Why so much faith in Eli?

[Cold Fuzz]

WARNING sorry for the slighly political bent here..

My mother likened his doing that to how islamic extremists get people to act as suicide bombers while they themselves do nothing.

Very good observation. Rush's actions and rhetoric indicates he deems everyone other than himself as expendable. In fact, I would dare say he views life like this: There are those you wish to use, and those who wish to use you. That's the heart of a Machiavellian philosophy; he's very true to it.

[retiredat44]

.............

Who would you trust? The grumpy ******* who treats everyone like they're not worth his time, or the kid who tries to please people?
I like Rush, but he doesn't win any favours with the crew.

you guys confuse seriousnesses and unsociable.. he sees that most these people are a soap opera and disturbed.. and he's right.. he is working on solutions, and the others are whining, creating problems, and using valuable resources to screw everyone else..

There are a few good people, but they are surrounded by real screwups..

[creed462]

Eli is seen with the potential to become something. Plus he has already proven he is capable in the crisis where other with better backgrounds have faltered.
Rush, while knowledgeable has proven himself shady and manipulative. They see Eli has the ability to be a great assist.

[AutumnDream]

It's hard to trust Rush when he could pull an "Adama" at any minute. (I know the way to Earth trust me here, heh.)

[Replicator Todd]

Eli is Math Boy. That is all that is needed.

[Pharaoh Atem]

It's hard to trust Rush when he could pull an "Adama" at any minute. (I know the way to Earth trust me here, heh.)

after being on the destiny for a month i think it was great he was trying to give people hope

[beafly]

/agree with above

Rush is a liar.

Eli is not.

[Merlin's_Legacy]

I think we can assume Eli is very smart. He even points out to Young that, while he is a college drop-out, he is an MIT drop-out.

And then there's the question of WHY he dropped out... I don't think it was because he was incapable, because he is obviously brilliant. I think he dropped out to take care of his mother when she got sick. That's why she was worried about Eli blaming her for his problems a few episodes back. (I also think his mother is smarter than he gives her credit for and she knew Eli was there, even if she didn't understand how.)

[Cory Holmes]

Very good observation. Rush's actions and rhetoric indicates he deems everyone other than himself as expendable. In fact, I would dare say he views life like this: There are those you wish to use, and those who wish to use you. That's the heart of a Machiavellian philosophy; he's very true to it.

And yet, Eli is the one who put his arm into an active Stargate to (hopefully) override the ship's timelimit. I can't say this enough. He stuck his arm into a Stargate! Due to his direct actions, Scott and Greer made it back with enough lime to allow everyone on the ship to continue breathing.

When has Rush ever done something that selfless?

[Cold Fuzz]

And yet, Eli is the one who put his arm into an active Stargate to (hopefully) override the ship's timelimit. I can't say this enough. He stuck his arm into a Stargate! Due to his direct actions, Scott and Greer made it back with enough lime to allow everyone on the ship to continue breathing.

When has Rush ever done something that selfless?

I doubt that we'll be seeing Rush do anything that noble or selfless anytime soon. I think perhaps his character arc is learning to think and believe in something outside his Machiavellian box and learning to see that people aren't just a means to an end. If he seeks ascension, which is something many people have speculated about considering his comments in "Time," I think that one of the very first things he has to examine is how he views and treats people. I dare say Oma Desala, Moros, Ganos Lal, or any of the other ascended Ancients would certainly rebuke him for his current behavior.

Eli, on the other hand, already has demonstrated much goodness in his heart. I hope being around Rush doesn't damage it.

[garhkal]

Which makes me wonder if there is some way for them to ascned, would rush or eli be first?

[Blackhole]

And yet, Eli is the one who put his arm into an active Stargate to (hopefully) override the ship's timelimit. I can't say this enough. He stuck his arm into a Stargate! Due to his direct actions, Scott and Greer made it back with enough lime to allow everyone on the ship to continue breathing.

When has Rush ever done something that selfless?

Sticking his arm into the event horizon was not only selfless but extremely courageous.

He also saved everyone’s life on the shuttle by rapidly performing extremely complex course calculations that allowed it to catch up with the Destiny.

I think Eli is not just brilliant but a genius. You notice that he is the only person Rush seems to respect. Rush is brilliant and arrogant. He looks down on anyone he doesn’t see as an intellectual equal. Eli is young and hasn’t had much formal schooling but his intellectual capacity is huge. He is a genius with self-esteem issues. Once he gains confidence in his own abilities I think we will see his intellectual contributions increase.

Being stranded on the Destiny has provided Eli with a sense of purpose and meaning that has been sorely lacking for most of his life. He is probably the only person besides Rush who is not unhappy to be there.

[StarFighter]

They are putting their faith in Eli because they have to. Rush is the obvious expert on the ship but they don't trust him. Eli has already proven himself to be better than the other scientists on the ship. Eli is creative and a good problem solver. They want to develop Eli's skills as quickly as they can so they have someone other than Rush to count on.

[Blackhole]

I wonder if Eli ever signed that Military Non-Disclosure Agreement? He was beamed up to the Hammond without his consent before doing so, essentially kidnapped. If he refused to later sign it, I would think the military would have no legal hold over him at all. He wouldn’t be subject to their authority or bound to secrecy about anything he has seen. I realize the point is moot as long as he is on the Destiny. I bring it up to because Eli is fast becoming one of the key players on the Destiny. Down the road he would be immune to any legal pressure the military may threaten him with to try to force his cooperation with an imposed agenda he doesn't support.

[CaramelMonkey]

Because he solveded the problem on teh computer game.