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rodoI remembered that I wrote this months ago because today is Stargate Wednesday on RTL2. I think I mentioned it somewhere already, so I’m posting this before I forget about it again.
So I’ve been watching a lot of Stargate lately, both SG-1 and Atlantis. Which isn’t quite that unusual since I used to watch it every Wednesday until Pro7 decided to air the xth season of Buffy in the same time slot, and given the choice between Stargate and Buffy, my father lost and my brother and I won. That was before I changed schools for the last time, I think, so it’s been eight or nine years. And I’ve changed since then. As has Stargate. Characters died and left and … well, I don’t want to spoil anyone, but a lot has changed.
I also realise that what I’m about to say has probably been said a zillion times before, but a lot has been bugging me about the Stargate franchise from the start, back when I still lacked the words and the knowledge to express my thoughts. I also find it easier to accept some problematic content (like the premise that pyramids were built for spaceships and its implications) while some insignificant details annoy me to no end. I can suspend my disbelief only selectively, apparently. I also realise that sometimes, the shows did it right. I’m talking more about my general impressions.
Pretty much the first thing I had problems with? Aliens speaking English. First off: The aliens in the movie didn’t speak English. They spoke some version of Egyptian, if I remember it right, which makes the switch even more confusing. The major civilisations even get to keep their own languages, but they still speak English. The show uses other languages mostly as something decorative. As someone who studies languages, I find it hard to understand how language barriers could not be a problem. And not only are the languages pure decoration and occasional plot device: the cultures are, too.
The Stargate cultures are my next problem. The human cultures generally fall in two categories: the technologically and culturally inferior and the technologically superior and culturally inferior. I don’t remember a human civilisation that was portrayed as culturally superior on the show. There was always some point on which earth (and by that I mean America) was superior. This leads to a lot of unfortunate implications because many, many of the human civilisations off world were modelled after civilisations on earth. This essentially means that America is portrayed as vastly superior to any other country on earth. The other civilisations are helpless, America has to save them, and once America saved them and everything is shiny, the other civilisations appreciate it and America’s goodness is once again reinforced.
Sound familiar? It does to me, considering I grew up in one of the two countries where that actually worked out, if Michael Mittermeier is to be believed. In most other cases: not so much. It also reminds me of the arguments made in the 19th century to justify colonialism. Sure, the SGC doesn’t want colonies, but the show still portrays the Americans in a way similar to the colonialists. They are the benevolent people whose burden it is to help the rest of the universe. They can fix everything, even if the natives couldn’t figure it out for thousands of years, the SG teams will within the episode. There are even the token characters from other civilisations that support and validate their goal.
I also find it quite problematic how earth is portrayed. At the beginning, the Stargate program is top secret. It endangers the whole world without the rest of the world not knowing and not having any say in it. That always struck me as extremely arrogant. What government has the right to do something like that not only to its own people, but also to the other six billion people on the planet?
And then, of course, that changed. I still don’t know how (Buffy was more interesting, remember?) but when I started watching Stargate Atlantis, there was suddenly the IOA and we even got Zelenka, a minor character whose native language is not English. But there was still only this one character, and the IOA was always portrayed as some kind of benevolent villain (well meaning but too bureaucratic and clueless). The heroes are once again mostly American, and if not, from the Western world. International cooperation was portrayed as a bad thing that stands in the way of everything that’s good and right. As a European, I find this vaguely baffling, despite the fact that the EU is notorious for its over-regulation.
So I’ve been watching a lot of Stargate lately, both SG-1 and Atlantis. Which isn’t quite that unusual since I used to watch it every Wednesday until Pro7 decided to air the xth season of Buffy in the same time slot, and given the choice between Stargate and Buffy, my father lost and my brother and I won. That was before I changed schools for the last time, I think, so it’s been eight or nine years. And I’ve changed since then. As has Stargate. Characters died and left and … well, I don’t want to spoil anyone, but a lot has changed.
I also realise that what I’m about to say has probably been said a zillion times before, but a lot has been bugging me about the Stargate franchise from the start, back when I still lacked the words and the knowledge to express my thoughts. I also find it easier to accept some problematic content (like the premise that pyramids were built for spaceships and its implications) while some insignificant details annoy me to no end. I can suspend my disbelief only selectively, apparently. I also realise that sometimes, the shows did it right. I’m talking more about my general impressions.
Pretty much the first thing I had problems with? Aliens speaking English. First off: The aliens in the movie didn’t speak English. They spoke some version of Egyptian, if I remember it right, which makes the switch even more confusing. The major civilisations even get to keep their own languages, but they still speak English. The show uses other languages mostly as something decorative. As someone who studies languages, I find it hard to understand how language barriers could not be a problem. And not only are the languages pure decoration and occasional plot device: the cultures are, too.
