Having now read almost all of Fleming's books in order (I'm currently in OHMSS) I can say unequivocally that Dalton actually came closer to capturing the true essence of Bond than anybody, including Connery. Connery remains my favorite, but Dalton captured the lethal seriousness of Bond better than anybody, and it was no accident. The supplements on The Living Daylights confirm how he really wanted to get back to the roots of the character, taking unused plot points from the novels and showing some of Bond's vulnerability. This, of course, built upon where director John Glen had been trying to take the franchise in the 80's. The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker were so over-the-top fanciful, that they had to take Bond back down to earth. They successfully did this on For Your Eyes Only, but started slipping back to the fanciful again with Octopussy and AVTAK. This was more of Broccoli's decision than Glen's.

Dalton was in the unfortunate position of being chosen second. Pierce had already been announced as the next Bond and was a household name, thanks to Remington Steele. People wanted him as Bond. Then NBC screwed him (twice) and Dalton became the next Bond. (Side note: Dalton was actually in the running 15 years earlier when Moore landed the part). A serious actor, he tried to take the character back to its serious roots. People didn't like the cold Bond as much at the time, and box office returns for Licence to Kill proved it. MGM went into bankruptcy for other reasons, Bond was put on hold for six years, Dalton decided not to return, Pierce was available, and the franchise was jump-started in the 90's.

In the world of "what might have been," had a bond movie been made in 91, Dalton would have played the part, and it is possible he could have surpassed the hurdle of "Licence to Kill" in a time when the cold war was ending. The perception of his films improved with age.

I'm most interested in where the franchise is going now. Martin Campbell is back in the director's chair. Casino Royale is finally being adapted properly. Sony now controls the Eon productions as well as the "McClory" offshoot. Pierce is out. Christian Bale hedged his bet on Batman, knowing it would cost him a real shot at playing Bond. People are talking more about Clive Owen (including the man himself) as taking over the role, but the producers apparently are leaning more towards Ioan Gruffud (Mr. Fantastic) so it's anybody's guess. Clive I think could get the character closer to Connery's incarnation than anybody, but the producers tend to get the "first" choice always about 10 years too late. That happened with Moore, with Dalton and with Brosnan as the record shows.