Teyla's role throughout SGA

[ReganX]

I have a hard time believing that a real leader would abandon her people just to tag along with a bunch of strangers. If Teyla had been the second in command it might have worked better- it'd show that the Athosians were willing to help in a reasonable manner without making too great a sacrifice and it'd explain why Teyla is so happy to take commands from someone else rather than issuing them herself plus she'd be able to show off the occasional stubborn streak/command presence without it seeming out of character.

Or have her as the village's token freak. She's kept around out of gratitude to her father, but serves no real purpose, herself, other than maybe as an early warning system for the Wraith- something considered freakish and unnatural by her people. They foist her off on the Atlantis team as a token gesture of help, but really it's to get rid of that creepy chick with the weird habits and too close a connection to their greatest enemy. Teyla can be all doe-eyed and docile, used to being commanded and grateful for the team's "rescue" but still prone to the occasional wild outburst... which gets tamed over time, explaining why all (or at least most) of her concerns are trod over without much interest from the rest of Atlantis and why she doesn't stick up for herself and her beliefs. And, of course, it means you can write off the Athosians entirely, maybe even killing them off in one of the initial Wraith attacks and having it be a good thing since they were all so mean to Teyla.

Why aren't you writing for Atlantis?

[ReganX]

when? In the next episode? or in the second half of s4? And in how many episodes will she have a bigger role? One third of s4 has already aired and what did she do? Nothing. Or perhaps she will have a bigger role in the next season

I know it's not Rachel's fault. She doesn't write stories. Given the amount time she spends on the show, I'm sure she's doing her best

She'll probably have a bigger role once the

Spoiler:

baby

becomes an issue.

[ShadowMaat]

Why aren't you writing for Atlantis?

Because the writers would pay as much attention to my suggestions as the Atlantis team does to Teyla's?

[ReganX]

Because the writers would pay as much attention to my suggestions as the Atlantis team does to Teyla's?

Pity. I like your ideas for her.

[PG15]

when? In the next episode?

Yes, actually.

[Arwen Undomiel]

I agree with the thread creator, but want to add my other hated character too..Ronon. But a petition is so a stupid thing, online petitions are just bull****, they worth nothing.
And what would be wise instead of Teyla and Ronon? Let's see. I vote for Lorne and Beckett(so sad TPTB wrote him out ). The team don't need a female character so strongly, and there're Keller and Sam if you want to see girls on the show.

Well, for one, she is a beautiful woman. Someone on that show has to look good, you know (although the new long-haired Carter fills that niche quite fine).

And? It's supposed to be a sci-fi show, not a beauty contest...And being beautiful mean someone can be in the show? I think it's a little more than that.

And still, if season four sucks shouldn’t the petition be for better writers on SGA?

Absolutely. SGA need better writers for a long time. For instance making up new ideas instead of old ones.

[Womble]

And? It's supposed to be a sci-fi show, not a beauty contest...And being beautiful mean someone can be in the show? I think it's a little more than that.

1) It was a tongue-in-cheek post, obviously.
2)Yes, many of those who watch sci-fi shows watch them for the scantily clad chicks as much as for the fancy spaceships. This is the reason why one of the most common stock characters in modern sci-fi shows is the sexy female alien with an outfit skimpy enough to expose as much of her legs and cleavage as the show's content rating allows.

[WingedPegasus]

A lot of people seem to not like her, which is an indication that TPTB need to give her some much needed character development.

Which they realize.

And which is starting next week.

Teyla is actually one of my fave characters, and the last thing I want is her off the show. The way they're got the team right now with Shep, McKay, Teyla, and Ronon, is fantastic. I don't want that to change.

Teyla has actually been a role model for girls who watch stargate, and has inspired a lot of them to take up martial arts and such things. I don't think Teyla's a bad character by any means, I just think she needs to be used more. Like in Phantoms, that was a good ep.

[Falcon Horus]

Teyla is one of the main reasons why I'm still watching this show. I do agree she's highly underdeveloped and needs some development real soon. I don't agree TPTB should off her... That would be a very bad move (on top of all their other bad moves already).

Also, from what I can understand from her conversation with Heightmeyer in The Gift, the Athosian people pushed her in the position of leader because she can sense the Wraith coming. It is quite the advantage.

