Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[ChillinTheMost]

from my point of view, yes it was protocol in the beginning. Sam did what was expected of her.

but i think, as the years went on, jack wouldn't have cared if she'd have called him jack as the appropriate times - off world, off duty, etc.

but i think that she chose to keep it 'colonel' or 'sir' just as he chose to keep it 'carter'

he, being the ranking officer, could certaily have called her by her first name from the beginning...but again i think they went with protocol then chose to stay with it

Do you think just as habit or as maybe to keep that little bit of distance that would help them keep their relationship "professional"? You know, they have this attraction for each other but using first names would be bringing down just one more wall that they need to keep from acting on what they feel is forbidden?

[scarimor]

As promised (not that people are particularly interested)

Hey, I am! Thank you, those caps are great. AT is so much fun. And damned pretty, yeah.

[the dancer of spaz]

Do you think just as habit or as maybe to keep that little bit of distance that would help them keep their relationship "professional"? You know, they have this attraction for each other but using first names would be bringing down just one more wall that they need to keep from acting on what they feel is forbidden?

That does seem to be how it's been interpreted, which was probably helped along by those moments in D&C and BtS. It makes sense to me. Kawalski called Jack by his first name all the time, but then again, there wasn't that hot, burning passion simmering to the surface whenever he addressed him.

... Or maybe there was, I dunno.

[ChillinTheMost]

yes?

Oh, who am I kidding? This is ParadoxRealities we're talking about! It could mean "pushes a slash at" for all I know!

[ChillinTheMost]

That does seem to be how it's been interpreted, which was probably helped along by those moments in D&C and BtS. It makes sense to me. Kawalski called Jack by his first name all the time, but then again, there wasn't that hot, burning passion simmering to the surface whenever he addressed him.

... Or maybe there was, I dunno.

Oh, lordy, there goes another thread...

[the dancer of spaz]

Oh, lordy, there goes another thread...

I'm sure there are Jackalski fans out there.

[stargate barbie]

That does seem to be how it's been interpreted, which was probably helped along by those moments in D&C and BtS. It makes sense to me. Kawalski called Jack by his first name all the time, but then again, there wasn't that hot, burning passion simmering to the surface whenever he addressed him.
... Or maybe there was, I dunno.

What? Are you BLIND!?! how do you think he got killed off? obviously sam sabataged the mission to ensure he wouldn't survive the next two episodes!

[stargate barbie]

I finally figured out what the next Stargate spin-off is going to be!

*AHEM*

excuse me? whats wrong with being a stargate barbie? *taps foot impatiently*

(i know this is supposed a joke, but i'm actually tempted to ask if i can use it in my sig it's so me! )

[SG1Poz]

I'm having a Sam Carter appreciation morning. And I'm shamelessly OK with that. LOL ACTUALLY... I'm rendering out some stuff and so I have about a half hour to kill here, and I figured what better way than to sign on and say something about SAM.

The thing about Carter that I adore in terms of her character for television (and which I just explained to one of my colleagues here), is that she's somehow managed to jump the bar on a character "type" (if you will), that normally ends up either:

* an over-the-top version of "I am woman, hear me roar and get the hell outta my way because I have more ISSUES than you have ideas..." feminist cliche [See "Starbuck" in BSG - sorry BSG fans ]

OR

* an under-the-top scientific genius / total social outcast lacking any social/interpersonal skills [See Dr. Temperance Brennan in BONES - sorry BONES fans ]

But Sam Carter is NEITHER of those extremes. Regardless of how abysmally the last season of SG-1 has played out, I do have to tip my acknowledgement to the writing team for engendering her character to begin with, smoothing out those cliche potentials and coming up (copiously assisted by Amanda) with a character who rings not only believable, but real.

Sam Carter is a (beautiful) woman, a (likely certified) genius, a (stand-up) soldier, and a psychological conundrum who (all things considered) could far more easily have turned into someone's ill-conceived Mary Sue than she might have become what she DID turn into - a guilelessly visceral female role model.

Quite frankly, I honestly admit that I'd never have given much credence to a television writingteam's ability to come up with such a character to BEGIN WITH, nevermind provide nearly a decade of her, in such a strong, well balanced light. Of course, Amanda played no small role in that development, either. She's the lifeforce behind Sam Carter. But there is a lot to be said for dodging the status-quo where the Carter character is concerned, and I think credit is due all around therein.

I'm certainly a tough audience to please when it comes to my "strong" female characters. Because far too often, the role is distorted, overcompensated for, and made glaringly fictional.

Before I 'met' Sam Carter, if anyone had told me they were writing a character who was:

* a genius
* a pilot
* a soldier (and a good one)
* proficient in high level hand-to-hand combat
* a physicist (PhD)
* a mechanical engineer
* an afficionado of motor sports and classic cycles
* drop dead gorgeous

I'd have said... "Oh yeah, that'll come out looking real."

But... Sam Carter DOES. She IS. Somehow, Amanda and the writers have managed to convince even me of the fact that not only can such a character exist in good narrative, she can grow (because lets face it, she started out pretty damn 'special' to begin with). They've convinced me that she's got flaws, that those flaws aren't huge and overstated to the point where they take over her life and make her into an emotionally unbalanced (necessarily loose-canon), but that she (like any other 'normal' person might choose to) deals with her issues on a case by case basis, and many of them emerge to surprise even HER.

