THE AUDIENCE SPEAKS!  Season 4 fandom poll

To the best of my knowledge the votes went to Alt tv Stargate SG1, SkyoneStargate, UK-SG1, SamandJack, JackDaniels, Danielites, MSOOF, TokraTimes, SamandTeal'cFriendship Club, Major Davis Fan Club, the Tea Room, the h/c list and any other list that people cared to pass it onto.
 

Serious ones  Favourite Episode 1st  Double Jeopardy  -  25.69% 2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22% 3rd  Absolute Power -  15.97%  Least Favourite Episode 1st   Divide and Conquer  -  52.23% 2nd  Crossroads  -  9.70% 3rd   The Other Side - 5.22% eq     Entity   5.22%  Favourite Main Character 1st   Daniel  -  51.72% 2nd  Jack  -  33.10% 3rd   Teal'c  -  7.58% eq     Sam  -  7.58%  Least Favourite Main Character 1st  Daniel  -  30.15% eq   Sam  - 30.15% 3rd  Jack  - 20.63% 4th  Teal'c  - 19.04%  Favourite Supporting Character 1st  Janet  -  40.57% 2nd  Hammond  -  26.81% 3rd  Martouf  -  10.86%  Least Favourite Supporting Character 1st  Anise  -  57.30% 2nd  Maybourne  -  7.86% eq    Martouf  -  7.86%  Favourite Incidental Character 1st  Jacob  -  16.80% 2nd Major Davis  -  15.20% 3rd  Martouf  -  10.40%  Least Favourite Incidental Character 1st Anise  -  43.63% 2nd Martin  -  20.00% 3rd Cadet Hailey -  8.18%  Best Writer 1st   Robert Cooper  -  41.23% 2nd Peter DeLuise  -  21.64% 3rd  Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie  -  20.61%  Best Director 1st Peter De Luise  -  72.81% 2nd  Michael Shanks  -  21.35% 3rd  Martin Wood  -  4.85%  Best Producer 1st  Joe Mallozzi  -  49.09% 2nd Brad Wright  -  20.00% 3rd RDA  -  14.54%  Best Acting Newcomer 1st Lane Gates (Shi'fu)  - 28.97% 2nd Anna Louise Plowman (Osiris)  -  26.16% 3rd  Peter Wingfield (Tanith)  -  17.75%  Best Newcomer behind the cameras 1st Michael Shanks  -  86.00% 2nd JM and PM  -  5.00% 3rd Peter DeLuise  -  4.00%  Favourite Plot Development 1st  Return of the Tin Man Clones  -  28.12% 2nd Sam and Jack  -  19.53% 3rd  Osiris  -  15.62%  Least Favourite Plot Development 1st  Sam and Jack   -  62.71% 2nd Martouf dieing  -  6.77% 3rd  Daniels morality  -  5.08%  Favourite Villain 1st  Apophis  -  25.73% 2nd  Osiris  -  24.26% 3rd   Maybourne  -  21.32%  Least Favourite Villain 1st   Apophis  -  27.02% 2nd  The Entity  -  18.01% 3rd   Senator Kinsey  -  12.61%  Favourite Scene 1st  The Balcony  in The Light  -  44.33% 2nd  Golfing in WoO  -  7.54% 3rd  Bar in Upgrades  -  6.60%  Least Favourite Scene 1st  Jack and Sam feelings in DaC  -  79.54% 2nd  Martouf dieing  -  3.40% eq    Teal'c's torture  -  3.40%  Favourite Website 1st  Stargatefan  -  34.86% 2nd  Gammaquad  -  14.67% 3rd   Starguide  -  9.17% eq     SG-1  -  9.17%  Favourite Forum/Message Board 1st   Alt tv Stargate SG1 - newsgroup  -  36.08% 2nd  H/C list  -  35.05% 3rd Samandjack  -  10.30%

Humorous ones  Best Body Shot 1st   Rear view of Daniel in Absolute Power  -  48.35% 2nd  Underground shots in Beneath the Surface  -  19.78% 3rd Anything with Jack in it!  -  5.49%  Best Weapon Moment 1st   Teal'c shooting the symbiote in The First Ones  -  46.80% 2nd   Teal'c zatting Jack in Prodigy  -  7.44% eq    Ending of 2010  -  7.44% eq    Shooting of Clone Daniel in DJ  -  7.44%  Best Dressed Character 1st   Daniel  -  52.80% 2nd Sam   -  12.80% 3rd  Jack   -  11.20%  Sexiest Character 1st  Daniel  -  47.32% 2nd  Jack  -  39.69% 3rd  Sam  -  3.81%  Character you would like to hug the most 1st  Daniel  -  44.09% 2nd Jack  -  31.49% 3rd  Hammond  -  7.08%  Character you would like to hug the least 1st  Maybourne  -  17.85% 2nd  Anise  -  16.07% 3rd  The Unas  -  10.71%  Character who has been the nicest to others 1st   Daniel  -  28.22% 2nd  Hammond  -  22.58% 3rd   Janet  -  20.16%  Character who has been the meanest to others 1st  Jack  -  48.78% 2nd Apophis  -  15.44% 3rd  Daniel  -  11.38%  Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with 1st  Jack  -  52.45% 2nd  Daniel  -  20.49% 3rd   Sam  -  9.83%  Character you would hate to sit down and have a beer with 1st  Kinsey  -  15.04% 2nd Anise  -  13.27% eq   Apophis -  13.27%  Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!"  1st The whole decapitation scene in Double Jeopardy  -  43.75% 2nd  Kissing scene in WoO  -  7.14% eq    Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14%

Analysis:

All interests of the fandom were represented, including the gen/canon lists and fans, hurt/comfort list, Jack and Daniel slash lists, the shipper list samandjack and minority character lists.  One member of TPTB is particularly active in the online fandom and has been under the misapprehension that the shippers are the majority of the fandom, the rest of us a mere vocal minority.  This poll rather upsets that view.

