Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Uber]

I agree with you there. The *idea* of Pete was one thing; the actual execution was something else indeed.

Exactly...and fortunately Sam realized it in the nick of time that just having a life for the sake of having a life was actually the exact opposite of what the Jacob incarnation of Grace and the REAL Jacob of Threads wanted for her...as I think this kind of existence would have been even less fulfilling than being alone.

I'm not so sure whether or not she picked up what he was throwing her regarding letting her career get in the way of her happiness (very similar to the Kerry and Jack convo 3 doors down to the left)...but what was clear was that she came to terms with the fact that her feelings for Jack were genuine and that Pete and his little house were a monumental mistake in the making...

Personality wise/humor wise, I'm a lot like Jack...ZERO science skills...and relationship wise, I'm a lot like Sam. Some of us understand because we've had our own Pete experience (my worst two were Michael and Vladimir)...someone who we might settle for because we thought it was what we were supposed to do to have the whole picket fence scenario. I get Sam because, in this regard, I'm just like her...really great/very confident with my work and yet super insecure and a complete mess when it comes to the men of my life or anything having to do with my personal feelings for any of them. Tons of really bad decisions, stupid choices, etc. And I've caught myself in the midst of a disaster and wondered where the strong-willed woman went...I'll bet Sam did that a few times with Pete...

So I understand what it's like to be a walking contradiction like that...confident yet insecure...and perhaps that's why I can look beyond the mistakes and see the broader picture of the brilliant, well-rounded and superbly portrayed character that is Sam Carter.

Now as for Sam in Season 9...I think that Sam will be much more at ease and comfortable in her own skin now that she's faced her Jack issues head on. Jack not being there, IMHO, will do wonders for her because she won't have that tension to deal with day in and day out and as a result I think she'll be able to focus more on being an incredibly confident and competent SG-1 team leader.

[ForeverSg1]

amanda blows me away. i don't want this to come off wrong, but i've got a bit of a crush on amanda. not in a sexually attracted to way, but in every other way. i'm not insecure about myself, but i'd love to be her. and besides her being *gorgeous*, she's just as beautiful inside. and that's prob what has made me adore her as much as i do, because amanda is just a truly nice person. that description has lost it's punch i think over time, but i can't think of a better or more fitting description of her. i've never heard one bad thing about her from anyone.

reminiscing a bit, i remember meeting her at a con a couple of years ago. after i'd gotten my autograph, i stood around and watched others getting theirs. i knew i'd prob never get this chance of meeting her again (i can't afford cons, and most are too far away for me), so i wanted to get all of my 'meeting my idol' in. so anyways, after the photo/autogs were done, and amanda was getting ready to leave, she looked right at me and thanked me (i'd given her a letter from another fan that she knew about). that eye contact, and her thanking me... it just knocked me out.

suffice it to say, i admire amanda with all my heart. she's an excellent role model, because she's truly a nice person.
sally

I totally understand what Sally and Uber are saying. It's very hard to describe how Amanda makes me feel. I've been a fan of Stargate for eight years now ( I met my husband during the first season and we have been happily married for five years now). In all my life I have never had any sexual feelings for another women, but I've also never felt this deep of admiration for any other person before either. I've been a fan of RDA's since I was in grade school watching General Hospital and I've continued to swoon over him all through my adult life. So when the show first started I was definitely a Jack fan; however, as time went on Sam grew on me more and more. I loved her charismatic personality and the way she seemed to just light up a room whenever she entered it.

If I had to place an order on the team members it would have been Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel ( Daniel reminds me too much of a younger brother. I love him dearly but he gets on my nerves at times. But like a RL sibling it really bothers me when I hear other people put him down or any of the other characters as well ). Joking is cool. Playing with captions and what not, but to sit and blame one character for everything that is wrong with another, or an episode is so utterly wrong in my opinion. It's one of the reasons I stopped reading several threads here on GW.

As for Carter, as much as I have always liked Carter, I think I took that next step from blissfully ignorant Stargate fan to fandom the moment I watched my first DVD and saw Amanda goofing around behind the scenes. It was like a 'WOW'... I really REALLY like her.

It's very, very hard to put these types of feelings into words because as Uber has said, there really isn't one to truly depict what I feel. I love my husband deeply... I cherish my children. I know Sam is a fictious character and Amanda is an actress whom I have never met nor will likely meet in my lifetime, but she is everything I wish I could be. Not the actress, but the person. She is brilliant, energetic, witty, charismatic and she genuinely acts as if truly cares for everyone around her. She makes everyone around her feel as if they are the important and gives them what little time she has. She is a beautiful human being with a truly wonderful gift.

When I first started watching the behind-the-scene interviews I started to feel very uncomfortable by it all, because it felt almost like an attraction to this woman. When I watched her smile or laugh, my heart was filled with this feeling of utter joy. It was like a drug. The more I watched and listened, the more I wanted to be around it. I can understand completely why all her co-workers say that she is a joy to be around, because just watching her onscreen for a few minutes brightens my day. The only other person who's been capable of doing this to me is my daughter. She also has large, blue, doe eyes, an infectious smile, and an endearing knack for making everyone around her smile.

