Teyla is Not Invisible
Feb. 18th, 2008 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annundrielJust a thought about Teyla and season four. Let's see if I can get it out without confusing and/or hurting myself. And maybe it will even make a little sense.
Teyla grew up in Pegasus, she's always known the threat of the Wraith, and she's the leader of her people. Plus, she's a big part of the main 'gate team on Atlantis.
But now that she's pregnant, she's considering stepping away from her more warrior-like role and becoming more of a, I don't want to use this term but I'm going to, stay at home mom. Which isn't exactly what I mean, since I could see her stepping down from more dangerous missions but still being an active diplomat.
So I got to thinking about that, and then I got to thinking about Farscape's Aeryn Sun who is basically one of my favorite characters ever in anything. Period. She started out as a warrior, a fighter to the point that her role as Peacekeeper defined her. And then she met Crichton and the rest of the bunch on Moya and things changed.
And then she got pregnant and the show got canceled, but was brought back. And in the middle of a big shoot out she gave birth. Then ten minutes later she's got the baby tied to her front and she's kicking ass, guns a-blazin'. Because she may be a mother now, but she's also a fighter. Throughout Farscape she becomes so much more than she started out as. (Why don't more people watch Farscape? The stuff they do with characters and relationships is wonderful.)
Now, Aeryn and Teyla are very different. Teyla's always come off as much more nurturing and calm than Aeryn, for one. But I don't see why Teyla can't be both the one in the field taking care of business and the one who comes home to a child. Other than the fact that it goes against the stereotypical, like I said before, stay at home mom type. (Not that being a stay at home mom is a bad thing!)
Which only takes us back to that good ol' angel/whore dichotomy, only in this case it's mother/warrior.
Granted, in her case, at least at the moment, there is no father figure. However, John did say that the kid's never going to be without family (basically), so there are options. Of course, John was also the first one to play the whole "you're pregnant, you can't be out in the field" card, but I think that his concern was less of a concern for Teyla being to perform her job and more of a concern for her well-being and the well-being of her child. Mixed with a lot of surprise, some pouting, and a minor freak out.
I also feel that I should take into account "Spoils of War" and Teyla's actions with the Wraith queen. Perhaps her decision or, rather, her implied decision to step away from the team after the birth of her child is the result of that realization of his fragility?
I don't know. And this has gotten longer than I expected. Basically, I don't want to see Teyla to become anything less than she already is because of her pregnancy and motherhood. I understand her concerns and doubts about her place on the team and her role as a mother, but given the fact that she's used to life in the Pegasus galaxy, I don't understand the implication that she may have to choose one over the other.
And believe me, I want to see Teyla be a mother and happy, but I also want to see her continue in her capacity as teammate. And maybe that's just my problem.
I also don't want to imply that I'm unhappy with how they've handled Teyla so far. Personally, I'm reading her reactions to this pregnancy and all of the things surrounding it as someone who has been thrown a curve ball and is struggling to get a grip on the situation, someone who is trying to find her footing. I just don't really trust that the writers are going to handle it well. Or at all.
I mean, sure, we'll get more dealing with the pregnancy since they can't just drop it, but will we ever get more of a Teyla-centric episode that gives us more depth to it? I have my doubts. Depth is not something that's done consistently well on SGA.
I guess I should add that I'm pretty unspoiled for the rest of the season as well as season five, so maybe the writers will handle themselves better than I worry they will.
And now that I've written all that, I have no idea if it's clear. But I'm going to leave it and maybe read over it later.
Teyla grew up in Pegasus, she's always known the threat of the Wraith, and she's the leader of her people. Plus, she's a big part of the main 'gate team on Atlantis.
But now that she's pregnant, she's considering stepping away from her more warrior-like role and becoming more of a, I don't want to use this term but I'm going to, stay at home mom. Which isn't exactly what I mean, since I could see her stepping down from more dangerous missions but still being an active diplomat.
So I got to thinking about that, and then I got to thinking about Farscape's Aeryn Sun who is basically one of my favorite characters ever in anything. Period. She started out as a warrior, a fighter to the point that her role as Peacekeeper defined her. And then she met Crichton and the rest of the bunch on Moya and things changed.
And then she got pregnant and the show got canceled, but was brought back. And in the middle of a big shoot out she gave birth. Then ten minutes later she's got the baby tied to her front and she's kicking ass, guns a-blazin'. Because she may be a mother now, but she's also a fighter. Throughout Farscape she becomes so much more than she started out as. (Why don't more people watch Farscape? The stuff they do with characters and relationships is wonderful.)
Now, Aeryn and Teyla are very different. Teyla's always come off as much more nurturing and calm than Aeryn, for one. But I don't see why Teyla can't be both the one in the field taking care of business and the one who comes home to a child. Other than the fact that it goes against the stereotypical, like I said before, stay at home mom type. (Not that being a stay at home mom is a bad thing!)
Which only takes us back to that good ol' angel/whore dichotomy, only in this case it's mother/warrior.
Granted, in her case, at least at the moment, there is no father figure. However, John did say that the kid's never going to be without family (basically), so there are options. Of course, John was also the first one to play the whole "you're pregnant, you can't be out in the field" card, but I think that his concern was less of a concern for Teyla being to perform her job and more of a concern for her well-being and the well-being of her child. Mixed with a lot of surprise, some pouting, and a minor freak out.
I also feel that I should take into account "Spoils of War" and Teyla's actions with the Wraith queen. Perhaps her decision or, rather, her implied decision to step away from the team after the birth of her child is the result of that realization of his fragility?
I don't know. And this has gotten longer than I expected. Basically, I don't want to see Teyla to become anything less than she already is because of her pregnancy and motherhood. I understand her concerns and doubts about her place on the team and her role as a mother, but given the fact that she's used to life in the Pegasus galaxy, I don't understand the implication that she may have to choose one over the other.
And believe me, I want to see Teyla be a mother and happy, but I also want to see her continue in her capacity as teammate. And maybe that's just my problem.
I also don't want to imply that I'm unhappy with how they've handled Teyla so far. Personally, I'm reading her reactions to this pregnancy and all of the things surrounding it as someone who has been thrown a curve ball and is struggling to get a grip on the situation, someone who is trying to find her footing. I just don't really trust that the writers are going to handle it well. Or at all.
I mean, sure, we'll get more dealing with the pregnancy since they can't just drop it, but will we ever get more of a Teyla-centric episode that gives us more depth to it? I have my doubts. Depth is not something that's done consistently well on SGA.
I guess I should add that I'm pretty unspoiled for the rest of the season as well as season five, so maybe the writers will handle themselves better than I worry they will.
And now that I've written all that, I have no idea if it's clear. But I'm going to leave it and maybe read over it later.
