In the current continuity of Dragon Ball Super, Android 17 is living a life almost no one would have expected given his original portrayal upon his introduction. While his fate was initially surprising, however, it really shouldn’t have been as his destiny was revealed long before it was confirmed in DBS.
Upon Android 17’s debut, he is depicted as a cold, borderline emotionless killer who murders his creator the second he is activated and proceeds to travel with his two Android companions, 16 and 18, to find and kill Goku. However, during those travels, 17 and the other two Androids are almost immediately shown in a completely different light. Rather than flying to Goku’s location, they decide that it would be more fun to steal a van and take a road trip together while vaguely going in Goku’s general direction. 18 is more concerned with finding a new outfit to wear, 16 is quiet and contemplative, and 17 is just enjoying the drive. These three seem like they are anything but killers based on their interactions with each other, but once they are challenged by the Z Fighters who are only trying to stop them before they get to Goku, they prove why they are a threat worthy of Trunks splintering the time stream to stop.
In Dragon Ball chapter 367 by Akira Toriyama, Androids 17, 18, and 16 track down the Z Fighters in an attempt to find Goku as they decided it was time for their road trip to come to an end and complete the task for which they were created. When Piccolo tries to fight the Androids off in order to give Goku more time to train for his inevitable battle against Cell, 17 says that they should move to another location as he is concerned about the local wildlife in that area, and then he comments to Piccolo that he should really treat nature more kindly.
Even in the heart of battle against a foe as strong as Piccolo–who actually became one of the strongest fighters on the planet at that time after rejoining with Kami–17’s main concern is about the local wildlife in that area. Based on 17’s career in Dragon Ball Super, this concern makes perfect sense in terms of his character arc. In Dragon Ball Super, 17 is a Park Ranger who has the job of watching over an entire island that is home to a number of endangered animals while fighting off poachers who invade the island looking to kill and sell the rare animals to the highest bidder. In fact, 17 is even reluctant to join the Tournament of Power because he is concerned about the safety of his animals, which shows some serious dedication to his career.
From the start of his Dragon Ball career, it is made clear that 17 really isn’t that bad of a guy. 17 was created to kill Goku, just like the other two Androids, but he isn’t without personal interests and motivations beyond that task. Once he is freed from the shackles of his programming, Android 17 is free to pursue his dream job and do a lot of good for the world in the process–a fate that was revealed long before Dragon Ball Super.