New SG-1 topic to discuss
16 May 2014 10:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennickelsYes, I'm on a roll with random SG-1 back story questions/topics.
So, over the years I've made a spreadsheet chart of all the characters' ages and whatnot so I can keep track of things. I even add in original characters (if their ages are important) and notes about different aspects of the plot. It's big mess but it works. At one point I was working on a story about Jack when he was teen and that got me thinking about his early military career.
What's the consensus on that? Or is there one?
Based on numerous fan sites one of his ribbons is for service in Vietnam. Being born in 1952 (as the sites say) that would have put him way on the tail end of the war at 18-19 years old so he couldn't have gone to the Academy. In fact, Jack would have had to enlist.
Based on the birthdate of October 20, 1952, Jack would have been eligible for the draft in 1971 and his draft number would have been 331 which was never called. America began pulling out of Vietnam in March of 1973. Yes, I did the research on this.
(also in this research I found out my dad, who enlisted in the Marines when he was 18 never would have been drafted either, his number was never called)
In my head, this is canon. So what happened to him after that? Since you need a degree to become an officer I always assumed he went to college while still on active duty (I'm not sure if that was a thing in the 70s but it is now). Then moved through the ranks, eventually getting a graduate degree, because we all know Jack is a lot smarter than he lets on.
Does all that make sense?
Opposing theories?
So, over the years I've made a spreadsheet chart of all the characters' ages and whatnot so I can keep track of things. I even add in original characters (if their ages are important) and notes about different aspects of the plot. It's big mess but it works. At one point I was working on a story about Jack when he was teen and that got me thinking about his early military career.What's the consensus on that? Or is there one?
Based on numerous fan sites one of his ribbons is for service in Vietnam. Being born in 1952 (as the sites say) that would have put him way on the tail end of the war at 18-19 years old so he couldn't have gone to the Academy. In fact, Jack would have had to enlist.
Based on the birthdate of October 20, 1952, Jack would have been eligible for the draft in 1971 and his draft number would have been 331 which was never called. America began pulling out of Vietnam in March of 1973. Yes, I did the research on this.(also in this research I found out my dad, who enlisted in the Marines when he was 18 never would have been drafted either, his number was never called)
In my head, this is canon. So what happened to him after that? Since you need a degree to become an officer I always assumed he went to college while still on active duty (I'm not sure if that was a thing in the 70s but it is now). Then moved through the ranks, eventually getting a graduate degree, because we all know Jack is a lot smarter than he lets on.
Does all that make sense?
Opposing theories?
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no subject
Date: 16 May 2014 08:15 pm (UTC)That said, I've gone over the transcript, and cannot find a verbal reference. It may have been prop canon. The MGM background that would have been part of the writer's bible for the show mentions that he is an Academy grad. The Vietnam ribbons are also just prop canon. I suspect that this is one of those cases where TPTB were lazy and never reconciled the background that they wanted to give him, including Vietnam experience, an Academy degree, black ops background, time in as a test pilot (also mentioned in his MGM bio, and substantiated by his flying the experimental X-302 in Redemption, which would not have been allowed if he were not experienced) with what is actually possible. They also waffled enough with Jack's age ('52 is prop cannon in Entity, and contradicts when he tells Kynthia that he is 40 during the first season) that it has spun off a huge fandom debate on the subject.
Tl;dr - I think you can chose the way you want to go with this. My head canon is he spent more time and attention on sports than academics in high school and had no particular college ambitions, so her couldn't claim a student deferment and was drafted into Vietnam, chose the Air Force in the hope that he could avoid dying in the jungle somewhere, did something Jackishly heroic that got him an extremely non-standard nomination to the Academy (Maybe he saved the life of a Senator's son, and was offered one favor and used it wisely, because he figured he'd like giving orders better than taking them?) and being an adrenaline junkie, became a test pilot, switching to black ops when Sara begged him to do something, anything other that that!.
Poor Sara. I don't imagine she had it easy even before Charlie died.
I believe I have read that he needs a graduate degree in order to make colonel, and a PhD in order to make General, although I'm betting that there are exceptions made for exceptional needs or exceptional backgrounds that might account for Jack making general, and not being recommended for separation because he had spent too long at the grade of colonel. As a rule the military requires that an officer continues to progress up the ranks, and too long in grade can be grounds for separation. They are periodically reviewed, and their superiors need to recommend them for promotion, retention, or separation.
no subject
Date: 16 May 2014 09:18 pm (UTC)I like your head canon. And the reasoning for him becoming an officer (rather give commands than take them) sounds exactly like Jack, lol.
My dad ended up enlisting because he didn't want to chance getting drafted and not get into the Marines which is what he wanted.
The thing about his age... I always thought of the thing with Kynthia as him just trying to make a point and he didn't really mean he was 40. The idea was so foreign to her it wouldn't have mattered if he said 40 or 45, he just picked an easy round number. At least that's how I justify it.
Okay, because I should be researching and writing a sociology paper I'm instead researching military advancement, lol.
According to about.com all generals have to retire by 62. Or after 5 years of advancing to whatever rank. Or after 30-35 years of service (for O-7 or O-8, it doesn't discuss ranks above that). I find this all interesting to fit into future fics.
Assuming the 1952 birth year for Jack and him enlisting at 18 (1970-71) that would mean in 2010 (which would be the 2nd season of SGU) he would have been 57-58 years old and have served for approximately 40 years (yikes!).
At this point he's a Lt. General. So assuming he has to retire after 5 years of making rank or by the standard 62... he's pretty much done with his career. An interesting little tidbit. According to the site there are only 38 officers at O-9 in the Air Force. Jack would have been part of a very elite group.
Yes, I've thought about this stuff way too much.
As for Sam... she makes full colonel when she takes over Atlantis, right? Which is around 2007.
Which means by 2010 she could be up for promotion by the minimum in-grade requirements (3 years... this is all from the about.com page). In one of my future fics Jack makes it very clear that Sam is on the short list to take over the SGC when Landry retires (because you can only move up to general if someone retires... or dies).
Okay, I better go back to my actual homework, lol.
Oh, yeah, one site I looked at (don't remember which one at the moment) said that a Master's degree isn't a requirement to move up to any rank but it's almost impossible to make Major without one because it's so competitive.
no subject
Date: 16 May 2014 09:54 pm (UTC)Bad Thothmes! 40 lashes with a wet library catalogue card!