Stargate SG-1 PICSPAM: In Defense of Continuum
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR STARGATE: CONTINUUM
A really long, 2-part Daniel/Vala manifesto with por-- er, photos.
Surviving Universe B
I just read a nice, melancholy Daniel/Vala fic by dvshipper titled "Inside This Shell", about how Daniel copes with life in the alternate reality where Ba'al has totally fucked up the timeline. The melancholy and despair of living in such a timeline was also my first impression of Continuum.
How could Mitchell, Sam, and especially Daniel survive emotionally in Universe B for a year without succumbing to a mental breakdown, or becoming an alcoholic?
But that's totally my reaction as a fan who adores all the characters and hates to see the Team in forced separation. It's gut-wrenching.
Then I thought about it much more: Sam copes because in Universe B, she knows there's a living Jack B (still married to Sara, with a living son Charlie), a Teal'c B who's still as nobly committed to freeing the Jaffa, and Cam A and Daniel A whom she'll be able to contact eventually.
Clicking these pix takes you to larger images with sarcastic comments.
Poor Cameron -- no family at all. Nothing. Tabula rasa. Amy B has never met him, but Sam A & Daniel A are still available, and I know he'd be able to contact them despite the new identity program because, well, he's Cam: a tenacious, resourceful guy.
Daniel, in Universe B, knows that somewhere out there, Shau'ri/Sha're B is alive -- possibly married off to some Abydonian dude, but never snaked. And that Sarah B has never been snaked -- and might possibly be with Daniel B. Vala B is alive with Qetesh B, and would survive an extraction, but would never have met SG-1.
The relentless optimism of the SG-1 characters throughout the entire series is what makes them truly heroic, and that does come through in Continuum. The hope they harbor is precursor to action; if you can't visualize a goal, how do you expect to achieve it?
The Daniel/Vala Relationship in Continuum
A lot of D/V shippers have criticized Continuum for lacking any real Daniel/Vala moments, but the moments abound on a subtle level. (Trust me; I’ve watched the DVD at least 10 times!)
First, there’s Daniel walking down the corridor with a pensive expression, most likely because Vala might’ve said “I’ll meet you all in the Gateroom”, and Daniel’s wondering WTF she’s up to.
Second, Daniel looks around the Gateroom for Vala while Siler gets Cam’s signature.
Third, there’s Daniel’s reaction to Vala when she enters the Gateroom carrying the portable energy cannon (Hints of Farscape’s Aeryn Sun + a big ass gun = GRRL SQUEE!) and his OMG look.
Fourth, Vala delivers her “witnessing an extraction is nothing compared to experiencing it” speech. Daniel raises his eyebrows and purses his lips like it’s Vala being histrionic, wallowing in angst. But “angst” she embraces, owns, and holds up as a trophy. It’s what I so adore about Vala! She survives because she treats trauma unconventionally, almost perversely, and looks at it sideways and upside down, keeping two steps ahead of it, the way she coped with the loss of the opportunity to mother Adria.
Bonus moment of Pretty: Vala's, Cam's, and Sam's eyes all gleam a beautiful blue in the light of the event horizon.
Fifth, during the extraction ceremony, Vala yawns with her mouth closed, and Daniel’s so aware of it that he can’t help yawning, too. Cuteness.
Sixth, when Daniel reassures Jack that the Tok’ra chanting is almost over, Vala perks up from her boredom to look at Daniel, then responds with a look on her face that seems to indicate that he’s right and she should’ve been listening instead of zoning out fantasizing about group sex.
Seventh, they start bickering like an old married couple about host survival when Vala disappears.
Then Ba’al comes out of stasis and flaunts those gorgeous arms, riveting everyone’s attention, because damn, this fandom delivers arm porn like you wouldn’t believe, and Cliff Simon’s arm muscles are indeed magnificent. Ba’al’s obviously an NC-17 multiples fanfic reader, because he says “General Jack O’Neill and SG-1”, which is my favorite orgy combo, too. Er, where was I?
