Sam Carter/Amanda Tapping Discussion/Appreciation

[Frostfox]

I agree. I don't think Sam is 'losing out' at all by not having children. If it had been possible I don't doubt that Sam would have had a good crack at being a parent and enjoyed it. However, I think she has made decisions at each point that haven't included having a family and been okay with where her life has taken her. Yes it would have been a great opportunity, but every life is a balance of choices.

Different people had different priorities.
I don't have kids, I've never wanted them, I have a full and happy and fulfilled life without them.
I haven't 'lost out' because I haven't got kids. I've just put other things higher up my 'want's' list for life. Not all unmarried women without kids are a dried up old spinster, I'm not lonely or isolated by my life choices, I thrive on them and I didn't lack other options, I just chose the one right for me. The image of the spinster belongs to another age, before women had the power to make life choices which ended at being a wife (and by extension, a mother).

What I'm trying to say, gently I hope, is that your priorities, Chelle, possibly due to the possibility of not having children but wanting them, are different to my priorities in not having children and not wanting them.
You see Sam as wanting kids, but I don't see it as a high priority for her (in my experience, if a woman really wants kids, she will have them, career be blowed). But it's all open to interpretation, yours is as valid as mine.

FF

[Skydiver]

Life is a balance of choices, and I think that there are many reasons Sam would chose to put off a family if that was what she wanted. As soon as I get a good job, as soon as I get promoted, as soon as we defeat the Goa'uld, as soon as we defeat the replicators, Anubis, the Ori etc etc...All steering her away from being a parent. We know from Moebius that not everytime does she make that choice, and in those cases I am sure she is an awesome and interesting mother, and while it might have been very interesting to see how the character balanced everything, ultimately*our* Sam's choices did not lead to that life. And I feel like she is cool with that. I mean she gets to captain a super cool space ship, she is a full colonel and is seriously getting the physics nobel prize as soon as everything gets declassified. Before her s7-s8 arc she may not have been so comfortable with her choices but now I really think she is happy how she is.

The thing I find perhaps rather ironic is that while I doubt Sam Carter will ever be a mother, I think she may end up being a "de facto" grandmother. (Which I think she'd be really good at) Because if Cassie ever deciedes to have children, with Janet gone, their maternal grandmother figure would undoubtably be Sam. Which is kind of a full circle thingy. In the begining, Sam, Sg1 and Janet gave Cassie "family" and in the end I think it will be Cassie who gives Sam (and the guys) "family".

very cool point, and yeah, i can see that happening

[LaCroix]

Life is a balance of choices, and I think that there are many reasons Sam would chose to put off a family if that was what she wanted. As soon as I get a good job, as soon as I get promoted, as soon as we defeat the Goa'uld, as soon as we defeat the replicators, Anubis, the Ori etc etc...All steering her away from being a parent. We know from Moebius that not everytime does she make that choice, and in those cases I am sure she is an awesome and interesting mother, and while it might have been very interesting to see how the character balanced everything, ultimately*our* Sam's choices did not lead to that life. And I feel like she is cool with that. I mean she gets to captain a super cool space ship, she is a full colonel and is seriously getting the physics nobel prize as soon as everything gets declassified. Before her s7-s8 arc she may not have been so comfortable with her choices but now I really think she is happy how she is.

The thing I find perhaps rather ironic is that while I doubt Sam Carter will ever be a mother, I think she may end up being a "de facto" grandmother. (Which I think she'd be really good at) Because if Cassie ever deciedes to have children, with Janet gone, their maternal grandmother figure would undoubtably be Sam. Which is kind of a full circle thingy. In the begining, Sam, Sg1 and Janet gave Cassie "family" and in the end I think it will be Cassie who gives Sam (and the guys) "family".

I never thought about the above before.

[EH-T]

I agree. I don't think Sam is 'losing out' at all by not having children. If it had been possible I don't doubt that Sam would have had a good crack at being a parent and enjoyed it. However, I think she has made decisions at each point that haven't included having a family and been okay with where her life has taken her. Yes it would have been a great opportunity, but every life is a balance of choices.

