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

[fignewton]

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.]

Daniel can't handle a weapon properly - he fumbles with the safety, aims poorly, and hates to fire a gun.

It is certainly true that early-season Daniel had lesser weapons skills than Sam and Jack, although that edge has long since disappeared by Enemies in Season 5, when Daniel efficiently takes part in the shoot-retreat-reload escape from the Replicators. But even in the movie, Daniel wasn't completely inept in handling firearms: he shot and killed two of Ra's soldiers, one with a pistol and the other with a staff weapon. So while Daniel, in the first seasons, was less proficient than his military teammates, he never fumbled his weapon.

(He might be less expert at reloading under fire, as in Forever In a Day, when he struggles to reload his pistol after he skillfully shot and killed the Jaffa who was standing only three feet away from his wife. But he knows what he's doing, and he'll do it well.)

As for Daniel hating to fire a gun... Yes, Daniel prefers a peaceful solution when possible (unless a Goa'uld is involved). But that doesn't make him a pacifist.

For further discussion on these common fanon tropes, Daniel's supposed pacifism and his weapons skills were thoroughly analyzed right here.

Conclusion: While early-season Daniel isn't the expert that years of military training would give him, he handles a weapon efficiently, and he has no trouble using one when the situation demands it.

Daniel is clumsy: he'll trip over his untied shoelaces, leave a trail of spilled papers in the halls of the SGC, and stumble over stray rocks when the team is hiking over rough ground.

This is one of those popular fanon clichés that baffle me, quite frankly. How often do we actually see Daniel acting clumsy on screen? It's much more common to see Daniel looking as if he's about to trip over two left feet than to actually see him stumbling! A certain lack of grace should not be confused with clumsiness. There's also Daniel's tendency, in the earlier seasons, to dress in baggy clothing, which can make his movements look awkward. A closer look at canon, though, shows that Daniel is rarely, if ever, clumsy. Let's take a look at times when Daniel shows agility, and when Daniel might seem clumsy, but isn't.

Stargate the Movie. Daniel brings a double armful of drawings of the coverstone, plus a star chart, into the briefing room to report to General West, Catherine Langford, and the others. Despite the awkwardness of the large rolls, Daniel manages to drink his coffee, park the empty coffee cup on a stray pipe, and carry the rolls into the room without actually dropping any. He does dump the rolled charts rather unceremoniously into the middle of the table, but there isn't anything inherently clumsy in it.

The only incident which might mark Daniel as clumsy is when he discovers the domesticated mastadge. He's too busy feeding "Little Bit," as the mastadge is called in the novelization, to realize that his foot is caught in a loop of its harness. When the mastadge spooks and runs, Daniel gets dragged along after it - which actually leads them to Nagada and the Abydons.

Is it clumsy to get a foot caught in a leather loop without noticing, or merely distracted carelessness? I would personally vote for the latter. If you feel it's the former, then you can call it clumsy; you'd best savor it, though, as it's the only incident that qualifies!

Broca Divide. When the team recovers (thanks to SG-3) from being ambushed by the Touched right after they come through the Stargate, Daniel struggles awkwardly to his feet, his night-vision goggles askew on his face. This is no more or less clumsy than the other members of SG-1, who were also sprawled on the ground from the attack.

Later, when he attempts to rescue Melosha, there's nothing awkward in how he drops his gun and lifts an unconscious Melosha in his arms. Stupid, maybe, but not clumsy!

Thor's Hammer. Daniel has no trouble navigating the beams above the river on their way to the labyrinth; when it's time to bid Kendra farewell, he rather nimbly hops down the steps to give Kendra the Sagan box off the MALP.

The Torment of Tantalus. Daniel has no trouble dodging debris when he and Jack make their final run to the Stargate.

Bloodlines. When Sam and Daniel are ambushed after they stole the symbiote, Daniel runs for cover as smoothly as Sam.

TBFTGOG. Daniel falls down the stairs as he comes through the wormhole, but since he was partially propelled by a staff blast wound to the shoulder, it can't be called clumsy.

Within the Serpent's Grasp. Does Daniel's tumble down the DHD stairs, which knocked off his night-vision goggles, qualify as clumsiness? Not when Sam and Jack fell at the same time, no. Daniel's fall was more spectacular only because he was the only one standing at the head of a flight of steps, rather than with both feet planted safely on level ground.

Need. Daniel races nimbly through the trees to catch Shyla and pull her backward before she can topple off the cliff. Was it Daniel's clumsiness that caused him to lag behind and get caught in a near-fatal rockfall? I'd ascribe it more to the chains that still hobbled his feet together.

Thor's Chariot. Daniel shows wariness, not clumsiness, when he carefully navigates the beam over the chasm to reach Gairwyn. Both do fall, but it's because of the quake, not Daniel's lack of balance.

