This Episode: Spoilers | Photos

EPISODE NUMBER - 509 ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE - 09.19.08 WRITTEN BY - Carl Binder DIRECTED BY - William Waring GUEST STARRING - Mike Dopud (Kiryk) The team comes to the aid of a village under Wraith threat, but Ronon and McKay must rescue one of their own when Dr. Keller is kidnapped.

NEWS & SPOILERS (Newest information is added to the bottom) "Gave Carl notes on his revised beat sheet for 'Tracker.' My one big cover note: Change the guy's name. Clearly frustrated, Carl informed me he was open to suggestions. I consulted the list of ingredients listed on the packaged mixed nuts sitting on the coffee table, immediately coming up with the inspired 'Peanutia.'" (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog) "Carl put out his first draft of 'Tracker' today. In a word: awesome! McKay and Ronon make a terrific team." (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog) Ronon, McKay, and Dr. Keller visit a world where the Wraith have recently arrived. The reason soon becomes clear: they are pursuing a Runner, a warrior who has been tagged with a homing device so that the Wraith can hunt him for sport. Before joining the Atlantis team, Ronon himself was just such a prey ("Runner"). The Runner's name is Kiryk, and he captures Dr. Keller. Jennifer tries to reason with him as he marches her through the woods and away from the team. Kiryk is surprised to learn that she not only knows what a Runner is, but she also claims that Ronon used to be one -- but isn't any more. Keller's absence is only one problem, though. With help from a man named Erran, Ronon and McKay evacuate a village to the nearby caves, to try and keep the people safe. Soon Kiryk's purpose for kidnapping the doctor is revealed, as they arrive at his destination: he has a companion, a 10-year-old girl who is in desperate need of medical attention. (GateWorld news report) Guest characters include Kiryk, Erran, Celise (the injured girl), and a group of villagers. "We screened Will's director's cut this morning and, boy, this one is a lot of fun. McKay and Ronon team up, Keller kicks ass, and guest star Mike Dopud squares off with Jason in a particularly memorable throw-down." (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a message at his blog) Actor Mike Dopud has appeared twice before on Stargate SG-1: He played the Russian officer Colonel Chernovshev in Season Eight's "Full Alert," and the bounty hunter Odai Ventrell in Season Ten's "Bounty." New behind-the-scenes images from what appears to be the filming of "Tracker" and/or "The Queen" are now online at the L.A. Times Web site. NEW! July 26 - "My most difficult episode so far has been 'Tracker.' Once again I am kidnapped in the woods and filthy and crying and in peril. I don't know what Carl [Binder, writer/producer] has against me. I just read another one that Carl wrote, and again I'm kidnapped in the woods!" (Actress Jewel Staite, at the Comic-Con 2008 Stargate Atlantis panel) NEW! August 15 - "McKay and Ronon, each unaware of the other's motive, volunteer to assist Dr. Jennifer Keller with a medical follow-up away from Atlantis. But once in the settlement, a nervous child patient prompts Keller to ask Ronon and McKay to wait for her in the local tavern while she finishes her treatment. "Later, when the pair return, they are surprised to learn that she left some time ago. An exhaustive search of the village turns up no sign of her. But a set of footprints in the dirt just past the village confirms Ronon's mounting suspicion that Keller has been kidnapped. "Ronon, wasting no time, begins to track her abductor while McKay runs back to the Stargate to radio for assistance. But just as he reaches the D.H.D., four hunter Wraith come through the gate and fan out in separate directions. Ronon, knowing full well that these Wraith exist to chase Runners, suspects there is a connection to Dr. Keller's disappearance. And he knows he must draw on his uncommon skills as a former Runner if he is to save her." (SCI FI Channel episode synopsis)

As information is listed here while the episode is still in production, remember that it is subject to change.