Sam and Jack

In a trend that began in season 3's 'Shades of Grey', Stargate SG-1 was re-engineered to remove the central focus from the friendship of Jack and Daniel.  Situations were deliberately written to create mistrust and distance between the two original characters, the fans favourites.  Sam was showcased, often taking what would have been Daniel's role.  The new relationship supposed to be at the core of the team dynamic in Stargate SG-1 was Jack and Sam.  Naturally, because Sam is a woman, and Jack's subordinate, and the first time he'd shown any interest in her as a person was in Season 3's 'Nemesis', the emotional depth had to come from an invented romance which struck at the heart of the family bonds so many viewers enjoy.

How did the Jack and Sam relatsionship fare with the fandom?

Least Favourite Episode
1st   Divide and Conquer  -  52.23%

Favourite Plot Development
2nd Sam and Jack  -  19.53%

Least Favourite Plot Development
1st  Sam and Jack   -  62.71%

Least Favourite Scene
1st  Jack and Sam feelings in DaC  -  79.54%

Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!"
2nd  Kissing scene in WoO  -  7.14%

I'd say the evidence for the unpopularity of the Sam and Jack romantic relationship was overwhelming, clearly representing the minority interests of the shipper section of the fandom.

Jack

Jack was in engineered, deliberate conflict with Daniel.  He was showcased with Sam, his new best friend, true love, heart, soul and brains of the team.  He stopped caring about his team.  He was intensely stupid and insensitive.  How did Jack, the leader of the team and the star of this show fare?

Favourite Episode
1st  Double Jeopardy  -  25.69%
2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22%
3rd  Absolute Power -  15.97%

Favourite Main Character
2nd  Jack  -  33.10%

Least Favourite Main Character
3rd  Jack  - 20.63%

Best Producer
3rd RDA  -  14.54%

Best Weapon Moment
eq 2nd   Ending of 2010  -  7.44%

Best Body Shot
3rd Anything with Jack in it!  -  5.49%

Sexiest Character
2nd  Jack  -  39.69%

Best Dressed Character
3rd  Jack   -  11.20%

Character who has been the meanest to others
1st  Jack  -  48.78%

Character you would like to hug the most
2nd Jack  -  31.49%

Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with
1st  Jack  -  52.45%

Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!"
1st The whole decapitation scene in Double Jeopardy  -  43.75%
2nd  Kissing scene in WoO  -  7.14%
eq    Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14%

His fortunes were mixed.  Because the lists polled represent the entire fandom, it would be easy to say the shippers voted for Jack and those who had appreciated the care he showed for his teammates and for his shrewdness, kindness and integrity were disappointed in him in season 4.  It is too easy.  Many hurt-comfort fans were disappointed in Jack as were many Jack and Daniel slash fans.  It's also possible that shipper fans weren't too impressed with the colonel's performance as team leader either.

Daniel

Daniel was increasingly sidelined in season 4.  In episode after episode he is separated from the team, or written out entirely.  He is in what fans referred to as an 'exclusion zone' from Jack for most of the season.  He is seen in conflict with all his team members, over and over, as the voice of the moral minority.  An annoyance, an irritant, a constant thorn in their side.  Saint Daniel.  The sole voice of dissent.  His role is in many ways usurped by Sam and though Daniel is showcased in some brilliant episodes, he is alone, and in team episodes has little to do.  How did fans react to this new version of Daniel, whose role and friendship with Jack had been taken from him?

Favourite Episode
3rd  Absolute Power -  15.97%

Least Favourite Episode
1st   Divide and Conquer  -  52.23%
3rd   The Other Side - 5.22%
eq     Entity   5.22%

Favourite Main Character
1st   Daniel  -  51.72%

Least Favourite Main Character
1st  Daniel  -  30.15%

Favourite Scene
1st  The Balcony  in The Light  -  44.33%
eq 2nd Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14%

Best Director
2nd  Michael Shanks  -  21.35%

Best Newcomer behind the cameras
1st Michael Shanks  -  86.00%

Best Body Shot
1st   Rear view of Daniel in Absolute Power  -  48.35%

Best Weapon Moment
eq 3rd   Shooting of Clone Daniel in DJ  -  7.44%

Best Dressed Character
1st   Daniel  -  52.80%

Sexiest Character
1st  Daniel  -  47.32%

Character who has been the nicest to others
1st   Daniel  -  28.22%

Character you would like to hug the most
1st  Daniel  -  44.09%

Character who has been the meanest to others
3rd  Daniel  -  11.38%

Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with
2nd  Daniel  -  20.49%

Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!"
1st The whole decapitation scene in Double Jeopardy  -  43.75%
eq 2nd Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14%

Not all of the shippers loathe Daniel.  Not all of the slash fans loathe Sam.  If both of those statements were true, and if the shippers were the majority in this fandom, then Sam would be the favourite and least favourite character.  It is clear that a signficant proportion of fans do dislike Daniel.  Perhaps it is how the precedence of the characters is judged.  I personally think of Jack and Daniel as the two leads because they are the original characters from the movie.  Nothing more than that.  Very simple.  I also recognise that Sam and Teal'c are principle characters too.  The friendship of Jack and Daniel is at the core of the show: witness that the balcony friendship scene in 'The Light' is the favourite scene of the season with five times the votes of its nearest rival.

