The Dark Side of Me
For stargateland 's Villain Manifesto.
The Dark Side of Me
Everyone has darkness inside them.
It’s you that decides what to do with that, but in some cases, especially in fiction, it can be the hero’s weakness or greatest strength. We all want to be good people… we all think that we’re right for holding onto whatever we hold onto. In fiction, especially Stargate, this can be the downfall of even the brightest of lights.
In Stargate SG-1, we see the dark side of Daniel Jackson. Due to the influence of the whole of the knowledge of the Evil Goa’uld, he turns into a megalomaniac, imprisoning friends, killing people and systematically taking over the entire world through the greatest of intentions. All he wanted to do was make things better and with his expanded knowledge, he decided that control was the best way. This look into Daniel Jackson makes us, the viewer see that he does desire change. Change within himself to be more powerful, change to make the world fit into what he would prefer, change that would create a whole new order.
In Stargate Atlantis, we see the dark side of John Sheppard. Due to a parasitic creature that fed on fear, John Sheppard faced the darkness within himself. John Sheppard has always been a little dark, a little bit of a black sheep, but he’s always had a good heart underneath it all. But this version of John Sheppard was pure evil and you could still see the core of the man, even in this copy. Both were fighters, both pushing their own ideas. The Evil Sheppard wanted to feed while the Good Sheppard wanted to protect his people. Both were themselves but we saw a side of Sheppard that could happen if he had just gone a little more sideways along the line.
What this does for the viewer is many fold. Number one, it’s chilling, it evokes an emotional response. How is this Daniel? Will John save Rodney? Number two, it forces ourselves to examine ourselves and look at how we view our worlds. I’m not claiming that this is life changing by any means, but at the same time, it does force you to consider yourself, if you’re prone to examination.
But these two aren’t the only ones with brushes with darkness. Replicarter was a prime example of good gone bad as she ripped apart the galaxy in her desire for power and, in some ways, acceptance by the entire galaxy as her own person, not just Samantha Carter. You also have the Goa’uld who take humans as hosts, turning them evil as well, twisting them to the point where goodness is a little harder to comprehend, much like Vala was when we first meet her.
The most evil person feels they are justified in their actions and in both cases, we saw our heroes put in positions where they were completely fine with what they were doing. It was in one case, for the greater good and in another, for his survival. It’s quite chilling to consider what you would do if you were in that situation.
The Dark Side of Me
Everyone has darkness inside them.
It’s you that decides what to do with that, but in some cases, especially in fiction, it can be the hero’s weakness or greatest strength. We all want to be good people… we all think that we’re right for holding onto whatever we hold onto. In fiction, especially Stargate, this can be the downfall of even the brightest of lights.
In Stargate SG-1, we see the dark side of Daniel Jackson. Due to the influence of the whole of the knowledge of the Evil Goa’uld, he turns into a megalomaniac, imprisoning friends, killing people and systematically taking over the entire world through the greatest of intentions. All he wanted to do was make things better and with his expanded knowledge, he decided that control was the best way. This look into Daniel Jackson makes us, the viewer see that he does desire change. Change within himself to be more powerful, change to make the world fit into what he would prefer, change that would create a whole new order.
In Stargate Atlantis, we see the dark side of John Sheppard. Due to a parasitic creature that fed on fear, John Sheppard faced the darkness within himself. John Sheppard has always been a little dark, a little bit of a black sheep, but he’s always had a good heart underneath it all. But this version of John Sheppard was pure evil and you could still see the core of the man, even in this copy. Both were fighters, both pushing their own ideas. The Evil Sheppard wanted to feed while the Good Sheppard wanted to protect his people. Both were themselves but we saw a side of Sheppard that could happen if he had just gone a little more sideways along the line.
What this does for the viewer is many fold. Number one, it’s chilling, it evokes an emotional response. How is this Daniel? Will John save Rodney? Number two, it forces ourselves to examine ourselves and look at how we view our worlds. I’m not claiming that this is life changing by any means, but at the same time, it does force you to consider yourself, if you’re prone to examination.
But these two aren’t the only ones with brushes with darkness. Replicarter was a prime example of good gone bad as she ripped apart the galaxy in her desire for power and, in some ways, acceptance by the entire galaxy as her own person, not just Samantha Carter. You also have the Goa’uld who take humans as hosts, turning them evil as well, twisting them to the point where goodness is a little harder to comprehend, much like Vala was when we first meet her.
The most evil person feels they are justified in their actions and in both cases, we saw our heroes put in positions where they were completely fine with what they were doing. It was in one case, for the greater good and in another, for his survival. It’s quite chilling to consider what you would do if you were in that situation.