So one of the biggest problems with living with a sci-fi geek is being subjected to sub-par television programming. And because it's on ALL THE TIME, I end up watching a lot of
Stargate SG-1. It isn't a great show, but it does have some redeeming qualities, and one of them is
Amanda Tapping. Tapping, who has played Samantha Carter on the show since 1997, has not appeared in recent new episodes, and the show has lacked something without her.
Here are a few things I learned about Amanda Tapping while researching this: she was born in England and grew up in Canada, she is a Virgo, she has a twin brother. and she recently gave birth to a daughter (Olivia, born in March).
Stargate, now in its ninth season, is a cheesy show with an unusual premise: the U.S. government has discovered wormhole portals called stargates that can be used to travel to other planets, many of which are subjugated by aliens that pretend to be gods; Carter is part of a super-secret special forces division of the U.S. Air Force that visits these other planets to bring back advanced alien technology, fight the bad aliens, and work with the good aliens.
As played by Tapping, Carter might be one of the best female role models on television, certainly in current science fiction television. Over the course of the show, Carter has had a series of promotions, going from Captain to (I believe) Colonel. She is an attractive woman who doesn't rely on her looks or her sexuality; instead, she is the brains of the show, solving problems intellectually. She is the equal of the three men who form the SG-1 unit, and the show allows (requires?) her to display a combination of intelligence, toughness, courage, and strength. She is a feminist but not a man-hater. Carter once fought (and beat) a cruel warlord in ritual hand-to-hand combat (using her USAF-issued knife) to save the life of a young girl who was supposed to be stoned for falling in love with the wrong boy.
Of course, Carter might not be a perfect role model; she conforms to the stereotype of a woman too strong (or too busy or too career-oriented) to get married or have children. Like other strong female characters on science fiction shows, such as Dana Scully of
The X-Files or Aeryn Sun of
Farscape, Samantha Carter is not defined by her relationships to men. Unlike Scully or Aeryn (in the early episodes), who felt a strong sexual tension with their respective male leads, Carter has only the vaguest of attractions to Jack O'Neill (played by Richard Dean Anderson). What is interesting is that while Scully or Aeryn have a coldness that seems to come out of turmoil or trauma, Carter is distinctive for her stability and lack of emotional trauma. She shows that being single is a matter of choice, not a punishment.
The most recent episodes of
Stargate SG-1 have not featured Amanda Tapping, though I hear she'll be back on the show eventually. Much as I have enjoyed Claudia Black's guest star turn as vampy alien Vala Malduran, I miss Carter.