1969. There's nothing clumsy about the way Daniel climbs up the crate that houses the Stargate to release the clamps.

Rules of Engagement. Daniel executes the rapid crawl down-hill as flawlessly as the rest of the team.

The Devil You Know. Daniel does a superbly subtle job of palming the communicator when he deliberately allows himself to get knocked into the table.

New Ground. Daniel races through a firefight and skids into the pit with the DHD, easily ducking a shot that gets too close.

The Serpent's Venom. If Daniel was as clumsy as fanon suggests, would Jacob really give him the job of reprogramming a mine that would explode if it even touched another object?

Ascension. Despite his fumbling to carry umpteen books and a fresh cup of coffee and get to the phone in his office before the caller gives up, Daniel doesn't actually drop anything. He does spill a little coffee, yes. But it hardly qualifies as clumsy under the circumstances.

Proving Ground. Daniel takes out four trainees so quickly and smoothly that not a single one has a chance to fire back.

Summit/Last Stand. Daniel manages to deftly inject both Yu and Osiris with the Reol substance; later, when fighting for his life, there is no clumsiness and awkwardness as he bolts for the escape pod and programs the pod to eject immediately.

I didn't include examples from Season 7 and beyond, since none of these tropes are common in post-Descension Daniel.

Conclusion: Despite the occasional air of gawkiness, Daniel is never really shown to be clumsy or fumbling on the show.

Daniel is careless with his gear: he'll leave his weapon lying on the ground, leave equipment behind when he's busy filming some interesting writing, or forget to bring his pack.

I'm actually unsure how this fanon started. In the movie, Daniel is pretty skeptical when he investigates the pockets of his vest to see what he's been given for the trip. He tosses the foot powder aside, muttering about the lack of suntan lotion. But other than that, we see Daniel being careless with his gear twice in the entire series:

Broca Divide. Daniel puts down his weapon to pick up Melosha. With his hands full, he is unable to fight back when the Touched grab him.

Maternal Instinct. Daniel deliberately removes his weapons and vest before entering the temple in Kheb. At the end of the episode, after the intensity of seeing thousands of Jaffa killed and Oma leave with the child, he seems to have forgotten them entirely (along with his shoes).

ETA: shutthef_up pointed out that when Daniel awakens in Crystal Skull, he tosses his vest aside when he chases after Teal'c. It does seem deliberate, though, not careless. Perhaps he needed to lighten the load so he could catch up with Teal'c?

That's it. There is no other scene (and if I'm wrong, please do correct me) throughout the series in which we see Daniel carelessly dropping his gear or leaving things behind because he's too preoccupied with his work.

Conclusion: Daniel doesn't always treat his own reference books with the proper care, but we have no real canon to suggest that he's careless with his gear.

Daniel is allergic to nearly every type of food that doesn't taste like chicken as well as every type of pollen found throughout the galaxy; he carries an emergency allergy kit just in case an acute attack of asthma endangers him off-world.

That's exaggerated even for fanon, I know. :) But while I've never actually seen all of those elements in a single fanfic, I've certainly encountered one trope or another with annoying frequency.

The asthma usually crops up in kidfic, when Daniel has been mysteriously downsized by some alien plot device artifact. Invariably, kid!Daniel suffers from a wide range of allergies as well as asthma. This may be because an early kidfic used asthma and allergies for drama, and others assumed there was canonical basis for it. But as we've mentioned pretty often in these discussions, our canon knowledge of pre-teenaged Daniel is limited to five things: his birth date; the use of the nickname "Danny" when he was a child; the witnessing of his parents' deaths when he was eight; the trip with Nick for waffles after the funeral; and Nick's refusal to take custody of him. Any other common factor that is found in fanfic is fanon.

So let's take a look at what is actually canonical about Daniel's allergies:

Stargate the Movie. Daniel first sneezes into his sleeve and blows his nose loudly on a handkerchief as he descends in the elevator of Creek Mountain (later retconned to Cheyenne), accompanied by Kawalsky..

"Cold?" Kawalsky asks politely.

"Allergies," Daniel answers hoarsely. "It always happens when I travel."

Here is the first suggestion that the allergies are induced by travel. The novelization vaguely implies that it's a psychosomatic reaction to the death of his foster parents' when they were flying, but that's not canon.

Later, Jack stalks on inspection along the line of soldiers ready to go through the Stargate with him. They are helmeted, standing at attention, with weapons on display. Jack looks at his watch and snaps, "Anybody has anything to say, now's the time to say it." His reply? A loud sneeze from Daniel, dressed in sloppy BDUs and baseball cap and standing at the end of the line. Jack's expression as he looks at him speaks volumes.

Daniel's next sneeze takes place as the natives escort him and the others back to Nagada. One of the boys gleefully snags his used handkerchief, to Sha'uri's amusement and Skaara's indignation. Skaara snatches the handkerchief back and eagerly returns it to Daniel, who accepts it with a bemused smile.

