A kind-of Guide to Sheppard

[kriadydragon]

Because the muses won't cooperate, I'm bored. Because I'm bored, I'm writing this.

I wish Outcast would air, and I hope to heaven it's a good back-story for John. Because a back-story, I think, would make him so much easier to write. Back-stories help ground a character, give us a source from which to base why he does what he does, and why he acts the way he acts; as well as help us predict how he would react to certain situations. Sheppard is a difficult character to grasp, made even more difficult since, at times, the writers don't seem to know how to handle his character.

I'm not claiming to be a Sheppard expert. After writing Castles in the Sky, along with what's been going on in season four (transcripts are most helpful) I feel like I've gotten to know him a little more. But everyone sees a character in a different way. These are just some things I've observed in Sheppard, things that are probably obvious to everyone, or simply based on my own personal views of him. So some things you may agree with, some things you may not, and that's okay. They're all subject to change depending on what future episodes reveal.

- He ain't kidding when he says he'd do anything for anyone of his team (Millers' Crossing). IMO, Sheppard's greatest weakness is the welfare of others, his team especially. Slap him around and he'll take it with a grin (Travelers). Smack his team around long enough and he just might fall apart. Same goes  with forcing him to watch the suffering of others, even if they're just strangers. That's why I feel that to break him, he has to be weakened both physically but most epescially emotinally. Forcing him to witness the hurt of someone else will eaither drive him insane or shatter him into a million pieces, especially if that someone is a member of his team.

- He's a guy who does what has to be done, but would prefer doing what results in a happy ending. In other words, he would rather try to save everyone, but knows and - eventually - accepts when it's not possible. Sometimes he can't save them all, and he knows that, but a little peice of him dies inside when that turns out to be the case.

- His Mensa intelligence lies in problem sovling. As seen in episodes like the Siege 3 and Echoes, he can come up with some pretty slick solutions for saving the day. He plans it, and McKay makes it happen.

- The majority belief when it comes to his emotions is that he keeps them tucked away deep inside. He's not emotionally closed-off, more like emotionally shy, maybe even naive, IMO. There are times when I've gotten the impression (Sateda when he's talking to Teyla, Sunday when talking about how Beckett's death hasn't hit him yet, the numerous times he's been hugged) that it's not so much that he's afraid to express his emotions, but that he doesn't know how to. Sort of like having an idea for a beautiful painting in your head, but unable to put it on canvas because you don't know how to paint. However, though he's not so great at expressing certain emotions, he's still an emotional guy in that he's passionate and compassionate. So when he does express himself - reacting on emotions - it's going to be in the form of anger, resolve and/or action. Instead of offering comfort, he offers solutions, or takes it upon himself to do something about the issue (McKay and Mrs. Miller - showing Jeannie the video of Rodney.)

As for him being the one offered emotional comfort/support, that's where things get tricky. He wouldn't want pity. He would run - maybe even get hostile - if forced to open up against his will. He's probably the type who needs space and time to work things out in his head. I buy that he probably has quite a skeleton-packed closet, although I get the feeling that he's good at dealing with trauma so long as he was the only one affected by it (i.e. no one else was hurt or killed). He's probably a "I'm alive and that's all that matters" type. However, that doesn't make him stoic and unflappable, just practical. There are a lot of people good at dealing with difficult situations, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect them in some way. Sheppard and Iratus bugs, for example. He's always saying he hates them, but you can also tell he's afraid of them (Vengeance - the way he stares at the iratus bug in the tube, and keeps on staring.)  I also wouldn't be surprised if he had a minor aversion to his chest being touched (Common Ground). I'm of the firm belief that he really is a positive thinker, and by focusing on the positive, it's easy for him to put certain traumatic events behind him.

So I also buy that's he's probably the type who wants to forget about the bad that just happened and move on with his life. It's only when the bad happens to others that he doesn't let go. Wow, that was a long one. But an emotional John, I think, is the hardest of all his aspects to really grasp and get right.

- I do think he has trust issues (Trinity, Hot Zone). Maybe he wants to trust, tries to trust, but like with expressing his emotions has a difficult time doing so.  He may or may not be a little bit of a control freak, I'm not quite sure. Wouldn't hold it past him, though.

