The Queen is episode 8 of season 5 of Stargate Atlantis, first aired in 2008.
Todd proposes a dizzying deal: distributing Keller's gene therapy to free the Wraith from feeding on humans... provided his queen can be convinced. The plan requires a royal bargaining chip, and Teyla, genetically disguised, becomes a Wraith queen for the length of a negotiation. In the hive's corridors, the throne is won with a knife.
Why it matters to the mythology
Teyla reigns as Queen Death... sorry, simply as queen: Todd's coup makes her the official puppet of an alliance, and him the real boss.
The review
The series' most daring makeup gamble, and Rachel Luttrell wins it hands down: her Wraith queen, bearing and haughtiness included, is a creature in her own right, not a disguise. The Wraith court games, bows, poisons and regicides, give the enemy a Shakespearean aristocracy. And Todd, eliminating his commander by offering the throne to his accomplice, makes a chess move that redefines who is manipulating whom. A superb palace episode.
Written by Sebastian
Founder and editor-in-chief of Stargate Initiative
Gallery · 2
Stills from the episode, via TMDb.
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