STARGATE ATLANTIS (Thurs March 29, Seven- 11:30pm)

-Superb spin-off of the equally good STARGATE SG-1, which was based on the 1994 movie of the same name. SG- ATLANTIS features a group of marines, scientists and civilians using an intergalactic wormhole to instantaneously cross thousands of light years to the source of Earth’s myths of the sea-kingdom Atlantis, a mysterious ocean world in the Pegasus Galaxy. In Atlantis they find a huge, palatial fortress-city that they claim for their own. The crew face two big problems though – the wormhole was one way and they can’t return to Earth, and their presence in Atlantis re-awakens a lethal race of alien vampire predators called the Wraith, who use mouths in their hands to feed off human souls. As well as great scripts, cracking FX and cool actors, the series is of interest to gay sci-fi fans for the extremely homoerotic subtext between series hottie Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and sarcastic scientist Doctor Rodney McKay (David Hewlitt). If you tried counting all the unnecessary touching, loaded glances and near-snogs, you’d be up all night. This season brings a special bonus, in an episode where McKay is accidentally ‘possessed’ by a female civilian with a crush on Doctor Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion) leading to what is according to Hewlitt ‘The first male to male kiss in sci-fi series history’. And boy is Colonel Sheppard jealous!!