Why did Vala get so much attention?

[gotthammer]

I'm just glad that Vala (and Cam) were in the show (and had as much attention as they did).
If the two weren't in the show, I probably wouldn't have given SG-1 a chance (I only really started watching after Farscape), and missed out on SGA, SGU, and this forum.

[gateraid]

As I've put together, It was the network's idea to bring claudia in to replace Sam. As soon as coop worked with her, he decided that she had to come back. So before she even left the set for episode 5, she knew she was coming back for season 10. Hence why she and her hubby decided to time their family.
Sam came back, even though it seemed that Coop wasn't particularly excited that she did because he'd hoped she'd go over to SGA as the commander of the Odyssey. But she didn't go, and fans seemed happy that she didn't leave SG1.
THen, as season 9 was wrapping up, the directive from skiffy came down, get Vala back now.
So, despite being very, very pregnant, Claudia had to come back for the end of the season and the sprog of doom storyline was conceived (pun intended). The main reason for Adria was so that Coop & co wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of shooting around her belly.
Season 10, I believe, is when Claudia got her contract, MS, Ben, CJ all got theirs...but AT had to call coop and go 'ok, so I don't have mine, anything I need to know?????'...basically it seemed that he didn't really want her in season 10, but kinda had to keep her.

So then we get 20 episodes of Coop struggling to juggle 5 characters, only 2-3 of which he really seemed to want, the others he seemed to feel like he was stuck with.

Vala and the pairing of Vala and Daniel were coop's chosen pairing and characters. Ben was put into the show because, while Coop wanted Daniel to be the star, skiffy said 'no'. They wanted someone with more experience leading a show. So Cam was added....and at least in my opinion, added then shoved into a corner with Sam and Teal'c because all Coop seemed to want to do was play up Vala and Daniel.

HOwever, between season 9 and 10, skiffy did a little research. ANd determined that coop's vision of a show for season 9 just wasn't what your general fan wanted. So for season 10 Skiffy directed that changes be made...unfortunately it ended up being too little too late.

Howver, the main reason vala got so much attention, she was coop's creation, he was the show runner, so he focused on the ones he wanted to focus on. Because he had control over storylines and plots.

After reading that, I feel very sorry for Ben. I already felt sorry for Amanda. I wasn't a huge fan of Cam initially (it was the introduction as much as anything, and it seemed illogical that he was the leader instead of Sam) but it felt to me that in s10 they cut him off at the knees. Now I know why I bet Beau must've been a bit annoyed too - a 'name' star like him, who ended up doing far less in the role than his predecessor (apples and oranges, I know, as RDA was the lead and Beau was not).

[Fan-e-Gate]

Because she was a "breath of fresh air." Supposedly. And the character was designed to be sexy & shake things up.

[RealmOfX]

Because she was a "breath of fresh air." Supposedly. And the character was designed to be sexy & shake things up.

There's nothing "breath of fresh air" about dumbing down a series to base humour and juvenile attempts at sexy.

[Dave2]

You just hit the bull's eye. I wish I had said it myself......

After watching Season 10 Part 1 of The Quest, I wondered why the show wasn't just called "Indiana Jones SGC". It looks like a great kid's show. But not SG1. No more intelligent good old days of the Asgard, Goa'uld, Tok'ra, US government and SGC. Heck, you don't even see the Chapa'i at all or the SGC.
And poor Teal'c is reserved for the occasional question or threat to Baal.
You even forget that Baal is a goa'uld since his goa'uld-ness is of no relevance to the story anyway.
Many people suggest that SG1 did end in Season 8 and I guess I would agree. This new series lasted 2 seasons and didn't deserve anymore.
If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the ascension story arc and the Replicators story arc. I'd redo or eliminate the Merlin Arthur arc. And I'd eliminate Vala and bring back Jonas. But of course that would not help dumbing down the story.....

At least in a two-part episode they could have kept General Landry around for something....

There's nothing "breath of fresh air" about dumbing down a series to base humour and juvenile attempts at sexy.

[Skydiver]

Major Mitchell could have gotten command of SG1, who then faced a choice, keep command but not of that team when sam returned, or be second to sam and 'learn from the best'. In the midst of this, Vala shows up, an ex-host with a grudge and history...is she an ally? or is she a threat? does she help them take down ba'al? or is she his spy?

in the midst of this, the lucian alliance is raising its evil head, enslaving and abusing. are they better than the goa'uld? or worse? are they helping the survivors of the goa'uld? or are they worse than the goa'uld?

the merlin story can still happen, just tweaked.

vala....survivor of tok'ra insensitivity or a manipulator? Did she get free of her snake? or is she in concert with qetesh?

she could have had so much depth and been so much richer than the shallow 'boy toy' she was written as.