This incident proves useful the following morning, when Jack has trouble getting Skaara and the boys to understand that he's looking for Daniel. It's not until Jack mimes a sneeze that Skaara understands that Jack is looking for "Chicken Man."

So, the movie gives us three sneezes and a flat statement that the sneezing is caused by allergies, which flares when Daniel travels. How about the series, then?

COTG. "Daniel was a scientist. He sneezed a lot. Basically, he was a geek, sir."

Daniel's allergies play a rather significant role, as Jack tosses a Kleenex box through the Stargate in lieu of a MALP. Daniel's reply: THANKS. SEND MORE. When they go through the Gate, Kawalsky gives Daniel an extra small package as a gift.

After Daniel returns to Earth and Jack takes him home, Daniel vigorously blows his nose. Jack comments, and Daniel says apologetically, "Sorry. Gate travel always seems to make my allergies..." He blows again, and wipes at his eyes. "Sorry."

Again, the suggestion that his allergies are travel-induced. This seems to be borne out with his next sneeze, which is right after they travel through the Gate to Chulak and Daniel asks plaintively, "Anybody got a Kleenex?"

Broca Divide. Daniel's allergies actually become a plot point (Oh, Stargate) as he and Janet Frasier are immune from the disease that is devolving everyone else: "I checked the files. Both Dr. Jackson and I have acute rhinitis caused by severe allergies... I take strong antihistamines every day. So did Dr. Jackson. I have no histamine for the microbe to feed on. Just like the Untouched, the organism starves in my body."

Interestingly, Daniel sneezes just as he and Teal'c head back to the planet. Surely Janet would have made sure he took his regular dose before going back? Of course, when Daniel is being held captive by the Touched, he can't keep to his regular dosing schedule and the medication wears off.

Singularity. When they return from Hanka after being exposed to Nrrti's victims, Daniel sneezes right before they go through decontamination. Everyone looks at him nervously, and Jack says, "Allergies, right? Right?"

The Gamekeeper. They emerge from the Stargate to find themselves in a beautiful garden. Sam observes, "Well, this is beautiful." Jack says dryly, "Yeah, but where's there's a garden, there's snakes."

"And flowers," Daniel adds, and sneezes violently. "Way too many flowers." Oh, and Daniel? Shaking off your hand like that is disgusting. Take some Kleenex along next time, will you?

One False Step. Daniel sneezes when they first arrive on the planet, when they inspect the plants near where the UAV fell, and when they meet the aliens, prompting the fear that his allergies might have somehow been the cause of the aliens' illness.

There is no other reference to Daniel's sneezing or allergies after Season Two. Presumably, Janet got the right dosage for his antihistamines.

Fast forward to Season Seven, where a descended Daniel spends three months off-world without access to medication before traveling through the Stargate to Earth. No sneezes. No mention of allergies. Perhaps Ascension is a cure for rhinitis, although I can't imagine it really catching on. Even more interestingly, AU Daniel of Moebius is much more near-sighted than our Daniel, but does not suffer from allergies at all.

So where does that leave us? Daniel sneezes most often when he has just traveled through the Stargate or is exposed to pollen. Passage through the Gate would expose a person to a drastic shift in climates, which might account for it. He does sneeze on other occasions, though - sometimes just before going through the Gate, or even when walking across a desert. So while his allergies are excaberated by travel or pollen, Daniel's histamine count is high enough to cause sneezing even when travel or pollen is not a factor. So yes, he suffers from allergies. But there has never been any suggestion that he's allergic to any kind of food or that he would have difficulty breathing under regular circumstances (aside from a runny nose).

Conclusion: While floppy-haired Daniel didn't get his allergies under complete control until the end of Season Two, there is no canon reference to Daniel sneezing after One False Step, and Descended Daniel does not seem to have any allergies at all. The suggestions that Daniel suffers from food allergies or breathing difficulties are completely fanon.

Daniel, particularly in the first three or four seasons, is bullied by SGC personnel who are contemptuous of civilian geeks (especially Marines, and particularly Makepeace).

Other readers' mileage may vary, of course, but there are very few fanon tropes that will make me hit the back button faster than this one. (Danny and Saint Daniel probably take precedence, although there's a lot of Saint Daniel that leaks into this fanon, anyway.) There are two reasons: first, because there is no canon proof of this outside the movie; and second, because there is plenty of canonical evidence that Daniel would most emphatically not shrink back from a confrontation with anyone who tried to bully him.

Stargate the Movie. The Daniel who is willing to throw away his academic career for the sake of what he believes to be academic truth isn't someone who backs down from confrontations. On the other hand, the Daniel who is confronted by the military is clearly nervous, even as he shows confidence in his conclusions: he has that nervous giggle and, in contrast to his dealings with his fellow civilians, is positively diffident in voicing his opinions and suggestions.

