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Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two galaxies (Milky Way and Pegasus) via a network of alien transportation devices.
- Overview
- Biography
- Alternate realities
- Alternate timelines
- Personality
- Powers and abilities
- Equipment
- Relationships
"Hey, I'm Doctor Rodney McKay, all right? Difficult takes a few seconds; impossible a few minutes."
―Rodney McKay to Malcolm Tunney
Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay, better known as Rodney McKay, due to his dislike of his real first name (he is called 'Meredith' or 'Mer' by his sister and briefly 'Rod' by Dr. Daniel Jackson), is a brilliant astrophysicist, and one of the leading experts on not only the Stargate and wormhole physics, but also Ancient and nanite technology in both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies.
Having been involved with the Stargate Program for many years with occasional assistance to the SGC as well, McKay joined the Atlantis expedition after expressing an eager desire to be a part of it. As such, he was given the position of Chief Science Officer for the expedition and became a permanent member of the expedition's flagship team, Atlantis Reconnaissance 1 led by Lt. Colonel John Sheppard with McKay continuing to hold both positions to this day.
•Dr. Rodney "Rod" McKay came to our reality to prevent his from being destroyed by a power generating experiment. The project was shut down, but the exotic particles were still being created in his reality. Rod, our McKay, and his sister Jeannie Miller found a way to disconnect their realities, stopping the creation of any more particles. The plan was successful and Rod was sent back to his reality, however this depleted the Zero Point Module. In his own reality, Rod was much friendlier and more open than the original McKay, although Rod told the original McKay that he envied McKay who could tell everyone what he was on his mind and not care about what people thought. (SGA: "McKay and Mrs. Miller")
•In another alternate reality accidentally visited by Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter in 2007, McKay wore glasses and was, according to Major Evan Lorne, a "dotcom millionaire smart-ass." He was a wealthy high-tech industrialist and was once married to Major Samantha Carter, until they got a divorce. When Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter from our reality accidentally transported herself to that reality, partly due to their Carter, she asked McKay for help bridging his universe with Carter's, something he has done with his sister back in her own reality. Initially, he was reluctant, but when the US Government forced him to work for Stargate Command, he helped build the bridge, since the government from that universe thought Carter would be more trouble than she was worth. This version of McKay likewise had a poor relationship with his sister Jeannie Miller. Upon being told that his counterpart in our reality was a member of the Atlantis expedition who led a dangerous life, McKay deemed him a "chump." (SG1: "The Road Not Taken")
•In another alternate reality, McKay designed and built the Alternate reality drive and fitted it on an alternate Daedalus. The drive later turned out to be flawed, as it went out of control and shifted to other universes with no way to stop it. (SGA: "The Daedalus Variations")
•In another alternate reality, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard's team went on board the alternate Daedalus and became stranded when the Alternate reality drive activated. Unable to shut off or reverse the drive, he and his team starved to death on board the runaway ship after they ran out of supplies. (SGA: "The Daedalus Variations")
•In an alternate timeline, McKay stayed behind on the newly discovered Atlantis to attempt to open the bay doors of the Jumper bay. He drowned as the control room of Atlantis became submerged. The alternate-timeline Dr. Elizabeth Weir called him "heroic" for giving his life on the chance that the city and the expedition might be saved. (SGA: "Before I Sleep")
•In an alternate timeline and as of a result of the Stargate Program never coming into existence, Dr. Rodney McKay was the lead astrophysicist working at Cheyenne Mountain. Unlike the McKay in the proper timeline, he wasn't allergic to lemon and, in fact, considered Lemon chicken his favorite food. However, like the McKay in the proper timeline, he was infatuated with Samantha Carter, even going so far as to invite her out for lunch although Carter later grew tired of him. Later, while the address was being dialed into the Stargate, McKay gave the situation nothing more than a fifty-fifty chance of working despite General Hammond insisting that in an another timeline, it had worked for eight years although just like everyone else, McKay was left stunned when the Stargate came to life but he later remarked that he was glad that he wasn't going through the gate. He later called the Time Jumper a "Gateship" before defending it when George Hammond gave him a questioning look with McKay claiming that he thought the Gateship thing was clever. (SG1: "Moebius, Part 1", "Moebius, Part 2")
Behavior
