Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill Ship Appreciation Thread

[Buc252]

yeah...I was thinking that too...

so...who wants to do some hypothetical speculation on the possibility of

Spoiler:

RDA's one-ep return?

I'm actually scared of the idea of his coming back for one ep. Because even if it's the last episode he ever does, I don't trust TPTB to use him properly and have *any* ship in it at all. They'll just waste his appearances like they have this year.

[Buc252]

Yes, you're right. At first I thought RDA was wearing non-matching pants, but then realized there is a discoloration on the photo which runs across Sam's dress as well as onto those pants. He's been known, though, to wear what he wants as long as it's not going to be in the picture, such as sandals with his uniform at the end of Zero Hour. BTW, this isn't the photo we see in POV--fun to see another view.

I thought it looked like his green BDU pants with the dress clothes just on the top. It would make sense if they were only shooting him from the waist up that he wouldn't bother changing his pants. (There are many "behind the scenes" pictures of David Duchovny on XF wearing his suit jacket, dress shirt, and tie, with orange shorts or whatever.)

But now that you mention it, it *does* look like it was just a glare of some kind. Oh, well.

[majorsal]

Majorsal you are right, all it would take is one letter from each and every shipper. I honestly think that this is the turning point; if we wait for season 11 (I hope not) and they don't even mention Jack in season 10, I think the storyline will have passed him up and I'm afraid many of the shippers may disband by that point. We have to at least make an attempt and fight for what we believe in. So, send those letters to Sony, MGM, and TPTB and be heard.

so how do we get this going?

i guess i could start a thread and ask shippers to write scifi/sony and beg for sam/jack ship??? i've never done anything like this before.

all it would take is one letter per shipper...

shippers, what should we do?




sally

[majorsal]

In Canada last night we had a half hour special on Season 9. I don't know if other countries showed this before season 9 premiered or not. A number of interesting things were said and not said, I guess. AT said that this season there was going to be nothing about her personal life, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. She said it very emphatically. She also said that Cameron led the team different from Richard then corrected herself and said Jack. Interestingly she said that Jack often deferred to the other team members but Cameron was more "a man of action." Not sure what show she is watching but, oh well. She also talked about the chemistry the actors have and how it shows how everyboby cares for each other. Again, I think she must be watching reruns. I don't want to sound too negative but RDA wasn't mentioned at all (except that one thing) and also without RDA these people are seriously NOT FUNNY.It was the most bland and dull behind the scenes that I have seen.

thanks, stargate7777. i was going to green you, but i couldn't.

so, the good news just keeps coming and coming....





sally

[Uber]

so how do we get this going?

i guess i could start a thread and ask shippers to write scifi/sony and beg for sam/jack ship??? i've never done anything like this before.

all it would take is one letter per shipper...

shippers, what should we do?




sally

Okay bear with me. This is a letter I wrote and sent to Amanda with the video I made for her (I'm hoping she'll get to see all of it fairly soon)...and I'll be sending this on to TPTB that I name at the top this coming week.

This is a different take on the shipper debate; namely, that there isn't one anymore. Confused? Don't be...but see what you do or don't agree with here:

*******************************

To the attention of Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright, Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and copied to Amanda Tapping


Dear Sirs,

May I share with you something that actually has mass appeal across the ranks of Amanda/Sam Carter fans that would also make you the producers look good? And believe it or not, it’s about a topic that typically garners the distinction for causing deep chasms in fandom. It is the issue regarding the relationship between Jack and Sam.

Now I’m sure you get LOTS of mail on this topic. May I encourage you to stay with me for a moment and see if you agree with what we’ve been discussing at great length. You might be surprised about what we’ve come to agree upon.

You’ve seen all the arguments pro and con I’m sure. But here’s a bit of a different take that you may or may not have considered: the conclusion we made is that the original debate is no longer relevant. Whether one saw IT before or not (I did) or are interested in the two of them ending up together or not (I am), none of that mattered now. Why? Primarily, because one half of that equation was no longer in the day-to-day workings of the SG-1 canvas.

At this point with Jack not around and no longer her CO, the argument of whether or not they belong together or whether or not she and Jack have feelings for each other or is there chemistry between them is completely moot. So shipper, non-shipper, antishipper…whatever… none of that matters anymore.

So then, what have the fans decided then (you may or may not be asking at this point)?

What we’ve come to realize is that the only thing that matters with regard to the original ship debate is the character that’s left standing…the one still on that canvas…Samantha Carter. What we are asking is that you be true to the Carter character and what she experienced over the last few years.

