Genii (Stargate)

Genii

Ladon Radim, leader of the Genii, from "Coup D'etat"
Stargate Atlantis race
Attributes
Base of operations	Genii Confederation
Kind	Human race
First appearance	"Underground" (2004)

In the fictional universe of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, the Genii are a human culture living in the Pegasus galaxy (see also: Human civilizations in Stargate Atlantis). Although they appear to be simple Amish-like farmers, the Genii are an advanced, militaristic society. In the series, they have been both enemies and allies to the Atlantis Expedition. Nevertheless, Teyla Emmagan believes that outside of Atlantis, they represent the galaxy's best hope of defeating the Wraith.

The Genii were once a great confederation of planets, but millennia ago Wraith attacks forced them into hiding to survive. They took shelter in city-sized underground bunkers left over from forgotten wars, concealing their technological advancements under the guise of being simple farmers so as to avoid Wraith attention. These bunkers are accessed via hatches hidden inside Genii dwellings, and intruders are swiftly dealt with. Generations ago, the Genii shot down a Wraith dart at great cost, giving them hope for resistance. They have since devoted a great deal of effort into developing nuclear weapons with which to strike back at the Wraith. The Genii possess significant military assets and maintain safehouses and supply caches throughout the Pegasus galaxy, watched over by caretakers. They also have a large network of spies and informants, such as amongst the Manarians, that allow them to keep an eye on their enemies.

The Atlantis Expedition are first introduced to the Genii by Teyla in "Underground", as a potential provider of foodstuffs for Atlantis. She describes them as "good farmers and fair traders", best known for their tava beans. During the talks, John Sheppard and Rodney McKay accidentally stumble upon a Genii bunker. Discussions of an alliance between the two peoples take place, but their relations sour when the Genii learn that their plan, a coordinated nuclear strike on the hive-ships during the Wraith hibernation cycle, are no longer feasible as the Atlantis team has awakened the Wraith early. Nevertheless, a joint mission is carried out, which ends in the Genii attempting unsuccessfully to betray the Atlanteans. The Genii subsequently launch an attack on Atlantis when the city is largely evacuated during a storm, but are eventually forced to retreat, losing more than 60 soldiers in the process. The Genii weather a Wraith culling later that year, managing to deactivate their reactors in time to avoid detection. They provide their prototype nuclear bombs to Atlantis for the defense of the city and to test viability. Dr. McKay discovers the prototypes are incomplete. He, along with Dr. Zelenka fix those issues.