I always saw McKay as “smarter”, but Carter having a better grasp on the application and preforming better under pressure. If I want to to figure out what a tech does and how it works, I’d send McKay. If I need a specialist to think on their feet and preform in life threatening situations, I’d send Carter every time.
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
@@MangindDerous I think he knew deep down she was better at it. I've had this headcanon ever since those episodes first aired: that he got better at applying the "artist" aspect because he eventually channeled her. He came into his own version of a good and artistic scientist but I've always believed if he'd never met her, he wouldn't have changed at all.
I think in pure genius terms McCay was smarter. But that came with him being incredibly arrogant and thus prone to making catastrophic mistakes. So in overall terms Carter was smarter. I also think O'Neill was a lot smarter technically than he made out. Although he was the "everyman" character that enabled other characters to deliver exposition.
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
I have to go with McKay as smarter, especially during and after Season 4 of Atlantis. They really nerfed Carter for her role as Atlantis leader, it felt like a completely different character.
Felt like they took their scripts, and wherever it said Weir they scratched it out and wrote in Carter. For season 4 of Atlantis it just felt like Weir's dialogue coming out of Carter's mouth to me. They 100% failed to use her to her full potential.
I don't think they nerfed Carter I think Carter was simply doing her job. she just understood that she couldn't lead and be the scientist just imagine the chaos if she had abandoned her duties if she had tried to solve the science problems.
Love that David Hewlett is rewatching with his family. I just finished another binge of Atlantis (and SG-1 of course in proper order LOL) and have started on Universe. Need top pick of the SG-1 movies since cannot find them on streaming anymore. Love that Arthur line. Makes me think of the Dudley Moore film.
I think the conversation where McKay tells Carter how he played piano says it all. Carter is a clever artist, and McKay, as we see in Atlantis, will always find the solution when death is imminent enough for him to stop overthinking and do the thing. What I like about McKay is how he sees humans as needing to hurry and catch up to the ancients, so he can surpass them
I hated the McKay character at first, but after seeing him evolve, I think I missed him most when the show ended. Not talking about Carter here, I loved her on SG1, but I missed that whole original family when SG1 ended)
He learned to take risks from her. Don't forget the events of Redemption, parts 1 & 2 when he called her certifiable for her ideas. It wasn't until he went to Atlantis that we got to see him open up to the "bigger risks" inside himself. :)
@@mischarowe Oddly enough, I think Woolsey had a similar arc. He had to learn to take the big risks too. Being out in the field will do that to you, I guess. :)
Carter always calculated the risk in any solution and let her superior make the big decision. McCay would ignore the risk to solve the problem at any cost.
McKay having a man crush on Sheppard and wanting to be like him - sure, I agree, but I personalny believe that John held Rodney in incredibly high regard as well, and was even more besotted with Rodney than Rodney was with him. He had this "hey everybody look at my genius friend, you should really be jealous" air about him, I think. And he cared for Rodney so, so, so deeply - I still can't get over The Miller's Crossing, how John wouldn't let Rodney sacrifice himself for his sister, it was clear he couldn't bear to lose Rodney, and then he ended up talking a man into killing himself. Jeez. Also about Carter and McKay - I think that Carter was created to be equal parts smart, military and good with people, while McKay's personality was focused in 90% on the smart thing, so there's that.
I felt like McKay was smarter in a theoretical sense, but Carter was smarter in the practicalities; she was able to use theories and bring them into the practical world better. Carter all the way.
I'd say McKay under pressure would be better, but he also usually needed somebody there to guide his doom and gloom thoughts, to pull him through. That's why he even hallucinated Carter when he was stuck in the ocean inside of the Puddle Jumper. Also, he destroyed 5/6ths of a star system... how much did Carter destroy? 😂
@@MiChAeLoKGB It's true that McKay usually needed a nudge to get his brain juices flowing. As for the Dorandan System, yes McKay destroyed 5/6 of the system but Carter apparently destroyed the entire Vorash System when her and Selmak caused the systems sun to go nova.
@@richardajoy79 McKay and Carter are pretty even when it comes to smashing things. But if you want to award someone with the raw destructive potential award, that has to go to Felger for completely disabling the Milky Way Gate system.
Considering that Carter blew up a star system on purpose and McCay did it accidentally, I'll go with carter being the better physicist. Plus a greater emotional intelligence, and a much better soldier... Is it obvious that I worship at the altar of Carter? No?
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
That is a good point - doing it deliberately is probably a bit more intelligent than accidentally. Carter definitely had better EQ and was a better soldier.
McKay's intelligence seemed to be much higher and the team relied on him much more to save the day. Samantha just didn't complain or brag about it. LOL
That's a really tough call. I think they're pretty much on par with each other really. Although it's like McKay said Carter was an artist so maybe on that alone it should be Carter!!
Carter was more well-rounded and had a more robust set of skills in general. But I still have a hard time dating that McKay was truly smarter though... He was certainly proven to be wrong much more often than Carter, partly because of his stubbornness! Carter was able to gracefully adapt her perspective to the facts of the situation as the events unfolded. Perhaps Rodney was able to perform certain tasks more rapidly... But that doesn't equal being "smarter"!