So how exactly would I describe my feelings?

Well according to Webster, I think these descriptions best conveyed how I feel about AT/Sam:

1 : to worship or honor as a deity or as divine
2 : to regard with loving admiration and devotion
3 : to be extremely fond of

So I would have to say 'I adore her'.

[Uber]

I totally understand what Sally and Uber are saying. It's very hard to describe how Amanda makes me feel.

<snippety-doo-da>

So how exactly would I describe my feelings?

I would have to say 'I adore her'.

Exactamundo. My feelings exactly...but even ADORE has romantic undertones, doesn't it?

I still say we require the creation of a NEW WORD for the Official Dictionary of Samanda that will somehow convey this kind of adoration/attraction/hero worship/obsession emotion into a non-sexual/non-romantic/non-criminally stalky-like one.

[Uber]

Hey uber

have you thought what to use as a cover for the book?

If you haven't, do you think that the daffodil samanda picture might be nice?

If AstroG wants me to come up with something...I'm sure I could...



You know, it's funny...but most of you haven't even seen my graphic art or web design skills...just my keen sense at how to take good screen captures...

[Strix varia]

Anyone familiar with the Myers-Briggs and Keirsey personality/temperment descriptions based on Jungian psychological types? (Okay, besides Lida...)

http://www.typelogic.com/
http://keirsey.com/

Sam is a very good example of an INTJ (text stolen from the first link above):

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

[Uber]

Anyone familiar with the Myers-Briggs and Keirsey personality/temperment descriptions based on Jungian psychological types? (Okay, besides Lida...)

http://www.typelogic.com/
http://keirsey.com/

Sam is a very good example of an INTJ (text stolen from the first link above):

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

As freaky (or convenient) as this may seem, I vaguely remember something about these temperment descriptions and if I'm remembering correctly (which of course I am ), I remember being designated INTJ...and if not INTJ something really, really close to that...

[SamFan31]

Here’s another side of versatile Amanda we haven’t discussed very often.

Ahh, the duties of The Director. It looks like she’s enjoying this new experience.

[Uber]

Here’s another side of versatile Amanda we haven’t discussed very often.

Ahh, the duties of The Director. It looks like she’s enjoying this new experience.

Love those pictures. Do we have more showing AT as director?

[Agent_Dark]

Anyone familiar with the Myers-Briggs and Keirsey personality/temperment descriptions based on Jungian psychological types? (Okay, besides Lida...)

http://www.typelogic.com/
http://keirsey.com/

Sam is a very good example of an INTJ (text stolen from the first link above):

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

I came across this website a while ago, that someone put up their opinions on what each SG-1 member's Myer-Briggs personality would be.
They came out with a ENTJ for Sam, but I dunno about that. I think as Sam as more introverted than extroverted and INTJ would seem a better choice to me, but still an interesting look at the characters.

[tara3583]

I understand what you're saying. The emotion is a strong one...but unfortunately I think the English language is woefully inadequate when it comes to adjectives to describe it.

The best words like "crush" unfortunately imply some sort of sexual or romantic attraction...and even the word "attracted" has that same aire about it which is unfortunate...because that's not how I feel at all. My "attraction" to AT and SC is completely non-sexual and non-romantic but if you can have a non-romantic crush on someone then I guess that would be an apt description of how I feel.

The phrase "Hero worship" also has a funny sense about it as well...it seems almost stalkerish. Same with the word "obsessed"...it has a very distinct kind of "restraining order" feel to it. But look at us...in one way or another, we are obsessed with the show and this character/actress (and no, I'm not implying that anyone here would do anything inappropriate...and I'm fairly certain that anyone trying to stalk Sam Carter would find themselves at the business end of a P90).

I look up to AT for her dignity, her character, her dedication, her grace and her humor and I admire Sam for her strength and her honor and her compassion. She is, to the best description I can muster, a hero figure for me.

Sometimes I wish people would make up words to describe these emotions more succinctly...

I propose the Royal Scribe invent an appropriate word or phrase for use in such matters...

I agree with you about crush and how hard that is to put into words that it is not a sexual feeling but more of a love for a fellow human being.
I admire Amanda for what she has done for the character of Sam and her ability to make you sit up and take notice of her work, i also strongly believe that you get back ten fold what you yorself give to others and Amanda has done that and been given that back to her in spades!
Lastly i would like to add this, my very first "hero" was way back in the late 60's on the Avengers which was a UK show of that time, her name was Tara King and i can remember following
her very closely for her hair and clothes and so on and here i am at 50 years old with the characters screen name as my screen name for gateworld! I've been married for 32 years and have two grown up childern and i like to think of myself as happy in what i do and like in life
I hope i've made some sense to you all here!

