I’ve written extensively about MGM’s releases of the series “Stargate SG-1.” I came to the series late as I was a huge fan of the movie “Stargate”, which heavily borrowed from books like “Chariot’s of the Gods” to create a world in which the ancient gods of Egypt were actually aliens. As much as I liked the movie, I stayed away from the TV series since I had little doubt it would pale in comparison. It wasn’t until a few short years ago that a friend suggested I watch the series. After all, it had survived a few seasons on Showtime, then was picked up by the Sci Fi Channel and continued a highly successful run. I agreed that I must have been missing something so I picked up the 1st season on DVD. My wife and I have been hooked ever since. Aside from the occasional foray into cheesiness, “Stargate SG-1” proved to be a highly entertaining series. This was not only thanks to the tremendous work of the cast, which included Richard Dean Anderson as the irascible Colonel O’Neill.

I didn’t think it was possible for the writers to sustain an aura of quality in a series that pretty much took our heroes to new worlds each week via the ‘Stargate’, a device capable of creating a wormhole in which travel to distant worlds (also containing Stargates) was possible. However, the writers have continued to prove me wrong for 10 seasons now. (Though I’ve only watched up through the 9th, thanks to the DVD sets…)

The show has continued to be an international hit, spawning websites and conventions worldwide. So when the thought of a spin-off was mentioned, I was wary. It was one thing to create a successful series based on a motion picture, but totally another to create a whole new show with the same format. The main problem being, how do you make it different enough to be a rehash of what has come before, yet similar enough to hang on to your core audience? The spin-off, “Stargate Atlantis” hit the airwaves 2 years ago and any fears that the series wouldn’t work were quickly quashed. It became one of the Sci-fi channels main shows, sitting in the middle of the Friday night line-up of “Stargate SG-1” and the equally surprising runaway hit “Battlestar Galactica.”

Still, I didn’t catch the series at all until MGM’s DVD release of the 1st season last year. But when the set arrived, my wife and I tore into it immediately. The first episode did a great job of setting up the premise as well as the lead characters. Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) from “SG-1” showed up briefly to help kick off the series, which involves the discovery of the Stargate address that would take travelers to the home world of the “Ancients”, the race who originally built the Stargate system. The catch was that there was only enough power for a one-way trip, so whoever went stood the risk of never returning to Earth. They would only be able to travel throughout the ‘Pegasus System’ of planets in order to acquire knowledge. The hope would be that a power source would be found that would allow trips back and forth between ‘Atlantis’ and Earth.

We immediately noticed that the series had a similar feel to “Sg-1”, but it was the characters that made it so different. Each one brought a fresh attitude to the new series, and the way they gelled as a team was perfect the first time out of the gate… so to speak. The best character of the bunch, and one I was glad to see reprised from the previous series was Dr. McKay, played by David Hewlitt. He had been in a couple of episodes of “SG-1”, and each time he butted heads with the resident science genius, Samantha Carter, played by Amanda Tapping. McKay was also somewhat of a genius, but he was well aware of it so he would always talk down to Carter and their conversations and games of ‘insult tennis’ were priceless. In “Stargate Atlantis”, his character is a little more subdued, but nonetheless fun to watch.

Also lending a different style to the series was a whole new enemy in the form of The Wraith. They are an old race, who is as frightening as they are deadly. Tall and blue, they resemble something of an old world vampire… and in essence they are as they suck the life force out of their victims. They are just as evil as the G’oauld, but a lot more terrifying.

Earlier this year MGM offered up the 2nd season on DVD, which just got us further hooked on the show. This 2nd season was even better than the first, starting off by hitting us with the end of the cliffhanger started in the 1st season. The Wraith were pretty much decimating Atlantis, but then our heroes were able to…. Oh wait… what am I doing? I can't give it away here. You just have to watch it for yourself. The rest of the season allowed the main characters to open up more to viewers and there isn't a single character I'd want to see leave the show. We were also introduced to a brand new character by the name of Ronon (Jasin Momoa). He was a 'runner', a tough warrior type sent out to be hunted by the Wraith. I wasn't sure I liked him at first as he looked exactly like a taller version of one of my old friends. Same eye and facial expression… as well as the same sense of self-importance. But he grew on me after a while. The series also continued to wrestle with a lot of moral decisions, making the characters wonder if some of their actions made them just as bad as their enemy. The most notable being their experiments with a virus that could change the Wraith's DNA, turning them into humans. Sounds kinda silly in print, but trust me the storyline is quite intense and thought-provoking.

Again, the powers that be brought the 2nd season to a close with a cliffhanger; so to say my wife and I were relieved when the 3rd season DVD set showed up last week is an understatement. This season was every bit as good as everything that had come before, which gives me hope that the show will have a long run. I really don’t want to get to much into the story arc of the 3rd season, but I will say that there is a very sad and shocking demise of a major character.

The episodes are all presented in glorious widescreen, and the use of the Dolby Digital makes for a great viewing experience. Much like the DVD releases of “Stargate SG-1”, this new set has a ton of extra features scattered throughout the discs. Normally there are commentaries on all of the episodes, but this time they skipped one ("The Real World") for some reason. All of the rest of the episodes have commentaries by various members of crew, however. The last time we got to hear from the actors, but not this time…. strange.

Along with these incredible commentaries, there are several featurettes on specific episodes, all of which are well worth a watch. You'll also find featurettes on the visual effects department, the aliens, a look back on season 3 and O'Neill's (Richard Dean Anderson) visit to Atlantis. There's also a profile on actress Rachel Lutrell, who plays Tayla. These "Stargate" sets are amongst the best produced for any series I've seen as far as extra features.

So far from what I’ve seen of “Stargate Atlantis”, I think it is a perfect follow up series to “Stargate SG-1.” I only hope that it is given the opportunity to have as long a run as the original series. Speaking of the original series, it sadly ended after the 10th season. There will be two follow-up movies to allow it to complete its storyline, but that's it. If there is a bright side, Amanda Tapping will be joining "Stargate Atlantis" in its 4th season… and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that some of the other stars will make an occasional guest appearance.

Episodes:
No Man's Land
Misbegotten
Irresistible
Sateda
Progeny
The Real World
Common Ground
McKay and Mrs. Miller
Phantoms
The Return, Part 1
The Return, Part 2
Echoes
Irresponsible
Tao of Rodney
The Game
The Ark
Sunday
Submersion
Vengeance
First Strike

Starring: Joe Flannigan, Rachel Luttrell, David Hewlett
Extras: Audio Commentaries on Select Episodes, All New Mission Directive Featurettes, Photo Galleries, Profile of Rachel Luttrell, General O'Neill Goes to Atlantis, Masters of the Alien, A Look Back on Season 3, Production Design Galleries
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 9/18/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Stargate Atlantis: Season 3 an A.