Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[the dancer of spaz]

Okely-dokely folks! Here's a nice, POSITIVE fic about one of my favorite dynamics of SG-1.

Her Boys by Rebecca Koshak

[golfbooy]

Originally Posted by majorsal:
i can't say what i think of sam this season because i've barely seen her. i know she left the sgc to care for cassie, and i know she worked at R&D, but i've not gotten the real feel of that because the show's not focusing on it. really, it's not focusing on any of our original characters feelings/thought/motivations for doing with they've done. and the loss is to the fans.

Well, SG-1 was definately stuck in a holding pattern without AT earlier in the season. And I agree to missing the greater character development and depth that the show managed to include more and more of the past few seasons.

That said,

Spoiler:

Babylon seems to give Mitchell a work out, Prototype promises something for Daniel's character and past, and Fourth Horseman should give Sam and Teal'c something more than plot of the week.

I hope that with patience will come the character stuff we're craving. We'll know in a few weeks.

[parsifal]

Hey guys! Can anyone post the close-up pic of Sam in front of the Stargate at the end of S4's "The Other Side"? It's during the last five minutes or so of the episode. It's a dang, tight close-up, but it's such a good shot of her (and of Jack, as well). I have to say that THAT version of long-haired Sam looked pretty neat. I only wish it had stayed. We had short-haired Sam for two seasons after that - which wasn't too bad either.

My own, off air. I'm sure someone's got some better DVD caps. Great expressions on both.

[tsaxlady]

New screencaps from the Stargate SG-1 fanclub DVD - convention footage from Burbank 2004 - a little over 20 min each of AT, CJ & MS - but the first thing I spoted was the intro for each actor - the first time I watched it something struck me as off so I went back and watched it again then caped each one - take a look I put AT's last on purpose.

GENERAL - maybe they are ready for season 15 already!?!

[AGateFan]

Wow , LOL, who needs to be a full bird Colonel. Just jump straight to general. Way to go Sam

[Dani76]

here's a question that will hopefully spur some discussion:

As the character of Sam Carter has been fleshed out over the years, as we've become more intimate with who she is, has your opinion of her changed? What I mean is, Sam is often lauded for the show's depiction of her as a strong soldier and scientist in earlier seasons. She is often criticized now for the show's depiction of her personal life and self-conflicts. Do you see her in a different light now (e.g. weaker, less successful) because her character has been expanded? Is she no longer the strong solider or scientist to you anymore? Is she now just a woman? And if so, is that a successful or unsuccessful depiction of Sam Carter?

First of all, thanks for bringing up another good topic that's worth some discussion.
Okay, here is my take on it: (Sorry if I am repeating thoughts that were already posted by others!)

I really, really enjoy Scientist Sam and also Soldier Sam. At the risk of sounding a bit corny - she has been a great inspiration to me. And that doesn't mean that I would ever be a great scientist or soldier - yeah right - what I mean is that the "personality of the character" and also the way AT is bringing Sam to life have inspired me.
It is hard to put into words what fascinates me the most about Sam. I think it is the way she gets excited about things, the way she is determined to get things done, the way she respects others, the way she stands up for anything and anybody she believes in. I could go on like that but I think you get the idea.

Now as to the focus on Sam's personal life: I enjoy it and even think that it is necessary, but only up to a certain point. I agree that it cannot/should not be addressed in only one episode and then be dropped again, because that is just not realistic at all. But sometimes it was a bit too much for my taste.
That being said I don't think that showing part of her private life weakened Sam at all. Far from it - for me she is even stronger and more interesting this way, more likeable, and more human. It rounds out her character, it shows that she is a fallible human being who is capable of amazing things. She is not perfect - okay, she is beautiful, she is smart and brilliant, she is a kick-butt soldier - but the price she is paying is that she has to sacrifice most of her private life. The fact that not everything is simply working out for her just makes her more likeable, not so "too perfect", if you know what I mean.
Also, what "Sam has taught me" is that anything is possible if you believe in it and if you are dedicated enough to work hard for it.

Lastly, to me she never just was a woman. To be honest, I have never seen her like that at all. Not before they showed more of her personal life and also not after.
But the fact that she is the woman she is, made it easier for me to identify with her. Plus, she is the first female character in a science fiction show who is one of the guys, who is taken seriously and respected.
Just MHO, hope I didn't bore you, but I think it's worth a good discussion.

[majorsal]

Okay even though I'm not crazy about the episode "The Light" I do like the opening exchange between Sam and Jack were he is talking about the bet he had with Daniel and she asked "What did you bet on?" and he says "Curling" : "Curling, you be on curling? alright you don't want to tell me." Then later in the gate room she figures out it was that she would go on the mission instead and that was the bet - it is the looks she gives him that make the scene so great

I really liked the ep 'the light'. I liked the atmosphere and the potential they had for showing them going through withdrawal was great. I loved that scene where sam's at the light portal and starts staring into it. and that scene where sam goes off on jack while they're walking on the beach. I didn't just enjoy that as a shipper, but as a sam fan because I’d never seen sam so snarky before. or so anti establishment. how bad would it have gotten for them if they hadn't had figured out their predicament? would they have gotten suicidal before they figured out that they had to remain in the proximity of the light portal? and back to the beach scene; what would have happened if teal'c hadn't have interrupted? and I’m not just talking ship potential either. they might have started kissing, but also start to hit each other because their chemical balances were out of whack.

there really was a lot of potential there for some great out of character moments that they'd all have had to live with after that. I wish the ep would have went to the edge a bit more.

and speaking of atmosphere that I liked - I also loved season 6's 'unnatural selection' for it's original and foreboding atmosphere.


sally

[the dancer of spaz]

parsifal said: My own, off air. I'm sure someone's got some better DVD caps. Great expressions on both.

