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    Vala: What did they do to her!?

    Okay, unlike most people, when I first heard that Vala was coming back onto the show for the five episode arc I thought, cool, that'll be interesting, she's a character we only saw once before and they're going to develop her some more. Plus I felt it would add a little more story to the Prometheus Bound episode of Season Seven when she first appeared. During the five episode arc her character remained relativly the same as it was during her first appearance on the show in Season Seven. She was the sexy vixen thief with a bit of a crush on Daniel. She was loaded with the sexual innuendo jokes and her hair and make-up made her look like a woman in charge of her life and in power of everything around her.

    Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not against character development, I love it, I think it's what kept SG-1 alive all these years. I enjoyed finding out she was once a Goa'uld, and that she made deals with the Lucien Alliance. It gave her character a little more depth. I mean, SG-1 got so good at telling character development that just changes in their hairstyle showed great development. O'Neill got older, Teal'c well, he got hair and a beard at one point, Daniel became slightly less geek-ish when he cut his hair, and somewhat less 70s when he got rid of those sideburns.

    However when she returned at the start of season ten her character completed changed! I was really psyched to hear that Vala was coming back to be a regular, she was a unique character to the show and worked well in those five episodes at the start of season five. Plus I thought it'd be interesting to see Browder and Black back together as regulars.

    I hated to be honest what they did to her character, I mean, I know she's been gone and she's been pregnant and stuff but that should maybe just soften her character up a little on the inside, make her a little more considerate of other peoples feelings. What I really didn't like is that they seemed to turn her into this little school-girl looking character. The double pony-tail, and the constant following Daniel around. Now this occasionally works for humour and I know they had to distance her from Claudia's character in Farscape but I mean come on, they changed her character completely!

    When it got further into the season I got a little used to it, but in the early episodes like The Pegasus Project, I felt it kinda disrupted the dynamic of the team. Later on in episodes like "The Quest" and "Counterstrike", we saw a more serious part of Vala and I was glad to see that, it provided a lot of relief for a character who lately had mostly just been well... comic relief.

    But my question still remains, where did all the sexy, hard-hitting, cool girl stuf go and when did it get replaced by the little school girl, following Daniel like a little lamb routine? I mean don't get me wrong, I love Claudia Black, I think she's a fantastic actress and probably one of the best SG-1 has ever had on the show, the fact her character has changed so drastically and she can still pull it off is a testament to that. But I personally blame the writers for this not Claudia.

    I loved Vala and felt she was such a cool character at first, then this change happened and I feel that this new Vala doesn't quite mix with the team as well as the old Vala did. I mean yeah the writers needed her to soften up for the love story between her and Daniel but still, she could still have been the same character and her love for Daniel would have been even better I think because it would have shown her to be about more than just sexual feelings for him. It would have been one of those cracked armour type stories rather than the school-girl crush we're kinda currently seeing.

    I'd love to see the Old Vala come back a little more personally in the TV Movies.

    What do you guys think of this?

    #2
    Although I do find that Vala in general does completely suck, she was far worse when she was first introduced and now has become a bit more tolerable.

    Her constant innuendos, her sexual advances to Daniel and the way she followed him around like a puppy was in my opinion, a waste of a good character. Claudia Black can do much better, but instead she seemed to the biggest whore in the Milky Way and I would hate to see "old" Vala return. She was without a doubt, very unfunny comic relief and what could be considered a very unimportant, unneeded and even at times, an unwanted character.

    Thankfully, too much has happened to her, so she couldn't stay the same character, and if she was to say the same, then it would be bad writing on the staffs part.

    She's given birth to an Orii superbaby, which allowed the Orii to gain a foothold in the Milky Way which the Ancients (by their own rules) can't stop and she's also been burnt alive, fallen in love with someone else and spend a fairly long time in the Orii galaxy. It's actually given her a decent background, and it's something which has turned her into a productive, if somewhat still useless member.

    Changing her is for the better.

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      #3
      Originally posted by Petros View Post
      But my question still remains, where did all the sexy, hard-hitting, cool girl stuf go and when did it get replaced by the little school girl, following Daniel like a little lamb routine? I mean don't get me wrong, I love Claudia Black, I think she's a fantastic actress and probably one of the best SG-1 has ever had on the show, the fact her character has changed so drastically and she can still pull it off is a testament to that. But I personally blame the writers for this not Claudia.