"I'm Dr. Rodney McKay, all right? Difficult takes a few seconds; impossible, a few minutes." ―McKay Contrary to the 'Polite Canadian' stereotype, McKay is often one of the most arrogant and condescending people known to the Stargate Program as well as members of both Stargate Command and the Atlantis expedition. He often verbally abuses his peers, particularly Dr. Radek Zelenka, for their perceived "lack of intellect" or imagination. His attitude is one of exasperation, wondering how it is that they can hold down a job, and yet, he is occasionally forced to admit that his colleagues are useful. However, despite his irritating demeanor, almost everyone on the Atlantis expedition is either a friend, or on friendly terms with him. He even demonstrates a certain "B team" inferiority complex when dealing with the members of SG-1, particularly Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson. Despite his shortcomings, McKay has performed extraordinary acts of heroism and bravery as early as the first few weeks on the expedition, ranging from taking the initiative to hand-carry, and then throw, a Naquadah generator through the Stargate in order to lure a Shadow creature out of the city, and evacuating entire populations from planets about to be culled by the Wraith. In one mission, he was torn between staying with a dying Dr. Brendan Gall, or going to help the outmatched Major John Sheppard. The badly wounded Dr. Gall told McKay to aid Sheppard. He refused to leave until Gall, who was already near death, killed himself. McKay saved Sheppard from the Wraith and the combined efforts of the two were enough to save both of them and their ship. (SGA: "Hide and Seek", "The Defiant One") Another example of this was when, despite hurt, he joined a rescue mission for Ronon Dex, claiming to be close friends with him, which Dr. Carson Beckett was skeptical of. During the rescue, he at least tried to go out of his way to help Ronon, fighting Beckett over a gun to go out and fight. He and Beckett then formed a plan that saved Ronon's life and allowed Beckett to kill the Wraith Leader Ronon is fighting. After being assured Ronon won't hurt him for his part in that, McKay was and mollified by Ronon's reactions. He even pilots the Puddle Jumper home, even though he was not a good pilot, but that seemed to have improved over time. (SGA: "Sateda") John Sheppard and other members of the expedition have usually shown full trust in him. An alternate McKay, who went by "Rod" has admitted that he likes McKay for the simple fact that he is able to speak his mind so freely and simply. McKay however, didn't seem to realize that people didn't like him too much because of his arrogance, when Rod stated the observation that he didn't seem to care if people liked him or not. In one instance, Dr. Elizabeth Weir stated that she and the members of Rodney's team love him, which Sheppard, in his own way, seems to confirm, by saying "In a way a friend feels about another friend." (SGA: "McKay and Mrs. Miller", "Tao of Rodney") He often provides comic relief in addition to his considerable technological expertise, and his ability to find solutions in situations of imminent death have been used against him several times to motivate him which always works. (SG1: "The Pegasus Project", SGA: "Inferno") He is also known for repeatedly snapping his fingers several times at once. He often does this when he gets a sudden bright idea, is attempting to remember something or to attract someone's attention. (SGA: "Progeny", "McKay and Mrs. Miller", "Adrift") When McKay had a brush with near ascension, his behavior changed somewhat. He spent what time he thought he had left as best he could. He used his knowledge to try to create technologies to help the expedition, did things to help others personally, such as writing a book about Weir from his perspective, asked Ronon about his scars and healed them, saved Zelenka's life when he was dying, and served the remembrance tea for Teyla's father's death so she wouldn't have to do it alone. (SGA: "Tao of Rodney") Sometimes McKay seems to hallucinate when under extreme emotional duress, such as seeing Samantha Carter while in a sinking jumper, and saying goodbye to Carson Beckett after his death.. (SGA: "Grace Under Pressure", "Sunday") When the Atlantis team met their Organic Asuran replicas, McKay was the only member who was not only pleased at the replica's existence, but actually enthused about spending time and working with it. (SGA: "This Mortal Coil")
Intelligence
"You're smarter than me." "I know." ―Malcolm Tunney and McKay McKay often claims on being the smartest person in Atlantis and has identified himself as a Mensa member, and implied an unofficial chapter in Atlantis, thus making him unique among his peers. He cannot stop himself from putting everyone "right" when they are "clearly wrong", usually on the spot, whoever they are and in whatever situation; including bosses, colleagues, and even invading alien captors. McKay originally turned to science after studying the piano, intending to be a musician, until he was told by his piano teacher that he was a "great clinical player" but had no sense of the art. After turning to science, he discovered that it, too, is an art. While both Colonel Samantha Carter and McKay frequently argue about solutions, she often wins. However, he once told a hallucination of her that while he considers himself as smart as Carter, he believes she is wiser. (SG1: "Redemption, Part 2", SGA: "Grace Under Pressure") McKay also occasionally displayed some acting skills; he successfully fooled Richard Woolsey, but not Major General Jack O'Neill, mostly due to his recognizing something McKay was doing as being faked after years of working together with Carter on the SGC's legendary main flagship team, SG-1. (SGA: "The Return, Part 2")
Hypochondria
