Stargate Atlantis: to ship or not to ship?

[timepiececlock]

A brief history of Rashaka's SGA shipper tendencies.

SGA, season 1:

I was willing to go with the Sheppard/Teyla stuff, because it was kinda cute, and why not?

I was thinking Weir/McKay would be an adorable ship if they decided to take it that way.

But then I had to admit McKay is too busy having brain-relationships with Zelenka and Carson, while being secretly sexually frustrated because he's not having an actual physical relationship with anyone, and perpetually won't because he's a dork, and a smug one a that. Maybe amusing & kinda cute smug dorks deserve to get laid too, but McKay probably never will. Or if he does it'll be an alien.

I was thinking Carson was just so adorable I didn't want him shipped with anyone because no one worthy or suited to his adorableness had appeared yet.

I was telling my fellow watchers (at the time, my parents but mostly my dad) how much I loved that I got a totally professional vibe from Sheppard and Weir, and that it was so refreshing that they didn't seem to written as having romantic undertones, just strong friendship born of professional respect.

SGA, season 2:

The idea of Sheppard and Weir's "strong friendship born of professional respect" was flatly bitchslapped by the OMG shippyness of the season premier and several little sucessive moments all throughout season 2 so far. I was watching and it hit me, "These two could be in love. Are they in love? Why didn't I notice all this before. This whole solid friendship thing is a total lie, isn't it. They kinda look like they wanna make out. And it's friendshipp-professional-respect-y based making-out looks!"

Teyla/Sheppard bores me to tears, but Teyla & Sheppard as Buddies Who Run Around And Shoot Things Together is awesome. I much prefer Teyla when she's being badass.

Ronon and Teyla need quality time together because they both deserve hot sex. Not a relationship, just the hot sex. If a relationship happens later, that's cool too. But first they deserve to get mutually laid. A lot. And for pillow talk they can make fun of "those silly Earthlings with their strange ideas for breakfast food."

McKay still doesn't get laid. Because getting laid would make him, I dunno, normal. And that would be sad, because he's funny when he's the smug dork who can't get laid and so complains all the time about his job.

For some reason, I've never shipped Ford with anyone. Dunno why.

Comments

[ladyclaire.livejournal.com]

Hey - just thought I'd let you know that your latest post in teh_music has comments turned off, which you might need on. ;)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

No! McKay must get laid! I insist! (And write it often. *eg*)

I'm not going to go into why I think McKay/Sheppard is the best thing ever because if you don't see the slash, you don't see the slash, and that's cool. But I'm genuinely confused as to what the appeal of Sheppard/Weir is. I mean, I admit that I find Elizabeth kind of boring in general, but I see more chemistry between her and Caldwell than I do between her and Sheppard. Although this may be because I've been programed to read animosity as so, so hot for each other. ;-)

John/Teyla on the other hand (or Rodney/Teyla--I would kill for some of that)...yeah. That I could see. And I think that's basically what puzzles me, because when you've got such an interesting, kickass female character available, why is it that the main het pairing--in the whole fandom, not just with you--involves the other, and IMO, less interesting female character? Is it because her name is listed second in the credits? What?

I'm genuinely curious, here, not just snarking. ;-)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

For some reason, I've never shipped Ford with anyone. Dunno why.

Oh, and the answer to this is: because while he was sweet, he was never that interesting. *shrug*

[lafemmedansrose.livejournal.com]

Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I have the Sheryl Crow song you requested in teh_music but for some reason comments are disabled. You might want to look into that.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Thanks for letting me know! I fixed it. :)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

just fixed it, thanks. Dunno how I accidentally clicked on it.

[kimera.livejournal.com]

Hee. Fellow slasher here ;) I'm alllll about the McKay/Sheppard and the Beckett/Sheppard (which, like, only three other people in the entire fandom 'ship, or something).

On the het side of things, I think Ronon/Teyla would be cool, and kinna hot... but I don't think I'd like it if it were just "oh, these two characters go together because they're 'not from Earth'."

I'm not sure about Shep/Weir. I get more of a strong-friendship vibe from them. It is possible to be physically affectionate with people and not wanna have sex, after all!

