*sigh*

[tielan]

So, what is there to say?

Over at Gateworld, the latest edition of SciFi Magazine has kicked up a shitstorm.

According an article in the magazine, Carter will be a full-bird Colonel when she comes to Atlantis, and will take over from Elizabeth as the expedition leader.

Robert C Cooper is quoted: "I can't make people feel better who just love Torri and Dr. Weir and want to see her on the show," sighs Cooper. "Unfortunately, that's just not going to happen. All I can say is that Sam Carter is a wonderful character, and Amanda Tapping is a wonderful actress, and I think she will fill the role on Atlantis admirably. I'm excited about seeing the evolution of her character. Brad and I created the character Dr. Weir and we love the character and Torri, but the change needed to be made."

--

I'll still be watching.

Sam Carter is my favourite character on SG1, I make no bones about that. Like Teyla, she's the character that draws me into the storylines and the plot, more so than Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Jonas, Cameron, or Vala.

I'm ambivalent about her being in Atlantis, partly because second-in-command on an outgoing stargating team is a very different situation to in-command of Atlantis, and partly because while I love Sam, I'd much rather see more about Teyla and Ronon: two characters who have received the short end of the stick from PTB and fans.

If Sam is used in the same manner as Elizabeth ended up being used: the person sending them out, occasionally assisting in the Atlantis-based episodes, then I don't think I'll have too much of a problem with her. If the show does turn out to be about Sam Carter, then, yes, I will be annoyed.

I tune in to Atlantis to watch the team. All four of them - not just John and Rodney, not just John and Teyla - all of them. I've heard things that suggest Teyla is going to get some serious episodage this season, and I'm relieved, since she's been scanted for the last two. There's at least one episode featuring Ronon, which also interests me: in truth, John, Rodney, and Elizabeth turned out too much like Jack, Sam, and Daniel were in SG1 - only pale imitations, as a friend noted.

One thing that sincerely interests me about Season Four, however, is how they're going to manage the Carter/Sheppard dynamic. Not romantic, but in terms of their roles in Atlantis and how John will deal with someone who has the military authority to rein him in, as neither Elizabeth nor Caldwell had. He's used to running wild, is John. I don't see Sam putting up with that.

I imagine they'll short-cut it. Or possibly wimp Sam out the way they tended to wimp Elizabeth out when John got the bit in his mouth and ran with it against anyone else's authority. Still, there's possibility there. John Sheppard's the golden boy character of Atlantis; Sam Carter's the golden girl character of SG1 - when they go head-to-head, who comes out the winner in TPTB's books?

I'm not happy about Elizabeth's reduction or Carson's death. I would have liked to see Elizabeth given more of a role as a negotiator with civilisations, doing what she's allegedly so good at doing. Plus, I liked the original six and the recurring characters that popped up in the show with cheerful regularity. But I'm not going to scream and yell and insult TPTB, make dire predictions, or quit watching the show.

People are angry, and heated responses are to be expected. I've been there, anguished that on another show before. I'd probably be a wreck if it was Teyla being axed. But I like to think I'd keep most of my cool, even through the disappointment.

Still...*hugs* to the people on my f-list who are angry or disappointed or saddened by the news and are reading this.

Comments

[tielan]

Well, there's news that Teyla has some major storyarc this season. We'll see how that translates from 'interviews and spoilers' to 'on the screen'.

One thing that I've been forgetting, while caught up in everything else, is that Carter's going to be a recurring guest on the show - like Lorne, Caldwell, Zelenka, and Heitmeyer - not a main cast.

We're all basing our predictions on how Sam's been used in SG1, but Atlantis isn't SG1, and her previous times in Atlantis have been one-offs and, so, notable. As a regular guest, there's a distinct possibility that she'll be used differently to how she was in SG1 and previous SGA eps. Just a small possibility mind, but one nevertheless.

I guess really I generally hope with more women on the show that TPTB might attempt female friendship with more enthusiasm and effort than they ever gave Weir and Teyla, though with the changes they might be able to include that too *is optimistic*.

You're not the only one. However, TPTB's track record isn't good on this front. :-/

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's just so difficult to predict how they'll use Carter on SGA, which is why I'm hoping for the best rather than freaking out or anything. That said, I doubted I'd freak out over this. I'm sad over a loss of Elizabeth as a character, yes, but then they always could have done better with her, same as most of the characters. TPTB continue to disappoint in many ways but they must be doing quite a bit right to have drawn us all in to start with, so I hold out on it instead. I'm not going to make flash judgements to boycott the show based on rumours and speculations about this. The track record is bad no doubt, both on them writing females with depth (and female friendships) and also on making people recurrings only to have the role petered out (Ford!) but they can improve. I don't want to automatically assume worst, otherwise I might as well stop watching.

I'm getting quite sick of SG fandom as of late. Any new news seems to stir the pot and have people wanking all over the big forums and discussion groups etc. It just leaves me feeling like this is not fun anymore, though really that feeling comes around time and time again in fandom anyhow - it shall pass of course, eventually. I think, however, with each explosion I lose respect for GW forums, they really aren't a decent place to be most of the time. Some threads survive it all relatively unblemished but I don't dare explore over there anymore because there's too much politiking etc.

[darkrosetiger.livejournal.com]

One thing that I've been forgetting, while caught up in everything else, is that Carter's going to be a recurring guest on the show

Recurring in her case means 14 episodes, though.

You mentioned Zelenka, though, and one of the reasons I'm not happy about Sam coming to Atlantis is that it's almost certainly going to mean less Zelenka. He's a foil to Rodney, and with Sam, we don't need another character who's brilliant but has better social skills than Rodney.

[volaremn.livejournal.com]

David Nykl is going to be in 15 episodes in Season 4, though of course this doesn't mean he'll have substantial screen-time in all of those eps.

[darkrosetiger.livejournal.com]

That's good to hear! I'd be very sad if there was less Radek.