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Daniel The Pacifist

Back in the first season, before he became the efficient, gun-totin' military cog that he is today, Daniel hated guns and couldn't stand the thought of taking a life. In fact, whenever he had to kill someone out of self-defense, he went on a guilt-trip about it for days after. Right?

Wrong. In fact, totally contradictory to canon Daniel from the very start.

In the movie, Daniel show no hesitation in killing Jaffa to protect himself and his friends, or in arranging and executing Ra's death. We saw him kill Jaffa in "The Serpent's Lair" to defend his friends and save the Earth. For less altruistic reasons, he gleefully murdered a tank full of infant Goa'uld in "Bloodlines" and was still glowing with pride over his actions later in the episode. In "The Nox" Daniel's bloodthirst surfaces again when he urgest Jack to lead SG-1 in a sneak attack to capture (and likely kill) Apophis. These are not the actions of someone who detests violence.

Daniel also has little problem handling guns. He shows himself to be a quick learner with weapons in the movie, a dead shot with a staff weapon at moving Jaffa. He handles his handgun in the series without any problem, and would no doubt have been well-trained in its usage before being allowed to join a military unit. The fact that he does not carry the MP-5s and P90s that Jack and Sam do does not malign his ability to handle weapons (he wielded Sam's gun expertly in "Bloodlines" and somewhat less expertly in "The Serpent's Lair") but rather emphasizes the fact that he's a civilian and, most likely, finds the handgun more comfortable. Knowing how to use an automatic weapon isn't essential to his position on the team; he only needs to be able to defend himself and his teammates, and the handgun allows him to do that just fine.

So if killing isn't a problem, and guns aren't the problem, what created the idea that Daniel is a pacifist? It's the fact that, while when circumstances demand it he is perfect willing to hurt or kill others, he is passionate about the importance of finding alternative ways of dealing with problems. In the movie, he berates his military companions that meeting the natives with guns blazing isn't the best idea. In "Children Of The Gods" he goes ahead to starts greeting the natives rather than ambushing them. In almost every episode, Daniel tries to talk his way out of a problem before his team starts shooting their way out. Daniel always tries to work things out peacefully if possible, because while he is willing to use violence, he generally doesn't prefer to use it unless it's the only way.

The best example of Daniel's "words over fighting" philosophy is "Cor-ai." Here, Daniel argues strongly with Jack against trying to break Teal'c out; rather, he wants to try to work with the court system that is condemning Teal'c in order to convince the injured party that violence on top of violence will not ease the suffering Teal'c caused in the past. He seeks understanding, emphasizing communication as a peaceful, superior method of resolving conflicts. However, it is worth noting that by the end of the episode, upon finding his own attempts unsuccessful, Daniel defers to Jack's more violent methods to save his friend.

Daniel wants violence to be a last resort, not a first impulse, and tries to exhaust all other alternatives before using it. But he never shies away from doing what must be done, even if he has to kill to do it.

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