This only increases when they go through the Stargate and Daniel is forced to admit that he'd been counting on the existence of tablets or other carvings to get them back to Earth, and the team's anger turns into outright bullying. He prudently stays behind Jack for protection after Kawalsky shoves him to the ground. When Ferretti later throws his suitcase at him, Daniel ducks to avoid the blow, then turns around to collect his things without any kind of protest.

Daniel proves himself to the team when he's on Abydos, though, and once the series begins, we never see Daniel backing down from being bullied. Ever.

Let's take a look at some of the times when Daniel confronts bullies, and how he reacts:

Enigma. Maybourne does his very best to bully not only Daniel, but the entire SGC. Daniel deliberately places himself in the line of fire when he helps get the Tollan out.

Politics. Daniel faces down Kinsey in the face of open mockery.

Secrets. On his knees before Heru'ur, who sneers, "You will serve me," Daniel says, slowly and deliberately, "No, I don't think so."

Fair Game. Included for the sake of completion. Daniel does act meek and submissive around the Goa'uld - "That boy can really grovel when he has to" - but this is out of political necessity for Earth's sake (and also, clearly, to spare Teal'c the discomfort of seeing to the "petty needs of the Goa'uld), not because of personal fear or timidity.

The Devil You Know. SG-.75 and Martouf are on their knees before Apophis, at his mercy as he gloats over them. Daniel's response? "Your mate, Amaunet, is dead. Sorry to ruin your day." Deliberate pause, then, "No, actually, I'm wrong about that. I'm not sorry."

The First Ones. Included for the sake of completion. Chaka isn't a bully so much as asserting his position as alpha to Daniel. Daniel recognizes this and follows the rules of a primitive culture.

The Curse. Osiris: "I will rule without opposition!"

Daniel: "No. No, you won't rule at all. See, we don't worship false gods any more."

Osiris: "What do you know of my queen?"

Daniel: "She was trapped, like you." Then, almost taunting, "We have the jar."

Ascension. Simmons tries to intimidate Daniel: "Need I remind you, Doctor Jackson, of the dangers that we're trying to defend Earth against?

Daniel looks at him and says with false earnestness, "Oh, could you? I mean, go slow."

Later, in The Fifth Man, when Simmons blusters about Sarah Gardener and declares, "Your entire life is our business!" Daniel leans back and says politely, "You know, do I need to call an attorney, or...?"

Beast of Burden. Burok's bullying and killing of the caged Unas leave Daniel gritting his teeth and glaring, and agreeing with Jack that there's no peaceful way out.

The Sentinel. Daniel refuses to be intimidated by the NID agents' sneers.

Kershaw, sarcastically: "I feel better just knowing there's an archaeologist watching our back."

Daniel holds up a knife and says brightly, "Yeah. Which end do the bullets go in, again?"

Evolution. Rafael has Daniel tied to a chair after starving him for two days, and Daniel is still snarking. "I'm an archaeologist. It's what I do - I look for artifacts. Found one! Seriously, I'm an archaeologist. You guys can look me up on the internet if you want. You have a computer?"

Heroes. Woolsey leans over Daniel and threatens him, "If you fail to testify here today, I will have you jailed until such time that you do."

Daniel says flatly, "You fire me. You throw me in jail. You do what you want," and stalks out.

Affinity. Daniel translates for the NID when Krista's life is threatened, but he seems more annoyed than frightened. Even when they're ordered to turn around and face the wall to be shot, he is still quietly reassuring Krista, "It's going to be okay."

Reckoning. "A little more time in Danny's world." 'Nuff said.

Moebius. Included for the sake of completion. Even AU Daniel stands up to Apophis and refuses to buckle under torture.

Origin. Despite what he later confesses to Jack as genuine fear, Daniel stands toe-to-toe with the Doci and argues passionately for the rights to freedom of thought and choice.

Prototype. Daniel, despite the personal connection and antagonism, responds coolly and calmly to Khalek.

Ethon. Daniel believes he has witnessed the deaths of not only the Prometheus, but also the rest of SG-1: "Don't you ever give up?" "Not until I'm dead... and sometimes, not even then."

So, there's a clear, distinct pattern that Daniel not only refuses to be intimidated by bullying behavior, but is usually inspired to react forcefully to such treatment. How about when Daniel deals directly with SG teams or personnel other than SG-1?

COTG. Despite the very brusque manner Hammond uses with him when they first meet (and really, Daniel, your timing was lousy under the circumstances), Daniel refuses to back down when Hammond suggests at the briefing that he remain at the SGC instead of joining the team to go to Chulak.

Broca Divide. Makepeace and his team are oozing testosterone, but Daniel has no trouble snarking at SG-3. Makepeace declares, "Don't you worry, boys. That's why the SG-3 Marines are coming with. You can count on us to watch your backsides."

Daniel says dryly, "Actually, it's more my front side I was worried about."

TBFTGOG. AU General Jack is impatient and abrasive, yet Daniel persists in talking to him until he finally gets through.

