Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Skydiver]

did you forget chimera, skydiver?

(i try to forget it all the time)



sally

LOL

i think, until that point, pete was the safe guy....but sam underestimated him

i still don't totally see the stalker thing. i write it off more as lazy writing and a bad plot hole. pete fell in and has never managed to dig himself out

[Lida]

OK, this is my last post...I'm leaving today, and I don't know when I'll be able to be back, so I just wanted to say, thank you, to everyone in Samanda....for making my time on the Forum, and here, so much fun. I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been reading......and you have kept my mind off RL, and for that alone I thank you.

And now, for a totally off topic, not so funny cap, but I'm out of new Sam pics (horrors) and haven't been able to get new ones. I promise to try harder when I return. I just liked this shot of her......



*waves to everyone*

HIC COMITAS REGIT!

[minigeek]

LOL! Hazmat Hair!

[Strix varia]

I don't have any S8 or S9 caps, but something from the beginning of Babylon where Cam is standing tall while everyone else is ducking during the firefight would be interesting....

That was my first thought, actually, but I couldn't find any. There were some moments when Teal'c and Daniel were down, but Sam was standing, and I didn't want to do that...

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

LOL! Hazmat Hair!

and a less 'girly' smile.

[Agent_Dark]

Heh... I only just noticed the other helmet in that pic then... Guess it shows what I'm interested in when I see a promo pic

[Qasim]

Heh... I only just noticed the other helmet in that pic then... Guess it shows what I'm interested in when I see a promo pic

I only noticed when you pointed it out and I scrolled back up

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

I see you've whipped out your anti-feminist book AND lent a copy to Dark...

[deepspace]

[color=blue]OK, this is my last post...I'm leaving today, and I don't know when I'll be able to be back, so I just wanted to say, thank you, to everyone in Samanda....for making my time on the Forum, and here, so much fun. I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been reading......and you have kept my mind off RL, and for that alone I thank you.

I hope you're going to be ok lida. Last time someone started talking like this was atteria, and we haven't heard from her again. Please be ok. We love you here in Samanda.

[deepspace]

I'm going to have to finish compiling that list tomorrow, it's taking longer than I thought, and it's late. Sorry Dani.

I just wanted to mention that I rewatched the episode 'Entity' tonight. I have to say, truly one of the best AT eps there is, and there's some good Sam parts as well.

[jerin]

Remember our discussion about Amanda appearing on Stargate Atlantis and our concerns about how they would introduce her character to Atlantis and what it would do to "Grace"?

Well, here is an article from TV Guide: BEWARE! SPOILERS for Atlantis Season 2 http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=17631
Many thanks to "NowIWillDestroyAbydos" for the post.

Soooo,

Spoiler:

hallucination? , snarky relationship? , "sibling rivalry thing with a little bit of sexual tension thrown in"? Hmm.

I don't have enough time to state my opinion, but I will drop by later tonight. Let me just say:
What does the rest of you think???

Jerin, you have to leave the thread and do your homework. Oh, sorry, just talking out loud. This makes me sick! I don't like Rodney so much to begin with. He's so full of himself...it's very unattractive. I hate Sam being reduced to a male fantasy for ratings purpose. Grrr! Goes off ranting to herself.

[jerin]

OK, this is my last post...I'm leaving today, and I don't know when I'll be able to be back, so I just wanted to say, thank you, to everyone in Samanda....for making my time on the Forum, and here, so much fun. I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been reading......and you have kept my mind off RL, and for that alone I thank you.

And now, for a totally off topic, not so funny cap, but I'm out of new Sam pics (horrors) and haven't been able to get new ones. I promise to try harder when I return. I just liked this shot of her......
*waves to everyone*

HIC COMITAS REGIT!

Good luck, Lida! Stay well.

[Strix varia]

Just gonna put in my 2c on some other stuff while I'm at it:
RE the leadership thing, I have no problem with it at the moment other than the fact that Mitchell looks kinda incompetant. But as far as Sam goes, I'm not worried about it all. The idea that Sam has been 'demoted' back to 2ic is kinda laughable, because quite frankly she's not playing second to Mitchell. She's hasn't been taking orders from him at all, and I will be very surprised if we see Mitchell having to make the 'hard command descisions' without Carter, Daniel or Teal'c around.
And I know a few people have been annoyed that Sam hasn't been given full command of SG1, but I'm going to argue that SG1 as it is at the moment does not need a clearly defined leader. Its a 4 man team. 3 of which have literally been to hell and back together for 8 years. They probably understand and know how each other works better than most married couples. To me, saying that someone needs to be elected leader 'to make all the hard calls' is stupid because SG1 doesn't need that at all. They're such a well oiled machine that between Daniel, Carter and Teal'c they have all the decision making capabilities they need.
IF SG1 was the size of say a squad or a platoon, then yes you would probably need a clearly defined leader. But needing a leader for 3 of the most expierenced field personal the SGC has is, simply put, ridiculous. Yes Mitchell may be 'SG1's leader on the official forms' but when it comes to doing the job, he's far from it. And Prototype especially reinforced that for me. Daniel not hesitating to call him up with the 'NEW GUY!' line and the fact that Carter was clearly doing her own thing. I'm happy with the way they've got the team set up. Now all we need is some team interaction!!!

