 " The Daedalus Variations " was given a household rating of 1 @.@ 3 , making Stargate Atlantis the fourth most viewed series for the week on Sci Fi Channel . They were beaten by ECW on Sci Fi ( with 1 @.@ 4 ) , Ghost Hunters International ( with 1 @.@ 6 ) and the season three premiere of Eureka ( which earned the highest rating of 2 @.@ 1 ) . The episode was also received generally positive . Tory Ireland Mell of IGN praised the episode for its reasonably short teaser , thinking the shorter it is , the better the episode , as well as its gripping storyline and the introduction of the alien race , particularly the fact that very little is known about them , stating it was " a perfect tease by the writers . " The episode was rated 9 @.@ 1 out of 10 overall . Marx Pyle of the SyFy Portal ( which was since renamed Airlock Alpha ) compared the episode as Atlantis ' version of Star Trek : The Next Generation episode " Q Who ? " in respect to the introduction of a new " big bad " for the future . It was praised for being a " fun filler " episode , and Pyle enjoyed the scene where the two Sheppards converse , and the space battle , believing only Battlestar Galactica could beat them . However , Pyle criticised the episode for the absence of Woolsey , and McKay 's apparent quick understanding of new technologies including the alternate reality drive , as well as feeling that Sci Fi gave away too much information from the previews of the episode . 
