- "When I first signed up, I never imagined I would be fighting another group of soldiers in a desert for- who knows for what. I was afraid I'd be stuck here for the rest of my life. But now, my ticket out of here is waiting outside our base; the answer to my dream."
- —Dax (Another One Down)
Private Dax Shepard is one of the main characters in the machinima Sandguardians. He is the gung-ho and optimistic member of the Sandbox Blue Team and first appears in Welcome to Sandbox!, battling against an enemy soldier alongside his teammate Ichabod.
Dax is presented as a naive and wide-eyed soldier who is always ready for action. He is consistently shown to be a very strong fighter and pilot, being an accurate shot with a rifle, taking a significant amount of hits without injury, and manuevering with different types of vehicles. Dax is also very curious, welcoming, and open-minded, as he quickly befriends individuals that he looks up to. In addition, Dax is frequently shown standing firmly by his beliefs and what he feels is right, even when others oppose him.
Unfortunately, because of his naivety, Dax is prone to jumping into things without thinking. He also struggles to consider other opinions he doesn't agree with, especially when they go against his morals. Though, Dax is willing to understand other points of view after some time.
Personality[]
Dax in the Halo: Reach engine.
Dax is the most enthusiastic of all the soldiers in Sandbox, constantly being first in line for an adventure. He is very open-minded and always acts true to himself and his team. However, his gung ho attitude sometimes causes trouble for himself and others around him, due to his impatience. Dax's young age and impulsiveness lead him to dive head-first into a situation before thinking about the consequences.
Dax can also be irrational. In Episode 4, Dax quickly decides to go investigate the Banshee, without taking the possible dangers it may hold into account. In Episode 12, Dax decides to go leave with Seal, but doesn't have a secure plan to help them depart from Sandbox. Dax is also very strong-willed, and will usually stand by his own beliefs. This trait has been shown several times throughout the series and has brought Dax some success.
Throughout Season 2, Dax shows several moments of excitement an enthusiasm, completely overjoyed to be on an adventure with Seal and Nash. In Insight to the Past, Dax became ecstatic after Nash officially pronounced him and Jason Guardians. Although, while Dax is willing to go on adventures, he rarely ever contemplates the dangers that could occur, unlike Jason.
Dax grows more fearful in Season 3, after he, Jason, Nash, and Seal are taken prisoners by the ONC. Upon seeing his friends being tortured and hurt, Dax realizes how severe the conflict between the Guardians and ONC is, admitting his fear in Imprisoned. While he tries to maintain his optimistic attitude, Dax's slow realization of how badly the Guardians are doing in their battle with the ONC, as well as the growing fear of seeing his friends die, leaves him much less hopeful. Throughout the season, Dax struggles to control his emotions as he lashes out and even threatens his own friends when they attempt to leave.
Dax seems to also have abandonment issues. He threatens Legend in The Gang's All Here, after he attempts to leave, as well as Ichabod and Gates later on when they make the same attempt. After Seal leaves, Dax becomes emotional when Nash decides they not go after him and later disobeys her orders in order to find Seal, despite not having a plan. By the end of the third season, Dax is left broken, guilty, and afraid but conveys a glimmer of hope in the end, stating that maybe the friends he abandoned are still alive.
Skill[]
Dax with a sniper rifle during Season 4
Dax seems to be exceptionally skilled in combat, being able to hold his own against Gates, during Episode 1, while low on ammunition. When Dax discovered the alien in Episode 7, he managed to knock him out with two grenades, despite the fact that he was completely frightened to death. Dax has also been seen to have experience driving a Warthog, as seen in Episodes 17 & 19. Dax was also able to successfully eliminate an ONC soldier in episode 25.
While skilled, Dax lacks leadership qualities as he is rarely ever seen taking command of a situation. Although Dax has had his moments of standing up for himself he regularly leans on others to take charge and struggles when it comes to formulating plans. After deciding to leave his team in Another One Down, Dax looks to Jason for a plan on how they'll escape Sandbox. When Dax and Jason decide to take the Pelican to find Seal in Second Chance, Dax has no idea on how to start it up nor a plan on how they'll find Seal. This highlights Dax's impulsiveness and inability to control his emotions.
Running Gags[]
Music[]
Surfacing in Season 2, Dax constantly suggests to Seal and Jason about music he wants to play. He feels that their journey to the Guardian rendezvous will be more exciting if they play some music. However, this annoys Jason greatly, who in return, constantly tells Dax to turn the music off and rejects all of Dax's music suggestions.
Relationships[]
Legend[]
Dax seems to respect Legend greatly, mostly due to Legend's experience in the Great War, which is something Dax has always yearned for. He is also slightly intimidated by his strict attitude, but can occasionally stand up to him. He did just that in Episode 12, during an argument about the alien. Dax also may have lost some respect for Legend, due to the heated argument.
Upon reuniting in Season 3, Dax still holds resentment towards Legend and their relationship further deteriorates in The Gang's All Here, where Dax threatens Legend at gunpoint. Afterwards, Dax then expresses his anger towards Legend for abandoning them, revealing that he was deeply hurt by it. Dax sees Legend as a father figure and is hurt when Legend leaves. By the end of Season 3, Dax hopes that Legend is still alive, wanting to see him again despite their issues.
Ichabod[]
Although he seems to be annoyed by him, Dax is usually seen spending a lengthy amount of time with Ichabod. He sees Icky as a smart ass, due to his constant unenthusiastic an sarcastic remarks. It can be added that Dax and Icky are always on opposite terms towards things and have different points of views. For example, in Episode 4 Dax wanted to investigate the Banshee, but Icky suggested the team stay inside the base; in Episode 12 Dax wanted to help Seal, while Icky wanted to kill him. One could say Icky's personality is the opposite of Dax's.
Jason[]
Dax and Jason seem to get along very well, sharing a similar passion and interest in war. In Episode 12, despite being reluctant & unsure at first, Jason proudly agreed to accompany Dax on his journey with Seal. During their journey, however, Jason at times becomes very annoyed by Dax's actions and statements. When the three encounter Nash, Jason becomes annoyed when Dax requests to ride with her on her Mongoose and this later escalates into an argument between the two in Revolution, where Dax confesses that Jason is uptight at times. Dax later apologizes and the two reconcile in Plan B.
Seal[]
Seal and Dax have a very friendly relationship with each other. On most occasions, Dax seems to always agree with Seal's ideas, seeing him as heroic and adventurous; one can say that Dax admires Seal in a way and sees him as his answer for a better purpose. Dax may also see Seal as a celebrity or authority figure, showing concern when Seal is unhappy.
Nash[]
Dax was very frightened by Nash at first, since the latter held him at gunpoint. However, when he discovered her true nature and occupation, he mellowed down to her. Nash also has great trust in Dax during battle, as she usually pairs up with him during a fight or tells him to perform a certain physical task.
Trivia[]
- Dax is the first character seen in Sandguardians and is also the first character to speak.
- In the first & second episodes, Dax featured a Red stripe on his armor, though from the fourth episode onward he is fully blue. It is unknown why the stripe was there, likely just a production error.
- Dax seems to be a huge fan of both Red vs. Blue and Yu-Gi-Oh!, according to Birthday Bash!
- Dax's character is inspired by other fictional characters that share the same gung-ho attitude, such as Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tyson Granger from Beyblade, and Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh!.
- Dax's name is not to be confused with actor Dax Shepard.