Author's Note: As I've been re-watching Atlantis (and SG-1), it has struck me how often the IOA tries to avoid taking responsibility for anything that can or does go wrong. This was highlighted by the exchange Elizabeth Wier has with Woolsey in 301 "No Man's Land". It started me thinking: how did Woolsey change when he was put in charge of the Atlantis expedition? Minor spoilers for 505 "Ghost in the Machine" and 515 "Remnants".
Dear Dr. Weir
Dear Dr. Weir,
I must admit that a small part of me feels that writing this letter is a waste of time, as the chances of you ever reading it are so low as to be essentially non-existent. This same part of me also worries what this says about my sanity, writing a letter to a person who most consider to be dead. Regardless, I feel that I must get this off of my chest.
I'm sorry.
Sorry for the hell that the IOA, and I as a representative of that body, put you through during your tenure as the leader of the Atlantis expedition. Sorry for our never giving you a straight answer, or making a decision when it counted. Sorry for blaming you and using you as a scapegoat to cover our collective backsides when a decision that we did make backfired. Sorry for never taking responsibility for our actions, or lack thereof.
As you know, I'm the current commander of this expedition. I'm facing situations similar to those that you dealt with during your three years at the helm, including your appearance as a Replicator. I also was recently put under the scrutiny of my old colleagues at the IOA. I now understand exactly what it feels like to have your judgment constantly questioned, your decisions overruled, and to be humiliated in front of those you command.
How the hell did you put up with it?
For me, the worst part of the whole experience was feeling like a puppet. The IOA believes that since I am "one of them" I will do what they want and damn the consequences. But they do not understand that the priorities and perspective change when you're actually on the front lines, that you must make these decisions and live with the consequences because there is very rarely time to analyze all of the possible outcomes. You make what seems to be the best possible decision at the time. If, in hindsight, that decision proves to be wrong, you deal with it then. But you must live in the present, or become so paralyzed that action is impossible and the decision is taken out of your hands.
I have finally learned this. That recent experience I spoke of? We had a choice: Save a civilization, or save their knowledge. By accessing the knowledge held in a crashed probe, we would destroy the mechanisms that would begin to reseed a world with the foundations that would allow the Sekkari to one day live again. While Ms. Shen, representing the IOA, pressured me to retrieve the information, I listened to your people (Sheppard and McKay). With the help of the Apollo, the probe was transported to its final destination, and the Sekkari are safe.
While I won't be reprimanded for the incident (the probe's AI helped with this), the actions of my colleague from the IOA were reprehensible, to say the least. Over the last nine months, I have learned how taxing and exhilarating this job can be. I've also learned that no one, including Colonel Carter or myself, could ever fill the void left by your departure. You did an astounding job here, and are sorely missed by each and every person on this base, including me.
Please, accept my apology and admiration for the work you did here.
Sincerely,
Richard Woolsey