Trinity

"Trinity" is the sixth episode of the second season of Stargate Atlantis.

Plot
When Lt. Col. Sheppard's team finds a planet with a destroyed Wraith fleet in orbit, they decide to investigate. They find a devastated planet and on it an intact Ancient building. Dr. Rodney McKay discovers that it is an Atlantean science lab conducting experiments, as part of Project Arcturus, to create the successor to the ZPM. While in the lab several Atlantean bodies are found and questions about the safety of the experiment are asked. Dr. McKay in his usual bravado believes he can succeed where the Atlanteans failed. McKay's rationale was that the scientists were under stress from the on-going Ancient-Wraith war and were pushed to failure.

However on the first test of the experiment, Dr. Collins, a technician, is killed by a burst of hard radiation. The safety of the experiment is reevaluated. However, Dr. McKay believes that the formulas used by the Ancients were wrong, thusly leading to the accident. He convinces Sheppard to talk to Dr. Weir in allowing him one more chance to test the device.

While they are gone, Dr. Radek Zelenka realizes why the hard radiation is being created and why the experiment won't work. The reason why the project failed was because by attempting to withdraw vacuum energy from our space, it creates exotic particles that interact with the energy field in unpredictable manners. He attempts to convey this to McKay who retorts back that Zelenka is jealous of his brilliance, and charges forward. Dr. McKay starts up the experiment correcting what he believes were the Atlanteans mistakes when the experiment begins to accelerate out of control. Dr. McKay continues to attempt to compensate for this uncontrollability when Col. Sheppard finally quips that he's seen this behavior before when fighter pilots who tried to fix a crippled plane instead of ejecting and end up flying straight into the ground. This anecdote seems to set McKay back on track when he looks Sheppard in the face and says "We need to go, NOW!".

As they leave in the Puddle Jumper the energy weapon on the top of the lab (presumably used for both defense and for bleeding off excess energy) begins firing non stop and targeting the Puddle Jumper (luckily with Sheppard flying they avoid the worst of it). Yet even with Sheppard's skills, it would be difficult to fly through the Stargate, in orbit, without being shot down. Luckly the Daedalus was secretly monitoring the experiment and provided cover for the Jumper to jump through the Gate. The Daedalus then used its hyperspace engine to jump out of the solar system as three quarters (or as McKay correctly states 5/6th) of it are destroyed by the ensuing explosion.

Meanwhile, Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex have been on a diplomatic mission to a Belkan city to foster a trading relationship. While at the local tavern Ronon runs into an old comrade and discovers that not all the people of his planet Sateda had been captured or destroyed by the Wraith. The remaining people of his planet, three hundred or so, are scattered across several different worlds. He also learns that Kell, his old mentor, is also in the city and arranges to meet him. The meeting is over rather quickly when Ronon, upon seeing his old mentor, kills him instantly with a shot to the chest. Teyla, horrified by his actions, confronts Ronon, who explains that during their stand against the Wraith, Kell acted with extreme cowardice and sacrificed entire squads of soldiers to save himself. Upon hearing his explanation Teyla agrees that she would probably have done the same thing if she were in his shoes, but that Dr. Elizabeth Weir and the others would not be so understanding of his actions and they should keep this incident a secret.

Production

 * The title of this episode is a reference to the Trinity test.