Canon vs. Fanon, part 12: A Jack O'Neill Edition
It’s been quite a while since we’ve last done this, but that’s exactly why I started them during the episode hiatus! Now, with the series ended and redial_the_gate not yet starting, it seems like the perfect time for another installment.
Welcome back to Canon vs. Fanon. And welcome, too, to the newcomers to my flist. Drop a comment and say hello! Or don’t, as it pleases you. :)
Recap: Canon is anything shown onscreen in the movie or show; show supersedes movie, when necessary. (The Goa’uld use the genetically-modified Jaffa as soldiers, not ordinary humans dressed in funky armor.) Fanon is defined as popular concepts that occur regularly in fanfic, but have little or no actual canon basis to defend them.
This is a first for me: a Jack O’Neill edition! No, I am not finished with Daniel, I assure you all. But for a nice change of pace, let’s look at some of the more common fanon tropes for Colonel Jack O’Neill. As always, pointers to what I've missed, and discussions and/or disagreements with my analyses, are more than welcome.
Jack constantly snipes about the abundance of trees on the planets they visit through the Stargate.
It is certainly true that nearly all the planets the SGC visited through the Stargate fell into one of two categories: forested or desert. Many fanfic writers seem to consider a Jack remark about trees to be an integral part of a Stargate story, as if it’s something on their mental checklist: story must include Jaffa shooting and missing everything in sight, a reference to Oz, an exchange of “Jack,” “Daniel,” and a gripe about trees. Surprisingly enough, though, remarks about trees in canon are actually very uncommon - not only from Jack, but from anyone at all.
Our first tree observation takes place in First Commandment - the seventh canon planet through the Stargate, although we can easily theorize there were other missions that we didn’t actually see. (Abydos, Chulak, PX-575, P3X-595 [where Sam “drank that stuff that made you take off your-”], Simarka, P3X-797 [aka The Land of Light], and P3X-513, the planet of this episode.)
Sam observes, “Apparently Abydos was the exception, not the rule, as far as trees are concerned."
Daniel points out, "Well, that makes sense. For a planet to support human life, there must be some sort of carbon-based vegetation, right?"
Teal’c explains to them both, "It is no accident. Many Stargate worlds were terra-formed by the Goa'uld, centuries ago."
[Please note the charm of early SG-1 episodes in that statement of Teal’c’s: a time-frame of centuries rather than the more reasonable millennia, and the use of an Earth-centric term such as “terra-formed.” Give them time; they’ll settle down, eventually. :) ]
At this point, Jack interrupts the conversation and directs them to take a quick look around the Gate before they start hunting for the missing team.
The next mention of trees takes place in the following season, at the very beginning of Prisoners.
Jack orders the team to return to Earth, and Daniel protests, “We practically just got here! We have no idea what this planet has to offer.”
Jack suggests, with a heavy dose of sarcasm, “Trees and moss?”
Daniel tries to argue further, and Sam diplomatically tries to support him, but Jack interrupts them and says, “Much as I love a good rain forest…” Then the Taldor’s fugitive shows up, and SG-1 finds themselves booked on a one-way trip to Hadante.
In Need, the very next episode, Shyla takes Daniel on what she clearly perceives to be a romantic walk in the woods. She says, “I know you must have seen much in your travels, but surely you've never seen anything quite so beautiful. We call them ‘trees.’”
A very uncomfortable Daniel says, “Oh. Um, so do we.”
Shyla, surprised, asks, “So you've seen them before, on other worlds? “
“Yes, I have.”
Fast-forward another season, to Demons. As the team exits the Stargate, Jack declaims, “Ah, trees, trees and more trees. What a wonderfully green universe we live in, eh? Where's that village?”
On to Season Four, and Prodigy. Sam takes Haley to M4C-862. Haley looks around and comments, “Doesn’t look that different from home.”
Sam explains, “Well, where there's oxygen, there's usually plant life, trees, water…”
Next comes Scorched Earth in Season Five. Daniel takes Lotan down to the surface of the planet, to show him what is being destroyed.
Lotan studies the surroundings and makes a brilliant observation: “These are trees.”
Daniel quirks a smile and says, “Yes. Anywhere there’s oxygen, you’re sure to find trees. They’re kinda like nature’s air filters.”
From there, we need to jump another season, to Paradise Lost.
Maybourne tells Jack, “I’m tired of running, Jack. Why should I, when I could have a chance of retiring in paradise?”
Jack answers dryly, “I see trees, Harry. You get that in Colorado.”
Then there’s the seriously entertaining exchange in Heroes, when SG-13 gets all the teamy goodness and camaraderie instead of SG-1:
Colonel Dixon observes that the planet seems to be deserted. Balinsky holds up a small notebook and asks cheerfully, “Take the usual bet on that, sir?”
Dixon says, “Sure. Wells?”
Airman Wells offers, “Abandoned naquadah mine.”
“Boring,” Dixon says dismissively, “but good odds. Bosworth?”
Bosworth, completely deadpan, says, “I’m going to put my money on trees, sir.”
