Ronon Dex’s MBTI stands out immediately to fans of Stargate Atlantis, thanks to his intense presence, survival instincts, and relentless drive. Portrayed by Jason Momoa, Ronon embodies the traits of an ESTP Enneagram 8w7, often called “The Maverick Protector.” His directness, physicality, and refusal to be controlled make him one of the clearest examples of raw, action-oriented strength in the series.
ESTP 8w7 Characters
Why is Ronan Dex from Stargate Atlantis an ESTP 8w7? Continue reading for my argument using cognitive functions! The headers for each section are clickable, so you can easily access more information about the dominant function and the Enneagram type, or discover more characters who share the type.
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Extraverted Sensing
Ronan is all about physical engagement and tackling problems head on (beating people up, shooting first and asking questions later, breaking out of Wraith hive ships and intending to do “as much damage as possible,” spending his free time training and fighting with Teyla, and engaging in a long session of hand-to-hand combat when Teal’c visits). He starts out as a Runner, implanted with a Wraith tracking device, and makes an enemy out of a Wraith because Ronan kills everyone this Wraith sends after him. Ronan immediately joins the Atlantis team once he finds out they want to defeat the Wraith, and the idea of dangerous and taxing situations excites him. (He loves learning about hockey and football, both high-impact contact sports.) In one episode, Ronan is willing to fight a Wraith to the death, but is secretly relieved when one of his friends blasts the Wraith, because he was running out of physical strength.
High Se lives for intense experiences, and wants to take every opportunity that life hands to them; they have trouble sitting still for very long, and find anything “boring” that does not involve using their hands, bodies, or being fully involved.
Introverted Thinking
When Dr. Weir tells him they have to learn if they can trust Ronan before he joins the team, and in a different episode, suspends him temporarily, Ronan does not take it personally, because it “makes sense.” He is fairly rational and detached; in another episode, after hearing a sad story and seeing how a man reacts to someone else, he tells John “I would not leave them alone together, if you don’t want the other guy to wind up dead.” Ronan immediately gets a bead on the logic of the situation and its immediate potential consequence (he is upset, he looked at the guy with hatred, he will kill him if given the chance, because it is what I would do, which is Se visual cues, Ti logical detachment, and Fe shared values working together to tell him about a problem).
Ti in ESTPs is all about solving problems on the fly, and not accepting that there is “no solution” to situations that seem impossible; and Ronan often has an optimism about survival that his friends lack, as he physically tries out one technique after another to get them all out of a mess (breaking free of a Wraith hive ship, killing a bunch of Wraith to force their leader to come down, and challenging him to a death fight).
Extraverted Feeling
Ronan and Teyla share a unique connection in that they come from very similar societies in which revenge is acceptable; but he conceals some of these things from the Atlantis team, because they would not agree with those values. Rather than focus on what separates him from his friends, Ronan pays attention to how they are similar, and how they can work together for a common good (defeat the Wraith, which killed my family and culled my planet, and made me a Runner). He is emotionally restrained and not forthcoming with his feelings most of the time, except to say that he is not ready for a romantic relationship so soon after losing his wife.
Low Fe wants to be part of something, and to feel like they are contributing to the greater good of everyone involved, and that is one reason Ronan fights so hard for people he doesn’t know; he sees them as human beings who need protected.
Introverted Intuition
Ronan doesn’t think about the future at all, until Dr. Weir asks him what he intends to do with his life, and offers him a chance to be part of something “greater” than himself. He is also blindsided when his friends become Wraith Worshippers, because he trusted what he saw on the surface rather than read into their motivations—something inferior Ni struggles not to do. Se is so strong, it overrides “hunches” most of the time.
The Enneagram 8
Ronan is furious about being a Runner because it is a violation of his autonomy, which an 8 values above all. They do not want to be controlled, limited, or prevented from action, so his only response to his infringement is to become violent, ruthless, and fearless. Like all 8 characters, he doesn’t care about being in pain and doesn’t want painkillers; his scars are proof that he is strong and has survived something that killed other people. He also struggles with harboring resentments, fostering grudges, and wanting “revenge” on anyone who hurts him or goes after his friends or family. This laid-back, confident aggression is what pushes Jennifer Keller toward Dr. McKay as a romantic prospect instead, because Ronan is just too intense for her.
The 7 Wing
Even though he always responds with force first, Ronan also has a sense of humor and a prevailing attitude that he can do whatever he sets his mind to (the “delusional positivity” of a 7). 7s have unincumbered self-esteem and Ronan believes he can get out of this, survive this ordeal, and escape, even when it looks impossible from his current situation. He never gives up, and continues fighting; and then when the risk is gone, he wants to live it up, laugh with his friends, prank people, have fun in aggressive ways, or go drinking. He also likes to avoid dwelling on his past hurts and losses; when Rodney asks about his scars, he says he doesn’t think about the past all that much. In this way, he can run away from it and let it hurt him less.