The Sam and Jack 'feelings' scene from 'Divide and Conquer' is the least favourite scene, with nearly ten times the votes of its nearest rival.  There are those who view Sam as female lead, not as a principle cast member.  To them her natural place is at Jack's side.  This doesn't fit the dynamic of SG-1.  Daniel is the only civilian, the only member of the team who has a personal relationship with the others.  He shares that team bond of comrades in arms, but he is not Jack's subordinate like Sam, bound by Air Force regulations never to be Jack's equal, unable to speak out against him or defy him for the greater good.  This inequality cannot be resolved, and the inclusion of a romantic elements further excludes the other team members.  Daniel is the only one who can fulfil thsi vital role and create the balance in the team.  He is the touchstone, the one the others can communicate as individuals with, yet keep their professionalism and maintain their role in the hierarchy of the team.

The true dynamic of the show is the 'buddy' relationship between Jack and Daniel.  It was this very relationship that drew fans of the movie into the show, and after the early episodes of season 1 until 'Shades of Grey', Stargate SG-1 didn't disappoint.  It rode high in the ratings because this kind of dynamic appeals to the broadest base of fans.  When TPTB began to re-engineer this dynamic, to remove Daniel from his pivotal role and assign it to Sam, the series faltered and lost viewers.  Few can forget the emotional impact of the 'this whole friendship thing' scene where Jack denies Daniel's friendship and the glib ending does nothing to fix the shock of such a cutting, irrecoverable emotional moment.

Despite the way Daniel is so deliberately isolated from the team and marginalised in much of the action, he merges triumphant as the fans' favourite, in many cases by a very large margin.  This is exactly why the cast and crew christened Michael Shanks 'The Young Lord Of The Internet'.  He has that star quality - a compulsion to watch him no matter what he does.  Daniel is the heart and soul of Stargate, and his friendship with Jack is the core and magic of the show.

It is clear that episodes where Daniel is marginalised are among the most unpopular with fans.  'Double Jeopardy' was popular for two reasons.  Fans were desperate to show support for Michael Shanks and his debut as director was wonderful (note that Joe Mallozzi, Paul Mullie and Peter De Luise only scraped up 9% of fan votes between them for best new talent behind the camera, compared to Michael's 86%.  Michael also beat out Martin Woods in the directors vote.  This man can do no wrong.  Shame you guys carelessly discarded him, hmm?

Sam

Sam plummeted in the fans estimation during season 4.  Sam assumed Daniel's role for much of the action in season 4 which upset the balance and dynamic of the team and was simply beyond her capacity to deliver.  One of the key things in the Jack and Daniel friendship is the mutual trust and respect the two men have.  Sam is Jack's subordinate.  In 'The Other Side' (third least favourite episode of the season) we see a determined effort to make Sam look caring and compassionate, while Daniel is isolated from his team and humiliated by Jack in front of the villains of the piece by Jack.

Check out PhoenixE's excellent analysis of this episode in her essay on conflict in season 4.  After this passage of arms between the two main characters, the denouement should have been between Daniel and Jack.  Instead we have a situation where a minor 'racist' observation from the chief villain is supposed to have more impact on Jack than everything his trusted friend and adviser has said and been proven right in.

What happened to the Jack of even 'A Hundred Days' who said Daniel is always right?  He was right here too but Jack wasn't allowed to see that.

Sam's angsting at the beginning was a deliberate set-up to involve her at the end.  It was an engineered situation to the make the two seem closer and more emotionally intimate than they have ever been.  Daniel can argue with Jack.  It is his job to question assumptions, to acomunicate, to think in ways the military can't.  Sam certainly can't.  She is a rigind scientific thinker, dependent on logic.  In key episodes, she caves to Jack because as his subordinate, she cannot argue with him.  They are not and can never be the equals that Jack and Daniel are.  The dynamic was wrong because Jack was playing to Sam, turning to her for advice, guidance and friendship which had always before come from Daniel.

Sam and Jack have never had a personal relationship.  This has been proven in canon over and over again.  We have the season 4 directors commentaries to thank for filling us in on all the scenes that struck us as wrong.  This began with the sterile and cold return of Jack, Sam and Teal'c in 'Small Victories'.  The sense of team, of family is lost.  It was only the beginning but it set the tone for season 4.  Director Martin Woods admitted this was a mistake.  Daniel was on the outside looking in and while the small minority of shippers were happy, the majority of fans hated it.

The very thing RDA recognised as a key to Stargate's success was attacked by TPTB.  The characters and their constant interactions.  Extraordinary.

Woods describes in detail how they filmed certain shots to give Sam and Jack an intimacy they had never established and a rapport they didn't have.  One of the resultant accusations was of Sam as Jack's girl.  Witness her simpering in the lab scene in 'Small Victories' and it is easy to see where this judgement came from.  Sam had no time for her dear and close friend Daniel, after the pains TPTB had gone to in the first three seasons to establish their closeness.  It was a shock after all those intimate conversations and close working rapport to have them fighting and coldly distant from one another.  When many typified their relationship as a sibling, this too struck at the team dynamic.

We had another incarnation of Sam.  It wasn't enough she was the Danielike best friend, Jack's girl and estranged from her teammates.  We also got SuperSam Saving The Universe.  There wasn't a grace or skill Sam wasn't given, to the point we were informed she was the greatest Air Force cadet who ever lived in 'Prodigy', or words to that effect.

What did this steady diet of Sam as we had never seen her, as she had never been, as she was never meant to be, do for the character when she failed to deliver what she was capable of let alone Daniel?

Favourite Episode
2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22%

Least Favourite Episode
1st   Divide and Conquer  -  52.23%
3rd   The Other Side - 5.22%
eq     Entity   5.22%

Favourite Main Character
eq. 3rd     Sam  -  7.58%

Least Favourite Main Character
eq 1st  Sam  - 30.15%

Sexiest Character
3rd  Sam  -  3.81%

Best Dressed Character
2nd Sam   -  12.80%

Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with
3rd   Sam  -  9.83%

Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!"
eq 2nd  Kissing scene in WoO  -  7.14%

The shippers show their loyalty in voting for the Sam and Jack romance angle which was pointless in that it could go nowhere and even to the casual viewer looked forced and unnatural.  Sam's popularity as a character plummeted in every sense.  She was joint last in the favourite characters with Teal'c, but gien her prominence in so many episodes and the team dynamic, the mistake this was is clear for all to see.  Sam also comes out as the joint least favourite character with Daniel.  Effectively, Sam became Jack's girl.  This was the only element of her character valued by the shippers.  In all other respects, Sam's prominence and usurped role alienated the rest of the audience.

