MBTI Type: ISFP

Even though she believes in and supports “her people,” including some of their older traditions, Teyla is open minded enough to accept other cultures without wanting to change them. She is compassionate but believes she (and others) must live according to their inner truths; she tells Ronan that she completely understands his feelings, in his need for his revenge, but “the others may be less open to it.” Once in awhile, she defends people in strong terms, but is usually content to let them make their own decisions. She is unafraid to stand with the team against her own people, when she believes they are in the right; and to leave her former life behind, for a new one. In one episode, Teyla sees her people in isolation and under suspicion; she doesn’t like it, but argues that Weir has to protect her group, is naturally suspicious of outsiders and newcomers, and has every right as a leader to do what she is doing—a detached, logical observation based on trying to get something done. Teyla does take charge when necessary; she helps Jennifer Keller survive in a dangerous environment by going into “action and boss” mode. Since she trusts Rodney’s logic, she can efficiently convey his orders and ideas to others, without forgetting information. Teyla is incredibly physically present in her environment, eager to push her body to its limits through training, and quick to react or engage. She learns new skills easily, and is often the first one in the group to notice anything unusual. She spends her free time honing her battle skills. She shoves people out of the way of impending perils, scales buildings, and sometimes refuses to let John lead the way. The only times she doesn’t engage, or make things happen, is when she’s hurt or so pregnant, she’s afraid a fall might kill herself and the child. Teyla is very eager to encounter new civilizations and experience all they have to offer, even if it’s as simple as shopping on earth with credit cards. Because she is part Wraith, Teyla has a lot of hunches and instincts, such as sensing when Wraith are near, but that isn’t introverted intuition (that falls under the “super powers” that sci-fi characters often get). Rather, her gut about whether or not she can trust people, he belief that her people are free of blame even when suspicion falls on them, and her intention to create a better world and envision ahead a future for her child, are examples of Ni.

Enneagram: 9w1 so/sp

Teyla is incredibly understanding and non-combative. She is highly tolerant of other people and their individual belief systems, gently encouraging others on her team to respect differences of opinion. When Dr. Weir interrogates everyone among her people after continued conflicts with the Wraith, causing them to feel anger toward her, Teyla reminds them she is only protecting their people, and they should be understanding of that. When another woman wants to kill her to avenge her father, whom Teyla had to leave behind on a mission, Teyla tries to talk her out of it, then refuses to do anything more than defend herself. She is often peaceful, calm in intense situations, and spends a fair amount of time alone in meditation, to better connect to her inner self. She has a strong 1 sense of right and wrong, moral behavior, and appropriateness. Teyla will sometimes moralize at other people, especially Rodney, but usually prefers a more hands-off approach.