Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa became a household name after appearing on “Game of Thrones” as the ruthless Khal Drogo. While HBO’s blockbuster series wasn’t Momoa’s TV debut, the hugely popular show opened the door to leading roles in Hollywood blockbusters, including “A Minecraft Movie,” “Dune,” and “Fast X.”
While Momoa may have hung up his Trident — with the end of the DCEU, and his recurring role as Aqauman, confirmed in 2023 — he isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In addition to playing Blanka in the upcoming “Street Fighter,” he’s also returning to the (rebooted) DC universe this year, this time as a villain.
Momoa stars as alien bounty hunter Lobo in James Gunn’s upcoming “Supergirl” movie, hitting theaters in June 2026. But this isn’t the first time the actor has played an alien badass. Long before Momoa squeezed himself into a skin-tight wetsuit, he had a major role on a hit sci-fi show that you may have forgotten about: “Stargate Atlantis”.
Who did Jason Momoa play in Stargate Atlantis?
For those unfamiliar, Syfy’s “Stargate Atlantis” was a military sci-fi adventure series that aired between 2004 and 2009. The show was created as a spin-off of “Stargate SG-1,” picking up where its seventh season ended, and follows a group of international scientists and military personnel who find Atlantis, a lost city built by an advanced alien race known as the Ancients. After sending an expedition to investigate the city, the team learns that the Pegasus Galaxy, in which Atlantis is located, is dominated by a terrifying humanoid species, known as the Wraith, which harvest the life force from other humanoids.
Jason Momoa joined “Stargate Atlantis” in Season 2, playing rugged, badass warrior Ronon Dex. Dex is a Satedan, a human tribe native to Sateda, a planet located in the Pegasus galaxy. But, when the Wraith attack Sateda, and wipe out most of his people, Dex is captured and turned into a Runner — humans who are implanted with a tracking device, set free, and hunted for sport across the galaxy.
While being hunted, Dex encounters the Atlantis team, who help him remove the tracker. He then joins their expedition, becoming a permanent part of the main team and one of its fiercest fighters.
When did Jason Momoa leave Stargate Atlantis?
Jason Momoa starred as a main cast member of “Stargate Atlantis” for four seasons, from 2005 to 2009. However, the show was cancelled after season 5, due to rising production costs, and so his final appearance as Ronon Dex was in the series’ 2009 finale.
While a young Momoa had previously played a major character on “Baywatch,” some consider Dex to be his breakout role as an actor. During a recent interview with Jonatan Blomber from MovieZine for “The Wrecking Crew,” Momoa compared his time on “Stargate Atlantis” to “going to college.”
He went on to explain how his four years on the show helped him understand the ins and outs of fast-paced TV production and helped him cut his teeth in action — something he’s gone on to do a lot in the years since. “It was a fundamental, beautiful time in my life where I got to learn a bunch of stuff and make mistakes,” he said.
