Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[tsaxlady]

Originally Posted by ÜberSG-1Fan
RepliCARTER...I think and I know I could be in the minority here...I THINK Replicarter was beamed out the same time Daniel was. Now if I'm wrong then so be it but I would LOVE to see a Sam/Replicarter standoff now that she knows the extent of her double's duplicity.


Orgiginally posted by binkpmmc
A short post to make sure this is working now - I lost lots of time earlier today trying to post 4 times and got zapped every time - almost threw the computer out the window.

I agree with you 100% on this and made a post about it after seeing that ep. I think Replicarter is out there somewhere and I am hoping we get to se Carter and Replicarter duke it out with the real Carter kicking butt as per the real Carter.

I agree. I would love to see RC this season with a proper send off of Sam kicking butt.

[Uber]

I feel the same as you and Lys, and although I am a S/J shipper, I would love to see some soldier Sam episodes and see she coped with being the CO of SG1, also

A lot of people don't get that just because one ships for Sam and Jack that doesn't mean that's the only thing we dig about her.

She is such a multifaceted, well-rounded character with enormous strengths and flaws. What a great character! And like I said, focusing solely on her feelings would be as off-kilter as only hearing her rattle off technobabble all the time or blowing things up every episode.

Okay...I personally wouldn't mind her blowing things up every episode but some might...

But the point is that if you focus only on one part of who she is, you can miss the rest of what makes her Samantha Carter...Scientist/Soldier/Friend/Confidante/Mother/Hero/Jack's Girlfriend(?)

[majorsal]

I’m upset by this because I’m thinking back to the last couple of season and this is what I have come up with.

(snip)

Now this is off the top of my head. Can anyone else think of a major story arc that Sam was involved in? I'm not trying to be a smart aleck. I was thinking her story arcs were going along the same time as Daniel’s, Jack’s and Teal’c. I’m just curious I thought I would ask you guys before I ask JM about it.

On the up side:
Yay!!! Sam returns for the next episode!!!

i think joe's referring to sam's personal life issues being her 'big' character arc. too bad that arc didn't include *really* seeing how sam deals/dealt with leading sg1.


sally

[golfbooy]

All right. All the recent discussion of Threads has cajoled me into inserting my own blithering opinion of Jacob's death. Be warned--this could go on for a while.

To begin, and I'm fairly certain I'm in the minority on this one, I really don't have a problem with the death of Jacob. I think it was time for him to go. From his inception in season two, Jacob was always a means of exploring Sam's character. He fleshed her out as a person, he allowed us to look into her past and to see why she is the way she is about certain things. All that being said, Jacob himself came to the party fully formed. What I mean is, Jacob as a character had nowhere to go, no room to grow. His purpose from the begining was to become a host for Selmak, which in turn was supposed to provide Earth (and SG-1 the tv show) with a link to the Tok'ra. That he was Sam's dad turned out to be a great idea by the writers, as we got a kind-of two-for-one deal out of it. We got an easy way to include the Tok'ra and an easy way to flesh out Sam.

However, that still doesn't change the fact that Jacob's character had little room for expansion. In fact, his being so tied in with the Tok'ra storyline ultimately limited his appearances in the show. Whereas during seasons two, three, four, and five Jacob was easy to insert into an episode for plausible reasons, as Earth's relationship with the Tok'ra became more strained and as the Tok'ra as people became more diminished in seasons six, seven, and eight Jacob's presence had to be used more carefully and sparingly. Eventually, his appearances become something of bit parts, especially in episodes like Meridian, The Changeling, Fragile Balance, and Grace. As Earth grows more and more at odds with the Tok'ra (for whatever reason), the fact that Jacob is beloved by all as Sam's dad forces the writers to create new Tok'ra who can be played as antagonists. Aldwin, Ren Al, Anise, Thoran, Malek, Dalek, and Zaren all assume this role at some point. While not all these cases are as clear cut, the fact remains that Jacob could only be a "good" Tok'ra in a story that increasingly called for "bad" or at least "not good" Tok'ra.

Further, this marginalized role ultimately stifled the character of Jacob as well. During the later seasons, as the Tok'ra themselves became less important in the storylines, Jacob started to be written solely as "Sam's Dad". In fact, Death Knell is the only serious "Tok'ra story" that I can come up with from the later seasons. His role as Selmak had run its course; left with little left to contribute from that point, Jacob's usefulness in episodes was limited. To be sure, he helped out in Evolution & Reckoning, but I think that you'd be hard pressed to say that his presence is meant to indicate that the Tok'ra are helping out. So, if Jacob isn't being a link to the Tok'ra, then he's mostly just being Sam's father.

