The unimportance of Teyla

[Falcon Horus]

Missing - Teyla's people are gone missing

That was a side-plot. The main plot was two women hunted by aliens. And Keller stealing Teyla's limelight. But at that point in time I didn't actually care since I was just happy to see Teyla getting something do for a change.

The Seer - Teyla's is searching for her people, and asked the Seer what he knew.

Which wasn't much... and for the most part I can't really remember that episode, which only means nothing particularly interesting happened otherwise I would have remembered it, especially Teyla's part.

Spoils of War- Teyla uses her gift to take control of a Wraith but with the help of her baby almost killing him. This was a big turning point for Teyla who still wanted to fight but realized she could not even if she wanted.

No, John first tells her she's off his team and then has to crawl back because she's the only one he knows who can fly that ship. She proceeds to do her Gift-thing and by doing so, John can call her on how stupid she is for still wanting to join the team.

Very nice that one was... NOT! That could have used for more subtle writing.

The Kindred Part 1 - All about Teyla

Mmm... the first episode that is actually about her and there's actual searching done to actively find the Athosians (which have been missing far longer than Missing).

The Kindred part 2 - All about Teyla and the return of Carson.

You have that backwards... That one was about Carson-clone. Teyla was a side-story.

The Last Man - The entire episode event was meant about what had happened if Teyla did not get rescue and Michael won. It also directed them to where Teyla was going to be held by Michael.

Mmm... it looked more about what happens if Sheppard isn't there to safe the universe. Oh noes, we lost our hero, and oh yeah... btw, we lost Teyla too.

Search and Rescue - Who were they Searching and Rescueing? Who gave birth on the Hive Ship?

That wasn't about Teyla - she was the goal, but not the story.

Rodney gave birth to McKay panic attack when told to help.

Broken Ties- Teyla was confused to whether it was right to rejoin Sheppard team, half the episode was about her decision to rejoin the team and felt left out when the team went to mount a rescue for Ronon.

Yeah, Ronon's big episode... and Teyla gets the side-plot. They just as well could have done that with off-screen writing, cause we all knew already she'd be back otherwise RL wouldn't have been in the main credits. Then she'd have become recurring - which she more or less is anyway.

The Queen - Using her abilities, she was tranformed into a Wraith to help Todd.

Like I mentioned a post or so upwards - plotdevice.

The Prodigal - The end of the Michael arc and Missing story arc.

There was no arc to begin with, at least not with Teyla. Can't say Michael had an arc. I never saw it that way. I just saw a man/Wraith/hybrid tormented by what they did to him in search of revenge.

According to my sister The Prodigal showed her Teyla, the leader, the warrior, the one she was before TPTW sidelined her in favor for John, Rodney, Keller, Carter, ...

You can go on and try, but we obviously don't watch with the same set of eyes. Teyla has been neglected so badly in Atlantis, ever since The Gift. I think it's one of my longest standing complaints. I can't even tell you which Teyla I fell in love with - the one I read about in fanfiction or the one on screen in the first season or so.

[CazzBlade]

Search and Rescue - Who were they Searching and Rescueing? Who gave birth on the Hive Ship?

I always thought they were searching and rescueing Shep/Ronon/McKay/Lorne for that ep, the search for Teyla was at the end of TLM before the building fell.

For the rest, I agree with FH

[Briangate78]

*sigh*

You cannot please everyone. Even if they made every single ep about Teyla the other fans would be upset.

[jelgate]

*sigh* You cannot please everyone. Even if they made every single ep about Teyla the other fans would be upset.

The Ronon fans

[Briangate78]

The Ronon fans

Ronon had like 2 eps? Teyla had 4 this season. 20% of the season, and there are 6 main characters. Not bad if you ask me.

[fumblesmcstupid]

wait for it......Keller had 6 episodes! 2 more than Teyla! Sheppard had one all about him "Vegas"! I don't count Inquisition cause that is a clip show. so the "Lead" actor had even less episodes than Teyla..... *Headshake* (Cough McIcky and McGero Cough)

[Mister Oragahn]

You are about three seasons behind the Teyla issue

It's sad that we don't have the Teyla of season 1 and 2. The respectable, useful, "alien" character who was enjoyable to watch. The character who was very useful to the Atlantis team and the Wraith/Pegasus story.

Her decline as a significant character followed the general decline of the Wraith collectively as characters. Teyla had become downright useless, when the Wraith neutering was written in to SGA at the end of season 3.

In summary, the writers simply haven't cared about Teyla since about season 3 onwards.

Actually, she never got developed much since season 1. The only difference being that in season 4, they suddenly shoved that Michael-baby arc, and she got some attention.

However, I think what you meant is that the Teyla from season 1, and eventually the first part of season 2, still had people to care for, the Athosians, there was an idea that Atlantis was a place for refugees. That pretty much faded away rapidly for Atlantis to turn into a redux of SGC with somehow prettier colours.

Any possibly good aspect of DS9, Babylon 5 and even Space 1999 were completely left out, only to focus in absurd action plots, whumping, fillers and some other pointless plots.

As for her diplomatic skills and knowledge of alien cultures, it's once again been barely used at the beginning, almost never towards the end.

SGA has been, anyway, much a farce in the way it treated characters, and I'm still amazed at how long the show's been running and how much money these guys were given.

Now imagine Straczinsky (Babylon 5), Moore (DS9, BSG), Whedon (Firefly) and Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blues) working together, writing the characters and the Wraith...
Ouch.

[nx01a]

I doubt anyone could knock the type of show that calibre of writers would deliver with the money SGA gets. The thought of a JMS Wraith story makes me scared, but in that Shadows way.

