Should Barbara have the ability to walk?

[Catwoman101]

Some of you like the idea that Barbara is in a wheelchair. I like the whole wheelchair thing too but.....

I had heard in an interview where Dine mentioned that she (her character) will be inventing something that will help her walk. Won't this defeat the whole purpose of being paralized and stuck in the chair?

I was just wondering what you guys thought about this idea.

[LilahMorgan]

I'm thinking what Dina meant was possibly something temporary. I do not think at all that Barbara will be walking around for the entire show. I think she does it merely as a means to an end in the Lady Shiva episode. I could be wrong, though.

But, I want her to stay in the chair.

[artemis836]

I think part of her appeal is her disability. Its not like she needs to walk for she kicked major a$$ in ep. 4 anyway.

By the way, that was my favorite fight so far, when Barbara flicked the knife out of the guys hand, threw it at him and then started flinging things. It was great!

[Lance]

Hmm. Should Barbara have the ability to walk? Short answer: absolutely NOT!
Long answer: Oracle exists because Barbara can't walk. Oracle is the niche Barbara created for herself as a result of her paralysis. To allow Barbara to walk again would render Oracle superfluous if not moot. Simply, Oracle with working legs would not be Oracle! Artemis is right in stating that the wheelchair is part of the appeal of the Barbara/Oracle character. Think about it: undoing the very reason for Oracle to exist at all would be tantamount to killing the character.
In that vein, if Barbara comes up with technology that would allow her to get out of her chair it should be only long enough for her to discover that it won't work, that she can't be Batgirl again. I believe she's emotionally beyond Batgirl and she's moved on, however reluctantly.
I have tried to accept this television series for what it is, not as a continuation or extension of the comics. It is its own entity and should be taken as such, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is also my opinion that to render Oracle 'surplus' would be to destroy the concept of the series.
Regulars here can tell from this post and others I have filed that I feel very strongly about this question --- strrongly enough to suggest that if the producers of BoP don't want to deal with Barbara as she is, someone else should find a way to do the character justice. That borders on heresy, I know, but this character is too good to waste!
(Whew!) Okay. I'll be fine...really ....

[Catwoman101]

Originally posted by Lance
Hmm. Should Barbara have the ability to walk? Short answer: absolutely NOT!
Long answer: Oracle exists because Barbara can't walk. Oracle is the niche Barbara created for herself as a result of her paralysis. To allow Barbara to walk again would render Oracle superfluous if not moot. Simply, Oracle with working legs would not be Oracle! Artemis is right in stating that the wheelchair is part of the appeal of the Barbara/Oracle character. Think about it: undoing the very reason for Oracle to exist at all would be tantamount to killing the character.
In that vein, if Barbara comes up with technology that would allow her to get out of her chair it should be only long enough for her to discover that it won't work, that she can't be Batgirl again. I believe she's emotionally beyond Batgirl and she's moved on, however reluctantly.
I have tried to accept this television series for what it is, not as a continuation or extension of the comics. It is its own entity and should be taken as such, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is also my opinion that to render Oracle 'surplus' would be to destroy the concept of the series.
Regulars here can tell from this post and others I have filed that I feel very strongly about this question --- strrongly enough to suggest that if the producers of BoP don't want to deal with Barbara as she is, someone else should find a way to do the character justice. That borders on heresy, I know, but this character is too good to waste!
(Whew!) Okay. I'll be fine...really ....

Amen!

[Lance]

Thanks for the back-up. Ever feel like you're whistling in the wind?

[William]

NO ! Really NO !

If she can walk, she'll become Batgirl again, wouldn't she ?

No is my final answer.

[Helena Kyle]

Ok, here is my take on it. Although it has been indicated that a device will be developed we don't know if it will actually work. Also, I have heard Barbara is the kind of person who refuses this kind of aid, though surely if one of the others was in danger she would have to try and do something to save them? Lady Shiva is no ordinary oponent and has only ever been defeated by Batgirl from what I've been told. What chance would Dinah or Helena have up against her?

[Lance]

Well, okay, if it's a temporary, one-shot thing. And from a continuity standpoint, it makes sense.

William, where did you find the photo under your screen name? I've never seen that one anywhere ...

[BoPRobinII]

Long-term: Noooooooooo! As has already been said, making Barbara able to walk again long-term will destroy the whole basis of who and what Oracle is.

Short-term: I'm all for a short-term return to mobility for our favorite red-headed crimefighter. By short-term, I mean no more than 5 episodes max.