continuity Error: Is a member of the Marine Corps while assigned to the Atlantis Expedition, but mentions being discharged from the Air Force when he reappears in season 4.
The Stoic: To the point of being more grim than Ronon Dex!
Took a Level in Kindness: Much less anagonistic when he reappears in season 4. Whether he grew as a person while recovering from the injury sustained in season 1, or being marooned in a distant galaxy surrounded by hostile alien forces simply brought out the worst in him, is not addressed onscreen.

Peter Grodin

Dr. Peter Grodin

Played By: Craig Veroni

First Appearance: "Rising"

British scientist who runs the control tower. Killed Off for Real at the end of Season One.

Killed Off for Real: Killed when the Wraith destroyed the Ancient defense satellite he was on.
Mission Control: In season 1, he served a similar role to that of Sergeant Harriman from SG-1.
Sacrificial Lion: His death proves beyond a doubt how serious the threat from the Wraith really is.
You Shall Not Pass!: Tried using Ancient tech to stop the Wraith in their tracks, but he was only able to take out one ship out of three.

Kate Heightmeyer

Dr. Kate Heightmeyer

Played By: Claire Rankin

First Appearance: "The Gift"

Expedition psychologist. Killed Off for Real in Season Four.

All Psychology Is Freudian: Averted. She more often investigates stress and fear as being the root causes for people's problems, rather than deep dark family pasts.
All Therapists Are Muggles: Doesn't seem to realize she's in a world where time travel, alternate realities and people being taken over by alien entities are a regular occurrence. No, clearly if someone is experiencing something weird, it's all in their head.
Hollywood Psych: And not very good at it either.
Ironic Death: The resident psychologist is killed by an entity that causes deadly nightmares.
The Shrink: The expeditions therapist, she occasionally councils our heroes when the episodes have a psychological component to them.

The Wraith

In General

The main antagonists of the show, the Wraith are a race of space vampires who feed on the life force of humans for sustenance. They are the dominant lifeform of the Pegasus galaxy, having defeated and driven off the Atlantean branch of the Ancients who had previously seeded the galaxy with life.