- his relaxed personality is neither a facade nor laziness. It's just the way he is. He's a positive thinker, which means he doesn't sweat the small stuff. He'd rather look on the bright side of life, but he doesn't let it distract him. He has a dry humor of the kind that makes people (mostly Rodney) do a double take until they finally realize it was just a joke. That same wit he also uses as a weapon. Sarcasm is how he maintains control when control is taken from him. So, yeah, for him humor is a coping mechanism. 

- I think John and Rodney's friendship is based on them accepting each other for who they are and not expecting them to be something more or less. Being on the same team has forced them to get to know one another. John's ability to give as good as he takes when it comes to sarcasm made Rodney's personality not only something that he could handle, but also something that amused him (Rodney's gullibility when it comes to Sheppard's dry humor.) Maybe, in the beginning, Rodney saw Sheppard as nothing more than a pretty-flyboy grunt, but the more he got to know him, the more he was caught off gaurd by who Sheppard really was, and the more he came to respect them. Sheppard may be iffy when it comes to Rodney's ego, but has unwavering faith in his abilities and in him accomplishing the impossible when the chips are down. I think Sheppard does trust Rodney with his life, even though he sometimes says otherwise (Aurora, when he's getting into the pod).

Rodney confessed to Carson being his best friend, but there had so better come a time when Rodney calls Sheppard the same, because they are best friends with a brother-like relationship: John is the older brother, Rodney the younger.

- When it comes to John and women, the opinions are so varied that's it's pretty much a controversy. Some opinions are based on Sheppard's flirting and his reaction to a pretty face, some on individual opinions of men in general, some because - it seems - people are looking for a way to hate John, and I swear some opinions are nothing more than over-the-top man-hating gut reactions (*Gasp!* he's flirting. That pig! Treating women like objects!) Sheppard is a flirt and a charmer and a sucker for a pretty face and hot body. He's a guy, plain and simple. However, I always say that Sheppard strikes me as a lonely guy, content to an extent in being solitary but wanting something more. All the women he's flirted with he's shown some sort of caring toward (Sanctuary - he goes back to help Chaya save her planet. Tower - he makes sure Mara is all right. Travelers - saves Larrin even though she had the crap beat out of him.) He has a chivalrous side. And, sometimes, he doesn't flirt at all (The Brotherhood, though who knew what happened before the episode began. The Seer.)

Like with humor, he isn't above using his charm as a weapon (not that it really works.)

I, personally, don't see him as being into one night stands, but that's my own personal view. Many are of the opinion that Sheppard regreted sleeping with Teer - that he did it as a way to move on and accept his current fate - and I find that believable. To me, it seemed like he just didn't have that much of an interest in Teer. So I can see him having regreted sleeping with her since his fate wasn't to remain in the cloister after all. He's attracted to a pretty face and a hot body, but I feel that even though his first marriage didn't work, that doesn't mean he isn't still looking for a meaningful relationship.

That's all I have so far, mostly because I'm too tired to think anymore. Please see comments below for further insight into Sheppard.

Comments

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

Very insightful! I think you especially nailed him emotionally. :)

One of the tricky things with his background is gonna be that the background JF had in his head and used as motivation for Sheppard turned out to be different than what the writer's eventually came up with. So the question becomes will his motivations makes sense once Outcast airs?

He plans it, and McKay makes it happen.

Unless McKay isn't available, then it's usually pretty darn close to as good at making things happen, as seen in Hot Zone and Common Ground, but most notably Grace Under Pressure and Travelers. As an officer, he's trained to delegate, so he usually does, leaving himself available to deal with other problems that might arise (ie. the bad guys returning while McKay is trying to reroute the power in Condemned.)

