Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[ChillinTheMost]

Thanks, Tracy Jane, for responding to my little rant. I definitely feel that everyone has a right to how they feel about each character, so I don't mind that you, and others, don't care for Mitchell. I guess I just don't expect to come to the thread of another of my favorite characters and read some nasty stuff that really doesn't belong there. There are plenty of threads for Mitchell-bashing and, like you said, to debate the leadership issue. I can happily stay away from those threads. Frankly, I don't much care about the leadership issue except to say that I wish they would make whatever their final decision is clear to the audience and that, if they decide that Sam is the leader, that they give Mitchell a clearly defined role of why it would be beneficial for him to be on SG-1. --I would think all members of the flagship team would be there for a reason: to make that flagship team better.

Anyway, I imagine I'll still check in here to see what's happening with Amanda/Samantha. I'd love to know what she said about season 10. It's just a matter of how many posts I can read before I have to leave and try again another time.

[SG1Poz]

I'm with you on this Chillin The Most, and I refused to post on here for a while because of it. We finally ousted the Vala-bashing, but Mitchell bashing seems rife. I admit, I'm not keen on Mitchell. I find the character interesting, but not for SG1 leader. But that's a discussion for another thread, I guess

As for the con reports, Sammo has me majorly bouncing in my seat! She can't tease us like that then leave us hanging! How unfair is that? And thank you tsaxlady for confirming that the baby wasn't Olivia. Though I think we all knew that.

That's not little Olivia?
Well she's adorable no matter who's she is

[scifi_girl]

Thanks to everyone who posted messages saying happy birthday. sorry that now im posting this message but im onlt just recovering from all the fun. i had a great birthday, even though everyone kept making cheeky comments about me now being old. im only 22, im still young. hehe. anyway just cause your getting older doesnt mean you cant have fun, right? And i wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted about the con, im so jealous. you lucky things.

[SG1Poz]

Thanks to everyone who posted messages saying happy birthday. sorry that now im posting this message but im onlt just recovering from all the fun. i had a great birthday, even though everyone kept making cheeky comments about me now being old. im only 22, im still young. hehe. anyway just cause your getting older doesnt mean you cant have fun, right? And i wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted about the con, im so jealous. you lucky things.

I had to pop out to comment

First, so glad you had a wonderful birthday and second, I'll trade your 22 for my 49 any day! I still love to have fun! It really is with how you think. In my mind I'm a young 49 going on 25.
...and to keep on track here,
I can't wait to meet Amanda!

[MajorSam]

However speaking of special features - Amanda said today that she did a commentary for Grace Under Pressure along with Martin Wood and David Hewlitt just recently.

On the topic of that, she also told us the very amusing, imo, story of how she ended up

Spoilers Grace Under Pressure

Spoiler:

in that blue lacy bra in the water

Are comments about this ep still spoilers? I don't even know... i'll put in just in case.

Spoiler:

There were some... technical difficulties with the real costume which was this sexy slinky kinda deal, because when she went into the water, the almost wet-suit type material actually filled up with water and blimped out crazily, in such a way that they couldnt' get it down. Meanwhile they've only two days to film all the water stuff on location in a pool, and they're all totally freaking out over her costume. So Amanda goes to Pete Deluise I think, or whoever was directing that ep and was like "well hey in my mad panic to get to work today I threw in this blue bra thing that might work?" *insert reinactment of her running around picking up the first pair of clean underwear she saw, first socks first pants etc* So she ran off and got it and brought it back and Deluise thought it was totally fantastic, and the costume ppl hinkered a bit with it "it IS lace..." Amanda pointed out.

So she did all the filming and everything but then while watching it to do the commentary for Grace Under Pressure she was like "dear GOD, why did I wear/do that!? I was just a new mom! David, Pete, how could you do that to me you're supossed to be my friends!" she was very amusing in her self-doh'ing kind of way.

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

I can't strongly enough state my agreement about bashing of all kinds. I went away for quite a while, totally turned off that the Mitchell leadership discussion had turned very UN-hic comitas regit. One of the reasons we all love AT/Sam so much is that she is uplifting. Our discussion should be as well. If we keep the topic limited to Sam is a Great Character I have every confidence that the discussion will remain so. With our Queen at its center how can it be otherwise????

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

I had to pop out to comment

First, so glad you had a wonderful birthday and second, I'll trade your 22 for my 49 any day! I still love to have fun! It really is with how you think. In my mind I'm a young 49 going on 25.
...and to keep on track here,
I can't wait to meet Amanda!

HAHA I'll trade my 29
plus
plus
plus yadda!!

[scarimor]

Thanks, Tracy Jane, for responding to my little rant.