The Ageless: Wraith are biologically immortal and can seemingly survive indefinitely as long as they feed regularly on human life force. They typically hibernate in suspended animation for centuries between feedings, but this is more for practical reasons (not enough humans to sustain their numbers if they were awake all the time) rather than being necessary to extend their lifespan.
Always Chaotic Evil: With the exception of Ellia (who was raised by a human) and to a certain extent Todd, Wraith are invariably amoral and ruthless, not just towards humans (who are, after all, their natural food source), but towards each other as well.
Bee People: Having descended from insects, the Wraith have a very insect-like social structure, with each Hive being led by a Queen, with different castes of Wraith born to fulfill various roles (mainly more intelligent Officers/Scientists and more muscular, ridgid-thinking Warriors).
Crazy Cultural Comparison: Invoked in the sequel novels when various Wraith discuss the Atlantis expedition. Given the matriarchal nature of Wraith culture, they regard Elizabeth Weir and Samantha Carter as the equivalent of the ‘queen’ of Atlantis, with Teyla as a junior queen. Linking to this perception, John Sheppard is regarded as the shared consort of these queens (Carter is also believed to have another consort in another galaxy, a clear reference to her Ship Tease with Jack O’Neill), while Woolsey is considered a “blade” who rules Atlantis on the behalf of his Queen after Carter returned to her galaxy.
Deflector Shields: Notably averted; they're the one advanced race in the Stargate series who don't possess energy shield technology on their ships. However, even without shields their ships (which are much bigger than those of other races) are very tough, with their cruisers able to fight other races' capital ships even without shields and their hive ships being able to shrug off multiple nuclear warhead hits to the hull without major damage. The lack of shields on their ships also means they can't stay in hyperspace for prolonged periods of time, as it places stress on the ship's hull.
Evil Is Bigger: Wraith hive ships are by a very large magnitude the largest ships in the Stargate universe. They're city-sized (almost a dozen times longer than a Goa'uld mothership) and even without shields can shrug off tactical nuclear missile hits through sheer toughness.
Healing Factor: Noticably more powerful than that possessed by the Goa'uld, to the extent that they can sometimes regenerate from bullet wounds in mere seconds. It gets weaker the longer it's been since they've fed, though.
King Mook: The Wraith leader in the episode "Sateda" was noticeably larger and a lot stronger than normal, being able to easily manhandle Ronon, who's otherwise quite capable of defeating Wraith in hand-to-hand.
Made of Iron: Exactly how tough an individual Wraith is seems to vary quite a lot based on factors such as how recently it's been since they've fed, but generally an average Wraith seems to be quite a bit harder to put down than an average Jaffa. "The Defiant One" was able to regenerate from a full mag of P90 submachine gun fire and a grenade to the face, but that's definitely on the extreme high end of how much punishment they can take. A Wraith Queen was able to swim from one ship to another on the bottom of the ocean without suffering any ill effects from the extreme pressure.
Medieval Stasis: Like the Goa'uld, they wipe out any human cultures that advanced technologically enough to potentially be a threat to them. They seem to be much more efficient at it than the Goa'uld are; while the Milky Way galaxy has many human and non-human cultures more technologically advanced than Earth, and even several that have developed technologically ahead of the Goa'uld, the most advanced human cultures in the Pegasus Galaxy (the Genii and the Satedans) are at a level around World War II-era Earth- the former hiding underground so the Wraith won't know they've gotten that far, and the latter the Wraith found and decimated back to the stone age.
Monstrous Cannibalism: As a last resort, Wraith will feed on each other to survive if there are no humans around to eat.
Multiple-Choice Past: Their exact origins are never definitively shown on the show, but the best explanation put forward is that they're descended from a species of life-draining insect (Iratus bugs) that eventually evolved into a humanoid state after feeding on human colonists. The Expanded Universe novels instead indicate they're descended from human test subjects the Ancients artificially evolved in an attempt to find a path to physical immortality if they couldn't achieve Ascension.
Our Vampires Are Different: They're essentially space vampires descended from large life-draining insects that ate enough human DNA to evolve into a humanoid form. They also have superhuman physical abilities and telepathic abilities.
Precursor Killers: They managed to defeat the Atlantean Ancients, driving them from the Pegasus Galaxy. While the Ancients had superior technology, the Wraith had massively superior numbers and were able to wear them down through centuries of attrition.
Smug Snake: They're not as Stupid Evil as the Goa'uld, but their belief in their own superiority and unbeatability often causes them to underestimate the Atlantis Expedition.
Super-Strength: They're much stronger and faster than humans, at least as much and perhaps even moreso than the Goa'uld are.

Michael Kenmore

"Michael Kenmore"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stargate_atlantis_michael.jpg

Played By: Connor Trinneer

First Appearance: "Michael"

First Wraith on whom the expedition tested their new gene therapy to turn him into a human. It worked. Partly.

