10 sci-fi sidekicks and anti-heroes I love
This one is written for a challenge over at scifiland, and it's a list (with reasons) on my 10 favorite sci-fi sidekicks and anti-heroes. They are in no particiluar order, as they are all equally awesome! And I have had both a Doctor Who and Firefly re-watch lately and the list might reflect that.
It may contain small spoilers for Doctor Who, Fringe, Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse and Alice (2009). But they are easy to scroll past ^^
Rory (Doctor Who)
"Then how could I leave her?"
Come on, how can you not love him? He waited 2000 years for the woman he loves. I'll just repeat that: 2000 YEARS! Have anyone done that for you? No, I didn't think so. He is also charming, funny and can be the voice of reason the Doctor is in dire need of. I also love his relationship with Amy and the way he have always loved her, even when she ran away with another man on the night before their wedding. I think they both make eachother better people and I’m so glad he came back and that he is joining the TARDIS crew.
Wash (Firefly)
"We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?!?! Oh, right, that would be me."
I love how Wash always stands up for what he believes in. He trusts Mal, and Zoe, but he's not afraid to let them know it when he thinks they are wrong. Even when it's his mistake. He is also 'the funny guy' and I love that about him. He can make even the most dire situations funny with his witty banter. He has a clear function on the ship and he is a master at flying - he is a leaf on the wind, watch how he soars.
Jayne (Firefly)
"You think there's someone just gonna drop money on ya?! Money they could use?! Well, there ain't people like that. There's just people like me."
Jayne falls a little more into the Anti-Hero category, he really isn't a hero, but he still have an entire planet who worships him. That's not to shabby is it? He has always been my favorite character and I think he is the character who changed the most during the series. I just wish he had gotten more time and we could have really seen him become a better man. Even if I love him as the trained ape, without the training.
Mickey (Doctor Who)
Mickey: Then let's go liberate France.
Jake: What, in a van?
Mickey: There's nothing wrong with a van. I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck!
I know it's sorta against the popular opinion to like him, but Mickey was a wonderful companion. I didn't really like him in Rose, but he evolved and became a force to be reckoned with. Especially in that other dimension. I like that he staid there the first time and finally did something for himself and when he was done he took his chance and returned to his own dimension. And besides, who doesn't love someone who comes to the realizasion that he is the Tin Dog and does something about it!
Wilfred (Doctor Who)
"Every night, Doctor, when it gets dark, and the stars come out, I'll look up on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky, and think of you."
Oh Wilfred, I think he might be my favorite Doctor Who character overall. He is able to talk to the Doctor like noone else can, and he has always known there were something else out there. He really supports Donna and is happy for her being out there and experiencing the wonders of the universe, without being jealous. And that is an important quality, and it's important for Donna. I wish he would come back in the next season, but I think it's a futile hope.
Xander (Doctor Who)
Xander: They'll never know how tough it is, Dawnie, to be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near to the spotlight and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes because nobody's watching me. I saw you last night. I see you working here today. You're not special. You're extraordinary.
Dawn: Maybe that's your power.
Xander: What?
Dawn: Seeing, knowing.
Xander: Maybe it is... Maybe I should get a cape.
Xander is a lovable character. He is earnest, and sometimes brave and he works really well as the comic relief of Buffy. But I am glad that he got help on that front in the later seasons with Anya (and to some extent Spike), as it gave him room to really develop past his comic function to the point were he is a hero, not just a sidekick anymore. Also: How could you not love someone who does the Snoopy dance?
Topher (Dollhouse)
"If think I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?"
My favorite geek ♥ He has so much fun doing a job far into the morally grey area and he brings light to a series that deals with pretty substantial stuff .I love that he is a genius and while he is really fun during the first season, I love how he in many ways grows up during season two. The last episode is heartbreakingly beautiful and shows just how much he's been through. He is a sidekick and an anti-hero that rises to the occasion and saves the world.
Fred (Angel)
"I never understood that saying-right as rain. How is rain right? Or wrong for that matter? Okay, I suppose if there's a flood it's wrong, and speaking of floods, or just being overwhelmed, what's it like to have a vision?"
This is another character who starts out somewhat apart from the rest and who grows into the hero role. She is also a genius and I would love a crossover were she and Topher meet :) I like how she grows to be a stronger person during her stay with Angel and how she grows graduate during the storylines, without it feeling rushed and that she still keeps parts of her old self. Her appreciation for food is always fun :D
Charlie the White Knight (Alice)
"I'm a one off! My nana used to say that if I was the only eligible bachelor left in the world there wasn't a warthog or wall flower who'd polish my escutcheon."
Here we have one cowardly antihero and sidekick all in one. And I love it! In the beginning he is boasting about deeds he's hasn't done and runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction when there is any sign of trouble. He sleeps with a teddy and sings weird songs by the bonfire at night, but as the rest of my favorites, he turns himself around and he comes back when our heroes need him and fight off the Queen of Hearts with only the help of his dead knights. And who really cares then, that it was Alice who ruined the House of Cards?
Astrid (Fringe)
"You know Walter, working with you, it's amazing the sort of thing you get used to."
I love Astrid, she got guts and she handles everyone perfectly. She is the perfect side-kick as she knows enough to be useful, is kind and can be a buffer for our main cast. I also like that she is the voice of reason in Walter's wild schemes and the friendship that have formed. She was also great in Brown Betty when she played the singing assistant who tried to get a job at a mental institution. Not actually about her character, but I really like it when Walter don't remember her name and is completely obvious to it.
