Vala Open Forum

[valaCB]

I love Vala. After several years, I think the team needed some new people to interact with. Because Vala and Sam are so different, I can see a really fun, quirky friendship developing. I think season 10 has great potential. I'm avoiding most spoilers, so I could be wrong.

The spoilers are great so far IMO

[Dani347]

We really have no idea what Vala was like before she became a host. We only know her post host days. So, it's possible that she was just a good upstanding citizen (btw, has Vala ever said where she's from? What planet?), and her experiences hardened her. But, it's also possible that she wasn't such a great person before she became a host, and her experiences afterwards changed her. We don't know Vala's true self as it pertains to her past.

[KatG]

First, this is Stargate and I don't think this really delves into things having that much emotional consequence.

Dealing with emotions and aftermath isn't something Stargate has ever done well. I do mind however. I don't want mushy messy stuff, but some hint that there's consequences, feelings, backlash whatever would be nice, for all of the characters, including Vala. But I don't think we'll see much of it at if at all.

[FooledAgain]

My fondness for Vala's character changes depends on which ep. we are talking about.... btw I have to say here that in comparison to earlier seasons I really didn't care that much for season 9 in general, so maybe that fact had something to do with how I fee about Vala.
I LOVED her in "Prometheus Unbound", but I liked her less in the first 6 eps of season 9, and now I adore her again after "Crusade"...so I would say that her character has great potential, but as far as I am concerned it really is depend on how they fit her into the story.

[FooledAgain]

We really have no idea what Vala was like before she became a host.

I have a feeling though that she wasn't that innocent even in her pre-host days...but that's just a gut feeling.
In any case, could be interesting IMO to delve into that part of her life no matter what...

[Mandysg1]

Thanks for the link

BTW, at another thread you said that Vala doesn't fit in Stargate. Could you explain it in a very detailed way why do you think so? Personally I think that she fits just fine And I'm sure season 10 is gonna prove it. Let's hope you're gonna change your mind after it's finished.

First, just to let you know I've updated the bad fic

I don't think Vala fits in as a member of SG1, as a recurring character I guess she could fit in. I have to say I didn't like the character the first time I saw her in PU, I know a lot of people liked that episode, but it did not appeal to me. Then when they brought her back in S9 she was not what I would call trust worthy. In a team like SG1 you have to be able to trust those on your team, not have a feeling in the back of your mind when you're in a dangerous situation if you can really trust this person. But this is just MHO.

[ParadoxRealities]

while i don't mind vala in small doses, i'm alarmed at how she's been excepted by the SGC. we know shes a con artist that will do just about anything to get what she wants, including use her body. (as someone somewhere said: like water, which takes the path of least resistance right to the lowest level.) this is not a dis to the character, i like her, and i think she does bring new life to the show, but i don't buy the way she's being written. or her sexual harassment of daniel.

i'm also a bit alarmed at how some young girls seem to look up to her. sam is a much better role model than vala.

[Skydiver]

A lot of my issues with vala stem from her being put forth as a role model. She's a liar and cheat and thief. She also spends a lot of her time sexually harrassing daniel...yet this is deemed to be ok because it's funny?

Pete was tagged a stalker because he followed Sam and checked up on her. Orlin was tagged a stalker because he made himself at home in Sam's house. Yet Vala, chains herself to daniel, jumps in his bed in her skivvies with the infamous 'let's make babies'. Consistently steals from him and the sgc, heck stole the promie....but it's all ok becaue she's fun???

Vala puts forth as much of a sexist ideal as Mitch does in his 'let's make the unqualified male the boss because he must be'

Since they knew a year ago that they wanted to add her to the show, IMHO, they should have taken the time and effort to write her better than to keep indulging themselves in thier 'fun'.

And,given the track record of these boys to skip emotional impact (the near total lack of fallout from any emotionally trying issue that effects any of the characters) and thier propensity to continue to have 'fun'...it's gonna take some very quality writing and hard work to redeem this character enough to logically make her fit in to the crack and respected organization that the SGC is supposed to be.

and i don't think they're up to it.

I think any fallout we get will be tritely handled and quickly brushed under the rug so that they can get back to what they see as fun....which is basically letting vala henpeck the heck out of daniel.

