Daniel Jackson (Stargate)

Daniel Jackson, PhD, is a fictional character in the military science fiction franchise Stargate, and one of the main characters of the 1997 series Stargate SG-1. He is portrayed by James Spader in the 1994 film Stargate, and by Michael Shanks in Stargate SG-1 and other SG-1 derived media. Jackson is the only Stargate character to appear in all films and series in the franchise (excluding the non-canonical Stargate Infinity). In the 1994 film, Dr. Jackson is an archaeologist who is a part of the first team to go through the Stargate on a reconnaissance mission, led by Colonel Jack O'Neil. He then becomes one of the main characters of the subsequent television series Stargate SG-1, where he, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter and Teal'c make up SG-1, a part of the Stargate Program whose goal is to explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats. Jackson is part of SG-1 until his death at the end of the season 5, when he is replaced by Jonas Quinn. Upon his death, Dr. Jackson ascends to a higher plane of existence among the Ancients. He makes occasional appearances in season 6 before retaking human form and rejoining SG-1 in the seventh season. Jackson appears in the series until the finale at the end of the tenth season, and appears in both direct-to-DVD films that act as sequels to the series. He also appears in three episodes of Stargate Atlantis and four episodes of Stargate Universe. For his portrayal of Jackson, Shanks was nominated for three Saturn Awards for Best Actor on Television, and for five Leo Awards, winning two: Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for Stargate SG-1 in 2004, and Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama for Stargate: Continuum in 2009. Born on July 8, 1965, Daniel Jackson is the only living child of Melburn and Claire Jackson, archaeologists who were crushed to death while supervising the placement of a piece of Egyptian art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Daniel's maternal grandfather and only living relative, Nick Ballard (played by Jan Rubeš), was a noted Dutch archaeologist and too busy to take the orphaned Jackson under his wing.