Da'an (Earth: Final Conflict)

This article is about the Earth: Final Conflict character. For other uses, see Daan.

Da'an
Earth: Final Conflict character
Da'an
First appearance	Decision
Created by	Gene Roddenberry
Portrayed by	Leni Parker
Information
Species	Taelon
Children	Zo'or

Da'an is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict, played by Leni Parker. He is a member of the Taelon race, an androgynous race of energy beings. Da'an stands apart from most Taelons in his divided loyalties and appreciation for humanity's many attributes.

History

In canon, 'his' is used in place of a neuter pronoun, as none exists in English.

Not much is known about Da'an's history, since most of his two-thousand-plus years have been spent elsewhere. It is known however, that he has been a member of the diplomatic caste and a war tactician for much of that time, as well as being the last Taelon to successfully reproduce, which created Zo'or. He has been unswervingly, fiercely loyal to his people in their fight against the Jaridians.

That unswerving loyalty began to shake when he arrived on Earth, where he became the Companion to North America. In this position, he has more influence than even the President, and certainly more public popularity. Da'an enjoys the mass adulation of most of the Earth's population, for his ethereal appearance and kind demeanor, as well as his willingness to use his race's scientific knowledge to help humankind.

His life changes when a sniper seemingly tries to shoot him, and hits megamogul Jonathan Doors instead. Da'an is deeply troubled by this event, but he is also impressed by police captain William Boone, with whom he feels a deep bond. He invites Boone to join them as an implant, but Boone refuses. After his wife's death, Da'an offers again, and Boone refuses... until the human Resistance movement recruits him. Da'an is greatly pleased by the addition of this new implant, and grows closer to Boone until the latter's death. While Da'an teaches Boone about Taelon culture and language, Boone begins to change Da'an's mind about humanity's strength, spirit and compatibility with the Taelon race. These changes have a profound impact on them both.

At Boone's funeral, Da'an is saved from a killer probe by alien hybrid Liam Kincaid, by whom he is intrigued. He takes Liam on as his new protector, and forms a sort of parent-child relationship with him. This is partly out of his liking for the young, brash hybrid and partly out of repentance. This situation climaxes after Da'an's horrific transformation into an Atavus. Liam reveals his part-alien heritage when he saves Da'an, and subsequently takes Da'an down to the Resistance HQ. Out of sympathy to their motives, Da'an does not reveal their location.

This also adds to Da'an's desire to keep relations between humanity and the Taelon Synod – headed by his offspring Zo'or – from becoming too rocky. He challenges Zo'or several times, and is nearly killed by him on a few occasions. But Da'an also begins to worry that he is abandoning his own kind, and attempts to regain Zo'or's trust. He finds his relationship with Liam Kincaid becoming increasingly difficult, as his own divided loyalties begin to trouble him. Despite this friction, Da'an cares deeply for his protector, and would never willingly put his protector in the way of harm. However, he frequently puts himself on the line, in the interest of helping his own kind to survive – even to the point of repeatedly endangering his life.

In the final episode of Season Four, Da'an joins other Taelons in an attempt to merge with Jaridians, unwittingly resurrecting the openly hostile Atavus species.

Family

It is not known if Da'an has had a mate, or even if Taelons require mates in order to reproduce. His parentage is also unknown.

The exact number of Da'an's offspring is not known. He has 4 who, due to lack of core energy, are in a sort of comatose state (death stasis). He has at least one living adult child, Zo'or, with whom he has an antagonistic relationship. Despite this, he loves Zo'or deeply and even implicates himself in a murder that he believes Zo'or has committed. He also later shares his life-force with Zo'or, to keep his child from entering a deathlike sleep (stasis). He is willing to forgive all of Zo'or's personal transgressions, and cares deeply for Zo'or's well being.

Though they are not truly related, he shares a similar relationship with the newborn Liam Kincaid. Though he also clashes with Liam, Da'an cares for the young man, teaching and guiding him.

Personality

Da'an is a complex creature, full of contradictions and difficult divisions. He is a loyal Taelon who is desperate to save his species, yet he has an abiding love for humanity. While he has taken part in great injustices, he has a great love of fairness and justice. While he is peaceful by nature, he shows a temper at times.

Da'an is deeply nostalgic and gains strength from the beauty of his lost homeworld, as well as his appreciation for humanity's capacity to create beauty and their love of freedom. He also is extremely capable in a crisis, bringing his Taelon serenity to the fore when he feels others need his help. When pilot Lili Marquette is severely injured in a crash, Da'an creates a camp, bandages her injuries with a piece of exocovering, and exhibits impressive outdoorsman skills to aid in their survival.

Despite his great age, Da'an has a childlike enjoyment in new experiences, such as being immortalized in a 3-D artwork. He also becomes excited when he sees Liam Kincaid's attraction to a young artist, and attempts to help bring them together.

Appearance

Da'an's appearance is that of a small, slender humanoid with a bald head and no gender-specific characteristics. His voice is pitched too low for a woman and too high for a man, adding to his androgynous appearance (exactly how he produced Zo'or is open to speculation). His eyes are a brilliant cobalt blue, and his skin ranges from pale human tones to pure white. He wears an "exocovering," ranging from black to purplish-blue, which apparently acts like a second skin.

In reality, Da'an has few of these characteristics – like all Taelons, he is primarily made of energy, and a little matter mixed in. He is actually translucent and made out of channels of glowing blue energy, with some vestigial characteristics like eyes and mouth. Since he is primarily energy, Da'an cannot be injured by bullets or knives, although these can pierce his exocovering and rip it.