Life is a balance of choices, and I think that there are many reasons Sam would chose to put off a family if that was what she wanted. As soon as I get a good job, as soon as I get promoted, as soon as we defeat the Goa'uld, as soon as we defeat the replicators, Anubis, the Ori etc etc...All steering her away from being a parent. We know from Moebius that not everytime does she make that choice, and in those cases I am sure she is an awesome and interesting mother, and while it might have been very interesting to see how the character balanced everything, ultimately*our* Sam's choices did not lead to that life. And I feel like she is cool with that. I mean she gets to captain a super cool space ship, she is a full colonel and is seriously getting the physics nobel prize as soon as everything gets declassified. Before her s7-s8 arc she may not have been so comfortable with her choices but now I really think she is happy how she is.

The thing I find perhaps rather ironic is that while I doubt Sam Carter will ever be a mother, I think she may end up being a "de facto" grandmother. (Which I think she'd be really good at) Because if Cassie ever deciedes to have children, with Janet gone, their maternal grandmother figure would undoubtably be Sam. Which is kind of a full circle thingy. In the begining, Sam, Sg1 and Janet gave Cassie "family" and in the end I think it will be Cassie who gives Sam (and the guys) "family".

Different people had different priorities.
I don't have kids, I've never wanted them, I have a full and happy and fulfilled life without them.
I haven't 'lost out' because I haven't got kids. I've just put other things higher up my 'want's' list for life. Not all unmarried women without kids are a dried up old spinster, I'm not lonely or isolated by my life choices, I thrive on them and I didn't lack other options, I just chose the one right for me. The image of the spinster belongs to another age, before women had the power to make life choices which ended at being a wife (and by extension, a mother).

What I'm trying to say, gently I hope, is that your priorities, Chelle, possibly due to the possibility of not having children but wanting them, are different to my priorities in not having children and not wanting them.
You see Sam as wanting kids, but I don't see it as a high priority for her (in my experience, if a woman really wants kids, she will have them, career be blowed). But it's all open to interpretation, yours is as valid as mine.

FF

Well said ladies. I think the only caveat I would add is that Sam has become a mother to Cassie whether she formally adopted her or not. While I didn't want the show to become about Sam's homelife it was disappointing that they went to the extreme of rarely mentioning Cassie. Then again, when was the last time Ry'ac got a mention?

[Frostfox]

Well said ladies. I think the only caveat I would add is that Sam has become a mother to Cassie whether she formally adopted her or not. While I didn't want the show to become about Sam's homelife it was disappointing that they went to the extreme of rarely mentioning Cassie. Then again, when was the last time Ry'ac got a mention?

In total agreement.
If there is one thing which ticks me off about Stargate, it's the under utilization of show canon, whether it be interesting aliens or background characters. Why create such interesting back stories if not to use them?

FF

[Tracy Jane]

At the same time though (and I'm sort of playing devil's advocate here), the show was about their professional lives rather than their personal lives. Though perhaps a more frequent mention of things like Cassie and Ryac would have been interesting, I look at my former workplaces and consider how much personal information we shared with each other... and we didn't. We were just too busy with all our professional commitments to discuss anything outside of work, and in the same vein, I think that there is such a mission-focus that they probably wouldn't talk about family that much, at least not in the situations we are used to seeing on screen.

[Frostfox]

At the same time though (and I'm sort of playing devil's advocate here), the show was about their professional lives rather than their personal lives. Though perhaps a more frequent mention of things like Cassie and Ryac would have been interesting, I look at my former workplaces and consider how much personal information we shared with each other... and we didn't. We were just too busy with all our professional commitments to discuss anything outside of work, and in the same vein, I think that there is such a mission-focus that they probably wouldn't talk about family that much, at least not in the situations we are used to seeing on screen.

Very true, I had little interest in SG1 descending into soap opera territory, but, Cassie and Rya'c aside, what I wanted was more use of the resources given by canon history in the show, allies, aliens or cultures from earlier seasons.