Anti-Villain: Averted. Despite what Michael is always saying, he was a monster even before the other Wraith rejected him, which he proved in his debut episode; Teyla was one of the only people who treated the human Michael with any kind of kindness, yet when Michael started reverting into a Wraith, he kidnapped her with the intent of feeding on her. His actions over the course of his other appearances destroy any sympathetic qualities Michael has, and in the end, he's driven by little more than spite.
Ax-Crazy: Once he settles as a Hybrid, Michael is clearly a bloodthirsty monster who revels in killing his enemies.
Big Bad: The closest that the show ever got to a singular main antagonist. He fills the role best in season 4.
Disney Villain Death: After a brief fight, Teyla throws him off the highest tower in Atlantis towards the end of the final season.
Evil Is Petty: Michael and Ronon always hated each other, but in "The Prodigal", Michael is willing to take a moment (while the city is rigged to explode, no less) to behead an unconscious Ronon just for a trophy. Ironically, this wound up saving Michael's life, as Sheppard activating the Stargate before Michael could wound up killing the Hybrids Michael brought with him, and would have killed Michael as well if he hadn't stopped to try and kill Ronon.
Evilutionary Biologist: Tried to kill almost everybody and turn the rest into an unstoppable army of destruction.
Freudian Excuse: He was betrayed by both humans and Wraith. No wonder he went completely crazy. Deciding to wipe out both races, on the other hand, is less reasonable.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From run of the mill Wraith to genocidal lunatic and would-be galactic conqueror.
Half-Human Hybrid: The Wraith are already the result of Iratus Bugs feeding on humans. After Michael has been treated with the Atlantis-designed retrovirus that makes him temporarily human two times and organizing his own experiments on hybridization, he ultimately becomes some sort of hybrid in between Wraith and humans (three-quarter human hybrid?). Notably, he doesn't need to feed anymore.
Heel–Face Brainwashing: He was the guinea pig for the Atlantis expedition's gene therapy treatments, testing whether or not they could transform a Wraith into a full-fledged human. As part of the experiment, they also gave him a fictitious backstory as a team member who received amnesia from an injury. Michael is not happy when he discovers the truth.
Hypocrite:
- Michael is constantly treating the Atlantis team like monsters because they turned him into a human without his consent. He goes on to convert thousands of humans into his Hybrid army without their consent.
- He claims to care for Teyla and her baby. As he proves at the end of "The Prodigal", he's perfectly fine with leaving both of them to die out of raw spite.
Killed Off for Real: Finally slain by Teyla about halfway through the show's final season.
Mirroring Factions: Likes to think that the Wraith and Atlantis team are basically the same, and seems to say it at least once in every episode he appears in. He's also willing to commit the same acts he blames the Atlantis Expedition for (Such as subjecting people to gene therapies and experiments against their will), to other people, and on much wider scales to boot.
Never My Fault: Michael blames himself for exactly none of his own atrocities. To him, the Atlantis team is at fault for everything he does, due to using him as a genetic experiment. While they did set Michael on the path to what he became, in the end, it was Michael's own rage and obsession with revenge that resulted in the most horrific of his crimes.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Was your run of the mill Wraith until Atlantis tampered with his genes (twice, without his consent). Pretty much turned your average Wraith into a savage Hybrid with a vision of genocidal vengeance and the pure hatred to pull it off. Big mistake, to be sure, but, as Beckett, Weir, and Sheppard point out, they had to try, considering that the Wraith possess every major advantage over Atlantis (with the possible exception of technology, since most of Atlantis's really high-tech goodies are either Ancient or Asgard).
Then Let Me Be Evil: Was a Wraith who the protagonists forcibly converted into an amnesiac human. His introductory episode has the characters mistreating him for no clear reason, before he realizes that he's a Tomato in the Mirror and breaks out to return to his people... but they won't accept him either, since he's still partly human. He desperately returns to the protagonists and offers valuable aid, just begging them that they don't de-Wraithify him again. They do, and when he recovers, he's fed up of saying What the Hell, Hero?, and he snaps completely and becomes an Evilutionary Biologist.
Omnicidal Maniac: Michael's endgame is to wipe out all Wraith as revenge for them rejecting him, and intends to end humanity in the Pegasus galaxy as well, either by killing them with the Hoffan drug or converting them into Hybrids to serve him. However you slice it, it's genocide.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Like most Wraith, his real name is kept from us for the entire series. It's Lastlight.
Villainous Crush: For Teyla, possibly the only being ever who showed him compassion, once. This didn't stop him from trying to kill her a half-dozen times throughout the series and trying to harvest her child, however.
What the Hell, Hero?: Calls the heroes out on their actions, repeatedly.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Not remotely sympathetic, but he counts. Being forcibly converted into a human (twice) and rejected by the Wraith turned Michael into an embittered psychotic hell bent on genocide and galactic domination.

Todd

"Todd"

Played By: Christopher Heyerdahl

First Appearance: "Common Ground"

A Wraith scientist who was imprisoned alongside Sheppard and was made to feed on him. Different than other Wraith in that he actually keeps his end of the bargains and isn't particularly malicious towards the expedition, finding that they make useful temporary allies.

