Col. Caldwell as Atlantis Military CO

[Flyboy]

So obviously within the SG universe (lower case 'u' ) Caldwell was initially pegged to be the new Atlantis Military CO, officially replacing Col Sumner. He was of course shot down due to Weir's stubborness.

Now think what you like about Shep, but does anyone else agree with me that the position should (within the SG universe, not as a viewer) have gone to Caldwell? Barring the whole Goa'uld incident of course.

[General Jumper One]

no

[Starsaber]

Well, it would make sense to not have the military CO not go on missions regularly. Having Sheppard go on missions while he's the military CO would be like if General Hammond was the leader of SG-1.

Caldwell would have had to give up command of the 304 though, since it was only at Atlantis about 2 weeks in 8 or so.

[Flyboy]

Precisely my point. Shep always demonstrated that he wanted to be out in the field doing things, where as the CO's job is behind a desk, a factor that Caldwell demonstrated when he briefly took over as Shep was transforming into a bug.

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

Yes, but perhaps I'm biased because I don't like Sheppard. Caldwell was a better commander, he took a step back, remained in control and emotionally detached from the situation, precisely the opposite of what Sheppard did.

Of course in the SG verse Sheppard was the better choice in the end, simply because if Caldwell was in control the whole Goa'uld situation would have buggered them. But aside from that, if we take the two simply on their merits and abilities as officers I'd rather have Caldwell commanding me. Sheppard's personnel bravery cannot be questioned but the guy walked around half the time with a death wish and lacked a cool head required for command.

[Sealurk]

Definitely Caldwell. I think Sheppard was entirely unsuited to the role of overall military commander and was far better suited to simply senior field commander, equivalent to O'Neill or Mitchell. I also think it could have made for far more interesting viewing if he'd been forced into that role for season one, then Caldwell had taken over from season two, and the Goa'uld thing had been either written out or written in as a long arc. But Caldwell was definitely, in my eyes, the more competent, detached and possibly experienced officer. I get the distinct impression he'd been a part of the Stargate program for some time.

[jelgate]

I say yes just because it would be nice to see him and Weir clash over protocol

[Flyboy]

I say yes just because it would be nice to see him and Weir clash over protocol

Would be a little bit Adama/Roslin, but yes - I totally agree.

[thekillman]

i think it would've been great, although we'd need a new Deadalus commander.

i liked Caldwell. a good commander.


while we're at it, i would've added 500 000 - 1 000 000 dollars to the budget. i would've kept the original style of the first season(s). i think Mckay became unrealistically versatile, so a bigger cast would've been better

[Flyboy]

i think it would've been great, although we'd need a new Deadalus commander.

i liked Caldwell. a good commander.


while we're at it, i would've added 500 000 - 1 000 000 dollars to the budget. i would've kept the original style of the first season(s). i think Mckay became unrealistically versatile, so a bigger cast would've been better

Once again, I agree. I like SGA, most notably S1,2 and 5. However, I LOVE SGA S1.

I kinda have a tier system for SG.

For me,

Absolutely amazing = SG1 S-6, SGA S1, SGU S1-2, Continuum, Original Movie
Good = SG1 S9-AoT, SGA S2 & S5
Passable = SG1 S7 & S8, SGA S3-4

The thing that made SGA S1 so awesome for me was the fact that initially, much as with SGU, we had a huge ensemble cast, with planning teams and plenty of researchers and military personnel. It FELT like an expedition, and that was fantastic, one of the strongest episodes for this is 38 Minutes imo.

[Libero]

It would have been interesting!
The interaction between Caldwell and Sheppard or between Caldwell and Weir might have been exciting and it would have been nice to see more of Mitch Pileggi

[Sealurk]

The thing that made SGA S1 so awesome for me was the fact that initially, much as with SGU, we had a huge ensemble cast, with planning teams and plenty of researchers and military personnel. It FELT like an expedition, and that was fantastic, one of the strongest episodes for this is 38 Minutes imo.

Absolutely. SG-1 was, understandably, focused on the SG-1 team. Atlantis should have covered the whole city and expedition, not just the lead team. I definitely agree the series would have benefited from a wider scope and larger cast, and having a military commander in addition to Sheppard would have been very interesting.

Also, Thirty-Eight Minutes is easily my favourite SGA episode.

[fumblesmcstupid]

Maybe some one other than Caldwell.

I don't think he'd get the respect that Shep has from Atlantis people.

Ellis wouldn't be much better. For same reasons.

[Flyboy]

Maybe some one other than Caldwell.

I don't think he'd get the respect that Shep has from Atlantis people.

Ellis wouldn't be much better. For same reasons.

Does Shep *really* have everyone's respect though other than that of his team? We NEVER see him acting as a management boss at all... Heck, he didn't even know the names of the females he'd transfered onto the base in 'Whispers', and it was pretty clear that those characters didn't respect him.

I personally would be more inclined to respect Caldwell.

[Lythisrose]

Shep is my favorite character on the show, yet I'd have been happy to have had Caldwell as the military head of Atlantis. It would have made for some good scenes/conflicts between the two and it would have made Sheppard going out on all those missions a bit more realistic. I have always liked Caldwell.