History Characters / StargateAtlantis

%%* HotScientist: Which is why [=McKay=] has such a thing for her.

* PinocchioSyndrome: Niam's faction have learned that the Ancients have [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended]], and only wish to do the same.

** David Hewlett and the ''Atlantis'' Writers addmited 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'' losing sight of how much of jackass Rodney can be.

* DarkSkinnedRedhead: In the beginning of the first season, her hair was a reddish-brown color, due to the actress's wigs. As the season went on, her hair color settled on a more natural brown.

* GrumpyBear: Can give [=McKay=] a run for his money with his all too frequently heard grumbling.

* AIIsACrapshoot: 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.
* TheDreaded: Because they're essentially human-form Replicators, Atlantis and [=SGC=] consider them to be an extinction-level threat and too dangerous to be allowed to live, even though they're sentient beings and quite a few of them seem willing to negotiate.
* SecondLawMyAss: Their programming doesn't allow to harm humans directly. With [=McKay=] giving them more freedom, their first order of business is to destroy people that can solve most of their problems.
* SympatheticSentientWeapon: Were created as living weapons, but all they want is to be left alone.
* TechnologicallyAdvancedFoe: Because they're creations of the Ancients, their ships and weapons are the same as those used by the Ancients and some of the most advanced seen in the ''Stargate'' universe. Unfortunately for them, by the time they're encountered by Atlantis, humanity already has access to Ancient and Asgard weaponry, while the Wraith were able to defeat them by using cleverness to make up for their technological disadvantage. Also, while their technology is Ancient tech, it's Ancient tech from the time of the Atlantis colonization, which is centuries behind the Ancient tech typically encountered by SG-1 which comes from the final years of the Ancient civilization. The Asurans may be centuries ahead of modern Earth, but they're not quite at the level of the Ancients the [=SGC=] have already encountered.
* TragicVillain: Had the Ancients acknowledged Asuran's growing sentience and stopped using them as weapons, their entire conflict with Atlantis would never happened.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: They only wished for independence and at first their only target was the Atlantis. However once the 'attack' command aginast the Wraith was re-activated, they didn't hesitate in strategic warfare by targeting the Wraiths 'food supply' as the most effecient method of weakening them, obliterating human population concentrations to prevent them being harvested.
* {{Unperson}}: The Ancient wiped all information about them from their database.
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: Asurans never bothered to develop new technology and were content with their current level. It bites them when Atlantis, Wraith and even Earth weaponry show to completely outmatch them.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Being related to Replicators is all what Atlantis Team needs to hear and are destroyed at first opportunity. The fact that they operate on FreudianExcuse (which [=McKay=] could fix) or that some of them are DefectorFromDecadence goes completely over crew's heads. Even Weir, who was turned into one and could communicate with their HiveMind, decides they're beyond saving.
* ZergRush: Almost defeated the Wraith's own version of this by replicating at faster rate with far superior technology AND also not being a viable food source, until Wraiths reprogrammed them to stop attacking.

* BigBadWannabe: For someone who thinks they have power over Wraith, his every encounter with them or Atlantis resulted in defeat and he had to settle with EnemyMine when the Hybrid he created went heywire.

* EvilIsPetty: Wants to destroy Atlantis mainly out of spite. When Weir brings 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.
* FauxAffablyEvil: At first presents himself in a friendly, if rather conservative manner. As soon as their guests express knowledge of Ancient technology, he orders them to be mind probed and then killed after he learns where they came from.

* AntiVillain: He's more interested in a way to AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence than Oberoth's ambitions. But being a machine means he's easily susceptible to reprogramming.
* ButtMonkey: 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.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: Asks [=McKay=] to remove the HatePlague from their code because they can't do it themselves.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Completely betrays his race as soon as the expedition teams gives him an offer, but being the subject of MindHive, it doesn't last long.
* TokenGoodTeammate: 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 forced to do as they say.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Has managed to achieve that, but not as good as the Ancients do. He returns to physical form to create himself and other suvivors biological bodies.

* TechnologicallyAdvancedFoe: Because they're creations of the Ancients, their ships and weapons are the same as those used by the Ancients and some of the most advanced seen in the ''Stargate'' universe. Unfortunately for them, by the time they're encountered by Atlantis, humanity already has access to Ancient and Asgard weaponry, while the Wraith were able to defeat them by using cleverness to make up for their technological disadvantage.

* KnifeNut: Only three things are infinite: The universe, human stupidity, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q0f6qxhOJI Ronon's supply of hidden knives]].
-->'''Lt.Col. Sheppard:''' How many of those do you have?\\
'''Ronon:''' How many do you need?

* AbsoluteCleavage: Most of her civilian clothing is tight and V-necked.

* MoralityPet: His sister.

* MoralityPet: [[IllGirl His sister]].

* MultipleChoicePast: 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 Ancient colonists. The ExpandedUniverse 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.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're essentially space vampires descended from large life-draining insects that ate enough Ancient DNA to evolve into a humanoid form. They also have superhuman physical abilities and telepathic abilities.