FF

[majorsal]

True...But, it was made apparent that Sam had thought about having children.
I know she's a soldier first in the show but like real life people, characters can and do move beyond just the role they were originally designed to be.
I'd really like to see Sam have it all. Why cant she?? After everything she has done in her career and for her world, why can't the woman have what she really wants when it comes to love and family life? Don't you think that she gets lonely and that maybe she wants to settle down and have a family one day? I mean am I really that naive to think that Sam deserves that and should be allowed to have that in her life?
I don't want to see Stargate turned into "The Ozzie and Harriet Show"...but Daniels had a family, Teal'c has a family...even Jack had a family! And Hammond...he had his grandkids...so why does Sam have to be left out to be the spinster with no kids and no man. And it's not like she has said that she wants to remain unmarried and childless...in fact, I think it's the other way around. So why can't Sam have it all??? Just saying is all.
Better choof. Still got packing to do!

i agree, i see no reason why sam can't have it all either.

going shipper mode here, so turn away now (for those that don't like it).


if the 3rd movie confirms that sam and jack are 'together', there's nothing wrong (to me) with showing that they'd have kids too. with movies, anything dealt with would be to a much smaller amount (screen time wise), so...

but there'd be a sacrifice. even if jack retired, i can't imagine sam wanting to be gone for long periods of time away from her child. or the danger involved with the might-not-come-back. it's dangerous being a regular human too , but yeah, much more dangerous being 'out there'.

but i could see the franchise (was going to say show ) dealing with this storyline. all that's really stopping them is wanting to.

[jckfan55]

Very true, I had little interest in SG1 descending into soap opera territory, but, Cassie and Rya'c aside, what I wanted was more use of the resources given by canon history in the show, allies, aliens or cultures from earlier seasons.

FF

True, I wouldn't have wanted it to go down the road of soap opera--partly why I'm such an anti-shipper. But I do think there were times when Cassie, Ryac, and later Jack should have been mentioned. [Sam's "Cassie was going through a hard time" just seemed like something that was thrown in to appease fans who kept asking whatever happened to her. ]

I also thought it would have been nice to mention janet--when introducing a new doc, for example. Some line like "well she's no Fraiser, but she seems dedicated" or something. I suppose they thought new fans wouldn't know who they were talking about.

As for Sam and kids--we know in the altered future of 2010, Sam was trying to have kids. And wasn't AT great in that ep? (how's that for trying to veer back on topic? )

[Skydiver]

there's little things like...throw away lines.sam is frustrated because the mountain is shut down and comments 'i need to call cassie, we were meeting tonight' and that's it. or teal'c going off world or coming back from off world because he's visiting his new grandchild....just little things and mentions that would add a ton of depth without them having to devote a whole episode or anything

[RealmOfX]

I was just reading a new blogger's first post over at SFX with the rather grand title of "The Necessity Of Heroines In Science Fiction". I thought that the article was way too short and didn't go into enough depth but it did raise some interesting points. It also generated some well written comments.

The blogger Kelly Harker names her three choices of women who are "Among the most influential and powerful female character consciousnesses in sci-fi," as Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor and Samantha Carter. At the end of her blog she asks the question :
"Which sci-fi heroines would you name as the most influential and powerful characters?"

I'd have to say Sam (of course), Dana Scully (X-Files), Delenn (Babylon 5), Captain Janeway (yeah so sue me I liked ST:Voyager I just ignored the bad bits). I'd like to add Helen Magnus to the list but as of yet I don't feel that the character has been developed enough but I do see the potential for her to be added to the list. Also I'd add more to the list like Susan Ivanova (Babylon 5) and Zoe (Firefly) and others but they fit more into the kick ar$$ category; they are memorable but are not quite in the same category for me.

[EvenstarSRV]

I was just reading a new blogger's first post over at SFX with the rather grand title of "The Necessity Of Heroines In Science Fiction". I thought that the article was way too short and didn't go into enough depth but it did raise some interesting points. It also generated some well written comments.

The blogger Kelly Harker names her three choices of women who are "Among the most influential and powerful female character consciousnesses in sci-fi," as Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor and Samantha Carter. At the end of her blog she asks the question :
"Which sci-fi heroines would you name as the most influential and powerful characters?"

I'd have to say Sam (of course), Dana Scully (X-Files), Delenn (Babylon 5), Captain Janeway (yeah so sue me I liked ST:Voyager I just ignored the bad bits). I'd like to add Helen Magnus to the list but as of yet I don't feel that the character has been developed enough but I do see the potential for her to be added to the list. Also I'd add more to the list like Susan Ivanova (Babylon 5) and Zoe (Firefly) and others but they fit more into the kick ar$$ category; they are memorable but are not quite in the same category for me.

