Shen Xiaoyi
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
.png)
Ambassador Shen Xiaoyi is an Chinese member of the International Oversight Advisory.
History
The Chinese government became aware of the Stargate Program when the United States and Russia briefed the other permanent members UN Security Council, shortly before the formal maiden voyage of Prometheus. However, while briefed on the existence of the Stargate, and aware of incidents like the Battle of Antarctica in real time, it was not until the creation of the IOA that China had the opportunity to engage with the Stargate Program directly. At that time, Shen Xiaoyi was already an attaché at the Chinese Embassy, and as a graduate of both the Beijing Foreign Studies University and the London School of Economics and Political Science she was supremely qualified to represent China on the new oversight committee. (SG1: "Disclosure", "The Ties That Bind", "The Scourge"; SGR: "The Arrow")
To add weight to her position, particularly opposite members of the Russian military like Colonel Chekov, or the NID like Richard Woolsey, she was officially appointed the Chinese Ambassador to the International Oversight Advisory, reinforcing her credentials as a diplomat first and foremost. (ATL: "Remnants"; SGR: "The Arrow")
One of Xiaoyi's first direct encounters with the Stargate Command was a routine inspection of the offworld Gamma Site, escorted by SG-1. The situation quickly deteriorated when the R-75 "Prior bugs" breached containment and overran the base. The IOA representatives were evacuated to safety, but only barely. While the IOA — according to Richard Woolsey, at least — had "nothing but praise" for the SGC, the Chinese government was unhappy with the concentration of military technology in the hands of the United States. Xiaoyi was tasked with working behind the scenes to potentially encourage the Russians not to renew the American lease of the Stargate when it lapsed, and to resume their own Stargate Program with the backing of the Chinese. General Hank Landry was able to convince the Russians to continue the existing arrangement — in exchange for the Korolev — which left Xiaoyi and China somewhat abandoned by their prospective partners. (SG1: "The Scourge", "Crusade")
Xiaoyi shifted her focus to the Atlantis Expedition instead, and was an outspoken critic of Elizabeth Weir, particularly in her strategic choices during the Battle of the Void. Perhaps trying to prove herself a better alternative, Xiaoyi chose to accompany new representatives from Template:Canada, India and Japan on a visit to the Beta Site, one that would provide an opportunity to meet with many of the offworld trading partners that had previously been somewhat out of reach on the other side of US military operations. (ATL: "No Man's Land"; SGR: "The Arrow")
Xiaoyi's efforts to undermine the civilian administrator of the Atlantis Expedition ultimately backfired: when Doctor Weir was declared missing after an Asuran attack on Atlantis, command passed to Colonel Samantha Carter, pushing the Expedition even further under US military control. It was not until Colonel Carter was relieved in favour of Richard Woolsey that Xiaoyi was able to begin pushing for leadership of Atlantis herself, but an alien A.I. posing as Luthor Dovelock convinced her that the IOA would favour James Coolidge over her, and so Xiaoyi grudgingly threw her support behind Woolsey's continued leadership. (ATL: "First Strike", "Adrift", "Lifeline", "Reunion", "Remnants")
Behind the Scenes
Shen Xiaoyi is portrayed by Tamlyn Tomita in 2 episodes of Stargate SG-1 and 2 episodes of Stargate Atlantis. She appeared as Commodore Oh in Picard, and in recurring roles in JAG, 24, Eureka, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Teen Wolf and The Man in the High Castle, as well as appearing in Quantum Leap, Heroes, Glee, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and many other roles. She appeared in The Karate Kid Part II as Kumiko, and reprised that role in Cobra Kai.
Despite playing the Chinese representative to the IOA, Tamlyn Tomita is Japanese.
In "Remnants", she is specifically credited as "Chinese Ambassador Shen Xiaoyi", the only time anyone from the IOA has been given a specific diplomatic title. This is somewhat consistent with her background (an attaché at the Chinese embassy), making her stand out among her peers as someone who is actually a diplomat, in contrast to a lawyer/bureaucrat like Woolsey. While that may have been a later development, it is more fun to have that facet in play within SGR's time frame.
Appearances | ||||