Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Gate gal]

I'll admit I was biting my tongue last night. I knew what I wanted to post, but I didn't know whether I should post it or not. It is kindof like when you visit a friend (face to face) who is grieving and you aren't sure whether to mention the lost loved one or not, because you love your friend and the last thing you want to do is hurt her. I love Nolamom's poster (as always). It says it all!

Now, since we are going for balance here. Let's all share our favorite Sam moment for Season 1 (then we can do 2, 3, 4, so on). Yes, I know we've done this before, but let's do it again.

Mine was at the end of Emancipation where she kicked her captor's butt! I think it set the stage for Soldier Sam better than anything else (even better than the "just because my sexual organs are on the inside" comment from the pilot).

[ReganX]

yeah, sam is smarter than your average bear...but never tosses it in folks faces and says 'i'm sooo smart, neener, neener, neener'

in fact, don't we often see sam kinda deferring to folks, willing to let someone else have the lime light cause she just doesnt' seem to need it

That's something I noticed with McKay at the beginning of Season Six, when his suggestion to stop Anubis attack didn't work out. Sam had warned everyone that the plan was too risky but once it had been done, she didn't dwell on it, didn't say 'I told you so' - and given the nasty electric shock she got, I wouldn't blame her if she had - she reassured McKay that he wasn't to blame and just carried on working.

[Uber]

This was so much fun to read, Kat. And Gate gal's experience while shopping for her DVDs. Which gives me an idea ...

Samandans, have you come out of the wormhole closet?! Do your friends and family know about your (choose one):

a) strong interest in
b) obsession with
c) devotion to
d) willingness to travel great distances for
e) all of the above

Stargate SG1 and all things Amanda

How did you break the news to the outer world? Or, are you still hiding your Stargate magazines under your bed? Stashing your boxed sets of DVDs in back of your husband's video library?

Come out, come out wherever you are ... fellow Samandans, how did you first get hooked on the show and especially Sam Carter? How long have you been watching? Have you ever attended a con? Whose autographs have you managed to get? What do you plan to do once Season 10 comes to an end?

Oh, I am SO thoroughly outted it's not even funny.

This is true primarily because when I start discussing the topic of SG-1 or Amanda, I get on a roll as the enthusiasm builds. Thankfully, I've learned how to tone it down a notch or twenty so that if either subject comes about from friends or family, I simply comment on it calmly and cooly and move on. Hey...I can TOO do calm and cool.

But yeah...I was outted when I first showed them the AT video I did. They knew that no one works on a project like that without some major devotion going on.

As for when I got into SG-1 and Carter? Well, SG-1 came first. I tripped across the show in syndie several times but as a Star Trek snob, I simply ignored it. Then one night late I caught an episode and was hooked completely. That episode...In the Line of Duty. I was so compelled by the blonde woman and the devotion of those around her, although I didn't remember a blonde woman or black guy with a gold thing on his head from the movie.

After that, I caught other episodes in syndication and was thankful that ITLOD was the first I saw since so many episodes had comments and throughlines that referred to Jolinar. Then I picked up Showtime so I could watch first run episodes...the first one I saw being Upgrades...and have watched ever since.

As time grew on, I liked the tension I sensed between Jack and Sam and I loved the team dynamic as a whole. Ship was my primary fan thing back then...but then I realized that RDA was leaving the show and knew that this meant ship would be moved to the back burner (or as the case apparently is, oblivion ) and needed another "hook" to latch onto. The logical move was to Carter.

I supported her more and more and began to really realize that she's one of the major keys that made the show such a success for me. Her role...her dynamic with the others.

I loved what I saw so much that I decided to learn more about Amanda...and was beyond stunned by what I discovered. She really IS who she seems to be. She really IS sweet and compassionate and loving and funny and supportive and humble. She really DOES care about her fans and the "little people" around her. She's the anti-prima donna...completely unimpressed with her own stardom...yet brilliant and savvy...knowing how to use that stardom to accomplish great things for herself and others.

Thus leads me to Samanda. I started out here ages ago as primarily a shipper who really liked Sam...and now I'm a Sam/Amanda fan who appreciates ship. Does that make sense?

I've never been to a Stargate convention and the only signatures I have are from pictures I've gotten from eBay or friends who graciously got autographs for me when they went to a convention themselves. But my hope and desire is that after I get some affairs in order, I'll be able to go to the next GABIT convention and hopefully whatever stateside conventions are in Amanda's future.

