In Honor and Memory of Hammond...

[Thunderbird 2]

Oh, this is a hard one. I feel the scene was a lovely idea, but the awkardness of the scene makes it clear that it was hard for the actors to play and I suspect very hard for the writers to script.

These things can be tough, some people will see it as in poor taste, while others will see it as the only decent thing in this episode. For my money, if I had to write it, I would actually have written less. Simply have had Carter say the ship is going to be renamed, Sheppard understanding this, saying he was very sorry to hear about General Hammond, and have Carter comment that it was a shock, but this gesture seemed appropriate and simply leave it at that.

Setting that aside, the important thing is we know that the reasons for attempting it are respectful ones to Mr Davis. A great actor who will be sadly missed to those who knew him personally, and those like me who only had the privilage to know him through his work.

[amconway]

Setting that aside, the important thing is we know that the reasons for attempting it are respectful ones to Mr Davis. A great actor who will be sadly missed to those who knew him personally, and those like me who only had the privilage to know him through his work.

Absolutely. Whatever people may have thought of the moment, it was clearly a genuine attempt to pay fitting tribute to a man who was very well loved by his friends and colleagues .

[Cautious Explorer]

Oh, this is a hard one. I feel the scene was a lovely idea, but the awkardness of the scene makes it clear that it was hard for the actors to play and I suspect very hard for the writers to script.

These things can be tough, some people will see it as in poor taste, while others will see it as the only decent thing in this episode. For my money, if I had to write it, I would actually have written less. Simply have had Carter say the ship is going to be renamed, Sheppard understanding this, saying he was very sorry to hear about General Hammond, and have Carter comment that it was a shock, but this gesture seemed appropriate and simply leave it at that.

Setting that aside, the important thing is we know that the reasons for attempting it are respectful ones to Mr Davis. A great actor who will be sadly missed to those who knew him personally, and those like me who only had the privilage to know him through his work.

I agree. The intentions may have been good, but the placement of the scene and the clunky dialog just didn't work IMO. I like your shortened version much better, especially if they're going to try to insert the moment of condolence in the middle of preparations to defend Earth from an iminent threat. Pretty soon everyone on Earth could be dead along with Gen. Hammond. It's not the time to stop and remember him. Really bad timing. And the scene would have played better if it'd been Carter and someone who'd actually met Hammond.

Why not save it until the end? It certainly would have been more appropriate than McKay's sappy comments to Keller. Or a nice dedication at the beginning or end credits. I think that would have been far more tasteful.

[amconway]

I agree. The intentions may have been good, but the placement of the scene and the clunky dialog just didn't work IMO. I like your shortened version much better, especially if they're going to try to insert the moment of condolence in the middle of preparations to defend Earth from an iminent threat. Pretty soon everyone on Earth could be dead along with Gen. Hammond. It's not the time to stop and remember him. Really bad timing. And the scene would have played better if it'd been Carter and someone who'd actually met Hammond.

Why not save it until the end? It certainly would have been more appropriate than McKay's sappy comments to Keller. Or a nice dedication at the beginning or end credits. I think that would have been far more tasteful.

I have to disagree. I though Sheppard's awkwardness was appropriate for someone acknowledging a terrible loss to a co-worker in a professional setting.

They wanted to show SG-1's loss, and had to find a way to put that in an SAG show-not that easy. The studio and actors have already made numerous statements about their personal sense of loss.

I really wouldn't have liked it at the end. That was an SGA team moment, and it wouldn't have been appropriate, to say nothing of the desire to go out on a positive note. It also would have felt like an add-on.

I found nothing distasteful in this, whatsoever. It was perfectly appropriate for them to show how beloved the character that Don Davis worked so hard to make real, for so many years, was.

[jckfan55]

In defense of those TPTB, if not in this episode, then where and when.
SG-1 had completed filming and so were the ‘direct to DVD’ movies before Don’s passing. If they had not done it in this cross-over they might have never given the honor to Mr. Davis.

I agree. And I see no reason why Sheppard wouldn't have known Hammond at least by reputation and that he was important to Sam. I think they fit it into the episode about as well as they could. IIRC, a brief update on why Sam's there & not Landry leads to mention of the ship Hammond & condolences.

As for Sam's awkwardness, she has never been comfortable expressing her feelings in public and as an AF officer she'd hold back a bit. But as was fitting, she was still a bit broken up about his loss.

I am glad that they gave some tribute to General Hammond, who was such an important character and thereby by extension to Don S. Davis. He is missed.

[garhkal]

Perhaps he met General hammond in the briefing before departing SGC for atlantis..

[amconway]

Perhaps he met General hammond in the briefing before departing SGC for atlantis..

