The Caldwell Manifesto
Sep. 13th, 2006 06:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusThe Caldwell Manifesto
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auburnnothenna suggested I post my comments on Caldwell, which she nicknamed the "Caldwell Manifesto." Okay, so I have a lot to say about Caldwell. I like the guy.
This came out of some conversations with reviewers of Necromancy For The Living who mentioned that the story presented a positive and complex spin on Caldwell. I understand he's usually cast in the bad guy role in fic, or at least that's what I'm told. I don't know, I've read relatively little Caldwell fic. Most of my perspective of Caldwell come from episodes like "No Man's Land," "Misbegotten," and "Critical Mass," though I have also been influenced by JiM's Retromancy.
The rest is my attempt to fill in the blanks on a very American military commander whose words are tough, who's clearly hard-headed if honest, who displays curious vulnerabilities alongside his autocratic arrogance.
The Ordinary American Guy.
It helps that Caldwell's behavior is typical of a certain kind of American guy. His accent is midwestern. His tendency to stand with his legs braced indicates someone who's done a solid amount of physical labor. His body language, the open stance, way he leans on an elbow, slouches in a chair, all say "middle class America." This is the kind of guy who needed to join the military to go to college. (Lorne, by the way, is cut from the same cloth, though his accent is classic New Jersey and he grew up in a slightly more affluent time. Sheppard's practiced leaning can't quite disguise the fact that he has a bit more polish than average, possibly picked from travelling with a military family, though my guess is whoever his dad was, John Sheppard never lacked for anything. Oh, and John exudes California.)
The Caldwell in my mind is a very average middle class guy who's had to work hard to get where he is, and carries a bit of bitterness towards those who have it easy. I noticed that after he was Goa'ulded (is that a verb?), once he wasn't immediately rejected by the Atlantis crew, the rather sheepish and humbled Caldwell worked to earn their trust again. That's someone who is used to earning his way.
The Caldwells at 1552 Maple Street.
In terms of his body language, the way he stands on the show is rather confident (more confident than Sheppard), comfortable in his skin, which I associate with someone who has strong family roots. Given his age, he probably a stay-at-home mom in a typical white picket fence community.
He has the construction worker stance, so his father was probably a carpenter or some other sort of tradesman.
Caldwell very obviously does not expect people to be warm or caring, so I suspect that his parents probably loved him, and hated each other; the all-too-common facade of the "loving family." Somewhere Caldwell got the idea that most things are a false front, and his cynical sense of irony is bone-deep. Sheppard is disillusioned, but I don't think Caldwell ever had any illusions. And he seems bound and determined to not be fake, even if it costs him. That's how I add it up anyway.
Ambition vs. Being Phony
His lack of surprise yet distaste for anything phony shows in his interactions with Wolsey in "Misbegotten." He says "this isn't my first Barbeque" if I have that line right, but his interactions with others are always forthright, almost too much so. He's ambitious and he knows better, knows what will get him ahead, and chooses not to play political games. Although he's not above petty stuff (re-writing John's work when he's incapacitated).
Caldwell says unpopular things without apologizing or softening them ("It doesn't matter if Hermiod doesn't like it, he's given us a go" and "we can't commit the Daedalus to go after one man"), like it's a point of honor to state bluntly the bad news. He expects people to be tough enough to take it.
Under Caldwell's Turtle Shell.
Yet Caldwell has a soft underbelly. When Elizabeth orders him into battle to die in "No Man's Land" he can't take the same sort of bad news that he himself would dish out very harshly.
That's when I decided I liked him. He wasn't as tough as he acted.
Self-protective Pride.
I see him as hard on himself, as someone who ruthlessly examines his own motives. He's over-sensitive, his pride is easily pricked, so he's developed a tough outer shell of arrogance. When someone criticizes him, his first reaction is cold anger. But he can't help but take it to heart and examine if it's true, damn it, hating the person for pointing it out.
He spent most of his childhood feeling superior to his parents (seeing through their bullshit), feeling superior to the people who had laurels heaped on them easily (favoritism, silver spoons in their mouths, luck, inability to work for it), all as a defense against hurt. But he doesn't see other people very clearly and tends to make assumptions. It's apparent someone (a tough father?) was hyper-critical and demanding for Caldwell to repeat that pattern, yet still be so vulnerable.
Fear of Failure resulting in Overwork.
