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.

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.

The Atlantis team, along with Weir and now with the ability to make large hyperspace jumps in only a puddle jumper, must now journey to the replicator home planet to steal one of their many ZPMs to bring the city back to life, and finish the journey to their new planet.

A group of beings stranded in sub-space seek help from Atlantis to return to normal space. But their outrageous claims and erratic behavior strains the trust of their benefactors and forces a painful solution.

Sheppard and his team are lured to a planet and are soon put on trial for crimes against the people of the Pegasus galaxy. In flashbacks, the three judge tribunal recounts the indictment against them including the re-awakening of the Wraith and the various missions where at least a few, if not more, innocent bystanders were killed. Sheppard does his best to argue that on balance, fewer were killed by their presence than would have been the case if they had never been there. A least one of the judges is clearly determined to find them guilty while a second seems far more sympathetic. It's left to Richard Woolsey, who has now joined them, to plead the rest of their case. A lawyer by profession, Richard clearly knows how the game is played and focuses on that third judge.