Rodney, Sam, Jeannie, and Eli were far more intelligent than most of the other characters. In terms of who was more intelligent, that is entirely subjective at best. They were completely on par with each other, and Rodney went through a massive interpersonal shift through the series. By the end he was no longer who he had been but he had grown to be a better man than he would have probably ever imagined...and as a fan I loved him (as a character) even more for it.
the words "one of my favorite scenes/episodes" comes up quite a bit in my life, my dad pointed out to me the other day that i say that literally every single time stargate any of the series is played lol Im such a nerd
I always thought an "Evil McKay" would have been a complete sweetheart and totally in touch with his own feelings and the feelings of everyone around him..... ....so basically the McKay we know IS the evil one... 😂
*Hey **#REDUX**, how’s it going❓ I saw that you made this comment so I had to say **#Hi** to you. I just been **#Liking** other people’s comments on here. I’m outta here.*
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
I would have loved to see lots more with David and Kate,and not just because I've got a crush on Kate but because they're both great actors,and the playing off of each other was so touching ,funny,sad,intense,playful,and always very real. And as far as who is smarter Sam or Rodney? I think Jeanie gave them both a good run for the money,she was a mum with emotional intelligence and worked out the matter bridge with just finger paints,something that Rodney took hard.
McKay was an expert in what is. The evolution of his brilliance came from working with Carter. It was THEN when he finally opened his eyes to the possibility of not only what is, ...but also, ...what could be. It was Carter, and his respect for her, that unleashed the potential for McKay to become possibly the greater of the two.
However psychologically stunted that Rodney McKay was, especially in his SG1 appearances and in the first 3 seasons of SGA, it must be noted that the character was capable of emotional growth and exhibited both to feelings of great loss, such as when Dr. Beckett died, and struggled with his need to find comfort and companionship with women. It can also be stated that the relationships that Rodney had with Katie Brown and Dr. Kellar were more intense and complete than any that occurred to the characters of John Shepard, Daniel Jackson, or Jack O'Neil throughout their Stargate careers.
Well remember, Sam is not only a world-class astrophysicist, she is also a jet fighter pilot, a military tactician and strategist, a former Miss Universe, and the host of a long running TV show on how to cook Gu'auld cuisine. Plus, she knows the screenwriters by name. *There is no way she ever loses at anything!*
McKay said it on SG-1... He was "technical" (meaning more book and simulation focused) but Sam was an "artist" (meaning she was able to make far more accurate 'guesses' to fill in the gaps that she didn't have time to simulate) Now, as far as LATER ON SG-A McKay ... McKay was willing to take LARGER risks due to confidence/ego NEEDING to prove he was right. Making even his 'guesses" far more intuitive than ever before. But Sam was more "cautious" because she had far more at risk of failures. Even if McKay did something wrong in S4 of SG-A, it was going to be Carter who would be blamed, possibly not only losing leadership of Atlantis, but ending her military career in the process. McKay became far more riskier, while Carter became more cautious. In regards to "smarter", the one willing/able to take the risks and be RIGHT will always be better situated than the one who has to be CAUTIOUS to be right. Meaning McKay "got there" quicker, while Carter had to constantly "double check" before taking the next step.
Always thought they were roughly the same. Sam was easier to get along with and more open-minded compared to McKay. McKay could be extremely focused, as in 'The Last Man'. If my life was on the line, honestly I'd take either (both would be preferred.)
It's hard to tell because they each had their strengths. Aside from an evil version of McKay it would have also been interesting to see mirror alternates of; Michael, any of the Wraith queens (or Todd), Shepherd, Carter, and Rush because as interesting as they've been seeing a darker more calculating version would be a great exercise for the actors in being complete polar opposites to their canon version
I always though that for sheer intelligence that Rodney was smarter but his ego led him down blind paths and he couldn't conceive that he may be incorrect. His character had more growth, because of this, though. Carter arrived pretty much an accomplished soldier and scientist but McCay had to grow into his abilities in the field
PS: "The Shrine" has to be the best acting I've ever seen from David ever filmed. Talk about a one-man "Tour De Force"! By far one of the most amazing performances ever, and the "emotions" that were both expressed and evoked were mind-blowing. As far as "pure acting ability". David in "The Shrine" and Michael in "Lifeboat" are the PEAK of both series.
In terms of raw intelligence Rod is smarter. But for application and usefulness Sam wins. Towards the end of Atlantis, Rod started to self control more and no longer needed his friends to help him focus.
Well, for me, it was always Carter. It may have been a delusion, but the version of her he imagined up in Grace Under Pressure said that every time they've worked together, he's been wrong and she's been right. It is the truth. And, I've always thought that - while they're both brilliant - that McKay didn't come into himself (as a Stargate affiliated scientist) until he met her. Not until he got over himself, more specifically. I think it was McKay's interest in Carter that helped him let go of what made us fans hate him when we first met him. Like in the Redemption episodes. When I first finished watching them I thought the title of the episodes had multiple meanings. Multiple characters "redeeming" themselves. Rodney being one of them. I've always thought that he changed because of her. And his determination was - to me - to be better than her. Without her he'd have remained the obnoxious little gnat that was smart but used his intelligence *wrong.* They've both done amazing things, but she was always ahead of him. My take. :)
David Hewlett is a MFen brilliant actor. McKay in SG1 was borderline psychotic, near murderous nutbar. Totally slimy, disgusting, thoroughly hateable evil genius. In Andromeda, he made in microscopic change in his character that turned him into a kind of sympathetic character. The change is large, but I can't tell clearly how he pulled it off, acting-wise. It's probably just me, but to me it makes the acting that much better. Thanks Dave.
Carter is brilliant but McKay under pressure can't be beat. Dude could've solved cold fusion if he only had 30 seconds to figure it out before they all died haha
Carter had the ability to lead and take command and stay focused on stressing situations. McKay was smart and knew the systems and were able to come up with crazy solutions, but they were quite solar opposites on the attributes I listed for Carter. I would say McKay was smarter in sense of understanding the physics but very unstable on everything else. Carter was solid all-around. In other sense, Carter was the corner stone while McKay was the wild card. If you had to make decisions Carter was smarter, but if you needed a solution when all hope is lost, McKay was your guy.
