Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[ParadoxRealities]

So here's a few questions for you all...

With what we have seen of season nine so far, do you think it was worth all the changes we've had so far in order to keep the show going for a ninth and possibly ten season? Or would you have preferred that they had ended the series after season eight and just chose to continue with mini-series or big screen movies?

Do you think the way the season has progressed that it will affect the chances of RDA being a part of future movies or mini-series?

If you had your chance to write the final episode of Stargate, how would you like to see it all end?

from what we've seen so far, i think TPTB could have done a better job melding plots. maybe just used the Ba'al plotline; it would have made it easier to adjust to mitchell. though i'll never actually like the man, it would have been easier to tolerate if we had still been dealing with the Jaffa council and Ba'al. but i guess part of that is the avaliblity of actors. ah well.

I wish there was a way to stick RDA back as the CO of SG-1 for the movies, but I think it'll be hard now and would look rather cheap. I still hope he will at least be part of the movies/mini-series, but I won't get my hopes up about him starring.

final ep? wow. idk, maybe just a nice team ep, nothing overly-dramatic. if there are going to be movies/a mini-series, than nothing final, just a very well written team ep, good sfx, neat idea, the works. and a big honkin "TO BE CONTIUNED" at the end. be nice if they brought back everyone (Jacob, Janet, Cassie, etc) too.

and preferably a big SJ kiss.

but that's just me.

[parsifal]

do you think it was worth all the changes we've had so far in order to keep the show going for a ninth and possibly ten season?

No way.

Or would you have preferred that they had ended the series after season eight and just chose to continue with mini-series or big screen movies?

Yes, please.

Do you think the way the season has progressed that it will affect the chances of RDA being a part of future movies or mini-series?

Yes, I do. It's going to be increasingly difficult storywise to justify O'Neill being back in the field. Plus, I don't want Mitchell in any mini-series or films. Or Vala for that matter. How are they going to manage that now?

The fact that they haven't resolved the S/J ship leads me to hope that maybe they haven't done so in order to keep open the possibility of a movie with Sam and Jack on the same team with Jack commanding.

They could have resolved it positively and still had them on a team together. The regs have always been an excuse and not a reason.

[minigeek]

They could have resolved it positively and still had them on a team together. The regs have always been an excuse and not a reason.

I agree parsifal. They've broken so many other regs in recent episodes, this one hardly seems sacred. Plus - given that Jack has moved on to HWS, it'd be a stretch to have him commanding a mission anyway, so even if they were "together", it needn't be a problem, nor be smarmy. It could, in fact, make it interesting and humorous, not to mention add a spice of conflict into the mix, if you ask me.

[Strix varia]

They could have resolved it positively and still had them on a team together. The regs have always been an excuse and not a reason.

Perhaps, but having the ship out in the open would irrevocably change the on-screen dynamic between Sam and Jack. However they resolved it, their relationship would be different; the implications of their actions would be different; their interactions would be interpreted differently by the audience; and it would affect the team dynamic, because they would rightfully be perceived as "a couple" whereas whoever was with them would not be a part of their "couplehood." Shippers might love it; non-shippers might hate it. All I'm saying is that TPTB might prefer ambiguity to having to manage, with certainty, that new dynamic in a future two-hour movie or mini-series. Just a thought.

[parsifal]

Perhaps, but having the ship out in the open would irrevocably change the on-screen dynamic between Sam and Jack. However they resolved it, their relationship would be different

I just don't see that as a bad thing. I'd love to see them interact in a little less "structured" fashion; I think there's a lot of potential there. That being said, I don't think things would necessarily have to be compromised while they were on duty.

the implications of their actions would be different; their interactions would be interpreted differently by the audience

That's not high on my list of concerns. A significant portion of the audience already constructs interpretations of the show that are completely fantastical and irrational.

and it would affect the team dynamic

How could it be any worse than what we're getting at the moment?

because they would rightfully be perceived as "a couple" whereas whomever was with them would not be a part of their "couplehood."

Maybe, maybe not.

All I'm saying is that TPTB might prefer ambiguity to having to manage, with certainty, that new dynamic in a future two-hour movie or mini-series.

