The Cam and Vala discussion thread

[Neorapsta]

Well with season 8 it was cut off world missions and use more money to make atlantis pretty rather than sany writing decision.

[majorsal]

One problem (yes just one for now) I saw with how they handled Jack not going off world, is that hardly any one else did either They kept the show earth bound with Jack, instead of showing the transition of the SG1 under the command of Sam. They should have had more team shows, with Jack's part being similar to Hammonds. Then you would have actually had a chance to see the team grow and people would get used to RDA's diminished role.

exactly!

and you know, rda make a comment in an interview about him wanting the writers to write jack as hammond. if they'd went the way you stated... oh, what a wonderful show we would have RIGHT NOW.

, with new-comer , as sam's 2IC. (mitchell would eventually become the leader of sg1, when sam/amanda moves on)






sally

[majorsal]

yeah, that woulda helped. along with slowly integrating 'a new guy' into the position of #4.

the writers really needed to make that transition, but didn't and i think it just hurt the show.

the writers integrated jonas quinn just fine (to me). now, i wasn't grieving for daniel jackson, so i'm sure that's a huge factor in me not minding jonas being there, but i DO think the writers did a great job of adding another character without the character being given the show or giving the character the central point of view for the show.

why rob cooper decided to go in the direction he did for season 9 i'll never know. or like.





sally

[suse]

lack of forethought, lack of afterthought. lack of just about everything that worked for 8 years. funny that.

I was trying to be diplomatic.

But For the most part. Though I think they were trying. Just not succeeding. That happens when you try to write/direct/produce 40 eps with a 20 ep stable of writers/directors/producers.


suse

[suse]

Well with season 8 it was cut off world missions and use more money to make atlantis pretty rather than sany writing decision.

That too.

Though S8 had really cool SFX heavy two-parters. But yes, too many bottle shows.

Suse

[The Kit Kat Lady]

the writers integrated jonas quinn just fine (to me). now, i wasn't grieving for daniel jackson, so i'm sure that's a huge factor in me not minding jonas being there, but i DO think the writers did a great job of adding another character without the character being given the show or giving the character the central point of view for the show.

sally

I also liked the way they integrated Jonas into the show - they showed the uncertainty of how he felt he fit into the team, and the animosity from the others that they didn't want him there because he was replacing Daniel. He kind of just slotted into the background and offered ideas that the others ran with, slowly introducing himself to them. Even when he was a real part of the team, they still showed signs that he wasn't necessarily part of the team, ie Nightwalkers, Smoke & Mirrors - I realise the latter was classified, but even so, they were reluctant to include him in what had happened previously.

The other nice thing about Jonas was his interaction with the other team members, Teal'c finally found a voice, Jack retained his sarcasm with a hint of distrust and Sam was allowed to become more of a leader in the team and showed a more confident manner within the group.

With the new show, it tends to be mostly Cam/Vala with a hint of the others thrown in on the side - it's almost as if they don't know how to write the other characters anymore. Daniel is the straightman to Vala's comedic whims, Sam is no longer a leader, and often is not even an equal to Cam and Teal'c is often overshadowed by the two louder characters within the team - in fact it's often not a team, but merely some people occasionally thrown together.

I don't expect things to stay the same as they would then become boring and stale, however, it has been too much too soon and unfortunately it has been to the detriment of the show and the existing cast members.

Elaine

[Jackie]

I think the key with Jonas coming to the show was tension. The tension between Jack, Sam and Teal'c about losing Daniel and suddenly having the new kid to help them. It gave a much more realistic theme to the situation.

When MS left it was obvious becuase he ascended instead of dying. I didn't know why he left or how long he would be gone but I didn't worry about it either. I did like Jonas..far more than Mitchell or Vala.

When RDA left they didn't explain where he went. Why all the changes happened and the whole senario was just too unreal to swallow. If you didn't go on the internet and read what was going on you just became lost. I had to explain what happened to RDA to hubby becuase he had no clue what was going on. If it wasn't for these websites...the veiwers were totally lost. I think Cooper and Wright banked on many fans being web savey. Ha, ha, ha...I can barley turn this computer on.

If Ben was intro-ed earlier that would have halp greatly. However, he was brought in with little back story and then giving poor Jack like lines. (Mini Jack to me). Vala took up whay too much of the first 6 episodes and Sam was never explained properly to the veiwers too. It was like an after thought, "Sam's in...um...Area 51."

The compound Mitchell with Vala and Daniel's so called sexual tension--that defintly lacked respect for one another and you get...Daniel and Vala Jackson's comedy hour.

[Rogue]

I think the key with Jonas coming to the show was tension. The tension between Jack, Sam and Teal'c about losing Daniel and suddenly having the new kid to help them. It gave a much more realistic theme to the situation.

When MS left it was obvious becuase he ascended instead of dying. I didn't know why he left or how long he would be gone but I didn't worry about it either. I did like Jonas..far more than Mitchell or Vala.