He may or may not be a little bit of a control freak

Officers in the military usually become control freaks, even if they weren't before they become officers, but more importantly (especially with Sheppard, I think), people with trust issues nearly always become control freaks, even if they didn't start out that way. So I would expect Sheppard to be a control freak, though he might hide it well when dealing with (some) superior officer (he clearly doesn't hide it well when dealing with all superior officer, ie. he's pretty good with Sam and letting her be in command, but he was lousy at it with Liz - it took effort, often visible effort, to let her make the command decisions - and not so great, sometimes, with Caldwell.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

he's pretty good with Sam and letting her be in command, but he was lousy at it with Liz

I've always wondered if that's because Sam is military, and Elizabeth isn't. Plus Sam also has a ton of gate-travel experience, of course, so understands the difficulty in dealing with other races more than Elizabeth. Elizabeth (as seen in First Strike and Rising) pushes for diplomacy, even when diplomacy doesn't work the first time. I don't think Sheppard frowns on diplomacy, but knows when there's a time for diplomacy and a time for action. So has probably gotten frustrated with Elizabeth's leadership for that reason.

The interesting thing about their dynamic, I think, is that you can't really say who was right and who was wrong. Possibly in Hot Zone, I don't know. First Strike I think there's definitely no saying. Maybe talking with the Asurans would have worked out better, or maybe it would have made things worse. There's no way to really say.

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

Oh, and next time uncooperative muses leave you twiddling zee thumbs, you should consider posting your Thoughtcrimes stories to FF. *puppy eyes*

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*Winces* I keep forgetting to do that.

[imbecamiel.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is great! Thanks for doing this. I definitely agree with your views on Sheppard - and, since I'm just starting my first SGA story (Shep-centered, naturally), it's really helpful to see it written down in a coherent, logical way.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

It definitely helped me with Casltes in the Sky (though there are some reactions and scenes that I'm still a little iffy on).

The best way to figure Shep out, of course, is to immerse youself in the episodes. Watch as many as you can (I watched several Shep-centered ones in one day) and pay close attention.

So far, from what I've heard, season four is really bringing out who the characters are.

[reen212000.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope Joe's story of Sheppard's past will explain some things, but not all. I still like the little bit that's a mystery. At the con in November, he seemed pretty excited about how it turned out, so we shall see. Outcast got switched with two episodes, so I hope there's some logic to that.

I think John and Rodney's friendship is based on them accepting each other for who they are and not expecting them to be something more or less.

People who fully understand this dynamic, can write them successfully. Which, I hate to say, is why some slash works. My yardstick is pretty high regarding slash; I'd rather see them as very close firends. They have such a friendship that, I think personally, no woman can enter. Now, do they have to have sex? No. But they know better how to take care of each other, especially emotionally. A shared look, a pat on the shoulder... It's not huge, but enough for some people.

Sheppard is a flirt and a charmer and a sucker for a pretty face and hot body. He's a guy, plain and simple.

I am so glad that he's a flirt! Albeit, a lonely flirt, but at least he's still interested. And the best scene ever? No Man's Land. John is sitting between Rodney and Zelenka (I think), and a woman catches his eye. What makes me happy about John, women, and the writers, is that TPTB have put him with a variety of women. Beauty is the only thing they had in common.
It's one of the most appealing things about the Stargate 'verse, variety of characters. I think Stargate is more "rag-tag" than the original BSG. And I gotta say, the last scene with Larrin in BAMSR was excellent. Definitely an attraction, but rather cautious on both sides.

So when he does express himself - reacting on emotions - it's going to be in the form of anger, resolve and/or action.

Can I just say Joe is a great actor when it comes to this? He can either show everything or nothing. Case in point, Teyla's announcement of her pregnancy. His reaction was perfect. There was no way Sheppard was going to take it in stride. There was someone else he had to protect, and a lop-sided happy grin wasn't really going to work this time. Seriously, I thought he was gonna bust something. He's gonna fall apart one day, and I hope TPTB let us see just a little bit. Just one itsy bitsy nightmare. Pleeeeeassse? But he's gotta get a bigger bed to writhe around in, 'kay?

Umm... I think I'm done.

[sholio]

I certainly hope Joe's story of Sheppard's past will explain some things, but not all. I still like the little bit that's a mystery.

I'm with you on that! I am really looking forward to finding out a little more, but I don't really want to know too much; I like how pretty much *all* of the characters are still largely a mystery. McKay's the one we know the most about, and even in that case, we haven't a clue where he grew up or what his parents' names are or if they're still alive.

I kinda like the focus on their lives *now* rather than their pasts; it emphasizes the idea that none of them really have that much to go back to.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Back-story wise, all that's needed is enough to give us a little more direction when writing his character. Inquiring minds would like to know the reason behind his discomfort when it comes to hugging, and getting the cold-shoulder from his dad might explain that.

