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Acrophobia

Daniel has a self-professed "little problem with heights," if you believe it. At least, that's what he says during "Thor's Chariot." But as with too many examples of fanon, the quote that is used as a foundation for so much extrapolation only obtains the fanon meaning when removed from context.

In the episode, Daniel, Sam, and Gairwyn are attempting to pass a series of tests to obtain aid from the god Thor. One of the tests is the crossing of a very narrow stone bridge over a very deep chasm. Sam goes first, with careful steps, then Gairwyn, but a sudden tremor knocks her off her feet and she is trapped clinging to the center of the bridge. Sam offers to go back over and help her finish, but Daniel tells her not to bother since she's already had to cross once. He then jokes that "this wouldn't be a good time to mention my little problem with heights, would it?" and crosses to help Gairwyn anyway.

Daniel's trepidation in crossing the dangerous bridge is equal to Sam's, despite the fact that her training has prepared her more for such an an activity. His comment is designed to relieve some stress--it's a simple joke for a tense situation.

If it's not enough that Daniel goes ahead and passes Thor's test despite his supposed fear, there's the fact that whenever Daniel has to climb great heights in other episodes, he does so without any noticeable fear or aversion. In "1969." At the end of the episode, he climbs up the side of the very tall crate that contains the Stargate and helps open it so they can use it to get back to their own time. Daniel scurries up the side without hesitation. If he had a problem with heights, as a good leader Jack surely would have had himself or Sam take that job and let Daniel do something else to aid their escape. Daniel would have paused before climbing up that high, done so much more slowly, or refused altogether.

A season later in "Crystal Skull," Daniel has the opportunity to again cross a narrow stone bridge over a bottomless chasm. Does he hesitate? Does he step carefully and show his nervousness? Not in the slightest. He crosses that bridge three times during the episode, and one of those times he even runs across it. And later, during "Watergate," Daniel jumps out of a plane with only a quick glance in Jack's direction, in direct contrast to a very wary Teal'c. For both of these occasions, Daniel's supposed fear of heights makes no appearance at all.

Though there are few moments where his fear of heights would come into play if he actually had acrophobia, the occasions where he does shows that he has no problem being up high, and his own comment about his "little problem" was intended only as comic relief and not as a true dilemma. You could say that he has "situational acrophobia"; after all, who wouldn't be a little afraid of crossing a narrow stone bridge over a bottomless chasm?

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