The Lost Tribe

"The Lost Tribe" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of Stargate Atlantis.

Synopsis
As Rodney McKay and Daniel Jackson are held prisoner by the Vanir, they make a startling discovery about who they really are. Meanwhile, "Todd" and his Wraith hijack the Daedalus to find and destroy those who activated the Attero device. The Travelers arrive and John Sheppard helps them get to the planet to stop "Todd from destroying the device, since McKay and Jackson may be killed in the process.

Previously on Stargate Atlantis
Daniel Jackson arrived in Atlantis to find a hidden lab by rogue Ancient scientist Janus, but this had attracted the attention of a group of aliens, who kidnapped Jackson and McKay to activate a device. Meanwhile, "Todd" and a delegation arrived on board the Daedalus to go forward with Keller's gene therapy. However, "Todd" witnessed two Wraith cruisers getting destroyed the second they go into hyperspace. He accused the Atlantis Expedition of getting hold of the Attero device. In anger, he stunned the crew and locked down the ship, as well as sending more Wraith to the ship. Jackson attempted to warn the aliens of a major flaw with the device; it would destroy any activating Stargate. In Atlantis, John Sheppard planned to rescue them and activates Atlantis' Stargate. However, the energy levels spike, causing the Gate to explode. Fortunately, they activated Atlantis' shield to cover the Stargate and to wait for the explosive energy to dissipate it until the threat is neutralized. However, the shield emitters started to overload. Sheppard ordered everyone but he and Radek Zelenka to evacuate from the central tower.

Plot
Teyla Emmagan goes down a few levels and tells everybody in that level to evacuate from the central control tower. Just as the Expedition members evacuate, the city shakes; the shield emitters have overloaded, meaning the explosive energy left behind from the Stargate exploded, causing serious damage all around the top levels of the tower. Teyla and a group of medics, including Marie rush to Stargate Operations, where they find the entire room has been seriously damaged. Just as they think Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard and Doctor Radek Zelenka were incinerated in the explosion, they hear groaning. They see Sheppard, who shielded Zelenka from the blast, and has shards of glass on his back. The two men are alive.

On board the Daedalus, "Todd" and his crew have just finished sending in all the troops and putting Humans into holding. He instructs the Hive Ship not to go into hyperspace, since the ship will be destroyed. "Todd" instructs his crew to send the ship to Atlantis. Back in Atlantis, the medics remove the glass from Sheppard, who tells the technicians and Zelenka to set up an Auxiliary control room, which they did quickly. When the medic is finished, he goes to the room, where it is mostly set up. They plan to contact the Daedalus, but before they can find a way, Amelia Banks finds that the Daedalus is contacting them. The team is stunned to see that "Todd" has seized control of the ship, because he believes they are behind the activation of the Attero device. He has dropped the ship out of hyperspace far enough away, so they are in range, but not near enough for Puddle Jumpers and drones to be sent to anytime soon. "Todd" says he is willing to let the crew go, if they give him the location of the Attero device, since he witnessed the weapon's effect 10,000 years ago, but was stopped, due to the destruction of Stargates. He gives them a minute to give him the location, or he will feed on a crew member, one a minute, starting with Richard Woolsey.

The team in Atlantis quickly discuss their options. They know it is very likely that the signal from M6H-987 may have been the location of the device. But since there is a high chance Doctors Daniel Jackson and Rodney McKay are there as well, "Todd" may destroy everything in his path, including the two captives. They put "Todd" back on, and explains they are not behind this. Yesterday, a group of aliens infiltrated Atlantis and stole a device, which may have activated the Attero device. They give him the coordinates to M6H-987. "Todd" then plots a course for the planet, and goes into hyperspace.

Elsewhere on the ship, Ronon Dex and Jennifer Keller are still at large. Despite being in lockdown, Ronon manages to open a door, and kill two Wraith warriors. Ronon tells Keller that he knows how to sabotage the ship. They both head towards engineering. In Janus' research outpost on M6H-987, McKay and Jackson are discussing the effects on Stargates due to the device, when they are visited by one of the aliens. They take Jackson to another room.

In Atlantis, the Expedition picks up a hyperspace window opening, but it is not "Todd"; they are the Travelers. The ship is captained by Katana Labrea, who was sent by Larrin. She enters Atlantis and tells them that they established a settlement on a planet for the first time in generations. However, the settlement was wiped out by the destroyed Stargate, which killed 3,000 people, and destroyed two ships, including their Aurora class vessel. She wonders why the Gates are exploding all over Pegasus. The team informs her about the Attero device and their stolen ship. Katana agrees to help them shut down the device. Sheppard and Zelenka, board the ship to travel to M6H-987. Fortunately for them, Katana's ship is one of the fastest in the Traveler fleet. Sheppard leaves Teyla in charge.

