The Genii are a human culture from the TV series Stargate Atlantis that live in the Pegasus galaxy. Although they appear to be simple, Amish-like farmers, the Genii are an advanced, militaristic culture, technologically equivelant with the United States in the 1940s. The majority of their civilisation, which once spanned several worlds, now lives in the vast cavern-cities that exist beneath their planet's surface. They put up their simple front to fool the Wraith, who wipe out the cultures they perceive to be a threat.
One of the great endevours of the Genii is to perfect nuclear weapons. With these bombs they hoped to destroy the majority of the Wraith fleet while they hibernated, but although they could produce plutonium they couldn't perfect a triggering mechanism. Their plan was ultimatly flawed; the Wraith hive ships had already woken and left their dormant positions.
The Genii and the Atlantis expedition team were briefly allies, going on an offworld mission to steal valuable intelligence from a Wraith hive ship, but the Genii betrayed the team and tried to steal their C4 explosives, which they believed could help their triggering problems, as well as a Puddle jumper spaceship. The Atlantis team had brought secret backup, and so escaped back to Atlantis with the Wraith data.
Since then the Genii and the Earth Atlanteans, particulay Major John Sheppard and Genii Commander Acastus Kolya , have been enemies. On several occasions since then they have crossed paths and fought one another but so far the Earth expedition has prevailed.
