Teyla is the problem in Atlantis

[Xen9228]

After season 1 ended Teyla was being treated more like somebody from Earth rather than from the Pegasus Galaxy. Also she started started to act like and LOOK like it. Rather where Ronon still where his own clothes. She blended in and took a back seat until her pregnancy. Rachel Luttrell is great actor but is being under utilized, and really only has a few majour comments here and their, she has shorter lines but is still a has presence.

[stevencastelein]

i actually like teyla as a part of the expedition, she's very usefull, smart and she is very well matched with the rest of the team

[asgard30]

Hi everybody !
Wow it's a long time since I saw a thread like this, I was almost happy that Keller appears on the show she takes all of the critics lol. As you can see it Teyla is my favorite character and I always find myself in minority but it's after the Teyla bashing that I decided to come in here and i'm really glad I find great people.

I don't know what I will bring to tis thread but thought that it coul be interesting to have an opinion of a Teyla fan (sadly I'm not the best but since the cancellation the threads are dead )

I think the main problem with Teyla is that perhaps she's a girl but moreover she's an alien why I say this because it seems that everybody like Ronon while the only thing he brings to the show is a high level of testosterone. Why I say this for one important thing in S&R

Spoiler:

I think you remember all how bad Teyla was she was a liability now that she was pregnant and even if it was her baby (yes she's a leader so it's her responsability) she had to stay behind. What is not a liability from Shep on running everywhere while bleeding to death, they would have been great on the team if they had to carry him. Yeha but it's impossible he is the hero so he isn't human (and I who believed that Teyla was the extraterrestrian). It was exactly the same thing for the same reasons. So i think the problem with Teyla is probably that she's a girl but most importantly SGA is too much of an american show

As a fan I agree with everybody that she was undersed particularly in the start of season 3 but and I think it's the second problem is the writer wanted so much a Shep McKay show that they didn't focus on anybody else I don't see characters have so much screen time than then and which had a purpose. (Sadly I am a fan of SG1 and I think I always waited for the show to become a team action show I don't know what happened to the authors for making the team aspect so difficult).

Why I like Teyla ? Because she has nothing of a stereotype first we know her as a strong leader and a great warrior it's what we remember the most but she isn't like this and I think the fans saw things that perhaps the viewers who did't care for her (and I can understand) didn't saw. It would be too long to take besides the fact is established that in the first half of S3 particularly she was underused.
But in season 4 and 5 until now I think she gains a lot. I mean on a personal level we grew a lot with Teyla. I know a lot of people bothered by the fact that we never saw Kanaan I like it why ? because it focuse a lot more on Teyla we saw how difficult it was for her to stay behind while we know that she's probably the more caring on all the show and she is a warrior and a leader but se was obliged to stay behind (an huge step in comparison to Shep).
We saw her grow as a mother in S5 dealing with a new joy (with finding her people and all) when was the occasion for the pthers. I really like S5 until now but I have to say that until The Shrine I was tired of Shep (yeah strange reversal of situation) i mean besides being the hero perfect who save all and everybody what did e have to play. JF is an excellent actor but he hasn't a lot to play. I think the emotional aspect make the more a character and not the past. I'm not one who want to deal with the past of the character we know how they were when we knew them I want to see them evolve. Outcast was great for Shep in what did he evolved absolutely not because IMO he dealts with a past thathe had forgot. On the contrary I would have love an important impact with the team to share to see the difference.
So in this IMO Teyla grew a lot more and is a lot more multifacial than any other character. And when everybody says something on Ronon I think that the authors try to give the poor line to Ronon because I don't think he knows much of the Pegasus galaxy because he was out of ppulation and all he has to leave alone so don't share information and on this I think Teyla is a lot more able and sadly Ronon don't make more than shoot so the difference and the great impact that Ronon has on the show make me laugh because sadly I would have loved for Ronon and Teyla to save the day because they know a lot more.
Finally we know that Teyla is a quick learner we know this a lot of time and I think the first time was in Epiphany soshe can deal with anybody.
I forgot the fact that she has a connection with everybody and is alawys here for the others (she's really the nurse or the firedn I don't know) while a lot of time she was alone to deal with things S4 was particularly harsh on her I think and particularly her team member except Ronon as always but they are like brothers and sisters and they share the same thing so it proves that he is the only one to understand and perhaps the others tink too much as earth people.

So finally I don't consider her useless (I'm a fan so Im probably not objective lol) and I think she gains a lot more than others so I don't think she's a problem.
And I'm sorry for mybad english but I'm not english as you saw it

[Bareassedmunky]

Why I like Teyla ? Because she has nothing of a stereotype first we know her as a strong leader and a great warrior it's what we remember the most but she isn't like this and I think the fans saw things that perhaps the viewers who did't care for her (and I can understand) didn't saw.