Interesting article! I would also add Laura Roslin and Kara Thrace from BSG as influential sci-fi heroines. And for non-TV characters, I would say Lady Jessica from the Dune series and Princess Leia from Star Wars.

[Tittamiire]

Life is a balance of choices, and I think that there are many reasons Sam would chose to put off a family if that was what she wanted. As soon as I get a good job, as soon as I get promoted, as soon as we defeat the Goa'uld, as soon as we defeat the replicators, Anubis, the Ori etc etc...All steering her away from being a parent. We know from Moebius that not everytime does she make that choice, and in those cases I am sure she is an awesome and interesting mother, and while it might have been very interesting to see how the character balanced everything, ultimately*our* Sam's choices did not lead to that life. And I feel like she is cool with that. I mean she gets to captain a super cool space ship, she is a full colonel and is seriously getting the physics nobel prize as soon as everything gets declassified. Before her s7-s8 arc she may not have been so comfortable with her choices but now I really think she is happy how she is.

The thing I find perhaps rather ironic is that while I doubt Sam Carter will ever be a mother, I think she may end up being a "de facto" grandmother. (Which I think she'd be really good at) Because if Cassie ever deciedes to have children, with Janet gone, their maternal grandmother figure would undoubtably be Sam. Which is kind of a full circle thingy. In the begining, Sam, Sg1 and Janet gave Cassie "family" and in the end I think it will be Cassie who gives Sam (and the guys) "family".

I totally agree that I think Sam is cool with where her life has ended up.

Different people had different priorities.
I don't have kids, I've never wanted them, I have a full and happy and fulfilled life without them.
I haven't 'lost out' because I haven't got kids. I've just put other things higher up my 'want's' list for life. Not all unmarried women without kids are a dried up old spinster, I'm not lonely or isolated by my life choices, I thrive on them and I didn't lack other options, I just chose the one right for me. The image of the spinster belongs to another age, before women had the power to make life choices which ended at being a wife (and by extension, a mother).

What I'm trying to say, gently I hope, is that your priorities, Chelle, possibly due to the possibility of not having children but wanting them, are different to my priorities in not having children and not wanting them.
You see Sam as wanting kids, but I don't see it as a high priority for her (in my experience, if a woman really wants kids, she will have them, career be blowed). But it's all open to interpretation, yours is as valid as mine.

FF

Exactly, admittedly I'm young and I may yet change my mind, but I am intending to have a full and busy life that may or may not contain my own children. I work with kids and love them and I do know that one day I might want children of my own, but if I don't, or it doesn't work that way, I am totally fine with it.

Well said ladies. I think the only caveat I would add is that Sam has become a mother to Cassie whether she formally adopted her or not. While I didn't want the show to become about Sam's homelife it was disappointing that they went to the extreme of rarely mentioning Cassie. Then again, when was the last time Ry'ac got a mention?

Hmm, maybe not mother to Cassie, definitely a carer, but I never saw her as a mother to Cassie. I also agree that there should have been more mention of the minor characters like Cassie and Ry'ac. Just a one line update to show that the writers hadn't forgotten about them would be enough cos they were cool and interesting characters that should have been important enough to the main ones to be mentioned.

there's little things like...throw away lines.sam is frustrated because the mountain is shut down and comments 'i need to call cassie, we were meeting tonight' and that's it. or teal'c going off world or coming back from off world because he's visiting his new grandchild....just little things and mentions that would add a ton of depth without them having to devote a whole episode or anything

Exactly....they don't need to be in the episodes, just mentioned, the same with their whole lives outside the SGC.

I know Pete is sometimes a controversial topic, but he suffered the same problem, at least among many other problems. His name didn't even need mentioning, but the whole arc could have been made better by Sam occasionally muttering that she'd actually got plans for once...then the de-generation into awkwardness later on would have been stronger.

[EH-T]

True, I wouldn't have wanted it to go down the road of soap opera--partly why I'm such an anti-shipper. But I do think there were times when Cassie, Ryac, and later Jack should have been mentioned. [Sam's "Cassie was going through a hard time" just seemed like something that was thrown in to appease fans who kept asking whatever happened to her. ]

I also thought it would have been nice to mention janet--when introducing a new doc, for example. Some line like "well she's no Fraiser, but she seems dedicated" or something. I suppose they thought new fans wouldn't know who they were talking about.

