Writing Daniel Jackson
Nov. 15th, 2004 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusI write Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1 because I identify with him. I started out very much a believer in my own world, and no, it wasn't the scientific community, just about as wide-open as James Spader plays the role. Then I went through a few battles of my own.
I think he's an archetype a lot of people can identify with actually: that of innocence lost. What do you do then?
I spoke with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cyanei (gosh, I hope I spelled that right Nope. Now corrected.) about the difficulties of writing a character that's been played by two very different actors, who has over the last eight years gone through a lot of development and major changes. I liked it enough, I've decided to post it here.
I've been working on Daniel in this and the previous piece. He's quite... elusive. Difficult to grasp.
Partially because he's changed so dramatically from the movie to the TV show, partially because Shanks' portrayal has slowly shifted over the years. Jack has always been Jack, but Daniel's changed a lot. Jack's very real to me becausewildernessguru talks a lot like him, has a similar blunt, cynical attitude.
It's an almost-seamless transition between the Spader and Shanks -- Michael Shanks is good. He picks up Spader's delivery and timing beautifully, but changes the role just enough to give himself some room.
James Spader played Daniel with an almost child-like wonder and... innocence isn't quite the right word... clarity. Gentleness.
Michael Shanks delivers the same lines with an underlying dry sarcasm.
The Spader!Daniel wasn't arrogant, he was oblivious to the toes he might step on, tripping his way to understanding. Shanks!Daniel has that slight academic haughtiness from the get-go.
Spader!Daniel made a fool of himself on a regular basis. In fact, he was almost a living representation of the tarot card, the Fool: confident in the universe and possessed of tremendous luck.
Shanks!Daniel is more self-aware. As he grows increasingly observant of his impact on those around him, first in his time on Abydos, and then in his trips through the stargate, he matures and becomes aware of what an idiot he makes of himself at times.
Then there are the Daniel phases, like the phases of the moon.
First there is the pre-Abydos phase: the down-and-out Daniel, struggling, but a believer in the pure science of what he's learned. So much a believer that he can't imagine that others wouldn't accept simple facts. He's completely apolitical and naive. Unjaded.
Then there's the Abydos Daniel: the one whose confidence has been built by his relationship with Sha'uri (ha! Thank you, I've seen the other spelling on the back of the CD boxes) and his role as a leader. And, quite frankly, by his boldness in facing Ra almost without blinking. He learned a lot about himself and what he could handle then.
Next the hunting-for-Sha'uri Daniel: mono-focused, angry, willing to abandon his moral stand in his quest, often caught between his new military role and his old roles. Aware of the dichotomy of his feelings towards the Goa'uld and his neutral stance towards almost everything else. He takes sometimes crazy risks in his quest, makes a fool of himself often. His innocence and wonder appears from time to time as he steps out onto a new world, but it's usually buried in his fire to free her.
Then the-post-Sha-uri Daniel: silent about it, almost grim, doing his job because the others depend on him and they have a purpose -- but looking for something to give her death meaning. He's beaten, actually. Matured perhaps. But the sarcasm has full reign, and he's, okay, somewhat cynical. He no longer believes in the fundamental goodness of others. Instead he feels he has to fight for goodness, as it's something rather rare.
Then there's the post-Ascension Daniel: he's restrained, cautious. Quiet. Not fighting for anything. Patiently doing his job, expecting little and asking nothing of anyone. He's turned completely inward, shutting everyone out of what used to be out there on his face for all to see. A tough nut to crack. Does he believe in anything anymore? Has he become completely ordinary, abandoned seeking beyond himself? I ache when I watch the post-Ascension Daniel.
The are a few common threads you can find in all these Daniels, however.
- The first is scientific (cultural anthropologist) curiosity, with a tendency to stick his neck out because of it (how skillfully depends on the Daniel).
- The next is his tendency to say the unexpected. Where a normal person would say, "may I come in?" Daniel will point to your beer and say, "feel like sharing?" It's jarring and jolts the listener out of their normal modes of thinking.
- The third is his honesty. Daniel doesn't lie. At worst, he withholds the truth.
- The last is that Daniel shuts people out. Partially it's that Daniel lives in another world where few can really communicate with him. Partially it's that he doesn't entirely trust other people to understand, or to listen.