[Briangate78]

wait for it......Keller had 6 episodes! 2 more than Teyla! Sheppard had one all about him "Vegas"! I don't count Inquisition cause that is a clip show. so the "Lead" actor had even less episodes than Teyla..... *Headshake* (Cough McIcky and McGero Cough)

How did she have 6? She had The Seed(which all she did was really lay there and played victim), Tracker, Brainstorm, and Identity. That counts as 4.

Heck, Carson had 2 this season and he is only recurring. He may even had 3 eps if you count "The Seed", where he played a very important part.

[CazzBlade]

How did she have 6? She had The Seed(which all she did was really lay there and played victim), Tracker, Brainstorm, and Identity. That counts as 4.

Heck, Carson had 2 this season and he is only recurring. He may even had 3 eps if you count "The Seed", where he played a very important part.

I think fumbles was using your criteria for the four Teyla eps in asessing Keller and getting 6 for her. If you use one set of rules for one character you have to be equal and use the same for the other character.

[Linda06]

*sigh*

You cannot please everyone. Even if they made every single ep about Teyla the other fans would be upset.

The first few seasons were mostly McShep and season five has turned into the McKeller show *shrugs*

How did she have 6? She had The Seed(which all she did was really lay there and played victim), Tracker, Brainstorm, and Identity. That counts as 4.

Heck, Carson had 2 this season and he is only recurring. He may even had 3 eps if you count "The Seed", where he played a very important part.

Keller's had The seed, The Shrine with McKay, Tracker, Brainstorm and Identity

I could have included First contact and The lost tribe too if I wanted because of this McKeller thing but I didn't

Teyla has had The Queen and the Prodigal...S&R was about a number of things so you couldn't put that down as an ep where one member of the team is above the rest.....It was about all of them!


Ok this is how I see the eps

S&R - Team ep of sorts
The Seed - Keller centric
Broken ties - Ronon centric
Daedalus variations - Team ep
Ghost in the machine - Elizabeth centric
The Shrine - Rodney and keller centric
Whispers - Girly team
The Queen - Teyla/Todd centric
Tracker - Keller centric
First contact - Team (ish) ep
Lost tribe - Um not sure...One thing it wasn't was a team ep
Outsiders - Team ep with emphasis on Carson
Inquisition - Shep/Woolsey ep
The Prodigal - Team ep with emphasis on Teyla/Bambino
Remnants - Not watched it so can't comment
Brain storm - Rodney/Keller centric
Infection - Team ep
Identity - Keller/Neeva centric

That's all my opinion remember I don't think we're ever gonna agree

[Briangate78]

The first few seasons were mostly McShep and season five has turned into the McKeller show *shrugs*



Keller's had The seed, The Shrine with McKay, Tracker, Brainstorm and Identity

I could have included First contact and The lost tribe too if I wanted because of this McKeller thing but I didn't

Teyla has had The Queen and the Prodigal...S&R was about a number of things so you couldn't put that down as an ep where one member of the team is above the rest.....It was about all of them!


Ok this is how I see the eps

S&R - Team ep of sorts
The Seed - Keller centric
Broken ties - Ronon centric
Daedalus variations - Team ep
Ghost in the machine - Elizabeth centric
The Shrine - Rodney and keller centric
Whispers - Girly team
The Queen - Teyla/Todd centric
Tracker - Keller centric
First contact - Team (ish) ep
Lost tribe - Um not sure...One thing it wasn't was a team ep
Outsiders - Team ep with emphasis on Carson
Inquisition - Shep/Woolsey ep
The Prodigal - Team ep with emphasis on Teyla/Bambino
Remnants - Not watched it so can't comment
Brain storm - Rodney/Keller centric
Infection - Team ep
Identity - Keller/Neeva centric

That's all my opinion remember I don't think we're ever gonna agree

If you say S&R was not focused on Teyla, then you have to take away The Shrine, and The Seed from Keller. Oh and Remnants was Woolsey, Sheppard, and Mckay. Keller had a 1 min scene so not much going on there with her.

[Briangate78]

I think fumbles was using your criteria for the four Teyla eps in asessing Keller and getting 6 for her. If you use one set of rules for one character you have to be equal and use the same for the other character.

But the same Criteria is not being used. How does the mid-season eps fall upon being Keller centric? I just don't get that.

[Linda06]

If you say S&R was not focused on Teyla, then you have to take away The Shrine, and The Seed from Keller. Oh and Remnants was Woolsey, Sheppard, and Mckay. Keller had a 1 min scene so not much going on there with her.

*hits Brian with a fish* And here I was, sure that it would be Jel that'd get hit first with a fish in the new year

S&R was about a number of things, Teyla being only one apart of that

[Briangate78]

*hits Brian with a fish* And here I was, sure that it would be Jel that'd get hit first with a fish in the new year

S&R was about a number of things, Teyla being only one apart of that

I just don't get it Linda. Search and Rescue revolved around Teyla. She opened the episode up with Sheppard, had many scenes, gave birth, and had the final scene at the end. It was all around Teyla.

Broken Ties was focused on both Ronon and Teyla. I rewatched it again and Teyla has a lot of scene with Woolsey, Sheppard, and Kanaan. Trying to decide if she would return to Sheppard's team. One scene at the end with Woolsey was an excellent scene, and made me really start to really like Woolsey.

The Queen - well that is easy.

The Prodigal - That is also easy as well.

I mean, Season 4 going into Season 5 was focused on the rescue of Teyla. If that is not character centric, I don't know what is and have exhausted my brain and it will explode in T-minus 30 secs.