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I think Ronon/Teyla would be cool, and kinna hot... but I don't think I'd like it if it were just "oh, these two characters go together because they're 'not from Earth'."

Actually, for Teyla I do sort of like it for that reason-- mainly because I find her the most interesting when she's not around the Atlantis team. It seems like in the group scenes she's given fewer lines and always fades into the background. I like her best when she's with just one other character on the Atlantis team, or with other characters altogether. I vascillate between finding her boring and finding her interesting... and the scenes with Ronon make Ronon seem more insteresting two, so I'd rather watches scenes of them together.

It's an odd thought, though, the fact about them both not being from Earth-- so far, Ronon resembles the Earth military team a lot more than Teyla does. For all his Billowing Coat Of The Great Wraith Hunter vibe, he actually seems a lot like Ford and Sheppard with the military stuff.

Hm. Just rambling... actually I'd like to see both Teyla and Ronon get more interesting writing. I'm still grumbling about the "part wraith" thing with Teyla... such a cheesy substitute for actual character development. They can't figure out how to make her personality more interesting, so they give her a superpower. ::sigh:: I'll take politician/chieftan!Teyla over super-wraith-ESP!Teyla any day.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Rodney/Teyla, if written well, would be awesome!

I think McKay/Sheppard is the best thing ever because if you don't see the slash, you don't see the slash, and that's cool

Actually, I see the slash with McKay, but mostly I see it with Zelenka and Carson. Carson especially. Well, more accurately-- I don't think they're written canonically romantically, but there's enough tongue-in-cheek stuff there that I can definitely see myself shipping them if I were into slash.

But seriously, I like the idea of McKay forever frustrated and thus eternally snarky and bitchy for it.


And I think that's basically what puzzles me, because when you've got such an interesting, kickass female character available, why is it that the main het pairing--in the whole fandom, not just with you--involves the other, and IMO, less interesting female character?

I think that really comes down to what you find interesting. As I mentioned in a comment below, I really go back and forth on Teyla. a bout 70% of the time I find her boring and uninteresting, possibly the least interesting with the exception of season 1 Ford. The other 30% of the time I quite like her-- usually when she's away from the Atlantis team, or fighting/shooting something. I like her best when she's being all leadery and village-chieftan like. Unfortunately I don't think the Atlantis writers make as good use of that part of her character as they have the chance too, so most of the time I find her boring.

Elizabeth I find more interesting, but she's not my favorite character. My favorite characters are probably Sheppard and Zelenka (he's a minor character, but I just like practically every scene with him). But Elizabeth is the more interesting of the two female characters to me, and I particularly love to watch her interactions with Sheppard. It's when she's the most lively and fun to watch. (Though her scenes with McKay are pretty amusing too, I don't find them as endearing).

Anyway, what's interesting is totally subjective, is where I was going with this. :) I was actually surprised to read that you found Teyla so much more interesting-- because to me she's boring 70% of the time. Actually to the point of annoyance because I feel like she has the potential to be more interesting if they gave her better stuff to do, but as of now, not really.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Word on that.

I did like the conversations betweencrazy-happy-violent Ford and McKay, however. That was the most fun Ford's ever been as a character.

[kimera.livejournal.com]

Well, I think my perceptions have to do with the kind of fic I read- mostly McKay/Sheppard slash. A lot of the time, in S1 fic, Teyla and Ford would end up paired together... and I could see no logical reason for it, other than "well, that way everyone on the team is sleeping with someone". And now that Ronon is the 4th member of the team, people tend to pair him and Teyla up, without giving much justification beyond the whole "well, they're both outsiders" thing. Which is... slightly more than the justification for Ford/Teyla, but not much more.

I really don't understand the need to pair people up just so that *everyone* is in a relationship.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I really don't understand the need to pair people up just so that *everyone* is in a relationship.

I agree. That's why I only mainly read fic for one pairing-- I don't see any need to pair up the others.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Ford/Teyla? Weird thought. I would never have considered that. Huh.

Long, rambly (drunken) comment

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Rodney/Teyla, if written well, would be awesome!

I'll let you know if I find some! I'm not hopeful, though.

