S10: Critique & Contemplation

[Skydiver]

i think mitch was more heroic because he needed to be. they needed something to justify him winning the medal and to 'sell' him to the fans.

i do personally think that the cmoh was a bit OTT.

chances are mitch isn't old enough to be a colonel. you do have to have some time in grade to even be considered for promotion. and it's possible that mitch didn't have that.

it's very possible that he ws conceived to be on the team under sam, kinda like jonas, but then AT's pregnancy got in the wy of that.

regardless of the real life reason, the writers should have come up with a more plausible explanation.

if they keep complimenting fans on marveling on how knowledgable we are, and all that we notice, then they should know that we're not likely to let little things liek this just go by

[smurf]

i think mitch was more heroic because he needed to be. they needed something to justify him winning the medal and to 'sell' him to the fans.

i do personally think that the cmoh was a bit OTT.

chances are mitch isn't old enough to be a colonel. you do have to have some time in grade to even be considered for promotion. and it's possible that mitch didn't have that.

it's very possible that he ws conceived to be on the team under sam, kinda like jonas, but then AT's pregnancy got in the wy of that.

regardless of the real life reason, the writers should have come up with a more plausible explanation.

if they keep complimenting fans on marveling on how knowledgable we are, and all that we notice, then they should know that we're not likely to let little things liek this just go by

When did we find out BB was joining the cast? Was November time? AT's pregnancy should have been widely known about by then (she was definately showing in Threads). Also the pick-up for S9 was very late.

So here's the thing, they would have designed the character with full knowledge of the impact AT's pregnancy would have on the show.

Mitchell is very green, the SciFi(?) website has him as a Major. I think the original idea was to have Mitchell as 2IC with temporary charge until Sam returns from where-ever, tagging along while Vala and Daniel take centre stage. I also think this means they weren't intending to hire a "name" - SGA has done plenty fine without one.

At some point someone panicked that their product wasn't going to be strong enough and they needed to cover that. Hire BB, hire any "name", and no-one holding the purse strings is ever going to allow their money to be spent on a character who is a mere 2IC.

I think there was some wrangling going on, I think TPTB wanted to keep the 2IC because the scripts were set, I think ultimately they caved but didn't bother to change more than Major > Lt Col.

So now, through fear and laziness, they're stuck with a character and situation which makes very little logical sense.

[smurf]

A thought on the leadership issue in S10. According to JM in his blog/question thread/somewhere it is going to be made clear (haha sigh) that Sam and Mitchell are co-leaders.
What's the betting come S10 there will be a lot of non-internet fans suddenly appearing wailing how poor old Cam has been demoted.
The hazards of not making something clear in on the show...


(Is it just me or is anyone else having a problem with the name Cam after all this time? Having a Sam on the show, I want all the characters on the show to call him Cameron or Mitchell or Mitch)

[Amanda Eros]

Quick question, how old is Mitchell? If he was ten when the space shuttle lifted off, then wouldn't that make him in his mid- forties? I know we landed on the moon in '69.

[KatG]

Quick question, how old is Mitchell? If he was ten when the space shuttle lifted off, then wouldn't that make him in his mid- forties? I know we landed on the moon in '69.

The first space shuttle flight was in April 1981. That would make Mitchell only 34/35 years old. Seems a little young to be a Lt. Colonel.

[Skydiver]

which is probably why he's not a full bird colonel.

IMHO, he shoulda been a major as the info on the scifi site suggests.

you can still be the male lead and not be in charge

[AGateFan]

The first space shuttle flight was in April 1981. That would make Mitchell only 34/35 years old. Seems a little young to be a Lt. Colonel.

That sounds suspiciously like you are requesting logic.
I mean, Vala seems a little to criminal not to be in jail.... so of course she will now be a member of SG-1 or at least SGC.

I imagine Mitchell will be promoted in a year... unless they boot Carter from the show altogether. This is the only way they will resolve their "little problem"... unless, of course, they just simply stick their fingers in their ears and hum really loud... that seems to work for Stargate plotholes these days too.

[the dancer of spaz]

which is probably why he's not a full bird colonel.

IMHO, he shoulda been a major as the info on the scifi site suggests.

you can still be the male lead and not be in charge

No, no, no you can't. Because only males watch this show, and males only respond and relate to other males flying huge space craft, blowing things up, and saving the planet - while IN charge. You can't respect a lead male (let alone three) if the one in charge is female.

As cliche as the old "reproductive organs" line may have sounded, it is most definitely still true.

And, for the record, I wouldn't be so irritated by it, if they had at least given Sam a chance to prove herself as CO of SG-1 (and, in that regard, had given Daniel and Teal'c an opportunity to play "the male leads"). However, as it is, Season Eight was just a filler between hard, brass, attractive male leaders. Nothing more. And it would've been MUCH more seamless had certain variables fallen into place at different times...

I like Colonel Mitchell alright, but I would've liked Major Mitchell a lot more.

[the dancer of spaz]

I have a question about the "Mitchell's too young" debate... Do we know how old Cameron is supposed to be? Isn't Ben Browder 42?

Because, if he's playing Cameron even close to his real life age (like AT and MS seem to), then wouldn't he canonly be as old as Sam?

Just wondering.

[dreamer]

i feel the same.



sally

i third that

[ToasterOnFire]

which is probably why he's not a full bird colonel.

IMHO, he shoulda been a major as the info on the scifi site suggests.

you can still be the male lead and not be in charge

I think that Mitchell would have been a much better addition as a new member of the SG1 team rather than the leader. His amazement at the stargate, wormhole travel, and new worlds could have been played up even more to reinvigorate older viewers and give newer viewers something to connect to. I really like his newbie sense of wonder, but I just don't think it works on the supposed leader of the elite stargate team.

[binkpmmc]

I have a question about the "Mitchell's too young" debate... Do we know how old Cameron is supposed to be? Isn't Ben Browder 42?

Because, if he's playing Cameron even close to his real life age (like AT and MS seem to), then wouldn't he canonly be as old as Sam?

Just wondering.

To me he's playing the character as a very young (read immature in some ways) "kid in a candy store", "ooh this is cool" type of guy. I know several 40 year olds that act this same way (immature, never grew up) in RL and it is not endearing or attractive and it does not fill me with confidence in their abilties to get along in RL - that is how I see Mitchell. His constant one-liners, his OMG this is soo cool and his flippancy are really off-putting for the type of situation he is in, IMO.

[Strix varia]

I think that Mitchell would have been a much better addition as a new member of the SG1 team rather than the leader. His amazement at the stargate, wormhole travel, and new worlds could have been played up even more to reinvigorate older viewers and give newer viewers something to connect to. I really like his newbie sense of wonder, but I just don't think it works on the supposed leader of the elite stargate team.

[Amanda Eros]

The first space shuttle flight was in April 1981. That would make Mitchell only 34/35 years old. Seems a little young to be a Lt. Colonel.

Ah, okay, I thought that they were talking about the first time we went into outer space. lol. Opps!

[Amanda Eros]

I think that Mitchell would have been a much better addition as a new member of the SG1 team rather than the leader. His amazement at the stargate, wormhole travel, and new worlds could have been played up even more to reinvigorate older viewers and give newer viewers something to connect to. I really like his newbie sense of wonder, but I just don't think it works on the supposed leader of the elite stargate team.

I think they tried to stay away from that because then the character would have been too much like Jonas. Though if they had gone with that route I doubt many people would have seen it like that. When ever I see Mitchell I always think of that poor Russian guy that was the best that country had to offer get put down by O'Neill for not having enough off world experience to be put on the Flag team.