Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[chocdoc]

Most of S9 has been a spin hasn't it? From the very beginning TPTB were constant praising and gushing about this great new season. Now we are half way through and there seems to be a lot that disagree with them and they don't really get it. I too worry they are using this as an excuse to downplay Sam's time on SG-1. Are they trying to do away with the leadership issue? Are they dumbing down the show so Sam's expertise and brilliance isn't needed full time on SG-1? Are they trying to add more fans to Atlantis so that if/when SG-1 is canceled TPTB will still have a job? However, isn't Atlantis doing just as well in the ratings as SG-1? Honestly I don't watch Atlantis, but if AT is going to be on there then I will watch. Although, I'm not big on the McKay/Sam interaction all the time. It's funny at times, but not every show. McKay tends to get on my nerves after a while sorry McKay fans.

Well, the ratings for Atlantis are doing about as well as SG-1 so far this year. But if you look at season one ratings for Atlantis in the first half, only 1 out of 10 episodes fell below 2.0, while for this season, 5 out of 10 episodes fell below 2.0. So, compared to last year, Atlantis' s ratings have not done as well. And you might not expect this given that it is a young show. So, it could be that they are trying to think of ways to boost the ratings a bit, but I don't really know.

[the dancer of spaz]

Oh don't worry. They'll make something up. Maybe Vala has a ticked off ex lover with a unlimited ZPM supply on some goa-uld-forsaken planet somewhere.

Sssshhhhh!!

You're gonna give them ideas.

[the dancer of spaz]

Well, the ratings for Atlantis are doing about as well as SG-1 so far this year. But if you look at season one ratings for Atlantis in the first half, only 1 out of 10 episodes fell below 2.0, while for this season, 5 out of 10 episodes fell below 2.0. So, compared to last year, Atlantis' s ratings have not done as well. And you might not expect this given that it is a young show. So, it could be that they are trying to think of ways to boost the ratings a bit, but I don't really know.

While I probably shouldn't do this, I kinda compare it to Lost. They're kinda in some kind of funky sophomore slump this season according to some fans.

And Desperate Housewives, too.

*shudder*

[ChopinGal]

I actually watch both shows, although it didn't start out that way. I couldn't stand Atlantis in the beginning. But now I'm totally into it. Right now, it's SG-1 that I'm starting not to like.

And you know why?! Because, after their first-year dance, all the SA players are starting to step in rhythm and find their groove; whereas, the S9 SG1 characters are still stepping on each other's toes and have not yet found any sense of cohesion around the scattered evil-Ori arc and mythology being pitched.

It feels like overkill to me when I have to listen to Daniel's rapidspeak explaining the many twists and turns of the new Ori threat ... I can't even keep up with it. To me, the Wraith are much more attention getting and threatening - something primal and scary upfront. Cut to the chase - you see one Wraith and you know you're in deep trouble! You see one Ori and you know you're going to be preached at. (I can get this on my evening news or Sunday morning, thank you.) The Ori are pasty-faced proselytizers who fail to stir any interest. Again, MHO but even the Goa'uld had a bit of passion to their demeanor - when those eyes glowed, you sat up and paid attention! These Ori are bland and undigestible; maybe I need to dip them into my milk and they'd be more palatable!

Did I mention the caring part? I want to care about what happens to my heroes. I want to, really I do. Please give me a reason to care. Sam was the biggest reason for eight seasons, closely followed by the SG1 team spirit ... both elements hooked me from the start. Good writing, good acting, and a certain chemistry among the four lead players that translated onscreen. I so want to feel that way again ... but it's not there.

How does SG1 get its groove back?! Not by sending Carter to Atlantis and not by relegating Teal'c and Daniel to secondary status while elevating Cam and Vala to the forefront. So far, there is no balance. Have I given up completely on the show? "Not exactly" as Sam has been heard to say ... but that obese damsel may be waiting in the wings if something doesn't start to gel in the second half.

Are we gellin' yet?! I don't think so ..............

[Skydiver]

one of the crits that i've heard about sga is that it seems too focused on mckay this season.

i really didn't pay that close of attention and it might be one of those perception things.

personally? I love the idea of amanda on atlantis simply because my one 'beef' about the show is a lack of characters to identify with. neither weir or teyla do it for me so while i do think atlantis is a better show, it just doesn't quite catch my imagination. sam on the show would be good for me in that aspect. maybe i'd finally write some sga fic

but i can understand how the atlantis folks feel. they're afraid that thier favored characters are going to get shafted. and i can understand that feeling. if i was hearing that sga members would be guesting on sg1 for several eps i might be a bit concerned too

personally? i think it'll be a great thing for amanda. sga theoretically has years of life left to it. it's possible that sam could take command of the daedalus, which would make her a bit more of a recurring character...but it would, also theoretically, give her more time with olivia. more time for other projects, more time to maybe direct again

i think it could be a good thing for her and i do trust brad to do his best to do things right

