Crystal of M3X-387

The Crystals of M3X-387 was a crystalline race which was encountered by the Atlantis Expedition in 2007.

Overview
The Crystals are mainly found on the bark of trees. They lay dormant until they activate themselves, which makes them glow. It is unknown whether they activate they feel the presence of human, or if they periodically do this. They give off an unusual energy signiture. The crystal can somehow make people come up and touch it, which is how they "rope in" its victims. When they do, the individual will recieve an uncomfortable electric shock, knocking them backwards, and the crystal itself will shut down, because the energy is now inside the person. The crystal can also somehow control's the individual's dreams, giving them terrible nightmares, in the form of whoever touched it. Each night, the nightmares can become more and more severe until it has the capability of killing them in their sleep, most likely scaring it's victims to death. The crystals likely take the dream's form of the individual's worst fear (falling thousands of feet, being eaten by a whale). They can be transfered from person to person by touch, as it needs conductive material as transport, including Atlantis' power conduits.

History
They crystals were encountered by the Atlantis Expedition in 2007, in their fourth year of operation on M3X-387. Dr. McKay thought the activated crystals can by used as a self-sustaining power source. Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard felt compelled to touch it, which caused an energy surge. They see the crystal was "killed off" and went back to Atlantis, not knowing the crystal energy signiture is in Sheppard. He touched Teyla, which passed the energy to her. That night she recieved a nightmare she never experienced before, which actually made her afraid of sleeping again. However, she passed on the energy to Dr. Keller, giving her a very unpleasant nightmare. Ronon thought that it was just a few isolated dreams, until he had one himself. The discovered it was the crystal, which took Sheppard as a negative presence in the nightmares. After the crystal was able to kill one of it's victims, Dr. Heightmeyer, they went back to M3X-387 to retrieve another crystal to learn from it. They were able to lure the energy back to the dormant crystal, ending its terror. The planet was very likely closed off after the events.

Nightmares
All the nightmares caused by the crystal takes form of Colonel Sheppard as the primary negative presence. They include;
 * Teyla Emmagan; Sheppard, as a Wraith, fed on her.
 * Jennifer Keller; Teyla was killed by an insect crawling out of her stomach, and Sheppard acted as if it was the "coolest thing he ever saw".
 * Ronon Dex; Ran away from Wraith weapons fire, only to be knocked out by Sheppard, who later buries him alive.
 * Evan Lorne; Thought Sheppard was a Replicator. It was apparently so traumatic, he slept walked and held Sheppard at gun point, threatening to shoot him, until he was stunned by Ronon.
 * Kate Heightmeyer; Couldn't get off the edge of a balcony, and was about to fall. Sheppard stopped Teyla from rescuing her. Heightmeyer was killed, literally being scared to death.
 * Rodney McKay; Eaten by a Whale, after Sheppard goaded him to give up. However, the real Sheppard saved McKay throught virtual reality, only to have the crystal inside of him.
 * John Sheppard; Was fighting the crystal Sheppard in an empty Gate room. However, Crystal-Sheppard was easily able to defeat him, until McKay was able to disable it with an electric current caused by a diffibrilator, sending the crystal energy back to the crystal.

Related articles

 * Unity; the crystals of which the M3X-387 variant is based on, but a more peaceful, friendlier version.