Affably Evil: Well, depending on the definition of "evil", but nails the "affably" part pretty well.
Ascended Extra: Todd was initially a one-shot Wraith for "Common Ground". But the positive reception to the character (and Christopher Heyerdahl's chemistry with Joe Flanigan) convinced the production team to bring him back for Season Four — and the rest is history.
Backhanded Compliment: Agrees that McKay is highly intelligent... for a human.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Sort of. He will invariably screw Atlantis over the moment that the tide might turn in his favour, but unlike almost every other Wraith, he will also keep to the letter of his bargains. Unfortunately, he's also very good at Loophole Abuse. This is pointed out by Sheppard when he explains that dealing with Todd feels like walking around with a live grenade in your pocket. In the sequel novels, even after Atlantis has officially agreed to a truce with the Wraith, Todd still takes steps to find clues to the location of Earth, musing that while he trusts Sheppard he wants to be prepared for the future.
Deadpan Snarker: If he wants to, he can be pretty snarky.
Ronon: We're just gonna blow it up.
Todd: [resigned] Naturally.
Defector from Decadence: When the expedition came up with a way to remove the Wraith need to feed on humans, he was willing to try it. Didn't quite work out, though, mostly because he wasn't willing to do it on their schedule.
Enemy Mine: Isn't afraid to turn to the Atlantis crew if they have a mutual enemy, but often does it to suit his own interests...
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The spin-off novels see Sheppard’s team discover Alabaster, a young Wraith queen who they soon determine is Todd’s daughter, who was trapped on an isolated planet when her ship crashed and the local Stargate was in orbit. By the time they find her, Alabaster has given birth to a child, and Sheppard explicitly notes that they’re not going to kill Todd’s grandchild after he’s been helpful so far.
Evil Counterpart: Depends a bit on whether you define Todd as 'evil', but it is significant that subsequent literature establishes that Todd's 'true' name in Wraith culture is 'Guide', which is the same as the name the Wraith have given John Sheppard, as both guide their people without officially leading them.
Exact Words: He'll stick to his bargains, no matter what, but you'd best be careful to make sure you're clear on what he actually agrees to.
Friendly Enemy: Comes across as one to Sheppard and McKay when they're forced to team up. As he points out after restoring Sheppard's lifeforce in his first appearance, the Wraith only grant such a thing to their most devout worshippers and their "brothers". Well, Sheppard is not a worshipper, so...?
Genius Bruiser: He's an exceptional fighter and a brilliant scientist, being implied to be every bit as smart as McKay - certainly, smart enough to hack his systems. He also shows an interest in other scientific concepts; when he first meets Daniel Jackson, Daniel mentions an incident where he and SG-1 encountered a version of Todd in an alternate reality (Stargate SG-1: Ouroboros), and Todd not only understands the concept of alternate realities but offers some theories about how his counterpart ended up in the situation where Daniel found him in that other world.
Handshake Refusal: Intentionally invoked this by offering his hand forward to Woolsey and causing everyone in the vicinity to immediately raise their weapons. Turns out he was just screwing with them.
Todd: [laughs] Just a bit of Wraith humour.
Honor Before Reason: Most of the time, he'll go to any lengths to keep his bargains, even against his own better judgement.
Immortal Genius: The Wraith are practically immortal so long as they continue to feed on other living beings. Of them, Todd has been alive for over ten thousand years and survived more tight scrapes than any other Wraith in the show. He's also the most intelligent and scientifically minded of them — to the point that when McKay desperately needs to hack a rogue swarm of nanites, he's ultimately forced to consult Todd for answers.
Lovable Traitor: While he's inevitably going to turn on the Atlantis expedition at one point or another, his Affably Evil tendencies, the fact that it is Nothing Personal, sense of humour and Noble Demon leanings make him one of the most likeable characters in the cast.
Meaningful Name: Todd is an old English name meaning "fox" (as in, cunning as a fox), while "Tod" is a Scottish nickname meaning "clever or wily one". Both fit him like a glove.
Noble Demon: He is still a villain, but Todd is actually willing to work with humans, and once he makes a bargain with you, he tends to keep it. He also spends most of his introductory episode philosophizing about the nature of being a Wraith, and how, like humans, they do have emotions and feelings. Really highlights the "noble" part of the trope.
Nothing Personal: Genuinely has nothing against the Atlantis Expedition, and seems to get on with them better than his fellow Wraith. And when he does inevitably stab them in the back, it's just business.
Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is only mentioned in the Legacy series of novels. It's Guide.
Really 700 Years Old: It is revealed in "The Lost Tribe" that Todd is over 10,000 years old. Given the nature of Wraith society, the fact he's lasted that long makes this a rather impressive feat.
So What Do We Do Now?: In "First Contact", agrees that while the gene-therapy will mean they are free from their reliance on Humans as food, it's the end of a millennia of Wraith society and culture, particularly their self-image of themselves as the Superior Species.
Dr. Keller: It's for your benefit too. If you don't have to rely on human feeding, the war would be over.
Todd: Perhaps... But then what would we do? Who would we be?
Worthy Opponent: Sees the Atlantis crew and Sheppard in particular as one.