Into the Fire. Makepeace is brusque and rather dismissive of Daniel when he gets him and Sam out of Hathor's fake SGC, but there is no bullying involved. Daniel has no trouble being sarcastic and stubborn throughout.

Shades of Grey. Makepeace's interactions with Daniel are polite, if somewhat distant. Daniel responds with sarcasm rather than conciliation.

Enemy Mine. Colonel Edwards is infuriated when Jack insists that they all fall back: "This is my command! You are here at my request!"

Daniel snaps back at him, "You're in charge of a mining operation!"

Later, back at the SGC, Daniel sighs to Jack, "I just spent a lot of time breaking you in. I just didn't want to have to start with a new colonel."

Does that sound like someone who is intimidated by bullying behavior to you? And in the end, Edwards does listen to Daniel, and the treaty with the Unas goes through.

It is also worthwhile to note that Daniel is used to working with other teams: he's with SG-6 in A Matter of Time, SG-11 in Prodigy, and with unspecified SG teams in Double Jeopardy and Avenger 2.0. If he was routinely bullied and harassed by other teams, would he really work with them on a regular basis?

So, it's clear that canon gives us no incident in which Marines (or any other members of SG teams) try to bully Daniel, and that Daniel doesn't back down when anyone does try to intimidate him, SGC personnel or otherwise. In addition, there's canonical proof that Daniel tends to get rather aggressive when he's mocked for being a geek:

Rules of Engagement. The team has been shot with intars and just awakened. Hibbard has threatened both Jack and Sam for speaking, and Daniel points out reasonably, "We’re just trying to understand. If we’re supposed to be dead, how are you supposed to kill us again?"

Hibbard marches right up to Daniel and points his weapon directly between Daniel's eyes. "You wanna find out, Four-eyes? Huh?"

There is a beat of silence. Then, despite the weapon aimed at his face, Daniel says coldly, "'Four-eyes?'"

Hastily, Jack says, "Easy, big fella. Just... play dead."

"Indeed," Teal'c agrees.

The dialogue here strongly suggests that both Jack and Teal'c are used to Daniel reacting badly to such insults.

Then, of course, there's the famous scene in Upgrades, when the guy at the bar calls Daniel a "geek." And seriously, why? The only way Daniel could've looked less like a geek at that moment is if he'd donned a leather jacket and possibly gotten a tattoo. Daniel pauses, turns, and says carefully, "Excuse me?"

"Let it go," Jack mutters.

"No," Daniel says. "Not this time."

Again, there is the clear implication that Daniel has been insulted in Jack's presence in the past, and he's used to Daniel getting angry about it. The only difference is that this time, the Atenik armbands leave Daniel (and Jack and Sam) uninhibited enough to resort to violence.

To be fair, Jack's familiarity with Daniel's reaction also suggests that Daniel has been called a "geek" or the like often enough for Jack to know how Daniel will respond. But there is no indication that these incidents occurred in the SGC, and we can definitely infer from canon that Daniel would not take such treatment lying down.

Conclusion: Outside of the movie era, there is no canonical basis for the soldiers in the SGC to bully Daniel, and it completely contradicts canon to suggest that Daniel would allow himself to be intimidated by such bullying.

My personal fanon opinion? Daniel's clumsiness is more one of anticipation than reality - you might think that he's going to fumble with something or trip, but he never actually does. Actually, when I was trying to think of possible canon sources for Daniel's clumsiness, I kept flashing on scenes from Superman: the Movie with Clark Kent. :) Those of you who have been around for a while are aware that I do think that Daniel and Clark have a lot in common, but Daniel doesn't hide behind a facade of clumsiness!

As for Daniel's supposed carelessness - well, it doesn't fit very well with his vocation, does it? Both archeology and linguistics demand a painstaking attention to detail. Would a person trained to be so careful really be messy and careless?

The allergies, at least, have a solid basis in canon... as long as they're kept to sneezes and pollen. But food allergies and asthma? Complete fanon, and, to be frank, often overly exaggerated.

As for Daniel getting bullied by SGC personnel - it's not only a contradiction of canon, but an insult to the people who make up the SGC. No one is going to be allowed to step through the Gate without undergoing the most stringent of reviews, including psychological screening. We know that potential recruits are subjected to rigorous testing. With civilian scientists such an important part of the SGC's makeup, it's only reasonable to assume that SGC personnel are carefully screened to avoid potential conflicts. Who in their right mind would risk losing the prestige of an SGC posting by starting trouble with any civilian on base, much less the premier one? I will also mention that the number of bullies in the military is a lot smaller than popular media would suggest, and since the SGC gets the best of the best, the ratio there will be reduced accordingly.

