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So while checking out a rather interesting post, I stumbled onto a response by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
springwoof about writing a meme looking on the bright side of SGA life. So I said, "yes, do it!" and the response was "I will if you will" and so here it is... I think. A lot of it - well pretty much the majority of it - are my personal reasons for why I love SGA and what has made it an awesome show for me. Feel free to add your own "why I like SGA and what made it awesome" two scents. The more the merrier :D
Also, this will probably involve a lot of rambling. I apologize in advance for that.
The show itself: It has flaws, yes, but what show doesn't? It's still fun, still exciting and there are few shows out there where I end up loving each and every character.
Okay, I'll admit, it actually took needing a sci-fi show for a sci-fi fanfic plot to get me into SGA. I was a little wary at first because I always assumed spin offs were never as good as the original.
Little did I suspect I would end up loving this particular spin off more than the original.
I'll also admit to being wary about sci-fi shows in general as most that I watched seemed to follow the same formula: hero always gets the girl, someone always ends up sleeping with someone else, and everyone is uber smart and can quote Sheakspeare. Then I watched SGA's "Sanctuary" and, low and behold, a woman who wasn't dressed like a bimbo! But, wait, will Sheppard sleep with her? No, he doesn't! (But then I suppose it all depends on your personal views of "sharing". Personally, I don't see it as glowy sex or Sheppard's reaction would have been a little more than "this is really cool.")
That episode kind of gave me hope, because I have a very low tolerance for shows where just about every episode manages to squeeze in a little something about relationships and sex. More than that, I liked that even though Chaya was playing them, I could kind of sympathize with her reasons for doing so - she was lonely and liked John (can you blame her?;)) And in the end John still liked her, still wanted to help her, and it also gave me my first insight into Sheppard but I'll get to that insight later.
I'll admit that I'm pretty dang easy to please - just give me a hot guy and whump him, and I'm good ;). But SGA offered more, such as characters who weren't so dang formulaic - characters who every single one I enjoyed, and who every single one didn't annoy me. Yes, some had their moments, but over all none of them made me wish the writers would just kill them off already. And that's saying something, especially when it comes to female characters. I'm not a big fan of female characters as they're always written the same: cold, hard and always out to prove something. I'm all for tough chicks but, dang it, that doesn't mean they can't be compassionate as well.
Which brings me to the characters themselves - namely a certain team :D. (Based on my personal views, mind you).
Sheppard - My insight into Sheppard was that he, too, was lonely. That he wasn't just looking for a one-night-stand with Chaya but someone he could possibly be with. We see from the start that he's a loyal guy, will do what it takes to save his people, and won't stop until he does. Chaya lied to them, but he's still willing to help her out, even visit with her though he knows he can't actually be with her. He wasn't Kirk, because Kirk would have slept with Chaya half way through the show. Sheppard also isn't the typical hero becuase, deep down inside, he's a geek. He could have been Mensa. Instead of quoting Sheakspeare, he quotes Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - for which my love is never ending :D He reads comics, skateboards and actually understands some of what Rodney has to say. He's clever in a geeky way, finding solutions that don't involve strictly shooting or blowing something up. He's occasionally a dork and can do wrong. He's a little broken inside, but that brokeness isn't shoved into our faces, creating 24/7 angst (which, even for an angst junky like myself, can get a little tiring.) Overall, Sheppard isn't the generic hero, and I cannot fully express how much I love that.
McKay - I think it's awesome they took a reoccuring character from SG-1 - portrayed as someone to be despised - sent him to Atlantis and let him evolve into someone very likeable. I love how he goes from completely self-absorbed and caring only about himself to caring about the people around him - specifically his team. He's a lousy shot but is still willing to handle a gun. He's self preserving but will run head-first into danger if one of his team is in trouble. Him and women in general don't seem a good mix, then he meets Katie and suddenly he's a total sweetheart, willing to risk a germy infirmary just to sit with her until she wakes up. He's flawed, but those flaws are no longer there just to make us dislike him. They are there so he can over come them, and he does bit by bit. He's buddies with a soldier, and together create endless snarking for our entertainment :D. But it's a real friendship, imperfect but, at the end of the day, they're there for each other when needed most. It's what I loved about the Shrine: when Rodney was scared, it was John he asked for, John he ran to. They're like brothers, Rodney the brainy little brother and John the protective older brother.
Teyla - tough but compassionate. That she came into the show not dressed in the skimpiest outfit that could be found, but in layers because it was cold; that she stood firm but was willing to give the expedition a chance; that she provided a little reassurance to a troubled John at the end of the first episode endeared her to me. I love her patience, especially with Rodney (even while she's having a baby!), and that she is the peace-maker of the team. I love that her team respects her and relies on her, and that none of them keep trying to hit on her. She's very much one of them, no matter her gender. John even admits that she will always be able to kick her butt. That was made of so much awesome when he said that :D. She is the wise sister who loves her somtimes immature brothers unconditionally.