I think I said this already, but I see John and Rodney's relationship as something more sibling-like. It's why certain stories that involve the boys getting a little more touchy-feely than they normally would (Rodney holding Shep's hand, kneading sore muscles, or - like in your story - sharing a bed because one of them is cold) work for me. The only difference is, in a slash or pre-slash story, there's a sudden realization that the contact is enjoyable or "right". In gen - or at least what I do - there's slight discomfort to it. I wish there were more stories like that where there's an initial discomfort over the boys having to sacrifice their personal space to help each other. I find it adorable, as well as character building as they're stepping out of themselves in order to help someone else.

And, I know this is kind of getting off track but I might as well vent - I can't stand it when an author makes one of the characters gay or bisexual just to be making them gay or bisexual. There was a story I ran into (labeled as gen... yeah right) where some prince drugs Sheppard, and Rodney and Ronon find the two doing something that left me incredibly nauseas. What really bugged me about the story, though, was that at the start there was no indication of Sheppard being into men. But when Rodney and Ronon find Shep and the prince, they're completely blase about it as though that kind of stuff happens all the time. It bugged me that they weren't more upset over Sheppard being drugged and molested.

I may not like slash, but some of the better writers do use it for a purpose that has nothing to do with wanting to write a smut scene. And, from what I heard, the better slash is when the writers stay true to the characters without tipping over into PWP.

[reen212000.livejournal.com]

I know exactly which one you're talking about! I was mad about that too. Can't stand investing time in something that takes a screeching left turn.

And, from what I heard, the better slash is when the writers stay true to the characters without tipping over into PWP.

You're right. When the sex is not relevant to the plot, I find it more palatable. When the sex is in one paragraph and not relevant to the plot, kudos! I will say this about slash: In AUs, the drugs/drunkeness/misunderstandings can be okay. But as plot devices, li'l tired of that. There are soooo many with John as a model/male escort. Why can't Rodney be a male escort? Why can't Rodney be a model? I'm just sayin'...

And if it's crack!fic, pr0n, smut, kink, and especially pwp, I certainly appreciate a warning! LOL

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

just curious... what story was it that a prince drugged shep? I'd like to see what you mean...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I can't remember. It was something I ran into because it was labeled as gen, and now I wish I could forget I ever read it. It still makes me physically ill just recalling it.

It just really bugged me because, basically, Sheppard was drugged, then he ends up in the Prince's bedroom with them doing the nasty, and when Ronon and Rodney discover them their attitude is an indifferent "ho-hum, Shep's at it again". In fact (though I may be remembering wrong or this may have been from another story) Ronon and Rodney may have had plans to embarrass Sheppard with what happened later on.

I don't know, I could have been reading it wrong, but because the story gave no real previous indication that this kind of crap happened to Shep all the time, or that he was into men, it really ticked me off. I mean, Sheppard was drugged for crying out loud! Normally when someone is drugged so out of their mind that they can't make a coherent decision, and someone coerces them into having sex, isn't that considered rape?

I think had Rodney and Ronon reacted with more outrage that this prince had drugged Sheppard in order to sleep with him, it wouldn't have bothered me as much.

Sorry to go off on the same tangent, but that story was wrong on way too many levels. You might be better off not reading it at all.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've read those kinda fics that make me ill too. I get angry at the author for using the idea/plot up (made a piece of crap with a great idea for a story), making it difficult to another author to write something better. I literally growl...

There was an argument in the Farscape fandom once, that Ben Browder ended. There was an episode where an evil female character 'drugged' Ben's character and basically coerced Crichton into having sex. Some fans thought the character would just shrug it off as he was a guy... Ben sad his character would never have gotten over the 'rape' (his words) and that came out in a later episode (I saw it and you could see the anger Crichton had towards her).

From what you told me, Sheppard was raped and the author's reaction in the fic was all wrong. The fic could have been so much more...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I get angry at the author for using the idea/plot up (made a piece of crap with a great idea for a story), making it difficult to another author to write something better.

