Analysis by Jenny, HW Satire

Samantha Carter first strode confidently onto our screens with that somewhat cringe-worthy line about reproductive organs back in Children of the God's. Since then the character has come a long way, but how has that confident Captain evolved into the Sam Carter we know today - and did we really love her once we got to know her?

The Sam of the early seasons seemed to feel she had a lot to prove - as a 'woman in a mans world' we watched her slowly finding her place on the team. She was the 'queen of 'techno babble', but as the episodes and seasons progressed we gradually saw that there was more to Captain Carter than her military rank and PhD.

Season One's Singularity was instrumental in looking at the individual behind the Carter persona. Captain Carter's friendship with a young girl (Cassandra) lets the audience witness her maternal side when she is forced into a difficult and somewhat heartbreaking situation. Here, we see for the first time that although brilliant in her chosen field she is still actually human like the rest of us. She is capable of loving and being loved and, in a first for the character, she allows her emotions to take over and we see Sam rather than Captain Carter taking charge.

Season Two led to a change in Samantha Carter both physically and mentally. After first being unwillingly taken host by a Tok'ra named Jolinar, she is then forced to struggle with the guilt of surviving after Jolinar dies in order for Sam to live.

After Jolinar's death Sam has to face the changes in her body chemistry which enables her to detect the presence of naqudah, as well as operate Goa'uld technology such as the ribbon and healing devices. However, beyond the physical changes, she was also left with some of Jolinar's thoughts, memories and feelings. Sam struggled with housing feelings and experiences that weren't her own, which particularly came to a head in her relationships with the Tok'ra as a whole, and more specifically with Martouf.

Breaching the Cultural Barrier

The character is in a unique position with regards to the Tok'ra - not only was she once a host but her father is now one too. The Tok'ra and the Tau'ri have a long standing mistrust of each other, particularly Jack who has made no secret of his dislike for the Tok'ra…Dad withstanding of course!

Sam therefore, over the course of the series, has found herself stuck in the middle of the somewhat volatile relationship between the SGC and the Tok'ra. She understands and to a certain degree shares Jack's suspicion and frustration caused by the Tok'ra's lack of honesty in their dealings with humans. However, although her loyalty is first and foremost with the SGC and SG1, she still feels a sense of loyalty to her father and (although she cannot always articulate her feelings) - she also feels a connection to the Tok'ra because of Jolinar.

Season Three saw Sam, now Major Carter, as a lot more at ease with her place on SG1. Her relationship with Colonel O'Neill seems more comfortable, and the team as a whole appear more relaxed with each other.

It could be argued that Season Three had two pivotal moments in looking beyond Sam Carter. In the sixth episode we see her confront herself - literally, in the form of an alternate reality Dr Samantha Carter. Here Sam is not only confronted with herself but also with how her life could have been different if she'd taken different paths and made different decisions.

Maybe not strange for Stargate, but certainly an unnerving experience by anyone's standards!

Soul Searching

Many people at some point in their lives will find themselves pondering the 'what if's' and the 'what could have beens' had they'd lived their lives differently, but we never have any proof that our lives would have been any different if we'd accepted that job rather than another, or married our first love rather than our current spouse.

Sam, however, faces head on how her life could have been had she not, for example, joined the air force. This is further complicated by her alternate's marriage to her version of Jack O'Neill, as it would only be natural for her to find herself wondering - if she'd made different decisions would she now be Jack's wife rather than his 2IC?

Season Three therefore seems to have Sam looking at and analysing her life, choices and decisions and I think we see the first steps towards her evolving into the lighter and more confidant Major Carter seen today. Sam's newfound awareness of her relationship with her commanding officer is again brought to the surface near the end of season three in the episode 100 Days.

When Jack is stranded on another planet Sam is forced to confront that Colonel O'Neill is not only her CO but also her friend and arguably someone more important to her than rules allow. She works steadily for 3 months in order to bring him back and during this time we see her not only struggling with the fact that she misses him, but also as time progresses her failure to get him home. We also see her determination and her loyalty to her colleagues - she doesn't leave her people behind and because of this she sometimes gets blind sighted by her focus on a singular task, occasionally at the detriment of her own health as we see in 100 Days.

She is also unwilling to share or talk about her feelings, instead choosing to keep up the tough military façade, assuring Janet rather too swiftly that her feelings of loss for Colonel O'Neill and her failure to bring him back quickly will not pose a problem.

Major Stress

Season Four saw Sam both coming into her own and facing some of her most traumatic experiences to date. During the season's lighter moments we get a glimpse of Sam's sense of humour, as she now appears relaxed enough to joke with other members of her team (The bet scene in The Light and the fishing invitation in Nemesis being to two examples that immediately spring to mind). However, on the other side of that, in the space of one season we see Sam's feelings being reciprocated by her CO, an alien entity taking over her body, her consciousness being transferred into a computer and finally being forced to forget her life as Samantha Carter and live another thanks to a memory stamp.

