Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Lizlove]

Spoiler:

People who would watch the show if it's on, but who wouldn't be chatting about it online, going to conventions, buying DVDs, etc. I'd say that the online fanbase makes up a very small percentage of the total number of people who watch the show.

Spoiler:

Yeah. You're right but it still stays the same for me. What I said at the beginning. The newbies Vala and Mitchell certainly angered some people so fans feel as left out as the older characters. But that's TPTB fault. They wanted to introduce so many new characters. They should have known something would have gone wrong. And if they took the risk to lose fans then... it's their problem. Although it's sad and dejecting for a lot of fans.

[ReganX]

Spoiler:

Yeah. You're right but it still stays the same for me. What I said at the beginning. The newbies Vala and Mitchell certainly angered some people so fans feel as left out as the older characters. But that's TPTB fault. They wanted to introduce so many new characters. They should have known something would have gone wrong. And if they took the risk to lose fans then... it's their problem. Although it's sad and dejecting for a lot of fans.

Spoiler:

I think it's not that they introduced new characters so much as how they introduced them. They didn't try to fit them into the show, they changed the show to accomodate them and devoted a disproportionate amount of screentime to the new characters.

[scarimor]

That's how I understood things, too, DEM. In the original movie there weren't even any hints at O'Neill being a pilot. But later, in the series, he had to be the cool jet-jockey all-around air-force hero. I was always blown away by the seeming double-standard; that is, folks would pick on Sam as being presented as too good at too many things, but then Jack's repertoire just grew and grew - and it was apparently OK, because he was the main male hero of the show. He was the ultimate Black Ops hero soldier, later he becomes a top-notch pilot/jet-jockey, they throw in the motorcycle in a throw away line in Season 9 (cuz he's manly, of course, he's got one too), he's the Asgard's hope for the future of their race (and they clone him and put a marker in his genes), he's got the rare Ancient gene, he's a marksman of sniper caliber... anything I've left out?

He gets Teh Carter.

Well maybe, maybe not, maybe 'not exactly'.

[minigeek]

He gets Teh Carter.

Well maybe, maybe not, maybe 'not exactly'.

Jealous?

[astrogeologist]

He gets Teh Carter.

Well maybe, maybe not, maybe 'not exactly'.

Teh?

[Lizlove]

Spoiler:

I think it's not that they introduced new characters so much as how they introduced them. They didn't try to fit them into the show, they changed the show to accomodate them and devoted a disproportionate amount of screentime to the new characters.

Spoiler:

But there's no good way to introduce a character so that everyone would like it. And especially not 3 new ones. Because of that people got the feeling it became the Vala/Mitchell show. I don't even see why they needed them in the first place. They did good in S8 without them did they not?

[scarimor]

I don't know why it's in spoiler tags but I'll just go with the flow...

Spoiler:

I think it's not that they introduced new characters so much as how they introduced them. They didn't try to fit them into the show, they changed the show to accomodate them and devoted a disproportionate amount of screentime to the new characters.

Spoiler:

I think what they're doing, with Cameron at least, is making the mistake of trying to play catch-up. They think they haven't got time to show us his development (because development takes, uh, time) but they want him on a par with characters who've had 8 years of it, so they're throwing as much screen-time at him as possible, and often falling into the trap of telling us what and who he is rather than showing us.

That doesn't happen with Vala - the character has featured a lot in the early part of season 9 (when AT was unavailable) but they didn't make the mistake of telling us, telling us, telling us - they showed. True some viewers (not me ) don't like what they showed, but that's another issue.

Cameron is, unfortunately, a classic example of a character that most should find likeable, some should find loveable, and everyone should at least find inoffensive. The short-cut writing show-cases him to his own detriment as well as to the side-lining of others like Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. Shunting him into Sam's position as the SG-1 leader is only one easily identifable part of that and an example of a wider malaise re. his introduction... which is a real shame. *head-desk*!

[minigeek]

Long, creaky, shakey, thin plank of hope. Stop shaking my twig! Hey, you with the hacksaw - back away!

Yeah, I know how you feel, astro. Me too. But the way I look at it, if I don't think it's going to get any better, I might as well just stop watching now - or one has to wonder what my deal is, watching it even though I don't think it's good and don't think it'll ever get better, lol - it's hope based on necessity, rather than a reall solid tangible reality. I WANT it to get better, and hey, I'll cling to any morsel or crumb towards that end I can find.

Hugs,
mg

[ReganX]

Spoiler:

But there's no good way to introduce a character so that everyone would like it. And especially not 3 new ones. Because of that people got the feeling it became the Vala/Mitchell show. I don't even see why they needed them in the first place. They did good in S8 without them did they not?

Spoiler:

Look at how Jonas was introduced in "Meridian" and in the first two episodes of Season Six - he played a part in "Meridian" but the story was about Daniel and how his suffering and the prospect of losing him was affecting those around him. "Redemption, Parts 1 and 2" alluded to Jonas' feelings over Daniel's death and his wish to join SG-1 but at the same timewe saw Sam working with McKay to save the world from an exploding stargate, Jack risking his life in the same cause and Teal'c, Bra'tac and Rya'c on their own mission. Season Six featured Jonas, but it was never about Jonas. He had his stories, but so did the other characters.

Season Nine struck me as being very much "The Mitchell Show". Unlike Season Six, there was little material for those who weren't fans of the new characters. Making Mitchell the star and the leader was a huge mistake.

As you say, new characters may not have been needed, but the show could have benefitted from their inclusion, had it been done differently - personally, I would have only introduced Landry's character in Season Nine, and allowed the audience (and the characters) to adjust to a new general, maybe including Vala in a few episodes if absolutely necessary and then brought Mitchell in as a major in Season Ten.