I think Rodney is smarter when he is under pressure or threat. Carter is smarter when Rodney isn't being threatened with a lemon, and she tends to have more common sense and is more calm and composed when in a situation. But in a crisis situation, I would trust Rodney Mckay with my life. Rodney will always come up with a whacky but successful plan that works and you live to see another day. I vote Rodney all the way, hands down.
Rodney was very smart... but Carter was way hotter while being smart. You know...the sexy librarian thing..:D I can clearly hear Sheppard saying "Rodney". Love their relationship dynamics...total fun.
I think they have different kind of smart. Carter is analitical, systematic and fundimentalist. McKay is brilliant and fast and revolutionary in his solutions. Both have place IMHO
They're probably about the same but mackay seemed to come from pure theory and academia so couldn't translate what he knew into practical solutions. It wasn't until he was exposed to the outcome of his theories that he met folk who didn't blindly accept he was the smartest person. Put sam in mackays shoes with no military upbringing and she'd have been very similar to him personality wise.
Carter all day, the only reason Carter didn't go to Atleast because Jack wouldn't let her. But once SG-1 was basically done and other than the Lucian Alliance, Milky Way was safe, Carter was aloud to branch to Atlantis, which she did not just go as the Scientist, she became McKays boss, even though McKay thought he was going to be the boss. McKay is definitely 2nd, but would have thought he would have learned to fight, or shoot or not to freak out in a dangerous situation. Which I guess he should pull a Daniel, get in shape and learn more than his job. Eli was doing the same for Universe
McKay was, but you could throw him off his game easier than Carter.. Like just saying" Your first name is Meredith? Really?" This is where Carter could dial it in ,and not run away from a situation gone bad. Verbal or physically.
Pushed each other, like the Chris Everett/Martina Navratillova kept to the top years beyond when they would have been done if the other wasn't competing.
Rodney was the more technically brilliant - capable of higher level thinking and abstraction than Carter. But I also think Carter gets more raw science done because she's NEARLY as brilliant, but ten times as able to communicate and work with others. McCay would be lost without people like her, Radek, and his sister to make what he processes into useful knowledge.
Ah, it's the difference between knowledge and wisdom, isn't it? McKay had superior knowledge in very specific areas, but Carter had superior wisdom in a more generalised way. (Alan Moore wrote a comic called "Big Numbers" once, and there was the idea in that of some people being obsessed with "big numbers" - the big picture, the overall structure, how things fit together - and some people being obsessed with "small numbers" - the minutiae, the fine details, grokking this one thing down to its most elementary level - and, in the context, McKay is "small numbers" and Carter is "big numbers". They're actually quite comparable in intelligence, but they think in quite different ways, so it manifests differently. But the generalist - Carter - would, indeed, get the most attention just because they're the one who can stitch it all together for the stupid people in the room.)
I'd have to go with Sam on this one. Give either of them a lab and sufficient time and they will give you an answer to the Nth degree. But Sam is in the field. Generally under some time restraint working in unfamiliar and under equipped conditions. She has to make estimates and round the numbers where applicable which requires some intuition that McKay just doesn't have. He can be prodded into that direction but rarely goes there on his own. Sam lives there. If the quality you're measuring is "smartness" then Sam is way ahead.
Jeannie Miller > Samantha Carter > Rodney McKay I disagree with a lot of comments here - I think the show heavily implied Carter is smarter. That's why McKay is so threatened by her. But as some others posted, I think McKay's sister topped them both and was only playing catch-up because she chose her family over career. That all being said, the show also makes clear that if they were in the public sector all would probably be Nobel laureates and at that level there probably isn't much difference.
I'd say McKay applied his smarts better technically and Carter accomplished more mathematically and theoretically. Remember when Carter crunched the numbers to reverse time so as to save the team when about to be destroyed by the Ori beam weapon? Took her 50 years, but could have McKay have ever done it? Hummm.... By the way, David (Read), get those new digs done, that hotel room looks depressing!
I would rate them equal with strengths in different areas. Meredith had it right with his analogy of why he came to science from music. He's the cold intellectual, Carter is the Artist. IMO you need the Artists to expand the borders of knowledge, the Dreamers, but you need the cold intellectuals to improve upon that and make it work better.
Haha! Evil McKay :-) I love Rodney McKay (and really really like David Hewlett!) But in "McKay and Mrs. Miller" episode the "alternate universe" McKay seemed to be "the good" one :-) so in that essence "our" McKay was the more "evil" one :-) I guess "our" McKay was the balanced one and the alternate universe one was the "not as smart, but more social" one and there could be one that was truly pure evil. It would have been a fun episode for sure!
Mr. Read, first off, I agree with your analysis, McKay was a data guy and Carter was a more well rounded person, but if you were to boil it down to pure IQ points, I'd give it to Sam every time. McKay is a close second, but Carter takes it. On a semi-related subject: you recently did a vlog on your Stargate merch in the background. What I want to know is where did you get that exquisite Enterprise model and is it the ST:TMP refit or the 1701-A registry? I drool over that thing every video.
Thank you for your thoughts! A friend of mine custom built the electronics and Aztec decals for me from a Polar Lights base kit. The registry is 1701. No bloody A, B, C or D.
Love the pull from our late, missed, beloved resident Miracle Worker on the holodeck bridge reproduction of Scotty's original TOS Enterprise from TNG's Relics episode. Thanks for the response, greatly appreciated, even if it dashes my hopes of obtaining such an amazing model. I made models of the A and D when I was a kid, but 3 plus decades and many moves later, they eventually fell apart. Never did have the patience to replicate the Aztec design and I did mine pre-interwebs, so the stencils and guide videos were nearly non-existent and the few that were around were out of my budget as a young hobbyist. The refit/A design, for my money, is the most beautiful spaceship in all of sci-fi-dom, followed closely by the Han's version of the Falcon, with or without radar dish, lol. Thanks again bro!!!
