Vegas

"Vegas" is the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of Stargate Atlantis.

Summary
Police find a desicrated corpse on a desert road outside Las Vegas, Nevada, the seventh victim of a bizarre serial killer. Detective John Sheppard, called in to assist, is baffled by these murders. Then a clue, traces of radiation found on the bodies, leads him to a strange looking man with super human attributes who easily evades capture. Some time later, Sheppard is detained and driven to Area 51 by Richard Woolsey, who claims to be an FBI agent. There he meets Dr. Rodney McKay who reveals that the suspect is, in fact, an alien -- a Wraith -- who feeds on human energy. What's more, McKay and his team have traveled to Earth from the Pegasus Galaxy, by way of a Stargate. They've come to prevent this Wraith, who had managed to escape in a dart from a hive ship destroyed above Earth, from compromising the security of the planet. But so far, Sheppard is the only one who's been able to get close to him. Rodney McKay eventually releases Sheppard from Area 51, telling him to keep quiet and reveals he told him the truth because in an alternate reality, Sheppard was a "hero" and the leader of his team.

Sheppard resigns from his job as detective and is about to permanently leave town when he spots remote power lines in the desert. He connects evidence he found previously with McKay's remark about the Wraith trying to build a transmitter to reach the Pegasus galaxy, which requires a tremendous amount of power. Sheppard calls McKay to tell him he has found the trailer where the Wraith is hiding, but attempts to apprehend the Wraith himself and is shot in the process. Fighter jets descend on the trailer, causing it to explode-- the transmission with Earth's coordinates will never reach Pegasus, but the explosion caused a temporary rift in space-time that resulted in Earth's coordinates being sent, amplified, to alternate realities.

Notable Quotes
Rodney McKay: I suppose it all sounds like science fiction to you. Detective Sheppard: I'm not really a fan.

McKay: I know you'll probably think this sounds ridiculous, but a...little while ago we accidently opened a rift in space-time. Went through to an alternate version of reality, very similar to ours in many ways. Met a team much like the one I work with, only you were the leader. You were a hero...saved the world several times over. Sheppard: Doesn't sound much like me. McKay: I don't think there's much difference between you and that other John Sheppard I met. It's amazing how one incident can entirely alter the course of your life. Still...I like to believe you have the same strength of character. That's why I told you the truth.

Background notes

 * Vegas is an alternate reality story that is set on a slightly askew version of Earth. In that world, John Sheppard became a homicide detective.
 * The episode is styled after popular crime television shows such as CSI. Its working title was "CSI: Atlantis".
 * Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex do not appear in this episode.
 * Original music in this episode: "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones and "Solitary Man" covered by Johnny Cash.

Production

 * Joseph Mallozzi stated: Vegas is very different from anything we’ve ever done on Atlantis before. Different in a very good way.
 * According to GateWorld, the episode is the 20th in production, and was filmed on location in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the cancellation of Atlantis, this is also the final regular episode to be filmed.
 * This episode, along with the series finale (Enemy at the Gate), was leaked to the internet on December 22, 2008.
 * Actor Gary Jones will appear in this episode as Walter Harriman, the gate technician from Stargate SG-1. He will be in action with Robert Picardo, David Hewlett, and David Nykl (all dressed in civilian attire, except Jones).