In the Daedalus, Ronon and Keller arrive in engineering, where Ronon kills more Wraith. Keller wonders how Ronon will sabotage the ship. He opens the crystal tray on the Asgard computer core and shoots the control crystals, and shoots more on other areas, putting the ship's shields, weapons, and hyperdrive offline. The ship drops out of hyperspace. "Todd" accesses the ship-wide P.A. system and threatens to begin killing crew members unless Ronon and Keller turn themselves in. Ronon claims he's bluffing. However, Keller runs to another room and turns herself in

In Katana's ship, in the hopes of getting her ship's hyperdrive running at maximum output, Katana brings Zelenka and Sheppard into the aged and cluttered engineering room and introduces them to his chief engineer; Mila, who is only 15 years old. Mila has been working with the hyperdrive engine since she was four years old, and is a brilliant young woman who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Where Radek is cautious and doubtful that the job can get done (safely, at any rate), Mila shows him otherwise.

In Janus' outpost, Jackson is led into a room with another alien. He warns the aliens of the effect the device has on Stargates but the alien is unconcerned by the deaths of millions of humans. Jackson demands to know who the aliens are inside their suits. The back of the aliens suit opens and an Asgard steps out. Jackson watches in surprise. Jackson informs them that the Tau'ri have encountered the Asgard before and were even allies with them. After Jackson informs him that all the Asgard in the Milky Way committed suicide because of genetic degradation from cloning the Asgard tells him that the Asgard in Pegasus are also clones but by continuing Loki's research on humans they are fixing the problem.

After a brief interrogation by "Todd", Keller is escorted to the room where the rest of the Daedalus crew is being held. Before they can get there, Ronon drops from the ceiling and kills the two Wraith holding Keller. Ronon hands her a P90 and they both kill more Wraith. Soon, the ship's hyperdrive are online, but the ship's weapons are damaged beyond repair. "Todd" tells the Wraith not to worry, since he has another idea. Ronon find the crew and releases them. They need to get to the armoury and retake the ship.

On M6H-987, Jackson returns to the room McKay is in. He tells McKay that the aliens are Asgard, which he finds surprising. They need to figure out a way to stop the device. McKay is able to manipulate the door controls into opening, and they escape. As they enter another room, they see more suits. McKay pleads their lives, but Jackson notices that the two suits are empty. This presents them with an opportunity. Meanwhile, Katana's ship arrives over the ice planet, and sees no sign of the Daedalus, but notices three spaceships zeroing in on them. They prepare for battle. Katana daringly goes close up to one and uses the ship's weapons to destroy a ship.

On the Daedalus, the armed crew storm the bridge, Without encountering a single Wraith. There is no one in the bridge. The crew quickly finds out that they are also locked out of the ship's controls and the Daedalus is on a course to Janus' lab. A life sign scan reveals that all the Wraith are aboard their scout ship in the F-302 bay. The crew try to regain control, but are unable.

In Janus' lab, McKay and Jackson stun the Asgard in suits to shut down the device. However, there is a problem; turning the device off requires the control key, which was taken by the Asgard leader, who is one of the ships. The only option left is to get into the device room to remove a crystal. They have to face harsh radiation and electrical currents. Fortunately, with the suits, they can survive the radiation, but maybe not the currents. They both plan to walk in.

The Daedalus arrives above the planet to find the Traveler ship engaged in battle with The Asgard ships. "Todd's" ship exits the 302 bay and disappears. When the Traveler ship defeats that Asgard, apart from a ship that got away, they make contact with the Daedalus and are surprised to find Woolsey and the crew in control of the ship. They quickly discover that "Todd" has programmed a command sub-routine on the ship to a collision course with the Lab in order to destroy it and the Attero Device. The crew relies on Major Kevin Marks to retake control, and is almost at it. However, they may be too late, as the ship has entered the atmosphere. As the Daedalus speeds through re-entry are about to collide with the lab, when the Traveler ship opens a hyperspace window in front of the Daedalus and both of them enter it seconds before the Daedalus impacts the planet. Marks then succeeds in regaining control of the ship.

McKay and Jackson enters the room to remove the right crystal, or the antenna will explode, killing them all. Through the heads up display, McKay takes the right crystal. However, as he does, Jackson gets hit by an energy strike, severely wounding him. As the two men are contemplating their deaths, they are beamed aboard the Daedalus and Jackson is taken to the Medical bay. McKay tells Woolsey that the device is inactive, and unless they take back the crystal McKay took, the device will not activate again. However, Woolsey doesn't think it is good enough, and orders Sheppard on the Traveler ship to bombard the lab, which destroys it. They return to Atlantis.