[majorsal]

spoilers for s7's chimera

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

(snipped)

Again...I don't agree with all of her decisions and conclusions she made in Grace, Chimera and Affinity...but I understand them.

I know her insecurities tick some people off...but I find them kind of endearing and I can relate to that type of person: Strong and proficient professionally...but personally...not so much.

The thing I keep in mind is the Sam of Affinity and Chimera is the same Sam of Death Knell, It's Good to be King, Icon and Reckoning.

i agree with so much of what you've said, uber, but i still wish there'd have been a scene where sam questioned pete's behavior in chimera. i can literally understand pete's actions more than sam's 'lack of' in that ep. it would have been so simple to just have sam something, without her having to drop him or even chew him out. i believe we've seen enough of sam's actions/reactions to things to believe she'd take issue with her treatment. i guess the sam fan in me's had a hard time healing with this. :/


but i LOVE seeing the 'real' side of sam! and i say real, meaning acting/reacting like a real person does. mistakes, insecurities, fumbling with her personal life... it feels very real to me, and i love that. that's one of the reasons i want to see a 'sam stuggling with command on a tough mission' because i want to see her struggle (and inner struggle) and eventually succeed with *pride*. she doesn't necessarily have to 'win' the situation on the mission, just come to terms with her doubts once and for all. (then leading the team with confidence). she deserves that moment, so we can see sam's 'i *am* a good commander' epiphany.



sally

[SamFan31]

Love those pictures. Do we have more showing AT as director?

I’m not sure about other Director pics. The ones I used came from the Season 7, Volume 5 DVD box (Region 1). The pic on the left was from the Photo Gallery and the one on the right I screen grabbed from SG-1 Beyond the Gate: Amanda Tapping.

The Photo Gallery had 3-4 Director stills. I’ve seen a Director pic on Amanda’s site that loads on the first page, but couldn’t find it in her Gallery section. Maybe someone has better Director info.

[T-Gate]

amanda blows me away.

suffice it to say, i admire amanda with all my heart. she's an excellent role model, because she's truly a nice person.


sally

Hi Sally & Fellow Amanda/Sam Fans,

First of all, even though I mostly lurk anyway, I must hang my head in shame and confess that I life & time has not allowed to keep up with this thread as I would have liked. Which is crazy really because I love Amanda, and Sam is my favorite character and the only reason I'll be watching Season 9 at this point.

When SG first began I took an instant liking to the character of Sam and found something appealing about Amanda. It's one thing to like someone superficially though. For me to truly admire a person, I have to believe that the person is nice and has a good heart. After reading some interviews and hearing little stories here & there, I truly came to admire & love (platonically of course) Amanda.

I have a little story which shows the kind of person she is. It was during Gatecon 2001. Amanda was not scheduled to attend because the con happened to fall on the weekend Amanda was celebrating her wedding anniversary. While I was already greatly disappointed by that fact,
9/11 happened. Although it was only a week & a half after 9/11, I went to the con anyway. Being a New Yorker, I was feeling totally down and devasted. Well, lo and behold! Who do you think made a surprise visit
to the con on the Saturday morning? YEP! Amanda actually came and spoke on stage for a little while while she was on her way to the airport to celebrate her anniversary! Let's face it. She did not have to do that.
While being at the con was generally a good thing because it allowed me to forget for a little while, it was Amanda's caring visit which brought real joy and brightness to my dark heart.

I think that was really great of her to do that for her fans, and I will NEVER forget that.

Toni

[astrogeologist]

There's nothing wrong in criticizing what the writers have done to sam. believe me, i've done it a time or ten

but there is a difference between criticizing and bashing.

the folks that criticize can usually find something redeeming in each episode...but others, it's all bad all the time and - in the case of some - they pursue sam with a vengeance that is inversely proportional to the devotion they express towards protecting and justifying every single action of their own particular favorite character

for example, in enemies/exodus, teal'c screwed up, royally. his revenge nearly got his team killed. now an example would be a pro-teal'c/anti-sam fan going to great lengths to defend teal'c's actions in his jaffa revenge while using that same passion to tear sam to pieces

teal'c will get the benefit of the doubt while sam will get just the opposite

Great post, Sky! There's a huge difference between constructive criticism and bashing! Criticism can be honest, real and justified - whereas bashing is venomous and hateful and unreasonable.

Tried to rep you, but am still temporarily locked out of the green jello fridge.

So... from the *Special* Stock of Royal Blue

[Carterslave]

http://img274.echo.cx/img274/1450/samanda5ee.jpg

Whew! That's better. Seeing the Tantalus castle tottering atop that cliff, it felt like a very bad omen to designate that piece of real estate as Kingdom HQ.
My last attempt at downloading the PDF ended ignominiously when I got a message saying that the file was damaged (in transit?) & could not "be repaired." I hope effort #2 goes better.
The demographic profiles make interesting reading. Quite a varied bunch are we. As for our sanity, well, I fear there's no doubt where that's concerned.