Rank your favorite Sci-Fi Characters of all time
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1. Dr. Gaius Baltar, the new Battlestar Galactica. It's hard to explain. While everyone else on that show started out a decent person and gradually deteriorated into a contemptible little shit, Baltar started out as a contemptible little shit. But somehow, I find him endearing because he's the only one on the show who seems to really realize how flawed he is. He still seems to fail at actually improving himself at all, but since acknowledging your problem is the 1st step towards recovery, I suppose that still puts him a step above everyone else.
2. Arnold Judas Rimmer, Red Dwarf. Like Baltar, another deeply flawed human being responsible for a number of deaths due to his selfish incompetance. (Although, Rimmer only killed 1,168 people, rather than tens of billions like Baltar.) Unlike Baltar, Rimmer is played primarily for laughs. But his smug, unwavering conviction in the erroneous assumption that he's better than everyone else makes him a joy to watch. He's insufferably arrogant & depressingly self-loathing at the same time. And he's played by Chris Barrie, one of the most talented vocal & physical comedians who ever lived.
3. Dr. Rodney McKay, Stargate Atlantis. And the arrogant prick parade continues! But unlike the untrustworthy Baltar & the useless Rimmer, Dr. McKay backs up his arrogance with genuine superiority. Rather than remaining calm in the face of adversity, he panics loudly & insufferably, yet still pulls the latest piece of revolutionary technobabble out of his ass to save the day. "And that's what happens when you back a brilliant scientist into a corner!"
4. Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series. Finally, someone genuinely likable.
More than that, he is the epitome of heroism & the masculine ideal-- a man who craves peace but thrives in war, deplores violence but will not apologize for using it when neccessary. An ordinary man who, through courage & resourcefulness, becomes extraordinary. Never afraid to risk it all to win it all. Charges forth as if he will never die. The perfect antidote to the emo angst of the 21st century.
5. Superman. The big blue boy scout. Another perfect specimen of heroism & masculinity. Unlike nearly every other superhero out there, Superman does what he does because of his inherent moral goodness, not because he's driven by guilt or angst or some other trauma. The character endures, not because he generates drama but because he's something that we all desperately need in this world.
6. Angel, Angel. That being said, there's also a place for tortured heroes in this world. Nobody's perfect, and some of us have been far less than perfect in our lives. Angel used to be an evil vampire who murdered & tortured hundreds of innocents. He can never erase that. Furthermore, no matter how many vampires he slays, no matter how much evil he destroys, evil endures. But despite all of this, he continues fighting. He does the best he can in the here & now. And while his past haunts him, it doesn't cripple him. His endurance is his redemption.
7. Winifred Burkle, Angel. She's sexy, brainy, & adorable. Can I have one?
2. Arnold Judas Rimmer, Red Dwarf. Like Baltar, another deeply flawed human being responsible for a number of deaths due to his selfish incompetance. (Although, Rimmer only killed 1,168 people, rather than tens of billions like Baltar.) Unlike Baltar, Rimmer is played primarily for laughs. But his smug, unwavering conviction in the erroneous assumption that he's better than everyone else makes him a joy to watch. He's insufferably arrogant & depressingly self-loathing at the same time. And he's played by Chris Barrie, one of the most talented vocal & physical comedians who ever lived.
3. Dr. Rodney McKay, Stargate Atlantis. And the arrogant prick parade continues! But unlike the untrustworthy Baltar & the useless Rimmer, Dr. McKay backs up his arrogance with genuine superiority. Rather than remaining calm in the face of adversity, he panics loudly & insufferably, yet still pulls the latest piece of revolutionary technobabble out of his ass to save the day. "And that's what happens when you back a brilliant scientist into a corner!"
4. Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Original Series. Finally, someone genuinely likable.
