John Sheppard never planned to be here. Plucked out of a dead-end assignment at
the bottom of the world, he found himself part of an expedition to the lost city of
Atlantis in the distant Pegasus Galaxy. Major Sheppard had to step up and take
charge of the military contingent that was now completely cut off from Earth.
Promoted to Lt. Colonel in the show’s second season,
Sheppard was played by actor Joe Flanigan. Flanigan was a history major before turning
to politics, writing, and ultimately acting. After a string of TV roles,
in 2004 the Los Angeles native shipped off to Vancouver, British Columbia,
having been cast as the leading man in the new Stargate spin-off show.
Modeled after Richard Dean Anderson’s Jack O’Neill (... kind of), Sheppard was
the wisecracking action hero who had more to prove to himself than to anyone around him.
Here are our picks for John Sheppard’s five best episodes!
Let’s kick things off with a couple of honorable mentions.
“Conversion” sees Sheppard transform into a iratus bug-like humanoid
after he comes into contact with an experimental gene therapy. What he gains in super strength,
dexterity, and wall-climbing ability costs him his humanity – as John Sheppard the man slips away.
This is an entertaining hour, as Atlantis gives us its take on the classic science fiction movie
The Fly. The makeup is top-notch, the characters are all on point in their care for their friend.
And if you’ve been waiting for sparks to fly between John and Teyla,
well, here’s the show’s least romantic kiss! Then there’s “Epiphany.” Sheppard is pulled
into a time dilation bubble, where a community of humans are trying to teach themselves to ascend.
Time passes much faster here, so that Sheppard lives six months with the villagers while outside
the bubble his team is trying to rescue him. Joe Flanigan himself contributed the story here,
and for the most part it works. Despite the brilliance of “M.A.L.P. On a Stick,”
Flanigan himself expressed some discontent with the final product.
That final conflict with an invisible monster is a little lackluster, and in the long run it
isn’t clear that Sheppard actually grew at all as a result of living with Teer and her people.
Now, with those out of the way, let’s get on with our five favorite Sheppard episodes.
Number 5: “Outcast” “Epiphany” wasn’t Joe Flanigan’s only story credit
on the show. In the fourth season he conceived what became “Outcast,”
with a teleplay written by Alan McCullough. John returns home after the sudden death of
his father, with Ronon in tow. But his troubled family history ends up the least of his problems.
A woman approaches them with information about Henry Wallace, whose company she says has
used advanced nanite technology acquired off-world to create what is, in effect,
Earth’s very own human-form Replicator. A Replicator on the loose of course
makes this an intriguing story, and it’s a nice change of pace to see
Sheppard and Ronon running around on Earth. And in the process we finally get more of John’s
backstory, from his brother Dave and ex-wife Nancy (played by Sliders’ Kari Wuhrer) to a
wealthy family and estranged father that John seems to have spent some years running from.
And hey, look! It’s Bates! Number 4: “The Eye”
After his C.O. Colonel Sumner was murdered by the Wraith on their first mission in the Pegasus
Galaxy, Major Sheppard quickly stepped up and took charge of the expedition’s military contingent.
He proved himself a capable leader and a cunning soldier, from those early Wraith encounters to a
tangle with the back-stabbing Genii. In the first mid-season two-parter
we see what Sheppard is really capable of as a field strategist.
After Genii Commander Kolya seizes control of the city and takes his friends hostage,
John plays a deadly game of cat and mouse – moving his way stealthily through the city,
taking out Genii, and sabotaging Kolya’s invasion in the middle of a once-in-a-century storm.
This was not only a great episode for Sheppard’s heroics, but it also laid the foundation for his
ongoing rivalry with Kolya. Number 3: “Travelers”
When he’s not tangling with Genii or looking for a way off of a Wraith hive ship,
John is maybe most fun to watch sparring with his allies. In the Season Four episode “Travelers”
his Puddle Jumper is scooped up by an alien race we’ve never met before: the Travelers
are a nomadic civilization that lives on colony ships to stay one step ahead of the Wraith.
Their leader is Larrin, who is every bit a match for Sheppard’s intelligence and stubbornness.
She wants Sheppard to use his latent Ancient gene to help them activate a Lantean battleship.
The two have instant chemistry, and the episode keeps us guessing as Sheppard and Larrin alternate
between cooperation and turning on one another. John ends up stealing her shiny new ship,
only to run afoul of the Wraith. Ultimately they have to work together,
and Sheppard forges a crucial alliance with the Travelers.
Number 2: “Vegas” Our number two pick
is probably the most unusual episode of Stargate Atlantis. And, in fact,
this isn’t even our John Sheppard. “Vegas” is set entirely in a parallel universe, where
Sheppard is a washed-up police detective who’s never crossed paths with the Stargate program.
While on the trail of a killer he learns that this criminal is no ordinary man,
but a life-sucking creature – a Wraith – who is stranded on Earth and trying to contact his kind.
Originally styled “CSI Atlantis” by writer and director Robert C. Cooper, “Vegas” is a treat –
from its unique setting and visual style to the very intimate look at the road not traveled.
This Sheppard was pretty much washed up, with one foot out the door, leaving town with a bag
of money found in the course of his investigation. But when he realizes where the Wraith is hiding he
goes after him, putting his life on the line for the good of others – to get the job done,
knowing he’ll never get any thanks or accolades for doing the right thing.
And the music – oh, the music! This episode ends with a powerful climax, as Sheppard is killed in
a shoot-out with the Wraith, trying to stop him from signaling his people and dooming the Earth.
As Johnny Cash’s “Solitary Man” plays the camera pulls up and away from this alternate Earth,
leaving the heroic John Sheppard alone in the dirt.
Number 1: “Common Ground” We have to save the number one spot
for a story about our Sheppard, the John Sheppard whose adventures we loved for five great years.
“Common Ground” sees the return of Acastus Kolya in Season Three.
Since their last encounter the Genii government was toppled in a coup,
leaving the once proud Commander on the outside. Now he leads a small band of loyalists,
and his agenda includes ambushing the team and kidnapping Sheppard.
John is a prisoner throughout the episode, as Kolya subjects him to torture – allowing
a captured Wraith to feed on him over and over – and demands that Atlantis turn over Ladon Radim,
the new Genii leader who led the coup and usurped Kolya's position.
In addition to these brutal scenes where Flanigan stretches his acting muscles,
and in addition to one of the best hours of Sheppard versus Kolya, “Common Ground” really
shines in the Colonel’s complex relationship with his fellow prisoner. The Wraith whom we
will later come to know as “Todd” is a fellow prisoner, long separated from his hive, who
has nothing against Sheppard and resents Kolya’s exploitation of him as an instrument of torture.
Ultimately the two work together to escape, and John lets his new friend go
free – introducing one of Stargate Atlantis’ most compelling characters, and establishing a
relationship that will take many twists and turns all the way to the final episode of the series.
“Common Ground” is a great episode, and it shows John Sheppard at his finest:
under pressure, up against terrible odds, but clever and compassionate in
turning the tables on his enemy while holding true to his own character.
What are your picks for your favorite Sheppard episodes? Is John at his best when he’s forced
to be on his own, like “Epiphany”? Or when he’s leading his team out into the Pegasus Galaxy?
Leave us your Top 5 in the comments below. While you’re down there give this video a
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