I believe that his interest in linguistics stems from the very fact that he says such surprising, out-of-sync things to people. I think he knew he was bad at communicating and tried to figure out where the wiring was wrong, what was happening, why didn't people understand him? He eventually became good at understanding others, but never quite succeeded in making himself understood. So he learned to say nothing rather than be misunderstood (or opposed). So he relies on no one but himself, tells no one his full plans, and that was true from the original movie.
There's good reason Daniel's hard to write. He's a complex individual, and there are so many of him -- which Daniel do you write?
ETA: More edits. *snort*
I think he's an archetype a lot of people can identify with actually: that of innocence lost. What do you do then?
I spoke with
cyanei (I've been working on Daniel in this and the previous piece. He's quite... elusive. Difficult to grasp.
Partially because he's changed so dramatically from the movie to the TV show, partially because Shanks' portrayal has slowly shifted over the years. Jack has always been Jack, but Daniel's changed a lot. Jack's very real to me because
wildernessguru talks a lot like him, has a similar blunt, cynical attitude. It's an almost-seamless transition between the Spader and Shanks -- Michael Shanks is good. He picks up Spader's delivery and timing beautifully, but changes the role just enough to give himself some room.
James Spader played Daniel with an almost child-like wonder and... innocence isn't quite the right word... clarity. Gentleness.
Michael Shanks delivers the same lines with an underlying dry sarcasm.
The Spader!Daniel wasn't arrogant, he was oblivious to the toes he might step on, tripping his way to understanding. Shanks!Daniel has that slight academic haughtiness from the get-go.
Spader!Daniel made a fool of himself on a regular basis. In fact, he was almost a living representation of the tarot card, the Fool: confident in the universe and possessed of tremendous luck.
Shanks!Daniel is more self-aware. As he grows increasingly observant of his impact on those around him, first in his time on Abydos, and then in his trips through the stargate, he matures and becomes aware of what an idiot he makes of himself at times.
Then there are the Daniel phases, like the phases of the moon.
First there is the pre-Abydos phase: the down-and-out Daniel, struggling, but a believer in the pure science of what he's learned. So much a believer that he can't imagine that others wouldn't accept simple facts. He's completely apolitical and naive. Unjaded.
Then there's the Abydos Daniel: the one whose confidence has been built by his relationship with Sha'uri (ha! Thank you, I've seen the other spelling on the back of the CD boxes) and his role as a leader. And, quite frankly, by his boldness in facing Ra almost without blinking. He learned a lot about himself and what he could handle then.
Next the hunting-for-Sha'uri Daniel: mono-focused, angry, willing to abandon his moral stand in his quest, often caught between his new military role and his old roles. Aware of the dichotomy of his feelings towards the Goa'uld and his neutral stance towards almost everything else. He takes sometimes crazy risks in his quest, makes a fool of himself often. His innocence and wonder appears from time to time as he steps out onto a new world, but it's usually buried in his fire to free her.
Then the-post-Sha-uri Daniel: silent about it, almost grim, doing his job because the others depend on him and they have a purpose -- but looking for something to give her death meaning. He's beaten, actually. Matured perhaps. But the sarcasm has full reign, and he's, okay, somewhat cynical. He no longer believes in the fundamental goodness of others. Instead he feels he has to fight for goodness, as it's something rather rare.
Then there's the post-Ascension Daniel: he's restrained, cautious. Quiet. Not fighting for anything. Patiently doing his job, expecting little and asking nothing of anyone. He's turned completely inward, shutting everyone out of what used to be out there on his face for all to see. A tough nut to crack. Does he believe in anything anymore? Has he become completely ordinary, abandoned seeking beyond himself? I ache when I watch the post-Ascension Daniel.
The are a few common threads you can find in all these Daniels, however.
- The first is scientific (cultural anthropologist) curiosity, with a tendency to stick his neck out because of it (how skillfully depends on the Daniel).
- The next is his tendency to say the unexpected. Where a normal person would say, "may I come in?" Daniel will point to your beer and say, "feel like sharing?" It's jarring and jolts the listener out of their normal modes of thinking.
