(no subject)
I have posted my second and final matrithon fic, Three Sunrises. The fandom is Stargate: Atlantis, the character Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the prompt "sunrise".
This is the first ficathon I've participated in and it was interesting. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't picked dates for the two stories that were only 7 days apart. With a holiday in between. But, I managed.
I've been rewatching Stargate:SG1 episodes with my daughter (she was too young when I watched them the first time around with her older brothers a number of years ago), and am relieved to find I am liking the characters and enjoying the plot threads as much as I did before. Like any long-running series, the show changed a lot over time. Characters left (cough:died:cough), came back, or didn't, other new characters were introduced, new villains, new heroes etc. etc. I remember hearing the show was supposed to end, variously, after the end of season 5 or 6 or 8 etc. Of all of those possibilities, the one it would have made the most sense to me would have been after season 8. Those last 2 years just didn't do it for me. I should say right off the bat that I did like General Landry, Dr. Lamm, and of course Cameron Mitchell. Which doesn't take away from the fact that they weren't General Hammond, Janet or Jack O'Neill. Just like Jonas (season 6) simply wasn't Daniel. But what really dragged seasons 9 and 10 down for me were a) Vala and b) the Ori.
I loathed Vala. I do not appreciate whimsical, rascally bad-boy or -girl types, especially when they exist solely to get other characters' goats, interfere with the mission in countless and counter-productive ways, and hog precious minutes of screen-time. With no redeeming features, other than to be comic relief. On a serious show. There's just no appeal there for me. And I especially do not like being told: "But she's so outrageous! You have to love her because she's so outrageous!" In a real life situation, or (yes, I am aware I am discussing a TV show) the early seasons of the show, she would have been put in prison, and never, ever allowed within 100 km of the Stargate program. Or resettled on some neutral world to rebuild her now de-Goaulded life. She had absolutely NOTHING to offer the team that was of any value, no skills, no knowledge, nothing. I understand that Amanda Tapping's pregnancy necessitated writing Sam out for a number of eps. I understand that Claudia Black is a good actress (and I did like her character in the very few Farscape eps I saw). But I couldn't stand Vala, saw no reason why she was on the show or even involved in the Stargate program let alone the premier SG-1 team. And she never, ever over the course of two years ever made me like her character or even say, "Ah, it's a good thing she is on the team." In contrast to Jonas--who was a brilliant scientist and a hard worker, eager to please. And even so, Jack gave him a consistently hard time throughout his tenure. So Vala is just one symptom of how a good show like Stargate really faded through overstaying its welcome.
And the Ori. The creativity well ran dry, I suppose, as the Ori were nothing more than a combination of the worst aspects of the Goauld ("you shall worship me as a god or die") and the Ancients. I can just see that creativity meeting, "What will we do now, that we have finally defeated all the Goauld? Yeah, we still got a few of those Baal clones running around but...I know, let's combine the Goauld and the Ancients! We'll make us some eeeeeeeeeeeevil Ancients!" Sorry, but no. (and yes, I have watched "Continuum" but have no burning desire to see "Ark of Truth" and finally finish off the Ori storyline.)
Stargate: Atlantis also started out strong but its devolution happened much faster, and sorry, I didn't exactly cry when the show wasn't extended for another season. As far as I'm concerned, there were problems from the start. Teyla began as a female Teal'c, no more. Oh, throw in some Earth goddess-type wisdom to make her mildly more interesting. But, that character was saved when they gave her (literally) some Wraith characteristics and separated her from the rest of the Athosians (who like the other prominent human groups in the Pegasus galaxy, often seemed too stupid and thick-headed to live. Don't even get me started on the Genii, who thought a hurricane was the PERFECT time to go and do some burgling). Teyla as a character actually did grow and improve and become someone I liked. Just not at first. But while Teyla was evolving, they took a good character like Aiden Ford and ruined him. I am to this day not happy about what they did with him. And Ronon is even more a Teal'c-like character, only more primitive and primal. (I did like the Atlantis ep where Teal'c basically had to tutor Ronon to pass his interview with the IOC). I was never a fan of the humanoid Replicators in SG-1, so didn't like them here either (too much like the Borg, sorry.)
What really set Atlantis off on its downward spiral, however, was the whole Michael storyline. The first ep was good and fascinating and morally ambiguous. The second, still ok. But it didn't end there. They brought the character back again and again, each time as the Evil Overlord, and sorry, it just wasn't as interesting after a while. Or even as scary. (Kind of like what VOY did to the Borg). And then there was the whole business of transplanting Carter to Atlantis (when it should have been Daniel, but look at the hash they made of it when they did bring Daniel over for that two ep deal--and ruined the Asgard, to boot). She never really fit in there, and the whole McKay attraction/trying to one-up her business was overdone. Then again, McKay was woobified in the show itself to the point where what had made him interesting was just no longer there. And the stories started to repeat themselves. Bringing back Elizabeth Weir after she'd been replicator-ed--also not a good idea. The last half of the final season just didn't do it for me. The Wraith in general and Todd in particular had been domesticated to dullness (see above Borg comment). And as for the penultimate episode "Vegas", well, I found absolutely nothing redeeming there.
Whew, I really didn't mean to set off on such a rant. I am enjoying my rewatching of Stargate: SG1 (not as dated anymore as the Star Trek TOS eps which my kids lost interest in and I frankly don't blame them). I can tell you right now we're going to end at the end of season 8 and "Moebius." Will we rewatch Atlantis? Maybe, maybe the first two seasons. Or not.
