Histrionics, vindictiveness, lies and slander. A fandom split by malice?

I fell into fandom during my search for information on the British TV series Ultraviolet. I found fan fiction along the way and became caught up in the bizarre, but thoroughly enjoyable world of Internet fandom. Ultraviolet consisted a few people on a list, and a lively forum. Both died, Ultraviolet was far too small a fandom, and too short a series to sustain the interest. It did however lead me to Stargate SG-1, and since I'd loved the film Stargate and had fallen for the archaeologist, Dr Daniel Jackson, I was pleased to find a series named after it. I was surprised to find that an alien, Teal'c, and a female Captain, Sam Carter had joined Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson. But the team gelled, I saw the chemistry between them and I was hooked.

I'd started writing fan fiction for Ultraviolet. I began Stargate by writing a slash piece for a zine, and contributing a humour story to a gen archive. I then proceeded to write plot driven adventure/drama stories that involved the team, but focused on Jack and Daniel. I like Sam and Teal'c and didn't want these two ignored, but my emphasis has always been Daniel and his relationship with Jack.

Throughout all the time I was writing, I was reading general/team orientated stories, slash and a few het stories, particularly Daniel/Sha're as I love that pairing. Jack/Sam stories abounded on a supposed general archive, but I was never interested, nor were many, if any, written by the members on the lists I subscribed to. I decided that I should branch out a little from the lists I spent time on, and see what some of the other places and people were like. I headed for a list that described itself as slash friendly, but mainly for gen and ship (het) fiction and discussion. I quickly returned to my own corner of fandom a little less tolerant and rather shaken. In the middle of Season Four my favourite character, and, far worse in my mind, his actual actor, was being vilified, given the sobriquet St Daniel in a far from pleasant or affectionate manner, and generally 'shat' upon from a great height while the list moderators said NOTHING! I automatically, along with other like-minded individuals, defended both, but the vindictiveness grew and I left totally appalled at what I was reading.

The lists I retreated to did not allow mauling of any character. Discussion, disagreement even annoyance was permitted. Super Sam! was regarded by some with irritation, Dumb Jack! was scorned, Wallpaper Teal'c was pitied for the writers total lack of imagination and St Daniel was accused of being too often in the right, BUT, and this is a big but, it was these aspects of the characters and the way the writers made Sam able to do and know everything, Jack too dumb to understand things, Daniel too much the moral conscience and Teal'c nothing to do but raise an eyebrow, that annoyed people. The actors were never spoken of in anything but the warmest terms. Deep arguments broke out over episodes like The Other Side, however the disagreements remained pleasant in the main, and the list moderators jumped in if people went out of line. On the list I left in appalled shock this kind of argument descended into a complete trashing of Daniel and the writer for even supporting him. Intolerance appeared to rule there.

And so life continued for me, a little sadder, a little wiser and a lot more wary of certain types of 'fans' until midway through Season Five when an obviously discontent Michael Shanks announced that he would be leaving the show because he was becoming less and less integral to the plots. He was politely honest as to his reasons and never rude about anyone, check here if you want the facts, but the anti Daniel bashers had it in for him anyway, and, along with some of The Powers That Be (TPTB), who quite honestly should have known better, vilified him to a scary and frightening degree.

Meridian came and went, a character was introduced as his replacement in the same episode, and Stargate looked like it was over for me. Then along came the Save Daniel Jackson campaign (SDJ). Because Michael Shanks had left for artistic differences, not because he particularly wanted to, the SDJ decided to make TPTB understand the deep discontent felt by many fans at his summary dismissal from the series and total lack of any goodbyes or recognition from anyone in power. Suddenly Daniel Jackson didn't exist at MGM, Stargate went off to Sci Fi, and a new 'hunky' character with a convenient super memory, speed reading, knowledge in Daniel's area, but NO experience, an ability to hold his breath under water and (important point this since he was effectively in the same room with Daniel) immunity to radiation had taken his place, and would we all shut up and love him because he was 'hunky'. The insult to those of us who loved Daniel Jackson for himself was extreme. His actor is a very handsome man, but it was his CHARACTER that we loved not just his looks.

I have no beef with the actor who just wanted to join the series and have fun playing Jonas, bar the fact that I consider him a pretty wooden actor. I do have a beef with the writers who were unimaginative in the extreme in their writing of him. Too many 'Super' powers, and not enough thought at making Jonas totally different from Daniel. For example, if he had been made to be the total opposite of Daniel i.e. mouthy, opinionated, bombastic, arrogant etc he might have been great fun. Fans have an ability to pick up and run with abrasive character if they are well developed and interesting. No one can accuse Kerr Avon from Blake's 7 of being nice, he was a cross between a sociopath and a psychopath, but he was a much loved character all the same. But I digress!

So a Daniel light, we were promised six appearances we got three, Season Six approached. You would have thought the Daniel haters would have been happy and content to enjoy the show, but no, the more vociferous Daniel haters found a new target. The Save Daniel Jackson campaign became the new thing to vent their spite on. Each and every way that it was possible to demean the campaign the hostile, but vocal few did. The Internet fandom divided into those who wanted the original team back, those who were glad Daniel had gone and were determined to embrace Jonas, and those who just wanted to carry on enjoying the show whether they'd liked Daniel or not. I do have some sympathy for the last group; it must be hard to understand why people were making such a fuss of one character's departure. Characters come and go, Daniel was just one of them. Had Michael, or any of the other actors, decided to leave for other projects I would have possibly felt very much the same.

