The first episode title and plot details have arrived for Stargate Atlantis's anticipated second season! "Runner" is apparently intended to air as the third episode of the new season, and will introduce a new series regular: Ronon Dex (story).

Beware of spoilers for this episode in the report below!

John Sheppard has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel since the Wraith attack on Atlantis ("The Siege"), but he is no longer the outpost's ranking military officer. That honor now falls to Colonel Caldwell, who has recently arrived on the base.

But Sheppard's promotion isn't what is on his mind now: His good friend and second-in-command, Lieutenant Aiden Ford, is missing. In the intervening episodes (possibly a still unknown, 2-part season premiere), Ford has been altered and turned into a super soldier of sorts -- but one who depends on an enzyme from the Wraith to survive. This has made him a one-man army, but also a grave security risk to Atlantis, especially after he escapes the city's security forces and gates offworld (prior to this episode).

A clue to Ford's whereabouts sends Sheppard's team to P3M-736, a sun-scorched world where "SuperFord" apparently killed a Wraith to get the enzyme he needs to survive. The team is soon separated, as Sheppard and Teyla are taken hostage in a cave by Ronon Dex -- a human on the run from the Wraith. Ronon has a Wraith homing device implanted in his back, and has been hunted as game for the past seven years.

Dr. McKay, meanwhile, finds Lieutenant Ford. He sees that the young officer isn't quite himself, but Ford is confident in his newfound abilities. Whatever has been done to him is the key to defeating the Wraith, he believes. Now he plans to save Sheppard and Teyla from their captor.

Not quick to trust the team, Ronon strikes a bargain with them: They will bring Dr. Beckett from Atlantis to try and remove the homing device, and he'll help them find Ford -- hopefully before the Wraith arrive.

Guest characters include Colonel Caldwell, Coughlin, Reed, Madden, and Billick -- apparently all from the Atlantis base. Dr. Beckett (Paul McGillion, recently promoted to series regular [story]) also appears in the episode.

A new series regular will join the cast of Stargate Atlantis soon after the hit SCI FI show kicks off its second season, GateWorld has learned. Ronon Dex, a human from the Pegasus Galaxy, will be introduced in the episode "Runner," apparently intended to air as the third episode of Season Two. The role is currently being cast.

It is not yet known whether the character will replace anyone on the current Atlantis cast, though the story in which Ronon is introduced does not bode well for the character of Lieutenant Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) (story). GateWorld will report more news on Season Two's final cast line-up as it becomes available.

A man between 25 and 30 years of age from the planet Atteria, Ronon Dex is a soldier and a weapons expert. He is sharp and witty, with a wry wit and an inclination to be brutally honest with others.

Ronon is the cunning victim of a Wraith hunting game, in which the creatures implant a homing device in their human prey and track them for sport. Ronon has been on the run for seven years, moving from planet to planet, always alone for fear of endangering others. No other human has eluded the Wraith hunters for so long, making him a well-known and highly-esteemed prize. He has even killed some Wraith who have tracked him down.

Ronon's single-minded determination has kept him going for so many years -- as well as his dream of one day being able to stop running and return to his home. He certainly does not trust Sheppard and the Atlantis team when he encounters them on another world.