Back on Atlantis, the team begins repairs on the city and the Daedalus. The Atlantis Expedition has salvaged one of the Spacegates from the former McKay-Carter Intergalactic Gate Bridge to use as their new gate. Ronon asks Keller out to get some food. However, she tells him that it was good for him to come, since they'd be all dead if he wasn't, but tells him that she is interested in someone else. Ronon hides the fact that he is not interested in her, albeit hiding it badly. McKay visits Jackson in the infirmary, where he tells him that General Hank Landry feels that he should be sent back to Earth to properly recover from his injuries.

Notable Quotes
Sheppard: Five bucks to anybody who can figure out how to contact the Daedalus.

Banks: (her console beeps) Uh, Colonel Sheppard?

Sheppard: Got an idea, Banks?

Banks: Well, no, but I am being hailed by the Daedalus on subspace. Does that count?

Sheppard: Technically that's not your idea, but good enough. Put ‘em on screen. I'll pay you later.

McKay: Oh my God, I thought you were a goner!

Jackson: Thanks.

McKay: I-I mean they need ME, so you are kind of expandable... so.

Jackson: Yes, I know what you mean by 'goner'.

McKay: So what did they want?

Jackson: To talk, actually.

McKay: How did that turn out?

Jackson: They are Asgard.

McKay: Really? I didn't see that coming.

Jackson: Apparently no fans of the Wraith either.

McKay: So, are they going to turn off the device?

Jackson: Ah... No.

McKay: Then I don't care, as long as that device is on, millions of people could die, and besides, I think I figured the way out of here.

Jackson: Really?

McKay: This, is an Ancient facility, and Rodney McKay knows a thing or two about an Ancient facility.

Jackson: You know, it's clinically proven, refering yourself as a third person is the sign of mental instablity.

(door opens revealing two Asgard suits)

McKay: (pleading) Oh my God, please don't kill me, you need me.

Jackson: Rodney?

McKay: Us, us. You need us. Look, the device needs constant care. I mean, true, I'm the only one who knows how to work it. You don't have to kill me for it, you're not a violent race. I mean, you may have stunned us a few more times than I would have liked, but who's to say we didn't deserve it.

Jackson: Rodney, they're just suits-

McKay: Yeah, suits. Suits that house one of the smartest races that ever evolved. The Asgards, I've always been a big fan of the Asgards. Some of my best friends are Asgards.

Jackson: They're empty suits. (waves his hand in front of their helmets) See?

McKay: (defeated) I know I was uh...

Jackson: You were...?

McKay: Yeah, snowballing.

Sheppard: I just opened up a hyperspace window big enough for the both of us. We just travelled through the planet.

Kevin Marks: (to Woolsey) I got it. I'm back in. We've got control of the ship.

Woolsey: And not a moment...too late.

Dr. McKay: (wearing armor) Can you unzip me?

Woolsey: I'll look for a can opener.

Jackson: So you can only give compliments to the dying?!

McKay: Its something I'm working on..

Background notes

 * Rodney McKay announces the "Previously on Stargate Atlantis" in the beginning of the episode.
 * We now know that "Todd" is at least 10,000 years old, as he said he was there when the Attero device was first activated after Janus had built it.
 * When the Daedalus' hyperdrive is repaired and Todd takes her into hyperspace, it is the same footage of the Daedalus entering hyperspace at the end of "Midway", only sped up.
 * When they locate the Wraith on the transport, the ship is in the opposite landing bay in which it arrived. Whether it was moved on purpose or was an error is unclear.
 * The idea of sending the Daedalus through M6H-987 is similar to the Stargate SG-1 episode "Fail Safe", in which SG-1 saved Earth from a naquadah asteroid by sending it into hyperspace through Earth.
 * It should be noted that the Asgard's ships are not as advanced as their counter parts in the Ida Galaxy as seen a lone Traveler's ship was able to take out two without too much hassle.

Production

 * Michael Shanks guest-stars as Daniel Jackson.
 * A video was leaked from Sci-Fi to Youtube that shows that the Aliens are in fact a renegade Asgard faction. Click this link for the video: (No longer available)
 * At no point in the episode does Colonel Caldwell, the commander of the Daedalus make an appearance. This is odd considering the peril that his ship was in. No reference was made to his possible demise in the episode, so one can only assume that Mitch Pileggi was not available, or that his scenes were cut in post-production. Obviously, his character survived, as he is seen in subsequent episodes.