The Genii

In General

The Genii are a ruthless militaristic society who are the most technologically advanced human society in the Pegasus galaxy^note, being about on par with World War II Earth (including computer technology, simple nuclear weapons, and a network of planetary outposts and spies created using the Stargate network). They have managed to avoid the Medieval Stasis enforced by the Wraith by hiding most of their society underground, with an Amish-like community on the surface to give the appearance they're much less developed than they actually are. They often come into conflict with the Atlantis expedition, due to their ruthlessness and coveting the more advanced technology of Atlantis in order to battle the Wraith.

Dangerous Deserter: After Atlantis helps replace Cowen with a more cooperative Genii government in a coup d'tat, rogue soldiers initially led by Kolya (who considers himself Cowen's successor) continue to cause trouble for the expedition.
The Usual Adversaries: They're second only to the Wraith in causing trouble for the Atlantis expedition. However, Teyla also acknowledges that if Atlantis falls, the Genii are Pegasus' best hope for defeating the Wraith.
Weak, but Skilled: Essentially why they pose a threat to the Tau'ri of Pegasus. Genii are not advanced enough to pose any kind of challenge to the Atlantis expedition in a straightforward fight, but they exploit their familiarity with the Pegasus galaxy to their advantage, attacking Atlantis when most of the base is evacuated, or catching small groups unaware.

Cowen

Played By: Colm Meaney

First Appearance: "Underground"

Chronic Back Stabbing Disorder: You'd think the Atlantis team would've learned not to believe a word he says.
Playing Both Sides: He tried pitting the Atlantis team against some rebels. It didn't end well.

Acastus Kolya

Played By: Robert Davi

First Appearance: "The Storm"

Arch-Enemy: To Sheppard.
Badass Longcoat: When not in uniform.
Faux Affably Evil: Usually.
Foil: To Sheppard. They are extremely similar soldiers, they just happen to be on the other side to each other.
Lawful Evil: Kolya is simply following orders, as a soldier, for a cause he believes in, especially in his early appearances. His "evil" is for the most part, simply that his goal happens to be in opposition to the main characters.
Showdown at High Noon: A version B with Sheppard. He lost.
The Dragon: To whoever is in command of the Genii and giving him orders.
The Stoic: He is rarely flustered even by severe negative situations, reacting calmly but with deadly intent and focus when required.
The Unfettered: Even his own strike team is put off by his actions.
Villain Respect: Regards Sheppard as 'a extraordinary soldier'.

Sora Tyrus

Played By: Erin Chambers

First Appearance: "Underground"

Arch-Enemy: Teyla is this to Sora. In her first appearance her father Tyrus is left for dead by Teyla after he gets stunned by the Wraith and Teyla is forced to leave. Sora blames Teyla for her father's death and attempts to avenge it.
Action Girl: Manages to get in a few decent shots in her fight with Teyla.
Fiery Redhead: Sora has blazing red hair and is very intense in her confrontation with Teyla, making her one of the most distinctive human antagonist characters the show had.
Heel–Face Turn: A minor example, as she had no real choice given that Kolya had left her behind after Sora went out to try and kill Teyla. It was obvious that she didn't necessarily agree with Kolya murdering the gate security officers when they first arrived and didn't want to see Weir & McKay also killed.
Number Two and Mook Lieutenant: On Kolya's strike team.
No One Gets Left Behind: Averted. Her running off to attempt to kill Teyla results in Kolya and Ladon leaving without her. She is captured and held for months on Atlantis.
Put on a Bus and Long Bus Trip: Her capture at the end of The Eye would have made it incredibly easy for her to participate in a future episode or even to stay on Atlantis. Instead one later reference is made to her still being captured. Another was intended to have her shown as being traded back to the Genii for some nuclear weapons but it was cut from the show, making it non-canon.
- The Bus Came Back: In the Expanded Universe. On the television show Sora is never seen again after her capture, but she eventually returns as an important character in an post-cancellation Expanded Universe series of novels.
Red Herring Shirt: Averted. Compared to Ladon who was only a step above an extra in the Eye & Storm episodes, Sora had a lot of lines, an important connection to Teyla and ended up having to stay on Atlantis, and yet she is never seen again while Ladon returns with a bigger role in future episodes.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Wanting to defeat Teyla herself. She even makes good on this promise but is beaten by Teyla and forced to retreat lest they both die from the lightning arcing through Atlantis during the storm.
You Killed My Father: The only reason she was on the Strike Team in the first place was to attempt to kill Teyla, who she blamed for the death of Tyrus.
Word of God: The show runners revealing she was sent back to the Genii for their nuclear weapons is the only reason we know anything that happened to Sora after her capture.
- Her actress, Erin Chambers, came up with a backstory for Sora that involved her mother dying when she was young, which created the strong bond with her father that drove Sora to join the Strike Force and to try and kill Teyla.