They dumbed down carter in season 4 with no good explanation, if she could have asked McKay less stupid questions it would at least have been passable that her new role as leader was more important than science stuff.
An Evil McKay. Now I want to see that. And if you made the Evil McKay a little less arrogant then he be more dangerous. And it would force the "Good" McKay to learn to face his own arrogates which causes him problems. And if the Evil McKay was also learned how to work with other people to pull their knowledge, he be even more dangerous. (Giving some of the traits the Good McKay should have to the bad guy to help the Good McKay grow a little by facing his only short comings) What we need is a team up with an Evil McKay and a Evil Carter, who are married. they both could had study the technology of an evil Atlantis and evil Asgards (after they betray them and killed them all). And then we can meet the good Replicators and Good Wraith (who uses their abilities to heal and not take life, after they invented tech that allows them to convert raw energy into their life force) that helps the Good McKay defeat the Evil McKay an Evil Carter. (Also, the Good Wraith can share their Life Force Tech with the the Bad Wraith so they don't have to feed on people. And maybe in the end a few ZPMs are left behind.)
Also, other ideas. McKay's sister definitely needs to be a main part of this hypothetical movie. And the evil sister and Evil McKay should work nicely with each other, respecting each other, to motivates the good sister and Good McKay in learning to work together. But only towards the end, we need funny bother-sister moments between those two. Also, bring back Tod. We need that Wraith, even if he is from the other universe.
Carter is a better scientist and a better leader. If carter did not have to deal with the administrative work but only deal with the science and had the same access to the ancient technology, she would have figured out far more new tech.
Things get crazy or chaotic when you add Eli & Dr. Rush into the mix haha! had his issue of arrogance and Eli had his of life experience and regular experience which was made up by him of being an extremely quick learner.
Re Sheppard: Same with O’Neill. The character masked his but it showed itself every now and then. I wonder if it was a defence mechanism of sorts…deliberately cause people to chronically underestimate.
Carter is definitely a Mary Sue. She is perfect in every way. She is expert at everything, and does not have to work at it. She can beat life long warriors in a fight, and do quantum mechanics better than people who work at it all day. Everyone likes her. Everyone is in love with her. She s not really a character, but a characterization. So Carter is smarter in the show, because she is the best at everything. But, we all know in real life McCay would be because he works at it. You just do suddenly get an inspiration for high science, you work at it. Also, if she was smarter, you would not risk her.
I always saw McKay as “smarter”, but Carter having a better grasp on the application and preforming better under pressure. If I want to to figure out what a tech does and how it works, I’d send McKay. If I need a specialist to think on their feet and preform in life threatening situations, I’d send Carter every time.
Smarter? McKay.
More resourceful? Carter.
Better plot armor? McKay.
Better under water? Carter.
Sam's intelligence was intuitive, Rodney's was deductive!
Idk. I think Sam was very good at deductive reasoning.
@@mischarowe Ya know, you blow up one sun, and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water." - Colonel Carter
@@Allangulon Lol.
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
@@MangindDerous I think he knew deep down she was better at it. I've had this headcanon ever since those episodes first aired: that he got better at applying the "artist" aspect because he eventually channeled her. He came into his own version of a good and artistic scientist but I've always believed if he'd never met her, he wouldn't have changed at all.
I think in pure genius terms McCay was smarter. But that came with him being incredibly arrogant and thus prone to making catastrophic mistakes.
So in overall terms Carter was smarter.
I also think O'Neill was a lot smarter technically than he made out. Although he was the "everyman" character that enabled other characters to deliver exposition.
I agree, think this comment sums it up brilliantly.
His sister was smarter._
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
I have to go with McKay as smarter, especially during and after Season 4 of Atlantis. They really nerfed Carter for her role as Atlantis leader, it felt like a completely different character.
She was under contract and they needed to find work for her.
I liked her in that role, she was in the military and a brilliant scientist. Sadly it was only one season.
Felt like they took their scripts, and wherever it said Weir they scratched it out and wrote in Carter.
For season 4 of Atlantis it just felt like Weir's dialogue coming out of Carter's mouth to me. They 100% failed to use her to her full potential.
I don't think they nerfed Carter I think Carter was simply doing her job. she just understood that she couldn't lead and be the scientist just imagine the chaos if she had abandoned her duties if she had tried to solve the science problems.
Yeah, they really did her dirty that season. It was kinda disappointing.
Love that David Hewlett is rewatching with his family. I just finished another binge of Atlantis (and SG-1 of course in proper order LOL) and have started on Universe. Need top pick of the SG-1 movies since cannot find them on streaming anymore. Love that Arthur line. Makes me think of the Dudley Moore film.
I think the conversation where McKay tells Carter how he played piano says it all. Carter is a clever artist, and McKay, as we see in Atlantis, will always find the solution when death is imminent enough for him to stop overthinking and do the thing. What I like about McKay is how he sees humans as needing to hurry and catch up to the ancients, so he can surpass them
That's almost exactly what I said 😊
I hated the McKay character at first, but after seeing him evolve, I think I missed him most when the show ended. Not talking about Carter here, I loved her on SG1, but I missed that whole original family when SG1 ended)
Carter has alot more common sense, McCay is willing to take on much bigger risks!
He learned to take risks from her. Don't forget the events of Redemption, parts 1 & 2 when he called her certifiable for her ideas. It wasn't until he went to Atlantis that we got to see him open up to the "bigger risks" inside himself. :)
@@mischarowe Oddly enough, I think Woolsey had a similar arc. He had to learn to take the big risks too. Being out in the field will do that to you, I guess. :)
@@DrTssha I never thought of it like that. Interesting. :)
Carter always calculated the risk in any solution and let her superior make the big decision. McCay would ignore the risk to solve the problem at any cost.