Hey AD, thanks for the attempt to lighten things up.

I have to comment on the leadership issue, though. Your perspective is perfectly valid, and it's probably a healthy way to look at things, so don't think I'm trying to knock you.

But, I want to point out that some of us are worked up about it because it goes beyond the scope of a simple TV show. In fact, it's tied up in a much larger social/cultural reality that has to do with women in leadership positions in general. Much though many men don't like to hear the "same old tiresome feminist rhetoric," (and I apologize for getting into it here) the truth is that there are still a lot of barriers for women to overcome, and they don't always get equal treatment when it comes to leadership opportunities. Believe me, having worked in the emergency services for 20 years, I can say with authority that prejudice (conscious or not) is alive and well in male-dominated fields. Are things getting better? Sure, absolutely, but there's still a battle being waged by women in those fields every day.

It is disheartening for some of us to see reality so accurately portrayed on our favorite TV show. Cam is not as qualified to lead SG-1 as Sam. That's the bottom line for many of us, and I don't think even you would argue the point. So why isn't she given command? That gets into all those social and cultural issues.

I think it's a business decision because the suits in control know that a large portion of the audience would have serious issues with a female commanding an elite military unit responsible for saving the world on a routine basis. Regardless of the storyline logic, regardless of AT's popularity and talent, regardless of the ethical implications, (and probably regardless of AT's availability at the beginning of the season) it's a cultural thing, and if they wanted to continue SG-1, they knew they'd have to find a male lead (read leader) to replace RDA.

Think about it. Let's say in Season 2, O'Neill decided to retire or take another position at the Pentagon or something. In his absence, another Colonel with less field experience was placed in charge of SG-1. Later, O'Neill decided to return to the SGC. Do you think there would be an uproar if he was suddenly forced to serve under Mister New Guy as 2IC of his former team? Of course there would have been. It wouldn't have happened. It's a scenario that the writers, the suits, and the audience wouldn't have even contemplated.

So, basically, from my perspective, in the grand scheme of TV-land, the reason why Cam has command instead of Sam all boils down to the fact that Sam's a woman. It's the explanation that makes the most sense at this point.

And, while I understand the choices being made, frankly, to me, it still sucks.

That said, I think that TPTB knew that they were caught between a rock and a hard place. They're not stupid, and they knew that people like me (um, career women who have personal experience with gender-based inequities in the workplace) would not be happy. Perhaps, they were not happy about it, either. I'd like to think that. I mean, they've given us the wonderful character of Sam so far; they've given us Weir. So they tried to downplay the leadership issue, pussy-foot around it. I think they've been very sensitive to the issue actually, but in attempting to deal with it in an "acceptable-to-everyone" manner, they've made some decisions that have only made it worse. For example, I appreciate that they apparently didn't want Sam to continue in "yes, sir," "no, sir" subordinate mode, but the result is that she looks even more slighted by having to serve under Cam who is so clearly "the new guy" with less experience.

Personally, I'd rather see Sam clearly outranked by her commanding officer than have her serving as 2IC to someone who is so prone to making novice mistakes. Speaking as someone who understands the desire for career advancement as a woman in a man's world, I can say, with a fair degree of certainty, that Sam would perceive this as a step back, and it doesn't make sense for her character, at least not with the information that has been given to us so far. The writers could yet correct this problem, and there are ways they could make it believable. They just haven't done it yet.

You're right, though, Sam doesn't seem to be taking orders from Cam. The team doesn't have a clearly defined leader. But that's because Sam should be the leader, and she should be giving the orders, and many people (including the writers, apparently) can see that. Okay, so maybe you're right and SG-1 doesn't need a clearly defined leader. Everything you say about their experience is correct. Sure, the writers can probably make this work.

It's the principle of the thing that gets to me, you know? It's an injustice in our society, and -so far- it's an injustice on this show, too.

[jerin]

Hey AD, thanks for the attempt to lighten things up.

I have to comment on the leadership issue, though. Your perspective is perfectly valid, and it's probably a healthy way to look at things, so don't think I'm trying to knock you.

But, I want to point out that some of us are worked up about it because it goes beyond the scope of a simple TV show. In fact, it's tied up in a much larger social/cultural reality that has to do with women in leadership positions in general. Much though many men don't like to hear the "same old tiresome feminist rhetoric," (and I apologize for getting into it here) the truth is that there are still a lot of barriers for women to overcome, and they don't always get equal treatment when it comes to leadership opportunities. Believe me, having worked in the emergency services for 20 years, I can say with authority that prejudice (conscious or not) is alive and well in male-dominated fields. Are things getting better? Sure, absolutely, but there's still a battle being waged by women in those fields every day.

