Canon vs. Fanon, part 16: Clumsy, Sneezy Geek

In honor of redial_the_gate doing Daniel's last canonical sneeze this week with One False Step, I hereby present the next installment of Canon vs. Fanon: Clumsy, Sneezy Geek.

Daniel's status as a civilian and scientist - or, if you prefer, a geek - is one of his greatest charms. The contrast with his military teammates, his ability to argue against orders and sidestep the rules when necessary, even the floppy hair of the first two seasons - all this enhances the character and improves the storyline. However, some fanfic writers tend to seize upon the geek stereotype and apply it with the broadest of strokes, forgetting that Daniel is a character and not merely a cliché. So let's look at canon, and determine which geek characteristics fit Daniel... and which ones don't.

(Daniel's glasses and nearsightedness have already been covered here.)

Recap: Canon is defined as anything we see on screen during Stargate: The Movie or episodes of the show; show supersedes movie when there's a contradiction. Fanon is defined as widely-accepted concepts that often appear in fanfic, but do not have any actual basis in canon. And the "personal fanon opinon" at the end is just that - personal opinion, based on my conclusions but not canonical in themselves.

Please remember that the purpose of these essays is not to mock or denigrate authors who use these fanon tropes, but to point out that they are, in fact, fanon and not canon. As always, if you have further evidence to support my analyses, or evidence that contradicts it, I welcome any and all discussions in the comments.

[General note: I am no longer warning for S9 spoilers, although I will continue to do so for S10.]

( the geek who fumbles his weapon )

( the clumsy, uncoordinated geek )

( the careless civilian )

( the geek with allergies )

( the wimp that gets bullied )

( personal fanon opinion )

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

ETA: Whee! Now with gleeful commentfic from 6beforelunch!