Sam I Am
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Sam I Am |
| Author(s): | Dorothy Marley |
| Date(s): | 2001 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Stargate SG-1/Quantum Leap |
| External Links: | online here |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Sam I Am is a Stargate SG-1/Quantum Leap story by Dorothy Marley.
It was published in the zine Ya Think? and is online.
Reactions and Reviews
This story isn't the best crossover I've ever read but it's an entertaining read.[1]
I should start by coming clean about one thing: Quantum Leap never exactly caught my interest. I saw enough of it to get a rough idea of the premise, but not enough to claim I know the show.Which is a real pity, because I like this story. I really, really like this story. It's a genuine crossover in that both shows - Stargate SG-1 and Quantum Leap - get equal attention, yet the author has somehow managed to make the story accessible to someone who only knows one of the shows, and *without* the dreaded info-dump that seems to plague crossover fiction. The premise of "Sam I Am" is all there in the title: Sam Beckett "leaps" into the body of Samantha Carter. His task is to prevent Jack's death by suicide, which is going to happen four years down the line.
Sam has to learn all about the Stargate program very quickly, and the author takes full advantage, providing an entertaining outsiders' view of the characters and concepts we are so familiar with. Watching Sam goggle at the small details we and the canon characters take for granted (things like travel to alien worlds, and the simple fact of Teal'c's existence) is hilariously funny. What makes it even funnier is that Sam's reactions, which strike me as very Daniel-like, are coming from Sam *Carter*.
I wish there was just a little more of Teal'c in this story, but the author handles the characters really well, and the characterisation is very good. Daniel is the slightly geekish, none-too-confident but very caring Daniel of season two. Jack is sarcastic, oh-so-oblivious to certain obvious issues, and displays his own, unique sense of humour. Daniel's description of Jack is one of the most apt I've ever read: "He might not know the difference between an alpha particle and a gamma ray, but he knows when something is likely to start shooting at people he cares about." Teal'c is strong, silent and striving to learn Earth Culture - to Jack's cost. Sam, though she plays no direct part in the story, is just as recognisable as Sam Beckett learns more and more about her.
The plot is well thought-out, complex without being complicated, and very logical. Sam is given no easy answers: he knows Jack is going to suicide and has a rough idea why, but how he can influence events to prevent this, four years before it will happen, becomes a difficult issue. Al and Ziggy are handicapped by the secret nature of the Stargate Project, leaving Sam to figure it out for himself. His fumbling attempts to carry out what Al *thinks* is his mission are poignant and funny at the same time.
The story remains in Sam Beckett's point of view throughout, and the reader is drawn into the story through his feelings and observations. Sam comes to care deeply about the other characters. He angsts over what he thinks he could be doing to Sam Carter, as well as what the future holds for Jack, and for Daniel. Al's sparse reports paint a bleak picture of the future for everyone, and this creates some real tension in the story as Sam gropes toward the solution.
I first read this story in its zine form, and more recently re-read the revised version on the web. On the whole, I like the revised version better. The author has added some details and explanations that really do help the plot along - not that the original version was hard to follow! But there are two changes that confuse me, because it looks as if the author has deliberately included inaccuracies. The first is a reference to Jack serving in Vietnam (extremely unlikely, given his canonical age), and the other is a throwaway reference to the Kinsey scale (on male sexuality), which is correctly quoted in the zine version, and for some reason incorrect in the newer version. Go figure.
There is also one thing that, to me, is a pretty big plot-hole: Sam Carter is behaving seriously out-of-character (naturally so, as "she" is really Sam Beckett). But that uncharacteristic behaviour begins when SG-1 is off-world, and continues for at least two days. I have difficulty believing no one would remark on it. The least I would expect is for someone to politely suggest she visit the infirmary.
But none of these things spoils the story for me. This is an evocative piece of work: sad and angsty, funny and insightful...and I've been known to shed a tear when Sam finally figures it out at the end. Read it. You won't be disappointed.[2]