I'm still surprised each time I watch an episode that features her character, at how MUCh they packed into a single soul, and yet how little it seems to affect her persona in any cliche sense.

That, to me is the biggest reason that Sam Carter is a great character. Because she raises the bar - without question. Because she's a hero without resorting to insanity or imbalance. Because she makes mistakes, and has to learn from them. Because she doesn't embody a burlesque. And because she tackles each of her fictional challenges from a Human perspective, despite the scientist in her, despite the soldier. Through the Sam Carter character, Amanda and the writers have engendered a personality (albeit a fictional entitity) who embodies both strength and femininity, not to mention the kind of down-to-earth rationale vis-a-vis problem-solving that we might all hope to achieve in ourselves. Perhaps despite all of that, she still comes across as real. I've said it before and I'll say it again:

SAM CARTER IS THE BEST DAMN FEMALE CHARACTER ON TELEVISION TODAY.

In my books at least, that is no small basket of potatoes to lay claim to.


mini(the unashamed Sam Carter fangurl)geek



-

Hey Mini! Thanks for translating for me !

[Mandysg1]

Hey guys. We were discussing in another thread, when Sam might reach full bird colonel (as she'll apparently be eligible this next year)

It got me to thinking ... I know this might be a silly shipper thing to say but ... I always thought it'd be so poignant and so awesome if Jack had pinned his own silver oak leaves on Sam. But maybe he could use his own bird when she takes full bird. Not that they'd show us that - I just thought it'd be such a great, emotive moment. Because I think Sam has always admired and respected Jack so much, it would mean such a huge amount to her to have him give her his own jewlery.

Hey - any fic author want to write a short scene/story around that? I'll take Lt Col, or ficticious full bird (future) Col ...

It could be written so many ways. If you don't buy into the ship, it'd just make a really powerful friendship moment. If you DO buy into the ship, well then I (personally) would wonder how much it'd mean from that angle, too.

*sigh* I'm all nostalgic tonight.

Okay mini I worked my fingers to the bone and finally finished the fic you asked for

and some others patiently waited for *cough* astro *cough*

I hope it's what you wanted
Repercussions

The only warning is some violence and angst.

[Mandysg1]

*AHEM*

excuse me? whats wrong with being a stargate barbie? *taps foot impatiently*

(i know this is supposed a joke, but i'm actually tempted to ask if i can use it in my sig it's so me! )

And which one would be you

[SG1Poz]

Well put.

Sam is at the center of my Stargate Universe, too. For all the reasons Mini so beautifully outlined in her post. If my first introduction to SG1 hadn't been a pretty Samtastic episode, I doubt I would have turned in a second time. (Despite the fact that RDA is one mighty fine looking man.) And as much as I have enjoyed the storylines, the Goa'uld and Replicator arcs; as wonderful as I felt the team interaction was, way back when, it's Sam that made SG1 "must see tv" for me. It's Sam's presense that had me coming back in Season 9 when my mighty fine RDA was gone, and the team interactions felt like nil, and the writing was, to me, sub-par with the plots driving characterization, and so much telling and not enough showing going around. But Sam had me turning in every week, and will have me turning in during season 10 as well.

It's the character of Sam-her wisdom, her strength, her integrity, her intelligence, her thrill seeking streak, her ability to balance right with rules, defiance, with honor, and her ability to be sexy without being ott with it that has made me a fan of Stargate SG1-not just a viewer.

So-Here's to Sam! In all her many faceted glory.




And Sky-I'm still thinking on Season 7

Cheers!

[SG1Poz]

from my point of view, yes it was protocol in the beginning. Sam did what was expected of her.

but i think, as the years went on, jack wouldn't have cared if she'd have called him jack as the appropriate times - off world, off duty, etc.

but i think that she chose to keep it 'colonel' or 'sir' just as he chose to keep it 'carter'

he, being the ranking officer, could certaily have called her by her first name from the beginning...but again i think they went with protocol then chose to stay with it

What do you think Jack was feeling when Sam woke up and called him "Jack" in Grace? He was obviously surprised but could he have been pulling rank with his "Excuse me?" ...or do you think if she continued calling him Jack while laying there he would have considered it a personnal matter and ignored the lack of rank in the SGC infirmary?

[ReganX]

What do you think Jack was feeling when Sam woke up and called him "Jack" in Grace? He was obviously surprised but could he have been pulling rank with his "Excuse me?" ...or do you think if she continued calling him Jack while laying there he would have considered it a personnal matter and ignored the lack of rank in the SGC infirmary?

I think Sam caught him off guard. Had she ever called him Jack before, aside from in Antarctica? The last time Sam addressed him as Jack while lying in an infirmary bed, she was from another reality. The "Excuse me?" struck me as a reflex, he was surprised rather than reminding her of formalities.

Of course, this ended up being rather unfortunate. I wonder how it would have turned out had he hadn't said it.

[stargate barbie]

And which one would be you

well if i have a choice i'll be the real purdy blonde one on the left! but sadly i'm neither. i'm the brown haired one whose image doesn't show up on film.