Since my interest in SG-1 began so many years ago, I've been blessed to get to know so many other of her fans here on Samanda...to see and be permitted to be among this great network of supporters for such a great character and the fantastic lady behind the genius...Amanda.

[jckfan55]

I was hooked right from the very first episode when Sam walked into that room and reported for duty and how she showed right from the start just how good character she was going to be....
Lastly, here is what my husband said of Amanda as Sam when he walked into our lounge when Stargate was on some time ago. "She really is very believable as a soldier, look at the way she holds her gun and the way she conducts herself, just like news footage of the Middle East troubles"
That has stuck with me for ages as my husband is not a SciFi fan, but he is a Amanda fan!

That's another thing I like about her. She takes her work seriously enough to learn how to hold her weapon etc in an authentic way. I wish we could have seen more of her as "hand signal person in charge." Wasn't she great doing that in Icon? And to think she had to point out that Sam would be giving signals etc. But see, she knows her stuff.

Great to hear about the other SG1 & AT fans you guys have encountered.

For myself, I think Kamjul's message re: recent events makes a lot of sense and I'm taking him up on the offer.

[Uber]

I'll admit I was biting my tongue last night. I knew what I wanted to post, but I didn't know whether I should post it or not. It is kindof like when you visit a friend (face to face) who is grieving and you aren't sure whether to mention the lost loved one or not, because you love your friend and the last thing you want to do is hurt her. I love Nolamom's poster (as always). It says it all!

Now, since we are going for balance here. Let's all share our favorite Sam moment for Season 1 (then we can do 2, 3, 4, so on). Yes, I know we've done this before, but let's do it again.

Mine was at the end of Emancipation where she kicked her captor's butt! I think it set the stage for Soldier Sam better than anything else (even better than the "just because my sexual organs are on the inside" comment from the pilot).

I'll go for something unsual.

I loved the moment in Solitudes when Sam was cursing and yelling at the DHD...DEMANDING it to work.

Here she was...super genius...and she was exhausted and angry and scared and completely missing an obvious solution...dial another gate.

So she became furious at herself for not being able to rescue Jack, for not being able to save the day. Here she is the one that everyone counts on to get them out of a fix, and she just. couldn't. do it.

I think this is a testament to her humanity and her human frailties and imperfections...and I think is a key to understanding how focused she is on her work...so much so that when she's too close to the problem, the solution eludes her and how dedicated she is to her team...so much so that she'll work herself sick or exhausted to save them.

She felt guilty because she couldn't solve the problem. He was going to die because she couldn't save the day. And after finally abandoning the DHD, she was ready to strike out on her own to look for help...and was wrong again. It wasn't an ice planet after all. She made a bad conclusion based on the wrong assumptions.

I think she learned a lot from this experience too. She learned more about trusting her team to come through for her, even though sometimes it doesn't always work out...like when her team

Spoiler:

lets her down

(reference Insiders).

She also learned to break things down and not make things as complicated...although she still struggles with that (reference Redemption and the easy solution Jonas came up with that she had never considered and The Quest 1 with the

Spoiler:

maze...and the deceptively simple solution).

[Tracy Jane]

Ooobs, she couldn't dial another gate in Solitudes. Not without knowing the PoO. And she didn't think for a minute that it could be Earth.

[samcarterrules]

Just before I go to bed here's my favourite S1 Sam moment. When she stays with Cassie even when she was ordered to leave Cassie there alone, it showed Sam wasn't just someone who would follow orders blindly and when she struggled between what her training told her to do and what Sam's own nature and feeling told her to do, that ep still makes me cry lol

Anyway good night folks take care and have fun

(((((((((Samandas)))))))))

Julia(samarterrules)

[Gate gal]

Oh, I am SO thoroughly outted it's not even funny.

Thus leads me to Samanda. I started out here ages ago as primarily a shipper who really liked Sam...and now I'm a Sam/Amanda fan who appreciates ship. Does that make sense?

To me this makes perfect sense, because that is where I am as well. I delurked on GW solely because of the Ship family (thanks L.A. for pushing the delurk campaign along), and I visited Samanda because Sam was my favorite character. As the months have gone by, I've found myself more interested in Sam than the ship (please don't throw stones ship family I STILL WANT MY SHIP RESOLUTION DESPERATELY). I think it is primarily because RDA is gone, but it is also because the more I learn about Amanda and the more my daughter looks up to Sam the more important Samanda becomes to me. I actually wonder at times if it is really possible to be both an Amanda/Sam fan and a Sam/Jack shipper. I believe it is (there are so many of us), because well I love both my ship and my Sam but if I ever had to make a choice it would be Sam hands down.

