Medical ethics get short shrift here, with predictable results, making the Tuskegee Experiment pale by comparison. Although the lesser of two evils is chosen, it's still and evil, revealing the Hyde within Altantis' Scottish medical doctor.
The planet is menaced by the Wraith, one of whom is in custody in Atlantis, and Major Sheppard offers him up without first getting approval from Dr. Weir, whose civilian control rankles him. The Scottish doctor is charmed out of his resistance by the lovely daughter of the planet's administrator, who is desperate to complete a weapon that can be used against the wraith. Sweetness and light give way to despair and death in yet another imperialist incursion.