Hopefully you don’t regret the ship story arc…we the fans certainly don’t. But even if you do regret any part of it now to whatever extent, that also doesn’t matter now. You chose to go down the path of telling the story so that one walked away with the clear understanding that Jack and Sam cared for each other deeply and wanted more. She could have married Pete after all; thankfully that did not occur, based in part at least on her and Jack’s feelings for each other. And since this is the story you told, you need to follow through with it for the sake of the Carter character and VALIDATE the emotional journey she went on, that we as her fans went on with her.

So what are we talking about then? Nothing short of real, honest-to-goodness, non-vague acknowledgements of ship next season. And by that we don’t mean dedicating full episodes to it…but subtle and yes, even not-so-subtle acknowledgements spread throughout next season…especially when Richard Dean Anderson stops by for a guest appearance or cameo. So perhaps a few phone calls, lunch invites, drop by visits from Jack where he's affectionate and flirtatious to Sam on screen (since the angst factor is finally gone we can enjoy those moments even more now)...or heck...even a combination of these things plus a ring that just shows up on her finger at the end of season 10. And why not? It certainly wouldn’t have an adverse affect on the team dynamic or even the show at this point, now would it? But it would have bearing on Sam and what she went through and would also be a logical conclusion to the journey she and Jack have been on for years. It would sew things up quite nicely, now wouldn’t it?

Believe it or not, rabid antishippers who love Sam agreed with the above. Why? Because at this point, a real acknowledgement of ship can do nothing but help Sam's character because it would VALIDATE what she went through at the end of last season...i.e., she didn't go through all that for nothing. Something on screen in this regard can only strengthen Carter overall as being a rounded out person who isn't all about her work and isn't all about her personal life. It would show her as having more dimension and balance because she's fulfilled professionally and personally.

My big fear after so much focus on ship last season was that you’d swing the pendulum too far the other way and completely ignore what she went through and so far this seems to be exactly what has happened this season. Unfortunately, vagueness on this issue or ignoring it altogether actually makes her look worse (and you too for that matter). This makes her as unbalanced as only showing her personal side and actually feels like a poor attempt to try to turn back the clock to earlier seasons where we didn't know as much about her or relate as much to her.

Completely ignoring this issue would be wholly unfair to her character and to her fans who went through the emotional journey with her. Furthermore, it would make everything she went through from Grace clear on through Threads meaningless...and her character will devolve into someone who is all work/all the time...something Jacob never wanted for her and something she realized she didn't want for herself either.

Now granted, we want to continue seeing Samantha Carter as a kickbutt soldier, a brilliant scientist, a strong leader, a compassionate friend and loving mother to Cassie. But what we’re saying is we want to see that she didn't go though all of that emotional turmoil last season in vain, that a few acknowledgements sprinkled about next season would be completely appropriate and again would VALIDATE what she endured. And frankly, I think both Samantha Carter and we as her fans are due that respect since you chose to highlight this aspect of her persona.

Plus, did I mention it would make you look good for being true to the character and the story arc? I thought so.

We’re not talking about a gateroom wedding with Teal’c as the best man and Walter as the flower girl here (sorry…give me a second…that mental picture made me chuckle and lose my train of thought…okay back on track now)…we’re just talking about a little balance, validation and respect for a character and an actress that deserves all of the above…that’s all.

Thank you for your time and consideration,


Mary Beth House
(on behalf of Amanda’s fans at the Gateworld forum who asked me to send this to you)

[trupi]

so how do we get this going?

i guess i could start a thread and ask shippers to write scifi/sony and beg for sam/jack ship??? i've never done anything like this before.

all it would take is one letter per shipper...

shippers, what should we do?




sally

I don't think you need to open a thread but visit the threads that would be receptive to the idea of writing letters about the ship and leave a request and the addresses where to send their letters.

[majorsal]

Okay bear with me. This is a letter I wrote and sent to Amanda with the video I made for her (I'm hoping she'll get to see all of it fairly soon)...and I'll be sending this on to TPTB that I name at the top this coming week.

This is a different take on the shipper debate; namely, that there isn't one anymore. Confused? Don't be...but see what you do or don't agree with here:

*******************************

To the attention of Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright, Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and copied to Amanda Tapping


Dear Sirs,

(snipped)

wonderful letter, mary beth!

i'd LOVE to know what everyone's reaction was to that. (especially amanda)



sally

[majorsal]

I don't think you need to open a thread but visit the threads that would be receptive to the idea of writing letters about the ship and leave a request and the addresses where to send their letters.

well, i thought about opening a separate thread to get to the ppl that don't really want to read this thread (so wouldn't know about this idea).

thoughts everyone?



sally

[nell]

To the attention of Robert C. Cooper, Brad Wright, Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and copied to Amanda Tapping


Dear Sirs,

May I share with you something that actually has mass appeal across the ranks of Amanda/Sam Carter fans that would also make you the producers look good? And believe it or not, it’s about a topic that typically garners the distinction for causing deep chasms in fandom. It is the issue regarding the relationship between Jack and Sam.

