Open question: with cast changes in Stargate Atlantis, what are you going to write/read?

[wraithfodder]

With the SciFi interview snippets with various cast members (Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, Amanda Tapping and Rachel Luttrell) as well as Multichannel's article on Weir's (Torri Higginson) departure and heck, who doesn't know that Paul McGillion's Dr. Beckett got toasted in season 3? it got me thinking...

How does this affect you fannishly?

There are many of us who have stories just perculating away, half-written (heck, I've even got one or two season 1 stories with Ford in 'em that remain undone). Season 4 has stripped away two key characters - Beckett and Weir. Will you continue to write in season 3 if you adored Beckett and/or Weir? Or will you 'go with the flow' and write season 4 fiction and just live with the loss?  Will Sheppard/Weir fanfic will continue despite her loss (from the show) or will it wither? While stories which feature Ford are few and far between, Weir was an integral part of the show - heck, she was on SG1 before SGA even came about. It stands to reason that the feel of the show will change as well as Atlantis will now be under a military commander (Carter) instead of civilian (Weir). Or will it just be easier to have the team spend as much time off Atlantis as possible to avoid that?

And Beckett features so prominently in many stories (particularly those of a hurt/comfort (aka whump) persuasion) that how will fans add in Keller, who is the new kid on the block with basically no backstory with Sheppard's team??

Feel free to comment away. Myself, I haven't decided what to do, but have too many pre-season 4 stories to finish that I'm not altering them to fit season 4.

Comments

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

I agree with that. Sort of.

I can appreciate the point about people whose character is still in and how patronising it can be to be told to suck it up and stay loyal - though I confess, I'd still give SGA a chance if Joe left - a lot of people don't seem to be giving it the chance of even a couple of episodes without wailing about the injustice of this or that change. To be honest, my patience is starting to expire with certain areas of fandom - if x person leaving is so devastating to your enjoyment of the show, use the off-switch and stop watching. If it is hampering your enjoyment of fandom, it's time to find a new hobby. I've decided and told some of my f-list bluntly that I have no interest in the moanings of people not watching the show once the new season starts. You aren't willing to give the show a shot, then you lose your right to complain about the episodes based on read about them from everyone else as far as I'm concerned.

S4 is going to be different and no doubt. No, I don't like all the changes, however I think it's all about having an open mind.

[diamond-raven.livejournal.com]

Thank you for putting into words what I've been wanting to scream at certain people for months! Let's hope we lose the perpetual complainers once season four gets under way. Complaining about certain episodes and certain decisions is fine...up to a point. But like you said, if somebody has nothing positive to say about a show anymore, they're making themselves, and the rest of us miserable with constant complaining.

While I was never a Carson fan, I did like Elizabeth, and I do have reservations about Carter replacing her, but I am willing to give the show a chance and see how they decided to deal with the situation before going off on a tirade.

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's when people moan more than they praise that I have to wonder about the sanity of some people...

I like Carson and I like Elizabeth, even though certain sections of fandom made that difficult, but I think they both suffered with poor writing and bad storylines. I confess that I was never a massive Carter fan when she was on SG-1 - she was just there. My main complaint about bringing her over isn't the character - it's the fact that she was on SG-1. As for Keller, she's an unknown entity really. I'm just going to watch and see what happens from there.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I think what a lot of fans dislike are the either/or fans. It's either the worst thing in the world or the best thing since Cheese Whiz. If I gripe about something, I back it up with why, and cite facts, opinions, etc. I hate it when someone comes in and goes "it sucks" and yeah, well, why? I'm still not a fan of Carter coming over.... I *am* going to miss Weir and Carson. Keller is okay thus far, but well, hey, wonder when they'll kill her off? Doctors seem to have bullseyes painted on 'em in the SG franchise ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

My opinion is don't moan about a show unless you actually watch it. When I got sick of DS9, I simply turned it off and that was it. I don't see why anyone would hang around a group, etc. complaining about a show they don't watch anymore...

There are several aspects about season 4 I'm not fond of (99% of it is casting changes) but I can't do anything about it, but I am leery about how the writers pen Carter (this from watching 10 years of her).

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

I've come to the conclusion that some people get a perverse kind of pleasure from constantly complaining about a show and thus ruining other people's enjoyment of it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the occasional rant or stating what you do and don't like about an episode - otherwise I wouldn't have started a discussion comm - however when someone is ranting and saying more and more that they don't like things, they should just move on.