Those of us who do not like her see what you see, but interpret it differently. She is actually a stereotype, but not always the same one, and that is the problem. In the early stages she was the jimminey cricket of the group, tempering shepard's aggression. She was the voice of reason. In later series, she grew into the warrior stereotype more. Natural character development involves people maturing and settling down, not the other way around. I don't know what motherhood does for her, season 5 has only just started in the UK, so I can't comment on that.

And to those who describe ronan as nothing more than testosterone holding a gun - he was a disciplined military man who knew what it meant to be part of a team. He then when on the run and got so used to having to fend for himself that he lost all social skills. He now has conflict with the habits developed while running and his original military background. It is an interesting exploration of nature vrs nurture vrs nurture.

[Pitry]

Teyla is a symptom.

The problem is that there isn't enough thinking put into writing SGA, both short term - how do we make each oen of our characters essential to this story? - and long term - how do we think of arcs and how will we develop our charactrers throughout the season/series?
That with a dash of misunderstanding of how to write for characters and not through characters, of which Teyla is the chief victim causing her charactersitcs to be inconsistent, is more or less the biggest portion of sGA's problems.

Although not all of them.

[Gollumpus]

... I think it's the second problem is the writer wanted so much a Shep McKay show that they didn't focus on anybody else ...

I'd be in agreement with this.

Various other shows have started with an ensemble cast idea, only to focus upon fewer characters as things developed (like the quality of the actors, the writing, the whims of the producers of the show). And Teyla is not the only character to suffer from the focus on the Shep/McKay duo. The Weir character was in a bad position, right from the start of the show, and it was only a matter of time before the character was reduced to less screen time, consisting of a series scenes in her office on Atlantis, or the gate room on Atlantis, or a conference room on Atlantis... And every once in a while Weir would get to go outside.

I'm not saying that this sort of evolution, in any kind of show, is necessarily a bad thing, it's just something that happens in television. If you're a Kirk/Spock/McCoy or a Shep/McKay then things are good for you. If not...

regards,
G.

[Zabonam]

And she was the "7 of 9" of Atlantis.

Token hot character to bring in a larger number of males from the target demographic?

... I don't get it.

Teyla is good looking but I don't class her as "hot" in the sense of being model-esque like Ryan was. It's her acting skills and good writing of the character which is key to Teyla.

I personally don't like the character too much but feel Atlantis would certain be worse off without her.

The show didn't bring much bonding between the 4 main characters and instead let them drift in different directions. That's one of the main problems but individually I don't believe any of the cast are a "problem".

(Well except Keller I kid, I kid hehe)

[Gollumpus]

Token hot character to bring in a larger number of males from the target demographic?

... I don't get it.

Picture McKay in some sort of bare mid-section outfit.... ewwwwww.

regards,
G.

[Linda06]

Oh yes.let's blame Teyla for everything......What's new....

I say It's got alot to do with them turning Atlantis into the Shep/McKay comedy hour and in the later season's turning into the Rodney McKay show didn't help matters....

Maybe If TPTB realised they have other characters they're supposed to be writing for other than Rodney things would be different....But all they seem to be interested in is their golden boy!!!

[Pajus]

I don't think Teyla was the problem. It still IS a character with a huge potential that remains (and will remain) unused

[Celtic Wizard]

I can not believe this thread, Tayla is not a problem, if the character has flaws then that is the writers fault not the actress, and if Tayla were a problem and as some are suggesting the cause of the cancellation, then the show would have ended seasons ago.

There are only two characters this year, although one has had bit parts, prior to his roll and the other took over from a character muched loved, if you want to look at poor characters, who may ( and that is a big MAY) have effected the chances look at those two.

Personnally as this was a joint agreement to end SGA by Sci-fi, MGM and the writers, then blame them.

And characters are only as good as the the parts written about and for them, poor scipting can never be repaired.

(Gets of soap box now)

[g.o.d]

I don't think Teyla was the problem. It still IS a character with a huge potential that remains (and will remain) unused

thank lords of Kobol!

[Chrysalis]

Oh yes.let's blame Teyla for everything......What's new....

I say It's got alot to do with them turning Atlantis into the Shep/McKay comedy hour and in the later season's turning into the Rodney McKay show didn't help matters....

Maybe If TPTB realised they have other characters they're supposed to be writing for other than Rodney things would be different....But all they seem to be interested in is their golden boy!!!

You forgot their golden girl, AKA Keller.

[Linda06]

You forgot their golden girl, AKA Keller.

Oh yes,silly me *slaps self*

[queen_hathor]

I've never been a huge fan of Teyla, but I don't dislike her. For a long time she was one of those characters I could take or leave, but I've got used to her around now. I like her friendship with Ronon, it's brought a lot out of both characters; but other than that I don't think she adds a great deal to the show. That's no reflection on Rachel whatsoever, I think I'm probably just tired of the slow speaking aliens who pronounce their words carefully and sound like halfwits sometimes! We had enough of that in SG1