I saw the pilot episode of Stargate: Atlantis for the first time literally today (November 08, 2022), the result of a discovery of the first two seasons on DVD being bundled together at a too-good-to-leave price, so I come to it with no preconceived notions - and am bewildered at the number of negative reviews, and join (nay, applaud) those taking a more positive tack.
The pilot does exactly what a sci-fi series pilot is supposed to do... introduce and/or bring characters together and set up the huge, often life-changing premise that will propel the show forward.
The pilot episodes for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, Space 1999, Fantastic Journey (anyone remember that?), Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, Lost, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead World Beyond (and, presumably, all the "Dead" spinoffs to come), have all successfully indulged in this tradition across a span of more than half a century.
And, regardless of which end of the TV Sci-Fi spectrum you may prefer, 1960s to 2020s, each pilot has lived up to those core expectations - and "Rising", the pilot episode for Stargate: Atlantis, has done exactly that as well.
So successfully, I might add, that I am eager to enjoy the rest of the episodes going forward.
The pilot does exactly what a sci-fi series pilot is supposed to do... introduce and/or bring characters together and set up the huge, often life-changing premise that will propel the show forward.
The pilot episodes for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, Space 1999, Fantastic Journey (anyone remember that?), Star Trek the Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, Lost, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead World Beyond (and, presumably, all the "Dead" spinoffs to come), have all successfully indulged in this tradition across a span of more than half a century.
And, regardless of which end of the TV Sci-Fi spectrum you may prefer, 1960s to 2020s, each pilot has lived up to those core expectations - and "Rising", the pilot episode for Stargate: Atlantis, has done exactly that as well.
So successfully, I might add, that I am eager to enjoy the rest of the episodes going forward.