Ah, eighth: Ba’al asks about “my dear Qetesh”, and Daniel starts getting so territorial that Cam looks down and stifles a smirk at the alpha male pissing contest. (This screen capture doesn't show it, though. Go watch the DVD.)
Ninth, Daniel really presses the issue of Vala’s disappearance to the rest of the team, enough that Jack picks up on Daniel’s obvious anxiety by reassuring him (Jack/Daniel moment wootz!) with the bathroom-in-a-pyramid joke and Sam follows suit, reminding them that Vala might be more emotionally vulnerable than she appears (bonus Sam/Vala moment!).
Tenth, Daniel mentions Vala again after Teal’c disappears, adding to the grand total of Vala’s name spoken in the script: 7.
5 of the 7 times Vala’s name is spoken in Continuum come out of Daniel’s mouth!
Eleventh, when Team A meet Teal’c B in Russia, the contempt in Daniel’s voice when he says “Qetesh” indicates that the Goa’uld violating Vala’s body has never been far from his mind.
Obligatory pic of Qetesh, because she's so delectable.
Twelfth, back in Universe A, Vala and Daniel sigh at the same time while witnessing Ba’al’s death throes. It’s adorable -- a dying, squirmy eel juxtaposed with shipper cuteness. Yup, I roll like that.
Thirteenth, Vala ostensibly asks permission to stay behind to help Ba’al’s host, as though either the unselfish behavior she’s witnessed in SG-1 is rubbing off, or she just wants to touch those magnificent arm muscles on Cliff Simon - I for one can’t blame her.
Fourteenth and last, Daniel’s knowing smirk and comment to Teal’c about an “interesting afternoon” indicate that he knows that Ba’al’s host is gonna FREAK OUT and scream when he sees “Qetesh”, cutting short Vala’s humanitarian effort.
So there you have it - all 14 of my Daniel/Vala shippy moments in Continuum. Go to your bunks and dream up some pornographic fanfic for me to read now.
A really long, 2-part Daniel/Vala manifesto with por-- er, photos.
Surviving Universe B
I just read a nice, melancholy Daniel/Vala fic by dvshipper titled "Inside This Shell", about how Daniel copes with life in the alternate reality where Ba'al has totally fucked up the timeline. The melancholy and despair of living in such a timeline was also my first impression of Continuum.
How could Mitchell, Sam, and especially Daniel survive emotionally in Universe B for a year without succumbing to a mental breakdown, or becoming an alcoholic?
But that's totally my reaction as a fan who adores all the characters and hates to see the Team in forced separation. It's gut-wrenching.
Then I thought about it much more: Sam copes because in Universe B, she knows there's a living Jack B (still married to Sara, with a living son Charlie), a Teal'c B who's still as nobly committed to freeing the Jaffa, and Cam A and Daniel A whom she'll be able to contact eventually.
Clicking these pix takes you to larger images with sarcastic comments.
Poor Cameron -- no family at all. Nothing. Tabula rasa. Amy B has never met him, but Sam A & Daniel A are still available, and I know he'd be able to contact them despite the new identity program because, well, he's Cam: a tenacious, resourceful guy.
Daniel, in Universe B, knows that somewhere out there, Shau'ri/Sha're B is alive -- possibly married off to some Abydonian dude, but never snaked. And that Sarah B has never been snaked -- and might possibly be with Daniel B. Vala B is alive with Qetesh B, and would survive an extraction, but would never have met SG-1.
The relentless optimism of the SG-1 characters throughout the entire series is what makes them truly heroic, and that does come through in Continuum. The hope they harbor is precursor to action; if you can't visualize a goal, how do you expect to achieve it?
The Daniel/Vala Relationship in Continuum
A lot of D/V shippers have criticized Continuum for lacking any real Daniel/Vala moments, but the moments abound on a subtle level. (Trust me; I’ve watched the DVD at least 10 times!)
