Teyla Emmagan (alternate reality)

"Leaving my fellow Athosians for a home here on Starbase Atlantis was a very difficult decision. I was their leader &mdash; for some, the only leader they'd ever known. And despite the fact that I was as close as a trip through the transporter, there were moments when I felt I'd betrayed them. I sometimes still second-guess my decision. But then I remember that I can do more here to help my people and the rest of the humans in this galaxy than I ever could on my homeworld."

- Teyla Emmagan

Teyla Emmagan is a female Athosian who is the leader of the Athosians from the planet Athos, and was one of the first to speak to the Atlantis expedition. She is an original member of the First Atlantis Reconnaissance Team. Due to experimentation on her ancestors by a rogue Wraith scientist, Teyla is one of a select few Athosians who can "sense" the aliens and utilize some of their telepathic abilities. Her unique skill set has made her a priceless asset to the expedition and a target of opportunity to its enemies, and she represents the very best her home galaxy has to offer.

Background information
She is the daughter of Tagan and Torren Emmagan. She lost both of them by a young age. Teyla has a rare ability to sense the Wraith, due to one of her ancestors having Wraith DNA spliced into their genetic makeup. Since this was discovered, she has been able to make contact with Wraith minds on occasion, with varying degrees of success.

Teyla's leadership qualities are very respected on Starbase Atlantis and she is often considered the unofficial third-in-command of Starbase Atlantis and has on occasion been left in charge when both the current leader of the expedition and Colonel John Sheppard are away.