Heh. I was sorely tempted to do my own take on Sheppard being drugged by some horny prince/princess, but with attempted rape instead of actual rape (I would never do that to Shep. The concept is far too nauseating, plus, even drugged, I think shep would still try to fight back). And Rodney and Ronon (and whoever else) either acting in outrage or coming to realize that - even though nothing had happened - it was still a frightening and humiliating situation for Sheppard.

There was an episode where an evil female character 'drugged' Ben's character and basically coerced Crichton into having sex. Some fans thought the character would just shrug it off as he was a guy... Ben sad his character would never have gotten over the 'rape' (his words) and that came out in a later episode (I saw it and you could see the anger Crichton had towards her).

Hmmm, I wonder if I saw that episdoe. It's been a while so I can't remember now.

That's the reason I still keep trying to come up with "attempted rape-fics," to illustrate that the victim being a guy doesn't make them any less of a victim. Far from it. It's loss of control. It's being subdued and used and made less than human. If Sheppard were actually raped, I think it would tear him apart. To be almost raped (and saved at the last minute) it would leave him humiliated and angry. And I think it incredibly sexist and rather cruel to think a guy wouldn't have any problems with being raped because he's a guy.

I think the author of that story was trying to be funny. Which is why I wondered if I'd missed something, or the writer didn't make something clear. Either way, though. It was a bad idea ot have Sheppard drugged in order to get him in bed with this prince, and then have Rodney and Ronon react with indifference.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

If you wrote an attempted rape fic, I'd definitely read it. You know how to write a fic and treat the characters right. I think you should write your own fic like that. It might exorcize those bad memories....

That scene in Farscape (4th season) is where Crichton confronts Grayza when she is trying to make 'peace' with the Scarrans. He even made Aeryn Sun leave him alone with Grayza, which was kinda weird until you realized he was going to kinda rub it in her face. I can't remember the words he used, but it was a 'now how do you feel' flow to it. *sigh* I still love Farscape and miss it.

I bet you'd write a humdinger, if you cared to take on that beast.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I bet you'd write a humdinger, if you cared to take on that beast.

I'm still trying. The problem is the after math and how to handle it, since it's the aftermath that would be the real meat of the story.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Back on topic, now.

I think flirty Shep is adorbale, but it sometimes makes me cringe when the episode is another one with him and some woman; knowing how the anti-kirkers will take it. I know I shouldn't let them bug me so bad, but Shep is my favorite and I hate it when fans of the show tear him apart over him being a guy.

e's gonna fall apart one day, and I hope TPTB let us see just a little bit. Just one itsy bitsy nightmare. Pleeeeeassse? But he's gotta get a bigger bed to writhe around in, 'kay?

Oh, I hope so. It doesn't have to be anything big, just the shedding of a few tears, although it would be cool to see something bigger. And, yes, the poor man needs a bigger bed before it does something bad to his legs.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

I stopped listening to the anti-Shep voices after the first go around. McKay is not a favorite for me, but I don't slam the character. So, I don't listen to them.

I got enough voices I either have to listen to or just ignore ;D

There are always those in any fandom. SG-1 has a major Carter bashing legion out there... Never understood why. Don't care.

Shep IS a guy, so is Rodney. You can't expect a man, any man, to be weirdly virtuous. And that's what it would be if any man didn't react to a woman.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I've since avoided those places where the bashing occurs.

It's difficult, though, when the bashing leaks into stories. Especially because many authors are quite subtle about it so that you're never quite sure if it's bashing or not. I normally feel a story is character bashing when A) the author is not a fan of that character B) the character does something that is contradictory to what we see on the show and C) as is the case with a story I read a while ago, they'll write one character as though they can do no wrong (and if it's en episode tag, make excuses for the character so that they end up not being at fault), thus making the other character totally in the wrong and so a complete jerk.

It may not even be bashing per se, just an author venting frustration over the treatment of their favorite character - especially if said favorite character was chewed-out by a non-favorite character. The problem is, however, that in doing so they disregard the bigger picture. For example, in the story I read, it was a BAMSR tag that made it out as though Sheppard had totally been in the wrong for his reactions toward Teyla's news, and Teyla in the right for not telling him sooner. The story, IMO, was being completely unfair to John. It was totally a poor woobie-Teyla story. Also, after looking at other stories this person had written, I got the impression that they weren't a big Sheppard fan.