Ladon Radim

Played By: Ryan Robbins

First Appearance: "The Storm"

The Chessmaster: Seems to be a requirement for Genii leaders.
Heel–Face Turn: First time it was a ruse, second time seems to be genuine.
Morality Pet: His sister, who is Delicate and Sickly. The Atlantis expedition treating her illness convinces him to usurp Cowen.
Rebel Leader: Against Cowen.
Red Herring Shirt: It's hard to know if it was intended, but Ladon is only given a minor role as the scientific specialist on Kolya's invasion team during the Genii's attack on Atlantis in Season One, with only slightly more attention that the generic mooks that Sheppard obliterates. He takes on a much greater role in later Genii episodes.
The Smart Guy: Of Kolya's team.

The Asurans

In General

A group of nanite-based human-like beings created by the Ancients as living weapons against the Wraith. The technology behind them appears identical to that of the Replicators.

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: They weren't content with the Ancients to begin with, but couldn't do anything about it. With their programming getting more lenient, the anti-Wraith command jumps to it's logical conclusion: destroying potential farms (read: human planets) en masse.
The Dreaded: Because they're related to the Replicators, who've almost destroyed the Milky Way, Atlantis Team and SGC consider them to be an extinction-level threat and too dangerous to live, regardless of how many Token Heroic Orcs can there be.
Hate Plague: They have a written-in programming to attack Wraiths, and have deduced that killing humans in the Pegausus Galaxy is one way to achieve strategic victory. Some Asurans like Niam are aware that their thoughts are not their own and want that programming gone.
"Second Law" My Ass!: Sensing that they may Grew Beyond Their Programming and didn't want to be weapons, the Ancients have wiped them out, though some have remained and repopulated. Despite the hatred, their programming doesn't allow to harm humans, as Ancients descendants, directly, so they had McKay give them more freedom, then they've removed the Thou Shalt Not Kill restriction themselves.
Sympathetic Sentient Weapon: They were created as living weapons, but all they want is to be left alone.
Technologically Advanced Foe: Because they're the creations of the Ancients, their ships and weapons are on their level, which they can also mass-produce, making them the most dangerous race in the Pegausus galaxy and the Wraith had to reprogram them to temporarily make them dormant. Unfortunately for Asurans, humans in the Milky Way have access to more updated Ancient tech and the Asgard weaponry, and their threat gets reduced once SGC manages to bring the warships over.
Tragic Villain: Had the Ancients acknowledged Asuran's growing sentience and stopped using them as weapons, their entire conflict with Atlantis would have never happened.
Then Let Me Be Evil: They've only wished for independence and, at first, their only target was the Atlantis city, not the team. However, once the 'attack' command against the Wraith gets re-activated, they don't hesitate to resume their strategic warfare by targeting the Wraiths' 'food supply' as the most effecient method of weakening them, meaning obliterating human population to prevent them from being harvested.
Unperson: The Ancients have wiped all information about them from their database as they've assumed they were wiped out.
Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Asurans have never bothered to develop new technology and were content with their current level. It bites them when Atlantis, Wraith and even Earth weaponry are eventually shown to completely outmatch them.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Being related to Replicators is all what Atlantis Team needs to hear to destroy them at first opportunity. The fact that they operate on Freudian Excuse (which McKay could fix) or that some of them are Defector from Decadence, goes completely over the crew's heads. Even Weir, who was turned into one and could communicate with their Hive Mind, decides that they're all Beyond Redemption.
Zerg Rush: Almost defeated the Wraiths' own Zerg Rush by replicating at a faster rate with a far superior technology and also by not being their viable food source, until Wraiths have reprogrammed them to stop attacking.