Deep down, Caldwell thinks of himself as a fuck-up or potential fuck-up, and tries very, very hard to always be on the ball. The way he hung his head and slunk around Atlantis after "Critical Mass"... even though being a Goa'uld host wasn't his fault... he took it hard.
Caldwell, because that protective pride is such a thin shell, has an exaggerated sense of guilt then when he screws up. Along with that tendency to be over-responsible and probably a work-a-holic. His sense of his own importance can be a bit magnified, and it goes both ways.
Steady Leader for the Average Soldier.
Caldwell's pride, oddly, has made him patient and kind to people who screw up. That's part of why he expected to earn back trust after being the one who almost blew up Atlantis; people expect of others what they themselves would do. So Caldwell's talented at bringing out the best in soldiers who are just average. You can hear the patience in his voice, that steady tone that calms unsteady men. It makes for a valuable commander. When people screw-up around him, he rubs his forehead, but he's amused and feels a strange kinship. He likes Sheppard better when he blows it. (I can practically see him smirking in "Misbegotten" when Sheppard forgets to de-cloak the jumper.)
The Engineer making things Right.
His degree is probably in engineering because he's one who likes to fix things, to make things right. Uh. Well. His version of right. That provincial "Leave It To Beaver" middle class view will always be part of him. One reason Atlantis is lucky to have Sheppard as the commander.
His many flaws aside, Caldwell is a good soldier and a good man. And he probably makes a mean barbeque. ;)
auburnnothenna suggested I post my comments on Caldwell, which she nicknamed the "Caldwell Manifesto." Okay, so I have a lot to say about Caldwell. I like the guy.This came out of some conversations with reviewers of Necromancy For The Living who mentioned that the story presented a positive and complex spin on Caldwell. I understand he's usually cast in the bad guy role in fic, or at least that's what I'm told. I don't know, I've read relatively little Caldwell fic. Most of my perspective of Caldwell come from episodes like "No Man's Land," "Misbegotten," and "Critical Mass," though I have also been influenced by JiM's Retromancy.
The rest is my attempt to fill in the blanks on a very American military commander whose words are tough, who's clearly hard-headed if honest, who displays curious vulnerabilities alongside his autocratic arrogance.
The Ordinary American Guy.
It helps that Caldwell's behavior is typical of a certain kind of American guy. His accent is midwestern. His tendency to stand with his legs braced indicates someone who's done a solid amount of physical labor. His body language, the open stance, way he leans on an elbow, slouches in a chair, all say "middle class America." This is the kind of guy who needed to join the military to go to college. (Lorne, by the way, is cut from the same cloth, though his accent is classic New Jersey and he grew up in a slightly more affluent time. Sheppard's practiced leaning can't quite disguise the fact that he has a bit more polish than average, possibly picked from travelling with a military family, though my guess is whoever his dad was, John Sheppard never lacked for anything. Oh, and John exudes California.)
The Caldwell in my mind is a very average middle class guy who's had to work hard to get where he is, and carries a bit of bitterness towards those who have it easy. I noticed that after he was Goa'ulded (is that a verb?), once he wasn't immediately rejected by the Atlantis crew, the rather sheepish and humbled Caldwell worked to earn their trust again. That's someone who is used to earning his way.
The Caldwells at 1552 Maple Street.
In terms of his body language, the way he stands on the show is rather confident (more confident than Sheppard), comfortable in his skin, which I associate with someone who has strong family roots. Given his age, he probably a stay-at-home mom in a typical white picket fence community.
He has the construction worker stance, so his father was probably a carpenter or some other sort of tradesman.
Caldwell very obviously does not expect people to be warm or caring, so I suspect that his parents probably loved him, and hated each other; the all-too-common facade of the "loving family." Somewhere Caldwell got the idea that most things are a false front, and his cynical sense of irony is bone-deep. Sheppard is disillusioned, but I don't think Caldwell ever had any illusions. And he seems bound and determined to not be fake, even if it costs him. That's how I add it up anyway.
Ambition vs. Being Phony
His lack of surprise yet distaste for anything phony shows in his interactions with Wolsey in "Misbegotten." He says "this isn't my first Barbeque" if I have that line right, but his interactions with others are always forthright, almost too much so. He's ambitious and he knows better, knows what will get him ahead, and chooses not to play political games. Although he's not above petty stuff (re-writing John's work when he's incapacitated).
