Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[majorsal]

there are also times, i think, when sam is the victim of the need to 'drama' the show.

the script says 'tight shot on sam's face as the music swells and fade to black'

it's a scene to illustrate 'oh fudge, are we in trouble, what will we do now'....and it can be seen as 'sam doesn't know what to do' when it's just a typical editing/writing technique

i've read, more than once, that amanda was a good person/actor to turn to in these situations (close ups), because she *always* did a good job, even when the focus wasn't on her as a performer.

super groovy amanda.




sally

[Bekah See]

which she didn't do *on purpose*. she was trying very hard to have a normal life, getting mixed signals from jack, and being pushed too fast by pete. sam came to some realizations slowly, but she made them and tried her best. hurting anyone wasn't her intentions. she is human, just like the rest of us.

and keep in mind this was her first "real" relationship since that dude she was engaged to that ended up having a god-complex. she doesn't have a lot of experience with this, which is why she was challenging herself in "Grace". intimite, personal relationships are definitely one of her weaknesses. Not friendships, like with her team, mind you, but intimite relationships. One of the reasons, I believe, why she never actually said anything to Jack. She's scared witless.

i was thinking she was so touchy regarding mckay's 'ideas' because mckay was such a jerk to her from the very start.

but i just can't see the arrogance, and i'm really trying to consider it.

sally

I agree. If someone came up to her privately, or even in public, and humbly "suggested" some changes or ideas that he/she had to improve the system, I think she'd be willing to look at it and discuss it. McKay was being a jerk and insulted her in front of her superiors. I would have reacted the same way she did under such rudeness.

Every time she's been in charge, she fails to show a poker face—she makes it clear whenever a decision is difficult for her and so fails to come off as confident, which just encourages argument. Even on Atlantis, she occasionally has that pained look of making a difficult decision. Compare this to other good leaders, who clearly think carefully over each decision, but always show themselves as firm in their decision. Sam often comes across more wishy washy, though not totally so, of course. People follow best leaders who are firm without being aggressive, as shown by how people respond to Sam in the show. Again, I can't bring up a good solid example because it's in small doses over many many episodes, and may even be just an interpretation of some scenes.

This is very true, but if it weren't, if Sam all of a sudden became a stone faced "my way or the highway" kind of person, it would have been totally OOC for her. The directors looked to her (well, Amanda, anyway) for "reaction shots" whenever something important was said or revealed. So, as a result, Sam has always been reactive, and shows what she's thinking. Just because she's all of a sudden a leader doesn't mean that's gonna change. Does that disqualify her as a good leader? I don't know.

*edit* dang, sky and majorsal beat me to the point!

Also, this too is a new thing for her. She's in a learning curve and will make mistakes. She slipped in Trio and talked down on Zelenka, then realized her slip and tried to cover it. I can totally relate to that, but it's a definite no-no for someone in a leadership role. She's learning. The poker face will come in time. But she does have the experience, the smarts, and the heart to become a good leader.

well, amanda is contracted to be in another episode. she was signed for 2 for season 5

Isn't she in #1 and 2?

I would agree that Sam doesn't always have a poker face, but I don't agree with her coming across wishy washy. I did have a slight problem on Atlantis

Spoiler:

when she confided in Shepard that it was a hard decision to send her people into danger, though she wouldn't have hesitated to go herself

the problem there, imho, was that the writers wanted the audience (particularly those who didn't know Sam?) to know that,(and imho the feeling was natural) but in order to get that across they had her tell a subordinate, whom she didn't know well. So I can see how it could be interpreted as looking bad for Sam. Of course who else was there to tell? No Teal'c or Daniel available. Dear Diary?

She could have told Teal'c before she left, or Lee while she was in transit to Atlantis. And I was gonna say something else too, but it seems to have slipped from the sieve I call my brain...

[Skydiver]

she's only in #1 and, as of AT3, had no idea what her second episode would be

it will end up depending on sanctuary and her availability

[jz9]

There's a "movie" definition???? Actually, I just used the english definitions found in dictionaries like
"offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride"
and
"overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors"

I have a question for the people on the thread - how many of you actually work in either a scientific or technical area where you are and/or deal with people with high IQ's and who often actively engage in discussions/arguments in order to resolve complex problems?

