Is this what we deserve after 5 years? A love triangle?

[Integrabyte]

Actually, I was happy (and I should know), because I did NOT have to see explicit shipping. There were a few episodes when you could see a look in Jack's eye, or Sam gives him a look, but it was never really overt or forced down our throats, and could even be explained by the fact that they'd served together for so long, and cared for each other as fellow team-members. That's because the writers left it --all together now!-- to our imaginations.

Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs quoted above are spot-on. It was almost funny whenever there was an alternate-universe episode: would Sam&Jack be married? engaged? divorced? happy parents? It was always one or the other. And I fully, 100% agree w/ you that "this is an ensemble sci-fi show," and not a soap opera.

Whew!! Now, why aren't those writers and producers soliciting our ideas??

Why would they?

[jyh]

Why would they?

(that is, solicit our ideas)

They wouldn't. But it seems that they've been reading too many board posts and trying to give the shippers what they want. If they listen to THOSE posts, they should listen to OURS.

I know, I know, it'll never happen. Nor should it... EVER.

[FallenAngelII]

Actually, I was happy (and I should know), because I did NOT have to see explicit shipping. There were a few episodes when you could see a look in Jack's eye, or Sam gives him a look, but it was never really overt or forced down our throats, and could even be explained by the fact that they'd served together for so long, and cared for each other as fellow team-members. That's because the writers left it --all together now!-- to our imaginations.

I meant that you weren't "truly happy" ("True happiness"/"Perfect happiness"). While you were happy that you didn't have to have it shoved down your throat, I doubt seeing it hinted at (pretty often, I might add) made you happy.

So you weren't unhappy with the situation, it just wasn't true/perfect happiness.

Whew!! Now, why aren't those writers and producers soliciting our ideas??

Probably because they're big Mary Sues and looooove S&J.

[jyh]

I meant that you weren't "truly happy" ("True happiness"/"Perfect happiness"). While you were happy that you didn't have to have it shoved down your throat, I doubt seeing it hinted at (pretty often, I might add) made you happy.

I see your point. But honestly, it never felt like it was shoved down my throat by the show. Just obliquely hinted at from time to time, which I could either indulge or ignore. Actually, if it weren't for all the hoopla about it on these boards, I might not have noticed it half as much as I did. That'll teach me. Stay away from these board so those traitorous thoughts won't be implanted in my head. **Hits self on the side of head: "Out, out, d@mned thought! Join all the rest of 'em there on the floor." **

[FallenAngelII]

I see your point. But honestly, it never felt like it was shoved down my throat by the show. Just obliquely hinted at from time to time, which I could either indulge or ignore. Actually, if it weren't for all the hoopla about it on these boards, I might not have noticed it half as much as I did. That'll teach me. Stay away from these board so those traitorous thoughts won't be implanted in my head. **Hits self on the side of head: "Out, out, d@mned thought! Join all the rest of 'em there on the floor." **

I never said it was being shoved down your throat. In fact, I said it wasn't. But despite it not being shoved, it was still gently nudged. And since you didn't like it, not having it around would've been better.

It's like having a perfectly good meal only to find a random ingredient you dislike in it. You can pick it up and throw it away without any loss since it doesn't taint the rest of the food but it would've been much better (for you) had it not been there at all.

[Wolf O'Donnell]

There is nothing wrong with having a love triangle.

[Lythisrose]

There is nothing wrong with having a love triangle.

Yeah, if you like threesomes...

[Pandora's_Box]

This show is ultimately about people. People with feelings and desires and wants and needs.

As much as you may want to knock "shipping" in your sci-fi shows, sex and love are (psychologically speaking) the natural counterparts of death and violence. And we have plenty of the former on this show.

As much as you may roll your eyes at the idea of an sort of love beyond friendship and at the sight of characters kissing or flirting or "Kirk-ing", I would be worried if they didn't. Ever. And, quite frankly, I'd feel gypped by TPTB for not showing me fully realized, 3-dimensional characters.

Because, let's face it, people have sex. And they fall in love, or in lust. Whatever. And when they're forced into situations of life-threatening danger and in nightmarish scenes with horror-fil caliber aliens, it's expected that at the end of the day love, warm fuzzy feelings, and yes people, SEX, is what's going to keep them from totally losing their minds.

Was this love triangle the best way to address this topic? Some would argue no. I personally have nothing against it really, aside from the fact that I've never like Ronon much and see this as him getting far too much screentime, but I digress.

It's inevitable that two men may begin to harbour feeling for the same woman and that that woman may harbour feelings of differing, but equally important, magnitude for those men. I believe it. And I don't think it's nearly the catastrophic occurrence on SGA that some people are making it out to be.

Clearly the majority of the audience doesn't feel disgusted by it (or Keller) or the ratings wouldn't have been improving over the past season and a half and online downloads wouldn't be at an all time high.

I don't see why TPTB should shy away from portraying a perfectly natural and expected part of life. You may disagree with the vehicle they employ, but to do away with "shipping" altogether is to take a part of the humanity out of SGA.