In fairness, Vala wasn't as big a problem as Mitchell, but I definitely think that she should have been toned down considerably.

Perhaps motherhood will mature her somewhat.

[astrogeologist]

Soooo... at the risk of descending into total GUTTERLAND this morning...

If YOU could inhabit SAMANTHA CARTER'S MIND & BODY for ONE DAY, that's 24 FULL HOURS, what would YOU DO? What WOULD you do? Mind you, this is a PG message board, people!!!!



mini(the severely twisted)geek

I would...

• Go through the stargate - several times; I like roller coasters – and I love the idea of traveling across the stars, going to new planets, etc. But first, I’d just have fun playing with the Stargate, going through the event horizon and riding the wormhole. I liked that Scifi commercial last year or so where they showed a woman coming home and finding her garage door was an event horizon – and then she gets this cool adventurous (Kawabanga) look on her face and she guns the engine and dives into the wormhole with her car. You Go Girl!

• Pilot a jet and/or an X302 (if you can use Carter’s brains, I’m going to say that I get to use her abilities to pilot)

• Take her motorcycle out on a muddy track and run it over some small hillocks – and catch some air!

• Give Jacob a hug (if I get to be Carter for a day, then her Dad’s still alive!!!!)

• Dig all of her medals and citations out of whatever drawers she’s tossed them carelessly into and put them onto her dress uniform for her (she must be too interested in some cool doohickeys to remember where she’s left them, because most of them aren’t currently on her uniform – and can’t she get in trouble for that? So I’d be saving her from a reprimand)

• Float in space/walk in space
(originally majorsal’s idea, but I like it and am stealing it)


• See what I could do with one of the healing devices… and maybe any other Goa’uld or Tokra tech that I could find

• See if the AU mirror was really destroyed - and I hope it wasn't. I'd love to play around with it and see what the possibilities in the other AU's were.

• Use Sam's brilliance to work on how the extra chevrons on the gate work and what/where the gate can connect

…still thinking…

*credits: the Carter pilot gif is by ForeverSG-1 and the Astronaut Sam gif is by scarimor

[Lizlove]

Spoiler:

Look at how Jonas was introduced in "Meridian" and in the first two episodes of Season Six - he played a part in "Meridian" but the story was about Daniel and how his suffering and the prospect of losing him was affecting those around him. "Redemption, Parts 1 and 2" alluded to Jonas' feelings over Daniel's death and his wish to join SG-1 but at the same timewe saw Sam working with McKay to save the world from an exploding stargate, Jack risking his life in the same cause and Teal'c, Bra'tac and Rya'c on their own mission. Season Six featured Jonas, but it was never about Jonas. He had his stories, but so did the other characters.

Season Nine struck me as being very much "The Mitchell Show". Unlike Season Six, there was little material for those who weren't fans of the new characters. Making Mitchell the star and the leader was a huge mistake.

As you say, new characters may not have been needed, but the show could have benefitted from their inclusion, had it been done differently - personally, I would have only introduced Landry's character in Season Nine, and allowed the audience (and the characters) to adjust to a new general, maybe including Vala in a few episodes if absolutely necessary and then brought Mitchell in as a major in Season Ten.

In fairness, Vala wasn't as big a problem as Mitchell, but I definitely think that she should have been toned down considerably.

Perhaps motherhood will mature her somewhat.

Spoiler:

Jonas is'nt the same as Mitchell. He already had a big part in Daniel's death that we were aware of. Not Mitchell who just came along. We knew about his role in Antarctica when it was too late. Has they showed him during the fight then I think that it would have been taken better by the watchers.
Jonas was a good introduction because it was done well. They thought it out. But with the 3 new characters I guess they had too much running through their mind. And maybe they knew Jonas wasn't staying for more then a year so considered him mostly as a 'side' character.

Like you say, Landry would have been enough. They needed a new general anyway. But a new leader for SG1??? No way!

Vala wasn't necesary IMO because her attitude with Daniel is... annoying.

[ShimmeringStar]

Yeah, I know how you feel, astro. Me too. But the way I look at it, if I don't think it's going to get any better, I might as well just stop watching now - or one has to wonder what my deal is, watching it even though I don't think it's good and don't think it'll ever get better, lol - it's hope based on necessity, rather than a reall solid tangible reality. I WANT it to get better, and hey, I'll cling to any morsel or crumb towards that end I can find.

Hugs,
mg

(((((mg)))))

I think that's how many of us feel. Hope springs eternal.

[scarimor]

Jealous?

You bet your sweet patootie!

[scarimor]

Teh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teh

[ReganX]

Spoiler:

Jonas is'nt the same as Mitchell. He already had a big part in Daniel's death that we were aware of. Not Mitchell who just came along. We knew about his role in Antarctica when it was too late. Has they showed him during the fight then I think that it would have been taken better by the watchers.
Jonas was a good introduction because it was done well. They thought it out. But with the 3 new characters I guess they had too much running through their mind. And maybe they knew Jonas wasn't staying for more then a year so considered him mostly as a 'side' character.

Like you say, Landry would have been enough. They needed a new general anyway. But a new leader for SG1??? No way!

Vala wasn't necesary IMO because her attitude with Daniel is... annoying.

Spoiler:

What I don't get is why they didn't mention Mitchell earlier - weren't TPTB trying to sign Ben Browder while making Season Eight? A reference or two to visits to the hospital, a pilot from the battle over Antarctica, would have paved the way for Mitchell a little and, had Season Eight been the last, the mysterious pilot would just have been a tiny mystery.