Oberoth

Played By: David Ogden Stiers

First Appearance: "Progeny"

Armor-Piercing Response: Criticizes the Ancients as an arrogant race. When Weir tells him that Asurans must be pretty arrogant themselves to claim future victory over Wraith, he just stands silent.
Big Bad Wannabe: For someone who thinks he has the power over Wraith, his every encounter with them or Atlantis resulted in defeat and he had to settle with Enemy Mine when the Hybrid he created went heywire.
Driven by Envy: His real motivations on lashing out on Atlantis team is viewing humans as a case of Parental Favoritism by the Ancients.
Evil Is Petty: Wants to destroy Atlantis mainly out of spite. When Weir brings up how Atlantis could help them grow, he ignores her suggestion. He's also aware that many Asurans would like to get along with humans, but he doesn't allow that to happen.
Faux Affably Evil: At first presents himself in a friendly, if rather conservative manner. As soon as their guests express knowledge of the Ancient technology, he orders them to be Mind Probed, and then killed after he learns where they came from.

Niam

Played By: John O Callaghan

First Appearance: "Progeny"

Anti-Villain: He's more interested in a way to Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence than Oberoth's ambitions. But being a machine means he's easily susceptible to more reprogramming.
Butt-Monkey: Was more than willing to cooperate with Atlantis. For this, he got his aggression reprogrammed by his people, threw into space, shot and turned into medecical supplies.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Argues with Oberoth that Atlantis Expedition can still be of use to them, who hesitantly lets them live.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Completely betrays his race as soon as the expedition teams gives him such offer, but being the subject of Mind Hive, it doesn't last for long.
Token Good Teammate: His group is small faction that doesn't believe revenge on humans is a good idea and tries to befriend Weir. He's viewed as a heretic by others and repeatedly gets forced to do as they say.

Koracen

Played By: Robert Moloney

First Appearance: "Ghost in the Machine"

Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Has managed to achieve Ascension, but not as good as the Ancients do. He returns to physical form to create himself and other suvivors biological bodies and do it properly.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The surviving Asurans were just about to be able to coexist with Atlantis. His betrayal turned that into Heel–Face Door-Slam.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Considering he and a few other Asurans were Last of His Kind, he should have just went along with the plan. He decides to escape and sink Atlantis while at it, only to be killed by Weir for his troubles.

Characters / Stargate Atlantis

The Atlantis Expedition - Main characters

Dr. Elizabeth Weir

John Sheppard

Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay

Teyla Emmagan

Lt. Aiden Ford

Dr. Carson Beckett

Ronon Dex

Dr. Jennifer Keller

Colonel Samantha Carter

Richard Woolsey

The Atlantis Expedition

Dr. Radek Zelenka

Major Evan Lorne

Colonel Steven Caldwell

Colonel Abraham Ellis

Chuck

Sergeant Bates

Dr. Peter Grodin

Dr. Kate Heightmeyer

The Wraith

In General

"Michael Kenmore"

"Todd"

The Genii

In General

Cowen

Acastus Kolya

Sora Tyrus

Ladon Radim

The Asurans

In General

Oberoth

Niam

Koracen

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Index

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Characters / Stargate Atlantis

Edit Locked

The Atlantis Expedition - Main characters

Dr. Elizabeth Weir

John Sheppard

Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay

Teyla Emmagan

Lt. Aiden Ford

Dr. Carson Beckett

Ronon Dex

Dr. Jennifer Keller

Colonel Samantha Carter

Richard Woolsey

The Atlantis Expedition

Dr. Radek Zelenka

Major Evan Lorne

Colonel Steven Caldwell

Colonel Abraham Ellis

Chuck

Sergeant Bates

Dr. Peter Grodin

Dr. Kate Heightmeyer

The Wraith

In General

"Michael Kenmore"

"Todd"

The Genii

In General

Cowen

Acastus Kolya

Sora Tyrus

Ladon Radim

The Asurans

In General

Oberoth

Niam

Koracen

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Index

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