And, ultimately, people don't watch the show just to see explosions or chase scenes or people beating up Wraith or vice versa, they come back again and again for the people and their humanity. Sex and love and "shipping" are all a part of that.

[Actionhank]

Well, it's what makes us - relationships...
And it's about introducing the stuff to a broader audience and it works! Besides that - SciFi is about exploring human life. You can practically set up any stage and play through all aspects of our wicket existence to the extreme. ^^ Look around - every successful SciFi-show has shipping. Hmmm, maybe even every successful show does.

[Sp!der]

maybe ronon is not even interessted in keller and just say that to rodney so he has to do smth...well i only can hope that
^^

[Integrabyte]

This show is ultimately about people. People with feelings and desires and wants and needs.

If that is the case they should re-shoot Season 1,2 and 3.

And, ultimately, people don't watch the show just to see explosions or chase scenes or people beating up Wraith or vice versa, they come back again and again for the people and their humanity. Sex and love and "shipping" are all a part of that.

That is a very bold statement speaking for other people. I watched the show because of the Stargate and Atlantis. The two things the show was based in Season 1. On top of that, exploration of the most advanced city in the Stargate universe was interesting too. Hang on, they dropped that because they thought it was boring and they forgot why they started the show. They shot themselves in the leg. If I want to see Sex, Love, drugs and rock and roll, I will watch something else. From what they showed so far, the humanity you mention is not their forte.

[thedrumm3rguy]

hmm.... to solve this they could have the "bring it on" atlantis eposide; where ronan and mckay dance off for keller!

..it only seems absurd till u watch 'whispers'

[SGFerrit]

From what I could see, Ronon wasn't nearly as interested in Keller as McKay, and he was just messing with him at the end.

This 'love triangle' was massively blown out of proportion before the episode aired, and it's still being blown out of proportion by certain people now. People were acting like it was going to totally consume the show, yet it barely even registered, even in an ep that was supposed to focus on it.

[FallenAngelII]

Stuff.

Let me ask you a question, did you watch Stargate SG-1? Specifically the first 8 seasons of it? Did you see how "well" they handled shipping back then? And it hasn't gotten better since, either.

They're incapable of writing good ships when only two people are involved, let alone three. This isn't a giant knock on shipping, I can live with it as long as it's well done. I may have been a bit too harsh, while I prefer ships to not be shoved down our throats when it's not called for (as in, the ships have nothing to do with plot other than to ship for shipping's sake, for instance, Buffy's relationships in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" were mostly plot driven and the very horribly written ones were quickly finished off), I can live with them and even enjoy them when they're well written.

Don't ship for shipping's sake and above all else, ship well. After 8 years of S&J BS and no improvement in sight, I'm pessimistic about this love triangle... thing.

Also, again, this is a dark-ish space opera drama comedy thingie ensemble show about space exploration, fighting bad guys and the Lost City of the Ancients. Not every single show needs to have overt shipping. Not everything has to be everything. While love, sex and relationships is a part of being human, so are tons of other things.

Not everything has to be in every show, especially when they don't fit in with that show's tone and plot. Why have random ships just to have them? For one thing, if they're good, um... well... OK, so now we have two characters getting it on off-camera (or on) and that's that. If it's bad, everybody loses.

If it's plot driven, then it'll help advance the plot and the storyline in general, thus, becoming a natural part of the show's flow instead of just random interludes of "lovey dovey" stuff.

Like this:
Random BS shipping:
* Rodney and Jennifer go on with their daily lives and duties as usual except for sporadic bouts of "lovey dovey", hints that they're doing "romantic stuff" and throwaway comments. Their relationship doesn't affect the show in any way besides possibly a few "Oh noes, save the expedition or save my boy-/girlfriend?"-dilemmas.
Plot driven shipping:
* Rodney and Jennifer get together. Their unions sets about some great change.
* Like Ronon leaving because he's a lover scorned and whatever.
* Ronon leaving leads to all kinds of drama, culminating in the season finale where, oh, say, bunnies attack the expedition and Ronon comes back guns blazing, saving the day, only to have Jennifer left critically wounded with Ronon blaming Rodney for not protecting her and then the series ends.

See? Instead of a ship that's mostly just in the background except for random moments where it's brought forth just to showcase the ship's existence, we can instead have a ship that's woven into the plot, becoming an integral part of it and driving the story forward.

S&J was just random BS that left a lot of people unhappy. And this probably will, too.

[Linda06]

This show is ultimately about people. People with feelings and desires and wants and needs.

As much as you may want to knock "shipping" in your sci-fi shows, sex and love are (psychologically speaking) the natural counterparts of death and violence. And we have plenty of the former on this show.
going to keep them from totally losing their minds.
out of SGA.

So the reason they didn't ship Teyla/John or John/Elizabeth was......They gave us shippy moments with both of them so why didn't they go the rest of the way with them...

And why now after keller's only been on the show a few months she's got two guys running after her!

Didn't they say there'd be no romance between two main characters a while ago....So what do they call Rodney,Keller and Ronon then if they aren't main characters!