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[odo]

Is it just me or do other people see a remarkable resemblance between Seamus and Jubal Harshaw?  Not a physical one, of course, but one of attitude, especially with respect to so-called "established authority."  This was brought to mind by panel four of the current (24 May) strip.

[Sio]

Not really.  I'm glad you qualified the physical part, since Jubal is like nearly all of Heinlein's "lawyer types" -- relatively short, and while reputedly a bit portly, his legs and arms were skinny, and he was balding.  Seamus' attitude isn't very Jubal-like either.  Jubal, while irascible and deservedly selfish, was not quite as dangerously self-absorbed as Seamus.  Jubal would never have delayed until the last second to warn someone else in danger just to put on his own pressure suit -- he would have warned Nicole FIRST, then donned his own suit.  If nothing else, Jubal had a soft spot for pretty girls that overrode his own selfishness.

Seamus strikes me as a product of his physical issues and his wide intellect -- he isolates himself, not for the same reasons that Harshaw did, but because he feels ostracized from society.  Harshaw withdrew to his home in the Poconos because he wished to decide when and how he contributed to society, and to do so only on his terms.  He liked to help others, but found that THEY didn't like it when he stuck his nose into their business, so he withdrew.   Seamus, on the other hand, withdrew because he felt bullied, and is very sensitive about his appearance, and seeks his advances in science not to contribute on his terms, but simply for selfish reasons.  He's a selfish man who really doesn't like others very much, and doesn't tend to think of their needs very often.  Harshaw was a selfish man who liked others all too much, who withdrew because they didn't tend to appreciate it when he tried to help, so he forced them to ASK.

[CaspianSK]

Personally, Seamus looks a bit like the 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) and seems to have much of the personality.

[DrTom]

Very much like Tom Baker.  In fact, I kind of thought that his insistence to not be called simply "Dr." was a kind of jab at his similarity to Dr. Who.

[odo]

Sio --

   I found your analysis convincing (at least based on what we know so far -- we don't *know*, for instance, that he delayed notifying Nicole until he had his suit on) and withdraw my comparison.  It was sparked only by Seamus' statement in the last panel about the press conference (a statement that I could hear Jubal making in different circumstances.)

  I can't comment on the Dr. Who references because I've never watched it.

 -- Odo

[Apollo-Soyuz]

...Jubal would never have delayed until the last second to warn someone else in danger just to put on his own pressure suit -- he would have warned Nicole FIRST, then donned his own suit. 

I would guess the number one rule for vacuum emergencies would be to get your own suit on ASAP. If you're halfway through patching meteor holes or running to the com to warn the rest of the ship and you die then you can't help anybody.

Anything that important might be practiced over and over until it becomes almost instinctive.  Like when you walk into a dark room, you don't even think about which way you flick the light switch.

Seamus might have assumed that Nicole was on another floor with Gary until at the very last minute he used unexpected locating ability buried inside that 'plant. (I would expect geolocating someone by their plant would be just about as rude as unexpectedly using the emergency tel channel that they didn't even know existed)

[ BTW, this reminds me of when I was working a crappy job with several annoying bosses. I actually wrote a script that sniffed the airwaves for their bluetooth enabled phones so  could tell when they have arrived and when they left for the evening. The whole thing worked great and I was careful enough to not to brag about my accomplishment. People get so attached to their phones that they seldom forget them in the morning and the phone never leaves the office in the evening without the owner ;-)  ]

[Katalina]

Personally, Seamus looks a bit like the 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) and seems to have much of the personality.

This! I was noticing this yesterday. Although to be honest I don't know which Dr is which, I just think that Seamus reminds me of the one I grew up seeing. [poofy straggly hair and facial expressions]

[AzureLupine]

Ya, I agree (He does seem to act like Tom Baker's character, but in my mind I hear John Noble (aka Walter Bishop, Fringe)

[Sio]

I pointed out his resemblance to Tom Baker's 4th Doctor long ago.  It sparked a spate of "failed regeneration" jokes.

[spudit]

Is true, I done seen it happen.

[Scott]

Interesting interpretation of Seamus -- not too far off the mark, but not quite dead on.

Seamus' obesity is not something he's put up with his whole life -- it's a recent development due to a botched rejuvenation. He's used to being 25 cm shorter and 100 kilos lighter, and this situation is immensely aggravating to him. There will be more discussion about this a bit later in the strip.

Seamus didn't warn Nicole until the last minute because he simply forgot about her. He's used to traveling and working alone, not having a companion. He's also fairly paranoid, but he comes by that honestly. This will also be discussed a bit later in the strip.

[Loonienas]

I had to register just to post this, but is that the 11th Doctor I spy down at the bottom right hand corner of strip 117? Let's see: Fez - check, Bow Tie -check, hilarious chin - check, outfit that would not look out of place in the early 21st century, but does not at all fit in in the current strip time - check. 

[Sio]

I had to register just to post this, but is that the 11th Doctor I spy down at the bottom right hand corner of strip 117? Let's see: Fez - check, Bow Tie -check, hilarious chin - check, outfit that would not look out of place in the early 21st century, but does not at all fit in in the current strip time - check. 

Certainly does look like him.  It's not unreasonable, I guess...in "The Impossible Astronaut", he ran around all over, making a spectacle of himself in little cameos in history, like Laurel & Hardy movies, the Tower of London, etc.  Who's to say he didn't do the same in the future, to show off for his future friends? 

[Scott]

Bow-ties are cool. 

[zibodiz]

I'm not so sure about the Dr. in #117, but Abdi Noor is TOTALLY Teal'c.  I mean, totally.