I must also confess that I have a much stronger tolerance for Makepeace than most people in the fandom. He may have betrayed the SGC, but he acted with courage and risked his life more than once to save SG-1. I see him as a person who did the wrong thing for the right reason. (We will not go into my opinions of Maybourne here...) Because of that admittedly minority opinion, I have even less patience for Shades of Grey stories that depict Makepeace as abusing his position as CO of SG-1 to beat up or threaten Daniel.

Anyone is, of course, still welcome to write "Daniel gets bullied by meanies and is protected by Jack or Teal'c or Sam" fics. But they're not based on canon, and I, at least, won't be reading them.

"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!

Comments

[martyfan.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you said here, and would like to add that as far as Daniel's allergies go, there is one reference past season two. However, it is in a deleted scene, so it doesn't strictly count as canon since it wasn't in the actual episode. In "Ripple Effect," in season nine, DesertCamoDaniel is interrogated by our SGC, and during the questioning he takes a dose of meds and explains that they're for his allergies. However, as this version of Daniel is also married to a still-living Sha're, and his Abydos is still around, his situation cannot be directly applied to the "canon" Daniel. :)

[beanpot.livejournal.com]

As for Daniel getting bullied by SGC personnel - it's not only a contradiction of canon, but an insult to the people who make up the SGC.

What drives me nuts about this particular fanon myth is that it is often used to set up Daniel (or any other geek) to be rescued by someone else and lead to their one true love. I have huge issues with accepting any member of SG1 as a wilting Victorian flower who swoons onto chaise lounges at the drop of a hat.

Or that the bullies run rampant through the SGC. Because more often than not, it turns out the only members of the military that aren't bullies in these fics are Jack and Sam.

[shutthef-up.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm delighted to see another Fanon vs. Canon!

There is no other scene (and if I'm wrong, please do correct me) throughout the series in which we see Daniel carelessly dropping his gear or leaving things behind because he's too preoccupied with his work.

I can think of one other occasion. While it's not because of preoccupation with his work, it's rather nonsensical anyway.

Crystal Skull: When Teal'c goes back to the cavern to collect the skull, Daniel has recovered and runs after Teal'c. As he runs across the narrow bridge/path, he strips off his tac vest and tosses it down the chasm. I have to assume his sidearm is still attached. No, I have no explanation for that despite it being one of my favorite episodes. But I also wouldn't use it to illustrate him being consistently careless. It's a one-off and it isn't accidental. It's intentional, though we don't know why he did it.

The only other observation I've made is that early-season Daniel *was* a bit sloppy with his tac vest and holster. He often doesn't zip up his vest or fasten the belt and the thigh strap hold-down for the holster is often very loose which makes the holster flop around. In fact, when running, you can often see him reach down with his right hand to stabilize it. This isn't really a *clumsy* thing as much as a bit of casual disregard for military completeness. In One False Step when he feels terrible and is following Jack back to the Stargate, he carries his vest, straps dragging through the dirt until he eventually gathers them up. Slowly over the seasons, Daniel takes more care with the tac vest, until in later seasons when it's properly zipped and snugged. It was done so gradually that I find it hard to point to exactly *when* he began taking more care, but he was definitely pretty comfortable with it after returning from his first Ascension.

Thanks again! I love these posts!

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

"Oh, could you? I mean, go slow."

Just--yay. One of my all-time favorite Daniel lines. :-)

And ITA with this whole post!

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

I always figured the military-bully thing is taken from the movie when they did initially bully him and he did have to prove his worth. But it's very true we don't see it much at all beyond that except for occasional people like Simmons who, well, treat everyone in SGC like that.

The clumsy thing...Daniel, when he isn't paying attention, especially earlier on, is less graceful than Jack and Sam, etc. Not tripping-over-shoelaces but I think maybe it ties with the absent-minded-professor cliche which Daniel can occasionally fit (we see he had it more in "Chimera" - the dreams where he's working so hard he's ignoring Sarah). Also, maybe people watched Window of Opportunity and Daniel getting his papers knocked out of his hands one too many times and assumed it happened more often?

We also have in Serpent's Venom the opening bit where the elevator opens and Daniel is in the middle of the hallway doing something with his bag. I've always assumed that maybe his zipper split open or something - if he hadn't dropped things it's an odd place for him to be packing.

But when he's doing something that requires dexterity and detail-attention, he certainly has that in spades. Which makes sense.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Good catch! And oooh, don't you wish that scene had made the cut? We needed more interesting AUs a lot more than we needed to know about Martouf's love life. And Sha're! And Abydos!

Ah, well. At least your AU canon is made of win. :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I can't speak to the ship fics, as I don't read those. But I've read enough annoying gen fics that mae Daniel a "wilting Victorian flower" (hee hee!) to get the point. :p

bullies run rampant through the SGC

I'm not the only one who finds that downright offensive? Oh, good. :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, good catch with Crystal Skull! Will edit to include. Maybe it was to run more quickly after Teal'c? He barely made it through as it was.

(And WORD on that being such a great ep, all round.)