This is a truly sad state of affairs for a woman once admired as one of the strongest and most positive role models on TV.

Teal'c

Teal'c featured strongly in so few episodes in season 4 Christopher Judge actually left.  Teal'c was dead at the end of 'Exodus'.  he was persuaded to return, no doubt by the exciting possibilities of 'Threshold' though Teal'c has had even less to do in season 5.  Teal'c's potential was wasted in 'The Enemy Within', episode 2, season 1, and it has never been recovered.  He was not even allowed to be unique, for his skills and symbiote-induced powers were largely usurped by Sam in season 2's 'In The Line Of Duty', 'Need' and so on.

Teal'c's role as windo dressing for much of season 4 is reflected in his position in the polls.  He had very little impact on the fans.  Truly a waste of a character of great dramatic potential as we have seen so eloquently on those rare occasions he is written for.  Fo rmuch of season 4 he was the comedy Jaffa, Jack's straight man.  This was not popular with the fans.

Favourite Episode
2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22%

Least Favourite Episode
2nd  Crossroads  -  9.70%

Favourite Main Character
eq 3rd   Teal'c  -  7.58%

Least Favourite Main Character
4th  Teal'c  - 19.04%

Favourite Scene
2nd  Golfing in WoO  -  7.54%

Best Weapon Moment
1st   Teal'c shooting the symbiote in The First Ones  -  46.80%
2nd   Teal'c zatting Jack in Prodigy  -  7.44%

The audience had it's own analysis:
 

