Condemned

"Condemned" is the fifth episode of the second season of Stargate: Atlantis.

Synopsis
Lt. Colonel John Sheppard's team is ambushed by unfriendlies when they are rescued by a technologically advanced civilization. They learn that the people on "the Island" are convicts, so the Wraith cannot feed on the innocent.

Plot
Lt. Colonel John Sheppard's team are flying in a Puddle Jumper through the Stargate on an unknown world. In the forest over which they fly they see smoke and find a small camp, however no people. Suddenly some people hiding in the bushes attack them with arrows and small explosives but when Sheppard calls to them they stop firing. The team then wants to retreat but the people then fire again. Suddenly some sort of airplane arrives, covers Sheppard's team and literally blows away some of the attackers. This gives the team the possibility to escape to their Puddle Jumper, in which they are contacted by the plane to follow them.

The team is led into a city where they are greeted by a woman named Marin who tells them that the island on which the Stargate is located is used as a penal colony. Afterwards they meet the Magistrate who reveals to them that they use the island as a prison so that the Wraith can feed on the prisoners. In exchange the people on Olesia (the planet's name) have reached a high grade of technology. After further talking Sheppard contacts Dr. Elizabeth Weir and informs her about the situation. They agree to talk about trading agreements with the Olesians.

Later the team flies back to the gate but during the flight the Jumper is attacked with some primitive explosives. One of them hits the Jumper and Sheppard is forced to crash-land. When they leave the Jumper they are taken prisoner by the prisoners. While the team is tied in a small flat, the prisoners try the new weapons and afterwards their leader Torrell orders Dr. Rodney McKay to fix the Jumper. He agrees to do so when Torrell threatens to kill him. McKay then meets Eldon, who developed the explosives for the prisoners and now shall help him with the Jumper. Also Torrell threatens to kill one after another of McKay's team members if he can't fix the ship.

Meanwhile in Atlantis Weir plans to search for Sheppard's team and together with Major Evan Lorne and a team flies with a Jumper to Olesia. There McKay works on their Jumper while talking with Eldon, who says that he is innocent. McKay then finds out that the main power-distribution has been damaged. Because he says that he can't repair it, Torrell orders him to choose who of his friends will die first. When he doesn't do he is left in the flat. Eldon then tells them that most people on the island are innocent but were sent there nevertheless so that the Wraith have enough to feed on.

In the Olesian city Weir in the meantime meets the Magistrate and they talk about the missing team and the Magistrate agrees to search for them. Back on the island the team is freed by Eldon who wants to escape with them and they agree. They then run to the Jumper where they plan to take out the guards. Suddenly the gate activates and a Wraith Dart flies through. This leads the guards away and the team is able to enter the Jumper. In the city Weir and her team are informed about the arrival of the Wraith but the Magistrate promises to search for them again when the Wraith have left.

Later the Magistrate meets with a single Wraith which came in the dart and it is revealed that the Magistrate and his predecessors have an agreement with him to give him enough food and in exchange they are spared from culling. The Wraith tell the Magistrate that he needs to augment the population on the island to give the Wraith more people to feed onto and the Magistrate promises to do so. Afterwards the Wraith leaves the planet.

Meanwhile Weir and her team are informed by Marin that the Magistrate ordered many people to be arrested to augment the population on the island but then the Magistrate appears and accuses her of lying. He orders her to be arrested but Weir protects her and ends the alliance with the Olesians. Then she and her team leave after Weir informs the Magistrate, whom Lorne has at gunpoint, that he doesn't want to cross her.

Back on the island McKay still tries to repair the Jumper while the others attack the returning guards. Although they are able to defeat some of them they are soon confronted by the other prisoners with their own weapons right in the moment when McKay is able to fix the Dial Home Device. Torrell wants to come with them to Atlantis but Sheppard won't let him. Suddenly a Wraith cruiser appears and Sheppard orders McKay to dial the gate. However the energy is gone again but McKay is able to activate the weapons which allows Sheppard to fire a single Drone weapon on the cruiser, which damages the ship. Weir and her team see that and contact Sheppard. He tells her to dial the gate to one of the possible Alpha Sites. Afterwards all the prisoners leave the planet through the gate. Next the Jumper dials Atlantis and under fire from the cruiser. Sheppard's team is able to get through the gate. In the end a cruiser is seen arriving at the city, much to the shock of the Magistrate.

