Are you on first name terms?

[Thoth]

In SG1, the majority of us call the characters Sam, Jack, Daniel, etc. Even those without substantial roles have become known by their first-names (Janet, Catherine, etc.). But I find that when refering to the SGA crew, I use their last names (Except for Teyla, whose last name I dont even know. She does have one doesn't she. Homogen keeps on popping into my head but that could just be me). I don't think I've ever called Shephard (help me with spelling!!!) John, Wier Elizabeth, Becket (again spelling) Carson, etc. The only exception being Rodney. So, I was wondering have you got on first name terms with the SGA crew? I presume not, from your posts. If not, when is it gonna happen cos I much prefer first names and I can't remember when Carter became Sam, etc. in SG1.

[LordAnubis]

In SG1, the majority of us call the characters Sam, Jack, Daniel, etc. Even those without substantial roles have become known by their first-names (Janet, Catherine, etc.). But I find that when refering to the SGA crew, I use their last names (Except for Teyla, whose last name I dont even know. She does have one doesn't she. Homogen keeps on popping into my head but that could just be me). I don't think I've ever called Shephard (help me with spelling!!!) John, Wier Elizabeth, Becket (again spelling) Carson, etc. The only exception being Rodney. So, I was wondering have you got on first name terms with the SGA crew? I presume not, from your posts. If not, when is it gonna happen cos I much prefer first names and I can't remember when Carter became Sam, etc. in SG1.

Well, when referring to SG-1 personnel, I always say General Hammond and usually say Major/Colonel Carter. However, it's usually Jack or Daniel, Janet, but always Major Davis or Agent Barret. I don't know why. Sometimes I'll say Dr. Jackson. Jonas was always Jonas. Of course, he didn't have a rank and didn't have any real degrees or titles.

The Goa'uld, except for Apophis and Ra, Heru'ur and Hathor, are always Lord whatever.

For SG-A, it's always Dr. McKay, Dr. Weir, Major Sheppared, and Lt. Ford. I call Beckett Beckett because he's not a real doctor. In the UK, physicians and surgeons earn a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS), which is their first degree. The title "doctor" is a courtesy title and IMO should not be given to one who holds only an undergraduate degree in medicine. I'm not saying I don't respect him or his medical training, but British and Scottish physicians only have an undergraduate medical degree, whereas in the US and Europe, a medical degree is a doctorate of medicine, a post bachelor's degree. Thus, Carson is really Mr. Beckett from an academic point of view. If he had a PhD too, that would be different, then he'd be a real doctor.

[Nurgle]

Completely off-topic, but Anubis is right. The word "doctor" is derived from the Latin word "docere", which means "to teach". Same with "doctrine" and "docile", which kinda puts a negative spin on the whole thing.

[aAnubiSs]

O'Neill, Carter, Daniel, Jonas, Hammond, Sheppard, Ford, Weir, McKay, Teyla, Beckett.

[LordAnubis]

Completely off-topic, but Anubis is right. The word "doctor" is derived from the Latin word "docere", which means "to teach". Same with "doctrine" and "docile", which kinda puts a negative spin on the whole thing.

That's right...most PhDs do teaching or at least research of some kind, but unless a physician is a medical school professor, when the hell do they do any teaching? Technically, physicians are body mechanics and are not true doctors, but hey, it's now gotten to the point, at least in the US, where the word doctor connotes medicine and medical professionals rather than scientists or academics, the true holder of the title. In the US, even optometrists, lawyers, pharmacists, veterinarians, dentists, and...shudder...chiropractors are "doctors" in that they have a post bachelor's degree with the title DOCTOR in it.

BTW, I think Dr. Weir is a J.D. (Doctor of Jurisprudence), but she might be a PhD and a JD. Some JD's (lawyers) use the title doctor. How arrogant!

[SierraGulf1]

For the record, Teyla's last name is Emmigan or something of the like.

[CoffeeGirl]

To further confuse you guys, I think it's Emmagan or Emmagen.

[Hatcheter]

That's right...most PhDs do teaching or at least research of some kind, but unless a physician is a medical school professor, when the hell do they do any teaching? Technically, physicians are body mechanics and are not true doctors, but hey, it's now gotten to the point, at least in the US, where the word doctor connotes medicine and medical professionals rather than scientists or academics, the true holder of the title. In the US, even optometrists, lawyers, pharmacists, veterinarians, dentists, and...shudder...chiropractors are "doctors" in that they have a post bachelor's degree with the title DOCTOR in it.

BTW, I think Dr. Weir is a J.D. (Doctor of Jurisprudence), but she might be a PhD and a JD. Some JD's (lawyers) use the title doctor. How arrogant!

I think that's oversimplifying things a fair bit (and disregarding the extensive training medical doctors receive). The proper dictionary definition of doctor is:

1. A person, especially a physician, dentist, or veterinarian, trained in the healing arts and licensed to practice.
2. A person who has earned the highest academic degree awarded by a university in a specified discipline.

And with the level of knowledge on genetics that Beckett has shown, I'm sure he really is an M.D. Dr Wier, IMO, is probably a Doctor of Political Science.

Now my question is on these jack-of-all-trades scietists like Carter, McKay, Zelenka, etc. Are there really people with such a depth and breadth of knowledge that these characters have?

[Angelique]

I Call them O'Neill, Carter, Daniel, Jonas, Teal'c, Hammond of Texas, Beckett, Sheppard, Wier, Teyla, Ford and Rodney.

