Samantha Carter

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Stargate SG-1 Character
Samantha Carter

Status	Alive
Gender	Female
Species	Human
Origin	United States /Earth
Portrayed by	Amanda Tapping
First Appearance	"Children of the Gods"
Profession	USAF Officer/Scientist
Relatives	Jacob Carter (father) Mark Carter (brother)
Special Features	Former host of Tok'ra Jolinar

Astrophysicist Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter is played by Amanda Tapping on The SCI FI Channel's hit TV series Stargate SG-1. The character combines scientific expertise with a cool head under fire, and Tapping's statuesque blonde beauty and vulnerable smile have made her a perpetual fan favorite.

1 Character
2 Career
3 Commendations
4 Love Life
5 Major Life Events
6 Memorable Quotes
7 Trivia
8 Fans Speak Out
9 External Links

Character

The character of Sam Carter has a wonderfully rich and deep backstory that was developed and interwoven into many episodes of nine seasons of the TV series Stargate SG-1. Of the four original main characters, Sam Carter was the one who originally dreamed of traveling to the stars before she ever heard of the Stargate. Her life aspirations included becoming an astronaut. Following a path similar to many of the real-world men and women who became astronauts over the past many decades, Sam Carter joined the Air Force in pursuit of her dreams of exploring space.

The character is one of the two original (the other being Teal'c) members of SG-1 who originate in the series and not in the Stargate movie. She is introduced as one of the astrophysicists who helped to make the Stargate work. She was quick to correct Colonel Jack O'Neill's assumption that she was no more than another egghead scientist, informing him that she had flown several missions, logging over 100 hours in enemy space during the Gulf War.

In one of the less popular episodes among fans, "Emancipation," it is established that Carter is not one to stand for anything less than equal treatment for women. In the episode, she fights for her own freedom as well as for the freedom of the oppressed women of the Shavadai. She's independent, a good soldier, a good leader, and a creative and strategic thinker. She often maintains a balance between the opposing opinions of Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill.

Carter is the daughter of Major General Jacob Carter. She also has a brother, Mark Carter, and a niece. Her mother died in an accident when she was a teenager, which has been a source of tension among herself, her brother, and her father.

Career

Carter followed her father's footsteps in the military, graduating at the top of her class at the Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Physics. She also has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. She made a significant effort to join NASA as an astronaut. In the episode "Secrets," her father, Major General Jacob Carter, pulls strings to get her into the program. She declined, to her father's disappointment, because she had already accomplished much more at the SGC.

She successfully completed Air Force jet-jockey training, which gives her character a fun-loving side—and a risk-taking side. She's capable of being a pilot for NASA. Historically, many of the male jet jockeys-cum-astronauts who did work for NASA were jet jockeys and engineers (had some kind of degree in Engineering).

Prior to joining the SGC, Carter worked at the Pentagon for two years, making the Stargate work. She developed the dialing program still used by the SGC in lieu of a DHD. She was very upset when Canadian astrophysicist Dr. Rodney McKay was ranked as the foremost expert on the Stargate despite her groundbreaking inital efforts in getting the program up and running.

She has also made contributions to the development of the first Earth ship, Prometheus.

Carter has been promoted twice during the series. She joined as a Captain and was later promoted to Major in "Fair Game." She currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and shares the command of SG-1 with Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell.

She loves exploring gas clouds, other worlds, other star systems, and other galaxies. She takes delight in science, physics, and the underlying symmetries and ultimate simplicities in mathematics—once it's accurately understood. As wonderfully portrayed by Amanda Tapping, Carter displays unabashed, bright enthusiasm when she is presented with new phenomena or new technology that will expand her understanding of physical science. Carter is also willing to accept new ideas and can then formulate and launch new ideas of her own from that data as she receives and assimilates it. She is open minded and enjoys her chosen field of science.