Serious ones  Favourite Episode "Love that they can be humorous and serious in the same ep)" "Double Jeopardy  (excellent direction, writing, and team moments <even if the *real* Daniel wasn't technically in the ep'>)" Least Favourite Episode "Deride & Bonk Her (D&C)" "is Dive and Crumble 8)" "Entity - disliked the imposter comic that was Jack at the start, felt manipulated by the whole Jack angsting at Sam's bedside thing, and wasn't impressed by the plot holes. It's only saving grace was the wonderful acting from Teryl." "Prodigy. It sucked. Big time. Which is a shame, because there were some great ideas." "The Other Side (everybody was so annoying and mean to each other)" "Divide and Conquer (They killed Martouf - The Bastards! Need I say more) "Divide and Conquer. Season 4's equivalent of Emancipation in the embarrassed-to-be-a-fan-when-they-make-sexist-crap-like-this stakes." Favourite Main Character "Daniel, who has survived everything this season has had to throw at him and emerged victorious at the end, a much changed and grown individual, with a resurrected Jack firmly back at his side where he belongs." "Daniel with Jack a very close second. It used to be even-steven until he lost his brain......" "Jack love his sense of humor and his devotion to his job although he'd love to jump Sam's bones.  :)     (Sam is a real close second.. she is a great strong female with a sense of duty)" "Um, Jack.  No. Daniel.  No, Jack. Hell!  Jack and Daniel.  I love both of  them." Least Favourite Main Character "The pantomime horse called sam'n'jack. Like both of them as individuals. It's only when you put them together they kind of suck." "Don't have one. I wouldn't be watching the show if I didn't like all the characters in it." "Jack when he's being an idiot and stupid" "Danny (was never so low until this season there was so much fuss about Danny being left out with Sam and Jack relationship growing)" "Sadly, dear Sam was utterly lost to us for most of this season, which gave us someone walking around wearing Sam's face" Favourite Supporting Character "Janet Frasier, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.  :)" "Gonna have to be Janet Fraiser. She kicks butt." Least Favourite Supporting Character "Tok'ra Babe in Rubber" "Tok'ra Tramp" Favourite Incidental Character "Robert Rothman - he had so much potential, can't believe they killed him off" "Major Davis though he's leaning towards becoming a supporting character" "Shifu, almost a Stargate first, a child one doesn't want to smother." Least Favourite Incidental Character "Marty in "Point of No Return". If that's what they think sci-fi fans are like then suddenly a lot of Season 4's scripts make sense!" "Marty in Pointless & Please Don't Return" "that dweeby guy from PoNR" "Guess who? Tok'ra Barbie... One more ep, and she'd be wearing nothing..." "Sho'nac <sp?> never was so glad to see a character bite the dust so quickly" "Hmm. The Cadet from Prodigy. She just got on my nerves TOO much. Thwack!" "THAT BLOODY CADET" "Anise. Anise. Anise. Anise. Anise. If she's not incidental make her so I can vote for her twice." Best Writer "Joseph Mallozzi for Exodus and WOO. What a legend :)" Best Director "Peter DeLuise. Makes Teal'c look beau-ti-ful!" "No contest here, it has to be PDL ! another absolute Legend ;)" "Peter De Luise. He understands the chemistry within the characters. Oh, and I like his cameos *g*." Best Producer "Joseph Mallozzi.  What can I say?  This guy really cares about the fans.  Nice guys DO finish first." "Well, Joe Mallozzi as done a lot of PR stuff so I'll vote for him here for being a nice guy. And liking dogs.  " "RDA. Have no idea if he's a good producer or not, but he's very good looking, his legs go on forever, and I'm shallow, so he gets my vote." Best Acting Newcomer "Shifu. Love that deny the battle speech." "Peter Wingfield.  Tanith is so deliciously evil.  Excellent acting!" Best Newcomer behind the cameras "MS, but please Mr. S, the next time you do that, please stay more in front of the camera, ok?" "New to SG-1 is Michael Cassut. I hope they ask him back to write another script. Tangent was awesome!" "That would be Frank the new Grip. That guy is great." Favourite Plot Development "Jack's return to intelligence." "Sorry everybody, just call me the Lone Shipper!  High ho SG1, away!!!(Yes, I KNOW it is against regs).  They don't have to act on their feelings, just show they have them." "The TPTB showing more UST.." "This was my least favorite season and I can't say that any of the plot developments appealed to me." "Osiris being released, we need new system lords seeing as they manage to kill several every season." "opening up of the UST of Sam and Jack  (I know this is unpopular but I loved how they returned there in Entity_  TPTB have been wonderful in keeping in the bounds of the restrictions that Sam and Jack both feel." "Uhm, I think I'm in a minority here, but I sorta like Jack and Daniel at odds " "I like the idea that we now have a mothership. " "Bringing back the robot SG1. I wanted to keep them" "Sam and Jack admitting they have feelings for each other." "return of the clones! woo-hoo" Least Favourite Plot Development "Daniel and the Harcesis child (totally lame!)" "I mean, come on, writers! Jack might have had a lobotomy before Season 4, but that doesn't mean the rest of us did!" "the death of too many nice guys (Rothman, Martouf)" "Trying to ram a Sam/Jack romance down our throats. Never saw the chemistry between these two; never will. " "I dunno; it just seems to me that you can't get to wear birds on your uniform and be successful at Black Ops without having more intelligence than Jack has displayed lately.  What happened to my Colonel?" "Flashbacks in D and C when they ruined that scene in Upgrades" "Knocking of goa'uld like nine pins and particularly Chronos" "The non emoting and absolutely boring Daniel" "The whole conspiracy thing (ie Makepeace working behind everyone's back, Maybourne conspiring w/ the Russians)" "The dumbing down of Jack. Most of season four Jack wouldn't pass the USAF entrance exam let alone become a Colonel." "LOL - thats way too easy:) S & J a 1000 times over." Favourite Villain "Tanith, because he is so self-controlled and calculating, the most dangerous kind of villain." Least Favourite Villain "Apophis (can't he die already?) " "The wardrobe person who designed Anise's clothes. (Well that's villainy from where I'm sitting...)" "Tanith - I usually like Peter Wingfield but he was crap. And what was goingon with his hair in Exodus?" Favourite Scene 1st  The Balcony  in The Light  -  44.33% eq 2nd Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14% Best Director 2nd  Michael Shanks  -  21.35% Best Newcomer behind the cameras 1st Michael Shanks  -  86.00% Best Body Shot 1st   Rear view of Daniel in Absolute Power  -  48.35% Best Weapon Moment eq 3rd   Shooting of Clone Daniel in DJ  -  7.44% Best Dressed Character 1st   Daniel  -  52.80% Sexiest Character 1st  Daniel  -  47.32% Character who has been the nicest to others 1st   Daniel  -  28.22% Character you would like to hug the most 1st  Daniel  -  44.09% Character who has been the meanest to others 3rd  Daniel  -  11.38% Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with 2nd  Daniel  -  20.49% Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!" 