Carson Beckett

Carson Beckett
Paul McGillion as Carson Beckett in a promotional photograph for Stargate Atlantis Season 1.
First appearance	"Rising" (Atlantis)
Created by	Robert C. Cooper Brad Wright
Portrayed by	Paul McGillion
Information
Species	Human
Occupation	Medical doctor
Family	mother
Nationality	Scottish

Dr. Carson Beckett is a fictional Scottish character in the Canadian-American science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1. He is portrayed by Scottish-born Canadian actor Paul McGillion, who previously played Dr. Ernest Littlefield in the first season of SG-1. The character's Scottish nationality was only decided after McGillion's audition.

Dr. Beckett's character arc begins in the pilot episode "Rising". He is the discoverer and a carrier of the fictional Ancient Technology Activation gene, which allows humans to interact with specialized Ancient technology such as the Atlantis base. His medical expertise and his history with the Ancient gene earns him a spot on the Atlantis expedition, where he becomes the expedition's chief medical officer. Beckett is killed in an explosion in the third-season episode "Sunday", but he returns as a clone in season four and five.

The character's appearances were marked by positive reception. Despite being billed as a recurring character at first, he appeared in nearly every episode of the first season before the producers promoted him to a main character for the second and third seasons. The fan reaction to the character's death in season three was so strong that the Stargate Atlantis producers re-introduced the character in a recurring role in seasons four and five. In 2005, Paul McGillion was nominated for a Leo Award for "Best Supporting Performance by a Male" for his role as Beckett.

Carson Beckett is stated to have been born in Scotland in a family of seven. His mother, who is mentioned throughout the series, is only briefly shown in "Rising". Beckett was born with the Ancient Technology Activation (ATA) gene, which gives the carrier the ability to access Ancient technology. At the beginning of Stargate Atlantis, Beckett is a doctor with an extended knowledge of medicine and just discovered the Ancient gene. Elizabeth Weir selected him for the Atlantis Expedition and stationed him at the Ancient outpost in Antarctica, where the SG-1 team had defeated the nemesis Anubis in the Stargate SG-1 season seven finale, "Lost City".