McKay also said that Carter was just making guesses (Redemption).
McKay having a man crush on Sheppard and wanting to be like him - sure, I agree, but I personalny believe that John held Rodney in incredibly high regard as well, and was even more besotted with Rodney than Rodney was with him.
He had this "hey everybody look at my genius friend, you should really be jealous" air about him, I think. And he cared for Rodney so, so, so deeply - I still can't get over The Miller's Crossing, how John wouldn't let Rodney sacrifice himself for his sister, it was clear he couldn't bear to lose Rodney, and then he ended up talking a man into killing himself. Jeez.
Also about Carter and McKay - I think that Carter was created to be equal parts smart, military and good with people, while McKay's personality was focused in 90% on the smart thing, so there's that.
I felt like McKay was smarter in a theoretical sense, but Carter was smarter in the practicalities; she was able to use theories and bring them into the practical world better. Carter all the way.
I'd say McKay under pressure would be better, but he also usually needed somebody there to guide his doom and gloom thoughts, to pull him through. That's why he even hallucinated Carter when he was stuck in the ocean inside of the Puddle Jumper. Also, he destroyed 5/6ths of a star system... how much did Carter destroy? 😂
@@MiChAeLoKGB It's true that McKay usually needed a nudge to get his brain juices flowing. As for the Dorandan System, yes McKay destroyed 5/6 of the system but Carter apparently destroyed the entire Vorash System when her and Selmak caused the systems sun to go nova.
@@MiChAeLoKGB Carter has destroyed an entire star system. She never leaves a job half finished. :P
@@richardajoy79 McKay and Carter are pretty even when it comes to smashing things. But if you want to award someone with the raw destructive potential award, that has to go to Felger for completely disabling the Milky Way Gate system.
@@AgentExeider , Felger was def a twat. He mustv got his Phd doing a cheap online course.
Considering that Carter blew up a star system on purpose and McCay did it accidentally, I'll go with carter being the better physicist. Plus a greater emotional intelligence, and a much better soldier...
Is it obvious that I worship at the altar of Carter? No?
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
That is a good point - doing it deliberately is probably a bit more intelligent than accidentally. Carter definitely had better EQ and was a better soldier.
I think Carter and McKay are roughly equal, but Carter has a more flexible mind giving her the edge over him at times.
Sunday and The Shrine are my two favourite "Mckay" episodes. When MacKay has to say goodbye to Beckett in Sunday, makes me tear up a little.
I'd go along with Carter every time, also she has a full head of hair so she must know her stuff.
Makes sense
But hair prevents the heat to dissipate. So you could overclock McKays brain more like in the episode where he was on the way to ascending.
I love how they were married in one of the many alternative earth's. And her reaction was "yeah that makes sense" (paraphrasing).
And they got divorced :D
When was this?
@@Scottlp2 How much of SG1 have you watched?
@@Scottlp2 SG-1, Season 10 episode 13 "the road not taken"
They should of had a child together. Imagine the expectations of that child.
I feel McKay is more technically smart, while Carter is more clever
McKay is my favorite SG1 character, always has been, but the penultimate episodes were with his sister. Absolutely amazing stuff.
McKay's intelligence seemed to be much higher and the team relied on him much more to save the day. Samantha just didn't complain or brag about it. LOL
Yeah, that's a good point. He was too egotistical to not showcase how much he knew while she wasn't.
I really liked what McKay sad at the end of 48 Hours, that Sam had an artistry that he lacked when it came to astrophysics.
Carter, McKay, Jeannie and Zelenka were incredibly important characters in Stargate Atlantis for their scientific and engineering abilities.
That's a really tough call. I think they're pretty much on par with each other really. Although it's like McKay said Carter was an artist so maybe on that alone it should be Carter!!
I so do miss Stargate Sg1 and Atlantis. Still watch the DVD's.
Carter was more well-rounded and had a more robust set of skills in general.
But I still have a hard time dating that McKay was truly smarter though... He was certainly proven to be wrong much more often than Carter, partly because of his stubbornness! Carter was able to gracefully adapt her perspective to the facts of the situation as the events unfolded.
Perhaps Rodney was able to perform certain tasks more rapidly... But that doesn't equal being "smarter"!
Rodney, Sam, Jeannie, and Eli were far more intelligent than most of the other characters. In terms of who was more intelligent, that is entirely subjective at best. They were completely on par with each other, and Rodney went through a massive interpersonal shift through the series. By the end he was no longer who he had been but he had grown to be a better man than he would have probably ever imagined...and as a fan I loved him (as a character) even more for it.
Imagine an evil McKay/Carter combo making babies as smart as Asgards 😂
the words "one of my favorite scenes/episodes" comes up quite a bit in my life, my dad pointed out to me the other day that i say that literally every single time stargate any of the series is played lol Im such a nerd
I always thought an "Evil McKay" would have been a complete sweetheart and totally in touch with his own feelings and the feelings of everyone around him.....
....so basically the McKay we know IS the evil one...
😂
We all know who’s smarter, Jeannie
Ha Ha, hey, maybe you're right!
Well McKay send work for her, that he couldn't figure, so...