You've made that observation about early Daniel before, and I love it for what it says about him. But no, I wouldn't call it careless or sloppy as much as inexpert. The straps dragging through the dirt while he practically staggers - yes, I love that scene too! And it's an even better reflection of Daniel's gradual evolution into solider than his use of the P-90, I think.

Glad you're enjoying these! :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, we all do love our snarky Daniel! Glad you like. :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

As I said, the military-bully thing is unquestionably canon from the movie. But it's only the first half of the movie, when Daniel is not only useless but (as they see it) has deliberately lied and gotten them stranded. Kawalsky, who knocked him down, is actually the first one to call him "Daniel" instead of Jackson. And since show supersedes movie...

As I pointed out, the people who try to intimidate Daniel aren't aiming specifically at him, but at getting everyone in the SGC to do their bidding. Daniel is just as intractable as everyone else. :)

Also, maybe people watched Window of Opportunity and Daniel getting his papers knocked out of his hands one too many times and assumed it happened more often?

Hee! Really, it's the only time we see him too absorbed in his work to be knocked over, but half the fics out there seem to have airmen dodging Daniel as he walks through the halls, reading at the same time!

Re Serpent's Venom: I just assumed that Daniel had grabbed a few books at the last minute and then stopped at the elevator to pack them properly instead of lugging them under his arm. I do that all the time myself. :)

[martyfan.livejournal.com]

After a bit of digging, I managed to turn up the original script for that particular scene, and have copied it for your amusement. ;)


INT. INTERROGATION ROOM #2 -- DAY

Green Mitchell is seated across the table from Desert Camo Daniel. A glass of water and a pill dispenser sit in front of Desert Camo Daniel.

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: So how do we get back to our reality?

GREEN MITCHELL: We don't know yet, but we're working on it. In the meantime, I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Desert Camo Daniel nods. Green Mitchell turns on the tape recorder sitting on the table. Desert Camo Daniel opens up the pill dispenser, pops a couple, and washes them down. Off Green Mitchell's look -

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Antihistamines. I have terrible allergies.

Green Mitchell nods, moves on -

GREEN MITCHELL: Where were you gating in from?

DESERT CAMO DANIEL: Abydos, my wife's home world. With her help and the support of our friends there, we were going to try and capture a Prior. But things didn't go as planned ...



Interestingly enough, in reading the deleted scenes' script, there were all sorts of interesting tidbits that didn't make it in. There's an accidental implied relationship between the Mitchell and Sam of the black-uniform team, a deliberate reference to blackMitchell/Daniel, the Teal'cs refusing to talk to each other, blackDaniel having a crisis of conscience over the whole ZPM-stealing thing...

The whole page is here (http://www.gateworld.net/sg1/s9/making/913.shtml) if you'd like to have a look.

Edit: Also, in the scene about Daniel's allergies, Mitchell's reaction seems to imply that he either didn't know that Daniel has allergies or that Daniel was "cured" by his Descension or something like that. Either way, it seems that he didn't expect DCUDaniel to need antihistamines.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

I assumed it was to be lighter to catch up with Teal'c, who's already running full book out of the cave.

I agree with you about Daniel being sloppy with his tac vest/holster.
I do remember realizing Daniel rarely ever zipped up his vest and/or jacket because in "Between Two Fires" (I think it's that one. It's the last Tollan episode) he is zipped up tight (so are everyone else. It must have been REALLY cold filming on location that day. Heh.) It struck me as an unusual sight, and I realized Daniel doesn't often zip up in the early seasons. Considering the tac vest protection is only as good as it covers you, that is a bit careless.

Later seasons, at least 9 and 10 but may even be as far back as post-ascension, Daniel is consistently "zipped up" in his gear.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Oh, you poor dear! Having to check all those Daniel moments throughout the early years! Oh the torture! *evil grin* [/brer rabbit].

I think Daniel being absorbed in something is canon...did you cover this in the care and feeding chapter of this thing? But yes, I agree, he's not clumsy or careless.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Yep. Well, honestly, show doesn't have to superseded movie. Initially Daniel did have to prove himself to them and he did screw up and they had a reason to be suspicious but once he proved himself, well, he proved himself and they accepted it so any of that later stuff? Not so much. If nothing else, knew people would see the respect the SGC veterans have for him (and that's before they start hearing the stories and rumors and gossip)

Daniel is just as intractable as everyone else.

I would argue more than some...

Hee! Really, it's the only time we see him too absorbed in his work to be knocked over, but half the fics out there seem to have airmen dodging Daniel as he walks through the halls, reading at the same time!

Yep! But it happened again so often maybe it *feels* like more :) Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't an unknown event to have him walking around the halls reading something and people dodging around him so that it's a bit of a natural ebb-and-flow of how people move at SGC.