1st The whole decapitation scene in Double Jeopardy  -  43.75% eq 2nd Jack pushing up Daniels glasses in Serpents Venom  -  7.14% Not all of the shippers loathe Daniel.  Not all of the slash fans loathe Sam.  If both of those statements were true, and if the shippers were the majority in this fandom, then Sam would be the favourite and least favourite character.  It is clear that a signficant proportion of fans do dislike Daniel.  Perhaps it is how the precedence of the characters is judged.  I personally think of Jack and Daniel as the two leads because they are the original characters from the movie.  Nothing more than that.  Very simple.  I also recognise that Sam and Teal'c are principle characters too.  The friendship of Jack and Daniel is at the core of the show: witness that the balcony friendship scene in 'The Light' is the favourite scene of the season with five times the votes of its nearest rival. The Sam and Jack 'feelings' scene from 'Divide and Conquer' is the least favourite scene, with nearly ten times the votes of its nearest rival.  There are those who view Sam as female lead, not as a principle cast member.  To them her natural place is at Jack's side.  This doesn't fit the dynamic of SG-1.  Daniel is the only civilian, the only member of the team who has a personal relationship with the others.  He shares that team bond of comrades in arms, but he is not Jack's subordinate like Sam, bound by Air Force regulations never to be Jack's equal, unable to speak out against him or defy him for the greater good.  This inequality cannot be resolved, and the inclusion of a romantic elements further excludes the other team members.  Daniel is the only one who can fulfil thsi vital role and create the balance in the team.  He is the touchstone, the one the others can communicate as individuals with, yet keep their professionalism and maintain their role in the hierarchy of the team. The true dynamic of the show is the 'buddy' relationship between Jack and Daniel.  It was this very relationship that drew fans of the movie into the show, and after the early episodes of season 1 until 'Shades of Grey', Stargate SG-1 didn't disappoint.  It rode high in the ratings because this kind of dynamic appeals to the broadest base of fans.  When TPTB began to re-engineer this dynamic, to remove Daniel from his pivotal role and assign it to Sam, the series faltered and lost viewers.  Few can forget the emotional impact of the 'this whole friendship thing' scene where Jack denies Daniel's friendship and the glib ending does nothing to fix the shock of such a cutting, irrecoverable emotional moment. Despite the way Daniel is so deliberately isolated from the team and marginalised in much of the action, he merges triumphant as the fans' favourite, in many cases by a very large margin.  This is exactly why the cast and crew christened Michael Shanks 'The Young Lord Of The Internet'.  He has that star quality - a compulsion to watch him no matter what he does.  Daniel is the heart and soul of Stargate, and his friendship with Jack is the core and magic of the show. It is clear that episodes where Daniel is marginalised are among the most unpopular with fans.  'Double Jeopardy' was popular for two reasons.  Fans were desperate to show support for Michael Shanks and his debut as director was wonderful (note that Joe Mallozzi, Paul Mullie and Peter De Luise only scraped up 9% of fan votes between them for best new talent behind the camera, compared to Michael's 86%.  Michael also beat out Martin Woods in the directors vote.  This man can do no wrong.  Shame you guys carelessly discarded him, hmm? Sam Sam plummeted in the fans estimation during season 4.  Sam assumed Daniel's role for much of the action in season 4 which upset the balance and dynamic of the team and was simply beyond her capacity to deliver.  One of the key things in the Jack and Daniel friendship is the mutual trust and respect the two men have.  Sam is Jack's subordinate.  In 'The Other Side' (third least favourite episode of the season) we see a determined effort to make Sam look caring and compassionate, while Daniel is isolated from his team and humiliated by Jack in front of the villains of the piece by Jack. Check out PhoenixE's excellent analysis of this episode in her essay on conflict in season 4.  After this passage of arms between the two main characters, the denouement should have been between Daniel and Jack.  Instead we have a situation where a minor 'racist' observation from the chief villain is supposed to have more impact on Jack than everything his trusted friend and adviser has said and been proven right in. What happened to the Jack of even 'A Hundred Days' who said Daniel is always right?  He was right here too but Jack wasn't allowed to see that. Sam's angsting at the beginning was a deliberate set-up to involve her at the end.  It was an engineered situation to the make the two seem closer and more emotionally intimate than they have ever been.  Daniel can argue with Jack.  It is his job to question assumptions, to acomunicate, to think in ways the military can't.  Sam certainly can't.  She is a rigind scientific thinker, dependent on logic.  In key episodes, she caves to Jack because as his subordinate, she cannot argue with him.  They are not and can never be the equals that Jack and Daniel are.  The dynamic was wrong because Jack was playing to Sam, turning to her for advice, guidance and friendship which had always before come from Daniel. Sam and Jack have never had a personal relationship.  This has been proven in canon over and over again.  We have the season 4 directors commentaries to thank for filling us in on all the scenes that struck us as wrong.  This began with the sterile and cold return of Jack, Sam and Teal'c in 'Small Victories'.  The sense of team, of family is lost.  It was only the beginning but it set the tone for season 4.  Director Martin Woods admitted this was a mistake.  Daniel was on the outside looking in and while the small minority of shippers were happy, the majority of fans hated it. The very thing RDA recognised as a key to Stargate's success was attacked by TPTB.  The characters and their constant interactions.  Extraordinary. Woods describes in detail how they filmed certain shots to give Sam and Jack an intimacy they had never established and a rapport they didn't have.  One of the resultant accusations was of Sam as Jack's girl.  Witness her simpering in the lab scene in 'Small Victories' and it is easy to see where this judgement came from.  Sam had no time for her dear and close friend Daniel, after the pains TPTB had gone to in the first three seasons to establish their closeness.  It was a shock after all those intimate conversations and close working rapport to have them fighting and coldly distant from one another.  When many typified their relationship as a sibling, this too struck at the team dynamic. We had another incarnation of Sam.  It wasn't enough she was the Danielike best friend, Jack's girl and estranged from her teammates.  We also got SuperSam Saving The Universe.  