That next to the last sentence is going to get me in so much trouble. Please read the context not my feeble words.

[Uber]

Ooobs, she couldn't dial another gate in Solitudes. Not without knowing the PoO. And she didn't think for a minute that it could be Earth.

She knew the point of origin...she figured that out pretty quickly.

She was so focused on dialing up Earth that when it didn't work, she concluded that there was something wrong with her gate. That was a false conclusion based on a false premise. Had she attempted to dial, say, Cimmeria, or tried another address, she would have seen that the gate connected just fine to another world and that the problem was not due a mechanical breakdown.

But she didn't attempt another gate because she believed that the problem was due to a mechanical failure on her end.

Of course, had she tried a different gate and took Jack there, the story would have been much MUCH different...

[ChevronSeven]

Ooobs, she couldn't dial another gate in Solitudes. Not without knowing the PoO. And she didn't think for a minute that it could be Earth.

Sam found a PoO in Solitudes, but the gate wouldn't dial. She then tried to reset (ala a Windows reboot) and it rattled and shook the gate, but no wormhole.

[Tracy Jane]

Sorry guys, my bad. I obviously need to rewatch the episode *headdesk*

[ann_sgcfan]

Okay I thought I might give my opinion on this matter too…
I know Amanda was forced to make a statement/ response on her website and that angers me... Why a fan would post such a personal matter on the internet to begin with is beyond me, and thus forcing the family to respond...

Setting that aside...Since we all now know of the tragic news I think it might be good to have a place to send our condolences to Amanda that way she is given the option to look or read through our prayers or condolences if she so chooses. I think it would need to be stressed that a response from her is not required at alll!!!!!! it is only there to show her the fans are thinking, praying and sending our support to her and her family during this very difficult time. I agree with Poz, I think since AT was forced to make a statement on her website... she would not be surprised to find some type of support from her fans…actually I think she would be even more surprised if there as nothing there from fans. Personally I think a place on the internet that is censored to keep the rift raft out may be easier then lots of fan mail arriving at Bridge studio.... This way she can read through the condolences if she wants to... or at the least know that her fans are showing support without interfering during this very personal time.

[ann_sgcfan]

She knew the point of origin...she figured that out pretty quickly.

She was so focused on dialing up Earth that when it didn't work, she concluded that there was something wrong with her gate. That was a false conclusion based on a false premise. Had she attempted to dial, say, Cimmeria, or tried another address, she would have seen that the gate connected just fine to another world and that the problem was not due a mechanical breakdown.

But she didn't attempt another gate because she believed that the problem was due to a mechanical failure on her end.

Of course, had she tried a different gate and took Jack there, the story would have been much MUCH different...

here is my question for this episode... the gate tried to dial... it lit up and everything and it appeared it wasn't getting enough juice... She tried to fix it, but still no luck. Weren't they trying to gate to another planet at the time. So why would she ever think she was on earth. In her mind she already left earth which was perfectly okay when she left, so of course it was the gate on the ice planet where she was ... so here is the question how was she supposed to know she was on earth? If she couldn't dial earth (SGC)which she knew was okay, why would she need to dial another gate adress?

[Uber]

here is my question for this episode... the gate tried to dial... it lit up and everything and it appeared it wasn't getting enough juice... She tried to fix it, but still no luck. Weren't they trying to gate to another planet at the time. So why would she ever think she was on earth. In her mind she already left earth which was perfectly okay when she left, so of course it was the gate on the ice planet where she was... so here is the question how was she supposed to know she was on earth? If she couldn't dial earth (SGC)which she knew was okay, why would she need to dial another gate adress?

To determine if the problem was on her end or theirs. She simply assumed that the problem MUST have been on her end and never consider the possibility that it wasn't.

Had she tried another gate it would have connected, thus disproving her initial assumption.

[Gate gal]

Plus, she had no way of checking out another planet. What if she had dialed a planet that was dangerous? It was really early in the series, and they hadn't been many places yet. She could end up putting them in even more danger if she dialed a gou'ald infested planet. Do we even know if they had a GDO with them? Or was it with Teal'c or Daniel? I think this episode played out perfectly just the way it was.