Howdy folks! In honor of Stargate Atlantis' fifth and final season coming out on DVD this week, I thought I'd dedicate yet another post to my favorite show. I just finished watching season four last night, so I am ready to go for the next round of adventures. Watching the first four seasons again, however, got me thinking about all of the great characters on this series. So today I bring you my top five favorite recurring characters on Stargate Atlantis. Huzzah!
Number 5: Leuitenant Laura Cadman
(Played by Jaime Ray Newman)
Sadly, we only actually got Cadman in two episodes, both in season two. She first appeared in what has probably gone down as one of the best McKay episodes ever, Duet. While on an off-world recon mission poor Cadman was set to babysit Doctors Beckett and McKay and when Wraith darts appeared on the planet she managed to get Carson out of the way but was scooped up, along with Rodney, in the process. Luckily the rest of the recon team was able to disable the dart without destroying the beaming device. When they attempted to reintegrate Cadman and McKay however, something went horribly wrong and McKay ended up being reintegrated with Cadman's consciousness also in his mind. As you can reasonably assume, this led to all kinds of hijinks and hilarity before the situation took a turn for the worse and then the day was saved. Cadman returned later on in the season two episode Hot Zone, where we learned that not only is she an explosives expert, she can also tap dance too. Cadman made a wonderful no-nonsense foil to McKay's eccentric (and arrogant) scientist. She also managed to briefly win the heart of Carson Beckett, though we learn in a season three episode that the two weren't able to make it work. While Cadman only appeared in two episodes she makes this list because she had a huge impact on the fans and, I for one, will always remember her as an important member of the Atlantis expedition.
Unlike his SG-1 counterpart, poor Chuck never got a last name. I am not entirely sure his rank was ever even actually stated on screen, though I do believe he was a Sergeant. But nonetheless, Chuck popped up towards the end of the first season as one of the primary control room technicians and he managed to stick around for the entire run of the series. He had a friendly way about him, and as much as I hate to say it, because I love Walter, was nowhere near as much of a nerd. Everyone seemed to like Chuck--although Zelenka definitely wished he (and the rest of the gate technicians) would stop consuming food and drinks near the 10,000 year old computer equipment. Besides just being a constant presence in the background (he's listed as having appeared in 44 of the show's 100 episodes), Chuck often got to be part of the moment, whether it be a moment of humor, drama, or just a glimpse into the every day life of the expedition members. One of my favorite moments comes from the season four episode Midway, when during the smack down between Teal'c and Ronon, Chuck can be seen in the gym managing all of the bets on the fight's outcome. The guy was just always right in the middle of everything that was going on, and fans loved him for it.
The little sister of Rodney McKay (played by actor David Hewlett's real life little sister), Jeannie showed promise in becoming every bit as brilliant a physicist as her brother--until she got pregnant in college and decided to marry her English major boyfriend and put all of her efforts into her family instead. The anti-social achievement driven McKay couldn't comprehend this decision and so cut his sister out of his life, not speaking to her for four years (though as we see in season one, he never stopped thinking about her and does come to regret this decision as he grows to see the Atlantis team as his own family). Then, one day, Jeannie is struck by inspiration while playing with her daughter and writes a math proof that turns out to be a potential solution to one of McKay's current projects. The siblings are reunited and Jeannie is drafted into a position as a civilian consultant for the SGC. The road to reconciliation for the two is anything but easy, and the pair never lose their competitiveness towards each other, but their relationship is one that not only gives huge amounts of depth to the character of Rodney McKay, it also allows him the chance to grow. He starts to embrace his humanity just a little bit more every time we see him interact with Jeannie and her family. Not that Jeannie herself exists only to make McKay a better character. She is a wonderful character in her own right, a delight to watch on screen--no doubt in large part due to the casting of Kate Hewlett to play her. I had always hoped that, had the series continued, they could have found ways to make her a larger part of the series. Plus, it is from Jeannie that we learn that Rodney's first name is actually Meredith. How can you not love that?
Where Rodney McKay was the head of the Atlantis science operations, I have always felt that Zelenka was their heart. Second in rank to McKay among the scientists (but still head of his own department), Zelenka had a much more quiet way about him. He was perfectly willing to stay at home on the base and take care of business while other scientists were out on the missions doing the actual exploring. Yet, whenever it was truly called of him, he never turned down an off-world sojourn to help save the day. He truly has done as much as McKay to keep Atlantis safe and functional, even if most of it was done in the background. Plus, even though his comments were likely to go unheard by his colleague (or untranslated, as he was quite known for going off on tangents in his native Czech tongue), Radek was never afraid to call Rodney out when he felt the other man was overreaching or just plain wrong. Also, he's quite handy to have around when the city is in lock down and you need someone to crawl around in the ventilation system in order to correct the problem.
It should come as a surprise to no one reading this blog that Lorne is my favorite recurring character on the series. I just love him oodles. But really, there are reasons for this. Much like Zelenka exists to temper McKay, I feel like Lorne was sent to Atlantis to counterbalance Sheppard. The higher ups never wanted him in charge of the expedition's military forces, so they sent in the much more steady and reliable Lorne to be his XO. Despite that, Lorne has shown that he's no Air Force or IOA pet. He continually shows loyalty to Sheppard, and his team is the first one called in when Sheppard's team needs backup or a rescue. He doesn't mind being second in command because he trusts his commanding officer. We know he's got potential for great leadership--in season four's The Last Man we see a glimpse into the future where Lorne is charge of the SGC, and in SG-1's season ten episode The Road Not Taken we see an alternate reality where he replaced Colonel O'Neill on SG-1 itself, rather than Mitchell. This guy is very good at what he does. He is also very likable--congratulating Teyla on her pregnancy and offering her reassurances when she voices her fears about pending motherhood, keeping Rodney in check when Sheppard's not around without resorting to force as many others try to do, and more. We even learn he's got a bit of an artistic side in season three's Sunday. His mom used to be an art teacher and he picked up painting from her. Aww, how sweet. Finally, despite the fact that it was totally played down once he was moved to Atlantis, he's also got an intellectual side. His first introduction in SG-1's season eight episode Enemy Mine showed us one of the reasons he was probably drafted into the SGC was his prowess in geology. So, hey, a well rounded guy.
Well, there you have it, my top five favorite recurring characters from Stargate Atlantis. Now I'm all ready for season five to get here! I just have to make it until Tuesday.
That's it from me this week, hope you all have a great one! Happy Independence Day! Stay safe out there. Go see some cheesy summer blockbuster to celebrate--I can recommend Transformers 2 or Star Trek, or even Up if you want something a little more "feel good."
Until next time,
C
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