Canon vs. Fanon, part 8: Daniel, Pacifism, and Weapons Skills
Welcome to the next edition of Canon vs. Fanon! And hello to all the new people of my f-list. :) Drop a comment, say hi, and join the discussion! Differing opinions are welcomed, too.
As I've mentioned in many of these posts, most fanon affectations are only minor irritations for me, particularly those that can be reasonably extrapolated from canon ( Read more... )
But I think that says a lot about what Daniel looses sleep over, and there's not a lot of nightmares about shooting people or things he's decided are wrong or bad or about to kill someone he cares about. I do think he will angst about if the right to make those kind of decisions--and I do think he'd rather have time to really think things through first. But Daniel's never been one to opt out or back down from any fight. He's also a dedicated tool user (if there's no gun, he will pick up anything with with he can hit someone).
To me, one of the more interesting things is that Daniel doesn't like to label himself, or others. Pacifist is a label. I can't see how Daniel would think of that as anything but a box, which might not be appropriate in some circumstances.
Seems a pacificist, too, would have a really hard time working for and with the military. (And Daniel, in the movie, had no problem with sending a nuke up to kill Ra--and more than a few kids. But he saw the greater need there.)
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He's also a dedicated tool user (if there's no gun, he will pick up anything with with he can hit someone). Heh. Other than the time when he picked up the pseudo-golf club and whacked someone with it in The Other Side, when do we see Daniel improvising a weapon?
And, yes, Daniel wouldn't approve of labels. Humans are ever so much too complex for that. Especially our Daniel! :)
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Well, the dart incident you've already mentioned from 'The Curse'. The rock he decided not to hit Chaka with in 'The First Ones'. A large pottery vase in 'It's Good to Be King'. Another rock (which he again doesn't use) in Evolution 2. I'm sure there are more.
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LOL at the rocks. And the pottery vase. I'll bow to your wisdom here, I think. :)
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In Beneath the Surface, Daniel's the one who comes along and hands Jack a big stick to use on the stuck valve (and he stopped to get one for himself, too).
In Evolution 2, it's Daniel picking up a rock to use to defend himself (as in he looks around and that's the only tool to hand).
In The Curse, even being ribboned, his move is to go for the tranq dart he's got--go for the tool, not go after the person after him.
In It's Good to be King, when he and Teal'c go for breaking loose, Teal'c just goes for someone. Daniel grabs a pot and slams it onto a Jaffa's head. Then, smart boy that he is, grabs the zat while Teal'c just stays with hands-on pounding.
And, as you pointed out, he's also the one making the arrows. (Making tools.)
It's also apparent by the lack of times Daniel actually ever tries to hit someone. Other than for coming down off the sarcophagus, when he really let loose (and, even then, he goes for the guys gun after pounding him). But Daniel doesn't tend to use his fists, unlike, say, Jack who will pound and grab people, or Teal'c who really likes pounding people who have irritated him. Daniel may try to break away from folks hanging onto him, but hitting is never his instinct--it's grab something to hit someone with if you have to. And find a better tool.
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And, of course, Daniel's best tool is his voice. Which he uses with razor-sharp dexterity. :)
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