Ronon Dex

"You've gotta see this guy in action. He is an incredible shot, none of my guys can beat him in a fight, and he's ex-military"

- John Sheppard . Ronon Dex is a Pegasus galaxy native, who was forced for a time to act as a Runner. He replaced Lt. Aiden Ford as a team member of the First Atlantis Reconnaissance Team.

Biography
Ronon was a native to his homeworld of Sateda, an industrialized planet. Little is known about his childhood. He had a grandfather, who was suffering from the Second Childhood when Ronon was six years old. He was taken to the shrine on Talus, where his grandfather was temporarily cured. There, his grandfather taught him hand-to-hand combat tactics until he died. He also had the Kirsan fever when he was ten years old and claims he played with a triple barreled shotgun when he was little as a childhood toy. He also wrote poetry and did art when he was younger.

When he grew older he became a member of the Satedan military where he held the rank of Specialist. It is likely that this is their version of the Specialist in the United States military, yet it is unclear exactly what this position does. He was also very close to a woman named Melena, although it is unclear what their relationship actually was. When Sheppard asked if he had had a wife on Sateda, Ronon replied "close enough."

Throughout his time as a member of Lt. Colonel John Sheppard's team, Ronon's incredible physical abilities and fighting instincts have set him apart. He consistently subdues his enemy with relative ease in hand-to-hand combat or with his trademark gun, a Particle Magnum. In fact, the only enemies (Wraith/hybrids and Asurans excluded) who have ever given Ronon a good fight have been: Teyla Emmagan, Lt. Aiden Ford (while on Wraith enzyme), Teal'c, Tyre, and Michael Kenmore.

1998
About seven years before his first contact with the Atlantis expedition, the Wraith attacked the planet because the people showed resistance. He tried to get Melena through the Stargate before the Wraith attacked. Her refusal to leave the Satedans who would be unable to evacuate forced him to remain behind and fight the Wraith. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, as the Wraith defeated Satedan forces and Melena was killed before Ronon's eyes in an explosion.

After that point, he was captured by the Wraith while they wiped out the planet. Ronon was not fed upon, but was instead made into a Runner. They implanted a tracking device in his upper back and set him loose to be constantly hunted. During the first few years of this, however, he learned several new tricks and decided to hunt them back. He stayed alive for seven years, until he eventually met up with the Atlantis Expedition.

2005
"You know your way around; you can take care of yourself in a fight; you hate the Wraith as much as we do ... OK, maybe more than we do. But the point is, we could use a guy like you around here and you look like you could use a place to stay."

- John Sheppard

He first encountered the Atlantis Expedition when he captured Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan, who were tracking the missing Lieutenant Ford on the planet where he had currently set his traps. He made a deal with them; if Dr. Beckett could remove the tracking device in his back, he'd help them capture Lt. Ford. Dr. Beckett managed to extract the device, but a Wraith attack prevented the capture of Ford. He returned with them to Atlantis. When they sent a MALP to the gate address he gave them, he discovered that his civilization had been completely destroyed.

Sheppard offered Ronon a place on his team after he proved his worth against the Marines and Teyla in hand-to-hand combat and passed the shooting range tests without any signs of hesitation or inexperience with various firearms presented to him.

He has a unique weapon, an energy pistol. Ronon is fond of gun play, spinning the pistol around rapidly. In addition, he carries a sword. He also has a number of knives for use in emergencies, most of them hidden about his person. The exact number of knives and from where he gets them (or whether he fashions them himself) have never been revealed, and Ronon's seemingly unlimited supply has been a source of the occasional comic relief.

Later, Ronon found out that he wasn't the only surviving member of his people. About 300 more Satedans managed to make it to the shelters west of the capital, and later moved to other planets like Belkan and Manaria. He also learned that Kell, his Task Master during his military training, was among the survivors. Soon after, when Kell came to Belkan to trade, Ronon shot him on sight. In his own words, "Kell commanded several infantry divisions on Sateda. When the Wraith came, he ordered thousands to their death just to save himself. He was... he was a traitor and a coward. My only regret is that his death was quick."

2006
Eventually, the Wraith who originally turned Ronon into a Runner recaptured him, with the help of villagers who were wrongly led to believe that the Wraith would no longer cull them in return for Ronon. Instead of killing him, the Wraith implanted a new tracking device and resumed the hunt in the ruins of Sateda.

