![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Oct. 1st, 2007 03:54 pmOK, I can hold back no longer, I have to rant. And I feel I gotta disclaim that, while there are definitely people on my flist to whom this is broadly addressed, I love y'all or I wouldn't be reading you. But DAMN.
People who don't like Sam Carter! That is OK. Everyone has their character likes and dislikes. I am really bored by Chuck the technician. That's just me. I really dislike the culture of character hate that gets developed in some fandoms towards some characters, but I recognise that it's peoples' own prerogative who to like, and who to post about. I'm never going to read your posts about how so-and-so should just die, and I will always be concerned about the fact that 99% of these characters are women, but it's fandom, this stuff happens.
But can we please try for some rationality? A little bit? Predicting someone's role on the show on absolutely zero evidence makes me crazy. Doing what people are doing with Sam - saying that she's going to take over the show/be right all the time (forcing Rodney to be wrong all the time, because it's never possible to have two people be right. And also, it's obviously OK for Rodney to be right all the time (and an asshole about it) but not OK for Sam, because she has to be a moron, it's required for the success of the show!1) - is not only hysterical and demonstrating a fundamental lack of trust in the show's creators, it's also directly contradicting any interview Amanda Tapping, David Hewlett, anyone involved with the show has made since she started working at Atlantis. They are aware of these concerns, people.
I have this whole long spiel about the fact that Atlantis loves McKay (and John) to the extent that he is ALWAYS right, he has been softened considerably from SG1 appearances, and is right so often that other characters get the shaft - Elizabeth, anyone? On which topic, yes, it sucks that she's leaving the show, but on the other hand, Elizabeth has never been allowed to be Elizabeth, she has never been written as the super-qualified diplomat everyone keeps saying she is. Frankly if she gets more consideration as a recurring character rather than an irregular one, that's good for the character (although not for Higginson.) But my point is, no-one is going to throw that away.
Penultimately, Sam Carter is a character in her own right and has ten years of SG-1 behind her, not to mention a couple of guest spots on Atlantis. Just because she is nicer than McKay doesn't make her a Mary Sue. Aaaaand finally, yes, Sam Carter has on occasion been less-than-sweet to McKay. On the other hand: McKay is an asshole! He's a misogynist! Yes, everyone in Atlantis likes to pretend that he's not, but he is. It'll be refreshing to see someone actually be upfront about that. McKay is not God and he needs a foil.
(Note: I love McKay. I do. And I really, really love McShep. Guys: Sam is dating Jack, more-or-less canonically (YMMV, but the last time we heard about Jack and Sam, Jack was advised to retire to be with Sam, and Sam was told to violate regs to be with him by her father. The next thing we knew they both quit SG-1. I'm just sayin'.) Sam/Jack was SG-1's OTP. I really, really don't think there's going to be a romantic thing between Sam and either of the boys - but even if there was, she'll present about the same impediment to McShep as Katie Brown. Again: rationality!)
I am taking that Sam and Rodney promo shot and making it into an icon. I don't even like McKay/Carter, but I am SO TEMPTED to make it a SPARKLY SHIPPER'S ICON and then go use it EVERYWHERE.
People who don't like Sam Carter! That is OK. Everyone has their character likes and dislikes. I am really bored by Chuck the technician. That's just me. I really dislike the culture of character hate that gets developed in some fandoms towards some characters, but I recognise that it's peoples' own prerogative who to like, and who to post about. I'm never going to read your posts about how so-and-so should just die, and I will always be concerned about the fact that 99% of these characters are women, but it's fandom, this stuff happens.
But can we please try for some rationality? A little bit? Predicting someone's role on the show on absolutely zero evidence makes me crazy. Doing what people are doing with Sam - saying that she's going to take over the show/be right all the time (forcing Rodney to be wrong all the time, because it's never possible to have two people be right. And also, it's obviously OK for Rodney to be right all the time (and an asshole about it) but not OK for Sam, because she has to be a moron, it's required for the success of the show!1) - is not only hysterical and demonstrating a fundamental lack of trust in the show's creators, it's also directly contradicting any interview Amanda Tapping, David Hewlett, anyone involved with the show has made since she started working at Atlantis. They are aware of these concerns, people.
I have this whole long spiel about the fact that Atlantis loves McKay (and John) to the extent that he is ALWAYS right, he has been softened considerably from SG1 appearances, and is right so often that other characters get the shaft - Elizabeth, anyone? On which topic, yes, it sucks that she's leaving the show, but on the other hand, Elizabeth has never been allowed to be Elizabeth, she has never been written as the super-qualified diplomat everyone keeps saying she is. Frankly if she gets more consideration as a recurring character rather than an irregular one, that's good for the character (although not for Higginson.) But my point is, no-one is going to throw that away.
Penultimately, Sam Carter is a character in her own right and has ten years of SG-1 behind her, not to mention a couple of guest spots on Atlantis. Just because she is nicer than McKay doesn't make her a Mary Sue. Aaaaand finally, yes, Sam Carter has on occasion been less-than-sweet to McKay. On the other hand: McKay is an asshole! He's a misogynist! Yes, everyone in Atlantis likes to pretend that he's not, but he is. It'll be refreshing to see someone actually be upfront about that. McKay is not God and he needs a foil.
(Note: I love McKay. I do. And I really, really love McShep. Guys: Sam is dating Jack, more-or-less canonically (YMMV, but the last time we heard about Jack and Sam, Jack was advised to retire to be with Sam, and Sam was told to violate regs to be with him by her father. The next thing we knew they both quit SG-1. I'm just sayin'.) Sam/Jack was SG-1's OTP. I really, really don't think there's going to be a romantic thing between Sam and either of the boys - but even if there was, she'll present about the same impediment to McShep as Katie Brown. Again: rationality!)
I am taking that Sam and Rodney promo shot and making it into an icon. I don't even like McKay/Carter, but I am SO TEMPTED to make it a SPARKLY SHIPPER'S ICON and then go use it EVERYWHERE.