Those are awesome expressions, you're totally right! I love that episode for many reasons (Daniel's right, Jack apologizes; Jack acts like a... jerk, and almost redeems himself)... Wow. That final scene is just amazing to me.

I was actually wondering if anyone had the shots of them literally in front of the Stargate, right before they left the Eurondan planet. If you find them, you'll see their heads and nothing but blue behind them. Sorry, I see why that was confusing.

Speaking from a friendship point of view (Sam and Jack were friends before anything else, anyway ), that's such a powerful scene between these two characters. No one else knew what he did but her, and both were clearly torn about it. And the fact that barely any words were spoken between the two of them made it all the more enjoyable. Did the whole subtle thing happen a lot with RDA and AT?

[majorsal]

New screencaps from the Stargate SG-1 fanclub DVD - convention footage from Burbank 2004 - a little over 20 min each of AT, CJ & MS - but the first thing I spoted was the intro for each actor - the first time I watched it something struck me as off so I went back and watched it again then caped each one - take a look I put AT's last on purpose.

oh, man, wouldn't that be great!?!


sally

[tsaxlady]

Michael was onstage when someone decided to pay him a visit


Still Michael's time on stage but now AT & CJ have joined him
Question: What is your favorite alien weapon?

[Osiris-RA]

As the character of Sam Carter has been fleshed out over the years, as we've become more intimate with who she is, has your opinion of her changed? What I mean is, Sam is often lauded for the show's depiction of her as a strong soldier and scientist in earlier seasons. She is often criticized now for the show's depiction of her personal life and self-conflicts. Do you see her in a different light now (e.g. weaker, less successful) because her character has been expanded? Is she no longer the strong solider or scientist to you anymore? Is she now just a woman? And if so, is that a successful or unsuccessful depiction of Sam Carter?

Sam's always been Sam. She's got that ball and chain that is science attached to her ankle, then she's got that complex. She's kind of torn between accepting something which is doubtable by the laws of science and opening her mind to it. As we've gotten to know the character more, I think she has been able to adapt to the two different worlds, solving things with her mind as well as with science, then under the scientific working girl is a maternal person who cares and loves of course, and at the point both you and you as the veiwer almost forget that she's a scientist. Then there's the surviver Sam who survives. The Sam who has the ability to heal, she has a power that sets her apart from the rest of SG1. These are my favorite aspects of Sam. Then, there's another side of her which I don't think was written properly. The everyday Sam, the worldly woman. They showed that twice, I think, once in Ascension and then in the other eps with Pete. I actually think that was ruined it the other times is that they put her with a person who was mentally and spiritually below her level. In my mind, Pete doesn't seem like the type of person someone like Carter would fall for. She would fall for someone much like Orlin, someone who is at equal or far above to her on a spiritual and mental level, someone slightly out of reach for her. Someone who can give her a challenge and who can force her to expand the bounderies of her scientific mind. That's part of the reason I don't ship S/J because I don't really think that they're on an equal or at least balanced level in those senses. Although Jack is far above Pete, don't get me wrong, and on a level, he is far more spiritual than Carter, but not really much of a challenge. He's relativly simple to read, but he is very intelligent and very honest, very outspoken about what he believes, so, not much out of reach, not too much of a challenge mentally. He seems more like a close relative, someone she can rely on and he can do the same.

It's boiled down to, frankly, bad or mistaken writing of a character. I'm hoping secretly that what I've just said isn't just what I want to be, but what is within the character, this is how I see the character. As a writer it's important to be able to know your character for what he/she is so that you can write he/she believably and in a way that the veiwer or reader will be affected in some way by the actions of this character. The writer is already inside his/her character's head, they've just got to make sure that the character doesn't start becoming too much of the writer or too much what other people want her to be. I suspect the whole Pete thing was dilberatly doomed to fail so that that could somehow bring Sam and Jack closer together.

But I digress, Sam's not my character, TPTB probably don't see her that way, but she does bring life to the show...and AT's good at portraying her. That's enough to complete SG1, I'd say.

[Osiris-RA]

Michael was onstage when someone decided to pay him a visit

Lmao! That's cute, hehe.

[the dancer of spaz]

tsax said: New screencaps from the Stargate SG-1 fanclub DVD - convention footage from Burbank 2004 - a little over 20 min each of AT, CJ & MS - but the first thing I spoted was the intro for each actor - the first time I watched it something struck me as off so I went back and watched it again then caped each one - take a look I put AT's last on purpose.

GENERAL - maybe they are ready for season 15 already!?!

Hehehe. That's funny. I can totally see you watching it again, piecing together what the problem was. "Something's wrong with this picture, yet so right..."

Season 15? Pshaw! I'm thinking more along the lines of Season 12 or 13.

[tsaxlady]

Chris you can't say that!


So what is that weapon Michael?


Amanda how do you say it? ZAT'NI'KATEL


Jonathan it's all your fault!

[the dancer of spaz]

(I think I'm in psycho-posting mode. My apologies. )

Thanks for the pics, tsax! Those are great. Feel free to keep 'em coming.

I think I remember reading a con report about how CJ and AT came out and started bugging MS on stage. According to the con report, it was pretty entertaining. On the DVD, do they just have a video/music montage of the events, or do they have actual segments of the con with the actors talking?