Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Skydiver]

these are nice words, sky, and i really *do* feel them. but (and there's always a but), the opening credits should have been less bb/cm and more the *entire* cast. you know, those three supporting actors that have been on this show for 9 years (8 for ms).

i have absolutely NO ire toward ben; it's the ptb that i am shaking my head at. (and have been so much this season that i'm getting a permanent crick)

the opening credits were skewed.



sally

they are. because ben is their new star. and mgm and skiffy think they need to prove to us that he's the new star. tehy also seem to feel the need to make sure that every single ben fan in the world knows, and really knows, that he has a new show.

it's all marketing. it's christmas morning and ben is their new tow

[ForeverSg1]

they are. because ben is their new star. and mgm and skiffy think they need to prove to us that he's the new star. tehy also seem to feel the need to make sure that every single ben fan in the world knows, and really knows, that he has a new show.

it's all marketing. it's christmas morning and ben is their new tow

Yes, but unfortunately it's Christmas morning and it looks as if all the gifts this year have Ben's name on them and that's leaving a sour taste in the mouth of many fans. Honestly I can't say that I'm jumping for joy that Ben has top billing over the other three cast members; however, it's not really something I didn't expect. The part that riles me is the fact that nearly all of the action shots in the opening sequence revolve around Mitchell.

I'm not positive, but I believe in the opening credits we see Browder's visage at least seven to eight times. Amanda is seen twice, but CJ and MS got a measely photo clip with their names and the ending team shot walking through the Stargate.

On the Season 1 DVD's, RDA got 4 clips and MS, AT and CJ all got 3 clips with the team scene at the end.

On the Season 7 DVD's, RDA got 7 clips, AT got 2, CJ got 3 and MS got 2
with the team scene at the end.

It definitely looks to me as if TPTB, whether they be the ones in Vancouver or the ones at Scifi/Sony, are really laying it on thick trying to sell Browder as Stargate's new leading man. The problem I see with this is that RDA was not only an actor on Stargate, he was also an executive producer of the show. Also I'm sorry to disappoint Ben Browder fans, but despite how wonderful of an actor he may or may not be, he simply does NOT have the name that Richard Dean Anderson had when Stargate began. RDA may have not been the best actor in some people's eyes, but he played the leading role on a very popular television series for seven years. Over thirteen million Americans tuned in to watch the last episode of MacGuyver. Whereas an estimated 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the first night of the mini-series Farscape: Peacekeepers Wars. This is not to knock Browder or Farscape. I understand that Scifi does not pull the same amount of viewers as the big networks. My point is only to show that RDA was a much bigger name than Browder when stepping into the leading role of Stargate and much more deserving of the top billing spot in my opinion. I mean name one other television character who has ever had their name used as a verb within the urban populace?? I just don't see it happening with Crichton.

I just hope AT, CJ, and MS are all truly happy with the way things have been going this season, because I would be very disappointed as a fan if the show were cancelled this year and we suddenly started reading interviews saying how unhappy they[ the actors ] were with the changes and how they were asked to hype the show despite their misgivings.

Kat

[Skydiver]

Kat, i know exactly where you're coming from. and, on a personal level, i think it sucks. I think it's rude to those that have been on the show for years and i, for one, don't care for the hard sell of cam

nothing against him at all, i know folks are just doing what they think is best....but it still rankles

and i do appreciate that folks want to express themselves. I'm just saying that, while posting here is a release of a way, it won't matter much. no one that comes here really gives a fig what we think or say

if you really want them to care - tehm being the folks that make the credits, let mgm and skiffy know how you feel. they're the ones that can change stuff. and, i think, they're the ones pushing the hard sell on ben.

[jckfan55]

This is true, Skydiver.

I'm just a bit confused. I didn't get the feeling that anyone on this thread has expressed hatred for Mitchell and Vala, but maybe I missed it? I think people have been very diplomatic when they have stated some of their concerns and preferences. I got the overall feeling that most people even liked Vala and Mitchell (although some would like to see Mitchell's role more well-defined).

But yes, you're right---when and if we defend her, we should do it with "grace and dignity."

I have the same impression as you, chocdoc. Some may have criticized a lack of Mitchell development or said "too much Vala" but for the most part I don't think we've torn down characters and certainly not actors. No one blames BB, for example, for the credits issue. And we certainly have Not degenerated into "we love Sam therefore Daniel is stupid" kind of stuff you might see in reverse on other threads. Still, I think Sky is right to periodically pull us out of these funks we get into.

oops--left out the pivotal *not* in earlier sentence

[jckfan55]

This has got to be the tiniest "Battleship" I've ever played. Okay, B-8...

Love it! Battleship came into my head too, but I was thinking she would be using the device to rig the electronic Battleship game. But Sam isn't a cheater!

[the dancer of spaz]

I'm just posting to say that I agree with Kat, sky and jckfan. And I don't think I can green ANY of you at the moment.

I, for one, do NOT want to read interviews three years down the road that finally divulge the truth - no matter how right that would make us.