Following the end of Stargate SG-1 Carter was promoted to Colonel and granted a new assignment as head of the Atlantis expedition, taking over the post of Dr. Elizabeth Weir.

Commendations

Space/Missile Badge, senior level
Airman's medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Commendation medal
National Defense Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service award
Air Force Small Arms
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Air Force Training Ribbon

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

Love Life

Carter is known as something of a "black widow" to fans. She has been notoriously unlucky in love. The majority of her love interests have died or suffered greatly.

She was engaged to and broke up with Captain Jonas Hansen, who was killed in the episode "The First Commandment" after he went crazy.

After being joined against her will with the Tok'ra symbiote Jolinar, who later died saving her life, she became interested in Jolinar's surviving mate, Martouf/Lantash. Sam was forced to kill Martouf in the Season 4 episode "Divide and Conquer" after it was discovered he was a Zatarc. The symbiote Lantash survived but also died later.

In "2010," she was seen married to Joe Faxon, before SG-1 arranged to send a message to the past to prevent SG-1 from encountering the Aschen and entering into an alliance which would eventually lead to the extinction of the human race on Earth. Joe was seen again briefly in the episode "2001," when SGC was introduced to the Aschen by the Volians. Sent to be Earth's ambassador, he was unable to escape the Aschen before they tried to send a weapon to Earth through the Stargate. He is presumed dead.

She had a strong interest in Narim of the Tollan, who is presumed dead after the Goa'uld destroyed Tollana in "Between Two Fires."

She had a brief relationship with the ascended being Orlin in "Ascension." Orlin returned to the Ascended plane but returned in "The Fourth Horseman" as a child to help find a cure for the Ori plague, although he ended up losing all his memories.

She became engaged to police officer Pete Shanahan. She broke off the engagement, possibly because of her feelings for her commanding officer, Jack O'Neill. Some people assume Black Carter, from Ripple Effect, married him given the lack of a Jacob bedside change of heart but this AU marriage is debated.

She used the fact that her alternate self married and divorced an alternate Doctor Rodney McKay to get him to help her get back home in The Road Not Taken

Jack O'Neill has been a constant in Carter's life since joining the Stargate program. There has always been subtle chemistry between them, and in the episode "Divide and Conquer," they acknowledged having feelings for each other. Due to their positions and military restrictions, their relationship has not progressed. Many fans debate their current status.

In an alternate reality, Carter and O'Neill were engaged. Daniel Jackson went through a Quantum Mirror and stumbled upon an alternate reality in which Carter didn't join the military, in the episode "(There But for the Grace of God." In "Point of View," an alternate-reality Samantha Carter had just celebrated her wedding anniversary to Jack O'Neill—not long before he was killed when Apophis attacked Earth; she escaped with Charles Kawalsky through the Quantum mirror to the main reality. In the episode "Moebius," an alternate-future O'Neill was retired, and Carter was a civilian scientist. They acted on their feelings after they went back to ancient Egypt. Because of these alternate-reality relationships, it is assumed by some fans that the main obstacle to their relationship is their careers but other fans consider The Road Not Taken and 2010 as contradicting this assumption. O'Neill can be quite brusque and has on a few occasions pushed aside any discussion of their feelings. Carter is considered to have been much clearer about the way she feels about him given she was devastated when he went missing in "Paradise Lost" and became very short-tempered, crying on Teal'c's shoulder. Other fans just consider her a more emotional person given her similar reactions when confronted with loss; (crying in Fire and Water, devastated at the thought of Cassie dying Singularity, snappy in Crystal Skull, tearful when she heard her father was dying of cancer in The Tokra, Part 1, short-tempered with McKay with regards to losing Teal'c in 48 Hours, crying at Daniel's bedside Meridian (Stargate SG-1 episode), tearful in front of General Hammond and Teal'c in Revelations, crying on camera, hugging Jack and crying in her Lab because of Janet's death Heroes, Part 2, crying at Colonel Emerson death Company of Thieves, and again crying in Teal'c arms at General Landry's death Unending.

