Aiden Ford

Character
Name:	Aiden Ford
Occupation:	United States Marine Corps
Relationships:
Fandom:
Other:
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General

Aiden Ford was a regular character on the first season of Stargate Atlantis and a recurring character in season two.

Ford was born in 1979 and raised by his grandparents on Earth. He came to Atlantis as a member of the expedition team under Elizabeth Weir and was recruited to Atlantis' primary contact team by John Sheppard. About a year later Ford was attacked by a Wraith, suffered from an overdose of the Wraith enzyme and became dependent on it. The enzyme altered his appearance (his right eye became completely black) as well as his character. He left Atlantis to search for more of the enzyme and later recruited a small team of people also dependent on it. He was last seen by Sheppard on a Wraith Hive Ship, which was destroyed shortly after. It is unknown if he survived the explosion or not.

Aiden Ford was played by Rainbow Sun Francks.

Fan Response

Ford has been a subject in discussions on Race and Fandom because his character was not embraced by fandom as much as white characters and because the way he was removed from the show seemed to perpetuate crude stereotypes of black men. Because Ford was a rare exception in the Stargate universe as a person of color playing a normal, not-Othered human being rather than an alien, some fans were angered to see him transformed into an angry, out-of-control junkie who later resurfaced as a violent, aggressive gang leader. Ford's place on the team was then filled by another character of color, Ronon Dex, who was seen by some as a stereotypical savage warrior. Some fans disliked these developments so much that they stopped watching, while others grew to appreciate the parts of Ronon's character that transcended the stereotypical aspects of his initial introduction.

In Fiction

• Handsome Johnny by Hth (2005)
• I Remember The Alamo (But I Don't Recall Who Won), by Minervacat (2007)
• Transformative by Domenika Marzione (2008)
• The World at Large by cherryice (2006)