      I loved Vala and felt she was such a cool character at first, then this change happened and I feel that this new Vala doesn't quite mix with the team as well as the old Vala did. I mean yeah the writers needed her to soften up for the love story between her and Daniel but still, she could still have been the same character and her love for Daniel would have been even better I think because it would have shown her to be about more than just sexual feelings for him. It would have been one of those cracked armour type stories rather than the school-girl crush we're kinda currently seeing.
      Yes, Vala has changed. But I personally have no problem with that whatsoever.

      Seeing what happened to her and her life between Beachhead and Crusade alone, I figure it's not surprising that she changed. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have survived the first week in the Ori galaxy.

      So, if you've ever lived far away from home for many months, and you were forced to change your attitude/way of life, and you suddenly had the opportunity to go back to your old life, then you would need some time to
      re-re-adjust.

      In Vala's case, she had the luck to accompany/join SG-1 after her time abroad. She knew that if she fell back to her old-self, they would kick her out. By The Pegasus Project, she had also figured out that she had a better connection to Daniel if she wasn't so annoying to him all the time (IMO).

      If by chance Daniel (or all the other SG-1 team members) died, if her Ori connection dissolved, if she was alone in the Milky Way again - that's when I think you would get your old pre-Beachhead Vala back (after some time of mourning on her side).

      Vala does what needs to be done. And if it means being altruistic to some extend, then that's what Vala will be.
      No, 'Eureka' is Greek for 'This bath is too hot.'

      "Because only an extremely deranged individual would think of doing what we're doing."
      (LOST producer Damon Lindelof, May 2007)

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        #4
        I agree with sgeureka. She is a survior by nature and highly adaptable to her surroundings. I think the gradual change in her character is due to the fact the she is becoming a little less guarded and more emotionally attatced to the team/SGC. The fact the Daniel was the only one who didn't really shove her away at first, fought for her to join the team, even took her out to dinner is why she stays closer to him. I really like the character and the actress and if you haven't seen Line in the Sand there is a brief moment where all the usual Valaness is stripped away and you can see the fact that she was indeed a ruthless system lord. It was a great scene.

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          #5
          Petros, you have your Vala episodes mixed up.

          8-12 "Prometheus Unbound"
          9-01 "Avalon, Part 1"
          9-02 "Avalon, Part 2"
          9-03 "Origin"
          9-04 "The Ties That Bind"
          9-05 "The Powers That Be"
          9-06 "Beachhead"
          9-19 "Crusade"
          9-20 "Camelot"
          Season 10: Main Character

          "Prometheus Unbound" was hillarious! Due to the popularity of this episode, Vala returned for a six-episode arc at the start of Season 9. This was also done to fill the void left by Carter in the first five episodes. Vala would return for the final two episodes of the season. Come Season 10, it was decided that Vala would join the main cast. However, the character had to be toned down now to keep her from stealing the spotlight from the rest of the cast. As a special guest star, she has that luxury. As a main character, she does not, unless it is an episode where she is the star, like "Memento Mori" for example.

          I hope this post was helpful.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by dispader View Post
            I agree with sgeureka. She is a survior by nature and highly adaptable to her surroundings. I think the gradual change in her character is due to the fact the she is becoming a little less guarded and more emotionally attatced to the team/SGC. The fact the Daniel was the only one who didn't really shove her away at first, fought for her to join the team, even took her out to dinner is why she stays closer to him. I really like the character and the actress and if you haven't seen Line in the Sand there is a brief moment where all the usual Valaness is stripped away and you can see the fact that she was indeed a ruthless system lord. It was a great scene.
            As do I. I loved Vala at the start but did get aliitle tired of the vixen theme but still enjoyed her. I love how they have added more depth and humanity to the character and she has really shined in season 10 and shows her emotions eespecially when related to Daniel (see Quest 2). I love old Vala but really enjoy the new one alot more.
            Proud Sam/Jack and Daniel/Vala and John/Teyla Shipper!
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              #7
              They've developed the character, and quite well. It had to be done when Vala became a regular character on the show. There was no way she could stay with the SGC and be part of the SG-1 if she was the same Vala from Prometheus Unbound.
              I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.