Now, I'm not saying that being Sam's father was a bad gig, quite the contrary. His presence was fantastic for Carter, allowing us to get to know her better than any of the other characters in the show, with the exception perhaps of Teal'c. O'neill's backstory/personal life is mostly shrouded in mystery, painted in broad strokes because that serves the character he's supposed to be. Likewise Daniel, for all of his Sha're and ascension stuff, is also more of an enigmatic character than Sam. We know Daniel cares, we know he has a very personal need to "do something" to help the general weal of the universe, but there's no clear cut reason why. And that, in my opinion, works well for the character. But with Sam we get to see it all. Her past, through Jacob, her present, for eight seasons of SG-1, and her dreams and ambitions for the future, through characters like Cassie and through episodes like Grace and Threads--it's all there for us to see and judge. I suspect that that is why most of the people who post on this thread have such an affinity for the character. I also suspect that that is why other fans treat the character like anathema.

But I'm digressing a little here. What I'm getting at is that Jacob's frequent inclusion in the show provided a well of character introspection, growth, and development for Sam. And the writers used him well. But, ultimately, I think that Jacob started to hold the writers back from further developing Sam. Jacob became an easy out, the go-to guy for providing Sam with an intimate connection to something. Need to partner Sam up with someone for an episode? Use Jacob. Need to provide a little non-shippy angst for Sam? Use Jacob. For all of the complaints about her relationship/not relationship with O'neill holding the character back, I think that eventually Jacob did the same thing. It's not that Jacob didn't work or provide Sam with the wanted development. It's that by the end of the eighth season, Jacob kept providing the same old character moments. I honestly don't know how else Jacob could have furthered Sam's development. Well, I suppose you could pair him off with some character. But I don't think anyone wants to go there.

The only thing that I think the writers could have done with Jacob was to have he and Selmak split with the Tok'ra. And following Death Knell, I thought they might be headed down that route. But, for whatever reason, they didn't. So, do I think that Jacob had to die? No. But, like Amanda Tapping said herself, I think that it works well with a number of different plot threads. I don't see Jacob's death as being used to provide the requisite shippy moment between Jack and Sam. Trust me, if they wanted to, the writers could have found an easier, probably more melodramatic and cliched way to put them together. I see Jacob's death as providing Sam with that pivotal moment that the four leads were supposed to get to in Threads. Jacob's death provides Sam with the moment where she realizes that it is time to move on. Teal'c has a similar moment when he's proclaimed "blood kin" and looks out over the people he worked so hard to free. Daniel has the same moment when he learns why he's made the choices he's made regarding his ascension. And O'neill, well, the fishing moment, for as much of a team moment it is, is also very much all his.

Janet's death was much more egregious of an error, to me, than Jacob's death. The character of Janet Frasier still had great things to contribute to the story. Her demise, while providing fodder for a great episode and some phenomenal character moments, was short-sighted. Ultimately, it was a mistake. Jacob's death, however, as I hope I've explained above, served the show. The final five episodes of season eight were about moving on, no matter what the future held in store for the characters or for the show itself. And, though it's bittersweet, Jacob's death helped to provide a modicum of closure to both Sam's story and to the big Stargate SG-1 story. At least it feels that way to me.

Let me be clear about something else, too. I love the character of Jacob. He is, without a doubt, one of the most successful, well-written, useful, and welcome guest characters ever concieved of in 174 episodes of SG-1. His only rival, and to be fair, he's quite a rival, is Bra'tac. But tell me, what's more delightful than having Bra'tac or Jacob in an episode? Having both, of course. And I'm certainly going to miss that. But, in my often worthless opinion, Jacob's death was not out of line with the story. To put it subtly, it was probably time for him to go. It was time for Sam to move on. And, no matter how sorry I am to see things change and characters to leave the story, I will never fault the writers for progressing the story when it's time to progress the story. If I did, then I'd never have gotten over the defeat of Apophis. I mean, come on, has there ever been or could there ever be anyone better for SG-1 to kneel before?

[majorsal]

I know the shippers aren't going to be pleased with me but I'd rather have a strong adventure type episode with Sam, as SG1's leader, dealing with Baal or whatever Goa'uld you want, than Threads.
Now I'm cowering in a corner waiting for some angry shippers to throw penguin missiles at me and rotten tomatoes.
Agent Dark ! Help me !

i'm a shipper... are you ready for your punishment!?!....

(((lys)))

there, take that!


sally

[Agent_Dark]

All right. All the recent discussion of Threads has cajoled me into inserting my own blithering opinion of Jacob's death. Be warned--this could go on for a while.

Wow, great post there golfbooy

[majorsal]

Oh! I only just noticed your call for assistance! :O

Back you evil ship mongerers! Your time is at hand! Free yourself from ship, or live a life of eternal damnation! REPENT!

That better?

oh, yeah!?!

