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[Darren]

The download should be fixed now — sorry about the oversight.

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[Spinobreaker]

Yeh its fixed thanks

Ive heard the story from Teryl in regards to Hymdall. She had a shirt on, and Hymdall was printed on the front of it so that the actors have a cue to watch... anyway its eyes match her... chest... perfectly. Lol. And Rick kept patting it on the head. Ive actually got a video to do with it lmao... but thats another story another time, and those who know it lmao....


Anyway, over use, under use... For the luv of god, no one say furlings... lol
Personally, i would of luved to see an ep where the ori invade nox world. Bringing to a conclusion another of the "4 Races" story line. Ancients are gone, asgard are going, furlings are imaginary koalas that we blow up , if we lost the nox that would of been steller. So my answer is simply, Nox are under used. There potential was huge...
Someone who fell into the background and had to be forced back in was teyla. After the intro fo ronan she lost her Xena-esk feeling to her, she wasn't the female tealc anymore she was the female daniel... and i never really liked it. I almost wish shed gone ot live with her people like jonas did and we go bakc and forwards a few times with her in and out of the eps. Because in the end all she ever did, or appear to do was stand in the background. After ronan she was forced into a few eps and then give a whole season story arch... but i think she could of easily walked by then... who knows. Imagine Season 4 where it shows Teyla held by Michael in a few eps and shes only with her people and trying to work out a way out (not like at the end of the series but from missing onwards). I think that would of been better, we could of grown Michael as a character it think its a great what if...

anyway my weekly rambles over
have fun guys

[Mac Jackson]

Listener Question: Are all characters equal? Do you think that some should be utilized more than others — or should every member of the team have equal time?

I think it's critical that if writers create a character that they utilize them at least enough to their justify their creation. Characters like Ford were never given that chance and quickly replaced with a one note character like Ronan. I think some characters like Jack and Daniel have so many demensions that it's easier to write them while others need more effort. Should every member have equel time? No. It would limit and cripple the writting options. Thankfully, a series allows for many different character episodes.

[Atri]

Good podcast, as always.

As for your question:

In SG-1, the characters were always used equally. We had team episodes like 2010 or Fail Safe and then we had character-based ones like Abyss or Family. Each character had a strong background and there were also strong bonds between them, which were always felt. Even Janet or General Hammond, two characters the show was not focused on, had a strong presence. Each character had the opportunity to develop, to become real and thus we have come to care for them and love them. I never felt that a character was somehow neglected or forgotten about.

Sadly, that was not the case with Atlantis.

The most underused character of the entire Stargate universe was, in my opinion, Dr. Elizabeth Weir. She had so much potential to be more! Some of my favorite episodes - and I think some of the best of SGA - were those she had a pivotal role in: The Real World, The Long Goodbye, Before I Sleep, just to mention a few. Sure, they were not the usual Oh-they're-bad-guys-let's-shoot-them episodes (except maybe the Long Goodbye), but they were so much more powerful.

Why not give Weir more to do? She was a very good diplomat and negotiator - just remember when she stood up to the System Lords and demanded to be made one of them - and in Pegasus allies are rare. She could have had a lot more opportunities to utilize her skills. Atlantis is in a hostile galaxy and it should not be the same as leading the SGC. Instead of utilizing her full potential, they made her into a female Hammond.

I think, in the first season of SGA, the writers tried to give her the opportunity to develop but, somehow, she faded into the background after that until they killed her off - or did they? She's still drifting through space with her replicator buddies, if that was her, at all.

With her death, Atlantis not only lost a good leader but they also lost the voice of morality, that beside her only Carson could fill (who they killed off as well). While the last two seasons were good ones, there was no one there to ask the hard questions. Is it the right thing to do to eradicate the Asurans from the face of the galaxy? No matter how we look at it, it was genocide. Without Elizabeth or Carson, there was no one who could ask these questions and, I think, SGA was poorer because of that.

In the end, Elizabeth Weir never had the opportunity to really develop to her full potential.

On the other hand, two of the most overused characters were definitely McKay and Sheppard. Don't get me wrong, I like blowing up things and technobabble as much as everybody, but these two were used at the expense of others like Weir and Beckett, or even Teyla and Ronon, who, although getting more time than the two doctors, never really developed.

This lack of balance created a situation, where the bonds between the SGA characters never truly became strong. Take SG-1 seasons 2,3 and 4 and compare them to SGA. Even in the early seasons of SG-1, there was always a feeling that SG-1 was a team, that they cared about each other and felt such things as friendship, comradeship or even love for each other. In SGA that simply wasn't there!

I think that it were these bonds in SG-1 which made the show such a success, why we cared what happened to the characters so much and while I like SGA and think the characters have so much potential to be more, I don't think I care about them as much as I could have, if these bonds and inter-character dynamics had been developed more.

