binpoint: Worth Watching - Stargate Atlantis

I never got into Stargate SG-1. I loved the original Stargate movie so I gave the series a try, but never got hooked.

I recently discovered the second Stargate spin off, Stargate Atlantis just as the SciFi cable channel was advertising it's 5th and final season was about to come to a close.

I'm hooked.

Some would say that's too bad, but to me this was the perfect time to discover a show.

Let me explain: When I find a show that "hooks" me, I go on a watching binge. Purchasing the season-long DVD is the perfect medium for me to consume the show episode after episode until I notice the sun rising through the window that had been black all night.

The show's premise is simple: the people of Earth have discover the location of the lost city of Atlantis and decide to colonize it. It was built by the "ancients" who also built the Stargate network (nevermind that in the movie the pyramid spaceship owner appeared to possess technology similar to the Stargate.

Each episode plays out just as it did in Star Trek the Next Generation. An away team is send to an unexplored planet and encounters trouble which builds for 90% of the show and is solved in the final 5 minutes. It's not as bad as Star Trek Voyager which my sister and I have dubbed Voyager Endings, since they solve the problem in the last 30 seconds of the show.

The characters are memorable and their interactions can be hilarious. Dialogue is what you would expect of SciFi shows. You don't come for the special effects or story plots. You watch for the same reason reality shows are captivating: human conflict is just fun to watch.

I found the following DVD 4-pack on Amazon: Atlantis Seasons 1-4 at a combo price. When I checked today it is listed for $78.99. Considering each season goes for $20-$25 (new) each, this is a decent deal as you save $10 bucks compared to buying each season separately.

Like many other channels, Scifi.com has a few full episodes available at http://www.scifi.com/rewind/. Why would you want to purchase DVD's then you may ask. The online offering only has 10 episodes! Just like Battlestar Galactica, this is one of those shows that I would recommend watching from the beginning to follow the story.

According to Amazon, Atlantis Season 5 won't be released until June 30th. Since the last season of Atlantis just finished airing on the cable SciFi channel, I would expect a complete series bundle to be released for the 2009 holiday season. Hopefully, Bluray releases will be alongside around that time.

Since Amazon's prices are typically the lowest price retail stores are willing to drop even their sales prices to, I've included links to each season here.

Season 1