The trick, when creating a successful spin-off, is to extend the creative palette in such a way as to maintain the core of what made the original successful, and then add enough of a change that the new series isn’t merely a copy of that original. “Stargate: Atlantis” manages that arduous feat with more than a little grace.

The two-hour series premiere [SciFi, Friday, 9:00 - 11:00 p.m., ET/PT] springboards from the eighth season premiere of “SG-1” with a minimum of fuss and brief but entertaining cameos from Michael Shanks’ Daniel Jackson and Richard Dean Anderson’s General Jack O’Neill.

Okay, first things first: it’s summer and it’s hot. Concentration is hard to come by. Yet, somehow, I’ve been able to sit through “Stargate: Atlantis” four times - not through dedication to the job, but because of enjoyment. The second “Stargate” series may have taken a long time to get here, but it was certainly worth the wait.

Although I didn’t see the discovery of the Antarctic site [still waiting for the seventh season of “SG-1” up here in Canada], it really didn’t take long to figure out what was going on. It helps that the “Atlantis” premiere opens with a tantalizing glimpse of an Ancient couple, apparently leaving the Antarctic outpost and then segues to the present day site.

It doesn’t take long to get an adrenaline boost, either. Before the premiere is five minutes in, an ancient drone has been launched and targets the helicopter that is bringing Gen. O’Neill to the site. This leads to, of all things, a Whedon-ism - when Major John Shepherd [Joe Flanigan], the pilot, tells Jack that this is weird, O’Neill’s response is a pithy, “For me... not so much.” Once safely onsite, Jack tells the pilot not to touch anything, so guess who sits in an Ancient command chair with unexpected results? [Jack’s line, at this point, is so perfectly in character that the scene practically begs to be cued up for multiple plays.]

From there, though, things become a little less predictable - beginning with Daniel’s discovery that the gate address to Atlantis is not incorrect, just incomplete. Of course, there’s a problem: the completed address suggests that the sought after destination is much farther away than previously thought - the Pegasus dwarf galaxy - and that it would take a lot more power to get a team there. After the expected debate, O’Neill okays the trip.

This is when things start to get weird. Atlantis, it turns out really did sink below the ocean. Only the ocean is billions of light years away. The “Atlantis” team, headed by Dr. Elizabeth Weir [Torri Higginson] and Col. Marshall Sumner [Robert Patrick, whose presence gives additional weight to the proceedings], a by-the-book commander, discover that fact almost immediately upon arrival - as Ancient technology comes alive to provide them with a livable environment.

Before long, it becomes apparent that the city’s power source is dying and it’s only a matter of time before it fails. Naturally, a team is sent out to find more power sources, and, maybe, some friends. They dial a random address and head out. What they find is the nomadic people led by Teyla Emmagan [Rachel Lutrell], who warns them about The Wraith. Despite Sumner’s dismissal of these people as not particularly helpful, Shepherd begins building a friendship with Teyla. His efforts are interrupted by a Wraith attack and their kidnapping of several of Teyla’s people and Col. Sumner. So now we have two threats for the “Atlantis” team: the impending failure of the Atlantis power source, and the potential for being discovered by The Wraith.

The script for “Risen” [Part 1 by Robert C. Cooper; Part 2 by Brad Wright] is extremely good at folding exposition in with action and character development. Director Martin Wood is an old hand at playing up exactly the right thing at the right time - his shot selection is pretty much impeccable, and he has already found the rhythms of the new series. Maybe ten per cent of the effects had been completed when the screener was pressed, but they look pretty good and the included animatics suggest some very impressive work [not the least being the actual city of Atlantis].

Certain aspects of the series are familiar: the idea of civilian and military working together on a Stargate project; exploring a galaxy by traveling through the Stargate; friction between some members of the command staff; a Big Bad that informs almost every episode without having to be the focus of every episode. The differences are at least as many: the expedition has a civilian commander; none of the team members are as easily pigeon-holed as the SG-1 team was in the beginning [Jack being irreverent, Teal’c being stoic, etc]; the new Big Bad, The Wraith, do not rely on technology for their longevity, and have a completely different reason to be feared; the Atlantis team is literally surrounded by advanced technology that could, in all probably, defeat the Goa’uld - they just have no idea how to use it; the Atlantis team cannot return home until they find sufficient power sources to get them there [and that could take awhile...].

In short, then, “Stargate: Atlantis” is about an exploratory expedition that may never be able to go home. They are literally alone against a hostile new galaxy. This makes them, immediately more interesting from a storytelling telling point of view. Their existence depends on learning quickly, making friends and tap dancing like crazy.

Everything about “Risen” is well above average. The writing, direction and acting are at the level of seasons five and six of “SG-1” - to my mind, the best seasons of the original series [for a review of the DVD sets of those seasons, check out the DVD reviews early next week]. There’s a nice balance between comedy and tragedy; action and stillness; effects and character.

Because of the need for more exposition than succeeding episodes will warrant, “Risen” isn’t perfect - even though it does a very job of balancing all the disparate elements that provide the grounding for the series. Some segments of the episode are a bit too slow, but they are few and very far between. Others dwell a mite too long on the “gosh wow” elements and siphon off just a bit of their cool quotient. Overall, though, “Risen” would be an impressive premiere for a completely original series, and is much better than the first ep of most spin-offs. I don’t usually sit through anything four times in less than a week. “Stargate: Atlantis” is officially off to a grand start.

Final Grade: B+