Mallozzi reveals plot details for Stargate Atlantis: Extinction
GateWorld has the full story, from his blog.
Short version: the Ancients installed a self-destruct in Atlantis in case the city was ever taken outside the Pegasus Galaxy. When it activates several months after "Air", there is a mad dash to get Atlantis back to Pegasus, which can be done in two jumps using the wormhole drive. After the first jump and with the clock ticking, the drive burns out; the team finds a habitable planet in range. Seeking help, they travel there and end up in "a wild time-travel themed adventure in which Todd, the Wraith, turns out to be, simultaneously, their hugest threat and biggest ally.”
Honestly, I'm glad that this movie was canceled. It just feels far too forced and too derivative of earlier ideas (especially "Adrift" and
Stargate: Continuum). It also doesn't feel like it would have been anything close to a satisfactory wrap-up of the ongoing arcs, especially with the IOA and the Wraith. Using a countdown clock to get Atlantis back to Pegasus feels like a cheat to get around potential political implications, and the very logical idea that Atlantis is probably Earth's best defense without the Ancient chair and a much better location for any IOA-unified Stargate Command than Cheyenne Mountain.
And I'm absolutely sick to death of time-travel. I could have dealt with the countdown if it meant we got back to Pegasus to deal with the Wraith once and for all. But no, instead, we're getting yet
another "enemy changes the timeline" story. I realize that this is a very short summary, but it sounds far too much like Ba'al's actions in
Continuum; alternatively, it's an inverted version of "Moebius" with Todd changing the timeline instead of Our Heroes. I would much rather see a story which deals with Stargate Command trying to end the Wraith threat once and for all, whether it's through using the retrovirus to negotiate for peace or if it's taking more desperate measures to prevent the Wraith from finding the Milky Way.
