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In a seventh season episode, Daniel Jackson says something about finally feeling like he belongs. The exact words or placement of this sentiment isn't relevent, since I'm just using the information as an example. Seven years, more than one death, countless missions, and until that moment, Daniel didn't feel like he belonged. I understand that. I think that Daniel is my favorite character because I feel like I can understand him so well. Daniel Jackson makes more emotional sense to me than the rest of SG-1. His failings are ones that I share.
Interestingly enough, he actually reminds me of Willow (BtVS). I wasn't ever Willow's biggest fan, but the two characters have a lot in common. There's the most obvious thing -- they're both intellectually arrogant at times. They both contain within them not only the kind of focus that could destroy/own the world but the ability to do so if they did want to. Both of them can identify strongly with people/creatures that other people have a hard time connecting to. But there are areas of sharp division, and those are, I believe, part of why I'm such a fan of Daniel and not of Willow.
Daniel Jackson doesn't worry about how other people perceive him (which doesn't, of course, mean that he doesn't care about other opinions, just that they need to be the opinions of people who matter). Willow worries about this constantly. She lives in fear of shame. She wants to be thought of as 'the good guy' and the right one. Daniel Jackson faced not just rejection by his peers, but their ridicule, and he stood strong. It's that guilt/shame divide again, I think. Daniel carries much guilt with him, but little shame, while Willow is much the opposite (until, perhaps, season seven, which is when I started liking her on her own merits).
I can admire Daniel Jackson in a way that I couldn't ever admire Willow because Daniel achieved what I've never felt capable of. Daniel may not have felt like he belonged, but he still felt that he had the right to his opinions and his choices, without looking to other people as to his moral failures and successes.
I'm like Willow, full of shame and fear. I want to be like Daniel, who has motivating guilt instead of paralyzing shame. Daniel, who doesn't let other people shame him, but doesn't shirk what he is responsible for, either.
( spoilers for King Arthur, re: slashiness )
Interestingly enough, he actually reminds me of Willow (BtVS). I wasn't ever Willow's biggest fan, but the two characters have a lot in common. There's the most obvious thing -- they're both intellectually arrogant at times. They both contain within them not only the kind of focus that could destroy/own the world but the ability to do so if they did want to. Both of them can identify strongly with people/creatures that other people have a hard time connecting to. But there are areas of sharp division, and those are, I believe, part of why I'm such a fan of Daniel and not of Willow.
Daniel Jackson doesn't worry about how other people perceive him (which doesn't, of course, mean that he doesn't care about other opinions, just that they need to be the opinions of people who matter). Willow worries about this constantly. She lives in fear of shame. She wants to be thought of as 'the good guy' and the right one. Daniel Jackson faced not just rejection by his peers, but their ridicule, and he stood strong. It's that guilt/shame divide again, I think. Daniel carries much guilt with him, but little shame, while Willow is much the opposite (until, perhaps, season seven, which is when I started liking her on her own merits).
I can admire Daniel Jackson in a way that I couldn't ever admire Willow because Daniel achieved what I've never felt capable of. Daniel may not have felt like he belonged, but he still felt that he had the right to his opinions and his choices, without looking to other people as to his moral failures and successes.
I'm like Willow, full of shame and fear. I want to be like Daniel, who has motivating guilt instead of paralyzing shame. Daniel, who doesn't let other people shame him, but doesn't shirk what he is responsible for, either.
( spoilers for King Arthur, re: slashiness )