Dr. Meredith "Rodney" McKay, Ph.D is a brilliant human astrophysicist and member of the Atlantis Expedition who currently heads the city's primary scientific team. One of the world's leading experts on the stargate and Ancient technologies, McKay would rank amongst the most-respected scientists on Earth were it not for his unbridled arrogance and condescension. A quick study on a variety of subjects, his intuition has proven invaluable in conflict with more-advanced civilizations such as the Wraith or Asurans, though his plans have occasionally gone awry disastrously. For all his flaws, however, those that know him best recognize the good man Rodney is, and value him as an integral part of Atlantis's flagship team under John Sheppard.