Daniel Jackson Discussion and Appreciation

[GateGipsy]

I don't know! I watched them all on video from the states, and I've missed the last two weeks. Maybe the reason this thread has been so quiet is that it was the one from Jack's perspective running the base. That was a really good ep, but a tad Daniel-lite!

[LMichelle]

Well here in the States Avatar was shown last week. Arm porn!

This week is Affinity. The syndicated ep was Revisions, I think. The 6pm ep yesterday was Point of View. Stargate Monday was 48 hours, Summit, Last Stand, and Fail Safe. Four hours of continuous Daniel!

Lisa Michelle *runs to hide from UK viewers who don't have Stargate Mondays*

[Madeleine]

There are some scary mods in this place, and they'll stomp on us!

Slander! Say anything like that again and I'll wallop you

~~

I love Beast of Burden. I love how Daniel goes in as an angel of mercy and with nothing but benevolent intentions gets everything wrong. He lies, then he's forced to surrender all claim to the moral high ground when the little boy comes to castigate him, then he has to face the possibility that he might be the cause of people's deaths. I think it's to Stargate's credit that SG-1 *don't* always succeed in their endeavours.

At the time I didn't like how despondant (-ent?) he seemed. It just didn't feel right for a character who had always been so enthusiastic and positive. I was worried that he'd end up jaded, cos that would have been ever so depressing. With hindsight though it was probably a good thing, cos it meant that Meridian made more sense than if it had come in late s4.

What changed BoB from a depressing ep to a great one was the ending, where Daniel finds a typically simple alternative for the rebel Unas; and we see that his courage, constancy and essential decency have made enough of an impressin on Chaka and the others for it to be taken seriously as a course of action, even though it would appear a less effective battle tactic.

[Scarym1]

Okay, this thread's on page 2. We're not appreciating Daniel enough. Well, I'm sure we are in private, but we need to be writing are thoughts down here.

We appreciate his eyes. His arms. Anyone else want to jump in here?

Lisa Michelle

I really love his face. His face is just so expressive. His amazing blue eyes, those sexy lips and eyebrows. I even love his hair (anything after S2).

[LMichelle]

Yep. Short Hair Daniel is so hot.

Short Hair Post-Season 4 Buffed Up Daniel is even hotter.


Lisa Michelle

[Daniel's_twin]

Nah. My family likes him with his long hair.

[blingaway]

I like the longer hair of the earlier seasons too. He seemed more innocent then, and the dirty old woman in me thinks evil thoughts about the corruption of innocence. Too bad Sha're got to him first.

[GateGipsy]

OK guys we've got the thunk thread for a lot of this (there are beanbags in there, chocolate archealogists, and the cloning machine!)

Getting back to the topic of discussion, I agree that in looking back over season five I did feel there was a natural progression that made Meridian seem to make perfect sense - it was the salvation that Daniel needed.

If he hadn't ascended, do you think he would have gone completely darkside? Or that we'd have seen a diminishing of the Daniel we knew till there was nothing left - no moral voice at all?

[Madeleine]

If that direction had continued, I think the moral voice would still have been there, but with a pessimism and sense of defeat that would have been galling to see in him. I can't see him going darkside as in evil, but I can see him becoming so cynical that he'd turn in on himself and divorce his feelings and passion from the rest of the universe.

[GateGipsy]

oh that's such a sad picture. I imagine him becoming bitter, and alone, that way

He seems so much lighter of soul in Season 7, but with an aura of sadness. Which is understandable. I wonder how he felt about S8 spoiler

Spoiler:

Anubis taking control of him in the S8 ep, the name of which I forget! Given what happened with Abydos.

[LMichelle]

The innocence of Abydonian Daniel is gone, but I don't believe he's cynical and pessimistic. He has a right to be depressed, though. Look what's happened in his life.


Lisa Michelle

[DJFavorite]

If that direction had continued, I think the moral voice would still have been there, but with a pessimism and sense of defeat that would have been galling to see in him. I can't see him going darkside as in evil, but I can see him becoming so cynical that he'd turn in on himself and divorce his feelings and passion from the rest of the universe.

After reading what you wrote, I got to thinking about the episode Orpheus. At the end of the episode, Daniel is talking to Teal'c. He says he finally has this feeling of belonging. I think that something happened while he was ascended, other than not being able to help, that made him feel that wasn't the right place for him and he no longer cared if he broke the rules.

I think if he didn't go through that experience, he might not have felt he belonged. I think after all the other experiences he's endured, he would have still been the moral voice, but would have been just a shell of what he was before.

[Daniel's_twin]

That would have been awful. One of the reasons he's tied with Jack for my favorite character is because of his moral center. To see him as a mere shell, I don't know if I would have been able to take it.

(spoilers in next few spaces)


Edited to say: Spoilers for S7, Lost City

Spoiler:

I think he's also really regretting what happened to Abydos. Ultimately, it paid off. But at the cost of countless lives of the residents of Abydos. It was so sad seeing them go. I think the reason they gave him that part in "lockdown" where he was the only one who knew that it was Anubis and not something else was because there was something rather personal between him and Anubis. Probably because of that encounter on his mothership, maybe because he took Osiris/Sara in his service. Either way, Daniel seems to like to make personal enemies out of the Goa'uld. Look at his track record. Ra: Ra really hated him because he thought Daniel was posing as him. Apophis: Ok, he's more personal to Teal'c, byt Daniel's also very personal with him because of Sha're. Yu: Ok, not a real personal enemy, but Yu was ready to kill him with his bare hands at the end of "Last Stand". Anubis: Daniel should definitely be the one to have the final crack at this guy to make up for the Abydos mistake.

[Dana_Jeanne]

The episode you can't remember was "Lockdown," and without giving anything away, I have to say that a lot of potentional was lost by not following up on just how Daniel WOULD feel about THAT! Rather the same as the lost potentional in "Zero Hour" regarding Jack and Ba'al and what happened in Abyss.

Hopefully the 'lack' will show up resolved by fanfiction!!

Dana Jeanne

[GateGipsy]

thank goodness for fan fiction! I wish they could do a sort of 'director's' cut of episodes, like they do for movies. That way the stuff they take out to make it fit the time slot could be put back in for the DVDs, and maybe even film a little bit extra...