[spg_1983]

I call Beckett Beckett because he's not a real doctor. In the UK, physicians and surgeons earn a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS), which is their first degree. The title "doctor" is a courtesy title and IMO should not be given to one who holds only an undergraduate degree in medicine. I'm not saying I don't respect him or his medical training, but British and Scottish physicians only have an undergraduate medical degree, whereas in the US and Europe, a medical degree is a doctorate of medicine, a post bachelor's degree. Thus, Carson is really Mr. Beckett from an academic point of view. If he had a PhD too, that would be different, then he'd be a real doctor.

considering the fact that beckett was picked to research the ancients at the antartic outposts AND was picked for the atlantis mission AND was made Chief Medical officer of the Atlantis expedition, chances are he has considerable more schooling and training then just an undergraduate degree, as well as considerable real world experience. his title of Doctor is probably well deserved. it would be interesting if they delved into why each of them was picked for the atlantis expedition. Sheppard, Weir, and McKay are the only ones we really know, and maybe Beckett. this is all off topic i know so ill leave it here and maybe start a new thread

[LordAnubis]

I think that's oversimplifying things a fair bit (and disregarding the extensive training medical doctors receive). The proper dictionary definition of doctor is:

1. A person, especially a physician, dentist, or veterinarian, trained in the healing arts and licensed to practice.
2. A person who has earned the highest academic degree awarded by a university in a specified discipline.

And with the level of knowledge on genetics that Beckett has shown, I'm sure he really is an M.D. Dr Wier, IMO, is probably a Doctor of Political Science.

Now my question is on these jack-of-all-trades scietists like Carter, McKay, Zelenka, etc. Are there really people with such a depth and breadth of knowledge that these characters have?

Having a parent who is a medical doctor, and all my uncles/aunts, I can tell you that an MD does NOT prepare you to be a scientist or geneticist. An MD teaches you to be a general or specialized body mechanic, no more or no less.

In the UK, physicians do not have MDs; they have undergraduate degrees, but they do know just as much as American doctors. I'm not saying they are inferior, all I'm saying is that they do not possess a doctoral degree. Dr. Beckett (heh, okay...I said it), probably has an undergraduate MBBS degree in medicine and either a master's or PhD in biology, life science, or genetics. I agree; he is not your typical doc; he's probably a physician-scientist.

Dr. Weir is a political scientist-attorney with a JD and PhD.

In regards to your last question, I think that most scientists, like most physicians or lawyers, specialized in a particular area. I'm a biology major at Michigan State University and my emphasis is human physiology/anatomy and evolutionary biology. I still have to take a lot of chemistry, math, physics, genetics, and even botany, but I would never say I know anywhere near as much about those areas as I do my primary focus.

I think a PhD in astrophysics, like Col. Carter, for example, or Dr. McKay, have an in depth understanding of related areas and a good knowledge of unrelated, but kinda related areas. For example, physics has relationships with engineering, but that doesn't make Carter an engineer. I think Dr. McKay has two doctorates: Engineering and Physics. Daniel has two doctorates: Linguistics and Archaeology. I think Carter has one PhD in astrophysics from MIT.

Just because one has a PhD in one discipline doesn't mean he/she can't have interests in others. Hard to say.

[mishy_mo]

i guess i know all of thier first names but it just doesn't seem right calling them by that, just seems more natural to use thier second names

[LordAnubis]

considering the fact that beckett was picked to research the ancients at the antartic outposts AND was picked for the atlantis mission AND was made Chief Medical officer of the Atlantis expedition, chances are he has considerable more schooling and training then just an undergraduate degree, as well as considerable real world experience. his title of Doctor is probably well deserved. it would be interesting if they delved into why each of them was picked for the atlantis expedition. Sheppard, Weir, and McKay are the only ones we really know, and maybe Beckett. this is all off topic i know so ill leave it here and maybe start a new thread

To be honest, I really don't know what degrees he has earned. However, you obviously don't know much about the British educational system. In the US, medical school, law school, dental school, etc., are graduate degrees one earns AFTER first going to college and earning a BA/BS in ANY field. Most medical doctors in the US have undergrad degrees in biology or some kind of science, but they don't have to. My doctor has a BA in English literature and an MD. Lawyers typically get a BA/BS in political science or English, and then go on to law school and earn a JD degree.

In the UK (including ENgland, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland), typically one leaves high school and enters university taking general classes for two years or so, but they don't earn a degree. After two years, they enter medical school or law school and their first degree is their medical or law degree. In the UK, a medical degree is called an MBBS (bachelor of medicine/surgery) and a law degree is called an LLB (Bachelor of Laws). Physicians then do their residency after they get their MB degree.

So, technically, they are not "doctors" in degree, but only in professional courtesy titles. Dentists, veterinarians, etc., in England are called Mr., not Doctor. If Beckett went to medical school anywhere in the UK, his medical degree is NOT MD. However, based on his knowledge, I think he probably has a PhD, which is a true doctorate.

[D.C.]

I call the SG-1 characters: Carter, Daniel, Jack or O'Niell, Teal'c, and General Hammond. Maybe it's because Atlantis hasn't started here yet, but I call them: Weir, Ford, McKay, Beckett, Shepard, and Teyla.

[spg_1983]

In the UK, physicians do not have MDs; they have undergraduate degrees, but they do know just as much as American doctors. I'm not saying they are inferior, all I'm saying is that they do not possess a doctoral degree. Dr. Beckett (heh, okay...I said it), probably has an undergraduate MBBS degree in medicine and either a master's or PhD in biology, life science, or genetics. I agree; he is not your typical doc; he's probably a physician-scientist.

you admit that they know as much as american doctors, but because their piece of paper is worded different they dont deserve the honorific of doctor? like my father (who is a MD) says "its not that piece of paper on the wall that makes me a doctor, its whats in here (pointing to his head) and what i do with these (holding up his hands)" but anyways this is all off topic so i guess its your own beliefs what constitutes a doctor. and now back to your regularly scheduled thread.......