Elizabeth Weir (Stargate)

For the Canadian politician, see Elizabeth Weir.

Doctor Elizabeth Weir is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The character is played by Torri Higginson, although when introduced in the Stargate SG-1 two-parter "Lost City", she was played by Jessica Steen. Within the Season 5 episode "Ghost in the Machine", the consciousness of Elizabeth Weir, having been transferred to sub-space by a group of replicators hoping to ascend, was transferred to a replicator template, and portrayed by Michelle Morgan.

Biography

Dr. Weir, trained in international relations, was a career diplomat for the United States, involved in negotiating many sensitive international treaties; Daniel Jackson referenced her work when drafting the treaty between Earth and the Tok'ra. She has two Ph.D.s, speaks five languages, and taught political science at Georgetown University. She was an outspoken anti-military advocate, but rather than being looked upon as a normal activist, she attempted to change things from the inside and entered the realm of government. She became involved in the Stargate program when incoming President Henry Hayes tapped her to lead Stargate Command, replacing Major General George Hammond to put a "civilian" face on the organization. She also appears to have struck up a fast friendship with Daniel Jackson during her time in Stargate Command. Later, she was replaced by Brigadier General Jack O'Neill. She had been in a long relationship with Simon before being named Commander of the Atlantis Expedition, leaving her relationship unresolved; it was later terminated.

Elizabeth Weir served as the civilian head of Atlantis and oversees day to day operation of the city as well as approving missions for Atlantis SG teams and negotiating with other worlds. In her time on Atlantis, she has had many power struggles with the military leaders on the base, including Lt. Col. John Sheppard and Col. Steven Caldwell, commander of the Earth vessel Daedalus.

Her usually strict non-violent attitude has been challenged on many occasions, yet she will still take the actions necessary, as evidenced when she allowed Ronon Dex to "interrogate" a man suspected of planting a bomb (which was actually a piece of code designed to cause an overload that would result in a massive explosion). Her life has been threatened by the Genii twice, once when a strike force invaded Atlantis, and once in the Season One finale where she attempts to trade for one of their experimental atomic weapons.

After taking part in a mission to save Atlantis by stealing a ZPM from the Asurans, Weir was trapped on Asuras. It was revealed by a rogue Asuran impersonating Dr. Keller that Dr. Weir was killed by the Asurans because her human side conflicted with the rest of the Asurans' programming. However, at the conclusion of the episode Ghost in the Machine, Weir, who has obtained a Replicator body, attempted to return to Atlantis to produce human bodies for her and a group of others. While creating human bodies to transfer their consciousness's into, one Replicator broke free from the contained room by shutting the power down. After being disabled, the group decides to leave Atlantis to prevent further threats to them. The Replicators are tricked by Weir into walking through a Stargate into space. The episode ends with the crew of Atlantis believing it to be the real Weir.

Events of Stargate: SG1

Season 7

Dr. Elizabeth Weir first appears in the episode Lost City being portrayed by Jessica Steen. She was put in command of the Stargate program by President Henry Hayes, replacing Major General George Hammond to put a "civilian" face on the organization. Vice-President Kinsey wanted to use Weir as a "puppet" to achieve his goals (to gain control of the Stargate program), but the newly promoted Chief of Stargate Command did not allow this.

She was in charge of Stargate Command during Anubis' attack on Earth, and suggested sending the Prometheus to Antarctica, in order to defend the newly discovered Ancient outpost (which was the only option to save Earth), despite the protests of Kinsey, who wanted to be put in charge of the defense. Earth repelled the attack thanks to the Ancient Chair in the outpost, and Dr. Weir remained head of Stargate Command.

Season 8

With the other nations now aware of the Stargate, SGC shut down operations as a sign of good faith, leaving the fate of the animation-suspended O'Neill uncertain, and Weir in charge of negotiations. Dr. Weir allowed Colonel Carter and Teal'c to go to Orilla in search of the Asgard in order to save O'Neill.

Meanwhile, the Earth gate received an incoming wormhole, with a treaty offer by the system lords who were taken by Dr. Weir and Daniel Jackson: help in defeating Ba'al, a System Lord who now possesses the Forces of Anubis. She turned down the offer of hyperspace drive, in exchange for the use of the Ancient outpost chair, asking for the territories of Ba'al instead (a bluff, since no one knew how to operate the drone chair at that stage except for Colonel O'Neill who was in stasis). She successfully managed to calm the situation, when the System Lords tried to test the Earth defenses, allowing them to leave.

Finally, with O'Neill out of stasis, Dr. Weir was put in charge of the Antarctic Research Outpost and its international staff, and O'Neill took her place in Stargate Command.

Events of Stargate: Atlantis

Season 1

Shortly after Dr. Weir was sent to lead the research envoy studying the Ancient defense facility that had been discovered in Antarctica, the Ancient city of Atlantis was re-discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy. Dr. Weir was placed in command of the expedition that was sent through the Stargate to explore Atlantis. With the expedition's arrival on Atlantis, Dr. Weir faced the consequences of their appearance in the new galaxy, such the awakening of the Wraith. As a diplomat, Weir sought treaties with the human populated worlds in Pegsaus, one of them being the Athosians. Later, when several off-world teams were attacked by the Wraith, it was believed that an Athosian was a spy, and she restricted their movement in the city for security reasons ("Suspicion"). The Athosians were cleared when was discovered that Teyla's necklace was a Wraith transmitter. Later, in the mid season two-parter ("The Storm" and "The Eye") Weir came close to being killed by Acastus Kolya when the Genii assaulted the city. Weir also met an alternative-self found in a stasis pod in a unexplored area in the city ("Before I Sleep"). Later, when it was discovered that Atlantis would be attacked on a grand scale by the Wraith, Weir had the sad task of sending a message to all the relatives of the fallen expedition members ("Letters from Pegasus") .