It is disheartening for some of us to see reality so accurately portrayed on our favorite TV show. Cam is not as qualified to lead SG-1 as Sam. That's the bottom line for many of us, and I don't think even you would argue the point. So why isn't she given command? That gets into all those social and cultural issues.

I think it's a business decision because the suits in control know that a large portion of the audience would have serious issues with a female commanding an elite military unit responsible for saving the world on a routine basis. Regardless of the storyline logic, regardless of AT's popularity and talent, regardless of the ethical implications, (and probably regardless of AT's availability at the beginning of the season) it's a cultural thing, and if they wanted to continue SG-1, they knew they'd have to find a male lead (read leader) to replace RDA.

Think about it. Let's say in Season 2, O'Neill decided to retire or take another position at the Pentagon or something. In his absence, another Colonel with less field experience was placed in charge of SG-1. Later, O'Neill decided to return to the SGC. Do you think there would be an uproar if he was suddenly forced to serve under Mister New Guy as 2IC of his former team? Of course there would have been. It wouldn't have happened. It's a scenario that the writers, the suits, and the audience wouldn't have even contemplated.

So, basically, from my perspective, in the grand scheme of TV-land, the reason why Cam has command instead of Sam all boils down to the fact that Sam's a woman. It's the explanation that makes the most sense at this point.

And, while I understand the choices being made, frankly, to me, it still sucks.

That said, I think that TPTB knew that they were caught between a rock and a hard place. They're not stupid, and they knew that people like me (um, career women who have personal experience with gender-based inequities in the workplace) would not be happy. Perhaps, they were not happy about it, either. I'd like to think that. I mean, they've given us the wonderful character of Sam so far; they've given us Weir. So they tried to downplay the leadership issue, pussy-foot around it. I think they've been very sensitive to the issue actually, but in attempting to deal with it in an "acceptable-to-everyone" manner, they've made some decisions that have only made it worse. For example, I appreciate that they apparently didn't want Sam to continue in "yes, sir," "no, sir" subordinate mode, but the result is that she looks even more slighted by having to serve under Cam who is so clearly "the new guy" with less experience.

Personally, I'd rather see Sam clearly outranked by her commanding officer than have her serving as 2IC to someone who is so prone to making novice mistakes. Speaking as someone who understands the desire for career advancement as a woman in a man's world, I can say, with a fair degree of certainty, that Sam would perceive this as a step back, and it doesn't make sense for her character, at least not with the information that has been given to us so far. The writers could yet correct this problem, and there are ways they could make it believable. They just haven't done it yet.

You're right, though, Sam doesn't seem to be taking orders from Cam. The team doesn't have a clearly defined leader. But that's because Sam should be the leader, and she should be giving the orders, and most people with half a brain (including the writers, apparently) can see that. Okay, so maybe you're right and SG-1 doesn't need a clearly defined leader. Everything you say about their experience is correct. Sure, the writers can probably make this work.

It's the principle of the thing that gets to me, you know? It's an injustice in our society, and -so far- it's an injustice on this show, too.

I tried to green rep you for a very well written post, but you know how it is. I'm still very angry and disappointed that a novice gate traveler would get command over Sam. Don't get me wrong. I like Cam's character. However, it's a huge blow. USA has made many significant advances in women's rights. However, we're still very much behind. The new type of sexism believes that sexism does not exist. Sorry for getting preachy, but this is the truth. Sexism works both ways, in creating a glass ceiling for women, and not allowing men to do things that would be considered more feminine, like let's say child care. It's in EVERYONE'S best interest to have equal opportunities, therefore choices, available to all. There is NO logical reason why Sam shouldn't have command. I have contacted scifi regarding my dislike. Please feel free to do so by writing to: '[email protected]' Thank you. I wish I were computer savvy to start a petition to give Sam command. Any computer savvy Samandans out there who can help?

[jckfan55]

Remember our discussion about Amanda appearing on Stargate Atlantis and our concerns about how they would introduce her character to Atlantis and what it would do to "Grace"?

Well, here is an article from TV Guide: BEWARE! SPOILERS for Atlantis Season 2 http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=17631
Many thanks to "NowIWillDestroyAbydos" for the post.

Soooo,

Spoiler:

hallucination? , snarky relationship? , "sibling rivalry thing with a little bit of sexual tension thrown in"? Hmm.

I don't have enough time to state my opinion, but I will drop by later tonight. Let me just say:
What does the rest of you think???

I was ok with the article til the mention of

Spoiler:

sexual tension. I think it's a one way attraction--all on McKay's end.