Carson Beckett

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Stargate character
Dr. Carson Beckett
Carson Beckett
Race	Human
ATA	Natural carrier
Gender	Male
Rank	Chief Medical Officer
Birthplace	Scotland, UK, Europe, Earth
Relatives	Unnamed mother
Portrayer	Paul McGillion
First episode	"Rising"
Key episodes	Sunday

Dr. Carson Beckett was the Scottish/British chief medical doctor portrayed by Paul McGillion in the television series Stargate Atlantis. Beckett possessed and had discovered the "Ancient Technology Activation gene" which allows humans to interact with specialized technology in the base of Atlantis and around the universe, but was often afraid to use the gene himself with Ancient technology, such as the Control Chair. He didn't like to travel through the Stargate either, he believes it to be "bloody insanity" to convert the human body to energy and send it millions of miles through a wormhole, however he does partake when necessary. (This may be a sly reference to Doctor 'Bones' McCoy from the original Star Trek series, who also had problems with his 'molecules being disassembled and re-assembled'). His medical expertise and the fact he discovered and possesses the Ancient gene caused him to be hand-picked by Elizabeth Weir for the Atlantis expedition.

Despite only being billed as a recurring character in the first season, Dr. Beckett's appearance in numerous first season episodes prompted his promotion to a main character at the start of the second season.

The flag patch on Beckett's uniform is the Saltire, the Scottish national flag. Though he should be wearing the Union Jack as his nationality is British, it is never explained why.

Contents 1 Season 1 2 Season 2 3 Season 3 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Season 1

Since he has the ATA gene, Dr. Rodney McKay forced him to sit in the Control Chair on the Ancient's outpost in Antarctica and managed to activate it. Unfortunately, he also accidentally activated a remaining drone, which took off and went directly towards the incoming helicopter carrying General Jack O'Neill and Major John Sheppard. Sheppard's evasive manoeuvre gave Beckett enough time to find a way to deactivate the drone seconds before it would have destroyed the helicopter.

Once in Atlantis, one of his first duties was to dissect a severed Wraith arm that Major Sheppard brought back from Athos after the creature's Dart was shot down. His work on the arm provided the first information about Wraith physiology. He hypothesized that the Wraith do not die of "natural aging" the way humans do and they would be "bloody" hard to kill ^[1].

He created a gene therapy that would give normal humans the ATA gene, using a mouse retrovirus. Dr. Rodney McKay was the first human trial and it worked. In this episode, Rodney's first attempts to use the new gene in his DNA allowed him to utilize a personal shield that blocks absolutely everything, from bullets to food. However, it was later revealed that the therapy works in only 48% of the subjects ^{[2] [3]}.

He wasn't happy when Major Sheppard volunteered him to help the Hoffans without asking him first, but went along with it. He helped a Hoffan scientist, Perna, to develop a drug that would prevent Wraith from feeding from humans and fell for her hard. They managed to create a working drug, and, using a sick Hoffan man (who volunteered) as a human trial, they inoculated him with the drug and tested it against Steve, the Wraith Sheppard's team captured previously ("Suspicion"). The drug worked better than they expected, Steve was killed by it. Beckett wanted to run more tests, but the Hoffans started mass-production and mass-inoculation immediately. It was then discovered that the drug had a severe side effect: a 50% mortality rate, and one of the victims was Perna. After a planet-wide vote proved that the Hoffans were willing to risk it so the Wraith can't feed from them, the expedition left ^[4].

At some point, he learned to pilot a Puddle Jumper, but he really doesn't like it ("I'm a doctor, not a bloody fighter pilot!", possibly in reference to Star Trek's Dr. Leonard McCoy and his line "I'm a doctor, not a..."). During The Storm, he, Ford and Teyla became trapped on the mainland waiting for some Athosian hunters. He preferred to sit the storm through since he knew he wouldn't be capable of flying in such strong winds. When the eye of the storm was over the mainland, they returned to Atlantis, only to find it occupied by a Genii strike team. While trying to help Sheppard retake the city, he was knocked unconscious by Sora, who later attempted to kill Teyla, which she believed would avenge her father's death. ^{[5] [6]}.

