TVSquad

(S05E05) It's a strange week for Stargate Atlantis. Normally we talk about the episodes of various shows, be they good or bad, based on what was on the screen that week. Behind the scenes goings on occasionally come into play, but rarely to the extent that they do for "Ghost In The Machine." There's a lot of back story to this one, and now that I've seen it I find myself thinking as much about what could have been, as what it is we actually saw. And really, I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

(S05E04) Big things are on the horizon for our friends in Atlantis. Episode five brings with it a big picture episode that will take us back to a host of things that happened in season four. With a slot to fill before that, it was time for another stand alone episode. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of my favorite Atlantis episodes have been of the stand alone variety. And luckily for us, this is another of the really good stand alone entries.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

When it comes to science fiction conventions you can always tell the difference between those panelists who are newbies and those who are veterans. As soon as the panelists for Stargate Atlantis took their seats you could tell that they were all seasoned veterans of the convention universe. They were relaxed, had fun with each other, and had fun with the audience. Combine those elements together and it makes for an entertaining hour and gives you a sense that they are talking to you...despite the 4000 other people in the hall.

There weren't many new bits of information that came from this panel that hadn't already been mentioned during the Robert Picardo phone conference a few weeks ago. Yet, there were still some interesting pieces of information about the stars, the writers, and some behind the scenes items. You can read some of these after the jump.

(S05E03) I have to admit, when I saw in the previews last week that we were getting a Ronon episode, I wasn't exactly excited. I figured it would be another stand alone episode, probably ok, but I don't usually think of Ronon as a character to carry the big load. Having now watched "Broken Ties," I'll say I was pleasantly surprised. Jason Momoa took advantage of being given the A-story and delivered his best performance to date. And along the way we got a little more background on Woolsey, and some answers to Teyla's burning question.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

(S05E02) And with that, season five has begun. I've really been looking forward to this episode for the simple fact that it would give us our first look at just what kind of leader Woolsey is going to be. There are certainly a lot of things coming in season five, but that one, more than any other, has the ability to really affect how the season is ultimately received. We got that first look, and it was an interesting one. Along the way, we also caught up with our old friend Dr. Beckett. And Dr. Keller got to step out of the background (and climb into bed) for a pretty big story of her own. We'll get to all that, after the jump.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

• Stargate: Atlantis (Joe Flanigan, Robert Picardo, Brad Wright, Jewel Staite, Chris Sanagustin)
• Sanctuary (Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Robin Dunne)
• Battlestar Galactica (Tricia Helfer, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco, Ron Moore, David Eick)
• Eureka (Colin Ferguson, Sallie Richardson-Whitfield , Joe Morton, Jamie Paglia, Charlie Craig, Tony Optican)
• Ghost Hunters (Robb Demarest)

(S05E01) "What do you like, Duff Beer, or Oprah Ale?" - John Sheppard

And just like that, our old friends from Atlantis are back... for a little while. I continue to be baffled by the scheduling department over at Sci Fi. My best guess is that all programming is set in place at the whim of a 16 year old intern suffering from a mind boggling case of unmedicated ADD. He's followed up the senseless Battlestar break by promising an equally annoying split in the Atlantis season. I never understood it when they were doing it to Farscape, and I still don't get it. Whatever the case, our half of a season kicked off by tying up those loose ends from the season four finale, and dropping the bomb that launches season five.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

After a fairly brief hiatus (only 4 months) Stargate Atlantis returns to the SciFi channel with all new episodes starting on July 11th. Now entering its fifth season, the show is reaching a turning point thanks to a number of off-season cast changes. First and foremost in is the replacement of Amanda Tapping's Colonel Samantha Carter as administrator of Atlantis with Robert Picardo's Richard Woolsey. This is one year after Tapping replaced Tori Higginson on the show. It's an interesting turn of events since Woolsey has not been the most popular of characters in the entire Stargate franchise. And, as the character has never been a people person, there is bound to be some conflict between members of the Atlantis team and himself.

I was pretty excited when our friendly neighborhood FedEx guy dropped off the envelope with the promo package for season five of Atlantis. And I remained so even after my DVD player balked at reading the disk. It just served as a fine example as to why it's not geeky to have a computer connected to your television, it's just handy.

As the disk started up I was thinking it would be a good idea to do an early look post about where things look to be heading in season five. Unfortunately, Sci Fi only sent out the first episode of the season, and it's not telling us much of anything about season five, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The episode plays like S04E21 right up to the last scene, where season five begins to take over. Given where we last left our friends in Atlantis, that was probably to be expected. More, including some minor spoilers, after the jump.

Gallery: Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

For those of you who were gnashing their teeth over Samantha Carter's (lack of) administrative abilities on this season's Stargate Atlantis you can relax your jaws. Well, only for a moment, because you may not like who will be replacing her in the show's fifth season.

According to a press statement released today by MGM and the SciFi Channel, the newest administrator of Atlantis will be: I.O.A representative Richard Woolsey, played by science fiction veteran Robert Picardo. Ah, I see you're gnashing your teeth again. No surprise there, since the members of the Atlantis team aren't too fond of him, either. In fact, the SciFi release mentions that Colonel Sheppard and his team must adjust to Woolsey's leadership style. Look for some friction between the two sides as the season progresses.