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                #8
                I like what they did to her. I really could not stand her at all until the 10th season. She's grown on me considerably. The skimpy clothes and innuendo really annoyed me. She has toned down, but I think she's got a bit of an edge and is quite fun. I can enjoy watching her now whereas I couldn't before.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Well, with the huge character fluctuations, it seems like the writers fell into a trap. They pretty much made her into a one dimensional character that under every other circumstances under the sun would never in a billion years be allowed to run around an American military facility. (IMO it's also likely that stealing a several billion dollar space ship, kidnapping, and attempt of murder of the entire crew of said ship would have landed her a date with the lethal injection or at least a very large jail sentence.) But she's fun, so all of that is okay.

                  Anyway, it looks like they didn't know how to work with her character. If she were a guest star, the sexy con-artist thief, who was once a Goa'uld some ten years ago would have worked. A Bra'tac/Jacob Carter type of role would have been awesome. But bringing her in as a regular they had to soften her image. Having her do that by becoming a mother magically accomplished this goal. You now have that "oh she went though so much, it's okay she did all of those bad things," idea in the fans.

                  They also needed to stop the sexual harassment of Daniel because if it was vice versa there would be a huge uproar.

                  Though why go with changing her into a preadolescent school girl?

                  Well, it seems like they approached her character change as if she were an Anime character. The pig tails, high whinny attitude, the pushing herself into conversations, sitting in the general's chair, etc., is what I would expect to see on Cartoon Network where a lot of Anime has been featured recently.

                  Or it is something more psychological. Although I highly doubt it.
                  Since Vala looks like she's in her thirties, and has been free of her Goa'uld for ten/eleven years, she was likely taken as a host in her late teens. (Even though when the Apophis Goa'uld was removed the host, the host rapidly aged... So, perhaps she was a host for less then a decade.) Now psychologically the mind is still going though changes until about age 20/21. So, she got trapped in an earlier psychological stage of development, and reverted to a previous stage when she felt safe and secure in her surroundings. Now, being that she should have gotten properly psychologically evaluated by the US gov't they would have been able to spot that and have offered some sort of treatment before she was cleared for gate travel. (Plus, being that no one seems to be able to control her and keep her in order would have normally denied her gate travel. It's kind of a slap in the face to everyone else who has gone though so much training with hopes of joining SG1 one day. But that's just my opinion.)

                  Personally I think CB is a great actress. I just would have rather her coming back as a different character all together. In another thread it was suggested by Jackie that she would have made the best nerd. She could have come in as Daniel's replacement at the SGC. That would have been fun to watch.
                  Last edited by Amanda Eros; 23 January 2007, 08:01 AM.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Amanda Eros View Post

                    Personally I think CB is a great actress. I just would have rather her coming back as a different character all together. In another thread it was suggested by Jackie that she would have made the best nerd. She could have come in as Daniel's replacement at the SGC. That would have been fun to watch.
                    Why thank you, Amanda.

                    You said everything in your post that I would have pointed out. I wish they had brought CB in as a totally differnt character. I would have loved to have seen CB really stretch her acting wings.

                    Someone else also pointed that CB could have been brought in to run the SGC instead of Landry. A nerd named "Claudia" was hired to run the SGC. (like weir did in season 7) She could have used her real first name.

                    Daniel and Claudia--that could have been cute.
                    Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric.

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                      #11
                      In Season 9 IMO the writers were trying to hard to make Vala the Sexy (leather oufits and pony tails) and funny one (The bad wanna be RDA jokes). Thus far in season 10 they have dropped her sexy act and have been focousing on making her funny. Although her jokes aren't written well nor executed to well.

                      None the less IMHO season 10 CB has settled more into her role.
                      Actor
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                        #12
                        I love character changes they've made to vala and to me they make a lot of sense. At first she had to be that fun filled character because she was a criminal and it helped her survive. Now though she's starting to realise that the same won't work for her now with the ori. She can't talk her way out of a situation using he charm.
                        Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Amanda Eros View Post
                          Well, with the huge character fluctuations, it seems like the writers fell into a trap. They pretty much made her into a one dimensional character that under every other circumstances under the sun would never in a billion years be allowed to run around an American military facility. (IMO it's also likely that stealing a several billion dollar space ship, kidnapping, and attempt of murder of the entire crew of said ship would have landed her a date with the lethal injection or at least a very large jail sentence.) But she's fun, so all of that is okay.

