"Ronon" redirects here. See also Ronin

Ronin

A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....

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Ronon Dex is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 in the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...

. Played by Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa is an American actor and model.He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on military science fiction television series Stargate: Atlantis . Most recently, he became recognized for his role as the title character in the sword and sorcery film Conan the Barbarian...

, he is a Satedan, a civilization from the Pegasus Galaxy who had a technological level comparable to Earth in the mid-20th century but met the fate of all advanced civilizations in Pegasus when their homeworld Sateda (P3R-534) was devastated several years ago by the Wraith. When Ronon Dex and the Atlantis expedition first met in the season 2 episode "Runner", Ronon Dex had been a Runner for the past seven years. He joined the Atlantis Expedition shortly afterwards, effectively replacing Aiden Ford

Aiden Ford

Aiden Ford is a fictional character in the Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate Atlantis, a military science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...

 on Sheppard's

John Sheppard (Stargate)

John Sheppard is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a science fiction show about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...

 team after Ford had become addicted to a wraith

Wraith (Stargate)

In the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, the Wraith are the original enemy alien species, first introduced in the pilot episode . In the series, they are a vampire-like telepathic race who feed on the "life-force" of humans, and are the dominant power in the Pegasus galaxy...

 enzyme and had fled Atlantis.

Jason Momoa, along with some of his fellow cast members, have said that they think of Ronon as the Atlantis version of Chewbacca

Chewbacca

Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...

.

Role in Stargate Atlantis

Ronon is a native from Sateda, a planet with a 1930s level of technology. His grandfather suffered from Second Childhood, a condition with symptoms similar to Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

. Ronon became a member of the Satedan military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 where he held the rank of Specialist. He was very close to a woman named Melena, whom Ronon considered "close enough" to a wife in "Sunday". Approximately seven years before Ronon's first contact with the Atlantis Expedition, the Wraith attacked Sateda. Ronon remained behind with Melena to fight the Wraith, but the Wraith defeated Satedan forces and Melena was killed before Ronon's eyes in an explosion. Ronon was later captured by the Wraith. When the Wraith discovered that they couldn't feed on him, they turned him into a Runner, implanting a tracking device in his upper back and setting him loose to be constantly hunted.

Ronon stayed alive for seven years by learning several new tricks and deciding to hunt them back with his weapons. He owns a unique energy pistol

Pistol

When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...

 which emits red bursts of energy that stun or kill at the user's discretion. It resembles a revolver

Revolver

A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

 with a power cell where the ammunition cylinder would be located. (The same type of weapon is shown to be used by a people in the season 4 episode "Travelers", but Ronon displays no knowledge of these people.) Ronon also carries a sword; the hilt is made from a Wraith mandible and humerus wrapped in Wraith hair, the blade is made from the metal of a Wraith ship, and the scabbard is made from a Wraith leather coat. The episode "The Hive" shows Ronon carrying several knives hidden on his person for use in emergencies. (He uses four and it is implied there may be more.) Ronon's seemingly unlimited supply of these blades is a source of occasional comic relief.

When the Atlantis team encounters Ronon for the first time in season 2's "Runner", they arrange a removal of the tracking device in his back. Ronon returns with them to Atlantis, but learns that Sateda had been completely destroyed. Sheppard offers Ronon a place on his team in "Duet" after Ronon proves his worth against the Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 and Teyla

Teyla Emmagan

Teyla Emmagan was a primary fictional character played by Rachel Luttrell in the science fiction series, Stargate Atlantis. In the show, she is the daughter of Tagan, and was a leader of a village on the planet Athos...

 in hand-to-hand combat, and demonstrates his experience with guns. Ronon finds out in "Trinity" that about 300 Satedans survived the Wraith attacks and moved to other planets. In season 3's "Sateda", Ronon gets revenge on the Wraith who originally turned Ronon into a Runner. Ronon meets with three of his old Satedan friends in season 4's "Reunion" and seriously considers leaving the Atlantis Expedition for the first time until he learns that his old friends are Wraith Worshippers. In the end, Ronon remains with the Atlantis Expedition, stating that his friends are "right here".

For a short time in season 4, Ronon develops a romantic interest in Dr. Jennifer Keller

Jennifer Keller

Dr. Jennifer Keller is a fictional character from the Canadian-American military science fiction series Stargate Atlantis, a spin-off series to Stargate SG-1. She is played by Canadian actress Jewel Staite, who previously played the Wraith Ellia in season two episode "Instinct"...

, which appears to be mutual. In season 4's "Midway", Teal'c

Teal'c

Teal'c is a fictional character in the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Played by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modified human with an abdominal pouch that serves as an incubator for a larval Goa'uld...

 comes to Atlantis to advise Ronon how to deal with the IOA. This immediately provokes a rivalry, and Dex and Teal'c engage in a sparring match. After an hour of intense but inconclusive fighting, it is proven they are equally match. Together, they fight a group of Wraith who gated to Earth; in the process, Dex earns IOA approval of his presence at Atlantis. (The rivalry as such is resolved; the question of who could beat whom is left unresolved.) In the series 5 final episode, "Enemy at the Gate", Ronon is killed during an assault on a Wraith hive that had reached Earth's orbit. He is then revived by a Wraith and interrogated, only to be rescued by Sheppard and crew. Dex is last seen with the Atlantis Expedition crew as they safely land a cloaked but disabled Atlantis near the Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...

.

Conceptual history

The working name for Ronon's home world planet was Atteria, not Sateda.

After Momoa was cast in the role, the Sci Fi Channel

Sci Fi Channel (United States)

Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

 objected to him keeping his long, 5-pound-heavy dreadlocks. However the hair soon became a signature of the character, and when Momoa decided to cut them off (with the producers' permission) after the completion of Season 4, he was still required to have his hair sewn back on for at least the first three episodes until there would be a scene where Ronon cuts his hair off in "Broken Ties". According to Momoa, it took nine hours to sew his hair back on for the beginning of the fifth season, but wearing it was too painful for him to continue working. Meanwhile the Sci Fi Channel overruled the decision for Ronon to lose his hair, so he was eventually given a custom made $10,000 wig that weighed the same as Momoa's former hair as a replacement for the rest of the season.

External links

• Ronon Dex at Stargate wikia
• Ronon Dex at scifi
  Sci Fi Channel (United States)
  Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
  
  .com