Dixon looks at him and announces, “Bosworth’s disqualified for being a smartass.”
To sum up: references to trees on planets occur eight times over seven seasons of the series. Three of them (or possibly four, depending on how you define Daniel's exchange with Shyla in Need) are simply observations, not sarcastic grumblings. Of those eight incidents, four take place when Jack isn’t present, and one takes place with Jack ignoring the conversation, and even cutting it short. That leaves three times when Jack snarks about trees: Prisoners in S2, Demons in S3, and Paradise Lost in S6.
The one in Demons is clearly the template from which fanon is taken, and we can technically say that yes, canon does give us a basis for Jack grousing about trees on other planets. But three times over a five-year period cannot possibly be considered something constant, any more than we can say that Jack’s six uses of the name “Danny” over a three-year period make it canon for Jack to call Daniel by that nickname on a regular basis.
Conclusion: While many planets in Vancouver have their fair share of trees, and Jack does grouse about them, this actually happened very, very rarely. Writers should keep that in mind when they choose to include references to comments about trees in their stories - or maybe even have someone else do the snarking.
Jack is 2IC of the SGC.
There is no question that the members of the SGC, both civilian and military, are accorded all due respect by the SGC staff, and that their advice and suggestions carry a great deal of weight. Consider Sam in Message in a Bottle and A Matter of Time, for example, when her recommendations to Hammond are accepted and followed; or look at Daniel, who is apparently directing the search for Jack and Sam in Solitudes, gives orders to Walter in New Order, and is in charge of interrogations in Endgame. Teal’c, with his status as an alien, might be a little more ambiguous; but certainly he is obeyed in all matters of strategy and defense, as we see from the actions of the SFs in Avatar (which were surely extrapolated from how SFs would act in “real life”), and Hammond deferred to his knowledge and experience with the Goa’uld on a regular basis.
Jack has the authority of his rank - he seems to be the most senior colonel among the SG teams - and his position as leader of the front-line team, as well as his expertise as the man with the most experience through the Stargate. He has the admiration of many of their allies, with Thor (obviously) as head of the Jack O’Neill fan club, but by no means the only member. (Consider Charlie-Reetou’s “mother” and the Enkarens, to name a few.) His suggestions are often interpreted as orders, and his orders are instantly obeyed.
That is not, however, the same thing as being second-in-command of the SGC. Jack’s position as 2IC is such a common part of fanon that no one even seems to think about it; but for two very good reasons, it’s actually impossible.
Let’s take the in-canon reason first: There is no canon proof for this common fanon assertion. We have never seen Jack temporarily in charge when Hammond leaves, for instance; and when General Bauer took over in Chain Reaction, he treated Jack like a regular, not-very-important subordinate, not like the 2IC of the entire base. (The scene when Bauer first appears, and Jack calls everyone present to attention, doesn’t mean he’s in charge of the base; it means he’s the ranking officer in that room, which was quite possibly composed of SG teams only.) Jack’s authority at the SGC is due to him because of his rank and status as CO of SG-1, but that doesn’t automatically make him 2IC of the entire base. The limitations of a television series might not allow us to see anyone other than Jack or Hammond in positions of authority, but there is never any suggestion that Jack is Hammond’s second-in-command.
ETA: Thanks to ivorygates for suggesting A Matter of Time as a possible canonical reference!
With the Stargate linked to another a planet under the influence of a black hole, time dilations are taking place at the SGC. Hammond tries to get in touch with the President, but the red phone isn't working. Lt. Simmons reports that they've lost all communications on the lower levels; in Hammond wants to get to a secure line, the closest one is up on NORAD, on the main level.
Hammond turns to Jack and says, "I won't be long. In the meantime, Colonel..."
Jack replies, "Understood, sir."
A person could take this exchange to mean that Hammond is telling Jack, as his 2IC, that he is now in charge of the base. However, I would personally suggest that Hammond is actually instructing Jack to keep doing exactly what he's already doing - that is, supervise his junior officer, Captain Carter, as she and her team try to disengage the Stargate. Throughout the following scenes, Jack does nothing to indicate that he's concentrating on anything other than the immediate problem of breaking the Stargate's connection; he doesn't go to Hammond's office, or receive reports from other sectors of the SGC, or anything else at all. So I would conclude that A Matter of Time doesn't support the "Jack as 2IC" fanon, either.
So much for the in-canon contradiction. Now we come to the more interesting argument: that of reality in the Air Force.
I can’t even begin to take credit for the following analysis. It is the work of Codger, a regular contributer to the Television Without Pity’s Stargate: SG-1 forum. It is referenced and linked here with permission, with the help of aurora_novarum. Thanks, Codger. :)
Essentially, there is no way that Jack, together with his duties as commanding officer of SG-1, could also be second-in-command of the SGC. His rank is too low; he isn’t available when he would need to be; and there are entire layers of chains of command between Hammond and Jack.
Realistically speaking, there has got to be at least one alternate commander of the SGC; after all, Hammond can’t possibly be there 24/7. We’ve seen him at all hours, of course; but in practical terms, there would need to be four separate shifts of officers running the SGC. And with Jack going through the Stargate half the time, how can fanfic writers even try to suggest that he’s next in line for responsibility for the entire base?
