For all Mankind season 3 - The race to Mars (how inspiring!)

✨ Send Me a Character: Danielle Poole✨

Yayyy for our fictional Trekkie! Thank you for asking about this great character, @the-lady-general! ❤️🖖

My first impression: Ohmigosh, YES. Smart and pretty and always doing her best. Quietly effective. Impressive as heck. I love her.

My impression now: All of that and more. Danielle’s empathy is so transcendently beautiful. She truly does her best to help everyone, yet she won’t get pushed around. I was scared the show was going to kill her off in season four, so when she got to recover from her injuries and hold her grand-baby, I actually shouted with joy at the TV.

Favorite thing about that character: Her empathy, as noted above. Also her independent thinking, whether in doing the handshake anyway or kicking Danny off the mission (a 100% correct decision). I love her relationships with each of her husbands, and I thought she handled herself as well as could be expected with Clayton’s sister. I also love that a woman of science also is a woman of faith. I wish Danielle didn’t have to fight for respect, but I’m glad she wins those fights.

Least favorite thing: I know it speaks to her empathy and I know the show did it well and it’s important … but I don’t think Gordo was worthy of Danielle breaking her arm. The decision (and its fallout) proves her character in-universe and is used effectively. It just makes me sad because I think Gordo is kind of shitty (except at the very end, of course) and Danielle didn’t need all that judgment around breaking her arm.

Favorite line/scene: I would like “Hi, Bob” more if the guys weren’t such jerks. I like the Apollo-Soyuz handshake, of course. I love when Danielle races Kuznetsov down the gangplank (and fights him!) to be what they think will be the first person to walk on Mars. I also love when Danielle insists on having the satellite repaired as a step toward improving things (and equalizing the unfairnesses) at Happy Valley. Of every character on the show, Danielle is the one I would most want as my commander/boss (and friend—talk Star Trek with me, Dani, please, please, please!).

Favorite interaction that character has with another: I love the race down the gangplank, as mentioned above. I love when Danielle is in the car with Clayton and he seems to be on a path of unburdening himself from his service (it didn’t work out that way, but their joy at being reunited is so lovely). It hurts my heart that she has to do it, but I love when Danielle stands up for herself and rightfully wins.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more: I think it’s all good as written. (If Danielle was a real person, I would wish she interacted less with Ed, especially in season 4 when he’s such a jerk to her, but I get it for the show.)

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character: They both have to fight for workplace respect and they both end up with not only respect but also esteem as they, in addition, enjoy a good romantic relationship … so (quite possibly in part because I think Danielle might be pleased with the franchise choice), I’ll say Michael Burnham, while also trying to be self-aware that Sonequa Martin-Green’s faith is likely also tipping me toward seeing this commonality (given Danielle’s faith).

A headcanon about that character: I could believe that, when memorizing TV show details as a child, Danielle realized she learned things faster than other people, not just in school but in life, and that self-knowledge helped her well-deserved confidence in knowing she’s smarter than others (while maintaining her empathy).

A song that reminds of that character: Heart on My Sleeve by Idina Menzel could be about Danielle’s resolute strength in the face of other people’s stupidity (looking at you, Ed).

An unpopular opinion about that character: I don’t think I have any unpopular opinions about Danielle. In a show about space, I feel like she’s the most grounded character—strong, smart, self-aware. She has loving marriages and exhibits empathy toward everyone. But, again, Danielle is no pushover and she rightfully and powerfully fights back when people are unkind or bigoted toward her. I respect Danielle Poole so darn much.

Favorite picture:

Thank you again for asking, @the-lady-general! ❤️🖖