Stargate Atlantis: 02-15, “The Tower”
Rating: 
Our lovable Atlantis team find themselves on a planet inhabited by who they think are primitive people. It’s harvest time and the villagers are busy, so the team is kept around waiting. During that time, Rodney wonders why they’re there since there’s no technology to glean from these folks. Teyla mentions that establishing good relations with other planets can prove beneficial for other reasons. I gotta side with Rodney on this. They can be a good neighbor to the galaxy when the Wraith are destroyed. Until then, they should be spending their time trying to find some weapons.
It’s a good thing they were there after all though. One of the villagers, Eldred, comes up to greet them and apologize for their wait. He explains that they are trying to prepare their tribute for The Tower from their harvest. Naturally, this peaks their interest and they inquire of it. Eldred is amazed they don’t know of The Tower and states it protects them from the Wraith. The team can’t get to The Tower soon enough to investigate.
What they find kind of blows their mind a little bit. Mine too.
Episode spoilers inside!
“The Tower looks exactly like the central tower of Atlantis."
The Tower looks exactly like the central tower of Atlantis. Eldred indicates that they haven’t had a Wraith attack in some time, but the Lord Protector demonstrates The Tower’s abilities on a regular basis. He mentions The Tower is reserved for the royalty, so it will be hard to grant them access to see the Lord Protector.
The Lord Protector’s soldiers come and smack around Eldred for his request. They’re all set to “make an example” of him when Sheppard stops them. Otho, the Lord Protector’s Chamberlain steps in, scans them with a do-dat and takes Sheppard back with them.
We learn that this planet has another Atlantis buried halfway in the ground. They have a working ZPM and plenty of darts. Those who had the Ancient gene set themselves up centuries before as royalty, since they were able to access and activate the Ancient technology. They’ve forced the villagers to give them huge portions of their harvest and generally treat them pretty badly. When they scanned Sheppard, they found that he has the Ancient gene. Not only that, but it is stronger in him than it has been in any recorded member of the royal family in 300 years.
The Lord Protector’s daughter, Mara, knows this so she throws herself at Sheppard. She’s hoping they can marry and strengthen the royal bloodline. As it stands now, it diminishes with each generation to the point where it isn’t certain whether or not a new ruler will be able to “control the throne” and therefore, protect them from the Wraith. Sheppard informs Otho of the ability to give anyone the Ancient gene, so there will be no worry about continuing the blood line. Sheppard wants to give everyone in the village the gene therapy and explains half of them will then have the ability to control the chair. He offers Otho a deal: weapons for the gene therapy drug.
Sheppard brings in Beckett to examine the Lord Protector who is in a very unhealthy state. Otho previously explained to Sheppard that the reason Mara hit on him so hard is because her brother is next in line for the throne, but if she were to marry him, they would have to give it to her because of Sheppard’s blood. Beckett finds in his examination that the Lord Protector is being poisoned. When Sheppard learns this, he immediately thinks of Mara’s brother. He shares this information with Otho, who arrests her brother for the murder of the Lord Protector.
“Beckett finds in his examination that the Lord Protector is being poisoned.."
Of course Otho has been playing Sheppard all along. He had no intention of freeing the villagers and ending this royal bloodline business. He wanted the throne for himself and the traded gene therapy has given him the power he needs. Otho goes to the throne with the intent of releasing lots and lots of drones to destroy the village. Sheppard has Rodney knock out the power before he can do that and then tries to start an upraise in the royal court. Otho pulls a knife on Sheppard, who’s able to get it away from Otho. During the struggle, Otho is scraped by his knife, which he admits afterward and shortly before his death, had a poisoned tip.
With Otho dead, the Atlantis team was able to leave with some drones and jumpers in exchange for medicine, a way to reach them and some help figuring out a new way of running things.
I can’t wait to find out why there’s a second Atlantis and how many other Ancient cities like this are out there. I know the Ancients left the Milky Way a long time ago, but they didn’t seem to advance as much here as they did in the Pegasus galaxy. I wonder if there are any abandoned Atlantis-like cities in the Milky Way we just haven’t come across yet.