Now I’m sure you get LOTS of mail on this topic. May I encourage you to stay with me for a moment and see if you agree with what we’ve been discussing at great length. You might be surprised about what we’ve come to agree upon.

You’ve seen all the arguments pro and con I’m sure. But here’s a bit of a different take that you may or may not have considered: the conclusion we made is that the original debate is no longer relevant. Whether one saw IT before or not (I did) or are interested in the two of them ending up together or not (I am), none of that mattered now. Why? Primarily, because one half of that equation was no longer in the day-to-day workings of the SG-1 canvas.

At this point with Jack not around and no longer her CO, the argument of whether or not they belong together or whether or not she and Jack have feelings for each other or is there chemistry between them is completely moot. So shipper, non-shipper, antishipper…whatever… none of that matters anymore.

So then, what have the fans decided then (you may or may not be asking at this point)?

What we’ve come to realize is that the only thing that matters with regard to the original ship debate is the character that’s left standing…the one still on that canvas…Samantha Carter. What we are asking is that you be true to the Carter character and what she experienced over the last few years.

Hopefully you don’t regret the ship story arc…we the fans certainly don’t. But even if you do regret any part of it now to whatever extent, that also doesn’t matter now. You chose to go down the path of telling the story so that one walked away with the clear understanding that Jack and Sam cared for each other deeply and wanted more. She could have married Pete after all; thankfully that did not occur, based in part at least on her and Jack’s feelings for each other. And since this is the story you told, you need to follow through with it for the sake of the Carter character and VALIDATE the emotional journey she went on, that we as her fans went on with her.

So what are we talking about then? Nothing short of real, honest-to-goodness, non-vague acknowledgements of ship next season. And by that we don’t mean dedicating full episodes to it…but subtle and yes, even not-so-subtle acknowledgements spread throughout next season…especially when Richard Dean Anderson stops by for a guest appearance or cameo. So perhaps a few phone calls, lunch invites, drop by visits from Jack where he's affectionate and flirtatious to Sam on screen (since the angst factor is finally gone we can enjoy those moments even more now)...or heck...even a combination of these things plus a ring that just shows up on her finger at the end of season 10. And why not? It certainly wouldn’t have an adverse affect on the team dynamic or even the show at this point, now would it? But it would have bearing on Sam and what she went through and would also be a logical conclusion to the journey she and Jack have been on for years. It would sew things up quite nicely, now wouldn’t it?

Believe it or not, rabid antishippers who love Sam agreed with the above. Why? Because at this point, a real acknowledgement of ship can do nothing but help Sam's character because it would VALIDATE what she went through at the end of last season...i.e., she didn't go through all that for nothing. Something on screen in this regard can only strengthen Carter overall as being a rounded out person who isn't all about her work and isn't all about her personal life. It would show her as having more dimension and balance because she's fulfilled professionally and personally.

My big fear after so much focus on ship last season was that you’d swing the pendulum too far the other way and completely ignore what she went through and so far this seems to be exactly what has happened this season. Unfortunately, vagueness on this issue or ignoring it altogether actually makes her look worse (and you too for that matter). This makes her as unbalanced as only showing her personal side and actually feels like a poor attempt to try to turn back the clock to earlier seasons where we didn't know as much about her or relate as much to her.

Completely ignoring this issue would be wholly unfair to her character and to her fans who went through the emotional journey with her. Furthermore, it would make everything she went through from Grace clear on through Threads meaningless...and her character will devolve into someone who is all work/all the time...something Jacob never wanted for her and something she realized she didn't want for herself either.

Now granted, we want to continue seeing Samantha Carter as a kickbutt soldier, a brilliant scientist, a strong leader, a compassionate friend and loving mother to Cassie. But what we’re saying is we want to see that she didn't go though all of that emotional turmoil last season in vain, that a few acknowledgements sprinkled about next season would be completely appropriate and again would VALIDATE what she endured. And frankly, I think both Samantha Carter and we as her fans are due that respect since you chose to highlight this aspect of her persona.

Plus, did I mention it would make you look good for being true to the character and the story arc? I thought so.

