Underground

"Underground" is the eighth episode of the first season of Stargate Atlantis.

Synopsis
With their food supply running low, Teyla Emmagan suggests to the Atlantis expedition to make a deal with an Athosian trading partner, the Genii. However, the team discovers that they are not what they seemed, a militaristic civilization with a plan to destroy the Wraith.

Plot
Major John Sheppard's team open negotiations with the Genii due to a food shortage at Atlantis. The Genii seem to be a simple Amish community and Teyla Emmagan has known them as such through previous trade deals with the Genii. They are greeted at the Stargate by Tyrus and his daughter Sora Tyrus. Unseen by the others, Tyrus speaks into a wrist communicator. Sheppard asks Cowen, the Chief of the Genii, for food in turn for medical supplies however the Genii are not happy with this since they claim that they do not have enough food for both the themselves and the Atlantis crew and it would take too long to clear fields, saying to John Sheppard, "Do you know how long it takes to clear a 300 year-old stump in the ground?". Sheppard then shows them a demonstration in how their C-4 can blow out the stumps. Upon seeing this, the Genii decide to trade some of their food for medical supplies and some C-4. Sheppard is a little surprised that the Genii were relatively unfazed by the demonstration, but brushes it off. Lt. Aiden Ford and Teyla stay behind with the Genii while Dr. Rodney McKay and Sheppard head back to Atlantis to confirm the deal with Dr. Elizabeth Weir.

Upon heading back to the Genii, Sheppard gets lost with McKay. McKay then picks up a significant amount of radiation coming from what appears to be an old building. Upon entering the building they find a shaft which leads down to a huge Underground Bunker, but both Sheppard and McKay are captured by armed security. After being stripped of their weapons Cowen appears and tells them he would usually kill people who stumble onto their secret, but the Genii want the C-4 explosives from the Atlantis team. McKay figures out they want it for a trigger to an Nuclear warhead, much to Commander Cowen's surprise. Sheppard and the Commander come to an agreement about an alliance. They will help them build an atomic weapon and the Genii will let the Atlantis team go and continue trading.

The Genii and the Atlantis team have a meal to celebrate their new alliance. The Genii inform them that they are planning to finish their atomic bomb by the time of the next Wraith culling. Teyla encourages Sheppard to tell them about how they awakened the Wraith. Cowen is outraged and decides to shut down all work on the atomic weapon for fears that the Wraith will detect the radiation just like McKay had. Sheppard convinces them that they can still help; he explains to the Commander that they have weapons far greater than that of C-4 explosives, and tells them that they have a ship which can travel through space, much to the skepticism of the Commander. They then agree to land aboard a Wraith Hive ship and collect intelligence about the location and number of the Hive ships, if Sheppard could supply a spaceship. The rest of the team stays with the Genii while Sheppard tells Weir about the predicament. She agrees to let Sheppard scout out the Hive ship. They head off in the Puddle Jumper with the Atlantis team, Cowen and Tyrus. They manage to sneak into the Hive ship with the Puddle Jumper's cloak on. They split into two groups with Cowen going to collect the intel with Sheppard and McKay while Tyrus with Teyla trying to see what they could do about the humans captured by the Wraith for feeding.

Sheppard and his group managed to collect the data but the other group was discovered by the Wraith and Tyrus was shot while Teyla was able to escape. They returned to the Puddle jumper and escaped, however the Commander suspects Teyla of killing the Genii. Upon landing back on the Genii homeworld the Genii ambushed the Atlantis team and demanded they handed over whatever C-4 they have and leave the ship. However Sheppard also had not trusted the Commander and set up an ambush of his own. He ordered two Puddle Jumpers to de-cloak above them, then took the intelligence information from Cowen. He tells Sheppard "You do not want to make an enemy of the Genii". The Atlantis team then returned to Atlantis, where they determined from the data that the Wraith had over 60 ships.

Notable quotes
Tyrus: My daughter, Sora.

Sheppard: You must be very proud.

Tyrus: (squints at him) she's betrothed.

Sheppard: I wasn't hitting on your daughter.

McKay: You know, if people could just learn to keep their secret underground hatches locked…

Sheppard: Look, what you people do with your C4 is none of our business. We just need food. As far as your little secret down here goes…well, uh…

McKay: We say, "What giant underground bunker?"

McKay: You do realize that long term exposure to these levels of radiation is extremely dangerous?

Cowen: Our scientists tell me otherwise.

McKay: Well, they're wrong.

Sheppard: (nervously) Are we in danger now?

McKay: Oh, it would take days or weeks at these levels of radiation — but I assume the Genii spend days or weeks down here?

Cowen: Many of our people have spent their entire lives here.

McKay: Their entire short lives. (to John) We'll be fine - just as long as you weren't planning on having children.

Sheppard: You can build an A-bomb?

McKay: Major, most of my highschool chess team could design an A-bomb.

McKay: I built an atomic bomb for my grade six Science Fair exhibit.

Ford: They let you do that up in Canada?

McKay: Yeah, then I was questioned by the CIA for six hours.

Sheppard: But we have something they need and they have something we need, and I thought that's what negotiating was all about.

Weir: Oh, well, it is. Personally, I stop short of offering nuclear weapons.

Ford: They were building 'em anyways.

Weir: Oh, well if they were building them anyway, why didn't you just say so. You do realise that I originally sent you out for food?

Sheppard: I think we can still get that.

Ford: I don't see why not.

McKay: They were very clear which route to take.

Sheppard: I prefer a straight line.

McKay: Of course, 'cause everything's a shortcut in Sheppard's world.

McKay: Maybe we should offer a sense of humour in trade.

Sheppard: Sure. They can have yours.

McKay: Oh, Major. My side. You slay me.

McKay: What is it you said they grow here anyway?

Teyla: Many things, but they are best known for a bean known as Tava. McKay: Java?

Sheppard: Ta-va!

Sheppard: Ever tried to clear a stump by hand?

Weir: (sarcastically)Yes, as a hobby.

Goofs

 * When the Major John Sheppard detonates the C-4 in a demonstration to the Genii, the video frame background jumps to the right immediately before it explodes.