When Wraith darts scanned Atlantis, he was forced to fly a Jumper with Sergeant Bates since there weren't any other pilots available ^[7].

He later discovered that Teyla has Wraith genes in her DNA makeup, which allowed her to tap into the Wraith psychic network. This ability is later used to convince the Wraith that they will destroy the city in the Season Two opener ^[8].

[edit] Season 2

Dr. Beckett started to take more off-world work, accompanying military and scientific teams in off-world reconnaissance ^[9].

When Teyla and Lt. Colonel Sheppard are captured by a runner, Ronon Dex, Sheppard exchanges Dr. Beckett's services in exchange for their freedom. Dr. Beckett removes the Wraith transmitter from Ronon's back which was allowing the Wraith to track him. ^[10].

During an off-world recon mission, USMC Lt. Laura Cadman, a recent arrival to Atlantis, flirts with Dr. Beckett. Unfortunately, a Wraith attack ends up leaving Cadman's body dematerialized inside the dart's transporter and her consciousness inside the mind of Rodney McKay. Before she can be separated from McKay, Cadman (inside McKay's body) kisses Dr. Beckett "just in case" the procedure doesn't work. ^[11] He apparently later pursed a relationship with Cadman, but didn't work out in the end, mainly because their first kiss was through Rodney.^[12]

Dr. Beckett has started to develop a gene therapy to turn Wraith into humans by stripping the Iratus' bug DNA from them. When they found a young female Wraith who, it seemed, didn't feed on humans, he revealed to her adopted father the existence of the retrovirus. She overheard them and, wanting to have a life and acceptance as human, stole the not-yet ready retrovirus and injected herself with it. But the retrovirus backfired, and instead of turning her into a human, stripped all humanity from her ("Instinct"). After returning to Atlantis, Dr. Beckett found out she had infected Lt. Col. Sheppard with the retrovirus, which was slowly changing him into an Iratus' bug. In a brainstorming session with his team, Dr. Beckett decided the best way to attack the retrovirus was by using Iratus' bug stem cells to carry the human DNA into Sheppard's body. He went off-world with Dr. McKay, Ronon, Major Lorne and two marines to find the necessary Iratus' bug eggs, but the mission was unsuccessful, as the eggs were surrounded by live Iratus bugs. He later deduced the only person capable of retrieving the eggs was Sheppard himself. He managed to retrieve them and the therapy worked, returning him to normal ^[13].

This gene therapy is further experimented on using a captured Wraith named Michael. Dr. Beckett is able to turn Michael from a Wraith into a human, but his Wraith memories (and appetites) resurface and he escapes, abandoning the gene therapy. ^[14] Michael later returns to Atlantis, proposing to use the gene therapy against rival Wraith hives, effectively turning their enemies into food. ^[15]

[edit] Season 3

Dr. Beckett is again called upon to sit in the Control Chair, this time on Atlantis, after a Wraith hive ship is detected on a course for the city. To everyone's relief (especially Beckett's), the ship is actually the one captured by Sheppard. ^[16]

Under the guise of a medical evacuation camp on an isolated planet, Dr. Beckett monitors the gene therapy treatment of the Wraith-turned-humans from the captured hive ship. When he discovers that one of the prisoners was murdered, he is confronted by the re-humanized Michael and learns that the camp population is quickly reverting back into Wraith. With a hive ship coming, Beckett is interrogated as to the location of any self-destruct devices set up by Sheppard. However, Sheppard arrives in time to rescue Beckett and (presumably) destroy the camp from orbit using the captured Wraith ship. Although the plan to humanize the Wraith is a failure, Beckett remains torn between his ethical obligations as a doctor and the sometimes extreme measures necessary in war. ^[17]

