The unimportance of Teyla

[Briangate78]

I'll take the third option where the character gets both screentime and development, because you can't have believable character development without also giving that character enough screentime. Sure you can have Teyla show up for 2 minutes and shove Michael off a tower while most of her story with Kanaan, her child, and the remaining Athosians magically takes place offscene. Or you could have had more screentime for Teyla leading up to that ep, show her anguish that most of her people are dead, show her smoldering rage build up toward Michael and the wraith, even show her torn between obsessive revenge and death and her child and life, then give Michael the heave-ho. I know which one I'd find more emotionally satisfying.

Yeah but that episode had a lot of Teyla in it and she was doing something as well. She was in almost every scene.

[fumblesmcstupid]

Yes in the episode Prodigal she was in it a lot..cool!

But what about Identity I still don't see WHY this could not have been about Teyla! I know that there are a lot of people who say that there wasn't favoritism for Staite, if there wasn't then they should have had Rachel do this episode! As it is, this is just the nail in the coffin on the side for the people like me who do see the blatant favoritism TPTB had for Staitel! As for Teyla she was a "Blink and you'll miss her" status.

I remember in seasons 1-4 she always had something to do. Now She is a lead actress whittled down to a bit part to make room for their pretty shiny new toy.

[ZOMG!b_cs]

Yes in the episode Prodigal she was in it a lot..cool!

But what about Identity I still don't see WHY this could not have been about Teyla! I know that there are a lot of people who say that there wasn't favoritism for Staite, if there wasn't then they should have had Rachel do this episode! As it is, this is just the nail in the coffin on the side for the people like me who do see the blatant favoritism TPTB had for Staitel! As for Teyla she was a "Blink and you'll miss her" status.

I remember in seasons 1-4 she always had something to do. Now She is a lead actress whittled down to a bit part to make room for their pretty shiny new toy.

But why would Teyla have been in Janus' lab?

I didn't think it was the best episode of the season, but I enjoyed it anyway.

I personally like both characters (Teyla and Keller). Besides, most of the screen time was with the guest actress, not JS anyway. So, if the role had been re-written and made to fit Teyla, it wouldn't have increased RL's screentime all that much.

[fumblesmcstupid]

I did not watch the episode so I don't know how it happened. All I am saying is they could have used Teyla A LOT MORE.

[ToasterOnFire]

Yeah but that episode had a lot of Teyla in it and she was doing something as well. She was in almost every scene.

I find this really funny for some reason - "Teyla was in this episode A LOT! And she was DOING THINGS!!!"

[fumblesmcstupid]

What things? Holding the floor down? Breathing?

[Falcon Horus]

Breathing?

I hope she was.

[Ripple in Space]

The main issue with Teyla was that Ronon ate into her niche.

I think Ben Browder put it best when he joined SG-1. He said that Sam was the technical expert & good soldier, Daniel was the master of mythology & the heart of the team, and Teal'c was the mighty alien warrior. Each were pretty much the best in their fields out of anyone featured in the show. Browder went onto say that Mitchell had been crafted into the "Unmighty Warrior," the guy who will do battle if it's right, but won't necessarily win. I imagine this was partly because the guy he replaced, Jack, previously served as the leader & seasoned tactician, a role Mitchell couldn't really fill since he had to share the leader title and he was the least seasoned member of the team.

Teyla's situation was similar. Her initial niche was the Pegasus-wise alien with superhuman physical abilities (a small statured lady that could best any experienced marine in a fist fight, in addition to many other feats). When Ronon came along he pretty much took 60% of that niche.

[ToasterOnFire]

Yes, I agree that once Ronon came into the picture Teyla was redundant as a warrior, especially more so when RL became pregnant. Another thing that negatively impacted Teyla was that the two major things that defined her - the Athosians and her ability as a PG guide/negotiator - were minimally developed by TPTB. Similar to how Weir was defined as city guardian/leader, the bridge between the civilian and military sides of Atlantis, and negotiator, only to have TPTB spend minimal screentime on Atlantis exploration, civilian/military rifts, and negotiation with the PGers.

Conversely, Shep and Ronon are largely defined as action military men and there's plenty of time spent on shooting, running, fighting, and heroic suicide missions. McKay is largely defined by his intelligence and again plenty of time was spent on science and technobabble.

[Reiko]

So, we have a redundant role, but is that really the problem? Teyla and Ronon have different personalities, different cultures and different backgrounds and take different approaches to things.

Surely TPTB could capitalise on that? No, that was not being snarky.

[Ripple in Space]

So, we have a redundant role, but is that really the problem? Teyla and Ronon have different personalities, different cultures and different backgrounds and take different approaches to things.

Surely TPTB could capitalise on that? No, that was not being snarky.

Ideally you're right, but count Teyla's lines and compare them to Shep & McKay's. I'd guess that Ronon + Teyla's lines are less than or equal to McKay's or Shep's.

[Falcon Horus]

Ideally you're right, but count Teyla's lines and compare them to Shep & McKay's. I'd guess that Ronon + Teyla's lines are less than or equal to McKay's or Shep's.

Less, much less.

[Reiko]

Ideally you're right, but count Teyla's lines and compare them to Shep & McKay's. I'd guess that Ronon + Teyla's lines are less than or equal to McKay's or Shep's.

What FH said -- much less. If I'm right even all of Ronon, Teyla, and Carson's lines combined (s2-s3) don't add up to McKay's.

[Infinite-Possibilities]

I see why people felt Teyla seemed unimportant. I can see it too, even if they was supposed to be a team episode. I was hoping she'd help Ronon fight the henchmen in single (or double) combat. Since Neeva said "You do not want to challenge them" and Ronon dismissively said "We'll see". I thought the two hand to hand combat experts of the team could have had a cool duel with them at the climax. Instead the one henchman was shot. Another was fooled into evidently killing Neeva. Ronon shot the device and Teyla just held Keller down.

[Falcon Horus]

And this exactly how unimportant Teyla really was in this episode:

3m13s of screentime, and a wordcount of 60 words in total.