The Wraith commander's decision to let Ronon live and continue the hunt would soon prove to be a fatal one, as the enraged Satedan continuously killed Wraith after Wraith on his own, using traps that he'd laid. After tracking Ronon to the remains of the hospital where Ronon watched Melena die, Sheppard and Teyla, with the help of Dr. Rodney McKay and Dr. Carson Beckett, see that Ronon has been injured. They help him fight off more of the Wraith hunting party, with Ronon leading the charge. Eventually, the entire Wraith hunting party composed of at least twenty-five individuals is wiped out.

Sheppard orders Ronon to retreat to the Puddle Jumper, where McKay and Beckett are waiting for them. Ronon refuses and insists upon getting revenge on the Wraith commander that not only helped destroy his homeworld, but forced him to become a Runner and betrayed the village that returned Ronon to the Wraith. His wish is granted when the Wraith commander comes down to the planet's surface to fight Ronon one-on-one. Ronon is almost defeated until the timely intervention of Dr. Carson Beckett and a drone weapon (Beckett had enough of seeing Ronon go through that and killed the Wraith saying "if he doesn't like it he can sue me"). Beckett killed the Wraith, saving a grateful Ronon and he returned to Atlantis with the rest of the team.

2007
Ronon eventually met with three of his old Satedan friends; Ara, Rakai and Tyre, and for the first time seriously considers leaving the Atlantis Expedition, believing that he can never befriend any of the Humans on Atlantis. However, he quickly learns that his friends are actually Wraith worshipers, driven by the gift of extended life in exchange for their service. In his fury he rejects them which results in a brutal fight. He kills one of his former friends after a second is killed attempting to stop the first using a knife in unarmed combat. Meanwhile, Tyre flees. In the end Ronon remains with the Atlantis Expedition, stating that his friends are "right here".

2008
For a short time he develops a romantic interest in Dr. Jennifer Keller, an interest that appears to be mutual, while the two were locked in the Infirmary during a malfunction of Atlantis' automated lock down procedures.

When Teal'c came to Atlantis to teach Ronon how to deal with the IOA, he and Teal'c went through a sparring match. After an hour of intense fighting, it is proven that they are an equal match. After traveling to Midway together, they encounter a large group of Wraith that managed to infiltrate the station. Following the Wraith through the gate to Earth, the two proceeded to systematically kill them off. With time running short due to a call from the head of the IOA to have the base destroyed, Ronon and Teal'c finish off the Wraith. Later in the meeting, the IOA gladly gave their approval to Ronon saving Earth and the head members of the IOA from a Wraith attack.

He had another run-in with Tyre a year after he last saw him. Ronon was captured and sent to Sarif Sur, where he was picked up by a Wraith, who thought it would be perfect if he was turned into a Wraith worshiper. He was taken to a facility, where he was constantly fed upon and given his life back, before he swore allegiance to the Wraith. After Sheppard's team found that out the hard way, they captured him and sent him back to Atlantis, where he underwent brutal rehabilitation, before finally recovering.

Alternate realities

 * In an alternate reality, the one that is home to Rod, he told our McKay that their Ronon is very similar to his own.
 * In an alternate reality, Sheppard's team went onboard the alternate Daedalus and starved to death onboard the runaway ship.

Alternate timeline

 * In an alternate timeline, when Michael took over the Galaxy, Ronon no longer felt wanted in the expedition, when they pulled back all resources to protect Atlantis. He made and trained his own army to take down Michael's forces. He convinced Carter to bring him supplies including C4 and P90s. When he took his forces to a Wraith outpost, under Michael's control, he crossed paths with Todd. Ronon made his group evacuate whilst he and Todd later destroyed the outpost, with them inside it.

Personality and traits
"I was just going to blow it up."

- Ronon Dex

Initially, Ronon appears violent and uncouth, likely due to having been hunted for seven years that were almost completely devoid of human contact. However, later his character is shown as very laid back, except when confronted by an enemy. The only times that Ronon has shown irrational, violent, and impulsive behavior is when confronted by the Wraith, or when he or a fellow team mate is threatened. His gruff look and perpetually scowling face tends to intimidate others. In 2007, his Satedan friend, Rakai, inked a tattoo on Ronon's left forearm while sitting at a bar table. Ronon has proven himself extremely resistant to Wraith stunners. It has taken as many as three shots to incapacitate him, where most people would be rendered unconscious after a single blast.