More than that, he is the epitome of heroism & the masculine ideal-- a man who craves peace but thrives in war, deplores violence but will not apologize for using it when neccessary. An ordinary man who, through courage & resourcefulness, becomes extraordinary. Never afraid to risk it all to win it all. Charges forth as if he will never die. The perfect antidote to the emo angst of the 21st century.5. Superman. The big blue boy scout. Another perfect specimen of heroism & masculinity. Unlike nearly every other superhero out there, Superman does what he does because of his inherent moral goodness, not because he's driven by guilt or angst or some other trauma. The character endures, not because he generates drama but because he's something that we all desperately need in this world.
6. Angel, Angel. That being said, there's also a place for tortured heroes in this world. Nobody's perfect, and some of us have been far less than perfect in our lives. Angel used to be an evil vampire who murdered & tortured hundreds of innocents. He can never erase that. Furthermore, no matter how many vampires he slays, no matter how much evil he destroys, evil endures. But despite all of this, he continues fighting. He does the best he can in the here & now. And while his past haunts him, it doesn't cripple him. His endurance is his redemption.
7. Winifred Burkle, Angel. She's sexy, brainy, & adorable. Can I have one?
#1 is Spock. The rest is too hard to rank, but Leonard McCoy, Luke Skywalker, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Garak, Dukat, Weyoun, Kira Nerys, Ellen Ripley, John Crichton, Ben Linus, John Locke, James "Sawyer" Ford, Bill Adama, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Peter Petrelli, Chuck Bartowski, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark and Bender B. Rodriguez figure in there somewhere.
And I read a ton of sci fi (and non-sci fi - I'm now reading Every Man Dies Alone, which is frakking amazing!), but for whatever reason, the characters don't really grab me. I read for other reasons than characters, I guess.
And I read a ton of sci fi (and non-sci fi - I'm now reading Every Man Dies Alone, which is frakking amazing!), but for whatever reason, the characters don't really grab me. I read for other reasons than characters, I guess.
Characters are probably the single most important thing about a TV show (or anything else in fiction) for me. If I can't get interested in / care about the characters in a show (movie / book / whatever), I find it pretty much impossible to give a damn about what they do. This list, with the exception of the first two, is more of a name check than a ranking.
G'Kar (B5) and Kerr Avon (B7) are out on their own for me. Fantastic characters. Not much else I can say about them, really.
Vila Restal and Servalan (both from B7) aren't far behind, though.
Sheridan, Delenn and Ivanova (B5).
Crichton, Aeryn, Zhaan, D'Argo and Chiana from Farscape. Hell, I like almost every character in that show but these especially are why I kept watching.
The Doctor. I haven't liked all the interpretations (to put it politely) but the character himself is unique and brilliant.
Picard and Data. Overused in later years but that may have been a reflection of how good they were (or the egos of the actors who portrayed them
).
Janeway, Tuvok and Seven. Actually, with the exception of chuckles I liked all the main characters in Voyager.
Leonard McCoy and Spock (in that order).
Kira Nerys. Didn't much like the show after a while but really liked that character.
Rogue (comic version). By far my favourite X-Man. Err, woman.
Juliet (Lost). Still have no idea what she saw in Sawyer but she's just damned cool, IMO.
That'll do for now.
G'Kar (B5) and Kerr Avon (B7) are out on their own for me. Fantastic characters. Not much else I can say about them, really.
Vila Restal and Servalan (both from B7) aren't far behind, though.
Sheridan, Delenn and Ivanova (B5).
Crichton, Aeryn, Zhaan, D'Argo and Chiana from Farscape. Hell, I like almost every character in that show but these especially are why I kept watching.
The Doctor. I haven't liked all the interpretations (to put it politely) but the character himself is unique and brilliant.
Picard and Data. Overused in later years but that may have been a reflection of how good they were (or the egos of the actors who portrayed them
).Janeway, Tuvok and Seven. Actually, with the exception of chuckles I liked all the main characters in Voyager.
Leonard McCoy and Spock (in that order).
Kira Nerys. Didn't much like the show after a while but really liked that character.
Rogue (comic version). By far my favourite X-Man. Err, woman.