At any rate, if you like Atlantis and you like Elizabeth Weir, I hope you like "Sunrise."
This is the first ficathon I've participated in and it was interesting. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't picked dates for the two stories that were only 7 days apart. With a holiday in between. But, I managed.
I've been rewatching Stargate:SG1 episodes with my daughter (she was too young when I watched them the first time around with her older brothers a number of years ago), and am relieved to find I am liking the characters and enjoying the plot threads as much as I did before. Like any long-running series, the show changed a lot over time. Characters left (cough:died:cough), came back, or didn't, other new characters were introduced, new villains, new heroes etc. etc. I remember hearing the show was supposed to end, variously, after the end of season 5 or 6 or 8 etc. Of all of those possibilities, the one it would have made the most sense to me would have been after season 8. Those last 2 years just didn't do it for me. I should say right off the bat that I did like General Landry, Dr. Lamm, and of course Cameron Mitchell. Which doesn't take away from the fact that they weren't General Hammond, Janet or Jack O'Neill. Just like Jonas (season 6) simply wasn't Daniel. But what really dragged seasons 9 and 10 down for me were a) Vala and b) the Ori.
I loathed Vala. I do not appreciate whimsical, rascally bad-boy or -girl types, especially when they exist solely to get other characters' goats, interfere with the mission in countless and counter-productive ways, and hog precious minutes of screen-time. With no redeeming features, other than to be comic relief. On a serious show. There's just no appeal there for me. And I especially do not like being told: "But she's so outrageous! You have to love her because she's so outrageous!" In a real life situation, or (yes, I am aware I am discussing a TV show) the early seasons of the show, she would have been put in prison, and never, ever allowed within 100 km of the Stargate program. Or resettled on some neutral world to rebuild her now de-Goaulded life. She had absolutely NOTHING to offer the team that was of any value, no skills, no knowledge, nothing. I understand that Amanda Tapping's pregnancy necessitated writing Sam out for a number of eps. I understand that Claudia Black is a good actress (and I did like her character in the very few Farscape eps I saw). But I couldn't stand Vala, saw no reason why she was on the show or even involved in the Stargate program let alone the premier SG-1 team. And she never, ever over the course of two years ever made me like her character or even say, "Ah, it's a good thing she is on the team." In contrast to Jonas--who was a brilliant scientist and a hard worker, eager to please. And even so, Jack gave him a consistently hard time throughout his tenure. So Vala is just one symptom of how a good show like Stargate really faded through overstaying its welcome.
And the Ori. The creativity well ran dry, I suppose, as the Ori were nothing more than a combination of the worst aspects of the Goauld ("you shall worship me as a god or die") and the Ancients. I can just see that creativity meeting, "What will we do now, that we have finally defeated all the Goauld? Yeah, we still got a few of those Baal clones running around but...I know, let's combine the Goauld and the Ancients! We'll make us some eeeeeeeeeeeevil Ancients!" Sorry, but no. (and yes, I have watched "Continuum" but have no burning desire to see "Ark of Truth" and finally finish off the Ori storyline.)
Stargate: Atlantis also started out strong but its devolution happened much faster, and sorry, I didn't exactly cry when the show wasn't extended for another season. As far as I'm concerned, there were problems from the start. Teyla began as a female Teal'c, no more. Oh, throw in some Earth goddess-type wisdom to make her mildly more interesting. But, that character was saved when they gave her (literally) some Wraith characteristics and separated her from the rest of the Athosians (who like the other prominent human groups in the Pegasus galaxy, often seemed too stupid and thick-headed to live. Don't even get me started on the Genii, who thought a hurricane was the PERFECT time to go and do some burgling). Teyla as a character actually did grow and improve and become someone I liked. Just not at first. But while Teyla was evolving, they took a good character like Aiden Ford and ruined him. I am to this day not happy about what they did with him. And Ronon is even more a Teal'c-like character, only more primitive and primal. (I did like the Atlantis ep where Teal'c basically had to tutor Ronon to pass his interview with the IOC). I was never a fan of the humanoid Replicators in SG-1, so didn't like them here either (too much like the Borg, sorry.)
What really set Atlantis off on its downward spiral, however, was the whole Michael storyline. The first ep was good and fascinating and morally ambiguous. The second, still ok. But it didn't end there. They brought the character back again and again, each time as the Evil Overlord, and sorry, it just wasn't as interesting after a while. Or even as scary. (Kind of like what VOY did to the Borg). And then there was the whole business of transplanting Carter to Atlantis (when it should have been Daniel, but look at the hash they made of it when they did bring Daniel over for that two ep deal--and ruined the Asgard, to boot). She never really fit in there, and the whole McKay attraction/trying to one-up her business was overdone. Then again, McKay was woobified in the show itself to the point where what had made him interesting was just no longer there. And the stories started to repeat themselves. Bringing back Elizabeth Weir after she'd been replicator-ed--also not a good idea. The last half of the final season just didn't do it for me. The Wraith in general and Todd in particular had been domesticated to dullness (see above Borg comment). And as for the penultimate episode "Vegas", well, I found absolutely nothing redeeming there.
Whew, I really didn't mean to set off on such a rant. I am enjoying my rewatching of Stargate: SG1 (not as dated anymore as the Star Trek TOS eps which my kids lost interest in and I frankly don't blame them). I can tell you right now we're going to end at the end of season 8 and "Moebius." Will we rewatch Atlantis? Maybe, maybe the first two seasons. Or not.
At any rate, if you like Atlantis and you like Elizabeth Weir, I hope you like "Sunrise."