[[folder:Ronan Dex]]

* KingMook: The Wraith leader in the episode "Sateda" was noticeably larger and ''a lot'' stronger than normal, being able to easily manhandle Ronan, who's otherwise quite capable of defeating Wraith in hand-to-hand.

* MultipleChoicePast: 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 that eventually evolved into a humanoid state after feeding on Ancient colonists. The ExpandedUniverse 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.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're essentially space vampires descended from large lifedraining insects that ate enough Ancient DNA to evolve into a humanoid form. They also have superhuman physical abilities and telepathic abilities.

* BrilliantButLazy: Sheppard is smart enough to join MENSA, but preferred not to join, and admits that he's "naturally lazy". He's also proved on multiple occasions that he does take his rank and position as Atlantis's military leader seriously.

* DeflectorShields: 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, 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.
* EvilIsBigger: 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 nuclear missile hits through sheer toughness.

* HiddenDepths: UpToEleven. 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.

* ItsAllMyFault: Flip-flops between this and NeverMyFault, 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).

* NeverMyFault: For major mistakes and/or somebody was hurt or killed, he'll blame himself entirely, even if others were involved in the decision.

* Foil: To Sheppard. They are extremely similar soldiers, they just happen to be on the other side to each other.

* BaldOfAwesome: Bald as a cue ball, but still a badass commander.

* BaldOfAwesome: Sure he's an ass, but you can't deny he gets shit done.

* OverarchingVillain: While ''Atlantis'' never had an overall BigBad, Michael is the one villain who ever came close, popping up periodically throughout the show's entire run to cause problems for the Atlantis expedition.

[-'''''Characters/StargateSG1''''': [[Characters/StargateSG1SG1 SG-1]] | [[Characters/StargateSG1OtherSGCPersonnelAndTauriBattleshipCrewMembers Other SGC Personnel and Tau'ri Battleship Crew Members]] | [[Characters/StargateSG1AlliesOfTheSGC Allies of the SGC]] | [[Characters/StargateSG1TheGoauld The Goa'uld]] | [[Characters/StargateSG1OtherAntagonists Other Antagonists]]\\
'''Spin-offs''': '''''Stargate Atlantis''''' | ''Characters/StargateUniverse''-]]]]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateSG1S7E21LostCityPart1 "Lost City, Part 1"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

-->'''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.

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateSG1S5E1448Hours "48 Hours"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

* {{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 Franchise/StarTrek 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.

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS02E03Runner "Runner"]]

* TheBigGuy: He is played by Jason Momoa, who is is 6'3'', and does most of the heavy hand to hand combat for the team.

* TheDeterminator: 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 team mates who are willing to help him fight the Wraith.

** Played straight in an alternate reality shown in "''The Last Man''", where Ronon and Todd become BackToBackBadasses, teaming up in order to destroy a Wraith hive and sacrificing themselves in the process.
* FantasticRacism: While no one in the Pegasus galaxy, save for the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy worshippers]], 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 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.

* MeaningfulName: "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...

* MrFanservice: Momoa won Hawaii's Model of the Year in 1999
* MultiRangedMaster: 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.
** 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.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: 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 [[MoreDakka 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.

* TraumaCongaLine: 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.

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E20FirstStrike "First Strike"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateSG1S1E1ChildrenOfTheGods "Children of the Gods"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateSG1S7E18HeroesPart2 "Heroes, Part 2"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E04ThirtyEightMinutes "Thirty-Eight Minutes"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateSG1S7E7EnemyMine "Enemy Mine"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS02E01TheSiegePart3 "The Siege, Part 3"]]

* DevilInPlainSight: [[spoiler: See Driven To Villainy, below.]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E20FirstStrike "First Strike"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E16TheBrotherhood "The Brotherhood"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E01E02Rising "Rising"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E18TheGift "The Gift"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS02E18Michael "Michael"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E07CommonGround "Common Ground"]]

--> '''Ronon''': We're just gonna blow it up.
--> '''Todd''': ''(resigned)'' Naturally. ("The Last Man")

--> '''Todd''': *''Laughs''* Just a bit of Wraith humour.

* ImmortalGenius: [[OurVampiresAreDifferent 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 [[GeniusBruiser the most intelligent and scientifically-minded of them]] - to the point that when [=McKay=] desperately needs to hack a rogue swarm of nanites, [[EnemyMine he's ultimately forced to consult Todd for answers]].

* MeaningfulName: 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.
* NobleDemon: 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 philosophising 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.

--> '''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?

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E08Underground "Underground"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E10TheStorm "The Storm"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E08Underground "Underground"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS01E10TheStorm "The Storm"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E05Progeny "Progeny"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E05Progeny "Progeny"]]

->'''First Appearance:''' [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS05E05GhostInTheMachine "Ghost in the Machine"]]

* StunGun: 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 [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill highest kill setting possible]], particularly when dealing with Wraith.
* TheDeterminator: 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 team mates who are willing to help him fight the Wraith.

* BadassBeard: The most physically competent of Sheppard's team, and he has some pretty nice facial hair.