Favourite Fictional Characters: Samantha Carter by @missvariety

Earlier this year, I announced that I was planning to do a blogathon on the subject of favourite fictional characters. However, recently I had a change of heart (to quote a certain criminal mastermind: 'I'm so changeable!') and decided it will now be a monthly feature. Hopefully, readers of this blog will enjoy other wonderful, talented fiction-fans talk about their favourite characters - to make a change from me blabbing on about mine (go on, have a guess who they are). First up, a huge thanks to @missvariety for writing this great, personal piece  - worthy of opening this new series of guest posts for your enjoyment. 

There are many TV shows, books, games and films that I love and within their stories contain some of my favourite characters. Many of these are recent adventures, either still being produced in the pages of novels or broadcast on our televisions. However, my choice takes me back to when I was a teenager, a TV series I was introduced to by my Dad and has often shaped my own interests and personality.  

Stargate SG-1 had already been running for seven seasons until I discovered season eight as it aired. Immediately captivated I spent the following summer earning enough money each week to buy a season. The story itself deeply interested me due to its basis in our own history; one of the characters was an archaeologist, a profession I'd wanted to follow for years. The discovery of a Stargate, a ring that produced wormholes which could transport you across space, opened a whole new realm of possibilities. The characters themselves were relatable and fascinating. The world created felt real. It was my first real fandom, and I was hooked. 

Of course, it was also my first introduction to a very real, and a very impressive female character. Samantha Carter walked into the first season as Captain, and left as a Colonel, with a brief stint in command of the off-world base at Atlantis. Sam was my first experience of a strong, independent and intelligent fictional female role model. What makes Sam stand out from the others is her attitude; she’s in the military, she’s a woman in a man’s world. She enters the first episode defending her own gender, she’s not to be argued with nor put down. As each episode is concerned with travelling through the Stargate a new culture is visited each time which often challenge our own perception of the world, as we do theirs. A first season episode entitled 'Emancipation' contained a community where it was believed that women were ''property''. Through this episode Sam challenges this view, ultimately winning a battle of hand to hand combat with the chieftain in a display of strength and agility. 

However, Sam is most well-known because of her intelligence. Sam is a scientist, and a bloody good one at that. She engineered a lot of the technology around making the Stargate work, and is quite expert in her field. If something needs a scientific fix, Sam’s the one that makes it happen, and this often happens. Yet she’s not just an action hero. She’s also very compassionate, loving, but foremost, very loyal. For me, personally, Sam Carter was a realisation that women didn't have to be quiet, we could be badass and awesome. Sam was everything I ever wanted to be. Sam was my first, and my best, role model. 

If you are interested in contributing a future guest post, please send me an email at chalbo@outlook.com, tweet me @Chalbo100 or leave a comment below!