That's actually quite likely, isn't it?

[Jill_Ion]

I thought it was a very touching tribute to Don S. Davis and Gen. Hammond. I teared up.

(EDIT)
Y'know, Hammond was not part of SGA canon, though part of the SG 'verse. They didn't have to say a damn thing, as it wouldn't mean anything to people who only watch SGA. Instead, JMz and PM do the right thing for SG 'verse fans (IMHO) by writing a mention of Hammond in EatG, because a text tribute in the next SG-1 movie, as someone else mentioned, would be over a year away.

As for "awkwardness," go to a funeral. It's a very sad, awkward time. No one knows what to say/do. Shep mentions what would be a happy thing, Sam's new command, the Phoenix. She (Sam and Amanda) knows the sadness of why the ship is being renamed and shows it. She may appear awkward, because she's talking to a business colleague, not a friend (in show canon and real life). If Shep appears awkward, it may be because he brought up a sad moment to a superior, when he at first thought it was a happy moment.

[Cautious Explorer]

I have to disagree. I though Sheppard's awkwardness was appropriate for someone acknowledging a terrible loss to a co-worker in a professional setting.

I wasn't referring to Shep's awkwardness, but to the awkward way the lines were written and inserted into the episode. Of course, it's natural to be awkward in offering condolences regarding a man he probably knew by reputation only to someone who used to be his boss.

They wanted to show SG-1's loss, and had to find a way to put that in an SAG show-not that easy. The studio and actors have already made numerous statements about their personal sense of loss.

Exactly. It's a bit hard to show SG-1's loss on a show about a totally different group of characters, isn't it? More appropriate in the next SG-1 movie, I would think.

I really wouldn't have liked it at the end. That was an SGA team moment, and it wouldn't have been appropriate, to say nothing of the desire to go out on a positive note. It also would have felt like an add-on.

Oh, no. I think that would have been terrible. I meant a nice dedication to Don S. Davis at the end of the episode. I've seen it on several other shows and thought it was a very nice way to do it.

I found nothing distasteful in this, whatsoever. It was perfectly appropriate for them to show how beloved the character that Don Davis worked so hard to make real, for so many years, was.

I don't think "distasteful" is the word. It was just awkwardly worded and not well-timed IMO. It was crammed in the middle of preparations for defending Earth, and felt like it was just tossed in without a lot of thought IMO. And I think it would be far more fitting to honor the character and actor in the show he was a part of for many years.

[amconway]

I didn't find it awkward in the same way you did, but I think our disagreement really boils down to 'should they have waited until the SG-1 movie to address the absence of the general?". Personally, I think that a 2010 release date would have been too late, and this was their best option. As you say, another option would have been to have a dedication outside the script, but it has to be addressed at some point by the characters, and doing it here allowed for a more heartfelt tribute than mention a year or so down the road.

[nx01a]

I didn't see it coming and I thought it was a nice in-show mention to write Hammond out and to honour his contribution to the Stargate universe [pun intended]. It was also a way for the cast and crew to pay tribute to Davis, a vital part of SG-1 for 7 years.
For those who found it forced or tasteless... To each his/her own.

[Cautious Explorer]

I didn't find it awkward in the same way you did, but I think our disagreement really boils down to 'should they have waited until the SG-1 movie to address the absence of the general?". Personally, I think that a 2010 release date would have been too late, and this was their best option. As you say, another option would have been to have a dedication outside the script, but it has to be addressed at some point by the characters, and doing it here allowed for a more heartfelt tribute than mention a year or so down the road.

I don't know, maybe if it they hadn't used exposition about Carter's new command as a segue. It just felt tacked on and sloppy.

[amconway]

I don't know, maybe if it they hadn't used exposition about Carter's new command as a segue. It just felt tacked on and sloppy.

I really didn't find that, but I think I've said all I have to say about that, so I'll just leave it there.

[Espeon1962]

I thought it was a fine tribute, both in spirit and in execution. I thought the scene went well, and was neither to long nor to short. I think it was emotionally a difficult scene for the actors, especially since Amanda Tapping has had a professional (and I assume friendly) relationship with Don for approx 15 years.

Hope we see the General Hammond in action kicking some butt in one of the movies, especially since it seems like a couple of the other dreadnoughts are not in such good shape at the moment. It does really seem to be taking some time to roll those puppies of the production line - maybe they have the same contractor as the USA's Littoral ships !! LOL.

Anyways, Don S Davis was a marvellous and inspiring part of the show - Kudos to you Don and may you rest in peace with the love of your family, friends and fans.

[Ellaneshka]

it was a nice moment...i think the ship should have been called Hammond, instead of General Hammond

i agree, the 'General' part was too much