Okay, I've thought about directly defending the character in the two other Weir threds, but you know what, I really don't feel like dignifying the tone of the people who started them by engaging them in why I like the character. Addressed in two parts:
1) The Character. Weir's leadership qualities have been much maligned of late, with people asserting that she's unqualified, that she's incompetent, that she's wishy washy, and that she's boring. For me this seems hardly competable with the way she is portrayed in New Order. I was in love with the character the minute she demanded all of Ba'al's territory in exchange for his distruction. That took guts. They were playing hardball with her, and so she was playing hardball right back at them.
People with diplomatic training are often interpetted as being indecisive, or peaceful. The greatest diplomat in American history was a former general. Being a good diplomat means that you are adaptable, and willing to play the cards you have (and perhaps you don't have) with finese, or with a heavy bat to back yourself up. I believe the character has been entirely consistent with that kind of rough and ready diplomat. She's not the secretary of state type, she is the type who walks behind the secretary and tells you what we really mean while the press cameras are off taking picture of the foreign ministers shaking hands.
People have questioned her competence as a military leader. She's not a military leader, and I rather doubt she thinks she is either. But unlike the SGC, Atlantis is not a military mission. For eight years we have now been used to the way that the military affairs, so perhaps those used to the universe have forgotten that the way the military handles things is not the be all and end all to how leadership can be done. I am not disparraging the military, but they exist in a world of regimented right, and wrong. A world, as one author put it when talking about the U.S. Military Academy, without irony. Without subtly. Weir comes from an entirely different world. When they stepped through the Atlantis Gate they had no reason to think that they would be suddenly at war with undead vampires with nasty eating habits.
The Atlantis expedition is an international expedition tied closely to the Antartic Treaty System, and as such, brings with it certain assumptions about the military presence. The ATS was formed in the years following World War II with the basic premise that one part of our world, which had been so wracked with war, would remain unstained by man slaughtering his fellow man. Antartica is, under the ATS, is not to be used for a military purpose, though military personnel are not forbidden (my understanding is that US Air National Guard, and New Zealand Air Force planes are the regular flights in and out, as well as the USCG's ice breakers). In the spirit of the ATS Atlantis could not ever be a lead by a military officer. Even if the ATS were not set up the way that it is (Wikipedia has a very nice article about it), the "over a dozen" governments involved in it weren't particularly likely to assent to a US Air Force or Marine officer in command. Like it or not, the United States does not have a particularly good reputation in the international community. To satify all those parties involved, the leader of this (supposed to be a science expedition remember) would have to be someone all the parties were confident in and could trust.
Taking her actions once in the Pegesus Galaxy...
Yes, she was hesitent about sending a rescue mission out immediately, and as Sheppard pointed out, the fact that she expressed those doubts in private showed that she knew that he was right... HOWEVER ... I seem to recall that Sheppard wanted to go running through the gate after them right away. Anyone else thinking they'd have ended up as deadsikles in space without a ship?
Yes, she was hard on Kavanagh. I believe that a military officer would have been harder, and I think given the cercumstances she needed to be that hard, but that's a point that's been debated over and over and over. Would I have liked it if she had been a little bit less ... pissy? Yes, I would have. But I didn't have five of people on my mind and 20ish minutes to hope that their lives could be saved.
Her handling of the spy buisness. I didn't like Sergeant Bates anymore than anyone else, but it is hard to escape the logic that the Athosians were the logical suspects, and Talya, as the one who was on the last mission that was ambushed, continued to be the logical suspect until McKay proved otherwise. I give Weir credit for staring each Athosian in the face and forcing herself to do this hands on. I'd have less respect for her if she had simply let Bates run the interrogation.
As for the gate, Hammond (and now Jack) have waited equally long periods of time before opening the iris. If that is a flaw in Weir, it's a flaw in them as well. And in the end, like Hammond (and now Jack), she makes the right decision.
2) The Actor. I never saw Lost City, so I can't speak to the original actress, other than the fact that TPTB knew what they wanted in the character, and for some reason wanted to recast. She is after all, more formed in their heads in the making of the series than she is on our screens as of Episode 5. No character is completely well developed this early, at this time in SG1 Sam was still being militant and angry and Teal'c was still... not saying much. Demanding more and blaiming Ms. Higginson when it doesn't deliver seems beyond unfair.
As for tastes, so some of you don't find her attractive. I for one find her VERY attractive. But I also obviously find the character attractive, and have absolutely no problem with her delivery. I would also kindly ask those attacking her to please give some ... concrete reason for their feelings about her as an actress rather than making bland and unimpressive statements that she is 'bland' or 'boring.'