I understand why it irks you, ChillinTheMost. I feel the same when someone posts that TPTB only made Sam co-leader to "appease Sam-fans" or somethng similar. I really don't believe that TBTP (writers or SciFi executives) make their decisions based on fans - SciFi are interested in what the regular viewers (who way outnumber fans) will tune in for, and what their advertisers believe they tune in for. Writers are interested in telling the stories they want as much as possible.

The reason I was never comfortable posting on the scifi board was the relentless Sam-bashing that went on there when Vala-fans were campaigning to have her as a regular on Stargate. It annoyed the frak out of me that it was seen by some (not all Vala-fans - I'm one!) as an either/or. I won't go into the blatant sexism implied in that, but apart from the fact that I want Sam and Vala, it should never have been about bashing one character to elevate another.

Sometimes it is quite hard to say what you don't like about a character without fans of that character assuming you're anti - sometimes it's not appropriate to write what you do like for 'balance' at the time because of the context of the thread or discussion. It is only by going to different threads that a better picture can emerge.

[ForeverSg1]

Hello everyone,

Well I finally managed to be able to log on to Gateworld this weekend. Believe me, I really did try but I wasn't as lucky as Tsaxlady. Everytime I tried to post a few comments either the hotel system wasn't working for me or I had trouble logging into Gateworld.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of free time to post my comments about the weekend as I leave for the airport in a few hours and I still need to get dressed, finish packing and eat. I also haven't had time to clean up the photos I took. I wasn't as lucky as Tsax in that I had to sit in row L and my photos aren't that great. I took over 150 photos of Amanda but with the horrible lighting ( I won't go into it now ) and all the great photos of the back of people's heads and their camera's I took...let's just say those numbers were widdled down to only a handful I'd be willing to actually post. I'm hoping I have at least a dozen or so good photos.

Here are a few I have managed to play with a tiny bit. They aren't great, but at least it's something.

I'll try to post more tomorrow as I probably won't be home until 10pm EST. Hopefully these will tide you over till I get home or someone else can post some better quality photos of AT's Q&A.

Con & Brunch Photos

Edit: One comment I will make and I'm not sure if Tsaxlady or MajorSam has made this before, but there is a photo in my slideshow of Amanda and Executive Producer John Smith. He had some really wonderfully sweet things to say about Amanda and what she's meant to the Stargate franchise. Basically he repeated what he has said in the past that Amanda was/is their second next to RDA. I was really happy to hear one of the producers finally come out publically and say how much her presence has helped to make their jobs easier on the show over the past nine years. Hopefully Sony and SCIFI will take these words to heart as well. I don't believe that Amanda IS Stargate, but they would be truly stupid to believe that she wasn't a major asset or the character of Sam is not needed or wanted.

[Skydiver]

i feel the same way. I won't go near a vala/mitch/daniel thread because i've read one too many 'now if we can only get rid of sam' type comments. or there are whole boards i won't go to because they're so anti-sam that i just don't care to waste my time.

a person's mileage may vary on what bashing is, and while i'm certainly not objective, i don't recall seeing as much bashin here as i've seen criticism and issues.

Sam's a big fat ho!! is bashing
'good grief, what the hell was she thinking?' isn't

And i'm not posting this as a mod, i'm posting this as a person. But, as your general poster, i feel like 99% of this board is 'off limits' to me because if you dn't adore vala and cam, well you get told to take your posts and stick it in a lot of places.

which is why I, as a poster, only post in a bare handful of threads.

Now, as a mod i will say, if you see something that you feel is bashing, feel free to report it. However, opinions about teh characters are welcome and are not viewed with the stringent rules that opinions about the actors are

It is perhaps presumptuous to say that ben's role was defined to appease the scapers, especially since we'll never know for sure what scifi's true motivations were. However, from the point of view of a stargate fan, i feel like the show itself has told me to bugger off and go away (in fact, cooper has in a couple of interviews. both he and shanks have said that anyone that doesnt' like s9 needs their heads examined...in not so many words)

I personally feel that Sam has been and will continue to be given short shrift while the two new kids on the block are elevated and promoted, at the expense of the others that created the show that these two new kids are walking into and taking over

Do we need to talk about sam more? sure. she is the topic of the thread. However her relationships with teh other characters are part of it, as well as how arcs featuring those characters will affect her.

As a poster, you try to turn the other cheek, but after a while it gets pretty hard when it's often open season on sam everywhere else on this board but in here.

[ChillinTheMost]

On the topic of that, she also told us the very amusing, imo, story of how she ended up

Spoilers Grace Under Pressure

Spoiler:

in that blue lacy bra in the water

Are comments about this ep still spoilers? I don't even know... i'll put in just in case.

