How is SG1 "taking over"? (spoilers)

[PG15]

I hope the title isn't spoilerish already...if so, please tell me and I'll change it.

Anyway, I've seen a lot of posts about "oh, Season 4 will be Atlantis: SG1" or "Atlantis is becoming SG1-lite", and I don't understand why. Sam Carter is coming over, ok, that's obvious. However, she's just one character, and a supporting one at that, and one who's appearing in less than 3/4 of the episodes.

Then there is the militarization of Atlantis you say; well, I disagree. For most of the series, we have focused on Shep and his team, and that's a solely military team. If you ask me, Atlantis is already pretty militaristic, and it has been from the very beginning.

Is there anything else I'm missing? I just don't see how Atlantis is transforming into SG1. Also, what does that even mean? Is there a "feel" that Atlantis has that SG1 doesn't, and vice versa? The sets are going to be the same, the characters...well, most of them are still going to be the same, the enemies are staying the same (and then some), no SG1-specific plots are appearing as far as we know, so...what? What is it that I'm not seeing?

[Agent_Dark]

Because Atlantis is too weak to stand on its own obviously, if one single character can take over the show.

[ses110]

I'm not sure if SG-1 is taking over although I would not be surprised to see other SG-1 characters show up on Atlantis. I believe Teal'c will be making an appearance.I'm just not sure why TPTB of Atlantis feels the need to make this big cast changes all the time? Why not let the cast grow and develop chemistry like what happened with SG-1. I think RDA and Gekko knew what they were doing and the current TPTB do not IMO.

[mcbarr]

Gee, PG15 inciting fandom infighting?! I'm shocked!

[PG15]

Hey man, it's a legitimate question.

Besides, if a conclusion can be reached that SG1 is NOT taking over, then there will be no fandom infighting between the exclusive fans of the two shows.

[jenks]

I'm not sure if SG-1 is taking over although I would not be surprised to see other SG-1 characters show up on Atlantis. I believe Teal'c will be making an appearance.I'm just not sure why TPTB of Atlantis feels the need to make this big cast changes all the time? Why not let the cast grow and develop chemistry like what happened with SG-1. I think RDA and Gekko knew what they were doing and the current TPTB do not IMO.

The SG-1 characters had loads of chemistry within a season, if Atlantis still isn't there yet then changes need to be made. That being said I'm not sure Carter is the right addition, but I'll have to wait and see, and I'd advise everyone else to do the same.

[stclare]

Because Atlantis is too weak to stand on its own obviously, if one single character can take over the show.

I like to think that Atlantis was perfectly capable of standing on its own two feet without the need to intergrate an SG1 character in the mix. Unfortunatley i will never know wether it would have, as the decision has been made to go in a different direction.

IMHO one character can take over any show, however weak or strong it was beforehand, if a charachter is written in a certain way.

for me personaly when i think of sga becoming sg1, its because when i see Carter i think sg1 and sg1 background. im pretty sure that there will be further characters from sg1 popping over when the mood suits. the minute Carter is on Atlantis spouting technobabble i'll think im watching sg1 which unfortunatley for me I couldn't stand.

of course untill i see the eps i will not know wether they will be written more towards the sg1 vibe or wether as ive seen on JM's blog things will be progressively darker in theme which i think is more the atlantis vibe.

obviousley eveyone has an opinion on this and i am only speaking for myself and not very articulatley at this time of night, so appologies.

[ses110]

You make a good point it's just I'm not sure the Atlantis cast was given enough time to jell.Some of the moves by TPTB come of as panic moves IMO.I also do not sure Carter was the right addition. You already have an overload of McKay as the focus with Sheppard and now adding Carter my make it even tougher to have all the cast involved.

[mcbarr]

The SG-1 characters had loads of chemistry within a season, if Atlantis still isn't there yet then changes need to be made.

Indeed. In the writing department.

[stclare]

Indeed. In the writing department.

oh thats naughty!! but in the good way !!!

[ses110]

Well said.We've seen cast changes how about some changes with the Writing and show runners? It seems everyone is safe except for the Actors.I wonder if there is anyone at MGM who even checks on what TPTB are up to?

[jenks]

They definatly need a female writer or two, beyond that I think they do a pretty good job.

[Killdeer]

The SG-1 characters had loads of chemistry within a season, if Atlantis still isn't there yet then changes need to be made. That being said I'm not sure Carter is the right addition, but I'll have to wait and see, and I'd advise everyone else to do the same.

Whether Atlantis was there or not is a matter of opinion. I firmly believe they were there before the cast shakeup.

Is there a "feel" that Atlantis has that SG1 doesn't, and vice versa?

Yes, I think Atlantis has its own feel, and it's hard, as someone who's watched both shows from the beginning, to see how Carter would fit into the Atlantis team. I've posted this before in another thread, but SG-1 members, and Carter in particular, are the heroes of the MW galaxy, and Carter is the golden girl of the SGC. She has all the awards, all the promotions. She even has the ear of the president. Atlantis is the underdog here. Its military leader has a huge black mark on his career, its Head of Science is a known troublemaker and was once sent to Russia for crossing swords with Carter and Hammond. Weir herself even had a reputation with the IOA. You get the sense in watching the few crossovers to this point that the SGC administration is just barely tolerating the Atlantis crew. I even got that impression from Jack himself. So...yeah, it really is a different feel, more like the early seasons of SG-1 where they were still trying to justify their existance. Whether Carter can fit into that without changing the whole tone of the show is yet to be seen.

As far as SG-1 taking over..... I want to heavily qualify the following by saying it is just my opinion!! That being said....

There are some legitimate reasons for feeling this way, and I'm sure many people will fill you in.

However, I think possibly the "SG-1 taking over" reaction may also be partially from Atlantis fans reacting to the many SG-1 fans coming over now that Carter has joined Atlantis. The impression from some SG-1 fans coming over (not all of course) is that they want Atlantis to be a continuation of the SG-1 story. There's even a thread - What SG-1 plots do you want to see carried over to Atlantis? The impression from others is that they didn't like Atlantis before, but now that Carter is coming to "fix" things, they're excited about it. There's been many comments made about the Atlantis characters and the show itself, as compared to SG-1 - the impression being that SG-1 is in all ways superior. I would think all that could definitely lead to resentment and the feeling that their show is being "taken over", whether it actually plays out that way on the screen.

I could be totally off the mark! Just some thoughts.

[ses110]

They do need more female writers and more accountability like SG-1 had with RDA and Gekko. The writers and directors use to have to answer to Gekko. It's seems like it's a pretty lose ship nowdays with anything goes.

[sueKay]

How is SG1 taking over

1. Carter
2. Crossover guests (like Teal'c who I have no doubt will be the first of quite a few)
3. Replicators
4. Ever increasing military influence (originally, Atlantis was to be a civillian show with SG1 being the military show)
5. Increased emphasis on 'the team' and military characters (Beckett and Weir now surplus to requirements, apparently)

So it's not just one element.