*raises my hand*

Why I ask is because I think some people are confusing the natural process of arguing/thinking through a complex problem with two or more people and the "I'm right, you're wrong, nyah, nyah, nyah" stance of arrogance. Uggh, well that was as clear as mud!!

Arguing isn't arrogance, it's part of the process of breaking down the problem until a solution is found. As is listening to what the other person/people say and either confirming, questioning or countering their points. You always argue from the point of view that what you are saying is right otherwise the process simply doesn't work. But what you do do is constantly refine and modify what is put forward from everyone until a workable result is achieved. This process can be very loud and heated (which is why I think we were always assigned the sound proof meeting room the last time I worked at a large computing bureau).

Arrogance comes in when you dismiss or belittle other people like McKay does with his peers or when you don't modify your point when it is proven (the operative word being proven) false or faulty. The act of disagreeing or arguing or believing you are right in and of itself isn't arrogance.

Now I have seen Sam think she is right and I've seen her argue heatedly but I have never seen her give an "offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride" or have an attitude of "overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors". McKay, yes. Sam, no; not even in 48 Hours. I did see Sam display some juvenile jabs at McKay in that episode but not what is defined as arrogance in the dictionaries.

MerryK I think our differing opinions stems from two areas
1 - what the definition of arrogance is
and
2 - a differing perspective of what scientists/techs do or should do to resolve complex problems in group situations, what you seem to perceive as arrogance I see as a natural part of the problem solving process.

Well said.

[jz9]

I would agree that Sam doesn't always have a poker face, but I don't agree with her coming across wishy washy. I did have a slight problem on Atlantis

Spoiler:

when she confided in Shepard that it was a hard decision to send her people into danger, though she wouldn't have hesitated to go herself

the problem there, imho, was that the writers wanted the audience (particularly those who didn't know Sam?) to know that,(and imho the feeling was natural) but in order to get that across they had her tell a subordinate, whom she didn't know well. So I can see how it could be interpreted as looking bad for Sam. Of course who else was there to tell? No Teal'c or Daniel available. Dear Diary?

I do not have a problem with Sam talking to John. It was a huge decision which could have potentially doomed the entire city to ruins. It was natural and wise of her to confide in John, especially when she probably saw him as her equal. My boss bounces idea off me too, I do not see weakness in his doing so, but see strength instead - an arrogant boss would have been too afraid of losing face.

In "Revelation", Hammon told Sam his story of a friend pilot, which showed his tender understanding. In "Heroes 2", he implied to Sam that he was closer to some of his subordinates more than others. Is it really right for him to say that to a subordinate? Probably not. However it didn't bother me at all, because his utterance had shown me his humanity.

[Skydiver]

in some ways, i think sam sees john less as a subordinant and more of a compatriot.

she IS the boss. but she also knows that he's logged a LOT more peggy galaxy time than she has, so she acknowledges his experience

[Skydiver]

in some ways, i think sam sees john less as a subordinant and more of a compatriot.

she IS the boss. but she also knows that he's logged a LOT more peggy galaxy time than she has, so she acknowledges his experience

[jz9]

Yeah, exactly!

[Nolamom]

Amanda is da bomb!
Special Daisies for Deejay

[MerryK]

Great question on Sam and arrogance - and thank you to those who posted definitions.

I guess arrogance is a part of the following behavioral spectrum:

soiling yourself > under-confidence > confidence > over-confidence > arrogance > God complex.

I think Sam has been over-confident a couple times - Gemini and Red Sky come to mind, but she also had many more instances of working well with others, actually underestimating herself or blaming herself for problems she did not create (Solitudes). She accepted partial blame when she and Felger made the gate system ill with a virus, and blamed herself for the replicator problems created by the end of Gemini.

You know, over-confident is probably a better definition than arrogance. I don't see arrogance as much more negative than over-confidence, but I think it puts off most people. Also, I'm getting a wee bit frustrated by this "Yes she does, but..." Of course! That's exactly how people in real life are, a mixture of successes and failings even in the same area. But we can admit someone's failing in real life without qualifying it with something positive...can't we do that here too?