*takes deep breath to get ready to PUNISH agent dark*

((((agent dark))))

there!

sorry i had to be so rough.


sally

[ChevronSeven]

oh, yeah!?!

*takes deep breath to get ready to PUNISH agent dark*

((((agent dark))))

there!

sorry i had to be so rough.


sally

Don't worry sally. I'm right behind you!

[Agent_Dark]

oh, yeah!?!

*takes deep breath to get ready to PUNISH agent dark*

((((agent dark))))

there!

sorry i had to be so rough.


sally

Argh! It burns! It burns!

/me melts in a puddle of goo

[majorsal]

a trick to posting, when things aren't working right. use 'quick reply'. for some reason, it works, when trying to reply in 'quote'.

what i do is hit 'quote', copy it's contents to notepad, then go back and hit 'quick reply' (QR). but save your stuff to notepad 'before' you hit quote or quick reply, because when/if things go screwy, you can't copy your stuff to notepad afterwards.

hope this helps.


sally

[ForeverSg1]

Another emotionally intense well-written fic is the one recently posted by Mabyn (referenced by MajorSal in an earlier post)
Alea Iacta Est at Heliopolis 2 and Fanfiction.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2523170/1/
rated for mature and serious topics (rape and the aftermath)

I have read this story and I really think that the author did a very good job with it; however, I have to ask this because this type of story is the reason why I can not and will not call myself a shipper. I found myself completely immersed in the storyline and then all of a sudden Sam would have a flashback and Jack would start calling her Sammy, honey, sweetie or babe(baby) and I would literally start to lose it.

I really, really like the idea of Sam and Jack together and fanfic is a great way to see them that way, but god why do so many authors take an absolutely wonderful story and sugar coat it. This, to me, is so NOT Jack. I can see him being tender and taking care of Sam, but so many authors and stories loose me when they go way over the top like this. And Sammy? *Shiver* The only voice I hear when I see the word Sammy is Jacob's.

Normally, the moment I see these sugary pet names I hit the 'x' button on a story. I don't even bother giving it another glance, because I know I will be cringing through the entire thing. Luckily for this story I was already deeply involved before I noticed the first instance.

So for those of you who aren't S/J shippers, this really is a very good Sam story if you are willing to give it a shot. Just thought a little advanced warning might be welcomed.

Kat

[zats]

Can anyone recommend any good Samfics that were posted while I was gone over the past 3 weeks?
With Links? I'm going into Samfic withdrawals.

Okay, so none of these were posted recently...but they're still more than worth a look...[wince][okay, so I actually wrote this post before I realized you'd specified a time period. Whoops][double wince]

Anything by Little Red. Shippy but not sappy. Try Home Economics on for size.

Almost anything by ALC. Personal favorites include Coconut Island [essentially, she can't take it anymore and starts over. Well. Tries to.], Caper [SG1+SGA+film noir]...and about fifty others. Oh, heck. Go look at them yourself. You know your tastes better than I do.

Almost anything by A.j., particularly Suspension.

Hope these help. Want more, let me know. They're clogging up my bookmarks!

Speaking of samfic, I seem to be exhausting my supply. Anyone know any good angsty shippy [S/J, natch] fics?

[zats]

I have read this story and I really think that the author did a very good job with it; however, I have to ask this because this type of story is the reason why I can not and will not call myself a shipper. I found myself completely immersed in the storyline and then all of a sudden Sam would have a flashback and Jack would start calling her Sammy, honey, sweetie or babe(baby) and I would literally start to lose it.

I really, really like the idea of Sam and Jack together and fanfic is a great way to see them that way, but god why do so many authors take an absolutely wonderful story and sugar coat it. This, to me, is so NOT Jack. I can see him being tender and taking care of Sam, but so many authors and stories loose me when they go way over the top like this. And Sammy? *Shiver* The only voice I hear when I see the word Sammy is Jacob's.

Normally, the moment I see these sugary pet names I hit the 'x' button on a story. I don't even bother giving it another glance, because I know I will be cringing through the entire thing. Luckily for this story I was already deeply involved before I noticed the first instance.

So for those of you who aren't S/J shippers, this really is a very good Sam story if you are willing to give it a shot. Just thought a little advanced warning might be welcomed.

Kat

I thought this fic was well written; but you're right, it did have the stupid sugary things. Someone else on this thread recommended Infirmary After by Teand; as far as rape fics go, it's far more realistic. [God, that sounds terrible, I know]

[crazedturkey]

oh, yeah!?!

*takes deep breath to get ready to PUNISH agent dark*

((((agent dark))))

there!

sorry i had to be so rough.


sally

Go Sal!! *grumbles about non-believing anti-shippers*
(not that I don't love you LOL)

It's destiny peoples!!

[zats]

Ditto.