If you consider it further, command involving hundreds - or possibly thousands - of people couldn’t possibly be run by Hammond alone. There would need to be officers in charge of maintaining the base, supplying ordnance and medical necessities, security, the commissary, mental health (not just what we see represented by Mackenzie, but an entire network including chaplains, family support during crises, emotional support during recovery, etc.)… The list goes on and on, and many of the officers performing these duties obviously outrank Colonel Jack O’Neill.
There are also those layers: as Codger puts it, there’s the Commander (Hammond), the Vice-Commander (the 2IC), the Operation Groups Commander, (someone who oversees the teams and runs mission support), and the Reconnaissance Squadron Commander - who would be Jack. That means there would be at least two officers between Jack and Hammond in the chain of command.
Codger also includes the other layers of command, including medical, security, supply, analysis, and so on; but those run more or less parallel to the links between Jack and Hammond, so I haven’t included them here. For a more detailed explanation, you can take a look at Codger’s original post. And if I haven’t explained it accurately, the fault is entirely mine.
Conclusion: The fanon suggestion that Jack is 2IC of the SGC is contradicted both by the complete absence of any evidence in canon and the normal chain of command on a military base.
Jack is a practical joker who loves to play pranks on the Marines, other SG team members, and Daniel (especially Daniel).
I’ve read stories entirely devoted to an escalating prank war between Jack and Daniel, or fics that reference Jack gleefully playing practical jokes on SG-3 despite the promises of mortal revenge. Many of them have been highly entertaining, and they certainly seem to be in character. So it might come as a surprise to discover that there is no canon incident whatsoever in which Jack actually plays a practical joke in the SGC. Heavy sarcasm and mockery, yes. Pranks, no.
Does it fit Jack’s character to make him a practical joker? Quite possibly, although I would maintain that Jack is too professional to play such jokes on SGC grounds. But while Jack the Joker doesn’t actually contradict his behavior in canon, there is no actual evidence of it at all.
The closest incidents we ever get to a practical joke take place in Seasons Four and Five, respectively:
Window of Opportunity. Jack walks through the hall and starts to look at his watch just as he hears a call of, “Jack!” He gestures with disappointment at his failure to time Daniel’s interruption properly, then turns to look at Daniel, who comes running up with an armful of papers. They only have time to exchange a few sentences before Daniel is knocked down by Siler, and all the papers go flying.
“Shoulda seen that coming,” Jack mentions.
On the next loop, Jack’s timing is a little better; he’s already counting down on his fingers, and he gives a smirk of pleasure as Daniel’s call of, “Jack!” occurs right when he expects it. And while he interrupts Daniel to point to the sheaf of papers and identify it as “four hundred pages of alien text,” he doesn’t bother to stop the collision with Siler. This time, his comment is, “Oops.”
[The original script actually had Jack move Daniel out of the way, so that Siler didn’t crash into him; unfortunately, the airman walking next to Siler (PDL in his one of his semi-regular cameos) knocked Daniel over instead. I personally would have found that a lot funnier, but that’s not how it was filmed.]
Since Jack was timing it the first time we see it, it’s obvious that it happened at least once before. That makes it a minimum of three times that Jack allowed Daniel to be knocked down before he finally pre-empted the incident by going to Daniel’s office first.
Proving Ground. Daniel is enjoying the comfortable feel of Hammond’s chair, and Teal’c is amusing himself with a magnifying glass, when Jack calls to warn them that the recruits are on their way.
Jack drawls, in a deliberately ominous voice, “Have fun, Daniel.”
“Yeah,” Daniel says, sitting up a little. “You did tell them to take me prisoner and not shoot me, right?”
The scene switches to Jack’s utterly expressionless face, and the faint, tinny sound of Daniel’s voice coming through the phone, still saying, “Right?” as Jack slowly hangs up.
Neither of these are actually practical jokes. Window of Opportunity gives us Jack, probably as an outlet for his frustration, allowing something to happen; but it’s not something he deliberately set up as a prank. Proving Ground was a deliberate setup, but it’s not a practical joke as much as it is part of a training exercise - even if it’s an aspect that Daniel would have preferred to avoid.
Conclusion: While it’s reasonable to extrapolate from Jack’s character that he probably enjoys practical jokes, there is no canon evidence that Jack has ever orchestrated a practical joke at the SGC.
My personal fanon opinion? None of the fanon assertions listed here are hugely out-of-character for Jack, even if the 2IC one turns out to be completely impractical on both a canonical and military basis. There are canon incidents in which Jack grouses about trees on other planets, and it’s clearly an in-joke among the SG teams. Jack’s personality is certainly well-suited to playing practical jokes. But the trick to fanon is knowing that it’s fanon, not canon. If a writer wants Jack to complain about trees, or play practical jokes on his friends/enemies, go right ahead - but please realize that it’s fanon, and adjust the frequency accordingly!
"Anyway, I'm sorry, but that just happens to be how I feel about it. What do you think?"