The Stargate cultures are my next problem. The human cultures generally fall in two categories: the technologically and culturally inferior and the technologically superior and culturally inferior. I don’t remember a human civilisation that was portrayed as culturally superior on the show. There was always some point on which earth (and by that I mean America) was superior. This leads to a lot of unfortunate implications because many, many of the human civilisations off world were modelled after civilisations on earth. This essentially means that America is portrayed as vastly superior to any other country on earth. The other civilisations are helpless, America has to save them, and once America saved them and everything is shiny, the other civilisations appreciate it and America’s goodness is once again reinforced.
Sound familiar? It does to me, considering I grew up in one of the two countries where that actually worked out, if Michael Mittermeier is to be believed. In most other cases: not so much. It also reminds me of the arguments made in the 19th century to justify colonialism. Sure, the SGC doesn’t want colonies, but the show still portrays the Americans in a way similar to the colonialists. They are the benevolent people whose burden it is to help the rest of the universe. They can fix everything, even if the natives couldn’t figure it out for thousands of years, the SG teams will within the episode. There are even the token characters from other civilisations that support and validate their goal.
I also find it quite problematic how earth is portrayed. At the beginning, the Stargate program is top secret. It endangers the whole world without the rest of the world not knowing and not having any say in it. That always struck me as extremely arrogant. What government has the right to do something like that not only to its own people, but also to the other six billion people on the planet?
And then, of course, that changed. I still don’t know how (Buffy was more interesting, remember?) but when I started watching Stargate Atlantis, there was suddenly the IOA and we even got Zelenka, a minor character whose native language is not English. But there was still only this one character, and the IOA was always portrayed as some kind of benevolent villain (well meaning but too bureaucratic and clueless). The heroes are once again mostly American, and if not, from the Western world. International cooperation was portrayed as a bad thing that stands in the way of everything that’s good and right. As a European, I find this vaguely baffling, despite the fact that the EU is notorious for its over-regulation.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-10 02:46 am (UTC)That said, I've read a lot of fanfic, particularly in SGA, and I think you've managed to hit the nail on the head with the franchise's problems. My impression of SGA in particular is that, as with so many other shows, there was a lot of potential in the premise that the show failed to deliver on.
I can comment on the portrayal of the IOA, which I think seems to be a fairly standard trope about international cooperation here in the States. As someone who finds the EU awesome as a concept (though as you say, there are mismatches between its concept and its lived reality on the inside), this is always annoying to me, but I think it was very much in the air here in the States when SGA began. Hell, it still is, despite the change in administrations. (And I think this ties back into your point about the portrayal of Earth. It's the same thing about the U.S. always saving the world in those Hollywood movies.)
I give the movie at least a half point for having the aliens speak Egyptian, though.
Thinking about this, I'm wondering whether, if I critically rewatched Star Trek, how many of these same problems I would see. Probably more than I'd like.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-10 03:07 am (UTC)I tried reading fanfic, but for some reason this annoys me even more in fic. I also dislike Aliens Made Them Do It in the fandom, if it refers to some cultural aspect.
I give the movie at least a half point for having the aliens speak Egyptian, though.
I liked that about the movie as well. I could live with the Americans saving the day there far better as well, mostly because a) they were kind of clueless when they walked through the gate to begin with and b) they had the good sense to keep well away from it at the end.
Thinking about this, I'm wondering whether, if I critically rewatched Star Trek, how many of these same problems I would see.
I haven't seen much of TOS, but at least they try to make things more international from earth's POV. Even though the captain is still American. From what I've read about it, it also seems Spock is rather problematic at times, and there was this one episode where Kirk and others were stranded on a planet and Spock did something incredibly stupid and saved everyone by being a (com)passionate human being like Kirk for once. Cold logic seemed to be inferior to the power of feelings. Gah!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-10 03:25 am (UTC)I've seen chunks, though not all, of TOS at varying points in my life--
no subject
Date: 2009-12-10 09:45 pm (UTC)I don't think I ever watched any DS9. Maybe I'll give it a try.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-11 01:21 am (UTC)I'd be interested to read your thoughts on the Avatar movie, but I think I'm skipping it in theaters. 3D is expensive, too.
I was thinking about the question of instrumentalization at work today, and I think that it certainly should be possible to tell a story about humans encountering alien cultures that doesn't condescend to either the humans or the aliens. But I think it'd be a lot of work to do properly, and that most writers, especially TV writers, don't make that commitment. I suspect if anyone has, it's Samuel R. Delany.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 06:49 pm (UTC)Yeah. It might be because many TV writers are generally rather priviledged people or because the target audience often doesn't care. I think it's related to RaceFail09, but that seemed to be mostly about books.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-12 06:51 pm (UTC)I would definitely agree. I think it's the same issues.