Caldwell says unpopular things without apologizing or softening them ("It doesn't matter if Hermiod doesn't like it, he's given us a go" and "we can't commit the Daedalus to go after one man"), like it's a point of honor to state bluntly the bad news. He expects people to be tough enough to take it.
Under Caldwell's Turtle Shell.
Yet Caldwell has a soft underbelly. When Elizabeth orders him into battle to die in "No Man's Land" he can't take the same sort of bad news that he himself would dish out very harshly.
That's when I decided I liked him. He wasn't as tough as he acted.
Self-protective Pride.
I see him as hard on himself, as someone who ruthlessly examines his own motives. He's over-sensitive, his pride is easily pricked, so he's developed a tough outer shell of arrogance. When someone criticizes him, his first reaction is cold anger. But he can't help but take it to heart and examine if it's true, damn it, hating the person for pointing it out.
He spent most of his childhood feeling superior to his parents (seeing through their bullshit), feeling superior to the people who had laurels heaped on them easily (favoritism, silver spoons in their mouths, luck, inability to work for it), all as a defense against hurt. But he doesn't see other people very clearly and tends to make assumptions. It's apparent someone (a tough father?) was hyper-critical and demanding for Caldwell to repeat that pattern, yet still be so vulnerable.
Fear of Failure resulting in Overwork.
Deep down, Caldwell thinks of himself as a fuck-up or potential fuck-up, and tries very, very hard to always be on the ball. The way he hung his head and slunk around Atlantis after "Critical Mass"... even though being a Goa'uld host wasn't his fault... he took it hard.
Caldwell, because that protective pride is such a thin shell, has an exaggerated sense of guilt then when he screws up. Along with that tendency to be over-responsible and probably a work-a-holic. His sense of his own importance can be a bit magnified, and it goes both ways.
Steady Leader for the Average Soldier.
Caldwell's pride, oddly, has made him patient and kind to people who screw up. That's part of why he expected to earn back trust after being the one who almost blew up Atlantis; people expect of others what they themselves would do. So Caldwell's talented at bringing out the best in soldiers who are just average. You can hear the patience in his voice, that steady tone that calms unsteady men. It makes for a valuable commander. When people screw-up around him, he rubs his forehead, but he's amused and feels a strange kinship. He likes Sheppard better when he blows it. (I can practically see him smirking in "Misbegotten" when Sheppard forgets to de-cloak the jumper.)
The Engineer making things Right.
His degree is probably in engineering because he's one who likes to fix things, to make things right. Uh. Well. His version of right. That provincial "Leave It To Beaver" middle class view will always be part of him. One reason Atlantis is lucky to have Sheppard as the commander.
His many flaws aside, Caldwell is a good soldier and a good man. And he probably makes a mean barbeque. ;)
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 05:32 am (UTC)Erm, not sure I have much to add to that actually apart from the fact that I loved Retromancy a great deal. One of those rare stories that stick in my head.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:37 pm (UTC)Yes, exactly. So typical of that particular kind of guy who's out to "do right" and who's led a very physical life.
Retromancy's just brilliant and the observations on Caldwell ring true, right down to the divorce and the accusations of being a control freak with delusions of adequacy. Ouch. And then he believes it.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 06:35 am (UTC)And Retromancy is one of those stories you reread, because there's so much there, great characterization of Caldwell, Sheppard, and McKay. And I say that even though I want to clap my hands over my eyes and wail no, no, no, not that pairing.
What the hell, I'll add a couple thoughts. Caldwell exudes suburbia. He didn't have any relatives who were in the military as a career, but possibly his father served. I want to say Korea, but I'm not sure the time frame works, because it's the forgotten conflict.
He's a little old-fashioned. He thinks (unconsciously) that there is a right way and America embodies it. He's a little rigid, but he can be kind. He's not homophobic, but he's uncomfortable with the idea and being confronted with it.
He's probably been married and is probably divorced. If he has kids, he's not close to them, though he loves them, he just doesn't get how to 'connect' with them. Gone too much of the time during their childhood, too controlling when he was around.
Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 08:06 pm (UTC)As someone who ended up blended in to a military family (ie. Several members in stepparent's family are career military), Korea is good as is WWII if I'm guessing Caldwell is in his mid to late fifties.
