Athosian

In the fictional universe of the science fiction TV show "Stargate Atlantis", the Athosians are a race of humans from from the planet Athos in the Pegasus Galaxy ("see also: Human civilizations in Stargate Atlantis"). They become friends of the Atlantis Expedition and their leader, Teyla Emmagan, joins John Sheppard's team.

Background

Like other human cultures throughout Pegasus, the Athosians are subject to culling every few hundred years by the Wraith. The Athosians take protective measures, such as moving their hunting camps and hiding in local caves.sgcite|Rising|Atlantis|show=ref] Nevertheless, almost every Athosian has lost someone to the Wraith,sgcite|Suspicion|Atlantis|show=ref] and it is rare for someone to know the time and place of their death.sgcite|Thirty-Eight Minutes|Atlantis|show=ref] There is a ruined City of the Ancestors on Athos, but the Athosians believe that entering it would draw the Wraith. The Athosians are widely traveled in Pegasus and are trading partners with many worlds; their extensive knowledge of the Pegasus galaxy has availed the Expedition on several occasions.sgcite|Underground|Atlantis|show=ref] sgcite|The Seer|Atlantis|show=ref] Like most human populations in Pegasus, the Athosians lack the ATA gene. A few Athosians, such as Teyla, possess trace amounts of Wraith DNA and have the ability to sense the Wraith through their telepathic network. They are the descendants of Wraith experimental subjects who were taken in by the Athosians long ago.sgcite|The Gift|Atlantis|show=ref]

how history

The Athosians are the first natives of Pegasus encountered by the Atlantis Expedition, when their homeworld is scouted as a potential evacuation site by Colonel Sumner's team in sgcite|Rising|Atlantis. During their visit, the Wraith attack and Sheppard evacuates the Athosians to Atlantis, and launches a rescue mission to save those taken by the Wraith. Friction soon arises between them and Earth personnel after suspicions arise that someone in Atlantis is collaborating the Wraith. Although the culprit is revealed to be a transmitter that Sheppard inadvertantly gave Teyla, the Athosians elect to leave Atlantis and settle on the mainland. There is some talk of returning to Athos, even though Teyla tells them that the Wraith "scorched [it] bare in revenge for our resistance".sgcite|The Storm|Atlantis|show=ref] The Athosians are evacuated from the mainland several times in the face of various threats.sgcite|The Siege|Atlantis|show=ref] sgcite|Critical Mass|Atlantis|show=ref] . In sgcite|The Siege|Atlantis, the Athosians help the Earth forces defend Atlantis against the Wraith.

In the third season episode sgcite|The Return|Atlantis, Atlantis is reclaimed by a group of Ancients and the Athosians are asked to leave Lantea, settling on a planet they name New Athos, which is unknown to the Wraith. They remain on the planet after Earth regains control of Atlantis, and the Atlantis Expedition provides them with supplies and weapons.sgcite|The Return|Atlantis|show=ref] sgcite|Missing|Atlantis|show=ref] The Athosians mysteriously disappear from New Athos in the season 4 episode sgcite|Missing|Atlantis. After six months, Teyla learns that they were abducted by the renegade Wraith Michael for his human-Wraith hybrid experiments. Sheppard's team eventually locates and rescues those Athosians who have not yet been transformed into Hybrids.sgcite|The Kindred|Atlantis|show=ref]

ociety and culture

The Athosians are a race of farmers, hunters, and traders; though many of them possess martial skills, they do not consider themselves warriors. A spiritual people, the Athosians venerate the Ancestors (better known as the Ancients), and dedicate prayers to them.sgcite|Hide and Seek|Atlantis|show=ref] They also hold Atlantis sacred, and many object when they learn that the Expedition plans to destroy Atlantis rather than let it fall to the Wraith. Due to the constant threat of Wraith attack, Athosians consider it a privilege to know when and where one is about to die, and have a ritual prayer for the occasion meant to prepare that person for death. On the even rarer occasion of a death by natural causes, the Ring Ceremony is performed: the body is placed in the center of a stone circle (symbolizing the Stargate), and a loved one of the deceased sings to celebrate their new journey with the Ancestors.

In the early morning, Athosians enjoy a stout tea to brace them for the rest of the day. In Athosian culture, a woman is not expected to express their attraction to someone before the man does. sgcite|Sunday|Atlantis|show=ref]

Characters

Charin

Charin, played by Brenda McDonald, is an Athosian elder and an old friend of Teyla Emmagan. When Teyla was a child, she would paint Charin pictures while singing songs of the Ancestors. Teyla is fond of her tuttleroot soup, and has been learning the recipe herself.sgcite|The Gift|Atlantis|show=ref] sgcite|Critical Mass|Atlantis|show=ref] In sgcite|The Gift|Atlantis, Charin tells Teyla that the reason she can sense the Wraith is because one of her ancestors was amongst those taken by the Wraith and then inexplicably returned, different from what they were before. In sgcite|Critical Mass|Atlantis, Charin's heart is failing but she refuses a pacemaker, instead asking Teyla to perform the Ring Ceremony to celebrate her passing. Her last words to Teyla are "our journey begins".

