Stargate: Atlantis—The Complete Second Season

This Sci Fi Channel series has always been a pale shadow of its progenitor (the long-running Stargate SG-1): heavy on action, but short on thoughtfulness or true science fiction speculation. Stargate: Atlantis chronicles the adventures of a military-scientific exploratory team sent from modern Earth to the distant Pegasus galaxy to study an ancient lost alien city known as Atlantis, where they befriend the Athosians and suffer the wrath of the Wraith (essentially, ridiculous space vampires that induce more titters than terror). Still, two factors kept me watching. One: cast members David Hewlett and Paul McGillion as—respectively—the team's geeky science genius and nerdy medical doctor are having a blast with their characters while also approaching potential clichés with impressive dignity. Two: in these 20 episodes from the 2005-06 second season, the show occasionally hits the jackpot, as with the episode “Michael,” one of the best single episodes of television science fiction ever—in which a lieutenant suspects that he's a Wraith who's been turned into a human by a new drug—guest-starring Connor Trinneer (Star Trek: Enterprise). DVD extras include cast and crew audio commentaries on every episode, production featurettes, design galleries, and more. Optional. (M. Johanson)