After spending an extended period of time off-world with an overbearing, but seemingly harmless, man named Lucius Lavin to see what he might have to trade, Dr. Beckett returns with him to Atlantis completely enthralled. Eventually, with the exception of Sheppard, all members of the Atlantis expedition become literally addicted to Lucius (or rather, the herb he uses as a charming agent), falling over themselves to do his bidding. Sheppard manages to get Beckett to develop an antidote, and uses it to retake control of the city.^[18]

While on a mission to locate a missing team, Beckett becomes stranded in a cave with McKay and two wounded soldiers, Kagan and Barroso. He suffers hallucinations caused by a Wraith device that leads him to believe that Kagan is dead but that he can still save Barroso. In reality, it is Barroso who is dead, and Kagan still barely alive.^[19]

When the members of the Atlantis expedition were evicted back to Earth by the Ancients, Beckett is given a surgery post at the SGC. He later goes to visit Weir, who has fallen into depression. Taking Weir to dinner with McKay and Sheppard, he is encourgaged by Sheppard to call Cadman. Weir comments that they made a cute couple, but Beckett replies, "It didn't work out - may have something to do with our first kiss being through Rodney." Upon learning that the Asurans have taken control of Atlantis, and that the SGC intends to destroy the city, Beckett joins with Sheppard, Weir, and McKay in hijacking a puddle jumper to return to Atlantis and save the city.^[20]

Dr. Beckett is killed during the episode entitled Sunday while attempting to safely dispose of an explosive tumor that he had removed from a patient. His body and personal effects were sent back to his family on Earth.

It has been confirmed that he will not be a regular in Season 4, but it has been said that there is a possibility for him to appear again, and rumors prevalent on the Internet allege that he may reappear in season 4 as a guest character.^[21] 'How' has not been explained. One possibility is through the "Alternate Timeline" system. In SG1, Dr. Fraiser reappeared after her death when a version of her from an alternate reality appeared in SGC.

[edit] Trivia

• At Beckett's funeral, the song being played on the Bagpipes is called The Dark Isle. This tune is traditionally performed at a Scottish funeral.
• Although all other British characters display the Union Flag on their uniforms, Beckett has the Scottish flag
• Actor Paul McGillion, who plays Carson Beckett, previously guest starred in the season 1 Stargate SG-1 episode The Torment of Tantalus as a younger version of Dr. Ernest Littlefield.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Rising". Stargate Atlantis.
2. ^ "Hide and Seek". Stargate Atlantis.
3. ^ "Hot Zone". Stargate Atlantis.
4. ^ "Poisoning the Well". Stargate Atlantis.
5. ^ "The Storm". Stargate Atlantis.
6. ^ "The Eye". Stargate Atlantis.
7. ^ "The Brotherhood". Stargate Atlantis.
8. ^ "The Gift". Stargate Atlantis.
9. ^ "Duet". Stargate Atlantis.
10. ^ "Runner". Stargate Atlantis.
11. ^ "Duet". Stargate Atlantis.
12. ^ "The Return". Stargate Atlantis.
13. ^ "Conversion". Stargate Atlantis.
14. ^ "Michael". Stargate Atlantis.
15. ^ "Allies". Stargate Atlantis.
16. ^ "Misbegotten". Stargate Atlantis.
17. ^ "Misbegotten". Stargate Atlantis.
18. ^ "Irresistible". Stargate Atlantis.
19. ^ "Phantoms". Stargate Atlantis.
20. ^ "The Return (Part 1)". Stargate Atlantis.
21. ^ http://www.savecarsonbeckett.com/rumour-mill-log/

[edit] External links

• Dr. Carson Beckett. Stargate Atlantis official site. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (© 2006). Retrieved on September 2, 2006.
• Beckett, Carson. The Stargate Omnipedia: Characters. GateWorld. Retrieved on September 2, 2006.
• Paul McGillion at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2006-09-02.

Regular characters on Stargate Atlantis	Edit
Carson Beckett | Ronon Dex | Teyla Emmagan | Aiden Ford | Rodney McKay | John Sheppard | Elizabeth Weir