[ChopinGal]

... personally? i think it'll be a great thing for amanda. sga theoretically has years of life left to it. it's possible that sam could take command of the daedalus, which would make her a bit more of a recurring character...but it would, also theoretically, give her more time with olivia. more time for other projects, more time to maybe direct again

i think it could be a good thing for her and i do trust brad to do his best to do things right

This, I could handle. She would have the respect of a command position which is missing right now. But, if she is still languishing and not clearly defined in her SA appearances, then I don't think it will work well.

Although, yes, theoretically, we can assume that the new baby, SA, will be still growing while the veteran show, SG1, may be "retired" after its landmark tenth season. Amanda's own baby will still be growing and she may need the security of a steady job.

I think we all want what is best for Amanda in the long-run and only she can make that choice.

[the dancer of spaz]

I"m just sorry that the actresses are put on the spot---why is this so, while the actors just go merrily along? Why not be thinking that if Vala comes along, let her replace Teal'c or Mitchell? I don't want that -- I'm just saying why do the actresses have to be in this situation and not the actors? Oh yeah, I forgot, the actresses really do need to take up golf (or hockey).

Such great points, chocdoc!

And maybe this is just coincidence with all of the stuff that has been happening over the past year, but this is bothering me more and more. Why is it that most of the consistent controversies/issues have stemmed from fan reception of Sam, Vala, Elizabeth and Teyla? So bizarre.

And the fact that Rachel Luttrell was candid about such things (though I now worry for her ...) kinda speaks to that. I mean, before we could just say it was a "fan" thing, but now...

Soooo weird. I wonder if it'll ever be fixed.

Then again - and forgive me for this generalization - it could be that the most (consistently) vocal fans are female. Maybe we really are too hard on ourselves. Agent Dark found a great livejournal rant link about this sort of thing. Maybe he can post it!

[ann_sgcfan]

And you know why?! Because, after their first-year dance, all the SA players are starting to step in rhythm and find their groove; whereas, the S9 SG1 characters are still stepping on each other's toes and have not yet found any sense of cohesion around the scattered evil-Ori arc and mythology being pitched.

It feels like overkill to me when I have to listen to Daniel's rapidspeak explaining the many twists and turns of the new Ori threat ... I can't even keep up with it. To me, the Wraith are much more attention getting and threatening - something primal and scary upfront. Cut to the chase - you see one Wraith and you know you're in deep trouble! You see one Ori and you know you're going to be preached at. (I can get this on my evening news or Sunday morning, thank you.) The Ori are pasty-faced proselytizers who fail to stir any interest. Again, MHO but even the Goa'uld had a bit of passion to their demeanor - when those eyes glowed, you sat up and paid attention! These Ori are bland and undigestible; maybe I need to dip them into my milk and they'd be more palatable!

Did I mention the caring part? I want to care about what happens to my heroes. I want to, really I do. Please give me a reason to care. Sam was the biggest reason for eight seasons, closely followed by the SG1 team spirit ... both elements hooked me from the start. Good writing, good acting, and a certain chemistry among the four lead players that translated onscreen. I so want to feel that way again ... but it's not there.

How does SG1 get its groove back?! Not by sending Carter to Atlantis and not by relegating Teal'c and Daniel to secondary status while elevating Cam and Vala to the forefront. So far, there is no balance. Have I given up completely on the show? "Not exactly" as Sam has been heard to say ... but that obese damsel may be waiting in the wings if something doesn't start to gel in the second half.

Are we gellin' yet?! I don't think so ..............

Excellent post! I couldn't give you any green.

Why don't we care what happen to our heroes? I keep comparing S9 with S1 of Stargate SG-1. A different person was in control of the show back then, but essentially they are trying to accomplish the same things. So why did it work in S1 and so far not in S9? Look at the first 10 episodes of S1. We learnt so much about the enemy, the characters, their weakness and strengths. We cared if they survived the latest threat, virus, attack, etc. There was always some different threat going on, but you knew the ultimate threat still lingered in the background. There were so many elements being introduced, but it worked. A different adventure each time. So why now does it seem they are just spinning their wheels this season? Oh I have a few guesses.

[majorsal]

Thank goodness Sam didn't try to french kiss the frozen glass window at the end of Lost City 2 ...