So what do you think?
It may contain small spoilers for Doctor Who, Fringe, Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse and Alice (2009). But they are easy to scroll past ^^
Rory (Doctor Who)
"Then how could I leave her?"
Come on, how can you not love him? He waited 2000 years for the woman he loves. I'll just repeat that: 2000 YEARS! Have anyone done that for you? No, I didn't think so. He is also charming, funny and can be the voice of reason the Doctor is in dire need of. I also love his relationship with Amy and the way he have always loved her, even when she ran away with another man on the night before their wedding. I think they both make eachother better people and I’m so glad he came back and that he is joining the TARDIS crew.
Wash (Firefly)
"We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?!?! Oh, right, that would be me."
I love how Wash always stands up for what he believes in. He trusts Mal, and Zoe, but he's not afraid to let them know it when he thinks they are wrong. Even when it's his mistake. He is also 'the funny guy' and I love that about him. He can make even the most dire situations funny with his witty banter. He has a clear function on the ship and he is a master at flying - he is a leaf on the wind, watch how he soars.
Jayne (Firefly)
"You think there's someone just gonna drop money on ya?! Money they could use?! Well, there ain't people like that. There's just people like me."
Jayne falls a little more into the Anti-Hero category, he really isn't a hero, but he still have an entire planet who worships him. That's not to shabby is it? He has always been my favorite character and I think he is the character who changed the most during the series. I just wish he had gotten more time and we could have really seen him become a better man. Even if I love him as the trained ape, without the training.
Mickey (Doctor Who)
Mickey: Then let's go liberate France.
Jake: What, in a van?
Mickey: There's nothing wrong with a van. I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck!
I know it's sorta against the popular opinion to like him, but Mickey was a wonderful companion. I didn't really like him in Rose, but he evolved and became a force to be reckoned with. Especially in that other dimension. I like that he staid there the first time and finally did something for himself and when he was done he took his chance and returned to his own dimension. And besides, who doesn't love someone who comes to the realizasion that he is the Tin Dog and does something about it!
Wilfred (Doctor Who)
"Every night, Doctor, when it gets dark, and the stars come out, I'll look up on her behalf. I'll look up at the sky, and think of you."
Oh Wilfred, I think he might be my favorite Doctor Who character overall. He is able to talk to the Doctor like noone else can, and he has always known there were something else out there. He really supports Donna and is happy for her being out there and experiencing the wonders of the universe, without being jealous. And that is an important quality, and it's important for Donna. I wish he would come back in the next season, but I think it's a futile hope.
Xander (Doctor Who)
Xander: They'll never know how tough it is, Dawnie, to be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near to the spotlight and never step in it. But I know. I see more than anybody realizes because nobody's watching me. I saw you last night. I see you working here today. You're not special. You're extraordinary.
Dawn: Maybe that's your power.
Xander: What?
Dawn: Seeing, knowing.
Xander: Maybe it is... Maybe I should get a cape.
Xander is a lovable character. He is earnest, and sometimes brave and he works really well as the comic relief of Buffy. But I am glad that he got help on that front in the later seasons with Anya (and to some extent Spike), as it gave him room to really develop past his comic function to the point were he is a hero, not just a sidekick anymore. Also: How could you not love someone who does the Snoopy dance?
Topher (Dollhouse)
"If think I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?"
My favorite geek ♥ He has so much fun doing a job far into the morally grey area and he brings light to a series that deals with pretty substantial stuff .I love that he is a genius and while he is really fun during the first season, I love how he in many ways grows up during season two. The last episode is heartbreakingly beautiful and shows just how much he's been through. He is a sidekick and an anti-hero that rises to the occasion and saves the world.
Fred (Angel)
"I never understood that saying-right as rain. How is rain right? Or wrong for that matter? Okay, I suppose if there's a flood it's wrong, and speaking of floods, or just being overwhelmed, what's it like to have a vision?"
This is another character who starts out somewhat apart from the rest and who grows into the hero role. She is also a genius and I would love a crossover were she and Topher meet :) I like how she grows to be a stronger person during her stay with Angel and how she grows graduate during the storylines, without it feeling rushed and that she still keeps parts of her old self. Her appreciation for food is always fun :D
Charlie the White Knight (Alice)
"I'm a one off! My nana used to say that if I was the only eligible bachelor left in the world there wasn't a warthog or wall flower who'd polish my escutcheon."
Here we have one cowardly antihero and sidekick all in one. And I love it! In the beginning he is boasting about deeds he's hasn't done and runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction when there is any sign of trouble. He sleeps with a teddy and sings weird songs by the bonfire at night, but as the rest of my favorites, he turns himself around and he comes back when our heroes need him and fight off the Queen of Hearts with only the help of his dead knights. And who really cares then, that it was Alice who ruined the House of Cards?
Astrid (Fringe)
"You know Walter, working with you, it's amazing the sort of thing you get used to."
I love Astrid, she got guts and she handles everyone perfectly. She is the perfect side-kick as she knows enough to be useful, is kind and can be a buffer for our main cast. I also like that she is the voice of reason in Walter's wild schemes and the friendship that have formed. She was also great in Brown Betty when she played the singing assistant who tried to get a job at a mental institution. Not actually about her character, but I really like it when Walter don't remember her name and is completely obvious to it.
So what do you think?