And end tangent. Sorry for that. I'm of the firm opinion that writers should have respect for all the characters, even if there's certain ones they don't like.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

I agree that authors should write all the characters with respect. The characters are there for a reason and all play a part in the big picture.

I just love Shep. He's a great character and Joe is a wonderful actor.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

It's funny, but until I was in need of a fandom to vent a story idea that kept plaguing me, I was rather "meh" toward SGA. Sheppard was cute and I leaned toward his character more than the others, but my major like for him didn't happen until after watching several more episodes (so it was actually fanfiction that eventually led me to falling in love with the show.)

What really adhered me to Sheppard was that he wasn't the typical hero. He's smart and cool-headed, while at the same time a complete and utter dork. I love that about him.

[reen212000.livejournal.com]

Oh, and you still owe me a Paperwork (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3558649/1/Paperwork) tag. LOL

That is, if you're still interested...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I had an idea, it was going well, and then it fizzled out. Endings, always the endings. I have images and scenes in my head, a general theme, I try to piece them together, but can never quite figure out where the story is going so can never come up with a workable ending *hangs head in shame*.

One of your fics inspired me to do a gen comfort scene between John and Rodney. Would you settle for that? At least until the tag idea I had finally amounts to something. *Pokes muses*

[reen212000.livejournal.com]

Please... If you decided to re-write the phone book, I'd read it! Thanks for the consideration. ;)

[sholio]

He is a hard character to get a handle on, and you have some good insights here. I don't think it was until this season, and "Miller's Crossing" especially, that I felt like I really got a handle on him -- I've obviously written him quite a bit, but my rendition of what I think the character's thinking and feeling has evolved somewhat over the last year or two. I'm looking forward to Outcast, though I've mostly managed to avoid spoilers so far.

There's one area where I disagree somewhat ...

IMO, Sheppard's greatest weakness is the welfare of others, his team especially. Slap him around and he'll take it with a grin (Travelers). Smack his team around long enough and he just might fall apart. Same goes with forcing him to watch the suffering of others, even if they're just strangers.

His team, definitely. Strangers, not so much. I'm thinking here of "Letters From Pegasus", where he's the one who wants to stay hidden and let the village be culled, while Teyla's the one who pushes to save her friends. There are a few other scenes -- e.g. "Irresponsible" where he wants to shoot Kolya despite the risk of hurting civilians, with Teyla arguing for caution, or "Underground" where he carries out his mission on the hive ship rather than stopping to rescue people.

I'm not saying he's callous about other people, nor that he's the only one on the show who does that sort of thing -- Teyla doesn't want Keller to stop to help an injured man in "Missing"; Rodney would rather try to escape from his kidnappers than help a dying girl in "Miller's Crossing". But I definitely think he's been shown to be capable of making ruthless decisions in a tough situation, and one of the things he seems to be really good at is compartmentalizing. You kinda have to, in his line of work; if part of your job involves shooting people, you can't be that affected by other people's pain (with an obvious exception for people you really care about). And if it's a choice between, say, rescuing a torture victim or carrying out a mission that'll benefit Atlantis, he's been shown in the past to go for the latter.

As was discussed above, he *does* work better, or maybe more smoothly, with Sam than he did with Elizabeth, and perhaps part of that is because they think similarly -- she understands the need to make tough decisions sometimes, up to and including killing people, in a way Elizabeth (as a civilian) didn't. "Hot Zone" is a good example -- he killed the plague carrier rather than trying to save him (if I remember the sequence of events correctly) in order to stop him from infecting everyone else. I think Carter would've understood the necessity of that in a way that Elizabeth didn't.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

His team, definitely. Strangers, not so much. I'm thinking here of "Letters From Pegasus", where he's the one who wants to stay hidden and let the village be culled, while Teyla's the one who pushes to save her friends. There are a few other scenes -- e.g. "Irresponsible" where he wants to shoot Kolya despite the risk of hurting civilians, with Teyla arguing for caution, or "Underground" where he carries out his mission on the hive ship rather than stopping to rescue people.

Ah, true. I'd forgotten about those. But I think (like in the case of Letters to Pegasus and Underground) this goes along with him doing what needs to be done. He accepts what can't be changed, but I think it hurts him inside more than he lets on.