There wasn't a grace or skill Sam wasn't given, to the point we were informed she was the greatest Air Force cadet who ever lived in 'Prodigy', or words to that effect. What did this steady diet of Sam as we had never seen her, as she had never been, as she was never meant to be, do for the character when she failed to deliver what she was capable of let alone Daniel? Favourite Episode 2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22% Least Favourite Episode 1st   Divide and Conquer  -  52.23% 3rd   The Other Side - 5.22% eq     Entity   5.22% Favourite Main Character eq. 3rd     Sam  -  7.58% Least Favourite Main Character eq 1st  Sam  - 30.15% Sexiest Character 3rd  Sam  -  3.81% Best Dressed Character 2nd Sam   -  12.80% Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with 3rd   Sam  -  9.83% Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!" eq 2nd  Kissing scene in WoO  -  7.14% The shippers show their loyalty in voting for the Sam and Jack romance angle which was pointless in that it could go nowhere and even to the casual viewer looked forced and unnatural.  Sam's popularity as a character plummeted in every sense.  She was joint last in the favourite characters with Teal'c, but gien her prominence in so many episodes and the team dynamic, the mistake this was is clear for all to see.  Sam also comes out as the joint least favourite character with Daniel.  Effectively, Sam became Jack's girl.  This was the only element of her character valued by the shippers.  In all other respects, Sam's prominence and usurped role alienated the rest of the audience. This is a truly sad state of affairs for a woman once admired as one of the strongest and most positive role models on TV. Teal'c Teal'c featured strongly in so few episodes in season 4 Christopher Judge actually left.  Teal'c was dead at the end of 'Exodus'.  he was persuaded to return, no doubt by the exciting possibilities of 'Threshold' though Teal'c has had even less to do in season 5.  Teal'c's potential was wasted in 'The Enemy Within', episode 2, season 1, and it has never been recovered.  He was not even allowed to be unique, for his skills and symbiote-induced powers were largely usurped by Sam in season 2's 'In The Line Of Duty', 'Need' and so on. Teal'c's role as windo dressing for much of season 4 is reflected in his position in the polls.  He had very little impact on the fans.  Truly a waste of a character of great dramatic potential as we have seen so eloquently on those rare occasions he is written for.  Fo rmuch of season 4 he was the comedy Jaffa, Jack's straight man.  This was not popular with the fans. Favourite Episode 2nd Window of Opportunity - 22.22% Least Favourite Episode 2nd  Crossroads  -  9.70% Favourite Main Character eq 3rd   Teal'c  -  7.58% Least Favourite Main Character 4th  Teal'c  - 19.04% Favourite Scene 2nd  Golfing in WoO  -  7.54% Best Weapon Moment 1st   Teal'c shooting the symbiote in The First Ones  -  46.80% 2nd   Teal'c zatting Jack in Prodigy  -  7.44% The audience had it's own analysis:   Serious ones  Favourite Episode "Love that they can be humorous and serious in the same ep)" "Double Jeopardy  (excellent direction, writing, and team moments <even if the *real* Daniel wasn't technically in the ep'>)" Least Favourite Episode "Deride & Bonk Her (D&C)" "is Dive and Crumble 8)" "Entity - disliked the imposter comic that was Jack at the start, felt manipulated by the whole Jack angsting at Sam's bedside thing, and wasn't impressed by the plot holes. It's only saving grace was the wonderful acting from Teryl." "Prodigy. It sucked. Big time. Which is a shame, because there were some great ideas." "The Other Side (everybody was so annoying and mean to each other)" "Divide and Conquer (They killed Martouf - The Bastards! Need I say more) "Divide and Conquer. Season 4's equivalent of Emancipation in the embarrassed-to-be-a-fan-when-they-make-sexist-crap-like-this stakes." Favourite Main Character "Daniel, who has survived everything this season has had to throw at him and emerged victorious at the end, a much changed and grown individual, with a resurrected Jack firmly back at his side where he belongs." "Daniel with Jack a very close second. It used to be even-steven until he lost his brain......" "Jack love his sense of humor and his devotion to his job although he'd love to jump Sam's bones.  :)     (Sam is a real close second.. she is a great strong female with a sense of duty)" "Um, Jack.  No. Daniel.  No, Jack. Hell!  Jack and Daniel.  I love both of  them." Least Favourite Main Character "The pantomime horse called sam'n'jack. Like both of them as individuals. It's only when you put them together they kind of suck." "Don't have one. I wouldn't be watching the show if I didn't like all the characters in it." "Jack when he's being an idiot and stupid" "Danny (was never so low until this season there was so much fuss about Danny being left out with Sam and Jack relationship growing)" "Sadly, dear Sam was utterly lost to us for most of this season, which gave us someone walking around wearing Sam's face" Favourite Supporting Character "Janet Frasier, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.  :)" "Gonna have to be Janet Fraiser. She kicks butt." Least Favourite Supporting Character "Tok'ra Babe in Rubber" "Tok'ra Tramp" Favourite Incidental Character "Robert Rothman - he had so much potential, can't believe they killed him off" "Major Davis though he's leaning towards becoming a supporting character" "Shifu, almost a Stargate first, a child one doesn't want to smother." Least Favourite Incidental Character "Marty in "Point of No Return". If that's what they think sci-fi fans are like then suddenly a lot of Season 4's scripts make sense!" "Marty in Pointless & Please Don't Return" "that dweeby guy from PoNR" "Guess who? Tok'ra Barbie... One more ep, and she'd be wearing nothing..." "Sho'nac <sp?> never was so glad to see a character bite the dust so quickly" "Hmm. The Cadet from Prodigy. She just got on my nerves TOO much. Thwack!" "THAT BLOODY CADET" "Anise. Anise. Anise. Anise. Anise. If she's not incidental make her so I can vote for her twice." Best Writer "Joseph Mallozzi for Exodus and WOO. What a legend :)" Best Director "Peter DeLuise. Makes Teal'c look beau-ti-ful!" "No contest here, it has to be PDL ! another absolute Legend ;)" "Peter De Luise. He understands the chemistry within the characters. Oh, and I like his cameos *g*." Best Producer "Joseph Mallozzi.  What can I say?  This guy really cares about the fans.  Nice guys DO finish first." "Well, Joe Mallozzi as done a lot of PR stuff so I'll vote for him here for being a nice guy. And liking dogs.  " "RDA. Have no idea if he's a good producer or not, but he's very good looking, his legs go on forever, and I'm shallow, so he gets my vote." Best Acting Newcomer "Shifu. Love that deny the battle speech." "Peter Wingfield.  Tanith is so deliciously evil.  Excellent acting!" Best Newcomer behind the cameras "MS, but please Mr. S, the next time you do that, please stay more in front of the camera, ok?" "New to SG-1 is Michael Cassut. I hope they ask him back to write another script. Tangent was awesome!" "That would be Frank the new Grip. That guy is great." Favourite Plot Development "Jack's return to intelligence." "Sorry everybody, just call me the Lone Shipper!  High ho SG1, away!!!(Yes, I KNOW it is against regs).  