[Arica12]

I have to say an all male team wouldn't have bothered me. I don't need a woman to be included just because she is a woman. I would rather hope that we're getting past that, but the sneaking suspicion with Teyla is that she is just there to look pretty, and to me that is 1000 times more insulting than having no female on the gate team. If Teyla is to continue the way she has been, and I am by no means convinced by the sound of the upcoming storyline but will hope for the best, then I would far rather her character was replaced, by male or female, as long as the replacement character was believable.

[Arwen Undomiel]

A lot of people seem to not like her, which is an indication that TPTB need to give her some much needed character development.

Which they realize.

And which is starting next week.

Aham. 3 seasons has passed. The reaction is a little slow don't you think?

[prion]

Weren't they getting hate mail and death threats over Jonas from a very vocal, very passionate group of fans? I'm not surprised that they would have chosen not to keep him around and have SG-1 as a five-person team.

They'd have been letting themselves in for a barrage of none too pleasant letters;

"Jonas got way too much screentime in Episode A..."

"In Episode B, it should have been Daniel who figured out X, not Jonas!"

Good god, that old story again? TPTB received hate mail and death threats on that and on the Sam/jack ship stuff "Die Pete Die" - they actually read a few of those on a TV special.

[Irish Eyes]

She'll probably have a bigger role once the

Spoiler:

baby

becomes an issue.

LOL, I just said that on another thread, with the added comment that I hope they handle it well because more screen time does not necessarily mean a better story.

I like Teyla and would like her to stay, but they really need to start giving her some meaty storylines. Hopefully this season 4 arc will do just that.

Plus, Larrin instead of Teyla on the team? No. Just....no.

[ShadowMaat]

I have to say an all male team wouldn't have bothered me. I don't need a woman to be included just because she is a woman. I would rather hope that we're getting past that, but the sneaking suspicion with Teyla is that she is just there to look pretty, and to me that is 1000 times more insulting than having no female on the gate team.

Yeah, I have a dismaying feeling that Teyla's gender is the most important thing about her character. There have been a few really good threads over the years about TPTB and their female characters (this is the best one) but one sentiment that keeps coming up is that TPTB seem to write females who are characters rather than characters who just happen to be female. There's a world of difference between the two and I'm with you, Arica; I'd rather watch an all-male cast than be subjected to characters whose main purpose is to be female. It's entirely possible to create great, well-rounded and three-dimensional characters who are also women rather than starting off with a woman and tacking bits on to make her look interesting.

If Teyla is to continue the way she has been, and I am by no means convinced by the sound of the upcoming storyline but will hope for the best, then I would far rather her character was replaced, by male or female, as long as the replacement character was believable.

(mild spoiler of plotline that everyone probably knows by now)

Spoiler:

I think it's a shame that Teyla's "big story" is going to revolve around her womb. I understand the elements that were involved, but still... *sigh* Maybe if she'd been allowed to have other important character developments along the way then the pregnancy thing wouldn't seem so... embarrassing, but to have Teyla be more or less defined by this story is terrible, in my opinion.

Yes, she had the whole "wraithy senses" thing, but that was more of a gimmick than anything else and it only comes up when it's convenient to the plot. If the show continues to shift away from the Wraith as the Big Bad, well, that's gonna make her ability pretty much useless unless TPTB find a way to spin it into something else. Frankly the thought of that makes me cringe.

[Falcon Horus]

(mild spoiler of plotline that everyone probably knows by now)

Spoiler:

I think it's a shame that Teyla's "big story" is going to revolve around her womb. I understand the elements that were involved, but still... *sigh* Maybe if she'd been allowed to have other important character developments along the way then the pregnancy thing wouldn't seem so... embarrassing, but to have Teyla be more or less defined by this story is terrible, in my opinion.

It's exactly that what I'm afraid has gotten Rachel the big (as of yet to be seen though) Teyla-arc. Even though I think Rachel herself has said that she's gotten a lot more to do as Teyla before TPTB even knew she was going to be a mommy.

I think TPTB admitting they neglected Teyla, is a way of saying they actually have no idea what to do with the character. It's easier to ignore something than to acknowledge it being there.

I don't know, I'm just guessing here.