But I definitely think he's been shown to be capable of making ruthless decisions in a tough situation, and one of the things he seems to be really good at is compartmentalizing.

Yes! Definitely! The man knows how to process and it keeps him going. That's one of the things I like about him, the balance he has with his compassion and ruthlessness.

The thing with the strangers, though - I feel - is more one on one. He can't save them all and he knows it. But I think that if he was forced to watch the execution of innocent people as a way to get him to talk, he wouldn't talk, but it would tear him apart inside. Given time, with people executed one after the other because he won't divulge the where abouts of Atlantis, though he'll still keep his mouth shut, I can see him ending up emotionally shattered. So, in other words, it depends on the situation.

However, if he's going to have a full-on breakdown, it'll be because of something that had happened to his team.

"Hot Zone" is a good example -- he killed the plague carrier rather than trying to save him (if I remember the sequence of events correctly) in order to stop him from infecting everyone else. I think Carter would've understood the necessity of that in a way that Elizabeth didn't.

Yes, excellent example.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Oh I agree with you. I love Sheppard and think he's a great character. He's easy to like and a great leader.

I never knew there were those out there that hates the character and thought he was a womanizer... I never got that impression about him at all.

IMO, I'm not sure he wouldn't be into a one-night stand if it were offered. He is a guy after all, just a 'choosy' or selective one. I think he has a certain taste in women and if the girl don't fit the bill, he's not into it.

You wrote a great synopsis of Sheppard, thought. Spot on.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

He is a guy after all, just a 'choosy' or selective one. I think he has a certain taste in women and if the girl don't fit the bill, he's not into it.

Yeah, I buy that, mostly because of the way today's society is, and TV shows in general do like to show sex whenever they can. I just hope the writers of SGA never reach that point with Sheppard. He gets enough guff as it is just from flirting.

Now - and this may simply be my personal view of him - I don't see him as having a lot of one-night stands. And if he does have one, I can see him (depending on the person, of course) considering wanting to see that person again.

It's hard to explain, but something about Sheppard makes me feel as though he's not a sleep with whoever/whenever type. In other words, he's not looking for someone to sleep with just to be sleeping with someone. There has to be more to it. I guess it's because he's so loyal that it's hard for me to see him as having sex with someone and that be it. Also, when compared to characters in other shows (I mostly use Dean from Supernatural and Tony from NCIS, becuase those two do sleep around like crazy) Sheppard seems pretty in control of his libido.

And he's respectful toward women (as we can see from his interactions with Teyla and Elizabeth). So, yeah, I have no idea why people cling to the idea of him being a womanizer. I think they just want a reason to hate him. Overall, Sheppard may be a flirt, but he's also a pretty decent guy.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't mean I thought Shep would have alot of one night stands, just that he would be picky and choosy about any woman he sleeps with. If the right woman offered, he wouldn't say no... It'd be very hard for him, in his position of head of military to see anyone. Anything he does is under scrutiny. He isn't the whomever/whenever kind of guy...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't mean I thought Shep would have alot of one night stands,

I didn't think you were saying that. I was more or less just thinking out loud.

It'd be very hard for him, in his position of head of military to see anyone. Anything he does is under scrutiny.

Exactly. For all is laid-back, fun-loving persona, he takes his responsibilities very seriously. I've read stories where the author has had him sleeping around - or had him comment about having slept with people since coming to Atlantis - doing the one-night-stand thing, and I've quit reading stories because of it. Part of it being my personal views on Sheppard, and the other part being the question "Wait, should the military commander of Atlantis even be doing that?" You hear a lot about military people getting court-martialed over situations that involved some kind promiscuity.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

They have to be on guard from fraternization and blackmail (if they're caught in a dark situation (i.e., with their pants down). My dad was a marine and a police officer, and had the same rules to live by. I was also in law enforcement for 15 yrs, where those rules applied.

So, Shep would have to live a solitary life or a very discreet one. Rodney's insistence Shep is 'Kirking' is going to become an issue one day as it insinuates bad behavior on Shep's part. Behavior that could put him in the brig, demoted or court marshaled.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

still agree with you.... you seem to have the best idea/grasp of who Sheppard is. Next to Joe, that is. ;)