They don't have to act on their feelings, just show they have them." "The TPTB showing more UST.." "This was my least favorite season and I can't say that any of the plot developments appealed to me." "Osiris being released, we need new system lords seeing as they manage to kill several every season." "opening up of the UST of Sam and Jack  (I know this is unpopular but I loved how they returned there in Entity_  TPTB have been wonderful in keeping in the bounds of the restrictions that Sam and Jack both feel." "Uhm, I think I'm in a minority here, but I sorta like Jack and Daniel at odds " "I like the idea that we now have a mothership. " "Bringing back the robot SG1. I wanted to keep them" "Sam and Jack admitting they have feelings for each other." "return of the clones! woo-hoo" Least Favourite Plot Development "Daniel and the Harcesis child (totally lame!)" "I mean, come on, writers! Jack might have had a lobotomy before Season 4, but that doesn't mean the rest of us did!" "the death of too many nice guys (Rothman, Martouf)" "Trying to ram a Sam/Jack romance down our throats. Never saw the chemistry between these two; never will. " "I dunno; it just seems to me that you can't get to wear birds on your uniform and be successful at Black Ops without having more intelligence than Jack has displayed lately.  What happened to my Colonel?" "Flashbacks in D and C when they ruined that scene in Upgrades" "Knocking of goa'uld like nine pins and particularly Chronos" "The non emoting and absolutely boring Daniel" "The whole conspiracy thing (ie Makepeace working behind everyone's back, Maybourne conspiring w/ the Russians)" "The dumbing down of Jack. Most of season four Jack wouldn't pass the USAF entrance exam let alone become a Colonel." "LOL - thats way too easy:) S & J a 1000 times over." Favourite Villain "Tanith, because he is so self-controlled and calculating, the most dangerous kind of villain." Least Favourite Villain "Apophis (can't he die already?) " "The wardrobe person who designed Anise's clothes. (Well that's villainy from where I'm sitting...)" "Tanith - I usually like Peter Wingfield but he was crap. And what was goingon with his hair in Exodus?" Favourite Scene "Balcony scene in The Light.  Forget Romeo and Juliet!8-)" "The kiss from Window of Oppotunity, I was jumping for joy when I whatched it. ( Yes, I admit it, I'm a Sam/Jack shipper )" "The whole "We've done this" scene in Window Of Opportunity; Daniel being sarky, Jack being sciencey, who could resist?" "getting the note sent back in 2010  (having read spoilers for this ep'.... I thought this scene would be a gross Sam/Jack thing but it was the ultimate in team angst!)" "Almost all of Window of Opportunity!  But I guess the golf scene is my favourite and the resignation/kiss scene because I think Jack would have done that whether he had *feelings* for Sam or not." "Daniel sharing his chocolate with the unas in First Ones. Boy can he make eating chocolate look sexy." "The balcony scene in The Light, the genuine panic on Daniel's face when he realised what he was about to do and Jack...what can you say about Jack in this scene??" "Dr. Frazier in 2010 wearing her suit and hair tied up with Sam who also looked very good." Least Favourite Scene "The s/j crapola in Dive & Crumble." Favourite Website "Gamma Quad... where would we be without dear Adam..." Favourite Forum/Message Board "I like the NG. The people there seem really nice and funny now all the psychos have gone again and I like people to see there are good s/j shippers as well as bad ones." "the hurt/comfort list.  the people are so nice." "Vilagate: my spanish list. I'm so proud of all the people who have managed to get toghether. I like to think we got the show back because we protested loud." Humorous ones Best Body Shot "DeLuise's focus on 'evil' Jackson's rear in "Absolute Power" "Daniel in Absolute Power in the white pants.  Nice arse" "Daniel in his lovely pajama's in Absolute Power. ( Were they blue silk do you think ?) " "Jack's smile in "The Light" (and pretty much anything with Jack's six in it :)" "shirtless teal'c in beneath the surface" "Any shots of Jack or Daniel in black T-shirts" "Anything with Jack in it!" "Dr. Frazier wearing a low cut green army t-shirt when they're in the desert of Egypt and there's some Goa'uld chick whose pyramid flies up out of the sand at the end. Man, Janet was looking healthy, she would bend over slightly and give some shots of Those Twin Treasures" Best Weapon Moment "Teal'c shooting the water-dwelling goa'uld as it leaps towards him." "Teal'c's over the shoulder staff shot at the goa'uld in First Ones" "Teal'c shooting Jack in PRODIGY" Best Dressed Character "Daniel.  Jack's clothes weren't very nice a lot of the time.  I don't like the hat." "- Sarah/Osiris (she looked classy the entire episode)" "Daniel - I used to think Jack should take him shopping, but there were a few times this season where it looked like it should be the other way around." "Teal'c in his golf attire in WOO <g>" Sexiest Character "Daniel.  Jack used to be close second but I don't fancy morons" "Jack, hands down, no contest" "Daniel anytime, anyplace, anywhere" Character you would like to hug the most "Jack (I'm not biased, you've got to admit the guy gives great hugs)" "Harlan.  He's just so darling!" "Teal'c, 'cause CJ is so huggable, Hammond for the same reason, and Jack just cause he's so damn sexy" Character you would like to hug the least "Sam (too skinny. I'd feel like she was going to break)" Character who has been the nicest to others "I don't know of any general who puts up with that much insubordination without crying for court martial!" "Well, they've all been somewhat unkind...Hammond." "General Hammond is and always has been a true gentleman." Character who has been the meanest to others "Daniel for continuing to not listen, for constantly putting the team into danger with his bull headed stubborness that he is always right" "Jack trying to kill off his team mates" Character you would like to sit down and have a beer with "Janet.  She'd have some great stories.  (If I had a beer with Jack I'd miss my mouth, or something... <g>)" "Jack. He's very beerable." Character you would hate to sit down and have a beer with "Sam when she's being science geek girl" "Maybourne, as the beer would probably be drugged. (Sorry, Cult of Maybourneites but the guy is seriously slimy!)" Best moment that made you go "OOOOH!" "The nod, the smile, closing his eyes before the decapitation.Daniel DOUBLE JEOPARDY" "The look clone Daniel gave to clone Jack just before he was killed.  Once upon a time these two men were best friends.  It was nice to have the reminder." "Because I care about her a lot more than I'm supposed to." Jack, Divide and Conquer" "The flashback scenes from Divide and Conquer, simply because I was SO not expecting them." "Wow! That is almost an exact quote! I said OOOOOOOOOOOOHH when Anise steped through the Stargate, and I yelled a whole bunch of ther things too, but that tale's for another day......"   (c) Alison, 2001.  All rights recognised.  No copyright infringement intended.  Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, SCI FI Channel, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. All blog entries represent the opinion of the poster. All editorials represent the opinion of the author. All linked content represents the opinion of the linked site's webmaster. Copyright on all articles/editorials/blog entries belongs to the original author. Offer void where prohibited. Please remain seated while the aircraft is in motion. Warning: Coffee will be hot. A moose once bit my sister.