[Snowman37]

Wasn't the original plan to split up Tapping's time between both shows? A recurring role on SG-1 for about ten episodes in Season 10 and a recurring role for about ten episodes on Atlantis in Season 3? They'd been wanting to cross her over to Atlantis, so her fourth season role was no surprise.

[RealmOfX]

Wasn't the original plan to split up Tapping's time between both shows? A recurring role on SG-1 for about ten episodes in Season 10 and a recurring role for about ten episodes on Atlantis in Season 3? They'd been wanting to cross her over to Atlantis, so her fourth season role was no surprise.

They didn't even have that concrete a plan, they wouldn't even tell Amanda at the contract stage.

[Snowman37]

I didn't say they had a plan, I just said they'd been wanting to cross her over for more than one episode. Besides, I remember reading an article about splitting up her time during SG-1 Season 10 and Atlantis Season 3. She'd film 20 episodes, but it would be a recurring role on both shows rather than a starring show on SG-1 with a few guest appearances on the other. I don't know if that was a concrete plan, but there was enough talk for a GateWorld news article.

[RealmOfX]

I didn't say they had a plan, I just said they'd been wanting to cross her over for more than one episode.

Well if they wanted to do "something" with her why couldn't they tell her at the contract stage? Answer - they didn't know what to do with Sam Carter (now how pathetic is that?)

[Snowman37]

That's not necessarily true. There were plenty of options...

#1: Stay on SG-1, appear once or a few times on Atlantis. (what actually happened)

#2: Stay on SG-1 (the team), but as a special guest star. She appears in about ten episodes. Her absences are explained away as helping the Atlantis Expedition. On Atlantis, she is paired up with McKay in a recurring role as an SGC asset sent in for problems that the McKay-Zelenka duo cannot handle on their own. I'm not sure how this would work without making McKay look #2 to Carter or reducing Zelenka's role.

#3: Carter is given command of a ship, something that eventually happened. I suspect it would be the Odyssey. I wouldn't be surprised given it's large role in Season 10 and Mitch Pileggi's (Caldwell) reduced availability.

#4: Carter's no longer affiliated with SG-1 but rather the SGC. She's simply sent where needed. This could mean helping SG-1, helping Atlantis, commanding the Odyssey, coordinating from an off world base, and so on.

There are other options, but you get the idea. It's not fair to the producers and writers to say they didn't have a clue. The simple answer: they hadn't reached a decision.

[RealmOfX]

Of course it is fair, they know the time frame they have to work with and they idiotically say "we don't know what to do" with one of the most versatile characters they have. Talk about lousy excuses.

[Stalinorgel]

There's nothing "breath of fresh air" about dumbing down a series to base humour and juvenile attempts at sexy.

exactly that. The first time she appeared, she did have a certain appeal and I had high hopes for the persona, dressed like a soldier and seriously kicking ass.
From that point on she became a bigger annoyance each episode and I really experienced no chemistry whatsoever between her and Daniel. Juvenile is the best word but not in a good way.
Who cares if some considered her 'hot', her face looks like a cartoon

[Dave2]

By the way, where did Michael Shanks/Daniel disappear to in several episodes in Season 10 when "captured" by the Oricei daughter of Vala?
And in The Road Not Taken we see General Hammond in charge of the SGC with Landry as US president. Cameron Mitchell was retired and the name Jack O'Neill wasn't even mentioned. Samantha didn't even ask them where the Jack O'Neill of their reality was probably because he was irrelevant to her research with Dr. Lee.
But if Hammond was in charge and Cameron never joined SG1, then it stands to reason that Jack O'Neill was never part of Stargate at all in that reality.

[Snowman37]

By the way, where did Michael Shanks/Daniel disappear to in several episodes in Season 10 when "captured" by the Oricei daughter of Vala?

It was just two episodes. Michael Shanks took those weeks off to spend with his family. The character was captured by Adria and held prisoner aboard her ship. Eventually, Daniel tricked Adria into turning him into a Prior so he could finish the weapon. She believed he was going to use it on the Ancients when in reality, he planned to use it on the Ori.

And in The Road Not Taken we see General Hammond in charge of the SGC with Landry as US president. Cameron Mitchell was retired and the name Jack O'Neill wasn't even mentioned. Samantha didn't even ask them where the Jack O'Neill of their reality was probably because he was irrelevant to her research with Dr. Lee.
But if Hammond was in charge and Cameron never joined SG1, then it stands to reason that Jack O'Neill was never part of Stargate at all in that reality.

Presumably, O'Neill was left frozen in the Ancient outpost. I was under the impression that Atlantis was never discovered in the alternate reality.