First, there’s Daniel walking down the corridor with a pensive expression, most likely because Vala might’ve said “I’ll meet you all in the Gateroom”, and Daniel’s wondering WTF she’s up to.
Second, Daniel looks around the Gateroom for Vala while Siler gets Cam’s signature.
Third, there’s Daniel’s reaction to Vala when she enters the Gateroom carrying the portable energy cannon (Hints of Farscape’s Aeryn Sun + a big ass gun = GRRL SQUEE!) and his OMG look.
Fourth, Vala delivers her “witnessing an extraction is nothing compared to experiencing it” speech. Daniel raises his eyebrows and purses his lips like it’s Vala being histrionic, wallowing in angst. But “angst” she embraces, owns, and holds up as a trophy. It’s what I so adore about Vala! She survives because she treats trauma unconventionally, almost perversely, and looks at it sideways and upside down, keeping two steps ahead of it, the way she coped with the loss of the opportunity to mother Adria.
Bonus moment of Pretty: Vala's, Cam's, and Sam's eyes all gleam a beautiful blue in the light of the event horizon.
Fifth, during the extraction ceremony, Vala yawns with her mouth closed, and Daniel’s so aware of it that he can’t help yawning, too. Cuteness.
Sixth, when Daniel reassures Jack that the Tok’ra chanting is almost over, Vala perks up from her boredom to look at Daniel, then responds with a look on her face that seems to indicate that he’s right and she should’ve been listening instead of zoning out fantasizing about group sex.
Seventh, they start bickering like an old married couple about host survival when Vala disappears.
Then Ba’al comes out of stasis and flaunts those gorgeous arms, riveting everyone’s attention, because damn, this fandom delivers arm porn like you wouldn’t believe, and Cliff Simon’s arm muscles are indeed magnificent. Ba’al’s obviously an NC-17 multiples fanfic reader, because he says “General Jack O’Neill and SG-1”, which is my favorite orgy combo, too. Er, where was I?
Ah, eighth: Ba’al asks about “my dear Qetesh”, and Daniel starts getting so territorial that Cam looks down and stifles a smirk at the alpha male pissing contest. (This screen capture doesn't show it, though. Go watch the DVD.)
Ninth, Daniel really presses the issue of Vala’s disappearance to the rest of the team, enough that Jack picks up on Daniel’s obvious anxiety by reassuring him (Jack/Daniel moment wootz!) with the bathroom-in-a-pyramid joke and Sam follows suit, reminding them that Vala might be more emotionally vulnerable than she appears (bonus Sam/Vala moment!).
Tenth, Daniel mentions Vala again after Teal’c disappears, adding to the grand total of Vala’s name spoken in the script: 7.
5 of the 7 times Vala’s name is spoken in Continuum come out of Daniel’s mouth!
Eleventh, when Team A meet Teal’c B in Russia, the contempt in Daniel’s voice when he says “Qetesh” indicates that the Goa’uld violating Vala’s body has never been far from his mind.
Obligatory pic of Qetesh, because she's so delectable.
Twelfth, back in Universe A, Vala and Daniel sigh at the same time while witnessing Ba’al’s death throes. It’s adorable -- a dying, squirmy eel juxtaposed with shipper cuteness. Yup, I roll like that.
Thirteenth, Vala ostensibly asks permission to stay behind to help Ba’al’s host, as though either the unselfish behavior she’s witnessed in SG-1 is rubbing off, or she just wants to touch those magnificent arm muscles on Cliff Simon - I for one can’t blame her.
Fourteenth and last, Daniel’s knowing smirk and comment to Teal’c about an “interesting afternoon” indicate that he knows that Ba’al’s host is gonna FREAK OUT and scream when he sees “Qetesh”, cutting short Vala’s humanitarian effort.
So there you have it - all 14 of my Daniel/Vala shippy moments in Continuum. Go to your bunks and dream up some pornographic fanfic for me to read now.