Ronon - He's such a big kid: always finding endless pleasure in stunning John and getting Rodney riled up. Rodney annoys him, but in the end he will do what it takes to protect the guy, and is even happy when Rodney doesn't ascend. He's Sheppard's movie buddy, Teyla's fighting buddy, and the obnoxious, pushy brother to McKay. He's ornery and a tease. He always manages to say the right things to motivate the others. He's not afraid to tell it like it is and won't let anything get in his way when it comes to his team mates.
Ford - because I liked Ford, who was a kid: eager as a pup but able to kick butt. I miss him, sometimes.
There are a lot of shows where you have a group of people who consider each other family. SGA was the first show where I was actually able to buy that asessment. They are very much like a family, because even when something comes between them, it's not long after that it's water under the bridge. Conflict doesn't tear their group apart as it has with some groups in some shows I've seen (even if it was temporary). They stay strong as a team no matter what tries to come between them.
More about the show (I said I'd be rambling;)): SGA does well with mixing the humor with angst, I think. It's not forced, and the delivery of the jokes is superb. Yes, there have been corny moments that are rather cringe-worthy, but even those moments are handled pretty well IMO (when compared with other shows that tackle humor like they're being forced to at gun point). the show doesn't bog us down in attempted humor and forced angst, but doles each out as necessary and in the right amounts.
Villains - the show had some excellent villains. For me, above all, I find Micheal the most interesting. His creation brought shades of gray to the show, making the expedition less of the "can-do-no-wrong" heroes. Yes, the expedition could have handled Micheals creation better, but then we wouldn't have the villain who caused them and the galaxy no end of grief.
Kolya - who started off a kind of partiot, doing what he did for his people. You do kind of have to feel bad for him, being run off like he was by Cowen. Kolya, after all, was only doing his duty for king and country, as it were. But at the same time, he's no John - willing to torture to get what he wants, and each time around his methods crueler than the last. He's cold, relentless, and though I'm with the majority that longed for a better send off for him, I'm just glad the show brought him back again and again.
The Wraith queens - creepy, slimy, vicious and always whumping Sheppard ;)
The Wraith - creepy and, I think, different. They were neither power hungry overload nor mindless animals. What they did, they did to survive, but also knew how to be clever about it. And I loved the conundrum of they're being villains not really by choice, and that the show explored this via Todd.
Todd - not really a villain, yes, but not to be trusted because he's still related to the villains ;). He was just interesting all around. The bad guy turned good, but not really, and still with the potential to turn on the expedition at any moment. I'm glad he never did, and that Sheppard never had a reason to kill him. I imagine that Sheppard never will unless Todd does something so monumental, something that nearly kills him and his team, that he no longer has a choice.
Well, that's all I'm going to write for now, though I may come back and add to it should I think of anything else (and I probably will;)).
springwoof about writing a meme looking on the bright side of SGA life. So I said, "yes, do it!" and the response was "I will if you will" and so here it is... I think. A lot of it - well pretty much the majority of it - are my personal reasons for why I love SGA and what has made it an awesome show for me. Feel free to add your own "why I like SGA and what made it awesome" two scents. The more the merrier :DAlso, this will probably involve a lot of rambling. I apologize in advance for that.
The show itself: It has flaws, yes, but what show doesn't? It's still fun, still exciting and there are few shows out there where I end up loving each and every character.
Okay, I'll admit, it actually took needing a sci-fi show for a sci-fi fanfic plot to get me into SGA. I was a little wary at first because I always assumed spin offs were never as good as the original.
Little did I suspect I would end up loving this particular spin off more than the original.
I'll also admit to being wary about sci-fi shows in general as most that I watched seemed to follow the same formula: hero always gets the girl, someone always ends up sleeping with someone else, and everyone is uber smart and can quote Sheakspeare. Then I watched SGA's "Sanctuary" and, low and behold, a woman who wasn't dressed like a bimbo! But, wait, will Sheppard sleep with her? No, he doesn't! (But then I suppose it all depends on your personal views of "sharing". Personally, I don't see it as glowy sex or Sheppard's reaction would have been a little more than "this is really cool.")
That episode kind of gave me hope, because I have a very low tolerance for shows where just about every episode manages to squeeze in a little something about relationships and sex. More than that, I liked that even though Chaya was playing them, I could kind of sympathize with her reasons for doing so - she was lonely and liked John (can you blame her?;)) And in the end John still liked her, still wanted to help her, and it also gave me my first insight into Sheppard but I'll get to that insight later.
I'll admit that I'm pretty dang easy to please - just give me a hot guy and whump him, and I'm good ;). But SGA offered more, such as characters who weren't so dang formulaic - characters who every single one I enjoyed, and who every single one didn't annoy me. Yes, some had their moments, but over all none of them made me wish the writers would just kill them off already. And that's saying something, especially when it comes to female characters. I'm not a big fan of female characters as they're always written the same: cold, hard and always out to prove something. I'm all for tough chicks but, dang it, that doesn't mean they can't be compassionate as well.
Which brings me to the characters themselves - namely a certain team :D. (Based on my personal views, mind you).