Major Life Events

She was briefly a host to a Tok'ra named Jolinar ("In the Line of Duty"). Jolinar saved her life, and Carter retains many of Jolinar's memories. As a result, she also has traces of the heavy metal naquadah in her bloodstream, as well as the protein marker left behind when a Goa'uld symbiote dies inside the host.

Her father was dying of cancer before he was implanted with the Tok'ra symbiote Selmak.

In the episode "Tin Man," on P3X-989 Altair, her consciousness was copied into the body of an android.

Along with the other members of SG-1, she was given a mindstamp and forced to work in an underground complex of an ice planet.

She was taken over by an alien entity that threatened to destroy the SGC.

She was kidnapped at the behest of billionaire Adrian Conrad because she was the only known person who has survived a symbiote death within her.

After Carter was forced to betray the human-form Replicator Fifth, Fifth later returns and creates a Replicator version of Carter, who manipulates her into helping the Replicators defend themselves against an Ancient weapon, which had been created to destroy them.

She lost her father, Jacob, when he refused to let his dying Tok'ra symbiote Selmak be removed in order to save his life.

Carter lived out her life inside a time dilation field on board the Odyssey while trying to find a way to avoid the ship's destruction by the Ori. During the years she spent on board she grew even closer to teammates and fulfilled a life long dream of learning to play the cello. She eventually managed to reverse time, losing the knowledge and experiences she'd had over the years.

Memorable Quotes

"I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle."

In regard to her midwifing talents:

"What? Don't look at me, I don't know what to do."

Jack O'Neill: Captain?

Samantha Carter: Don't worry, Colonel. I won't let you down.

Jack O'Neill: Good. I was going to say, "Ladies first."

Samantha Carter: You know, you really will like me when you get to know me.

Jack O'Neill: Oh, I adore you already, Captain.

"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."

"I'm a lousy cook and I couldn't spin, weave, or dye if my life depended on it."

Sam Carter: The only thing we can assume is that Anubis didn't keep his deal with Daniel.

Jack O'Neill: That's a shock, eh?

"Holy Hannah!"

"Why do I feel like I'm in a women-behind-bars movie?"

"It took us fifteen years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a way to power the gate."

Trivia

• a jet pilot—can pilot jets and/or alien hybrid craft such as the X-302 ("Covenant")

• likes to ride motorcycles—has a "need for speed" (the episode "The Curse" and also according to the SCIFI.COM write-ups for "Space Race")

• is a legend at the Air Force Academy ("Prodigy")

• a crack shot ("The Warrior")

• can use Goa'uld and/or Tok'ra technology ("Seth" and "Fair Game")

• has blown up a sun! ("Exodus")

• saved Earth (several times, but did it exceptionally well in "Foothold")

• flew an asteroid . . . through the Earth ("Fail Safe")

• however . . . she does make a mean souffle ("Forsaken")

• talks to her plants ("One False Step")

• is good with children (for example, Cassie in "Singularity" and Merrin in "Learning Curve")

• is a pool shark ("Upgrades")

• can pick locks ("Nightwalkers")

• can explain complex physics with fruit and doughnuts ("Red Sky" and "A Matter of Time")

Fans Speak Out

"She's drop-dead gorgeous whether she's dressed to the gills or caked in mud and camo paint. She's one of the most intelligent minds on the planet . . . a true national treasure. She flies planes, loves to ride her motorcycle in her spare time, and shoots pool like a pool shark. She's witty, caring, compassionate and extremely loyal; and she can do some major @$$ whoopin', if need be."
(Posted by foreversg1 on the Gateworld Forum.)

Succinctly summarized by another: Samantha Carter—a great character. She’s brilliant yet lovable. She’s beautiful yet modest. She’s brave and selfless. She’s a kick-butt warrior and totally feminine. She’s a hero. (Posted by jckfan55 on the Gateworld Forum.)