As for Sam and kids--we know in the altered future of 2010, Sam was trying to have kids. And wasn't AT great in that ep? (how's that for trying to veer back on topic? )

And how about mentioning Jonas occasionly? Or how much Sam missed her Dad?

Yes, AT WAS great in 2010 (see below ).

there's little things like...throw away lines.sam is frustrated because the mountain is shut down and comments 'i need to call cassie, we were meeting tonight' and that's it. or teal'c going off world or coming back from off world because he's visiting his new grandchild....just little things and mentions that would add a ton of depth without them having to devote a whole episode or anything

Exactly. Very simple thing to do.

I was just reading a new blogger's first post over at SFX with the rather grand title of "The Necessity Of Heroines In Science Fiction". I thought that the article was way too short and didn't go into enough depth but it did raise some interesting points. It also generated some well written comments.

The blogger Kelly Harker names her three choices of women who are "Among the most influential and powerful female character consciousnesses in sci-fi," as Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor and Samantha Carter. At the end of her blog she asks the question :
"Which sci-fi heroines would you name as the most influential and powerful characters?"

I'd have to say Sam (of course), Dana Scully (X-Files), Delenn (Babylon 5), Captain Janeway (yeah so sue me I liked ST:Voyager I just ignored the bad bits). I'd like to add Helen Magnus to the list but as of yet I don't feel that the character has been developed enough but I do see the potential for her to be added to the list. Also I'd add more to the list like Susan Ivanova (Babylon 5) and Zoe (Firefly) and others but they fit more into the kick ar$$ category; they are memorable but are not quite in the same category for me.

I'd also say Sam (of course) one of the most influential and powerful characters period, not just in scifi. I also agree with Ripley, Sarah Connor and Scully. Definitely Janeway! I liked Voyager as well and it was a huge step to have a female Captain. I also think we will soon add Helen Magnus to that list. Although I was never a big fan of the original Star Trek I'd have to say Uhura as well. Very rare to see an intelligent, competent and strong woman in scifi back then. Not just there as a love interest. Although the show was sexist in many ways, it was the start of better things to come.

I haven't seen Babylon 5, BSG, Doctor Who or Firefly so can't comment on any of those characters.

[resurgamlaura]

And how about mentioning Jonas occasionly? Or how much Sam missed her Dad?

Yes, AT WAS great in 2010 (see below ).



Exactly. Very simple thing to do.




I'd also say Sam (of course) one of the most influential and powerful characters period, not just in scifi. I also agree with Ripley, Sarah Connor and Scully. Definitely Janeway! I liked Voyager as well and it was a huge step to have a female Captain. I also think we will soon add Helen Magnus to that list. Although I was never a big fan of the original Star Trek I'd have to say Uhura as well. Very rare to see an intelligent, competent and strong woman in scifi back then. Not just there as a love interest. Although the show was sexist in many ways, it was the start of better things to come.

I haven't seen Babylon 5, BSG, Doctor Who or Firefly so can't comment on any of those characters.

In the few 'original' Trek episodes, Uhura is one of the few bright spots in terms of female characterisation- still love interest elements, but in a more equal way, and still with comptetence. And one of the first black female characters on TV who was equal to her colleagues both professionally and socially. I'll try and forget the sixties bimbo 'archaeologist' character who cropped up in one ep

Love Ripley (the benefits of casting actors into roles which the writers have specified as unisex). Sarah Connor's psychology and development is also interesting. Sam, obviously. Firefly had a variety of vastly different but strong female characters, as did Farscape (which was brilliant for reversing the hero/heroine stereotypes, seeing as its John who often needs rescuing, isn't as military-minded and spends far more time in a state of undress than Aeryn ever did ) although none of them have had as massive an influence on genre film and TV and media in general as some of the other examples given.

I was too young for X-Files (they put it on at such a ridiculous time than even my parents didn't watch it), and Star Trek doesn't much appeal to me, but even second-hand I can see the influence of characters like Scully and Janeway, in being competent, smart but without sacrificing all elements of their femininity in order to be so.

This mostly OT and utterly tl;dr post was delivered to you especially from my the meandering brain, all in one fell swoop