This discussion got me thinking about characters in other fandoms who were similar to Sam and how fans treated them...any Firefly fans here? Sam reminds me a lot of Simon Tam from that show—very brilliant to the point of being rather unrealistic in their general area of expertise, very well aware of it (while also being humble in many cases), and pretty much his only mistakes coming from issues with forming romantic relationships. Except in the Firefly fandom, Simon is pretty much dismissed as a character because of his mixture of brilliance, confidence, and lack of romantic success.

[LilFerret]

Confident? and rightly so?

ah, there you go...ok - I can safely say that Sam has never been overbearing or assuming, nor has she had any pretensions to superior importance. Duly noted!

*searches for a better word*

Bravado...that's a better word.

I must admit that my first immediate snarky thought when I read that someone thought that Sam was arrogant was "Nuh Uh!! Go read the dictionary - you'll find McKay's mug shot not Sam's!!" but then I got to thinking about what other people were seeing and I got really curious.

LMAO Great minds think alike. I was just about to go look in the dictionary too, because never ever in 11 years, have I seen even a hint of arrogance in Sam...I wouldn't say she had 'supreme' self-confidence either. IMO, she questioned herself too many times. I would agree she does have self-confidence for it to be 'supreme' though.

Depending on whether we're still referring to The Light or not...the word changes. LOL

In The Light? INSUBORDINATE...plain and simple, heh!

[NearlyCircular]

The latest issue of the official Stargate magazine is mostly devoted to the new movie, Stargate: Continuum, and I have to say that after reading it, I’m really excited. It sounds like it’s going to be great. The magazine has the following interview with Amanda, written by Bryan Cairns. I put it into spoilers because there’s quite a bit of information about the movie. There are also references to Atlantis and Sanctuary. I’ll put the non-movie parts in another post, so you can read those without being spoiled for the movie if you prefer.

First up is a picture of the first page of the article, spoilers for size.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Question: Stargate: The Ark of Truth is still fresh in everyone's minds - do you prefer those continuity-heavy stories or the more stand-alone ones like Stargate: Continuum?

AT: In a way, I think I prefer the stand-alones because it feels like a whole new adventure. They both have their place. Stargate: The Ark of Truth made so much sense for wrapping up 10 years of the show. It was the right way to do it, and wrapped up the storyline beautifully. It was important for the fans that we finished that thread and it served a purpose. And it was done well, with a big budget and huge effects. The next one we shot was Stargate:
Continuum which felt like an early Stargate SG-1 episode, like a team episode. We still dig into the mythology in Stargate: Continuum because you can't help but do that; we have so much of it. I do kind of prefer the stand-alones though.

Question: Stargate: Continuum throws the SG-1 team into an alternate reality. Where does Carter find herself?

AT: Along with Daniel and Mitchell, Carter finds herself in a reality where nobody believes them initially, where they are tossed aside and told to live these quiet unassuming lives and not to contact each other. It's a very lonely reality they find themselves thrown into. Then all of a sudden we have the classic, "I told you so" moment, and then it's high adventure. But, there is an interesting point Beau Bridges' character makes which is, we keep saying, "We have to go back and change the time line! We have to go back and change the timeline!" and he says, "My God! That is so arrogant! Who is to say your timeline is any more important than this one? You do that and you change the lives of millions of people. How dare you?" It is a bit of a reality check where you go, "Oh yeah! Still, the aliens are coming! We have to do something!"

Question: Daniel has to deal with losing a leg, while Mitchell meets his grandfather. Is there a personal arc for Sam too?

AT: Not in that sense, no. What felt most poignant to me in the playing of it was leaving her comfort zone. It's a very short section of the movie where they are tossed into this reality where Sam can't talk about astrophysics; do any of the things she is good at, be involved in any of those things, or be in touch with the people she knows and loves. It's this, "Oh man. Without my work or friends, what do I have?"


Question: By now, most people know you filmed scenes in the Arctic. When it was initially mentioned, did you have any reservations at all?