1) The Character. Weir's leadership qualities have been much maligned of late, with people asserting that she's unqualified, that she's incompetent, that she's wishy washy, and that she's boring. For me this seems hardly competable with the way she is portrayed in New Order. I was in love with the character the minute she demanded all of Ba'al's territory in exchange for his distruction. That took guts. They were playing hardball with her, and so she was playing hardball right back at them.
People with diplomatic training are often interpetted as being indecisive, or peaceful. The greatest diplomat in American history was a former general. Being a good diplomat means that you are adaptable, and willing to play the cards you have (and perhaps you don't have) with finese, or with a heavy bat to back yourself up. I believe the character has been entirely consistent with that kind of rough and ready diplomat. She's not the secretary of state type, she is the type who walks behind the secretary and tells you what we really mean while the press cameras are off taking picture of the foreign ministers shaking hands.
People have questioned her competence as a military leader. She's not a military leader, and I rather doubt she thinks she is either. But unlike the SGC, Atlantis is not a military mission. For eight years we have now been used to the way that the military affairs, so perhaps those used to the universe have forgotten that the way the military handles things is not the be all and end all to how leadership can be done. I am not disparraging the military, but they exist in a world of regimented right, and wrong. A world, as one author put it when talking about the U.S. Military Academy, without irony. Without subtly. Weir comes from an entirely different world. When they stepped through the Atlantis Gate they had no reason to think that they would be suddenly at war with undead vampires with nasty eating habits.
The Atlantis expedition is an international expedition tied closely to the Antartic Treaty System, and as such, brings with it certain assumptions about the military presence. The ATS was formed in the years following World War II with the basic premise that one part of our world, which had been so wracked with war, would remain unstained by man slaughtering his fellow man. Antartica is, under the ATS, is not to be used for a military purpose, though military personnel are not forbidden (my understanding is that US Air National Guard, and New Zealand Air Force planes are the regular flights in and out, as well as the USCG's ice breakers). In the spirit of the ATS Atlantis could not ever be a lead by a military officer. Even if the ATS were not set up the way that it is (Wikipedia has a very nice article about it), the "over a dozen" governments involved in it weren't particularly likely to assent to a US Air Force or Marine officer in command. Like it or not, the United States does not have a particularly good reputation in the international community. To satify all those parties involved, the leader of this (supposed to be a science expedition remember) would have to be someone all the parties were confident in and could trust.
Taking her actions once in the Pegesus Galaxy...
Yes, she was hesitent about sending a rescue mission out immediately, and as Sheppard pointed out, the fact that she expressed those doubts in private showed that she knew that he was right... HOWEVER ... I seem to recall that Sheppard wanted to go running through the gate after them right away. Anyone else thinking they'd have ended up as deadsikles in space without a ship?
Yes, she was hard on Kavanagh. I believe that a military officer would have been harder, and I think given the cercumstances she needed to be that hard, but that's a point that's been debated over and over and over. Would I have liked it if she had been a little bit less ... pissy? Yes, I would have. But I didn't have five of people on my mind and 20ish minutes to hope that their lives could be saved.
Her handling of the spy buisness. I didn't like Sergeant Bates anymore than anyone else, but it is hard to escape the logic that the Athosians were the logical suspects, and Talya, as the one who was on the last mission that was ambushed, continued to be the logical suspect until McKay proved otherwise. I give Weir credit for staring each Athosian in the face and forcing herself to do this hands on. I'd have less respect for her if she had simply let Bates run the interrogation.
As for the gate, Hammond (and now Jack) have waited equally long periods of time before opening the iris. If that is a flaw in Weir, it's a flaw in them as well. And in the end, like Hammond (and now Jack), she makes the right decision.
2) The Actor. I never saw Lost City, so I can't speak to the original actress, other than the fact that TPTB knew what they wanted in the character, and for some reason wanted to recast. She is after all, more formed in their heads in the making of the series than she is on our screens as of Episode 5. No character is completely well developed this early, at this time in SG1 Sam was still being militant and angry and Teal'c was still... not saying much. Demanding more and blaiming Ms. Higginson when it doesn't deliver seems beyond unfair.
As for tastes, so some of you don't find her attractive. I for one find her VERY attractive. But I also obviously find the character attractive, and have absolutely no problem with her delivery. I would also kindly ask those attacking her to please give some ... concrete reason for their feelings about her as an actress rather than making bland and unimpressive statements that she is 'bland' or 'boring.'
And I think she's a good actor.
Weir is the newest type of character here, so - for me - she takes a little getting used to.
~ 
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