To the people who said Keller was too young.

[FallenAngelII]

I disagree. No run of the mill doctor has the skills she does. Most doctors just a few years out of med school can't do a high risk neurosergery procedure like she did. Most run of the mill doctors don't deal with the things she does. She sure as hell has proven it IMO.

Who says I was comparing her to people fresh out of med school? She's a run-of-the-mill surgeon and doctor when compared to other nominally to skilled ones.

The only exceptional thing about is that she's a child prodigy. The only impressive thing about her is that she can do what she does at her age. It does not mean she's automatically "special" in other ways just because she's really, really young.

And sorry, but I'd bet good money a majority of neurosurgeons are capable of performing the job they were studying for and hired for a few years after graduation.

She's proven herself to be a good doctor (run-of-the-mill does not mean "bad"). But, really, has she done anything to show she's a good choice as the CMO of Atlantis? Remember here, being CMO means a lot more than just being a capable doctor.

[Mitchell82]

It was just an example of how you need certain kinds of experience and skills for certain jobs.

She was a bad temporary replacement and an even worse permanent choice since she didn't really do anything (that we saw) during the "probation period", which lasted a whopping, what, 1 month?

Also, she's "proven herself as a great CMO"? Examples of it didn't happen. In fact, she's proven herself to be a great doctor? What has she done on Atlantis that's so exceptional she's proven herself to be a great anything? I'm not saying she's proven herself to be a failure, but she hasn't really proven herself to be a whopping success either.

uh I just said it the complex procedure on Weir, the events in Doppleganger and Tabula Rasa despite her memory loss, her skills in Missing, and Quarantine and the Seer. So yeah she has IMO.

[Mitchell82]

Who says I was comparing her to people fresh out of med school? She's a run-of-the-mill surgeon and doctor when compared to other nominally to skilled ones.

The only exceptional thing about is that she's a child prodigy. The only impressive thing about her is that she can do what she does at her age. It does not mean she's automatically "special" in other ways just because she's really, really young.

And sorry, but I'd bet good money a majority of neurosurgeons are capable of performing the job they were studying for and hired for a few years after graduation.

She's proven herself to be a good doctor (run-of-the-mill does not mean "bad"). But, really, has she done anything to show she's a good choice as the CMO of Atlantis? Remember here, being CMO means a lot more than just being a capable doctor.

Uh most nerosurgeons are 10X her age so that proves her skills are very good.

[FallenAngelII]

uh I just said it the complex procedure on Weir, the events in Doppleganger and Tabula Rasa despite her memory loss, her skills in Missing, and Quarantine and the Seer. So yeah she has IMO.

I haven't seen Quarantine yet and unless she does something exceptional, I'm not changing my mind about her just yet. Also, it's kinda telling that you can only name things that happened after her position became permanent. This shows how little there was going for her before she became permanent (other than "Potential"... but that's not something you base such an important decision on. Haley had to train extensively for years and even undergo tests of character before getting into the Stargate program).

Adrift/Lifeline: She performed a complex neurosurgical procedure on Elizabeth. And? This shows she should be the CMO because? It shows she should be their resident neurosurgeon.

Doppelganger: What did she do in this episode, really, except stumbling upon the discovery that the creature is weak against electric shock due to sheer dumb luck?

Missing: What skills in "Missing"? I don't really recall much of it, please refresh my memory.

Tabula Rasa: She did what, really, except sit around in a corner asking questions? She didn't really do much in that episode. She wasn't a failure but I remember nothing exceptional coming from her in that episode.

The Seer: She's capable of doing a CAT-scan and discovering brain cancer. And? I'd bet good money any doctor versed in brain cancer is capable of doing that.

Important note: We are not arguing whether she's a capable doctor. We're arguing whether she should be the CMO of Atlantis, a job that requires a lot more than being a capable doctor.

