Lt. Col. Joseph Gates is a human officer who serves as chief military officer for the un-planned Colonia Expedition. Before the public revelation of the Stargate Program, Gates fought overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and earned a reputation as a skilled and reliable officer which led to his joining the ISGC, where he commanded the marine contingent at the Alpha Site before transferring to the BB-308 Achilles. Once in the Vennix Galaxy, he was given command of the expedition's forces due to him being the highest ranking officer not ship-bound.