Heroes in SGU

[Cold Fuzz]

So a SWAT sniper who takes out a gunman holding hostages in a bank isn't a hero? How can someone act heroically but not be a hero? What other traits do they need to display?

Absolutely they can be heroes and I'll explain why below.

My definition of a Hero is a person that saves lives but doesn't take them.
aka, Firemen and Firewomen.
aka, Paramedics, perhaps chariable oragnizations
They do no harm.

Everyone else merely acts heroicly.
Police, military,etc



True to their word...

I'm afraid I can't agree. There is such a thing as an objective definition of what a hero is. You may not agree with it or even like it, but it exists: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There is also a definition of a hero as a role (like a protagonist) in a storyline. However, that's definitely not what we're talking about here. There are ways to describe the meaning of a word to conform to objective definitions of what a word is. And then there are ways to describe that word that are very different from what the word actually means.

Heroines are, of course, women who display these traits. So firemen (or women), paramedics, and police, military, or anyone else who displays traits of courage is considered a hero. You or others may disagree with that definition or dislike it all you wish but that doesn't change the objective definition of what a hero is and that certain law enforcement officers and military personnel can be and are heroes. Anyone can be a hero if they display true courage and other qualities considered noble, like self-sacrifice--even if the situation requires the taking of a life to protect another. And what is true courage? There is an objective definition for that too: the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief. I've met many heroes in my life--and many more villains too.

Despite what many people believe, courage doesn't mean having no fear. True courage is summoning the strength to do a task even when it is the most frightening thing you've ever done. So even someone like Rodney McKay, a character that I don't particularly like at all, was a hero because he displayed courage. I won't equivocate about McKay: I've never liked his character. Though I don't like the character, I won't try to take away the fact that his actions were heroic and that he himself was a hero on a few occasions. Conversely, McKay acted very much a coward on many occasions as well. A person can be both a hero and a coward, sometimes in the same few seconds.

There is a hero already in SGU--even by your own definition: Sgt. Hunter Riley.

Spoiler:

He may not seem like the heroic "type" but he risked his life to save the ship and crew in "Earth" to fix that coolant leak. To go in there and put your life at risk in that situation requires courage. Since he acted with courage--and great self-sacrifice--he is a hero. His injuries in that incident were substantial.

It looks like TPTB went back on their word that there wouldn't be any heroes on the Destiny.

In the end, this issue isn't about heroes. This is about objective truth. For example, the walls in my room are white. They're not beige, or gray, or light gray. They're white. Someone can try to forcibly redefine what white is but it doesn't change the objective fact that the walls in my room are white. White may be called different words in different languages but they all describe the same color.

Another example: If I hold up three fingers in my left hand, there's no ambiguity about how many fingers I'm holding up. Someone can lie and try to say I'm holding up only two fingers but it doesn't change the truth that I am holding up three fingers.

If you want an example that's a little more sci-fi then here's one that's been discussed in another thread: Gul Madred tried to convince Picard there were five lights when, in truth, there were only four. He tried to break him and redefine the truth but in the end, Picard knew the objective truth: There were four lights.

The same goes with heroes. The word exists in different languages but all the words describe the same type of person with very specific character traits.

[escyos]

There doing a show crossover?

[Mongoletsi]

A TRUE hero is one who saves something valuable (ultimately a life) without ego. Many true heroes may in fact never be lauded as such.

[Lord Hurin]

A TRUE hero is one who saves something valuable (ultimately a life) without ego. Many true heroes may in fact never be lauded as such.

Would this qualify Riley? I can't see him having overmuch egotism.

[Cold Fuzz]

Would this qualify Riley? I can't see him having overmuch egotism.

Yes, Riley's definitely a hero, whether he has an ego or not. Personally, I don't think he's egotistical at all. Sarcastic yes but definitely not egotistical. He acted with courage and put himself at considerable risk to save the ship. That's the only criteria that really counts.

[Starsaber]

It looks like TPTB went back on their word that there wouldn't be any heroes on the Destiny.

There are heroes in the conventional sense, but I assume they meant Big Damn Heroes like SG-1

[Lord Hurin]

There are heroes in the conventional sense, but I assume they meant Big Damn Heroes like SG-1

Well, there aren't worlds or galaxies to save on a weekly basis in Universe so I guess this fits.