[Arica12]

Having thought about it I don't actually think that Keller's age is the problem here. Yes her age is ludicrous but if I really liked the character it wouldn't bother me, or rather I would live with it. I mean step back and examine any of the Stargate characters and you can argue how improbable each of them are. If I liked the character then although the age thing would probably annoy me a bit it wouldn't grate on me the way it does with Keller. I think it's only the symptom of a much deeper problem with Keller

[Killdeer]

Having thought about it I don't actually think that Keller's age is the problem here. Yes her age is ludicrous but if I really liked the character it wouldn't bother me, or rather I would live with it. I mean step back and examine any of the Stargate characters and you can argue how improbable each of them are. If I liked the character then although the age thing would probably annoy me a bit it wouldn't grate on me the way it does with Keller. I think it's only the symptom of a much deeper problem with Keller

I agree with that completely. The age thing is crazy, but I was willing to accept that in Doppelganger when I still liked the character. Speaking for myself, I have other issues with the character, and the age thing is only an added irritation.

[PG15]

I haven't seen Quarantine yet and unless she does something exceptional, I'm not changing my mind about her just yet. Also, it's kinda telling that you can only name things that happened after her position became permanent. This shows how little there was going for her before she became permanent (other than "Potential"... but that's not something you base such an important decision on. Haley had to train extensively for years and even undergo tests of character before getting into the Stargate program).

Adrift/Lifeline: She performed a complex neurosurgical procedure on Elizabeth. And? This shows she should be the CMO because? It shows she should be their resident neurosurgeon.

Doppelganger: What did she do in this episode, really, except stumbling upon the discovery that the creature is weak against electric shock due to sheer dumb luck?

Missing: What skills in "Missing"? I don't really recall much of it, please refresh my memory.

Tabula Rasa: She did what, really, except sit around in a corner asking questions? She didn't really do much in that episode. She wasn't a failure but I remember nothing exceptional coming from her in that episode.

The Seer: She's capable of doing a CAT-scan and discovering brain cancer. And? I'd bet good money any doctor versed in brain cancer is capable of doing that.

What would it take for you to see her as a CMO?

[EdenSG]

Let me start by saying that as for Keller, I don’t dislike the character but I have not really warmed up to her completely yet. (but I think I may be starting to)

As to her being too young to be a doctor and CMO of Atlantis? Do we even know Keller’s age? Well if the character she plays is the same age as the actress than I would say yes. (I do work in the medical field as a nurse). But I don’t think the age of the character was ever mentioned – or have I missed something?

If you go by the actors age only than I would look at other characters too.
How old was MS when he got the part of Daniel –wasn’t it mid to late 20’s? Considering the movie happened 2 years earlier that puts him at a fairly young age to have all his degrees, research papers published and other accomplishments (I have done and published research – it took me 2 years alone to research, write and publish one simple study) Note: not a slight on MS or Daniel – I love MS and Daniel just using it as an example of how the age of the actor may not match the age of the character.
And Jason M., isn’t he about 28 years old? Considering he was a runner for 7 years and has been on Atlantis for over 2 years that would make him what, 18 or 19 years old during the flashback events of Sateda?
And Lexa Doig is in her very early 30’s? Her character Dr. Lamm was CMO of Stargate Command.
My point of all this is I think in Stargate, as well as many other TV shows, the age of actors/actresses and the age of characters they play are not always congruent and certain liberties or creative license if you will are often taken with a characters abilities.

Even if the character of Keller is several years older than the actress I can see how it could still be a bit of a stretch to see her as CMO. Overall I think she is a capable doctor and in the medical situations she has been in has performed well.
She obviously does not have the same credentials or background as Beckett. Actually Beckett was portrayed as more than just a medical doctor but also as a brilliant scientist and researcher – I always thought it a bit of a stretch that one person could be such an expert in so many different fields. But I think in Stargate the writers have always stretched the capabilities and abilities of the doctors.

So how did she get to be CMO of Atlantis? I think Weir was the one who pushed for that. In First Strike we find out that Weir appointed her, and then seemingly never looked for another replacement. Looking back at FS I think Weir saw a lot of potential in Keller even though Keller did not see it in herself. Perhaps after the events of FS, where Keller responded very well and appropriately to the crisis and the ensuing medical emergencies she proved herself capable to the IOA. If you are looking for field experience, what happened in FS was a good one.

