Stargate Atlantis - TV-PG
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: SciFi, Syndicated Cast: Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell
Genre: Science Fiction
Available on: 
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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the show's main villains, the Wraith, are an alien race that feed on humans' life-energy. With their pale, sunken faces; washed-out, stringy hair; and clawlike hands, they look pretty creepy, and the process they use to drain victims of their life force isn't pretty. The overall effect could be scary for young children. But older tweens, teens, and adults may enjoy the fright-show, as well as the notion that a race of pseudo-vampires lives in the far reaches of space.
Families can discuss whether they, like the crew of the Atlantis, would volunteer for a one-way trip that could be a suicide mission ... or the ticket to a lifetime of adventure. Do kids believe that Atlantis ever really existed? How do legends and myths get started? How are they sustained?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Will Wade
When scientists in Antarctica discover a mysterious Stargate, capable of teleporting anyone to the distant Pegasus Galaxy, a team of hardy researchers volunteers to step through and explore the far reaches of space, knowing that their only way back to Earth is to find a matching Stargate that will likely need considerable repairs.
The Stargate deposits them in the fabled lost city of Atlantis, which was built on Earth eons ago by the Ancients -- a long-extinct, ultra-advanced species that created the Stargate network to seed the universe with humanity and later used it to zap Atlantis away from the planet.
Led by Doctor Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) and Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), the team sets out to uncover the mysteries of Atlantis and to use the Stargate to explore the nearby planets. In the process, they also discover the Wraith, a terrible race of vampire-like creatures that feed off of humans' life-energy. As the team adjusts to their new home, they encounter a variety of human-like cultures living in fear of the Wraith. The shared enemy provides for several interesting episodes, as different planets must balance their own needs with their neighbors' when developing defense strategies.
The small contingent from Earth is joined by two locals from the Pegasus Galaxy, Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) and Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa), who have spent their entire lives fighting the Wraith. While Weir and her team want to study the evil aliens, the Pegasus warriors are more inclined to kill first and maybe ask questions later.
All of this offers plenty of fodder for thoughtful storylines in this compelling, if somewhat derivative, sci-fi drama, which was spun off of the popular Stargate SG-1. STARGATE ATLANTIS sometimes seems like many other space operas, with noble heroes, evil villains, and a predictable crisis that's conveniently wrapped up in about 57 minutes. But it also poses some interesting questions about the origins of mankind and our place in the galactic food chain.
Fans of Stargate Atlantis will certainly enjoy Stargate SG-1, the original Stargate movie, and Battlestar Galactica.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentNo explicit sexual scenes or nudity, just occasional mild flirtation. |
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ViolenceRather mild combat scenes using blasters that tend to stun people, or aliens, into submission without any gory aftereffects. |
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LanguageNo offensive language. In this alternative future, in addition to all sorts of wild technological advances, humans have also managed to learn to control their tongues. |
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Social BehaviorThe team is based on a rigid military hierarchy that follows orders, though some maverick characters will occasionally defy orders to follow their gut instincts and are later praised for making such brave and unorthodox choices. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoIn the future, humans seem to have learned to control desires for such unpleasant vices. |
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