I'm sure they would. They're lazy bast**** who don't want to deal with anything outside their comfort zone. I refuse, however, to lower myself to their level by giving up on these characters, the continuity of their stories, and the logic of their development (i.e., what TPTB have done).

[minigeek]

Perhaps, but having the ship out in the open would irrevocably change the on-screen dynamic between Sam and Jack. However they resolved it, their relationship would be different; the implications of their actions would be different; their interactions would be interpreted differently by the audience; and it would affect the team dynamic, because they would rightfully be perceived as "a couple" whereas whomever was with them would not be a part of their "couplehood." Shippers might love it; non-shippers might hate it. All I'm saying is that TPTB might prefer ambiguity to having to manage, with certainty, that new dynamic in a future two-hour movie or mini-series. Just a thought.

I see what you're saying here, but, in my opinion, it also falls under the category of character growth. Especially when it comes to movies that take place "post" series.

Having the characters appear as changed when the movie opens up is often a neat way to show time having passed since the series, and fans tend to respond well to that. I would not want to see "the same old team" exactly as they were in say, season seven, fighting a battle in a movie. I'd want to see them AFTER all that. What's Daniel been doing? Where has Teal'c been? What's Jack up to? Has Sam been promoted? Invented anything new?

If Sam and Jack are "together", then great, but that's not the whole story that's just a small bit of character development for them. Yes, it would change them all. And the team dynamic. But I think they'd all be changed as characters anyway, inexoribly. One way or another, they're not going to be the same old SG-1, they'll be SG-1, having come back together. In the end, I'd want to see the four of them reuinited again via circumstance, "forced to save the world yet one more time". In their new dynamic, they'd continue to be interesting as characters, apart from the action-packed story, BECAUSE they've grown, changed, forged interesting "post-television-series" life-choices for themselves. What brings them back together can be as interesting as the primary conflict itself, to that end.

In fact, if there were only movies or a mini-series to look forward to, I'd argue that MORE development for the characters (bigger changes in their lives) would necessarily follow since there'd be a lot less time to "show" any sort of on-screen character development vis-a-vis a movie timeslot. On an ongoing TV series, there's always next week, or next season. Not so with a finite script for a movie or mini-series. To open the film with them already tackling new life-choices and playing with new character situations is neat, in that regard, and a good way to deal with time. So I like that aspect of the "post television" movie genre a lot.

minigeek (It's also one reason I'm NOT particularily fond of movies that take place during earlier seasons of a TV series and then try to fit a brand new story into very old canon - it's difficult to do that well. Most writing teams who try end up really limiting their stories and characters that way, not to mention the technology and imagination they have available to them to use. I've rarely ever seen it pulled off well)

[Skydiver]

i thnk if they wanted the transition to cameron being the boss, well they shouldn't have spent the first 5.5 eps focusing on vala and daniel and vala. they had a perfect opportunity to really set things up for cam and wasted it on the daniel and vala comedy hour.

maybe instead of giving us attack of the killer flashbacks in avalon they should have let cam carry the show in 'real time'. tell the story through his eyes, have him going around, meeting with jack, daniel, teal'c and sam (Coulda dropped AT's stuff in when she returned after baby leave) and let us really get to know cam. Let cam be teh A story and vala and daniel be the B or C story that played out in the back ground.

instead of telling us tah teal'c is off with the jaffa, SHOW us.

let the avalon arc be cameron working to get the band back together and let us get to know cam

don't waste time on the hard sell, just let him get to know us and us to know him and let us fall for him all on our own

IMHO, it was handled very clumsily and cam has suffered from it

the, to me, forced focus on vala hurt cam's character, possibly too much for him to ever recover from. yeah, sure, we've all been told -ad nauseum - how great he is, but we've rarely seen that trait in him, which makes him very succeptible to criticism

i know they were hampered by AT being gone but i do think that things could have been handled so much better had the focus of those first few eps been on building cameron - the new lead - rather than vala....the temporary fill in. she, as a recurring character, got more of a focus than the new star of the show.