Speaking of field experience do you need a lot of off world experience to qualify for an important position at Atlantis? Apparently not. Sheppard’s first trip through the gate was to Atlantis. Radek’s first off world trip was in “Duet” and it appears Beckett did not have a lot of, if any, off world experience either. And I am not sure, but how much off world experience did Rodney have? I don’t think it was much.

So in the end, does it bother me that Keller may be too young and too inexperienced to be CMO? Not too much. If Atlantis was a dramatization of actual events and not a make believe science fiction action/drama show than yes it would. It is a plot device. In the end it is how the character will be developed that will be most important to me and determine my ultimate opinion about the character.

[Jumper_One]

hey FAII a little bit OT but I'm wondering what you thought of Frasier as doctor?

[Killdeer]

What would it take for you to see her as a CMO?

A serious attitude adjustment.

[Mitchell82]

I haven't seen Quarantine yet and unless she does something exceptional, I'm not changing my mind about her just yet. Also, it's kinda telling that you can only name things that happened after her position became permanent. This shows how little there was going for her before she became permanent (other than "Potential"... but that's not something you base such an important decision on. Haley had to train extensively for years and even undergo tests of character before getting into the Stargate program).

Again you can't compare a soldier position to a medical one that makes no sense.

Adrift/Lifeline: Did performed a complex neurosurgical procedure on Elizabeth. And? This shows she should be the CMO because? It shows she should be their resident neurosurgeon.

It shows she has exceptional skills for a young Doctor, and a great leadership ability.

Doppelganger: What did she do in this episode, really, except stumbling upon the discovery that the creature is weak against electric shock due to sheer dumb luck?

Well lets see. She figured out that the creature was using dreams to kill it's victims. She used a risky procedure to save Shepard's life.

Missing: What skills in "Missing"? I don't really recall much of it, please refresh my memory.

Despite her jitters she performed surgery in a warzone like environment with little to work with.

Tabula Rasa: She did what, really, except sit around in a corner asking questions? She didn't really do much in that episode. She wasn't a failure but I remember nothing exceptional coming from her in that episode.

She discoverd the illness before the quarntine happened and before she lost her memory she was treating a huge ammount of patients. It showed great skills under pressure.

The Seer: She's capable of doing a CAT-scan and discovering brain cancer. And? I'd bet good money any doctor versed in brain cancer is capable of doing that.

Her skills, bedisde manner and knowledge is what makes her a great Dr and CMO IMO.

[PG15]

I don't know...she's very professional when she's doing doctor stuff. What she does and how she acts in her off time is her business.

[Mitchell82]

I don't know...she's very professional when she's doing doctor stuff. What she does and how she acts in her off time is her business.

That's what I'm trying to say [mod snip]

[FallenAngelII]

What would it take for you to see her as a CMO?

Read through all of my posts in this thread. Not even once have I ever said she's a failure as the CMO of Atlantis. I have only stated that as far as we know, she's severely underqualified because of lack of experience.

People are claiming she's proved herself "worthy" but I have yet to see her do anything that proves herself worthy. Lack of evidence does not mean evidence. Just because she hasn't done any colossal mistakes that shows she's unqualified does not mean she's automatically qualified.

People are claiming she's a good CMO and that she's proved herself. The burden of evidence lays with them.

People (including myself) think she's underqualified because of her age (unless the PTB are going to randomly state that she's really 35-40 and just looks much, much younger) and lack of experience (unless she started studying medicine at an age much younger than 15, which is now established canon). There's evidence for that.

The people who are claiming she's qualified, however, have to show evidence for that.

hey FAII a little bit OT but I'm wondering what you thought of Frasier as doctor?

She was a great CMO. She made mistakes but she was portrayed as capable and qualified from day one. There was nothing "mysterious" about her credentials.

[silkie]

The age thing is crucial to me - normally she'd be in her 2nd year of residency...