We’re not talking about a gateroom wedding with Teal’c as the best man and Walter as the flower girl here (sorry…give me a second…that mental picture made me chuckle and lose my train of thought…okay back on track now)…we’re just talking about a little balance, validation and respect for a character and an actress that deserves all of the above…that’s all.

Thank you for your time and consideration,


Mary Beth House
(on behalf of Amanda’s fans at the Gateworld forum who asked me to send this to you)

((((Mary Beth)))) I am blown away by your eloquent words!!! I agree that it's more than the Ship, it's the development of Carter's character. I think Sam Carter has been the most fully developed character of SG-1 and TPTB have an opportunity to polish Sam's story with tangible moments that portray her relationship with Jack. No, they have a responsibility to do so!!!

[nickatell]

Majorsal, my only concern about opening a thread to write the letters is that we might spend most of the time defending our right to write the letters, as we have all said outside of this thread people aren't always so nice. At this point though I am for anything that will get the people to write the letters, so.........

[trupi]

Majorsal, my only concern about opening a thread to write the letters is that we might spend most of the time defending our right to write the letters, as we have all said outside of this thread people aren't always so nice. At this point though I am for anything that will get the people to write the letters, so.........

That was also my concern. We have runned into some of the others who are quite not so nice and understanding!

[nickatell]

I honestly think that if MGM and Sony were sent just one letter from each shipper that they would come to realize the monetary value Jack and Sam carry as well. The important thing is that each and every one of us write, I know our numbers are great and soon they will as well. As Trupi has said, look how fast MGM responded about the Threads dvd and I don't believe it was only about the Teal'c missing scenes. If we concentrate our efforts at this pivotal point, I think we will have a better chance. Okay now I sound like a leader before battle, but us complaining to each other only helps us feel some what better but it doesn't change anything, this might work!!!!

[majorsal]

I honestly think that if MGM and Sony were sent just one letter from each shipper that they would come to realize the monetary value Jack and Sam carry as well. The important thing is that each and every one of us write, I know our numbers are great and soon they will as well. As Trupi has said, look how fast MGM responded about the Threads dvd and I don't believe it was only about the Teal'c missing scenes. If we concentrate our efforts at this pivotal point, I think we will have a better chance. Okay now I sound like a leader before battle, but us complaining to each other only helps us feel some what better but it doesn't change anything, this might work!!!!

i don't know where to spread this around. i can't talk on the sam/jack yahoo list (too negative there), and there aren't enough ppl left here, so where doest this leave us? all 5 of us left here to write?



sally

[trupi]

i don't know where to spread this around. i can't talk on the sam/jack yahoo list (too negative there), and there aren't enough ppl left here, so where doest this leave us? all 5 of us left here to write?



sally

Are you telling me we are down to 5 people only on this thread? We have old and new members e-mail addresses, some people from the Sam and RDA thread would help (if we ask) we have family and friends that would do it if we ask. We can have a basic form letter like Uber's stating our causes and have our fellow co-workers (who don't think we are crazy) neighbors etc sign and send it in. It is harmless and most people don't care if they sign a form letter supporting a TV show. You understand what I'm saying? If we keep quite and only b---- here, we definitly going to go no where!

[Uber]

Are you telling me we are down to 5 people only on this thread? We have old and new members e-mail addresses, some people from the Sam and RDA thread would help (if we ask) we have family and friends that would do it if we ask. We can have a basic form letter like Uber's stating our causes and have our fellow co-workers (who don't think we are crazy) neighbors etc sign and send it in. It is harmless and most people don't care if they sign a form letter supporting a TV show. You understand what I'm saying? If we keep quite and only b---- here, we definitly going to go no where!

I geared what I wrote to focus on the angle of them looking good, them fulfilling a story arc, them turning what they apparently perceive as a negative (too much focus on ship) and making it a positive in a few easy steps and furthermore validating what Sam and we as her fans went through with her for two years.

So if you like what I wrote, feel free to take some of the same themes and write a similar letter...but I strongly discourage the idea of a form letter. That wreaks of a "campaign" and would minimize the impact of the number of letters that came in.

Instead, we should write our own letters...individually. Nothing over the top though. Notice how I didn't scrawl "Sam and Jack 4eva" across the top in pink letters. Even though I'm a diehard shipper, I'm also a pragmatist and recognize they care about the end result more than anything else...as in number of viewers and dollars coming in.

Ask them to continue to show Sam as the confident, competent scientist/soldier but don't abandon the advances she made. Help them see what a positive thing this would be...what a wise business move this would be as well...if they just follow through here and there and give us our cute, flirty, NON-ANGSTY scenes...our payoff if you will for travelling that emotional roller coaster with them.