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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Dr. Doug Jackson (Read 5181 times)
dragon
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Dr. Doug Jackson
Aug 6th, 2010 at 10:27pm
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I'm still thinking about this ...
  
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Neesierie
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #1 - Aug 7th, 2010 at 2:57am
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Wow.  Okay.  I've shown the good doctor many different ways in my stories.  But a few things never change, because they were established in the show.
1) He's got hidden agendas that we aren't privy to, but which Straker and Alec don't trust.
2) He's from Eastern Europe (by the accent and by his looks.)
3) He and Straker are often at odds.  I've always assumed this is a direct result of the differing ways they handle things, but nothing much is actually said as to why in the show.
4) He's brilliant -- and quite capable of thinking outside the box.
5) He cares for the commander's health and wellbeing more than Straker gives him credit for.

In my Conover Saga, I have his hidden agendas include a listing of all the aliens working at SHADO.  However, I never go into why he made this list or what he intends to do with it.  And of course, he is not shy of killing if necessary to protect SHADO's security.  Also, he dislikes having any security risk near the commander. (Read: Sheila.) *snicker*

In my various other stories, I've had him be compassionate (The Devil is a Woman), ruthless (Face-Off and Kid Stuff), or overprotective (Beyond Repair.)  Whatever was needed for whatever plot I was working on at the time.  Oh, and in The Bodyguard, I had him be religious.   Cool
« Last Edit: Aug 7th, 2010 at 4:11am by »  
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Matt
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #2 - Aug 7th, 2010 at 3:45am
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Doctor Doug Jackson:

Dr. Jackson has more depth than any other character in the show, even Ed. I think that had to do with Vladek Sheybal’s brilliant portrayal of the character. Anytime Jackson was in a scene he ran away with it.

In the series Jackson is first portrayed as a military liaison between SHADO and the IAC. He always seemed to have a hidden agenda. He is not shown as a SHADO doctor until the last third of the series. The speculative history in the SHADO library indicates that he transferred to SHADO at some point.

On the surface he is cold, calculating and slimy (according to Alec) and he is not trusted by either Ed or Alec. But underneath that lies a man with a mission. I think he had much more compassion and understanding than he was given credit for. That was seen in both Timelash and The Long Sleep.

Both Deb and Denise have shown him to have a deep rooted spiritual background, and I can easily see that trait in him. I portray him as a very complex individual and in my story arc, Ginny’s mother see’s right through him (she calls him loveable). In my planned story Genetics, Alec will find himself indebted to Jackson and will be forced to see the human side of this man.

Dr. Jackson is a character who has limitless potential.

Vladek Sheybal was born in Poland and during World War Two was captured by the Nazi’s. He escaped and was captured again. (Source SHADO Library)
  

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Guina
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #3 - Aug 7th, 2010 at 4:07am
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Hi,

I agree with Matt on that Jackson undoubtedly was a very deep character, multi-faceted and mysterious and that it was entirely due Vladek Sheybal's excellent acting and enormous aura.

My take on the rest differs a bit though...

1. Jackson is one hundred and eighty percent loyal to the political system he has chosen (his dialect clarifies that he didn't originate with the Western one). Which means that whether it's Henderson or Straker, he is and always will be loyal to what he perceives as the core of the system.

2. Being from some eastern/East-Block country means that Jackson had to have grown up and lived as an adult for some time with the need to wear a mask and great caution as to whom to show and tell what. This more than anything else is to me the reason why the others feel he is not upfront and alienated.

3. I do think that Straker has come to trust him near the end of the series. Prior to that he seems to have seen him as some mindless aparatchik.

4. Jackson is a brilliant scientist and quite a bit more compassionate than the others give him credit for.

Apart from Straker I find him to be one of the most intriguing characters of the series.  Smiley

  
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MkIXHawk
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #4 - Aug 8th, 2010 at 9:55pm
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I have toyed with the idea of including him in Edge of Armageddon but I feel that there's a real danger of 'over-egging the pudding'
The barest outline I came up with is that in 1970 he's working as a counter-intelligence officer for an unnamed security Agency in the Eastern bloc who becomes disenchanted with the system after witnessing the sadistic and brutal murder of an innocent man, the perpetrator getting away with it because of Party Connections. On fleeing to the west, he witnesses a UFO and realises that there are greater issues at stake than the Cold War
  
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Matt
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #5 - Aug 8th, 2010 at 10:12pm
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That's a very interesting take on Dr. Jackson and it makes a lot of sense. Smiley
  

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MkIXHawk
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #6 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 10:06am
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The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced his story is a novel in it's own right
  
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Neesierie
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #7 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 12:24pm
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Colin,
It certainly sounds as if you have enough background figured out for a novel.  You should go for it!  Wink
  
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Matt
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #8 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 12:48pm
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Colin,

I have to agree with Denise, that would be a great read! And a great backstory for the good doctor! Wink
  

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Lightcudder
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #9 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 3:59pm
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A very intereseting idea for a novel! Jackson is a fascinating character, and I'd like to see a good backstory for him!

BTW, how is the Keith Ford story coming along ( I'd type the title but I can't spell Armmaggeeddonnnnn!) Never know how many m  g d n s to put in! Grin
  

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MkIXHawk
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #10 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 4:11pm
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At the moment, I'm attempting to find another job, having lost my Civil Service Job in June. so it's had to take something of a back seat. Obviously, if the Publishers show an interest, I'll sit down and finish it in a couple of weeks (it's been on the go for 10 years now) but I haven't forgotten it - I'm still thinking of ways to improve it.
Like video editing, I tend to work in a non-linear way, often going back to polish up some of the incidental scenes.
  
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Lightcudder
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #11 - Aug 9th, 2010 at 4:34pm
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I do that a lot with stories, even short ones and I have one that I finished before Christamsnthat i still go back to and 'Tweak'!

Good luck with the job hunting.
  

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dragon
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Re: Dr. Doug Jackson
Reply #12 - Aug 10th, 2010 at 8:37pm
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I haven't said much because it's interesting to see how others see him. I was curious about Henderson apparently setting Straker and Jackson at odds when his character was introduced as sort of an oversight/security type. Then I got the feeling that the writers just didn't know what to do with the characters since he goes from baiting Foster during the "testing" part of Foster's eventual induction into SHADO to medical/psychiatric ...

The accent grabbed me immediately, as did the somewhat ascetic look of the actor. I watched his hands as much as his face when he was on screen. So, Dr. Jackson evolved his own mystique for me. Never quite certain exactly where he stood, although it began to seem that he was more on Straker's side than Henderson's.

Thus a very intelligent, educated man; probable degree in psychiatry, thus he is also an MD; dedicated, but never quite certain whether it is to a person, a planet or an ideal.

I have made him a surviving sacrifice in my lovecraftian writings, both the one where it's Ford's nightmare and in the skulls because it just sounds right. And he's the werewolf in the mix with the vampires. Thus always on edge and never quite at ease.

That's my take.
  
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