Stargate Atlantis/Recap/S03/E15 The Game

"You sent crates of citrus fruit! Citrus! Do you have any idea what an insult that is to my people?"

- Nola of Geldar has learned a little too much from her Oracle

Major Lorne discovers a civilization whose flag features McKay's face in glorious detail. It turns out that the nation of Geldar (named for a girl McKay used to stalk dated twice in college) and its rival nation of Halona are the results of Ancient Lantean social engineering, which McKay and Sheppard mistook for a computer game. In the two years they've been playing, Geldar has flourished in technology, achieving dirigibles and bicycles and inheriting McKay's fear of citrus, while Halona has advanced militarily - and their involvement has brought the two nations to the brink of war.

Tropes:

 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: The scientifically advanced Geldars (McKay's group) wear light colors; the warlike Halonans (Sheppard's group) wear dark colors.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything: Geldar mines an invasion tunnel into Halona and claims its for "Coal"... which has never happened in the real world.
 * The Game: Sheppard and McKay both lose.
 * Medieval Stasis: Enforced. The people of Geldar and Halona consciously refused to advance their society past the point indicated by their respective Oracles. Who stopped talking ten thousand years ago.
 * Shout Out: The plot is a direct echo of the film War Games, down to the point of finishing with "a nice game of chess."
 * Smart People Play Chess
 * Stock Episode Titles: 40 uses
 * The Game Plays You: even knowing what the Game Room actually is, Zelenka and Lorne can't help but get drawn in, and nearly go the way of McKay and Sheppard before Weir orders the room sealed.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential