This starts with the usual caveats. This list is my opinion. It's hard to choose only 5. I'm not a Trekkie. Sorry. I am a fan of science fiction whether tv, movie, music or book. If fascinates me that a genre loved by geeks and tech freaks focuses so much on the perils of technology. I'm also getting slightly off topic. This list is supposed to be about tv characters.
I watch a fair bit of science fiction television though as you can tell from the list BBC and Syfy dominate my viewing habits. These are the 5 (well, 6) characters that have caught my fancy the strongest. Not all are dashing but they're all smart and snarky. Gods, I love some good snark.
5. Tie - Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood & Doctor Who (BBC)
Ah. The dashing captain. He's suave. He's charming. He's adventurous. He also does anything that moves. What did the Doctor call him? Omnisexual? Jack (John Barrowman) isn't the most consistent of men, but that smile can ease a lot of difficulties, and knowing Jack other things as well.
10th Doctor, Doctor Who (BBC)
Now that we had the dashing captain, we have his compatriot, the good Doctor. They say you never forget your first Doctor and they're right. I first got hooked on Doctor Who when I saw "42" air on BBC Wales on a vacation my sister and I took in 2007. I've gone back to watch Eccleston (#9) and now watch Smith (#11), but David Tennant will always be the Doctor for me.
Smart and funny with a dry sense of humor tends to rock my boat. He looked at every adventure and dangerous situation as a new and exciting experience. This doesn't mean he didn't slide into his own bouts of melancholy but he could still find a laugh.
4. Mal Renyolds, Firefly (Fox)
Captain Tight Pants himself. The snarky, cranky, swashbuckler who flys through life by the seat of his pants. Got to love me some Mal Renyolds. Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion knew what they were doing when they created and shaped (respectively) their space cowboy. Even if his plan falls through, which it usually does, Mal can come up with something so his crew survives and maybe even get paid. He puts true to the adage that a flawed hero is a more interesting hero. Mal tries hard but he's not the most honest, even tempered, or understanding of men. Hell, he isn't even the smartest but he does have the smartest mouth.
That Firefly link above is to Hulu.com where you can view the entire series.
3. Douglas Fargo, Eureka (Syfy)
Fargo. What button did you press now?
I understand this. My last words will probably be, "I wonder what this does." Buttons, particularly unlabeled buttons, are almost irresistible. Fargo (played by Neil Grayston) is the geek I think a lot of us are. He's smart, kind of adorable, always willing to help, and completely under-appreciated. Until this last season, he did much of the work (and, yes, caused a number of the crises), but tended to be run down by everyone. It kept giving me the urge to reach through the screen and hug him. I've been there and gotten the t-shirt. Now, he's in charge of GD, and faking it until he makes it.
Looking through my screen captures for all 4 seasons, I noticed that all the ones of Fargo show him either in great peril or being a goof. I think I may need to remedy that once the show starts again this summer.
2. Connor Temple, Primeval (BBC)
I'm a geek (obviously) so I tend to be drawn to geek characters in movies and on TV. Connor (played by Andrew-Lee Potts) is a brilliant, generous and somewhat bumbling geek who stumbled on rifts that cause dinosaurs (and many other creatures) to travel to modern day Britain. After that, he manages to use his knowledge and creativity to take a place on the team that investigates and secures the anomalies.
He's got a quirky style and an engaging grin. It's hard to resist that boyish enthusiastic that invites you to laugh along with him.
1. Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, Battlestar Galactica (Syfy)
I'm probably going to get some grief for this one. BISis has already gotten on my case for not choosing Apollo.
Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) is someone I identify with more easily. She's also pretty damned entertaining with all that sass. She fraks things up but keeps trying and doing her best anyway. Not that she ever really learns to keep her mouth shut. Her fears may rule in her personal life but out in that Viper she is a fierce force to be reckoned with. She'll take whatever measures are necessary to get the job done. She never gives up no matter the odds.
And yes, I've seen the original series, and still prefer Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck. I'll admit to the fact that the first I saw of the modern version was Razor and I hated Starbuck after seeing it but she really grew on me while watching the rest of the series.
Other Top 5 lists can be viewed here.