[Dani347]

I don't spend time in many Vala threads, so this is just speculating, but maybe people who like her aren't looking for her to be a role model. I mean a character doesn't have to be a role model to be interesting or fun to watch.

[Skydiver]

every character, in some shape or form, is a role model. And when folks are wanting to dress like her, act like her, do their hair like her, they are holding her up as a role model.

Vala perpetuates the myth that all women are manipulators. They're liars and cheats and if they get ahead, well then they got ahead because they tricked some poor male, not because they earned it.

If vala and daniel were Val and Sam, and Val was hitting on sam, jumping in sam's bed, tying himself to sam, harrassing Sam with constant propositions. always making the crass sexual humor...the outcry would be loud and immediate. Val would be bad because he's abusing Sam that way.

so why is it ok for a female to do it to a male?

If the initial intention was for vala to be a sustainable character from her inception (which, by all intents and purposes it was) then why didn't they take the responsibility to introduce a character that fits into the universe, rather than warping the universe to fit the character?

[gatebee]

To be honest, in the beginning, I did not care much for Vala. PTB made her too mouthy and she seemed to be starving for sex.
But now , she I think is the best addition they have among all the newbies. She is an amazing actor ... intellegent, funny, beautiful, powerful and very sensitive to the whole situation. We need more women in tv with those characteristics, IMO

[valaCB]

If vala and daniel were Val and Sam, and Val was hitting on sam, jumping in sam's bed, tying himself to sam, harrassing Sam with constant propositions. always making the crass sexual humor...the outcry would be loud and immediate. Val would be bad because he's abusing Sam that way.

so why is it ok for a female to do it to a male?

It's a comic story. PU and the 6 episodes-season 9. as such, the hitting, the sexual humor and so on meant to be extreme and light . If the story was dramatic, like 'Crusade' then i would agree with you. If pit would hit Sam in a comic level then i would laugh but as Sam's story line so far it probrbly would be dramatic and then i would be upset .

[sueKay]

I'm not too keen on Vala.

I intially loved her in PU. She was smart, sassy and ran rings round Daniel. But in Avalon, her character morphed into a sex-crazed, leather clad little girl who I didn't want to watch.

However...

Spoiler:

I think the twist that's coming up in S10 is gonna change her some more, and maybe mellow her a little

I'm hoping she becomes more like the Vala we first met again. But I don't want her on the team...I'm thinking more of her being friends with the team, and joining them on some missions.

[Formerhost]

while i don't mind vala in small doses, i'm alarmed at how she's been excepted by the SGC. we know shes a con artist that will do just about anything to get what she wants, including use her body. (as someone somewhere said: like water, which takes the path of least resistance right to the lowest level.) this is not a dis to the character, i like her, and i think she does bring new life to the show, but i don't buy the way she's being written. or her sexual harassment of daniel.

i'm also a bit alarmed at how some young girls seem to look up to her. sam is a much better role model than vala.

Well, I don't think Vala was a con artist whole her life. Some circumstances forced her to take this path. As for sex... - http://www.egyptianmyths.net/qetesh.htm - the Goa'uld Qetesh, to which Vala used to be a host, in Egyptian mythology was a goddess of sacred ecstasy and sexual pleasure. So Vala's behaviour is also after-effect of being the host for we don't know how long period of time. Will Vala ever recover from being a host side-effects? It's definiteliy gonna take a lot of time... but there's a chance, definitely. And here's is Claudia's take on Vala (from her interview in latest issue of Stargate Magazine): "... she had to survive a lot. Rob (Cooper) and I have talked about this. She has been damaged. A good liar always keeps as close to the truth as possible, so I would say a lot of the time when she is talking about what's happened to her, most of it is true. She will lie and steal and do whatever, but she has a moral compass." And when Claudia says that Vala has a moral compass, I simply believe her. More than anybody else

[Formerhost]

Since they knew a year ago that they wanted to add her to the show, IMHO, they should have taken the time and effort to write her better than to keep indulging themselves in thier 'fun'.

A year ago they definitely didn't know that they wanted to add her to the show as a regular character. This decision was made later, I'm more than sure of that. And definitely didn't know that writing the first six episodes, which I guess was more than a year ago.