"I'm no Ronon – I'm not gonna be on the cover of “Shape” magazine any time soon... but I can handle myself in combat; stand my ground when I need to." ―Rodney McKay McKay is a renowned hypochondriac, claiming at various times to suffer from hypoglycemia, restless legs syndrome, allergies to bee stings and citrus fruit, among other things. He once said that he had studied medical science at one time, but stopped, because the amount of information on the human body made him start to diagnose himself with many phantom diseases. He has an obsession with protecting his skin, which lead him to invent SPF 100 factor sunblock while on a mission to P3M-736, a planet with no ozone layer. (SG1: "48 Hours", "The Pegasus Project") (SGA: "Rising", "Runner", "Instinct", "Tao of Rodney", "Missing", "Spoils of War") Because of his hypoglycemia, he eats regularly. After three years, the rest of the team notices that he eats too much. However, McKay claimed that he weighed exactly the same as he had three years earlier. He also enjoys eating MREs, hospital food, and airline food (though his only complaint being that he can't get seconds). While he and Sheppard were playing what they thought was an Ancient game, McKay inadvertently forced the people of Geldar to despise anything citrus and made them believe that "even the sunlight is dangerous". (SGA: "Suspicion", "The Game")
Wraith enzyme
After dosed with the Wraith enzyme by Aiden Ford, he displayed several enhanced abilities while using the enzyme. •Enhanced strength: •Enhanced speed: •Enhanced stamina: •Enhanced vison: •Enhanced hearing:
Near ascension
After an encounter with the Ancient Ascension machine, Rodney began evolving to the point where he could achieve Ascension, causing him to develop several near ascension abilities along the way: (SGA: "Tao of Rodney") •Telekinesis: One of the most prominent abilities and the one Rodney showed the most control over was the ability to manipulate objects with his mind. Rodney first displayed this ability by, unknown to him, instinctually pulling a tablet computer closer to him. Just by thinking it and unintentionally, Rodney caused several enemy weapons to jam. Following this, Rodney was able to lift a grown man into the air with the movement of a single finger, cause a donut to fly into his hand and type on several computers at once. Noticeably, the computer keys were moving without Rodney needing to focus his concentration on the task. •Enhanced Hearing: After Rodney started evolving, his hearing increased to the point that he could hear a conversation from across the room as if the people speaking were right next to him. •Telepathy: One of the abilities Rodney developed during this time was the ability to hear thoughts. At first, Rodney didn't realize he was doing so until he realized no one else could hear the voices he could. While Rodney greatly enjoyed this ability at first, he learned how to tune out the voices when they got to be too much for him. He later used this ability to telepathically tell Doctor Carson Beckett how to reverse the process that led him to near ascension. •Healing: As he continued to evolve, Rodney developed the healing power of the Ancients. In his first use of this ability, Rodney healed a serious burn on the chest of Doctor Radek Zelenka, also causing his heart to restart, having stopped due to the electrical shock he suffered that caused the burn. Rodney was later able to heal scars several years old on the back of Ronon Dex. •Enhanced Genius-Level Intellect: As a result of his near ascension state, Rodney's already genius-level intelligence was greatly enhanced to the point he was able to upgrade Atlantis's power systems efficiency, plan upgrades for the Daedalus Asgard shields that even Asgard engineer Hermiod couldn't understand and design a hyperdrive for a Puddle Jumper. Following his return to normal, Rodney was unable to understand anything he had done with this enhanced intelligence though he was eventually able to complete the Puddle Jumper hyperdrive. (SGA: "Adrift")
Wraith traits
Following his transformation into a Wraith and successful reversion, McKay developed some Wraith-like traits. One of these was a Wraith's need for a Queen, causing him to pursue Samantha Carter again despite being with Jennifer Keller and knowing that Carter had no interest. McKay also retained a degree of Wraith telepathic ability similar to Teyla, but on a lesser level. Fortunately, while McKay acquired the need to feed, his subconscious awareness of his true nature meant that he never actually had the ability to do so, instead being fed indirectly by other Wraith until he was rescued (although he then had to feed on Jennifer when he was dying of 'hunger', although she was able to come through it safely thanks to a new retrovirus she had developed that ensured that humans could survive a feeding). (SGA: "Legacy")
Weapons
•FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon: •M9 pistol: •Colt M1911A1 pistol: •Taser: •Wraith handblaster: •Anti-Replicator gun: •Plasma pistol:
Other equipment
•Atlantis expedition uniform: •Battle Dress Uniform: •SG Phoenix uniform: McKay had a slightly ill-fitting Phoenix Site uniform while he assisted the Site in 2003. (RPG: "Ave Maria") •Hazmat suit: •Space suit: •Radiation suit: •Ancient pressure suit: •Armored exoskeleton: •Tactical vest: •Radio: •Personal shield emitter: Rodney had a personal shield emitter that was imprinted to him. He used it during the Skirmish with the Shadow creature in 2004. The device protected him while he entered the Shadow creature and threw a Naquadah generator through the Stargate, which lured the creature out of Atlantis. (SGA: "Hide and Seek") •Flashlight: •Life signs detector: •Sunblock: McKay made his own sunblock that was SPF 100 and waterproof. He used it on P3M-736, as the planet had a high UV index. (SGA: "Runner") •Tablet: •Magnetic compass: •Night vision goggles: •Camcorder: •Lantean tablet: •Binoculars: •Wraith tracking system:
Vehicles
•Jumper 1: •Orion:
"Nope, that's pretty much it—petty, arrogant, bad with people."
―Samantha Carter
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