Exactly.._
*Hey **#REDUX**, how’s it going❓ I saw that you made this comment so I had to say **#Hi** to you. I just been **#Liking** other people’s comments on here. I’m outta here.*
*This was a recording because he was in a motel room before.*
I think McKay said it best himself in the episode where Anubis was using the Ancient weapon that kept adding energy to the wormhole charging up the gate until it would eventually explode. Carter got hurt trying to close the iris after McKay's EMP idea failed and in sick bay when she woke up, McKay told the story about wanting to be a pianist but his teacher told him to give up because he was a perfect technical player but had no sense or concept of the 'art' of playing. Which is why he went in to science and math etc. and then he says to Carter "you're an artist"
I would have loved to see lots more with David and Kate,and not just because I've got a crush on Kate but because they're both great actors,and the playing off of each other was so touching ,funny,sad,intense,playful,and always very real. And as far as who is smarter Sam or Rodney? I think Jeanie gave them both a good run for the money,she was a mum with emotional intelligence and worked out the matter bridge with just finger paints,something that Rodney took hard.
Rodney Answered this question in his own way, He said he was smarter (obviously) but Sam was wiser
I really wish the line in "The Shrine" was "You're a good friend Joe."
McKay was an expert in what is. The evolution of his brilliance came from working with Carter.
It was THEN when he finally opened his eyes to the possibility of not only what is, ...but also, ...what could be.
It was Carter, and his respect for her, that unleashed the potential for McKay to become possibly the greater of the two.
However psychologically stunted that Rodney McKay was, especially in his SG1 appearances and in the first 3 seasons of SGA, it must be noted that the character was capable of emotional growth and exhibited both to feelings of great loss, such as when Dr. Beckett died, and struggled with his need to find comfort and companionship with women.
It can also be stated that the relationships that Rodney had with Katie Brown and Dr. Kellar were more intense and complete than any that occurred to the characters of John Shepard, Daniel Jackson, or Jack O'Neil throughout their Stargate careers.
McKay has higher intelligence.
Sam has high intelligence, wisdom, and dex. She's also multi-class.
P.S. Zelenka
She also has a .....MULTI- PASS ,heh
Zelenka was under rated
Well remember, Sam is not only a world-class astrophysicist, she is also a jet fighter pilot, a military tactician and strategist, a former Miss Universe, and the host of a long running TV show on how to cook Gu'auld cuisine. Plus, she knows the screenwriters by name. *There is no way she ever loses at anything!*
McKay said it on SG-1... He was "technical" (meaning more book and simulation focused) but Sam was an "artist" (meaning she was able to make far more accurate 'guesses' to fill in the gaps that she didn't have time to simulate)
Now, as far as LATER ON SG-A McKay ... McKay was willing to take LARGER risks due to confidence/ego NEEDING to prove he was right. Making even his 'guesses" far more intuitive than ever before. But Sam was more "cautious" because she had far more at risk of failures. Even if McKay did something wrong in S4 of SG-A, it was going to be Carter who would be blamed, possibly not only losing leadership of Atlantis, but ending her military career in the process.
McKay became far more riskier, while Carter became more cautious. In regards to "smarter", the one willing/able to take the risks and be RIGHT will always be better situated than the one who has to be CAUTIOUS to be right. Meaning McKay "got there" quicker, while Carter had to constantly "double check" before taking the next step.
Always thought they were roughly the same. Sam was easier to get along with and more open-minded compared to McKay. McKay could be extremely focused, as in 'The Last Man'. If my life was on the line, honestly I'd take either (both would be preferred.)
It's hard to tell because they each had their strengths. Aside from an evil version of McKay it would have also been interesting to see mirror alternates of; Michael, any of the Wraith queens (or Todd), Shepherd, Carter, and Rush because as interesting as they've been seeing a darker more calculating version would be a great exercise for the actors in being complete polar opposites to their canon version
An evil McKay would have been fantastic & played so well off of our McKay.
I always though that for sheer intelligence that Rodney was smarter but his ego led him down blind paths and he couldn't conceive that he may be incorrect. His character had more growth, because of this, though. Carter arrived pretty much an accomplished soldier and scientist but McCay had to grow into his abilities in the field
Honestly not mckay or Carter..
It was Daniel Jackson when he held the knowledge of the ancients.. 😁
Accumulated knowledge does not require intelligence.
PS: "The Shrine" has to be the best acting I've ever seen from David ever filmed. Talk about a one-man "Tour De Force"! By far one of the most amazing performances ever, and the "emotions" that were both expressed and evoked were mind-blowing.
As far as "pure acting ability". David in "The Shrine" and Michael in "Lifeboat" are the PEAK of both series.
In terms of raw intelligence Rod is smarter. But for application and usefulness Sam wins. Towards the end of Atlantis, Rod started to self control more and no longer needed his friends to help him focus.
Well, for me, it was always Carter. It may have been a delusion, but the version of her he imagined up in Grace Under Pressure said that every time they've worked together, he's been wrong and she's been right. It is the truth. And, I've always thought that - while they're both brilliant - that McKay didn't come into himself (as a Stargate affiliated scientist) until he met her. Not until he got over himself, more specifically. I think it was McKay's interest in Carter that helped him let go of what made us fans hate him when we first met him.
Like in the Redemption episodes. When I first finished watching them I thought the title of the episodes had multiple meanings. Multiple characters "redeeming" themselves. Rodney being one of them. I've always thought that he changed because of her. And his determination was - to me - to be better than her. Without her he'd have remained the obnoxious little gnat that was smart but used his intelligence *wrong.*
They've both done amazing things, but she was always ahead of him. My take. :)
Very well said and explained by both of you gentlemen😊👌
David Hewlett is a MFen brilliant actor.
McKay in SG1 was borderline psychotic, near murderous nutbar. Totally slimy, disgusting, thoroughly hateable evil genius.
In Andromeda, he made in microscopic change in his character that turned him into a kind of sympathetic character. The change is large, but I can't tell clearly how he pulled it off, acting-wise. It's probably just me, but to me it makes the acting that much better.
Thanks Dave.