Re Serpent's Venom: I just assumed that Daniel had grabbed a few books at the last minute and then stopped at the elevator to pack them properly instead of lugging them under his arm. I do that all the time myself. :)

That would make sense also. I've never been sure and I can't tell from Jack's reaction if this is a common occurrence or not.

[and, I forgot to mention, but I'm with Courser that the fumbly stuff is partly a result of early Daniel often not quite being proper military in terms of having his vest unzipped of his holster not secured to his leg. Which is something I do love - I see it as trying to resist being labeled as a soldier]

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

I think, along with you, that the clumsiness thing is pretty much all based on the mastadge incident. I've looked for it in canon and it's just not there.

The allergies are canon, but I do think Ascension/Descension must have fixed them.

There is one other event where Daniel leaves a set of binoculars or nighscopes -- it's the end of Season 1/beginning of season 2 cliffhanger when they're on Apophis or Klorel's ship -- the binocs are lying there and everyone has a bad moment of wondering if the Jaffa will see them and thus notice that the team is hiding in the room... But no one notices them lying there.

That may be where some of the "careless with possessions" thing comes up.

Ever since Daniel shot the tank of Goaul'd larva, I've thought the whole pacifism thing was just fanon. Part of the Sain Daniel thing. I like Saint Daniel more than you do, but I do have my limits....

Thanks for the "No Shrinking Victorian Violet" stuff.... I thought it was an artifact of slash but it's in GEN FIC TOO? OMG.

Loved it, as always....

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

There is another realistic (though completely unsupported in canon) explanation for the allergies... it's very common for allergies to change in severity over time. My father never got hayfever when he was young, but developed it slowing through his forties, and now suffers quite severely in late summer (probably due to ragweed, a common local allergen-generator). I know another man who had allergies severely when he was younger, and now almost never needs medication for them. It's quite possible that Daniel's allergies have simply diminished over time.

And on the carelessness question, I will note that Daniel does seem to accumumate clutter in his office, which might lead some people to think that he's careless. I suspect that he is rather simply busy and getting pulled from one project to another a lot, since his home, on the few occasions we've seen it, is much neater.

And lastly, Fig, please *do* tell me your thoughts on Maybourne (or point me at a link or prior discussion if I've missed it). Maybourne's characterization is something I've been grappling with in one of my WIPs and I would love some new ideas. Feel free to email me or post the comment to my last journal entry if you don't want to discuss it here.

[zats-clear.livejournal.com]

nope, you're not the only one who finds it offensive...altho I will admit to a certain fondness for a Makepeace wants Daniel at any cost fic that I once read

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Oh I found it! In that pacificism chapter. And I mentioned "Between Two Fires" there too, though not by name.

Here's the thread link specifically about the floppy gun holster etc (http://sg-fignewton.livejournal.com/7522.html?thread=93538#t93538)

I thought I'd bring it up because I was apparently pithy in one comment (for a change. Heh.)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd read this at the time and failed to bookmark it! Thank you.

(LOL at DCUDaniel. I immediately envisaged Daniel in the DC Comics universe...)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Slightly sloppy with zipping up his gear isn't the same as careless with it, though. I do love that trend, I really do.

And yeah, it makes more sense to be protected. But it's such a delicious Daniel quirk that really, I don't care. :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd say you're right, that the movie isn't superseded as much as part of the natural evolution of the character. ::nods::

I have no objection to the idea that Daniel is sometimes so absorbed in his work that he'll wander to a briefing with his nose in a report or a book, and that SGC personnel are used to sidestepping him. It's the same guy who dozed off with a nuclear bomb as a headrest and got distracted into reading the next page instead of answering Sam and Jack in Serpent's Venom, after all. :) But really - not canon, folks. Use it by all means, but use it lightly.

I don't see how improperly strapped equipment = fumbling, though. It does make him look more awkward to have his holster bang against his leg, but it's not as if he's ever dropped his gun.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Yes, the things I do for this fandom! Oh, the humanity. :)

Daniel spends hours and hours absorbed in a project, yes. (MiaB, ToT, The Light, etc.) But he doesn't need to be spoon-fed, or even chocolate bar-fed.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

::thwaps zats with the scepter of the Realm of Ship-free Stargate::

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've had to start boomarking links to some of the really good discussion threads that I'm going to need for future essays...

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Good catch on the binoculars, although he certainly picked them ASAP. I actually watched that scene carefully to determine if it was absent-minded carelessness or not. It wasn't - they were perched on his head when he fell down the stairs, and they fell off. There was no time to get them when they had the mad scramble to hide. As soon as the Jaffa left, though, he retrieved them.

As I said in the pacifism post, "You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." People convince a deserve for peace with pacifism, and the two just aren't the same.

I thought it was an artifact of slash but it's in GEN FIC TOO?

Hee! Someone who knows the ship side of things better than I do might want to run a comparison on how many of the gen stories are written by authors who do ship, too. That might account for it.

Thanks for the kind words!