Canon vs. Fanon, part 11: The Fanonization of Saint Daniel, part 2

The Fanonization of Saint Daniel, continued from part one.

( Martyrdom )

( So what's wrong with Saint Daniel? )

My person fanon opinion? No one who has read these posts even casually would suggest that I dislike Daniel. I absolutely adore him, but it's despite – or even because – of his character flaws. I love him for being stubborn and arrogant and pushy; it's those self-same character traits that give him tenacity in the face of the most incredible adversity, and enough confidence in his own talents to make his insanely wild leaps of logic to find the unusual solution, and the determination to stand up and tell the truth even when it's not popular – or even safe. You can't have one side of the coin without the other; and while sainthood is something that is admirable and respected, it's not the right description for Daniel… and I wouldn't like him very much if it actually was!

"Anyway, I'm sorry, but that just happens to be how I feel about it. What do you think?"

Canon vs. Fanon, part 11: The Fanonization of Saint Daniel, part one

I bid a warm welcome to you newcomers, and many thanks to those that have recced this series to others! It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. :)

This is the eleventh section of the Canon vs. Fanon series, but it's actually the subject that I most wanted to address from the very beginning. I know it’s been quite a while since the last post, but this one is not only long and complicated, but a rather touchy subject. Some might find this a bit controversial, although I do hope no one will find it insulting.

I make this observation from time to time, but it's important, I think, that I really stress it here: I am not attempting, in any way, to denigrate or mock any of the fanfic writers out there. You've all given me countless hours of reading pleasure, even if your take on the characters might not be exactly the same as my own. The sole purpose of these posts is to point out the differences between the actual canon on the show and the popular fanon that is so prevalent among many of the fanfic authors for SG-1. And while, as I've said before, there is nothing inherently wrong about fanon, writers should be aware of what is actually true characterization from the show and what is being absorbed through osmosis from the more popular trends in fics, especially when the fanon actually contradicts canon.

That being said, this is one of the more irritating fanon tropes that crops up with more regularity than it should. So let's address the fanonization of Saint Daniel, and why it's actually a detriment to the character and the stories he frequents.

I know there are fans out there who dislike Daniel, hard as that might be for me to believe. :) But for those of us normal fans who love him, there is an unfortunate tendency among many authors to exaggerate his good character traits and pretend that his more irritating personality quirks simply don't exist. This section will discuss the common fanon sainthood elements and analyze how they simply don't fit with Daniel's character – and why that's actually a good thing.

Brief recap: Canon is defined as anything directly shown during Stargate: The Movie or episodes of the show; show supersedes movie when there's a contradiction. (Jack O'Neill and Sha're both have brown eyes, not blue ones.) Fanon is defined as widely-accepted concepts that appear in fanfic, but do not have any real basis in canon.

Expect references to any episode that has already aired in the US – at the time of this posting, that’s through The Road Not Taken of S10. I try to highlight spoilers for S9 and beyond if you’re trying to avoid them, but I can't promise I've caught them all.

( Sainthood )

That covers the more positive aspects of sainthood. Since this post is so long, I've continued it over here.