Fallen into the Wraith trap, McKay initially resigns to fatal captivity in a cocoon, but Ronon keeps struggling to attempt escaping, or at least taking some Wraith down with them. Sheppard managed to hide his glider on the very hive ship, seeking a way out, surprised to get radio contact with Michael, who seeks revenge after the ingrate queen has him semi-restrained as 'too human' suspect. While they try to sabotage the hive and maybe escape, the Daedalus and Orion race just in time to fight the two hive ships before they may attack earth. Weir is summoned to SGC for a pointless grilling by the International Oversight Advisory, finding them bureaucrats unable to risk a decision beyond questioning what was already done. So she returns, never mind the career risk compared to a Wraith culling. Sheppard manages to reach the Daedalus and his party comes up with a daring plan to overpower the hive with the weaponized retrovirus, despite bombarded damage compromising even their life-support systems.

Sheppard and the others are now in control of the one remaining hive ship with most of the Wraith transformed into human form, courtesy of the retrovirus. They do learn something interesting about female Wraiths, however. After they return to Atlantis, the question becomes one of what to do with the Wraiths who are again human, especially Michael who has proved to be quite helpful. Elizabeth Weir meanwhile is surprised to hear that she is to return to Atlantis as the expedition leader. She will be accompanied however by Richard Woolsey who is to review her leadership and make recommendations to the International Oversight Advisory on whether she should be allowed to continue.

Sheppard and the team continue their visits to new planets. McKay is tired of all these visits and is keen on implementing a series of gates that will allow them to travel from Atlantis to Earth in a mere 30 minutes without using the power of a ZPM or the two weeks it takes them on the Daedalus. He takes a somewhat different tack however when he sees all of the very friendly young women in the village. Their leader, Lucius Lavin, seems to be a very affable sort and has the locals eating out of their hands. He claims to be an apothecary of sorts and have a cure for every disease, which is certainly of interest to Dr. Beckett. Lavin is invited to Atlantis and soon everyone, including Elizabeth Weir and McKay have fallen victim to his charms. It's left to Sheppard to sort it all out.

After a group of people capture and give Ronon to the Wraith, he becomes a runner again, but this time he's left in his home planet, Sateda, where the Stargate has been disabled.

The Atlantis expedition encounters a highly advanced race, the Asurans. They initially believe them to be the Ancients. However, this new race is just a new face of an old nemesis.

Dr Weir finds herself on Earth where, to everyone else, the Atlantis Expedition was just her delusion.

John Sheppard is kidnapped by the Genii and is in the company of a Wraith.

Rodney's sister is brought to Atlantis to make use of one of her theories.

A device that creates hallucinations affects the team off-world.

The Atlantis expedition must turn to an old friend for help as the Asurans prepare to invade the city.

The team returns to Atlantis in an attempt to regain control of the city.

Teyla witnesses what appear to be an Ancient apparitions, which soon other people start to see.

The team investigate rumours of an invincible hero off-world, only to find Lucius Lavin again manipulating a hapless village.

When Rodney uses an Ancient device, he gets special powers, but soon Dr Weir discovers it's a double-handled gift: if he doesn't ascend, he'll die.

The Atlantis team finds a program in the Atlantis database which throws Mckay and Sheppard into a Simsesque game that could destroy two civilizations in the Pegasus Galaxy.

The team boards a crippled space station to discover people have been preserved there with the hope to outlive their enemy, the Wraith.

With everyone having a Sunday off - something recommended by psychologist Dr. Heightmeyer - all of the members of the Atlantis team pursue leisure activities. Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett are scheduled to go fishing; Sheppard decides to teach Ronon Dex about golf; Teyla spends some time in the gym; and Elizabeth Weir has a lunch date with the handsome Mike Branton. Their day off however is interrupted by a powerful explosion near the mess hall killing and injuring several members of the team. McKay thinks he knows the cause of the problem - a device found by two junior members of his team may have turned some of them into walking time bombs by creating explosive tumors in them.

The Atlantis team finds an Ancient underwater research facility and puts a team together to check it out.

After losing contact with the new Taranin (the people rescued by the Atlantis team when a super volcano threatened to destroy their planet) settlement, Sheppard's team leaves to investigate. Finding the town deserted, they move to investigate an extensive subterranean tunnel system. What they find there holds dark tidings for the entire Pegasus Galaxy.

After learning the Asurians are building a fleet of ships, Earth sends its newest ship, the Apollo, under the command of Colonel Abe Ellis to initiate a preemptive first strike to stop them from attacking Atlantis or worse, Earth itself.