Ronon is known to always have a serious face and to always be on edge. However, under the influence of Lucius Lavin's drug, Ronon laughs when Lucius tells a story. He has once been shown to have amiable capacities when he gave Rodney a hug after he survived near-Ascension after healing him of his scars from days as a Runner. Also, he hugs Beckett after he saved his life and killed a Wraith that Ronon had a personal grudge against (although at first it looked like he might hurt Beckett.)

His bond with John Sheppard, in particular, is a close one - an almost brotherly relationship. Ronon led the search for John when he was captured by Commander Kolya and accompanied Sheppard back to Earth for his father's funeral. Sheppard even refers to Ronon as "Chewie" on many occasions. They jog through the city together, and have been known to box in the middle of night. Ronon was attracted to Dr. Keller for a time, and though ultimately, nothing came of that, he is now interested in Amelia Banks and she shares a mutual attraction.

He cares a lot about his team mates, despite appearances, as when Rodney McKay went through Second Childhood, he admitted to Jeannie that it was very hard for him to see McKay that way and was willing to risk his life against the Wraith, just so McKay could have one day as himself, even though he was ordered not to go at first. In contrast to his less close relationship with Ronon's 'predecessor' Aiden Ford, McKay once stated that he considers Ronon a brother (Albeit "a brother who got all the gene sequences that he didn't", in Carson's words).

He also passionately despises the Wraith, especially for what they've done to his homeworld and to him, personally. He once said that he can't leave the Galaxy until every last Wraith is dead.

The archetype Ronon most closely resembles is that of the Vikings, since in addition to his at times rough and warlike behavior, on a few occasions he is depicted as an unruly drunk whenever he is with fellow Satedans. Although they are both warriors, he is a very different type to Teal'c, who ultimately had less rough edges, since the Jaffa were ceremonial soldiers who were partly intended to complement the classical refinement of the Goa'uld.

Jennifer Keller
"Maybe I do…have…intentions."

- Ronon Dex

For a while Ronon had been competing with McKay over the affections of Jennifer Keller. However, Rodney had previously admitted to being in love with Jennifer, and after spending time with Ronon on the Daedalus while it was under the control of Todd, Jennifer clearly didn't like the more aggressive aspects of Ronon's personality. She eventually chose Rodney McKay over Ronon Dex.

Amelia Banks
"I heard you died and came back to life" "Pretty much. There's a...few things I still need to do."

- Amelia Banks and Ronon Dex

During Michael Kenmore's invasion of Atlantis, Ronon and Amelia Banks were the first two people to wake up after an expanding Stun bubble rendered many members of the Atlantis expedition unconscious. With her help, Ronon was able to open the locked door and a fight ensued with the Hybrid guard outside. Ronon was knocked down, but Amelia was able to fight the Hybrid alone, long enough for Ronon to grab the guard's gun and stun him. Amelia revealed that she had been taking kickboxing for the last five years. Ronon, clearly impressed, left her in charge while he went in search of Michael. A few months later, Ronon was fatally wounded by a Wraith warrior and subsequently revived by Kenny. Amelia visited him as he recovered in Atlantis' infirmary, and after a bit of flirting, asked him to take a walk with her. She led him by the arm to a balcony overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

Atlantis Team
The most obvious bond Ronon has formed on his team is his friendship with Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, which has been compared by many to the bond between Jack O'Neill and Teal'c, both featuring human military leaders forming close bonds of respect and loyalty with alien soldiers who obey the other out of respect rather than adherence to the chain of command. The two men have been seen as having an almost brotherly relationship, Ronon leading the search for John when he was captured by Commander Kolya and later accompanying Sheppard back to Earth for his father's funeral. He has also demonstrated a close friendship with Teyla Emmagan due to them both being ‘aliens’ amongst the humans of Earth, the two regularly working together when the team is required to split up; when Ronon killed Kell, his old Task Master, for crimes the man had committed back on Sateda, Teyla admitted that she understood why he had done it but warned him that others on Atlantis would be less understanding.

