Centuries ago, an advanced human civilization known as the Lanteans (later called the Ancients by Earth) built a magnificent city-ship named Atlantis. This city was not just a home but a powerful interstellar vessel, capable of hyperspace travel and submersing itself beneath the ocean. They seeded life across countless galaxies, including the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxy. In Pegasus, they faced an existential threat: the Wraith.
The Wraith, a parasitic race that feeds on the life force of humans, evolved in the Pegasus Galaxy. A devastating war erupted between the Lanteans and the Wraith. Despite their superior technology, the Lanteans were eventually overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the Wraith. In a final act to preserve their civilization and prevent the Wraith from reaching Earth, they submerged Atlantis beneath a vast ocean on the planet Lantea and retreated through the Stargate back to Earth, locking the address to Pegasus away, hoping one day their descendants might return.
Thousands of years later, in the Milky Way, Dr. Daniel Jackson of Stargate SG-1 discovered a long-lost Ancient outpost in Antarctica. Within it, he found the address to Atlantis. Dr. Elizabeth Weir assembled an international team of scientists and military personnel, the Atlantis Expedition, led by herself and military commander Major (later Lt. Colonel) John Sheppard.
Using a zero-point module (ZPM) – a powerful Ancient energy source – they powered the Stargate for the longest jump ever made, from Earth to the Pegasus Galaxy. Upon arrival, they found Atlantis exactly where the Ancients had left it: submerged and running on critically low power.
Almost immediately, the Expedition faced the Wraith. Awakening the dormant Wraith hives by their arrival, the team quickly realized the scale of the threat. The Wraith were a powerful, technologically advanced enemy, with immense fleets of hive ships and a voracious hunger for human life.
The core team emerged: Dr. Rodney McKay (brilliant but eccentric scientist), Teyla Emmagan (leader of the Athosians, a human race in Pegasus), Ronon Dex (a former Satedan warrior hunted by the Wraith), and Dr. Carson Beckett (the Expedition's chief medical officer). Together, they began to explore the Pegasus Galaxy, searching for new technologies, allies, and ZPMs to power Atlantis.
The struggle against the Wraith was constant. Atlantis became a beacon of hope for the human populations of Pegasus, often caught between the Wraith and their new, unexpected protectors from another galaxy. The Expedition made many difficult choices, forming uneasy alliances and suffering great losses.
Beyond the Wraith, the Expedition encountered other threats:
Atlantis also faced internal challenges, including dwindling resources, political tensions with Earth, and the constant pressure of being the last line of defense for an entire galaxy.
In its final season, Atlantis was propelled through hyperspace back to Earth, bringing the Wraith threat directly to our home planet. The expedition, now backed by Earth's full military might, engaged in a desperate final battle against a super-hive ship heading for Earth.
Through cunning, sacrifice, and the use of Ancient technology, they ultimately defeated the attacking Wraith fleet. Atlantis landed safely in San Francisco Bay, a symbol of humanity's expansion into the stars and a testament to the courage and ingenuity of the Atlantis Expedition.
The story concludes with Atlantis, the lost city of the Ancients, finally returned to Earth, its mission fulfilled, and the heroes looking towards an uncertain but hopeful future.