The Game first debuted on 11 May, 2007 and was written by Carl Binder from a story by Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson.

Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and McKay (David Hewlett) are thrown into a game that the expedition finds in the Ancient database. But, as things continue to play out, everyone comes to realize it’s not a game. It could destroy two different civilizations (being played by Sheppard and McKay) in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Things are revealed to Atlantis, initially, when a team visits a planet, and finds a Canadian flag, but with the maple leaf replaced with an image of McKay’s head. We learn, along with the rest of Atlantis, that it’s from a game that Sheppard and McKay have been playing. And now both civilizations are in danger.

So Sheppard, McKay, Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) and Ronon (Jason Momoa) head out to investigate. They are going to have to find a way to get both sides to chat and work out their differences. Both sides have views and advances as created by Sheppard and McKay… it’s like the game Civilization was brought to life, and has real-world consequences.

Weir (Torri Higginson) attempts to lead a negotiation in the hopes of reaching an agreement. But in the end, it may fall to Sheppard and McKay to sort things out, despite their opposing viewpoints on a number of subjects.

Things keep escalating as the forces of the civilization clash. McKay’s people have bombs, invention and science, Sheppard’s have training and military skill. And they are going to kill one another if they can’t find a resolution.

Can things be sorted out before too many lives are claimed?

The episode features Laura Harris in a guest role!

It’s entertaining, solidly written, and makes for a really good story.

The Ark was written by Ken Cuperus from a story he developed with Scott Nimerfro. It first aired on 18 May, 2007.

Sheppard’s team comes across a crippled space station, in a hollowed out moon. Inside are people preserved in stasis. It seems they planned to stay there, locked away and hidden. This was their plan to outlast the Wraith.

McKay is the one to bring the first person back, and the team is stunned to realize that the people used Wraith beaming technology to store their civilization (think of it as keeping their patterns in the transporter buffer). How many still exist? What happened during the escape that caused so many to be lost and left behind?

And where can they go now?

It’s no surprise that complications ensue, and the team have their work cut out for them, as they attempt to keep safe for themselves and the survivors.

Despite it’s trappings, it basically boils down to a disaster movie in space story. It is also a survival struggle a Jamus (Kenneth Walsh) bears the heavy weight of the loss of his people, and the actions he took.

Basic disaster movie episode.