Although, on the surface, Ronon has very little in common with his remaining teammate, Doctor Rodney McKay, the two are nevertheless surprisingly good friends. When Ronon was briefly recaptured by the Wraith, McKay defended his strong desire to find Ronon by stating that they had a very close bond despite the lack of social time they spent together, claiming that he sees Ronon as a brother (Albeit a brother who got all the genes that he didn't). Although less demonstrative about it, Ronon has indicated that he reciprocates this bond, stating that he was willing to take the risk of taking McKay to the Shrine of Talus when McKay suffered from Second Childhood just to give McKay one more day as himself. Ronon even admitted to McKay's sister Jeannie that it was very hard on him to see McKay like that. Also, when McKay has a brush with near-Ascension and nearly dies, Ronon has a hard time with it as well. He admits to McKay that his scars are something he just doesn't dwell on as there's nothing he can do about them, and is shocked but happy when McKay uses his new powers to heal them. Afterwards, Ronon is extremly happy by McKay's survival and even hugs him, which is rare for Ronon to do as the only emotion he tends to display is anger. The two men also agreed to simply let the best man win when they both learned that the other was attracted to Jennifer Keller (Although she eventually chose McKay). Ronon seems to have accepted this gracefully and seems to have switchted his attractions to Amelia Banks.

Teal’c
"Yeah, well, I had a good coach."

- Ronon Dex

When Ronon was ordered to attend a meeting with the IOA on Earth, Colonel Samantha Carter arranged for Teal'c to come to Atlantis to help give Ronon some pointers for his interview. Although the two initially had some trouble getting along- due mainly to Teal'c deliberately provoking Ronon to prepare him for his meeting with the IOA-, spending the better part of an hour fighting with each other as part of a bet, the two nevertheless formed a deadly duo when a group of Wraith took control of the Midway space station as part of an attempt to gain access to Earth, Teal'c complimenting Ronon’s weapon as they single-handedly defeated the Wraith currently occupying Stargate Command. The two seemed to become friends during this and Ronon seemed to take Teal'c's advice about dealing with the IOA when it was over which the two good-naturadly joked about. Ronon even pointed out Teal'c's habit of responding with the word "indeed", which Teal'c admitted was something he didn't realise. When alone with Carter during a point where he wasn't getting along with Ronon, Teal'c showed that he really was on Ronon's side and wanted him to pass the IOA evaluation feeling that he was a valuable resource and a good man.

Wraith
Ronon has a fierce hatred and mistrust of Wraith as shown in many episodes. This stems from them having destroyed his homeworld. He also seems to have a particular hatred of Michael, always wanting to kill him and at one point saying that he hates Michael in particular out of all the Wraith. Another Wraith he has a personal grudge against is the Wraith King who was a fierce Wraith Leader who commanded the Hive Ship that destroyed Ronon's home. It is indicated that he was the Wraith responsible for Ronon becoming a Runner the first time and he was responsible for it a second time. Ronon, after hooking up with Sheppard and Teyla, hated that particular Wraith so much he was determined to kill him before escaping. Ronon, after drawing the Wraith to the surface of Sateda, was determined to kill him himself and satisfy his grudge and threatened to kill anyone who killed the Wraith before him. Sheppard and Teyla reluctantly respected his wishes, but this grudge nearly led to his death as he was no match for the powerful warrior. Ronon only survived because Beckett and McKay intervened and Beckett killed the Wraith, saving his life. Instead of harming Beckett, he thanked and hugged him apparently forgiving him for killing the Wraith and satisfied that he had his vengence. He also shows serious mistrust of Todd, although he doesn't seem to hate him quite as much as other Wraith. In one alternate future he fought side by side with Todd against Michael's forces and even died together with him, having apparently put aside his mistrust and hatred of him.

Carson Beckett
Ronon ends up developing a friendship with Beckett. At first he mistrusts Beckett when Beckett removes the Wraith tracker from his back, refusing to even let Carson sedate him, but the two later become friends. During the rescue of Ronon on Sateda, Beckett volunteers to go on the mission (something he doesn't usually do) and even tries to go and help him when he's facing 25 Wraith despite being a doctor and having no combat experience. That ultimately proves unnecessary, but Beckett later saves his life and kills a Wraith that Ronon had a personal grudge against. Instead of killing him like he threatened to do to anyone else that killed that particular Wraith, Ronon hugged and thanked him. When Carson is tragically killed in an explosion, Ronon is clearly hurt by his death and is one of his pallbearers.

Clone
When the clone of Carson is put into stasis, Ronon has trouble saying goodbye and admits that what's happening to Beckett is a fate he always feared; he finishes with a somewhat awkward hug.

Behind the Scenes

 * Ronon's tattoo is real. The actor who plays Ronon, Jason Momoa, had it applied during a visit to Hawaii. The tattoo is an Aumakua and the design is the "manō" (shark). It took 8 hours to complete; 2 hours to draw, and 6 hours to ink and Jason got it without permission from the Stargate crew, so it was written into the episode "Reunion" for continuity.