And I also want to make sure that we stay above the standard that has been set by other people. I prefer certain characters over others, but that doesn't mean I want the others to go away, and I know that we all (for the most part) agree on that.

In the future, if the show or network PTB have to choose between the two polarized camps (heaven forbid), I'd like to think they'd pick the saner one. Hopefully, we can remain that way.

[Anyagate1]

Just stopped by to post a quick pic for the Jack/Sam shippers. Non-shippers, my apologies.

[LaCroix]

Bumping to get it off the second page.

[stargate barbie]

we were where!?!
i feel shamed.

[Uber]

thanks!

what ep are these from?

*never* go wrong with cutie geek sam!

isn't amanda adorable as geeky sam?



sally

Those first 3 pics were from my second least episode of Stargate ever...not just because of shippy stuff but because it showed Sam and Teal'c tragically out of character (I think) and really was a horrible episode...and I typically like NID stories. As terrible a story as this was, I thought that the honor (or dishonor) of being the worst episode ever would stick forever on this one.

Then the The Ties that Bind came around and I began to actually look favorably on Affinity. Heck...at least Sam's in it...and some of my favorite Casual!Sam shots of her are in it too.

But then I have to say I'm GLAD Sam played no role in TTTB. She is in no way tinged by that atrocity of a story.

[Qasim]

[Uber]

Kat, i know exactly where you're coming from. and, on a personal level, i think it sucks. I think it's rude to those that have been on the show for years and i, for one, don't care for the hard sell of cam

nothing against him at all, i know folks are just doing what they think is best....but it still rankles

and i do appreciate that folks want to express themselves. I'm just saying that, while posting here is a release of a way, it won't matter much. no one that comes here really gives a fig what we think or say

if you really want them to care - tehm being the folks that make the credits, let mgm and skiffy know how you feel. they're the ones that can change stuff. and, i think, they're the ones pushing the hard sell on ben.

I think you've so hit the nail here...both you and Kat.

Here's the thing (oh great...I'm sounding more like Monk every day)...I ADORE Ben. He is a fantastic actor. I know this because I watched Farscape and saw what he is capable of.

And perhaps that's one of my biggest issues right now. I'm not seeing any of that person here. I'm not sensing his charisma or charm almost at all (although there have been moments)...and that stuns me. I was hoping that having him there would lessen the blow of losing RDA. Sadly such is not the case right now.

Then we have the whole command issue...shortly followed by the credits issue...and I get the feeling that they are madly trying to cram him into the SG landscape...demanding that the (currently) square peg fit into that round hole and they keep hammering and hammering...telling us how wonderful he is, how great he is to the show, etc...and it makes me almost resent his presence. That makes me sad.

Granted, they've seen the rest of the season (duh), so perhaps he will mesh with the others much better. I not only hope that the case, I believe it could be because I know how great Ben is.

But the point for this Stargate/Sam/Amanda fan is that I get the sense that they're almost desperately trying to get the fanbase to appreciate Ben and his character and are promoting and boosting him up to the detriment of the others and that rings wrong to me and is unfair to those who have been with the show for the entire run (or most of the run).

So it's not a matter of counting the seconds that each actor is in the credits. It IS about the fact that the show is much more a team show now (I mean in that the leads are all of equal value...I'm still actually WAITING for an honest to goodness TEAM episode)...and trying to foist Ben (who is not the producer or the star) onto the fanbase by having him situated in the same way RDA was in the opening credits like that is disrespectful to Amanda and Chris (and heck even Michael)...and even to RDA I think.

Rather than having a series of Mitchell-centric clips at the start, I believe it would have been wiser to have more of a collection of clips...Sam, Teal'c, Daniel, Mitchell...or even TEAM clips...just not focusing on any one person. Especially a person who is by any rights is a very controversial character. There's about a thousand different things they could have done to help make his being there more seemless that would have provided less of a "why is that guy even there?" feeling. They could have made him a Major who served on SG-15 or something like that...they chose not to go down that route and created controversies and issues where none needed to be.

Trying to make him something he just isn't...especially considering the stature of the 3 established leads and the direction of the show as being more of a team of equals than that of a leader and 3 other schmos...is unfair to everyone in the longrun. He is not RDA. He is not that type of leading man. Supposedly it's a show of equals doing what they do best...so why have the credits contradict this by making it seem as though he is "the main guy?"

The good news is that it SEEMS at least Amanda is really happy. I'm trying desperately to hold onto that fact. I feel she's been disrespected...but if she honestly doesn't feel that way, then I'll just have to learn to deal with my feelings and set them aside so I can enjoy my favorite show.

[stargate barbie]

ok, second ever attempt at capping and posting so stick with me and if it works, feel free to caption:
(let me know if its too big BTW)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2.../samvenom1.jpg

[the dancer of spaz]

ok, second ever attempt at capping and posting so stick with me and if it works, feel free to caption:
(let me know if its too big BTW)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2.../samvenom1.jpg

For such a massive picture, it looks good AND fits inside the window without screwing up the whole page. Nice job, stargate barbie!

[Qasim]

Sam profile on sueKay's new site - http://www.stargate-intel.net/samcarter.htm