Rodney McKay first makes his surly appearance in SG1 where he berates Sam and helps her fix a number of things. He is a rude and most arrogant man who not many people like. He is somehwat of a coward though can stand his own in a situation, if need be. He is invited to join the Stargate Atlantis mission and takes the job knowing that he will be 'the only competant one for the job'. Whilst he does enlist the aid of others he happily takes on the challange of deciphering the Anicent's technology and bears the bad news that the city is simply unsafe and that they don't have enough power to power the shields let alone go home.