It would be naive to expect these experiences not to have a lasting effect on both her and those close to her. Whilst these differences do not appear to be apparent in the direct aftermath of each episode, we see the first cracks appearing early on in Season Five in terms of the relationship between Sam and other members of her team. They do not seem to be as close as in the previous two seasons and there seems to be a definite effort to pull back. I think this is understandable given the events of season four; however it does seem to be a retrograde step for the character in terms of her personal relationships.

In early episodes she seems frustrated that she isn't being listened to and other characters seem to humour her rather than really taking notice of her opinion. A prime example of this is the third episode of the season - Ascension. Although at first she is believed without hesitation, when no evidence about her alien 'friend' emerges people are less convinced, instead suggesting she is overtired. Sam seems frustrated by this (as evidenced by her line to Jack) 'Don't tell me to take it easy' and I think her frustration leads into Sam taking more chances beyond the obedient and complying soldier we have seen in the past.

Season five also depicts the character as being rather lonely, and (whether that was) she finds herself admitting that she actually doesn't have anything else to do. This loneliness and isolation caused by the lingering remnants of the events of season four and this episode in itself may have been the catalyst that led to her developing and even enjoying her relationship with Orlin. It seems strange at a first glance that she could develop a friendship with an alien that harassed her and discredited her to her friends. Nevertheless, if you look at in context - she has just lost the man for whom she feels strongly (whether they were her own feelings, Jolinar's or a combination of both is irrelevant) and had found out that, although her commanding officer shares her feelings, they are in an impossible situation and can't act on them. It therefore doesn't actually seem that strange that she was enjoying someone's attention and company.

Changing Faces

The close of season five was again a monumental moment in the life and development of Sam Carter. After losing Daniel we see her openly struggling with her grief rather than hiding behind the military mask and instead turns to her team mates for support - however reluctant Jack is to talk about it (as seen in the seasons final episode Revelations). It seems Daniel's ascension makes Sam finally realise that they are not immortal and she could lose someone else at any moment. I think this has made her character more open to both the other characters and the audience. This is demonstrated in the season six two-part opener when we see her wittily arguing back with McKay, and confidently and somewhat slyly playing with his attraction to her by telling him she found him more attractive when she hated him.

This lighter and more humorous side of her character that we see as a result of McKay's presence is continually brought out during the season by the new character of Jonas. Although wary and suspicious of her new team mate at first, Jonas gradually earns her respect and within a few episodes we see their friendship really beginning to develop. They seem to have a younger brother/older sister sort of relationship which sees Sam fully relaxed and comfortable with joking around and teasing Jonas. This is a side to Sam we have before rarely had a chance to see as it is somewhat surprisingly the first time they have touched upon her relationship with friends as well as colleagues (the nearest we have come to it in the past was the scene in Message in a Bottle in which Daniel teases Sam over Simmons' crush on her).

The scene that immediately comes to mind to illustrate Sam's relationship with Jonas, and one that I think speaks volumes about how the character has developed is the opening scene in the episode Metamorphosis in which she teases Jonas about his chat up lines ('lets hope I get sick') and his attempts to get her to ask Lieutenant Rush out for him.

Also in a change to in the team dynamics we find Sam developing a friendship with Teal'c that hasn't been present in previous seasons. In a pivotal moment for Sam we see her crying in Teal'c arms in Paradise Lost when she is faced with not only losing another team member so soon after Daniel, but also feeling powerless to stop it. Jack being stranded in Paradise Lost has a certain symmetry with season three's 100 Days, however the difference this time being Sam. She is now opening up to others, specifically Teal'c, letting people see her emotions and fallibilities. This shows that she is able to take strength and comfort from others without associating the expression of feelings and asking for help as a failure.

Major Samantha Carter has without a doubt come on in leaps and bounds over the last 6 years, both as a person and an air force officer. It seems she is being groomed for command and it is likely that she will take on more responsibility in the coming season, as she did in season six's Nightwalkers and Smoke and Mirrors.

One thing that has been missing over the years is how Sam handles romantic relationships outside the SG6, and how she would balance that with her devotion to her work. I hope this is a side of her we one day get to see, whether it comes in the form of a relationship with Joe (who became her husband in 2010), Agent Barrett (who seemed to have more than a professional interest in her) or even with her current commanding officer Jack O'Neill.

I personally think Samantha Carter has developed a huge amount since she first walked into the briefing room and onto our screens six years ago. We don't know what the future holds for her in season 7 and beyond, but if she keeps on evolving like she has done I'm sure I'll enjoy the ride.