Teyla Emmagan

Teyla Emmagan, played by Rachel Luttrell, is the leader of the Athosians; she is a main character in all five current seasons of "Stargate Atlantis". She is introduced in sgcite|Rising|Atlantis, where she joins the Atlantis Expedition, believing them to be the Pegasus galaxy's best chance against the Wraith. A proficient fighter and diplomat, she becomes a valuable member of John Sheppard's team. Teyla has the ability to sense the Wraith, which she eventually learns is the legacy of her ancestors being experimented upon by the Wraith. Her gift allows her to tap into the Wraith telepathic network, and control Wraith technology.sgcite|Misbegotten|Atlantis|show=ref] In season 4, Teyla becomes pregnant by Kanaan, coinciding with the real-life pregnancy of Rachel Luttrell. She gives birth in the season 5 episode sgcite|Search and Rescue|Atlantis, and decides to remain part of Sheppard's team while raising her child with Kanaan on Atlantis.sgcite|Broken Ties|Atlantis|show=ref]

Halling

Halling, played by Christopher Heyerdahl, is an Athosian man of some standing and the father of Jinto. In sgcite|Rising|Atlantis, he leads a team from Atlantis to his village to meet Teyla. He is one of several Athosians captured in a Wraith culling, and is later rescued by Major Sheppard. Afterwards, Halling moves to Atlantis with the other Athosians. When Teyla is trapped in a puddle jumper in sgcite|Thirty-Eight Minutes|Atlantis, Halling asks Weir to allow his people to help her to prepare for death, which Weir refuses. In sgcite|Suspicion|Atlantis, Halling reacts angrily to being questioned about the possibility of an Athosian collaborating with the Wraith. He later voices his concerns to Teyla about their people's standing with the Atlantis Expedition, and informs Dr. Elizabeth Weir of the Athosians' decision to move to the mainland, against Teyla's wishes. In season 4, Halling is abducted, along with the other Athosians, by the Wraith Michael.sgcite|Missing|Atlantis|show=ref] sgcite|The Kindred|Atlantis|show=ref] The Atlantis team finds and frees him, along with a group of other captive Athosians, in sgcite|The Kindred|Atlantis.

Jinto and Wex

Jinto, played by Reece Thompson, and Wex, played by Casey Dubois, are two Athosian boys and best friends. They first appear in sgcite|Rising|Atlantis, where they are playing in the forest and encounter a reconnaissance team from Atlantis, led by Colonel Sumner. In sgcite|Hide and Seek|Atlantis, having moved to Atlantis with the rest of the Athosians, they sneak out of their quarters to play. Jinto unknowingly hides inside an Ancient transporter, and is teleported to another part of the city. There, he found an Ancient device and accidentally released an energy creature trapped inside. Sheppard eventually finds the transporter that Jinto had used, and returns the boy to his father.

Kanaan

Kanaan is the father of Teyla's child, played by Patrick Sabongui. He is first referred to in sgcite|Sunday|Atlantis, when Teyla mentions someone in whom she has a romantic interest. His name is given in sgcite|Missing|Atlantis, where Teyla describes him as a "natural leader", but "burdened by an overly cautious nature". He and Teyla have been friends since childhood, but only recently entered a relationship. Kanaan appears onscreen for the first time in sgcite|The Kindred|Atlantis, where it is revealed that he has the same ability to sense the Wraith as Teyla, over which they bonded as children. In the episode, he apparently calls to Teyla telepathically for help, but it transpires that this is a trap by Michael to obtain her child. Kanaan himself has been transformed into a human-Wraith hybrid by Michael, though Teyla is able to reach his true self. In sgcite|Search and Rescue|Atlantis, he helps Teyla and her team escape from Michael's cruiser. In sgcite|The Seed|Atlantis, it is mentioned that Kanaan has been restored to his original self using Carson Beckett's Wraith retrovirus, but is being interred with the rest of the former Hybrids on the mainland at the orders of the IOA. By sgcite|Broken Ties|Atlantis, Kanaan has moved back to Atlantis to take care of his son with Teyla; he urges her to follow her heart in deciding whether to return to active duty.

Minor characters

*Marta (played by Meghan Black) A girl who reports seeing a "shadow" in "Hide and Seek".
*Doran (played by Don Ackerman) A farmer who got drunk while the Athosians are being sheltered on Manaria in "The Storm", and inadvertently reveals information about Atlantis to the Genii.

References

External links

* [http://www.gateworld.net/omnipedia/races/links/athosians.shtml "Athosians"] at GateWorld Omnipedia.