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 member of Atlantis 1, and a Pegasus galaxy native, who was forced for a time to act as a Runner. He replaced Lieutenant Aiden Ford as a team member.

Biography
Ronon was a native to his homeworld of Sateda, a planet with a 1940s level of technology. Little is known about his childhood other than he had the Kirsen fever when he was ten years old and that he played with a triple barreled shotgun when he was little as a childhood toy. A deleted scene from the fourth season episode "Reunion" also reveals that he 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 Milena, although it is unclear what their relationship actually was. When Sheppard asked if he had had a wife on Sateda, Ronon replied "close enough."

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 Milena 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 Milena 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
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 gunplay, 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 fashons 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").

2007
Ronon eventually meets 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 Worshippers, 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 two of his former friends while 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. After all, he did just save Earth and the head members of the IOA from a Wraith attack.

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 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 him inside it.

Personality and traits
Initially, Ronon appears primal and animalistic, 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 behaviour is when confronted by the Wraith, or when he or a fellow teammate is threatened. His gruff look and perpetually scowling face tends to intimidate others.

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 was going to hurt Beckett. His bond with John Sheppard in particular is a close one, with the having an almost brotherly relationship, Ronon leading the search for John when he was captured by Commander Kolya and accompanying Sheppard back to Earth for his father's funeral. Ronon also appears to be attracted to Dr. Keller, as the two were about to kiss before being interrupted.

He also passionately despises the Wraith, especially after what they've done to his homeworld. He once said that he can't leave the Galaxy until every last Wraith is dead. On a few occasions he is depicted as an unruly drunk whenever he is with fellow Satedans. He is the kind of person who can be a great ally, or a powerful enemy.

It has been established that Ronon is extremely resistant to Wraith stunners, with as many as three shots required to drop him.