                          Anyway, it looks like they didn't know how to work with her character. If she were a guest star, the sexy con-artist thief, who was once a Goa'uld some ten years ago would have worked. A Bra'tac/Jacob Carter type of role would have been awesome. But bringing her in as a regular they had to soften her image. Having her do that by becoming a mother magically accomplished this goal. You now have that "oh she went though so much, it's okay she did all of those bad things," idea in the fans.

                          They also needed to stop the sexual harassment of Daniel because if it was vice versa there would be a huge uproar.

                          Though why go with changing her into a preadolescent school girl?
                          My reply would sound something like this...

                          In the early episodes, Teal'c was a very one-dimensional charcter. He should never in a billion years be allowed to run around an American military facility. Because he has killed hundreds, he probably ordered millions of people to die, he cheated his old bosses, he kidnapped people from the SGC in the first episode. "But he's fun, so all of that is okay."

                          Admittedly, Teal'c was never created to be a recurring character first and *then* to become a regular. But he had to soften his image as well. Now he's a teddy bear. If the series had shown more of his life before he joined SG-1, his change would sound as miraculous as Vala's. If we're honest, all we have for Teal'c isn't even "oh he went though so much, it's okay he did all of those bad things." The writers only gave him some piece of doubt in "Children of the Gods" and "Threshold", and that's it. And they made him stop being all violent and tributary because the story wouldn't work any other way.

                          With all of this, I want to say: For a military story to work, there isn't much leeway for the writers to have "bad" people as regulars, because the military regulations wouldn't allow for that. So former bad people have to change. Who changes them? the writers.

                          The writers are only doing a bad job if they can't give a reasonably explanation for the change. In the case of Vala, I'd argue she was given more than enough reason, even if it sounds very much like "with all she has been through..."
                          No, 'Eureka' is Greek for 'This bath is too hot.'

                          "Because only an extremely deranged individual would think of doing what we're doing."
                          (LOST producer Damon Lindelof, May 2007)

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                            #14
                            I agree that the Vala of season 9 was a lot of fun, and while that version of her was what got me interested in SG-1 in the first place, I'm glad for the changes. Like other people have said, she couldn't have remained the same person she was if she wanted to join the team...it would get old real quick. It also created a more antagonistic relationship with the team that she simply couldn't have as a bonafide member (not to mention that they could never trust her if she was still a thief).

                            Overall, I don't think the current version of Vala is too different from the original one. There were episodes/scenes where we saw some of the Vala we see today (specifically) in "The Powers That Be." There was a distinctly more vulnerable side to her character there, and I think they just amped that up a little more this season.

                            She's still strong, resourceful, and smart....just not with the overexaggerated behaviors she was exhibiting earlier. She's matured, found that she's not alone (both because of her place in SG-1 and because of Tomin). I know for many people, they only started liking Vala (or found her tolerable) after she started settling into SG-1 this season, after she became a human character rather than a caricature.

                            As for the school girl look, I'm not overly fond of it. It does bring down her maturity a bit but I think they were trying to maintain the character's somewhat playful nature, and that decidedly non-militaristic hairstyle suited that purpose.

                            -Stef

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                              #15
                              I totally agree, Vala gave an interesting twist to SG-1, but then she returned as vulnerable schoolgirl.. I don't like her anymore
                              But hey that's just one of the few things I don't like:
                              - No more role for Asgards in S10
                              - Oneill, thought his role would be bigger.. unfortunately he's really out (not in season finale, only 5 eps in S10, final one The Shroud)
                              - No S11
                              - The whole Ori story finished in just one 2-hour movie.

                              The days SG-1 was soo cool and almost nobody had any comments are over, long time ago actually.
                              I still like it a lot, I thought after S8 I wouldn't like it cos the story seemed to ended.. new enemy after all these years & cast renewal, but I still like it as much as I used to because of the great Ori-story and great eps... but I do have more comments then in the previous seasons 1-8.
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