[Strix varia]

I see what you're saying here, but, in my opinion, it also falls under the category of character growth. Especially when it comes to movies "post" series. Having the characters changed when the movie takes place is often a neat way to show time having passed since the series as well, and fans tend to respond well to that. I would want to say "the same old team" exactly as they were in say, season seven, fighting a battle in a movie. I'd want to see them AFTER all that. What's Daniel been doing? Where has Teal'c been? What's Jack up to? Has Sam been promoted? Invented anything new? If Sam and Jack are "together", great, but that's not the whole, story that's just a small bit of character development for them - and yes, it would change them all. But I think they'd all be changed anyway, one way or another. And in the end, I'd want to see the four of them reuinited again via circumstance, "forced to save the world yet one more time", in their new dynamic, they'd continue to be interesting as characters then, apart from the action-packed story. In fact, if there were only movies or a mini-series to look forward to, I'd argue that MORE development for the characters; bigger changes in their lives; would necessarily follow since there'd be a lot less time to "show" any sort of other character development on-screen vis-a-vis a movie timeslot. On an ongoing TV series, there's always next week, or next season. Not so with a finite script for a movie or mini-series. More's better therein, if you ask me. I like that aspect of the "post television" movie genre a lot.

minigeek (one reason I'm NOT particularily fond of movies that take place during "earlier seasons" of a TV series and try to fit in old canon - you just really limited your story and your characters that way, not to mention technology and imagination, imho)

Good points.

So... anyone here from Phoenix? I'm heading that way for a business trip in March...

[Deejay435]

This one?
http://www.gyrfalcon.net/vikingchick/whumping.htm

Yes! Thank you!

[ChopinGal]

Good points.

So... anyone here from Phoenix? I'm heading that way for a business trip in March...

Nice airport ... not too big with beautiful views of the mountains that surround a very large sprawl of a city. I was surprised at how big Phoenix is (from the air) and had a glimpse both day and night during transit to Seattle. In fact, I was flying back in just as the golden sun was setting in the west - a blockbuster sunset! Did not get to spend time in the city per se.

So this business trip, you're on your own!!

[ChopinGal]

I see what you're saying here, but, in my opinion, it also falls under the category of character growth. Especially when it comes to movies that take place "post" series.

Having the characters appear as changed when the movie opens up is often a neat way to show time having passed since the series, and fans tend to respond well to that. I would not want to see "the same old team" exactly as they were in say, season seven, fighting a battle in a movie. I'd want to see them AFTER all that. What's Daniel been doing? Where has Teal'c been? What's Jack up to? Has Sam been promoted? Invented anything new?

If Sam and Jack are "together", then great, but that's not the whole story that's just a small bit of character development for them. Yes, it would change them all. And the team dynamic. But I think they'd all be changed as characters anyway, inexoribly. One way or another, they're not going to be the same old SG-1, they'll be SG-1, having come back together. In the end, I'd want to see the four of them reuinited again via circumstance, "forced to save the world yet one more time". In their new dynamic, they'd continue to be interesting as characters, apart from the action-packed story, BECAUSE they've grown, changed, forged interesting "post-television-series" life-choices for themselves. What brings them back together can be as interesting as the primary conflict itself, to that end.

In fact, if there were only movies or a mini-series to look forward to, I'd argue that MORE development for the characters (bigger changes in their lives) would necessarily follow since there'd be a lot less time to "show" any sort of on-screen character development vis-a-vis a movie timeslot. On an ongoing TV series, there's always next week, or next season. Not so with a finite script for a movie or mini-series. To open the film with them already tackling new life-choices and playing with new character situations is neat, in that regard, and a good way to deal with time. So I like that aspect of the "post television" movie genre a lot.

minigeek (It's also one reason I'm NOT particularily fond of movies that take place during earlier seasons of a TV series and then try to fit a brand new story into very old canon - it's difficult to do that well. Most writing teams who try end up really limiting their stories and characters that way, not to mention the technology and imagination they have available to them to use. I've rarely ever seen it pulled off well)

Excellent and thought-provoking points, mini! Moving the characters along and letting us meet them at another point in their life histories (as the movie or mini-series begins) could add fresh life to the whole dynamic.

As to Kat's really good questions, after watching S9 thus far, I would have settled for S8 as the grand finale, with the promise of a movie or mini-series. I thought that last scene at Jack's cabin was the perfect touch! Such a humorous denouement with all four gathered together relaxing and enjoying each other as friends (and more, depending on your interpretation).