*drools at thought*



sally

[majorsal]

LOL So the copy of the DVD master we had was the real one after all! I wonder who got fired....

i know you're referring to the replacement disk for 'threads', but i don't understand what you've just said.




sally

[the dancer of spaz]

Amanda Tapping, from what Rachel said, is a done deal...she will be coming to Atlantis especially in the first half of the season..I believe she said she would be splitting her time in half for both shows...

D'oh!

*insert migraine*

This, my friends, is the beginning of the end.

[parsifal]

This, my friends, is the beginning of the end.

We passed that point quite a ways back.

[the dancer of spaz]

We passed that point quite a ways back.

Nah. Back then, I still (feebly) held onto hope because nothing had been officially confirmed by The Powers, and we'd basically been left to our own assumptions. There was still hope for changes after the fan outcry nearly a month ago.

But now that RL has pretty much confirmed it, there's no going back now. This is truly what we have to look forward to over the next several months.

On a side note, Joe Mallozzi is answering some questions in his thread... Brave soul that he is...

[the dancer of spaz]

Let's see...

From Joe Mallozzi's thread, here are some responses:

What are the chances of seeing a really great "opposites attract" friendship develop between Vala and Sam...

Joe: "The chances are very good." <--- That's good to hear.

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3117

****

Tell me it’s not true that there will be less Carter on SG-1 in season10.Stargate needs Carter.
I don’t understand the problem, if they want to have Vala on the show why can’t they have both Vala and Sam.

Joe: "I don't know. Why not?" <--- Hmmm... Answering a question with a question...

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3122

****

Hi Joe,
I'm not sure if this has been raised (probably has) Is there any chance of running an episode of Atlantis and an episode of Sg1 simultaneously, both set at the same time, where we see the teams interacting to solve a common problem but showing the story from each team's point of view? It'd be great to see what they think of each other.

Joe: "There will be some crossover stories this year... <snip> For instance, if the problem is solved in Atlantis, then fans of Stargate who watch the show in syndication will not see the ending to this parcticular storyline. Of course, there are other ways to do crossovers..." <--- The stringing begins. I rose to the bait...

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3127

****

Joe - this stuff about splitting AT between SG1 and SGA and "not knowing what to do" with the character, is it because so many fans have reacted poorly to Mitchell as leader or co-leader and won't accept him in either position as long as Carter is around; or is it because Carter makes the new Male Lead look bad; or because Carter clearly runs circles around Mitchell when it comes to command of the team; or because Carter is more experienced with the Gate and Offworld missions and she knows aliens and how to deal with them, friend and foe, etc., etc., or is it because they (sony/mgm/skiffy/bridge?) want the male lead and they have to remove the impediment that makes him look bad and incompetent, so they remove Carter from playing a pivotal, integral role in SG1 by splitting her with SGA, or is it because of ALL of the above or is there, perhaps, some other excuse?

Thanks for your time.

Joe: "Or, quite frankly, it could be individuals overreacting." <--- Ouch. That one burns, Joe.

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3128

[the dancer of spaz]

More responses...

With all that in mind, if you could come up with a dream episode of Stargate SG-1 from any time frame (no limits as to which season it could be staged), with any theme that you KNOW could/will never come into existence because of logistics, casting, special effects costs or a combination of all the above, what would you love the plot to be about?

Joe: "Check out our 200th episode coming up in season 3." <--- (I dunno what that's about...)

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3138

****

Hi Joe,

Any truth to the imdb listing that RDA will be in first ep of S 10? http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000760/

"Stargate SG-1" playing "Gen. Jack O'Neill" in episode: "No Hope" (episode # 10.1) September 2006 <snip>

Joe: "Nope." <--- Blast!

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3140

****

You said you have ideas for 2 Sam stories and a Daniel story for next season. What criteria do you use to decide if an idea would be good for a certain character? Actor style, character type? Flip of coin?

Joe: "Usually a character-driven story stems from the character himself. What unresolved issues need to be explored? What kind of situations would set this character off?" <--- OK. Totally opened the door with unresolved Jolinar issues, but I won't ever snark Joe.

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3155

****

If Carter is to be shared between SG1 and Atlantis will there be continuity between the two, giving explanations as to her whereabouts if she is absent from either, rather than her just not being there?

Joe: "Any crossover will come with some explanation." <--- Of course they will.

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3160

****

Do you think we'll see a relatively equal amount of Sam (in comparison to the other leads) on SG-1 in season 10, or do you think that, based on the way the series are evolving, Sam will have more of a presence on Atlantis?

Joe: "I think Sam will, for the most part, remain firmly rooted in SG-1." <--- See, it's that "for the most part..."

http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost....postcount=3162



I shall take these answers with a newfound feeling of weariness and caution. 'Tis not his fault, I understand. I refuse to shoot the messenger.

But everything's still off...