If they had killed off Ronon? It would not have moved me nearly as much as when Daniel died in Meridian. And that makes all the difference. Because they have not developed the character of Ronon as much, I simply don't really care if he dies or not. And if I don't care about a character, why should I watch a show? Special-effects and cool explosions can only take you this far. It's the personal bonds that really make you watch a show. I'll be honest with you guys: If I had not read some really well done SGA fanfictions that developed these characters and seen some episodes like The Real World or Before I Sleep, I would not have cared about the SGA characters at all and I would have definitely lost interest in it. Thankfully, due mainly to the fanfics and such exceptional episodes, I see the potential in the characters, see the bonds that could be there and enjoy the show.

But my point is this: In underusing characters like Weir and Beckett, in overusing McKay and Sheppard, thus in not developing the bonds between them, not making us truly care for the characters as much as we could, they make a show that is still one of the best not as good as it could be. And that's just sad.

[Darren]

A brief clarification on this week's listener question:

We're looking for comments on any character who has been a main character on either show (a character played by a main cast member) -- not guest characters, supporting players, or species.

Thanks!

[Shirt'n'Tie]

Thanks Guys!!

A great podcast as always. Keep meaning to say this, and I'm sure the others here will echo this point, but THANK YOU!. I really enjoy the podcasts, and recently I listened to some other Science Fiction based podcasts and...well...let's just say you guys leave them in the shade.
David : You do a stand-out job in playing the music for the intro and outro, keeping it nicely under the voices...The editing is terrific with a great pace of the discussions and the feature sound fx really lend a Snappy-air to the whole production.
It's only when you hear other podcasts that you realise just how professional these are....So, in case I forget (once more) THANK YOU!! and keep up the good work.

*Climbs down from soap-box and passes megaphone on*

S'n'T

[Ksya]

Yeah, great podcast. I totally agree that the best episodes were Summit and Last Stand, and I actually giggled slightly at your Anubis/videotape joke.

As for the overuse/underuse of a character, I do think that they used McKay a lot more than they should have. Whatever the writers didn't know how to solve they solved it with technical drabble.

As for SG-1, I think that all the characters were used equally. There was just as many Daniel focused episodes and Jack focused episodes as Sam and Teal'c. And lets not forget team episodes.

[Lewisco]

Hey guys. Really enjoyed the season 5 podcast. I find it interesting how it was one of your favourite seasons, whereas its not close to being one of mine. I was just thinking that might be a generational difference. I didn't start watching SG-1 until season 7 began, and i would only have been about 11 or 12 when season 5 aired. So when i got round to watching it, i couldnt appreciate it as much i don't think. Oh well. Really enjoying these SG-1 history podcasts.

As for this weeks listening question, i dont think all characters need to be equal on a show like Stargate SG-1 or Atlantis. Usually the characters that get the most screen time are better ones anyway. It's a more plot based show, so focussing on giving characters equal screen time isn't a priority in the show for me. However, if Stargate Universe is going to be a character drama then it will be important that all the main characters get an equal share of the screen time over each season.

My only problems with this issue, came with Atlantis. Like i said, i don't mind some characters getting more screen time than others, with the exception of Teyla. She was all set up to be an incredibly important character, and was completely phased out the show. This wouldn't have bothered me if she wasn't such a big character with great potential. In terms of characters like Beckett, or Weir i was never too bothered if they werent given as much dialogue and stories. As although they were important and good characters, not having them centre stage all the time never did much harm.

[GateMark]

I totally forgot about the 6 month gap after WORMHOLE EXTREME ! When I first watched the series, I started from the beginning and watched up to WORMHOLE. But then stuff happened & I didn't get back to it. Since I didn't want to watch with any gaps, (and there were NO DVDs...yet) I lost track of the series until season 9. When my son, (the previously mentioned BRODIE) and I bought all the DVDs and started watching from CHILDREN of the GODS.

But that darn gap did keep me from the series for a few years.


But once I passed WORMHOLE,watching new episodes from season 5 on with my son WAS A BLAST! ! ! ! !

[Natasha]

Great podcast guys! I am new to listening to podcasts and have really enjoyed the ones I have listened to so far (am slowly working my way through past ones).

As to the overuse/underuse of characters I think it works best if all characters play an equal part. Some of the best episodes are those where the team work together to solve a problem. Different viewers will like (and dislike) different characters. So all characters should have their share of screentime. For example McKay played a central part in many episodes of Atlantis, more so than many others of the main cast. Thats great if Mckay is your favourite character but if he isn't you may feel like your favourite is being left out.

[KezatheAscended]

I thought all the main characters especially on Stargate Atlantis got equal screen time around all the stories going on. But, if there was 2 characters that I wanted to see more of it would have been Ford and Ronon. Although Ronon did get 4 focus episodes in the four seasons that he was a main character...Ford never got that kind of episode while he was in the main cast list. Although, I do undestand why Atlantis did not become a hugely character driven show until late in the 2nd season because it was technically "the new kid on the block".

As fans of shows that are stories about a team of people, we have to understand that there will always be little things of our main characters that we may never get to see on screen. But, I believe that the fans, and the writers, always found a common ground between what needed to be seen and what we wanted to see. Besides, I'm a firm believer in letting the audience imagine the bigger picture anyway...