I did read one great Rodney/Teyla/John story, however--not sure if that interests you, but it's Gifts Unasked For by docmichelle. It's got a great plot and--bonus!--an interesting take on Ford.

Oddly, I don't see the McKay/Beckett at all, even though I'm aware that that's a really popular pairing. Yet it's kind of one where I'm going, "Have the even interacted that much on screen? Did I miss something?" (Other than "Duet," of course, and, wonderful as that episode is, it really doesn't count. ;-) )

I've been meaning to write some meta on why McKay/Sheppard is so very, very slashy to me, but basically, to summarize: it's because their relationship doesn't read logically as anything else. It's so scattered--they're not really friends, yet their clearly more than just co-workers...the tension is just so odd. I love it.

Plus, the snark. ;-)

I like the idea of McKay forever frustrated and thus eternally snarky and bitchy for it.

No, don't do that to me him! Er.

(I sense that I identify with McKay much more than you do--and probably much more than is healthy. *g*)

As for why I find Teyla interesting and Elizabeth boring...hmm. Well, it starts from the fact that I feel that as "strong" as Elizabeth is supposed to be, she lets people--and by this I mean Sheppard, mostly, push her around too much. Teyla really, really doesn't--her strong woman act never reads as an "act" to me. One of my favorite Teyla scenes, for example, is in "Letters From Pegasus," the whole confrontation between her and Shep about who they can and cannot save. There's a look that she gives him during that argument that just tells the whole story about her relationship with him--how much she wanted/needed him to be a certain kind of man, a hero, and while he is a hero in many ways that she recognizes, he's still not quite the man that she needed. Or wanted. He's much more complicated, much more human, and in recognizing that, she becomes much more complicated and human, too. (I have so much love for that scene and that episode--I wrote about it in "Control," actually. Seriously: *love*)

Elizabeth, on the other hand...I've seen no arc for her at all. I want to like her, but she's just...blank to me. I guess you're right about what's interesting being totally, totally subjective.

But I'm completely with you with the Zelenka love. ;-)

Re: Long, rambly (drunken) comment

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Just watched Friday's episode! Thank the internet for bitorrent.

I enjoyed Teyla's scenes in this episode-- I thought the actress did well with her, especially in the awkward scenes. She does awkward well. I just wish we'd get more charactery scenes with her where we learn new stuff and she gets some development.


Actually, that's a problem I have with a lot of this show. Although I'm really enjoying it, I don't feel like the characters' personalities are as well-developed as their jobs and their mission.

You mentioned finding Elizabeth to be a "blank" character and I've had the same thought about Sheppard, Ford, and Ronon at various points.* In fact, the only person that I really feel we *know* is McKay, and only because he gets so many lines, and his character is very upfront and blunt-spoken. The rest of them are so professional that sometimes it bugs me. I'd like to know more about them as people.

One of the reasons I liked the McKay-screws-up episode a few eps back was that at least it was something character-building instead of all action all the time. Unfortunately, it was mostly character-building for McKay, who we already know the most about when it comes to character. Although I did enjoy the Sheppard charactery parts of that episode.

* (I actually think Sheppard seems to be emoting a lot more this season than last season [more emotional facial expressions, more emotional reading of lines], in scenes with all the other characters, which is a nice change, because as I think I told someone before, if I were one of these characters I think I could work with Sheppard for five years and suddenly realize I still know nothing about him as a person, his real thoughts and feelings on subjects unrelated to work)

Re: Long, rambly (drunken) comment

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

if I were one of these characters I think I could work with Sheppard for five years and suddenly realize I still know nothing about him as a person, his real thoughts and feelings on subjects unrelated to work

Oh, yes. Yes: exactly. And that's what I love about Sheppard, actually, because I think he does it on purpose. I think he almost compulsively keeps people at a distance, that a lot of his bouncy little boyness is just surface and that there's a lot of much darker stuff going on underneath. There are flashes of this in "Home," the aforementioned scene in "Letters From Pegasus"...it's very subtle and very yummy and yeah. I love McKay to pieces, but I don't think I would have been able to write even a fraction of what I have in this fandom if Sheppard didn't fascinate me so much.