However, the point the SDJ continued to make was that Michael Shanks left not because he wanted to, but because he was effectively sidelined and made to feel unnecessary. Not a good feeling for a young actor who loves his acting, loves his character (and that is also an important point, Michael Shanks appears to be something of a fan boy) and wants to be acting and learning. As to the first group, I have never ever understood how anyone could hate Daniel Jackson. Get irritated by him, yes, prefer other characters to him, fine, side with the military viewpoint, okay, but hate him? To me Daniel Jackson encapsulates all that I like best about a human being, and, since I'm shamefully shallow at times, his looks and undoubted charm contributed as well. Warmth, compassion, sincerity, drive, passion, genuineness, empathy, understanding, gentleness, determination, intelligence and an ability to think outside of the box are IT for me. He might also be sarcastic, occasionally arrogant, individualistic, prone to do his own thing and far too idealistic, but I never said he was perfect. He'd be boring if he was, but how anyone like him could inspire hatred bewildered me.

SDJ grew like topsy and continued despite abuse and slander from the spiteful fans, avoidance and denial from TPTB with occasional thinly veiled jibes from them, bewilderment and some hostility from those who didn't really care, and any official backing from the man himself, although what he did say was positive and supportive. It would be foolish to say that SDJ did absolutely nothing wrong, it would be foolish to say that it wasn't somewhat divisive, but the people who made SDJ what it was did so with integrity, and were constantly encouraging those of us who supported them to be polite and courteous in our letter writing and phone messages. To say that SDJ encouraged and condoned the sending of hate mail is erroneous and untruthful. If hate mail was sent to TPTB, something that has been alleged, but never proven, it was certainly done against SDJ's policy, and cannot be used to blacken and besmirch SDJ's name.

Too most people's surprise Season Seven was confirmed, to many people's amazed shock and delight Michael Shanks was asked to return and agreed. We had Daniel back on the team in Season Seven. What more could a Daniel, and classic team fan want? Happy dancing and singing echoed round my house and computer for days. We were informed that SDJ had not had any influence on the decision. That I doubt, but I would agree that economics and ratings were far more likely to have been the deciding factors. Did SDJ gloat, hell no, it went ecstatic with delight, offered olive branches all round and immediately set to turning the SDJ web site into Stargate SG-1 Solutions, a fantastic information resource for the show itself. 

Did the vociferous anti SDJ and Daniel bashers accept this gracefully? Of course not. Daniel, Michael Shanks and SDJ bashing increased in intensity and sheer bile. Reading some threads and topics at the unmoderated bill board at Sci Fi is rather like diving head first into a cesspit of inarticulate vomit and libellous filth. Recently a person who should know better likened SDJ to a terrorist organisation saying that they used terrorist tactics!  Terrorism is 'the policy of using acts inspiring terror as a method of conducting political opposition'. A terrorist is a person who favours or practices terrorism. I would be interested to see her spell out these apparent terror tactics, but I think she ought to look at the meaning of the word terrorism before she flings it around so casually and tastelessly. Since she also appears to believe that stealing copyrighted articles from a web site, posting them in their entirety at another site and publishing the url as an alternative place to read the articles is a perfectly acceptable act, one also has to question her right to take the 'moral high ground' in anything. Another person who has been one of the most vocal and vociferous opponents of the SDJ as well as a fervent and rabid Daniel (and his actor) hater for many years compared the SDJ to the Nazis! That the comparison is odious in the extreme and is totally and utterly inappropriate perhaps say more about the maturity and sanity of the writer than the thing she is trying to denigrate.

I would be stupid of me to maintain that SDJ and its supporters never did any wrong, it would also be irrational of me to blame the division of this fandom totally on SDJ's opponents. Faults occurred on both sides, BUT, and this is the reason behind my writing, to blame SDJ for the current state of the fandom and the division within it is totally misleading. The spite, lies, hate, vindictiveness and sheer nastiness directed at the character of Daniel Jackson, his delightful and charming actor, Michael Shanks, and the fans that love his character have been around way before SDJ was ever thought off. While choice words and abuse may have been hurled by both sides of this divide what is certain is that no one of the SDJ or its real supporters have ever reached the astounding level of vindictive malice directed at Daniel Jackson and Michael Shanks. Even the Jonas bashing, and yes unfortunately there has been some, has been mild and cuddly in comparison to the Daniel bashing I witnessed some years back and have continued to witness up to this present day. And most importantly, no one has ever confused the character and the actor. Corin Nemec bashing is most certainly not accepted or tolerated on any of the lists I frequent. He is not to blame for anything; he was, and still is, just trying to do his job.

So what is my conclusion? That fandom is a strange beast and I can fully understand those who think people such as myself are totally weird and strange to get so obsessed and preoccupied by a TV programme. There again, these people are often the ones that watch a soap opera like Eastenders religiously, or spend hours watching Big Brother and talk about it for days after! So, who is strange? All I know is that that malice divided this fandom, and that malice was alive and kicking some years before Michael Shanks decided to leave the series. The only reason I can ever come up with, or have seen provided, as to why this malice exists is sheer jealously that the character of Daniel Jackson is so popular. As to why this should be a problem, who on earth knows, but if I say that the most vehement Daniel haters are usually the fanatic Jack and Sam shippers you can probably make up your own mind.

19.03.03

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