[Ramses818]

Personally, I think that there are charachters on the show that are better charachters than others. As the leader of any group the leader (as defined by the writers) should have the lead. It doesn't feel right when Jack, Cam, or John are not leading a team based episode. Even if it is something from the past of the other charachters which should give them a bigger lead, they should be given more time but they should ahead of time appraise the others of everything that is going on. The Ronon, I have to do this because I have to and I don't care attitude bothered me when the entire team was going along. He often didn't say what the issue was.

It is ok to have episodes that single out a charachter, however, I prefer that if those episodes happen, the charachter either has to deal with the issues all by him/her self or that this issue truly impacts the whole team. SG1 was much better than atlantis at doing this.

I do think that within the team, they should have active roles at all times even if they are not the lead. However, the episodes that had one of the team members basically along for the ride would have been better served had they just made up some excuse for them not to have been there. If they are in the episode make them say something or do something substantial.

Regarding other support staff. I think that support staff should be utilized to a greater measure in base related episodes. Often they portrayed the support staff as in expereinced in off-world activity and only made it seem like a greater liability.

It also would have been better to have seen more interacting between differant SG teams.

[Darren]

Episode #48 is now available!

Do some characters from Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis stand out as over-used? Do some wind up pushed into the background, under-developed and relegated to the status of “wallpaper?” We’ll take a look at some of our favorite characters — and some we didn’t get to know well enough — in this week’s episode of the GateWorld Podcast.

Also this week:

Stargate News! The latest news from the world of Stargate

GateWorld Features! What's new on the site?

Interview Preview! Hear a preview of our interview with actor Michael Kopsa ("General Kerrigan")

Listener Feedback!

Next Week's Listener Question: What is your favorite episode of Stargate SG-1 Season Six, and why?

-or-

How do you think the show fared after the loss of Michael Shanks?

CALL US! You can call the hotline and leave us a voicemail any time, day or night. Give us your thoughts on this week's listener question, leave feedback on the podcast itself, or talk about anything Stargate-related you want.

Dial: 616-712-1647 (long distance rates apply)

Thanks to everyone for listening and contributing to the podcast!

[memnarch]

LISTENER QUESTION:

My favorite episode of season six is Abyss. It is, quite simply, a tour de force. O'Neill must deal with physical torture at the hands of Ba'al, while simultaneously contending with apparent hallucinations of Daniel and an unfamilar woman, as well as feeling an unspoken sense of betrayal due to the Tok'ra Kanan and SG-1, to a certain extent, getting him into such a horrible situation. Richard Dean Anderson's portrayal of O'Neill's degradation from the wisecracking man we know to a broken shell of a man who just wants to die is heartbreaking. Backed up by strong supporting performances by Michael Shanks and Cliff Simon, and superb direction by Martin Wood, this is without a doubt Season Six's best episode.

As for how the show fared after Michael Shanks' departure, I don't think there's an easy answer. I feel that some of the wonder that Daniel brought to the table was lost, although I do feel that this loss caused an interesting change to the characters. There is a hardness to O'Neill in season six that I think was very interesting and dynamic. His actions in Unnatural Selection, i.e. leaving Fifth behind, would not have happened if Daniel had been there. If he had, we might not have had the excellent Replicator storyline in Season Eight.

Regarding Jonas, I liked him. I loved his thirst to prove himself and to be useful, which I believe may have been written in by the writers due to their desire to prove to the fans that SG-1 could work without Daniel. In fact, I would've liked to have seen some of this drive carried over into some of the more underutilized characters in later seasons and on Atlantis. If Ford had been out to prove himself, perhaps he would've had more to do.

That being said however, I do feel that there were many average episodes this season. In particular, a lot of Earth-based episodes. That's not to say that Earth-based stories are bad. But episodes like Sight Unseen and Nightwalkers felt very out of place and gimmicky. Although, the season had some excellent episodes (Redemption, Descent, Abyss, Allegiance, Smoke and Mirrors, Changeling, and Full Circle) the overall tone does feel like a step down from the previous season. Overall, I think that Season Six was about SG-1 finding its way again and it was bound to have a few missteps.

[Spinobreaker]

thanks for the mention...

I think S6 was good, but not great, the show had to find its feet again and with oniell constantly fighting against jonas for half the series it sorta got annoying.
But i must amid my fav moment is the look on Major Davis's, tealc's and Jacks face when Prometheus takes off. Its one of, "I am so fired." lol

But over all i think S6 began and work on major archs started by series 5. IT even included a lot of threads that will com into play years down the track, like tritonan, our own space ship, and my fav, the true identity of Anubis.

As for the loss of daniel. I think its ok. Other than pissing me off how against the flow Oniell was with Jonas, all be it justified, it sometimes hurt the story more than it helped. With daniel as an ascended being he was still able to help but also not help at the same time. We also learn something that we always suspected, the ascended are the ancients....

So all in all id say 6/10, some good moments some bad moments but with anubis polishing off abydos id have to give it a 6 lol