[ForeverSg1]

Perhaps, but having the ship out in the open would irrevocably change the on-screen dynamic between Sam and Jack. However they resolved it, their relationship would be different; the implications of their actions would be different; their interactions would be interpreted differently by the audience; and it would affect the team dynamic, because they would rightfully be perceived as "a couple" whereas whomever was with them would not be a part of their "couplehood." Shippers might love it; non-shippers might hate it. All I'm saying is that TPTB might prefer ambiguity to having to manage, with certainty, that new dynamic in a future two-hour movie or mini-series. Just a thought.

Yeah, that would definitely change their dynamic if they were involved in the movie, but I think the storyline could still be doable if it was written well.

In my mind, I think it could be interesting if they sort of used the same situation they did in one of ST:TNG movies where Picard and Crusher were divorced. However, whereas Picard and Crusher had a amicable separation, they could have Sam and Jacks be a bit more heated. It would be cool to see a snarky Sam especially if it was to Jack. I could see the separation aspect and danger element being too much for Jack to deal with and Sam finally getting fed up and wanting some time to think. It's one thing to put yourself into danger every day, but it's different to watch someone you love do it and I don't imagine Jack dealing well emotionally seeing Sam go off to work every day and putting herself into danger if he were not there by her side. I think doing something like this would still allow for some confrontational moments as well as softer moments between the two characters.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who probably wouldn't be happy with this type of situation because they either don't want to see S&J together at all, or they want to see S & J happy with one another. For for me personally, I see the attraction between S&J. I believe it could be a very passionate relationship, but I also believe the relationship would be very volatile( not sure this is really the word I'm thinking it is but can't think of a better description) as well. I just don't see them as a real lovey-dovey couple, but I think their would be a good deal of sparks between them.

I'm not sure if any of you watch House, but I really liked the little moments between House and his ex-wife in the beginning. I liked the conflict they had with one another, but it was obvious that they still cared very deeply for one another. Just because you love someone, doesn't mean you can live with them.

[Agent_Dark]

So here's a few questions for you all...

With what we have seen of season nine so far, do you think it was worth all the changes we've had so far in order to keep the show going for a ninth and possibly ten season? Or would you have preferred that they had ended the series after season eight and just chose to continue with mini-series or big screen movies?

Well Ripple Effect and Off the Grid (and Grace Under Pressure, but that's Atlantis ) are good enough reasons for a season 9 alone

Do you think the way the season has progressed that it will affect the chances of RDA being a part of future movies or mini-series?

I dunno, probably not. RDA recently talked about Stargate as being his family, and that he would always be willing to drop by for a visit. I'm sure that would apply to movies and mini-series as well.

If you had your chance to write the final episode of Stargate, how would you like to see it all end?

On one hand I'd like to be a happy, uplifiting ending that would enable the characters to live on (so future movies and stuff are a possibility), but on the other I wouldn't be that opposed to a very dramatic, universe altering ending...

[Agent_Dark]

Perhaps, but having the ship out in the open would irrevocably change the on-screen dynamic between Sam and Jack. However they resolved it, their relationship would be different; the implications of their actions would be different; their interactions would be interpreted differently by the audience; and it would affect the team dynamic, because they would rightfully be perceived as "a couple" whereas whomever was with them would not be a part of their "couplehood." Shippers might love it; non-shippers might hate it. All I'm saying is that TPTB might prefer ambiguity to having to manage, with certainty, that new dynamic in a future two-hour movie or mini-series. Just a thought.

I agree. I much prefer the ambiguity than what a romantic relationship would bring. Not only would it change my perception of the characters (probably for the worse), it would also change my perceptions of past actions.
I think there are better ways to get character growth and development that a non-shippy conclusion to Sam/Jack would bring than a pro one would.

And also, it comes down quite simply to not wanting to see much romantic stuff on the show. If there was an option between seeing a 'shippy' scene between Sam and Janet or a scene where Sam is blowing **** up, I'd always pick the 'blowing **** up' one

[Strix varia]

Chapter 4 of SGCBearcub's story, Honor's Solution, has been posted:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2686931/1/

This is an incredible story... just awesome. I did a little happy dance when I saw a new chapter had been posted.