Spoiler:

There were some... technical difficulties with the real costume which was this sexy slinky kinda deal, because when she went into the water, the almost wet-suit type material actually filled up with water and blimped out crazily, in such a way that they couldnt' get it down. Meanwhile they've only two days to film all the water stuff on location in a pool, and they're all totally freaking out over her costume. So Amanda goes to Pete Deluise I think, or whoever was directing that ep and was like "well hey in my mad panic to get to work today I threw in this blue bra thing that might work?" *insert reinactment of her running around picking up the first pair of clean underwear she saw, first socks first pants etc* So she ran off and got it and brought it back and Deluise thought it was totally fantastic, and the costume ppl hinkered a bit with it "it IS lace..." Amanda pointed out.

So she did all the filming and everything but then while watching it to do the commentary for Grace Under Pressure she was like "dear GOD, why did I wear/do that!? I was just a new mom! David, Pete, how could you do that to me you're supossed to be my friends!" she was very amusing in her self-doh'ing kind of way.

Haha! I had heard the part of her being

Spoiler:

shocked by the way she thought she looked after just having a baby and dressing seductively [we're our own worst critics, aren't we?] but I hadn't heard that she supplied and suggested the bra!

Great story. Amanda sounds like such a sweetheart.

[ChillinTheMost]

While I am enjoying the discussion about the boards and fandom, I'll stop because this is the Sam/Amanda thread and I don't want to take it too far off-kilter. I just want to say that I appreciate all the comments and that I appreciate everyone explaining how they feel and not just saying to leave if I don't like it.

[Skydiver]

As a FarScape fan, this contention that Stargate made Ben the leader to make the Scape fans happy really irks me. .

personally i think it has more to do with the fine folks at scifi perpetrating the falsehood that a male MUST be in charge, even if - to the opinion of many - the male is less qualified than a female that happens to be on hand.

add to it the fact that that male is now the star of the show, and it's just a simple perpetration of the fallacy that men lead, females follow

however, that is a discussion for another thread

[Coley]

I also don't know why I keep trying to come back to this thread only to have to leave because of the Mitchell-bashing [not the post I am currently referring to, which I don't consider Mitchell-bashing], but others that I read every time I come here to see what is happening with Amanda/Samantha - which might not be so bad except that they are invariably followed by at least 3 posts supporting the Mitchell-bashing.

I also don't mean the link to the Mary Poppins story, which I thought was quite cute.

To you and all those who have agreed - the discussion about Cameron is quite relevant to this thread as he has taken the place - i.e. SG1 leader - that many of us (not all of us) feel should have been Sam's. Thus I think it is very relevant as to whether he is a good or bad leader. Stating your opinion on this matter isn't bashing. It is stating an opinion. I want him to be a good leader, but from what I have seen I think he is a very poor leader, very poor indeed - I do think he has been written as quite immature - that is my honest analysis. This annoys me as I think Sam would make a much better leader. For me the Sam/Cameron issue is for this thread if Sam fans want to discuss it. Hopefully no one will be mean spirited about Cameron, and honest critique should be accepted even if it is not agreed with

As for Vala Yes I have stated my very strong opinions about her also, this is a character who will reduce Sam's time on the show and again I would prefer her to be a great character, IMO she isn't. If people on this thread wish to mention Vala in any way- especially a positive way I too should be able to put my thoughts about her on the thread. I think I have given my reasons for not liking Vala which go beyond matters of Stargate and are mainly related to how men want to portray women on sci fi shows. I would have hoped most females out there would stick together on this issue because of the wider ramifications - which for me are more important than SG1.

To conclude the introduction of Cam and Vala have significantly altered Sam's position both in SG1 and on the show in general. Why should members of this thread not be allowed to say if they think the characters are worthy of reducing Sam's role and potential position as team leader or not?

[Strix varia]

While I am enjoying the discussion about the boards and fandom, I'll stop because this is the Sam/Amanda thread and I don't want to take it too far off-kilter. I just want to say that I appreciate all the comments and that I appreciate everyone explaining how they feel and not just saying to leave if I don't like it.

Hey Chillin... I suppose I'm one of those people who have said negative things about Mitchell, and I apologize if I stepped over the line into bashing. I try to keep most of my negativity to the anti-threads, but if I slipped up, I'm sorry.

I don't think they gave Ben the leadership position to bring in Farscape fans. They would have accomplished that by bringing him to the show in any capacity (and I'm sure that it was a very deliberate strategy on their part). I think they gave Ben the leadership role because they wanted a leading MAN. It's studio politics/sexism, and if they had written the same backstory for ANY actor, I would have had issues with it. I think AT/Carter could have led SG-1 successfully and the ratings wouldn't have hurt. TPTB felt differently. It's hard not to express my displeasure with this without criticizing the choices they made in terms of the characters as presented.

For what it's worth, it doesn't matter who they got to play the role, I would have had problems with the way they handled it and wrote the character. It's a writing and directing issue, not an acting/actor issue. Does that make sense? Does it make a difference?

*hugs*