Responding to a distress call from an base built by the Ancients on the planet Taranis, Sheppard and his team find a civilization facing extinction. Rodney discovers that the Ancients’ base is built in the caldera of a dormant supervolcano, but when the locals occupied the empty facility and turned its shields on full-time, the resulting increase in geothermal energy brought the volcano back to an active state. Now, Rodney faces a conundrum – if he turns off the base’s shields, the volcanic activity will destroy it, but leaving the shields on will almost certainly trigger a major eruption that could render Taranis uninhabitable. The locals also have another treasure worth preserving – a ship almost identical to the destroyed Aurora is berthed in the base’s hangar. Sheppard and Weir’s interest in the ship arouses suspicions though, enough that the Atlantis team may not be trusted to evacuate the base. Unsure that the Aurora’s sister ship can be readied in time for a full-scale evacuation, Weir orders Colonel Caldwell to divert the Daedalus to Taranus – even though it can’t evacuate everyone. And on Atlantis, sensors warn of a lone approaching Wraith hive ship…
written by Carl Binder
directed by Peter DeLuise
music by Joel GoldsmithGuest Cast: Kevin McNulty (Chancellor Lycus), Brandy Ledford (Dr. Norina Pero), David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Caldwell), Chuck Campbell (Technician), Patrich Gallagher (Vonos), Trevor Devall (voice of Hermiod)
Notes: Brandy Ledford was a member of the regular cast of Andromeda during its fifth and final season as Doyle. The Aurora was introduced – and destroyed – in this season’s episode Aurora.
LogBook entry by Earl Green