AT: Initially, no. I was like, "The Arctic. Oh my God! What a fantastic idea! Oh wow! An adventure of a lifetime!" Then we had this briefing that lasted about four or five hours where Barry Campbell, who initially brought the idea to the Stargate producers, and his associate, went through all that could go wrong up there, and the very real and possible dangers that we were facing. By the end of the meeting, I was like, "Wow. This suddenly seems a little different." It is an adventure, but the anticipation before going up - we really didn't know what to expect. Meeting at the airport with this very small rag tag crew looking at each other with wide eyes going, "Oh my gosh! What are we doing?" For me, one of the defining moments was in Prudhoe Bay, which is your last stop on land before you fly out over the frozen ocean. We had to suit up into full Arctic gear in case the plane crashed. You're not allowed on the plane unless you have everything, and your pack has been checked. The plane took off and we started going over open water very quickly and then over the frozen ice. I had this moment of, "There is no turning back now. This is it Tapping. You just have to give into this adventure." So all the fear and anxiety melted away because, "I'm on the plane, the plane is going to the ice camp, so suck it up." ! would love the opportunity to do it again, because there are so many things I would do differently. I would pack a lot less and know where to put my packs so my toothpaste doesn't freeze. It's all the stupid little mistakes you make that are tragically inconvenient. You just don't think of these things. You go to put your boots on and they're frozen because of the floor. You soon learn all the tricks.

Question: The cold there must be unbearable. Did it ever get to the stage where it was hard to focus on acting or did that just enhance the performances?

AT: Well, for the most part, it enhanced them, but there was one moment where we were shooting and it was incredibly windy. With the wind chill factor, I don't even know if they could gauge exactly how cold it was. It was about minus 58 when we set out with the wind whipping at our backs. Ben and I were in this 1940s Arctic gear where the exterior is canvas, which after two hours starts to break down with the wind whipping at it and the ice pelting at it so much. You begin to feel a draft a little bit on your back even though you're wearing fleeces and silks underneath. One time I was really cold and turned to Ben and said, "Are you feeling it now?" and he said, "Yeah, this is cold!" We had to do this talking scene where we run into O'Neill for the first time and it's like "Wooooo ... cold." Then it's, "Who is on the first snowmobile back to camp? I hate to be a wimp here but …" When the submarine surfaced, it took a long time for that to happen. We were on the ice for a very long time. All in all, it totally enhanced the performance. You start to think outside of yourself after a while.

Question: During the Arctic trip, was there a specific 'pinch me' moment?

AT: I'm telling you, there were dozens of 'pinch me' moments! One of them was when the submarine finally surfaced and it hit the mark exactly right. It's this astoundingly majestic thing; when you hear the ice start to crack, and then the submarine surfaces with this noise. Ben and I did this long helicopter shot, so we were tossed way, way out onto the ice and we were on our own. First of all, it could be anyone walking; it didn't need to be actors necessarily but Ben and I were like, "Damn straight we're doing this." There was a moment I said, "No one has walked here before, Ben." And he was like, "And nobody will ever walk here again. How lucky are we?" It's an ice sculpture garden you're walking through. That was a huge 'pinch me' moment for us. The first sunset was huge, and the first sunrise. Brushing my teeth outside the hooch as the sun is rising while it's minus 40, and you're on five feet of ice was big. I was thinking, "I am a mom! What am I doing?" But it was fantastic.

Question: How was it having not only Richard Dean Anderson back, but Don Davis too?

AT: It was great. I love Don. As soon as he opens his mouth, you go [in a drawl] "Oh, Don Davis is back!" He's such a great man, and I miss him dearly, so it was really nice. We did these great scenes down in the bunker below Washington with him and William Devane. It was cool, but would have been cooler if we'd had Dr. Fraiser back too. And Richard was back. He came up to the Arctic about three or four days after Ben and I. He was typical Richard. His hair had grown so he had to come into the girl's hooch to get it cut. It's like nothing has changed with that man. It's hilarious and he is a total goof. You just go, "Ooooooo Richard."

Question: The Stargate universe has such an extensive rogues gallery. What made Ba’al such a good adversary for this movie?