- The third is his honesty. Daniel doesn't lie. At worst, he withholds the truth.
- The last is that Daniel shuts people out. Partially it's that Daniel lives in another world where few can really communicate with him. Partially it's that he doesn't entirely trust other people to understand, or to listen.
I believe that his interest in linguistics stems from the very fact that he says such surprising, out-of-sync things to people. I think he knew he was bad at communicating and tried to figure out where the wiring was wrong, what was happening, why didn't people understand him? He eventually became good at understanding others, but never quite succeeded in making himself understood. So he learned to say nothing rather than be misunderstood (or opposed). So he relies on no one but himself, tells no one his full plans, and that was true from the original movie.
There's good reason Daniel's hard to write. He's a complex individual, and there are so many of him -- which Daniel do you write?
ETA: More edits. *snort*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 02:10 am (UTC)I love Daniel to bits, and whenever I've come across people who didn't like him (such as my father, the other huge SG-1 fan I know), the first thing that pops into my head is WHY?! I've always seen him as complex, sympathetic, etc, but people who aren't fans of him apparently see him as ... well, whiny. Fanfiction can sometimes pick up that perceived whininess and push Daniel's character, through bad writing, so far away from his positive aspects that he becomes flat and irritating. Good fic rounds him out, presents the good and the bad, and shows an understanding of how the events that make up Daniel's life have shaped and changed him. And yes, it is hard to do that. I think you've certainly managed it, though. ( ;
I think I agree with your idea of where his interest in linguistics stemmed from. It makes a lot of sense. But I don't think he understood that by delving so deeply into language he actually made communication problems worse; Pre-Abydos, the only people Daniel could really communicate with at all were other liguists. I've actually noticed this problem in my own cultural forays, having to change the way I speak (choosing the simpler word, rather the one that I actually mean, but that only 5 other people within a few hundred kilometres could actually define) so that my new family members who speak English as a second language can understand me. By now it's become comic relief- Daniel having to explain something to Jack three different ways before he gets it. ( ;
Hm. I'm done, I think. There's more I wanted to say, but 2 AM is too early in the morning to articulate anything and make sense. Excuse any grammar and spelling issues. ( ;
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 02:27 am (UTC)Yes, there are many Daniels, and for someone who watched the whole series from the beginning to the end over a 3-month time period, these Daniels kind of blur. There is a beautiful arc, though, and I agree that MS is a good actor. Very good, actually, but that may be just my personal view of him :)=
Does he believe in anything anymore? Has he become completely ordinary, abandoned seeking beyond himself? I ache when I watch the post-Ascension Daniel.
*aches alongside you*
At the moment I'm trying to find a way to write the 5th season Daniel. Not as bitter as the post-ascension Daniel, not yet. But doubting. And besides the He no longer believes in the fundamental goodness of others he also doesn't believe in the goodness of himself. Which will be apparent at the end of season 5, as we all know.
Next in queue is the 8th season Daniel. As you say, he's not fighting for anything. Just floating, a little. My objective is to justify his reaching out, whether because of loneliness or something along the lines of I have to do something *at last*. Possible, you think?
I guess your post may help me a lot when I'm trying to stay centered :)=
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 11:18 am (UTC)In the series he didn't die really. He "Ascended," leaving behind his mortal body to exist on a higher plane. He then returned in a non-physical but visible form to Jack on a few occasions, most memorably in The Abyss, where Jack was being tortured to death repeatly by the Goa'uld Ba'al.
As an Ascended being Daniel was not permitted to intervene on his friends' behalf, a fact that frustrated him. Eventually he rebelled, attempted to use his abilities to save a lot of people he cared for, and simply vanished. He was discovered later on a distant planet, alive, in his normal physical body, with no recollection of who he was. He recovered his memories in patches, but has only the vaguest recollections of his time as an Ascended being. He's not sure if he fucked up and was kicked out, or if he deliberately messed up because he couldn't stand to be so powerful and yet helpless at the same time, or if he chose to leave.
That's as of Season seven. I'm one season behind because I don't have cable.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 09:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 11:23 am (UTC)But you make me want to watch them! I may have to add the DVDs to my Xmas list. I'll make sure that Santa thanks you.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 11:33 am (UTC)Icarus