Notable Quotes
(Ronon walks over to a steaming pot on a campfire and tastes it)

McKay: What are you - Oh, my gosh, he's tasting it! (to Ronon) You don't know what that is, that could be their laundry!

Ronon: Pretty good.

McKay: Oh, yes. Good idea. And when you're finished with their poridge, Why don't we try their beds?

Ronon: (to McKay) Want some?

McKay: How good is it?

Sheppard: Leave it be, Goldilocks.

(The team is talking to Dr. Weir on the radio about their prison island)

McKay: I prefer lethal injection, although I do have a certain fondess for the electric chair. Call me romantic.

Teyla: Do you kill all your violent criminals on Earth?

McKay: (looks at Col. Sheppard) Certain countries, yes.

Sheppard: Can we not get into this right now?

(The prisoners shoot down the Jumper and it crash lands)

Teyla: Are you all right?

McKay: I think I chipped a tooth. Did I chip a tooth? Am I bleeding? Because I am a high risk for endocarditis.

(After they walk out of the jumper they find themselves surrounded by the prisoners)

Sheppard: Hi, folks. I hope I didn't crash-land on anybody.

Ronon: (after Sheppard, Teyla, McKay, and Ronon are held captive, Ronon is trying to get out of his hand restraints) I think they're loosening.

Sheppard: Take it easy, Chewie - You're gonna cut your damn hands off!

Sheppard: Leave it to convicts to know the best way to tie people up.

Ronon: Well, eventually I will get free and when I do, he's gonna pay for this.

Sheppard: Now listen to me. When you get free, you get us free and we all get out of here. Let 'em find out we're gone after we're gone.

Ronon: You're expecting me to let them get away with this?

Sheppard: The operative words are "get away".

Ronon: After I kill them!

Sheppard: That type of thinking will get us killed.

Ronon: Well, if you had returned fire...

Sheppard: The weapons systems were damaged.

Ronon: If you say so.

Sheppard: I do say so, and right now I'm saying knock it off.

Ronon: Is that an order, Sheppard?

Sheppard: I am beat up, tied up, and couldn't order a pizza right now if I wanted to. But if you need it to be, yeah it's an order.

McKay: What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?!

Torrell: I could kill you, but you strike me as the type of man who despite being weak and cowardly on the outside harbors strength of character he doesn't even know he has.

McKay: I'm sorry, is there a compliment in there?

Eldon: The technology on this ship is far more advanced than the Olesians.

McKay: How ironic then to have been shot down by the cast of Braveheart.

Sheppard: How's it coming, Rodney?

McKay: Slower than I expected, but faster than humanly possible.

Sheppard: Good, any chance of getting the cloaking generator back on line?

McKay: Okay, and uh maybe then you want me to make you a nice sandwich?

Sheppard: Only if it's humanly possible.

Sheppard: How much time do you need to rework the DHD?

McKay: Well, in a perfect world, two days.

Sheppard: Rodney?

McKay: Right now, uh, ten minutes, give or take.

Ronon: I was beginning to think you were afraid to fight.

Sheppard: I'm just naturally lazy, but I will if I have to — and it's starting to look like we have to.

Male Wraith: (sipping a glass of wine) I think this is my favorite vintage yet.

Magistrate: I hope you find the food acceptable as well. My new chef is quite accomplished.

Male Wraith: I certainly hope so. Your previous chef unfortunately proved to be far more appetizing than the meals he prepared.

Goofs

 * At 44 seconds into the episode, in the burning rubble, there is an upside down OREO wrapper.
 * At the beginning of the episode Ronon's hair iss tied up, next at the camp it is down as is it when he is limping away then as they arrive back at the ship it is tied up again.