When RDA left they didn't explain where he went. Why all the changes happened and the whole senario was just too unreal to swallow. If you didn't go on the internet and read what was going on you just became lost. I had to explain what happened to RDA to hubby becuase he had no clue what was going on. If it wasn't for these websites...the veiwers were totally lost. I think Cooper and Wright banked on many fans being web savey. Ha, ha, ha...I can barley turn this computer on.

If Ben was intro-ed earlier that would have halp greatly. However, he was brought in with little back story and then giving poor Jack like lines. (Mini Jack to me). Vala took up whay too much of the first 6 episodes and Sam was never explained properly to the veiwers too. It was like an after thought, "Sam's in...um...Area 51."

The compound Mitchell with Vala and Daniel's so called sexual tension--that defintly lacked respect for one another and you get...Daniel and Vala Jackson's comedy hour.

And how many of the casual viewers knew that Sam's leave was only temporary? How many knew AT was just on maturnity leave and would be back. Nothing in the first few eps would lead anyone to believe she was comming back to the show. She was at Area 51, she had her reason for leaving, end of story. If I didn't visit GW, I wouldn't have known either.

[ReganX]

One problem (yes just one for now) I saw with how they handled Jack not going off world, is that hardly any one else did either They kept the show earth bound with Jack, instead of showing the transition of the SG1 under the command of Sam. They should have had more team shows, with Jack's part being similar to Hammonds. Then you would have actually had a chance to see the team grow and people would get used to RDA's diminished role.

yeah, that woulda helped. along with slowly integrating 'a new guy' into the position of #4.

the writers really needed to make that transition, but didn't and i think it just hurt the show.

I think that Season Eight, while good, was a missed opportunity to help ease the transition into Season Nine and beyond. It is possible that TPTB were worried about what would happen if Jack’s role was reduced, but a balance could have been reached between showing SG-1 offworld under their new commanding officer, and Jack’s new role as base commander.

I also agree with Skydiver re. bringing Mitchell in as the fourth spot – though technically third in the credits and second in command on the team. For one thing, it would have meant that there weren’t nearly as many comparisons between Jack and Mitchell – and given that Jack has been around since the beginning, Mitchell is at a disadvantage for such comparisons. Landry would have taken on Jack’s old role as base commander and Mitchell would have been carving out a role of his own on the team, possibly rising to team leader a few seasons down the line.

[ReganX]

And how many of the casual viewers knew that Sam's leave was only temporary? How many knew AT was just on maturnity leave and would be back. Nothing in the first few eps would lead anyone to believe she was comming back to the show. She was at Area 51, she had her reason for leaving, end of story. If I didn't visit GW, I wouldn't have known either.

Good point. AT's name was still in the credits, but there was no sign of her at all for four episodes and she appeared only briefly in "Avalon, Part 1". A viewer who hadn't been aware of what was happening behind the scenes would have tuned in for the first few episodes of Season Nine to find Jack gone, Sam gone, a new guy (who, apparently, has never seen the stargate before) commanding SG-1 and recruiting new members, a new base commander, a relatively new alien woman hanging around the SGC for some reason, a new CMO and a new villain.

That's a lot of change in a very short space of time.

[ReganX]

With the new show, it tends to be mostly Cam/Vala with a hint of the others thrown in on the side - it's almost as if they don't know how to write the other characters anymore. Daniel is the straightman to Vala's comedic whims, Sam is no longer a leader, and often is not even an equal to Cam and Teal'c is often overshadowed by the two louder characters within the team - in fact it's often not a team, but merely some people occasionally thrown together.

I think you've just hit the nail on the head. SG-1 are people who work together and happen to wear the same uniform but it doesn't feel like a team anymore.

[Skydiver]

And how many of the casual viewers knew that Sam's leave was only temporary? How many knew AT was just on maturnity leave and would be back. Nothing in the first few eps would lead anyone to believe she was comming back to the show. She was at Area 51, she had her reason for leaving, end of story. If I didn't visit GW, I wouldn't have known either.

they treated her timeoff like they did jack's departure.

ssh, it's a sekret!!!!

here, watch these special effects and you'll never even notice that s/he's gone

[Skydiver]

I think you've just hit the nail on the head. SG-1 are people who work together and happen to wear the same uniform but it doesn't feel like a team anymore.

it doesn't.

they're jsut a bunch of people that all work in the same place and wear the same uniform

In coop's obsession with all things Bori, he's kinda forgotten that the TEAM and these people are what were so popular for 6+ years. Not the stories, not the effects, the PEOPLE and their relationships with each other

[ACharmedAsgard]

Ok I agree with the statement about the characters, but the special effects helped as well.

Sorry as much as I love the characters I'm a CGI buff as well

[Skydiver]

special effects are good. but they should be the accent to a show, not the whole sum of it.

If the story is 'good' it can stand without that $300,000 10 second shot of a ship blowing up. but if that 10 second shot is all that's appealing to the show...not a good story then