Season 2

Later, in season 2, Weir approved several projects throughout Atlantis including the Wraith retro-virus that she later gave as part of a treaty to a sect of Wraith looking to replace the human food source with Wraith infected by the virus. The retro-virus suppressed the Wraith genetic material in the DNA of a Wraith, leaving only the human DNA. Weir became infected with the consciousness of an alien soldier that was at war with another consciousness that also enslaved Sheppard ("The Long Goodbye"). Both rampaged through the city causing a hostage situation. The consciousnesses were subsequently removed.

Season 3

In season 3, Weir's leadership abilities were questioned by the International Oversight Advisory (IOA) Committee after two Wraith hive ships attempted to attack Earth. Even though she managed to stop both hive ships, the IOA was divided over what they should do, and it was only with some help from Richard Woolsey that Weir was able to keep her position. She also unsuccessfully tried to negotiate an alliance with the Asurans, and was infected with Asuran nanites. It was only through sheer force of will, and some assistance from her team, that she was able to survive.

When live Ancients were found and retook control of Atlantis, Weir had trouble readjusting to life back on Earth. However, when the Asurans took control of Atlantis, she joined Sheppard, McKay, and Beckett in a plan to rescue a trapped General O'Neill, Woolsey, and free Atlantis. The mission succeeded, and Weir took her position once again as the Atlantis expedition commander.

In the final episode of season 3 ("First Strike") Weir was critically injured by the Asuran Satellite Weapon, leaving the city without a leader and adrift in space.

Season 4

The Season 4 episode Adrift revealed that Weir suffered six broken ribs, one of which punctured her lung. While there was no spinal damage, there was massive brain swelling, leading to the need to remove part of her skull to relieve pressure. She also had cerebral edema, which was believed to have caused substantial brain damage. It was believed that if she survived (which did not seem likely), she'd never be the same again. She was later healed by Replicator nanites that were left dormant in her body from when she was infected by Niam. This was the only thing that saved her, as Dr. Keller said her injuries were just too severe for normal medical science to heal. As a result of this treatment, she became part-Replicator. She took part in a mission to save Atlantis by stealing a ZPM from the Asurans, and sacrificed herself to hold off Oberoth, playing with his arrogance and underestimation of her will, and the other Replicators, by freezing them. She succeeded, but was physically grabbed by Oberoth, and ordered Sheppard to leave her behind and escape.

She was left on Asuras, and it was later stated that she was killed by the Asurans shortly afterward because she posed a threat to them, although this is unconfirmed and is doubted by Sheppard. Showrunner Joseph Mallozzi mentioned the possibility that Replicator version of Keller was lying or misinformed when she said that Weir was killed.

An organic copy of Weir, possessing all of her memories and personality, was created by the Replicators, along with similar copies of Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, and McKay. This clone of Weir is believed to have been killed by a contingent of Asurans after distracting them to allow the original Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla and McKay to escape.

At the end of "Be All My Sins Remember'd", Weir - wearing a dark leather version of an Atlantis uniform - is seen as the commander of an Aurora class ship, and the leader of what appears to be a rogue faction of Asurans. She is pleased that the rest of the Asurans have been destroyed, as now "[they] can finally get to work without having to look over [their] shoulders", and that "it's time to begin."

Season 5

On the 8th and 9th of February 2008, it emerged that Torri Higginson would not be reprising the role of Elizabeth Weir in Season 5. Due to Higginson's absence, actress Michelle Morgan was brought in to replace her in the episode "Ghost in the Machine".

The beginning of the episode has Weir's consciousness invading Atlantis' computers and asking for help. She claims that after she was captured, the nanites in her body were were removed in a lab and allowed to replicate, creating her new replicator body, though she retained her old consciousness. After joining the rest of the Asuran population, she found and joined the remnants of Niam's group, who were still seeking ascension. After the Asuran homeworld was destroyed, they were free to pursue their quest without having to hide from the rest of the population. However, they were unsuccessful in their machine bodies, so one of the group developed a method of simultaneously disintegrating their bodies and uploading their minds into subspace as a means of machine-ascension. While the process worked, it was not the ascension they had sought, and they could not assume their replicator form again, leaving them trapped in subspace. Weir then uses the Replicator machine in Atlantis to build herself a body. Being in a hurry, she uses the template of Fran, the Replicator Rodney created in "Be All My Sins Remember'd". She then summons the rest of the Replicator group, who bombard Atlantis' computer systems and threaten to sink the city unless new bodies be made for them. Weir negotiates a deal with Woolsey, who allows them to create Replicator bodies so that they can then build themselves human bodies (as previously seen in "This Mortal Coil"). However, the Replicator who originally came up with the subspace ascension plan goes against the deal and escapes, but Weir follows after him and is forced to kill him herself to save Sheppard. Realizing that the other Replicators and even herself cannot be fully trusted, she tricks the other Replicators into following her through the Stargate, emerging from a space gate. Weir is last seen floating helplessly in space with the other Replicators, as they begin to shut down. However, given that Replicators have been previously shown to reanimate once they enter a more temperate climate, it is unknown whether the character will be reintroduced. Rodney McKay states that no one but Elizabeth Weir would have sacrificed herself like that.

References

Cited

External links

• "Dr. Elizabeth Weir". Stargate Atlantis official site. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
• "Weir, Elizabeth". The Stargate Omnipedia: Characters. GateWorld. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
• Torri Higginson at IMDb. Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
• Jessica Steen (I) at IMDb. Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
• "Elizabeth Weir". StargateWiki. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
• Save Elizabeth Weir - Official Homepage