Closing the Gate

I have been growing increasing frustrated with the Stargate franchise over the last three years. When Jack O'Neill was promoted to General, I was wary. But the team held it together that year. Then Jack left the show. Things went downhill rapidly. While Cameron Mitchell is a nice guy and all, he had NO right to be the leader of SG-1. And the addition of buffoon Vala Maldoran was just rediculous. Um, hello...the last show they starred in together was cancelled, let's not make the same mistake twice, shall we? But no. Then there was the Ori storyline, which sucked from beginning to end (well, its not over yet, what with the two direct-to-DVD movies coming out). So while I was very sad that SG-1 was cancelled, it was finally time. Enough silly changes had been made to it that it just didn't work any more.

Sam Carter was supposed to be a recurring character in Stargate Atlantis, meanwhile (which we watched occassionally but not with much anticipation). If in fact she was in 14 of this season's episodes, I'd be hard pressed to say which ones they were. MOST of those appearances have been cameos at best. I don't mind her long hair, but she's not playing the Sam we've loved for 10 years... witty, smart, bold, a leader. Tapping is playing Sam as a soft-spoken wuss who "is finding her feet" in her 'new' leadership role. Whatever... Sam was a MUCH stronger woman than that and would NOT have been intimidated by commanding Atlantis. And now Carter is leaving the show. They're bringing in Woolsey as the new Atlantis commander. Which sucks. He's the character we all love to hate; the man who drafted an internal IAD memo about the dollar amount that SG-1 personnel were worth. I can see the B.S. melodrama coming. Woolsey will try to run and shut things down at every turn while everyone tries to carry on with the mission and avoids gripeing about him. It will be military vs. the IAD civilian oversight committee, constantly. Bleh.

One of the things I loved most about Stargate SG-1 was that it felt possible. The characters lived in Colorado, not the Pegasus Galaxy (and which planet is Atlantis on now that they're not on Atlantia?? I'm not sure we've even heard the name of this new home world). The characters had homes that we saw and could identify with. They drove cars. They had lives outside work and civilian clothes. We never see Atlantis earthlings wearing regular clothes unless they are on Earth for some reason.... always wearing those dumb Star Trekish uniforms or just BDUs. The SG-1 characters had a beer together, sat around in the living room and talked. (Does the cafeteria on Atlantis serve anything besides sandwiches?) They were realistic people, with real lives, and it felt possible. There's just so little to connect me to Atlantis... I don't say to myself, "Gee, that could be me." So with Carter not being in Atlantis, we'll probably continue to DVR it. But rather than watching within 24 hours, we'll watch it when we get around to it.