AT: He’s just so sarcastic and the relationship between him and O’Neill is so much fun to watch. They just riff off each other so well, as do Cliff Simon and Richard, so it translates very nicely. He’s probably the most snidely arrogant of the System Lords, and therefore the easiest to poke fun at, and the most worthy of dying. You love to watch him and love to hate him.

Question: Director Martin Wood called Stargate: Continuum the best Stargate project ever. Do you agree?

AT: Aside from 10 successful years of television? It's hard because everything has its merit. I just saw it for the first time on Sunday. We had a cast and crew screening and it is wonderful. It's epic, feels big, the story is good, and it has all the right elements to make up a really rocking Stargate SG-1 story. It has humor and great relationships. It's one of our best for sure because we were allowed to make a movie, and had so much more money.

NC

[NearlyCircular]

More from the interview, this time with questions about Atlantis and Sanctuary, not about the movie.

Spoiler:

Question: The movies aren't your only involvement with the Stargate universe this year. What role does Sam play in the upcoming season of Stargate: Atlantis?

AT: A very small one. Carter ends up leaving the command of Atlantis to head back to Earth. They have actually done it very cleverly. In terms of the timeline, it sort of dovetails into the movie, so it works out really nicely the way they've done it. I had a very difficult decision to make at the beginning of the year in terms of going back to Stargate: Atlantis or doing my other project, Sanctuary. I actually chose to stick with Sanctuary before we got picked up, so it was a huge leap of faith on my part. I felt, not that it was time to move on, although that is partially true, but that so many people had put money, time, and effort in making the pilot of Sanctuary. We were so close to getting a deal that if I had said yes to Stargate: Atlantis, it would have effectively shut Sanctuary down for at least a year. I couldn't do that to all the people involved. Plus, it's a real passion project for me. I had a long, long talk with Joe Mallozzi on how to make it work. Could I work on Stargate: Atlantis for a few episodes off the top, and come in and guest star? I did one episode off the top of the season, and we're hoping there are opportunities for me to come back for at least a couple more. But
I kind of had to make the leap, and as soon as I did, Sci Fi came on board and picked up Sanctuary.

Question: What can viewers expect if they have previously tuned into the Sanctuary webisodes?

AT: The television series is going to be quite different in a lot of ways from the webisodes. We launch from the webisodes but we are redoing the entire pilot. The characters are a little richer, Magnus is much more approachable, we delve more into Will's back-story, and Ashley becomes more three-dimensional. And we will have a lot more time for the visual effects. A lot of the stuff that went up on the web was rendered in 12 days which is an impossibly short amount of time to do a fully CG show, and our guys managed to pull out some incredible stuff considering the time constraints they were under. Of course, now we have months of time to render the stuff so it's going to be quite different. Visually, it's going to be brighter for the broadcast.

Question: Looking at Stargate: Atlantis last year, Carter was left behind a lot. After doing so much on Stargate SG-1, did it feel weird not being as active?

AT: Totally, and, weird is the perfect word for it. It's kind of like having someone hobble you. "I'm the one who goes through the 'gate." It was very weird to be left behind and then be briefed on the missions. It took a lot of getting used to at first, and it was a very reduced role for me, which worked out great because I got to spend more time with my daughter. From that perspective, it was perfect but it was very strange to have played this character for so long, have her be so proactive, only to have her suddenly sit back. The way I chose to play her off the top was with a very gentle touch. I didn't want her to come in and ball bust on Atlantis. I wanted Sam to come in with a lot of respect and admiration for the people she was going to be working for, and therefore defer to them and their expertise. It puts her in a very laid back position and that worked for me, but then it was like, "Okay guys, she has to do something!"

Question: SG-1 reruns are shown all over the world. When you catch those early season one episodes, what goes through your head?

AT: Oh my God! I was so young! We looked like babies! Now I am able to watch the early seasons and step back from them without being so self-critical. I look back and am blown away by the production values and the chemistry that was apparent right off the bat. Even though I was living it and loving it, when I watch it, I can see the friendship. That is cool to me. And the fact the show still stands up after all this time.

NC

[jz9]

These are great, NearlyCircular! Loved the picture. Thanks for sharing.

[Amanda_Tapping_Fan]

Love the title its great