That being said, I'm not sure if there's any official line on what Caldwell's background is but based on my own experience/observation with my family members and knowing quite a few people who belong to the EAA (http://www.eaa.org/) and are military (retired and not), most people in Caldwell's age range AND career Air Force (ie. I assume that Caldwell's education background is in aeronautical/space engineering to end up with command of the Daedalus) tend to be following in the footsteps of a pilot parent.
Doesn't mean that the parent made it a career (aside: Especially if they served just during WWII) but there is a certain amount of...I'm trying to think of the word, living up to an image of sorts that I've witnessed with my own stepfather and his brothers (ie. their father was a WWII bomber pilot) and their cousins (their father was a fighter pilot during WWII and Korea).
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 09:17 pm (UTC)Agreed. I'm betting that his father served WWII but was not career Air Force. I've no doubt he chose the same branch of service as he father. Caldwell just doesn't have the insider air of someone whose family is military, and that "aura of suburbia" is a point well-taken.
Also, he's a bit too provincial for someone who grew up traveling with the military. All the military brats I know have an ease with the new, a way of being distant and at the same time making friends easily. Sheppard acts like a military brat. Caldwell just doesn't give off that vibe.
He's a little too young for Korea, I think. The G.I. bill was changing life for a lot of men his age. College was something that was becoming more and more common. Orphans of WWII vets automatically had scholarships, and for someone who's as ambitious and as smart as Caldwell, if his friends started going to college, I think that would have made him want more out of life.
Icarus
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 09:21 pm (UTC)Icarus
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 09:47 pm (UTC)*snip*
Hmm. He does act like a Korean war vet though, doesn't he?
We're talking about Caldwell himself? Because I'm guessing based on Pileggi's actual age of 54, than Caldwell would be no more than a couple years different. So Vietnam, yes ('57-'75). Korea ('50-'53), far too young.
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 10:08 pm (UTC)Icarus
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-14 10:25 pm (UTC)The only other thing I could conceive is, and this would kind of tweak with your idea of blue collar roots, is that if his father was a pilot during WWII, he likely would have been able to get an Air National Guard posting state side. And I'm basing this not just on W. but several examples in the step family who graduated from high school between '66-'71.
That being said, even if that was a possibility, that doesn't tend to make me believe that he would become career miltary afterwards. Perhaps someone with more military background knowledge could explain it if a college deferment with ROTC would have been possible?
Re: Just jumping in quick...
Date: 2006-09-15 02:11 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:05 pm (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:11 pm (UTC)I was just riffing off what your thoughts sparked.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 02:50 pm (UTC)Please tell me why I read all this Stargate stuff when I don't even watch the show?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 05:12 pm (UTC)Oh, ha! Someone has to work that into a fic.
Please tell me why I read all this Stargate stuff when I don't even watch the show?
Because it's fun? Because no one can resist the word "Manifesto," which sounds like "presto" only with intimations of car bombs?
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:26 pm (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-15 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 07:01 pm (UTC)Oddly, what really captured my eye was this:
John exudes California
Because that is so, so true. says the native
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:31 pm (UTC)I'm charmed by Caldwell's ability to accept and understand screw-ups.
He seems to find them mildly entertaining.
John exudes California
Because that is so, so true. says the native
Living with a California boy, Sheppard is totally SoCal.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 07:11 pm (UTC)Don't get me wrong, I love your analysis, it's very convincing. But the guy onscreen was host to a friggin' mind-controlling snake, and I think it would . . . force him off baseline.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-14 09:03 pm (UTC)I think I said that he felt guilty for what he did as Goa'uld even though it was not his fault nor within his power to prevent. I don't think he was a host for very long. This was a very specific mission for that Goa'uld.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-15 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-15 05:56 pm (UTC)As for Sheppard, hmmm. His manner is complete SoCal, his drawl a little east of there. Nevada?
People move around. I'm from Michigan but I don't sound like it any more, having picked up the softer Wa(R)shington D.C. accent from having lived there ten years. But I still have that Michigan way of speaking very quickly, and talking to strangers as easily as I'd talk to a close friend. (I once met a woman in small east coast town who struck up a conversation with me in a hardware store line. Grinning, I asked her, "are you from Michigan?" Of course she was.)
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-20 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 05:01 am (UTC)Which only makes me more absolutely certain that you're right about Caldwell.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 05:40 am (UTC)