Carter is brilliant but McKay under pressure can't be beat. Dude could've solved cold fusion if he only had 30 seconds to figure it out before they all died haha
Tat episode when McCay went dumb... I cried so much, even the 14th time I watched it.🧡😎☮️
Carter had the ability to lead and take command and stay focused on stressing situations. McKay was smart and knew the systems and were able to come up with crazy solutions, but they were quite solar opposites on the attributes I listed for Carter. I would say McKay was smarter in sense of understanding the physics but very unstable on everything else. Carter was solid all-around. In other sense, Carter was the corner stone while McKay was the wild card. If you had to make decisions Carter was smarter, but if you needed a solution when all hope is lost, McKay was your guy.
I think Rodney is smarter when he is under pressure or threat. Carter is smarter when Rodney isn't being threatened with a lemon, and she tends to have more common sense and is more calm and composed when in a situation.
But in a crisis situation, I would trust Rodney Mckay with my life. Rodney will always come up with a whacky but successful plan that works and you live to see another day. I vote Rodney all the way, hands down.
Rodney was very smart... but Carter was way hotter while being smart. You know...the sexy librarian thing..:D
I can clearly hear Sheppard saying "Rodney". Love their relationship dynamics...total fun.
I think they have different kind of smart.
Carter is analitical, systematic and fundimentalist.
McKay is brilliant and fast and revolutionary in his solutions.
Both have place IMHO
They're probably about the same but mackay seemed to come from pure theory and academia so couldn't translate what he knew into practical solutions. It wasn't until he was exposed to the outcome of his theories that he met folk who didn't blindly accept he was the smartest person.
Put sam in mackays shoes with no military upbringing and she'd have been very similar to him personality wise.
Both great for me. Although I'm somewhat drawn more to 'Sam'. For very obvious reasons 😍
Answering his own questions 101 lmao..
Carter all day, the only reason Carter didn't go to Atleast because Jack wouldn't let her. But once SG-1 was basically done and other than the Lucian Alliance, Milky Way was safe, Carter was aloud to branch to Atlantis, which she did not just go as the Scientist, she became McKays boss, even though McKay thought he was going to be the boss. McKay is definitely 2nd, but would have thought he would have learned to fight, or shoot or not to freak out in a dangerous situation. Which I guess he should pull a Daniel, get in shape and learn more than his job. Eli was doing the same for Universe
McKay was, but you could throw him off his game easier than Carter.. Like just saying" Your first name is Meredith? Really?" This is where Carter could dial it in ,and not run away from a situation gone bad. Verbal or physically.
Pushed each other, like the Chris Everett/Martina Navratillova kept to the top years beyond when they would have been done if the other wasn't competing.
Would love for David to play the Master.
Rodney was the more technically brilliant - capable of higher level thinking and abstraction than Carter. But I also think Carter gets more raw science done because she's NEARLY as brilliant, but ten times as able to communicate and work with others. McCay would be lost without people like her, Radek, and his sister to make what he processes into useful knowledge.
Ah, it's the difference between knowledge and wisdom, isn't it?
McKay had superior knowledge in very specific areas, but Carter had superior wisdom in a more generalised way.
(Alan Moore wrote a comic called "Big Numbers" once, and there was the idea in that of some people being obsessed with "big numbers" - the big picture, the overall structure, how things fit together - and some people being obsessed with "small numbers" - the minutiae, the fine details, grokking this one thing down to its most elementary level - and, in the context, McKay is "small numbers" and Carter is "big numbers". They're actually quite comparable in intelligence, but they think in quite different ways, so it manifests differently. But the generalist - Carter - would, indeed, get the most attention just because they're the one who can stitch it all together for the stupid people in the room.)
Oh no. This will be spicy
I'd have to go with Sam on this one. Give either of them a lab and sufficient time and they will give you an answer to the Nth degree. But Sam is in the field. Generally under some time restraint working in unfamiliar and under equipped conditions. She has to make estimates and round the numbers where applicable which requires some intuition that McKay just doesn't have. He can be prodded into that direction but rarely goes there on his own. Sam lives there. If the quality you're measuring is "smartness" then Sam is way ahead.
Funny in the rnd, Zelenka made arguably one of the most if not the most important tech to work, Atlantis's wormhole drive.
Last Episode...Hurried script??
The real Q is how the hell Carter McKay duo does not figure out how to use the Hammond to catch up with Destiny....
McKay has more knowledge and data in his head, but I would ask Carter to make the decision on what to do with that information.
Their IQ is very similar but Charter is actually wise while Mckay is terribly foolish on a consistent basis.
Why did David remind me of Mr. Dress Up?
But to answer the question: All round character - Carter. Pure smarts - McKay
Jeannie Miller > Samantha Carter > Rodney McKay
I disagree with a lot of comments here - I think the show heavily implied Carter is smarter. That's why McKay is so threatened by her.
But as some others posted, I think McKay's sister topped them both and was only playing catch-up because she chose her family over career.
That all being said, the show also makes clear that if they were in the public sector all would probably be Nobel laureates and at that level there probably isn't much difference.
I like your take on this. :)
Personally I think Daniel Jackson beats both of them. He's smarter and wiser.
Who is Smarter, McKay or Carter? - Do you guys realise that it rhymes?!
We do!
Carter. Smarter and sexier. No doubt.
She certainly had the girl nextdoor vibe.
I'd say McKay applied his smarts better technically and Carter accomplished more mathematically and theoretically. Remember when Carter crunched the numbers to reverse time so as to save the team when about to be destroyed by the Ori beam weapon? Took her 50 years, but could have McKay have ever done it? Hummm.... By the way, David (Read), get those new digs done, that hotel room looks depressing!
Mckay was more intelligent by a small margin but carter was WAY smarter (edit)ooh that rhymed
David Hewlett - 240p Club! You need a camera brah? lol
I would rate them equal with strengths in different areas.
