The Seer (Stargate Atlantis)

"The Seer (Stargate Atlantis)"

"The Seer" is episode 8 of the fourth season of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis.

Plot

Teyla proposes that the team meet with a seer named Davos, who, it is rumored, has the ability to see the future. Several weeks have passed with no new information on the fate of the missing Athosians and Teyla is hopeful Davos might provide answers. While skeptical, the team agrees to accompany her. They gate to the planet where Davos resides and are surprised to be greeted by several locals who seemed to know they were coming.

Richard Woolsey arrives on Atlantis for a scheduled three month evaluation. Shortly after he arrives another Atlantis team contacts Carter and informs her that a recently culled village was contacted by a Wraith who wants to meet with Sheppard.

Teyla and the rest of the Atlantis team meet with Davos. Along with the power of foresight, he claims he has the ability to show other people his visions. He offers his hand to McKay and McKay receives a shocking image of himself and the rest of the team being captured by Wraith. Shortly after, Davos falls ill and is unable to provide further visions.

The team returns to Atlantis and Carter informs Sheppard that the Wraith he helped escape from the Genii (in Common Ground) wants to meet with him. Strangely, the proposed location resembles the locale McKay saw in his vision. The team gate to the meeting place, and, true to the vision, are quickly surrounded by Wraith with weapons ready. Two hovering Jumpers uncloak. They had anticipated the ambush and out gun the Wraith.

Dr. Keller diagnoses Davos with a form of lymphatic cancer, and plans to bring him back to Atlantis to treat and study him. Sheppard brings the Wraith to the brig on Atlantis where he plans to interrogate him.

The Wraith reveals that the war against the Replicators is not going well and says they need Atlantis' help in the fight. He tells Sheppard that the Replicators' latest strategy is to attack the Wraiths' food source, destroying human worlds to carry out this plan. He appeals to Sheppard that humans and Wraith are momentarily on the same side, against the Replicators. As proof the Wraith gives the team a gate address to a planet where a human settlement was destroyed by Replicators. They send a MALP to the planet, and find a city destroyed by Ancient weaponry, confirming the Wraith's story. Feeling somewhat responsible for the deaths of these humans, McKay questions his original decision to change the Replicator base code, and he and Carter feel the best course of action is to undo the base code change. Woolsey however, suspicious of the Wraith, disagrees and decides to contact the IOA.

While the IOA deliberates, the team finds more human settlements that have been destroyed by the Replicators. They are called to the infirmary by Keller, where she reveals that Davos is dying. Though weak, Davos shows Carter a vision, where she sees a city that resembles Atlantis being destroyed by a Replicator warship. Woolsey believes the vision is more evidence that an alliance with the Wraith is the wrong decision. Their meeting is cut short when the city's long range scanners detect an approaching Wraith Hive Ship. Their captive Wraith admits he has an implanted subspace transmitter and that he broadcast his location after being brought to Atlantis. He says the hive ship is loyal to him and is carrying the Wraith's original anti-Replicator virus, and claims the ship will not reveal Atlantis' location if the humans help him develop a Replicator virus.

Teyla approaches Davos with questions about the Athosians. He confirms that they're still alive, but says he doesn't know where they are. He also tells Teyla he knows she is pregnant, though she wishes to keep it a secret. Davos suddenly collapses, but grasps Teyla's hand to show her a vision. She sees Sheppard attacking and destroying a hive ship with drones.

Again, the vision only serves to make Woolsey more paranoid about the alliance with the Wraith. The team agrees they only need obtain the virus from the Wraith, and then can destroy the Hive Ship. Carter approaches the Wraith and sets down strict terms for their cooperation. The Hive Ship must stay in orbit and transmit the virus to a non networked computer in Atlantis, all work will take place in the city, and the Wraith will remain their prisoner. Any breach of the terms will result in the destruction of the Hive Ship. The Wraith agrees to the terms and reveals that this plan will not only benefit the Wraith and humans by eliminating the Replicators, but also himself because such a plan would help ensure him a seat of power in the Wraith hierarchy. The Hive Ship then arrives and transmits the virus. After working on it, McKay discovers that part of the code is missing.

To make matters worse, another Wraith Hive Ship is approaching the city. They believe it doesn't yet know of Atlantis' location, but instead had tracked the first Hive Ship. They may have no choice but to cloak the city when the second ship arrives, leaving them vulnerable to attack from either ship.

Worried, Carter consults Davos for answers. He says that all his visions have proved true, as they were seen. He tells Carter the galaxy is at some kind of crossroads and that never before has the fate of so many depended on the actions of so few. Carter is left to ponder what to do. Sheppard encourages her that whatever her choice, it will be the right one, and that all of Atlantis supports her.

Shortly before the second hive ship arrives, Carter orders the city cloaked, with Sheppard standing ready to launch a drone attack. The ship arrives and the two exchange communications while the Atlantis team monitors for a possible attack. Suddenly both ships begin to power weapons. Sheppard wants to launch the drones, but Carter tells him to wait. Woolsey, clearly believing the hive ships are going to attack Atlantis orders Sheppard to fire, but Carter countermands him. Her instincts prove true as the hive ships begin firing on each other.

Both ships end up destroyed in the battle, and McKay verifies neither had sent off a subspace message. With this turn of luck, Atlantis is safe, their location remaining a secret.

During the battle, Davos succumbed to his illness, and his daughter will take him back home to be buried. Keller tells Teyla that she won't be able to keep her pregnancy a secret much longer. Woolsey, embarrassed by his behavior, returns to Earth, telling Carter he'll give her a favorable report. McKay and the Wraith continue to work on the new virus.

John tells Sam that her vision of Atlantis being destroyed by Replicators might not come true for a thousand years, or it could be tomorrow; she agrees.

Notes

McKay says that in a Newtonian Universe, it's possible to accurately predict the future, but the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle "blows that out of the water." This is the exact same argument that Carter used in the SG-1 episode Prophecy.

External links

• Spoilers from Gateworld