Juliet (Lost). Still have no idea what she saw in Sawyer but she's just damned cool, IMO.
That'll do for now.
Literary characters? Okay. Again, no particular order.
Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu
Zak Kebron (Brikar officer from NF novels)
Locklear from Larry Niven's Kzin Wars short story Cathouse
Banichi (Atevi guard from CJ Cherryh's Foreigner series)
Bren Cameron (also from Foreigner)
Captain Jester (Willard Phule from Robert Asprin's Phule series)
Meeker (his butler)
1. Paul Atreides
2. Benjamin Linus
3. Desmond Hume
4. John Locke
5. Spock
6. Stark
7. Crais
I don't know...
2. Benjamin Linus
3. Desmond Hume
4. John Locke
5. Spock
6. Stark
7. Crais
I don't know...
1, Hlaine 'Mad' Larkin (Gaunt's Ghosts) - My favourite character bar none, a deeply flawed yet heroic master sniper. Who's also slightly insane.
2, The Doctor (Doctor Who) - While there have been many different incarnations, there is a core to the character of The Doctor that has remained present throughout- loathing violence, helping those who cannot help themselves without expecting thanks. If everyone could follow his example the world would be a much better place, and fitter too what with all the running and all.
3, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn (The Eisenhorn Trilogy) - a character that perfectly illustrates that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
4, Luke Skywalker (Star Wars) - oddly i actually read The Thrawn Trilogy and several other EU novels before i saw the Star Wars movies. So my view of Luke has always been influenced by his literary version. A true hero with an almost unshakeable moral core.
5, Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor (The Eisenhorn Trilogy, The Ravenor Trilogy) - Proving that in the 41st millennium even those with no limbs and confined to a black enclosed wheelchair can kick several shades of ass.
6, Dr. Rodney McKay (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) - my favourite character from the Stargate franchise. He's egotistical, arrogant, cowardly and yet i love him anyway.
7, Dr. Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1) - a character so thoroughly decent that even in hallucinations by other characters he still does the right thing.
8, Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood) - I didn't much like the character initially, but as Torchwood continued he became a far deeper and more rounded character to the point where he ranks as one of my top ten.
9, Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (Star Trek) - the heart of Star Trek and one of the things that made it truly great. A character so well crafted he even survived J.J's godawful movie unscathed.
10, Captain James T. Kirk (Star Trek, the original, not the sex pest teeny-bopper version) - Jim Kirk was my hero growing up and i doubt i was the only one who looked up to him.
2, The Doctor (Doctor Who) - While there have been many different incarnations, there is a core to the character of The Doctor that has remained present throughout- loathing violence, helping those who cannot help themselves without expecting thanks. If everyone could follow his example the world would be a much better place, and fitter too what with all the running and all.
3, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn (The Eisenhorn Trilogy) - a character that perfectly illustrates that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
4, Luke Skywalker (Star Wars) - oddly i actually read The Thrawn Trilogy and several other EU novels before i saw the Star Wars movies. So my view of Luke has always been influenced by his literary version. A true hero with an almost unshakeable moral core.
5, Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor (The Eisenhorn Trilogy, The Ravenor Trilogy) - Proving that in the 41st millennium even those with no limbs and confined to a black enclosed wheelchair can kick several shades of ass.
6, Dr. Rodney McKay (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) - my favourite character from the Stargate franchise. He's egotistical, arrogant, cowardly and yet i love him anyway.
7, Dr. Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1) - a character so thoroughly decent that even in hallucinations by other characters he still does the right thing.
8, Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood) - I didn't much like the character initially, but as Torchwood continued he became a far deeper and more rounded character to the point where he ranks as one of my top ten.
9, Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (Star Trek) - the heart of Star Trek and one of the things that made it truly great. A character so well crafted he even survived J.J's godawful movie unscathed.
10, Captain James T. Kirk (Star Trek, the original, not the sex pest teeny-bopper version) - Jim Kirk was my hero growing up and i doubt i was the only one who looked up to him.
