The Tower (Stargate Atlantis)

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Stargate Atlantis episode
“The Tower”
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 15
Guest star(s) Peter Woodward as Otho
Jay Brazeau as Lord Protector
David Bloom as Eldred
Richard Kahan as Baldric
Brendan Beiser as Tavius
Chelan Simmons as Mara
Mark Gibbon as Constable
Anna Cummer as Petra
Writer(s) Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Director Andy Mikita
Production no. 215
Original airdate December 19, 2005
Episode chronology
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"Grace Under Pressure" "The Long Goodbye"

Episode chronology

"The Tower" is an episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The episode starts of with Sheppard's team being on a planet, where Rodney complains about the primitive society on it. Suddenly a man named Eldred appears and tells them about the tower, which protects them from the Wraith. Afterwards he shows it to them. When the team sees it they are surprised since it looks like the central spire of Atlantis. Back in the village Eldred tells them that the tower destroys the Wraith ships by using thousands of lights which the team recognizes as Drone Weapons. So the team hopes to come into contact with the people in the tower since they also might have a ZPM. Afterwards they contact Atlantis where Weir orders them to find out more.

While Rodney checks the tower the rest of Sheppard's team stops some soldiers from the tower who want to whip Eldred since he showed no respect to them. Suddenly another man named Otho appears and scans Sheppard's team with an Ancient device, which beeps when he scans Sheppard. Otho then orders Sheppard to be arrested but when he and his team defend themselves a Drone appears and hits a building. So they disarm. Sheppard is then brought into the tower from where he contacts the others since the interior of the tower looks like Atlantis except that it is styled like a medieval throne room (the throne being in fact an Ancient control chair). Rodney meanwhile found out that under the tower a massive structure exists, which has the same structure as Atlantis. In short, the tower is merely the central spire of an Ancient City ship identical to Atlantis, built in Pegasus some time after Atlantis arrived from Earth. In the throne room the Lord Protector talks with Sheppard and invites him to dine with them. Afterwards Sheppard contacts his team and orders them to keep silent.

In the evening Ronon, Teyla and Rodney eat with Eldred who tells them that they give the tower half of their harvest. Meanwhile in the tower Sheppard eats with the royalty and asks them some questions. Suddenly the Lord Protector acts very ill and is brought away. Later the Protector's daughter Mara comes to Sheppard's quarter and tries to seduce him since her father wants them to marry.

In the morning Sheppard talks to Otho, who tells them that one of his duties is to find the best match for the royal bloodline so that the royalty can still use the Ancient technology. When he scanned Sheppard he found out that he has the ATA gene and thus hopes that it will strengthen the royal bloodline. He hopes so because if Mara doesn't become the next leader, it will be her brother Tavius. Sheppard then calls Dr. Beckett so that he examines the Lord Protector. In the tower Tavius talks with Otho about their plan. While Carson examines the Lord Protector, Otho shows Sheppard a lot of Puddle Jumpers. There Sheppard offers him a gene therapy so that some people get the ATA gene. Later Carson informs him that the Protector was poisoned and that he can't help him.

Meanwhile outside, Rodney enters the underground of the city with a young man named Baldric. They find a room filled with racks of Drone weapons but when he activates the light the earth starts shaking and they are trapped inside. They also can't call for help so Rodney backtracks to the cities backup/secondary operations center and begins to access the Ancient mainframe running the city. To free themselves, Rodney decides to blow a hole in the ceiling with a Drone and despite the dangers of this plan it is successful.

Back in the village Ronon rescues a woman from the royal guard and in this process kills one of them. This causes a revolt in the village, much to Eldred's shock. Teyla then contacts Sheppard who informs Otho. Suddenly they hear a bell which means that the Lord Protector died so Otho tells Carson and Sheppard to leave. Sheppard wants Mara to come with him but Otho appears and arrests them because he is now the new Lord Protector. He brings them to Tavius and it turns out that Otho was the one who poisoned the Lord Protector.

Meanwhile Rodney contacts Teyla who tells him that he has to find the ZPM. Otherwise the village will be destroyed by the drones. In the cell Mara brings Sheppard his transmitter who then contacts Rodney and orders him to remove the ZPM because Otho's first act as Lord Protector will be the destruction of the village. While Otho activates a lot of drones, Sheppard orders Rodney to activate the star drive of the city since this will deplete the already weak ZPM. Rodney does so and the attacking drones fall inactive to the ground. Sheppard then confronts Otho who attacks him with a knife but Sheppard cuts him with it. Otho then reveals that he indeed has a vast knowledge about poisons and falls dead to the ground.

Back in Atlantis Sheppard informs Weir that they got new drones and Jumpers in exchange for medicals and an IDC. They also offered to help them run things.

[edit] Quotes

  • Sheppard (talking to Weir): "I even got the girl."
  • Weir: "You did?"
  • Sheppard: "Well, I could have. I turned that down."
  • Weir: "They didn't offer to make you king?"
  • Sheppard: "Turned that down too."

-A conversation that seems almost inspired by the cinematic ending of Army Of Darkness

[edit] Trivia

  • Jay Brazeau (The Lord Protector) previously played Harlan in the Stargate SG-1 episode Tin Man.

[edit] External links