Laura Cadman

"High temperature and energetic materials technology. And I can tap dance, too."

- Laura Cadman

Laura Cadman was a lieutenant in the United States Air Force and an expert in explosives. After seeing active service during the Gulf War and with the US Secret Service, she served as an instructor for a time before being assigned to the Atlantis Expedition. On a mission from Atlantis, she and Rodney McKay were culled by a Wraith Dart. Although their comrades were able to retrieve the dart, they could initially only rematerialize one of the captives. McKay was rematerialized but soon discovered that Cadman's consciousness was sharing his mind. The two shared McKay's body until he discovered a way to retrieve her body and separate their minds. Cadman remained on Atlantis where she helped expose Colonel Steven Caldwell's involvement with the Trust. She also had a brief relationship with Dr. Carson Beckett while stationed on Atlantis.

Early career
Born on Earth in the year 1972, little is known of Cadman's life before she completed a degree in electronics. She was, however, a track star during high school. After joining the USAF at the Eglin AFB in Florida and enthusiastically completing her basic training, Cadman's experience in modern computer technology led her to study as a bomb disposal expert. These qualifications required Cadman to be in perfect physical health, and have normal colour vision. She later passed all of her aptitude tests with high scores, and was granted the security clearance of 'Secret' thanks to her flawless personal background. This meant that Cadman could be cleared for assignments to critical nuclear duty positions.

With even more study, Cadman soon became an expert in high temperature and energetic materials technology, providing her with an in-depth knowledge of not just the properties, effects, and storage of high explosives, but also the ability to identify and detect unexploded bombs. Becoming an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, Cadman served her country in the Gulf War with an outstanding service record. Following this service, Cadman went into a support role for the US Secret Service, where she was known to be assigned to VIP missions.

Cadman quickly became the top expert in both researching and identifying ordnance, as well as detecting the presence of chemical agents. Because of this, she became an instructor for other recruits, training them in the preparation and maintenance of EOD tools, equipment, and vehicles. Having already reached the rank of lieutenant, Cadman was proficient in operating emergency contamination control stations as well as emergency personnel decontamination stations and locating buried ordnance. After her stint in the US Secret Services, Cadman joined Stargate Command under Cheyenne Mountain.

Atlantis Expedition
Cadman was later assigned to the Atlantis Expedition when reinforcements were sent on the Daedalus. She, together with Rodney McKay, were culled by a Wraith Dart on the planet Thenora during an offworld assignment. Before the Dart was able to leave through the Stargate, however, it was shot down by John Sheppard. Doctor Radek Zelenka was able to access the dematerializing machine in the Dart and found two lifesigns, but could only rematerialize one with the power in the Dart's damaged energy cell. Sheppard picked one lifesign at random and Zelenka rematerialized it. It turned out to be Dr. McKay, who promptly collapsed.

The Tau'ri returned to Atlantis with the damaged Dart in tow, where McKay woke up in the infirmary only to start hearing Cadman's voice in his head. Somehow, Cadman's consciousness had been transferred into McKay, while her body was still dematerialized in the Dart. She could see and hear what he could, and could talk to him, but only McKay could hear her. McKay thus seemed to be crazy as he started talking to "himself". Cadman started distracting McKay, talking to him while he was trying to work. Eventually, Cadman proved able to control McKay's body if he let her. She used this ability when McKay fell asleep, asking Dr. Carson Beckett to accompany McKay on a date and going for a run before heading to her room, as she was displeased with McKay's mattress. McKay was angered that his body had been used without permission, as well as the fact that Cadman had undressed him as she slept in the nude. Cadman later helped McKay out on his date, taking control of his body when he got too nervous and kissing Doctor Katie Brown.

Soon after, however, McKay had a seizure and fainted. It turned out that their constant fighting over control was having a negative effect on McKay's vital functions. One of them had to let go completely, resulting in death, or both of them would die. Cadman volunteered, but McKay, in a flash of inspiration, figured out how to use one of the Stargate's control crystals to separate the two. Because they were unsure if the process would work, Cadman once again took control of McKay's body to kiss Beckett in case she didn't get another chance. Luckily for the two, however, the procedure worked and Cadman was returned to her own body. After the ordeal, both Cadman and McKay returned to their separate quarters to take some time for quiet reflection.

Cadman was later scheduled to leave on the Daedalus when it returned to Earth but rejected the trip, making a request to Sheppard that she stay on Atlantis for a longer amount of time. When the Atlantis expedition was informed that there had been a bomb planted somewhere in the city by an agent of the Trust, it was because of Cadman's wish not to leave&mdash;as well as her expertise in explosives&mdash;that McKay suspected she was the agent. Sheppard quickly rose to defend her, however, saying that she was one of his most trusted officers and also questioning McKay's logic, as he more than anyone would know if she was a traitor. Cadman proved herself loyal, however, by lending the expedition her expertise in finding the bomb. Indeed, it was Cadman who eventually discovered that there had been several deletions made to the command log by Colonel Caldwell, proving that it was he who had set the bomb.

Cadman's relationship with Beckett went on for some time and, during the crisis with the Ancient time dilation field, the two had a date planned. That date was apparently successful, as the two had another planned while the Atlantis expedition were experimenting with Michael Kenmore, a date which Beckett felt important enough to mark on his calendar. Their relationship would not last forever, unfortunately, as the two had broken up by the time the crew of the Tria evicted the expedition back to Earth. Though Beckett, while on Earth, was encouraged to call Cadman by both Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir, he stated that the relationship didn't work out possibly due in part to their first kiss being carried out through McKay.

Behind the scenes


Curiously, Cadman's quarters, as seen in "Duet," feature a considerable amount of paraphernalia related to the United States Marine Corps, including Marine recruiting posters and a photo by her bed showing her in a Marine dress uniform. Despite this, Stargate Atlantis: The DVD Collection 71 identifies her as a member of the U.S. Air Force. This could possibly be explained by her changing to the Air Force to increase a scientific military career.