Meredith had it right with his analogy of why he came to science from music. He's the cold intellectual, Carter is the Artist.
IMO you need the Artists to expand the borders of knowledge, the Dreamers, but you need the cold intellectuals to improve upon that and make it work better.
Rodney was far more entertaining as he tried to solve problems under pressure.
Michael was the closest thing we'd get to an evil McKay. Guy was a genius and decent mashup of evil Rodney and evil Sheppard.
Haha! Evil McKay :-) I love Rodney McKay (and really really like David Hewlett!)
But in "McKay and Mrs. Miller" episode the "alternate universe" McKay seemed to be "the good" one :-) so in that essence "our" McKay was the more "evil" one :-)
I guess "our" McKay was the balanced one and the alternate universe one was the "not as smart, but more social" one and there could be one that was truly pure evil.
It would have been a fun episode for sure!
McKay had way better character development. He really grew a lot...
What a Great Show
Mr. Read, first off, I agree with your analysis, McKay was a data guy and Carter was a more well rounded person, but if you were to boil it down to pure IQ points, I'd give it to Sam every time. McKay is a close second, but Carter takes it. On a semi-related subject: you recently did a vlog on your Stargate merch in the background. What I want to know is where did you get that exquisite Enterprise model and is it the ST:TMP refit or the 1701-A registry? I drool over that thing every video.
Thank you for your thoughts!
A friend of mine custom built the electronics and Aztec decals for me from a Polar Lights base kit. The registry is 1701. No bloody A, B, C or D.
Love the pull from our late, missed, beloved resident Miracle Worker on the holodeck bridge reproduction of Scotty's original TOS Enterprise from TNG's Relics episode. Thanks for the response, greatly appreciated, even if it dashes my hopes of obtaining such an amazing model. I made models of the A and D when I was a kid, but 3 plus decades and many moves later, they eventually fell apart. Never did have the patience to replicate the Aztec design and I did mine pre-interwebs, so the stencils and guide videos were nearly non-existent and the few that were around were out of my budget as a young hobbyist. The refit/A design, for my money, is the most beautiful spaceship in all of sci-fi-dom, followed closely by the Han's version of the Falcon, with or without radar dish, lol. Thanks again bro!!!
They dumbed down carter in season 4 with no good explanation, if she could have asked McKay less stupid questions it would at least have been passable that her new role as leader was more important than science stuff.
Rod "Ace Rimmer" McKay?
McKay is good when your in a close to death scenarios, sam is a all rounder just that guns get her out of the problems she can't solve
An Evil McKay. Now I want to see that. And if you made the Evil McKay a little less arrogant then he be more dangerous. And it would force the "Good" McKay to learn to face his own arrogates which causes him problems. And if the Evil McKay was also learned how to work with other people to pull their knowledge, he be even more dangerous. (Giving some of the traits the Good McKay should have to the bad guy to help the Good McKay grow a little by facing his only short comings)
What we need is a team up with an Evil McKay and a Evil Carter, who are married. they both could had study the technology of an evil Atlantis and evil Asgards (after they betray them and killed them all). And then we can meet the good Replicators and Good Wraith (who uses their abilities to heal and not take life, after they invented tech that allows them to convert raw energy into their life force) that helps the Good McKay defeat the Evil McKay an Evil Carter.
(Also, the Good Wraith can share their Life Force Tech with the the Bad Wraith so they don't have to feed on people. And maybe in the end a few ZPMs are left behind.)
Also, other ideas.
McKay's sister definitely needs to be a main part of this hypothetical movie. And the evil sister and Evil McKay should work nicely with each other, respecting each other, to motivates the good sister and Good McKay in learning to work together. But only towards the end, we need funny bother-sister moments between those two.
Also, bring back Tod. We need that Wraith, even if he is from the other universe.
Carter is a better scientist and a better leader. If carter did not have to deal with the administrative work but only deal with the science and had the same access to the ancient technology, she would have figured out far more new tech.
Things get crazy or chaotic when you add Eli & Dr. Rush into the mix haha! had his issue of arrogance and Eli had his of life experience and regular experience which was made up by him of being an extremely quick learner.
I so agree more Kate would have been great. Loved this chat thank you .
The smartest brain is Rodney for the left brain and Sam for the right. 🤓
P. S. Sheppard was really smart, too, but he masked his intelligence.
Re Sheppard: Same with O’Neill. The character masked his but it showed itself every now and then. I wonder if it was a defence mechanism of sorts…deliberately cause people to chronically underestimate.
McKay was smarter in some respects but Carter was more well rounded and skilled.
Who is smarter, McKay or Carter? McKay's Sister Jeanie.(McKay) Miller.
Carter destroyed a sun whilst McKay destroyed a solar system.
which one of the two came the closest to becoming a being of pure energy and light?
The Replicators didn’t make a copy of Rodney.
@@rcschmidt668
ohhh! shots fired!
how about, Rodney was too complicated for them to replicate?
@@eyallev LOL
McKay was Canadian need I say more? Even in the script Carter was smarter!
Mckay created the wormhole drive. This allowed Atlantis to travel instantaneously from one galaxy to another. Nuff said.
Carter is definitely a Mary Sue. She is perfect in every way. She is expert at everything, and does not have to work at it. She can beat life long warriors in a fight, and do quantum mechanics better than people who work at it all day. Everyone likes her. Everyone is in love with her. She s not really a character, but a characterization. So Carter is smarter in the show, because she is the best at everything.
But, we all know in real life McCay would be because he works at it. You just do suddenly get an inspiration for high science, you work at it. Also, if she was smarter, you would not risk her.
I agree with the differentiation of McKay and Carter. Dr. Rush.