Sheppard - My insight into Sheppard was that he, too, was lonely. That he wasn't just looking for a one-night-stand with Chaya but someone he could possibly be with. We see from the start that he's a loyal guy, will do what it takes to save his people, and won't stop until he does. Chaya lied to them, but he's still willing to help her out, even visit with her though he knows he can't actually be with her. He wasn't Kirk, because Kirk would have slept with Chaya half way through the show. Sheppard also isn't the typical hero becuase, deep down inside, he's a geek. He could have been Mensa. Instead of quoting Sheakspeare, he quotes Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - for which my love is never ending :D He reads comics, skateboards and actually understands some of what Rodney has to say. He's clever in a geeky way, finding solutions that don't involve strictly shooting or blowing something up. He's occasionally a dork and can do wrong. He's a little broken inside, but that brokeness isn't shoved into our faces, creating 24/7 angst (which, even for an angst junky like myself, can get a little tiring.) Overall, Sheppard isn't the generic hero, and I cannot fully express how much I love that.
McKay - I think it's awesome they took a reoccuring character from SG-1 - portrayed as someone to be despised - sent him to Atlantis and let him evolve into someone very likeable. I love how he goes from completely self-absorbed and caring only about himself to caring about the people around him - specifically his team. He's a lousy shot but is still willing to handle a gun. He's self preserving but will run head-first into danger if one of his team is in trouble. Him and women in general don't seem a good mix, then he meets Katie and suddenly he's a total sweetheart, willing to risk a germy infirmary just to sit with her until she wakes up. He's flawed, but those flaws are no longer there just to make us dislike him. They are there so he can over come them, and he does bit by bit. He's buddies with a soldier, and together create endless snarking for our entertainment :D. But it's a real friendship, imperfect but, at the end of the day, they're there for each other when needed most. It's what I loved about the Shrine: when Rodney was scared, it was John he asked for, John he ran to. They're like brothers, Rodney the brainy little brother and John the protective older brother.
Teyla - tough but compassionate. That she came into the show not dressed in the skimpiest outfit that could be found, but in layers because it was cold; that she stood firm but was willing to give the expedition a chance; that she provided a little reassurance to a troubled John at the end of the first episode endeared her to me. I love her patience, especially with Rodney (even while she's having a baby!), and that she is the peace-maker of the team. I love that her team respects her and relies on her, and that none of them keep trying to hit on her. She's very much one of them, no matter her gender. John even admits that she will always be able to kick her butt. That was made of so much awesome when he said that :D. She is the wise sister who loves her somtimes immature brothers unconditionally.
Ronon - He's such a big kid: always finding endless pleasure in stunning John and getting Rodney riled up. Rodney annoys him, but in the end he will do what it takes to protect the guy, and is even happy when Rodney doesn't ascend. He's Sheppard's movie buddy, Teyla's fighting buddy, and the obnoxious, pushy brother to McKay. He's ornery and a tease. He always manages to say the right things to motivate the others. He's not afraid to tell it like it is and won't let anything get in his way when it comes to his team mates.
Ford - because I liked Ford, who was a kid: eager as a pup but able to kick butt. I miss him, sometimes.
There are a lot of shows where you have a group of people who consider each other family. SGA was the first show where I was actually able to buy that asessment. They are very much like a family, because even when something comes between them, it's not long after that it's water under the bridge. Conflict doesn't tear their group apart as it has with some groups in some shows I've seen (even if it was temporary). They stay strong as a team no matter what tries to come between them.
More about the show (I said I'd be rambling;)): SGA does well with mixing the humor with angst, I think. It's not forced, and the delivery of the jokes is superb. Yes, there have been corny moments that are rather cringe-worthy, but even those moments are handled pretty well IMO (when compared with other shows that tackle humor like they're being forced to at gun point). the show doesn't bog us down in attempted humor and forced angst, but doles each out as necessary and in the right amounts.
Villains - the show had some excellent villains. For me, above all, I find Micheal the most interesting. His creation brought shades of gray to the show, making the expedition less of the "can-do-no-wrong" heroes. Yes, the expedition could have handled Micheals creation better, but then we wouldn't have the villain who caused them and the galaxy no end of grief.
Kolya - who started off a kind of partiot, doing what he did for his people. You do kind of have to feel bad for him, being run off like he was by Cowen. Kolya, after all, was only doing his duty for king and country, as it were. But at the same time, he's no John - willing to torture to get what he wants, and each time around his methods crueler than the last. He's cold, relentless, and though I'm with the majority that longed for a better send off for him, I'm just glad the show brought him back again and again.
The Wraith queens - creepy, slimy, vicious and always whumping Sheppard ;)
The Wraith - creepy and, I think, different. They were neither power hungry overload nor mindless animals. What they did, they did to survive, but also knew how to be clever about it. And I loved the conundrum of they're being villains not really by choice, and that the show explored this via Todd.
Todd - not really a villain, yes, but not to be trusted because he's still related to the villains ;). He was just interesting all around. The bad guy turned good, but not really, and still with the potential to turn on the expedition at any moment. I'm glad he never did, and that Sheppard never had a reason to kill him. I imagine that Sheppard never will unless Todd does something so monumental, something that nearly kills him and his team, that he no longer has a choice.
Well, that's all I'm going to write for now, though I may come back and add to it should I think of anything else (and I probably will;)).
