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    How Tv works: Ten of the most appealing characters on TV

    How Tv works: Ten of the most appealing characters on TV

    http://www.examiner.com/x-11396-Jack...aracters-on-TV

    EXCERPT:

    The TV Guide channel recently ran a countdown of the sexiest guys on television, but the people acting the parts, it can be argued, aren't as important as the characters they play-- that's who the fans are watching each week, and that's who makes them famous, whether it's one defining role, such as Tom Selleck's Magnum PI, or ...

    General Jack O'Neill (Stargate SG-1): One of the first people to step off the planet by way of the Stargate, and leader of the first team commissioned to do it as their job (and by the way? Coolest. Job. Ever.), Jack is tough, sarcastic, silly, much more complex than he lets on, a survivor, and stubborn enough to bring down an ancient alien empire. Mixed in with Richard Dean Anderson's ability to convey very deep emotion with the smallest facial changes, and his equal loves for his resident brain Samantha Carter and pie, and he comes out as both kick-ass and endearing.

    John Crichton and Aeryn Sun (Farscape): The character of John Crichton could easily have been made into an idiot-- just read some of the novelizations so see how easily-- but this fish out of it's galaxy is doing his damnedest to make do with what he has, to use his weird humanness to survive in an even weirder place that seems to much more vivid than Earth ever did, and to help a lost and rejected soldier find the good side she'd always avoided. Aeryn, on the other hand, is abandoned by her people and forced to learn a new life, and that gives us this great arc of figuring out everything about love, friendship, self-reliance, and who you are in the face of giant empires. This is one of those couples that stand alone as well as together, and that makes them amazing.

    The entire cast of Firefly: It would be crazy to separate them out here, and they'd fill most of this list, anyway. They work together, shining in the very human interactions in the very strange situations they find themselves in, dragging their histories behind them like banners. Even before we get their back stories, we understand that there are histories we don't know informing all their reactions-- Mal's reluctance to get close to people, Zoe's toughness, Wash's flippancy, Kaylee's enthusiasm, Jayne's bullishness, River's lunacy and Simon's overprotectiveness and Book's calm, Inara's grace. All of it has a reason, and even in those short thirteen episodes, we get to see that they're there, even if we don't fully know what they are. It's a credit to the acting as well as the writing, and it's a damn shame it never got renewed, but we fans already knew that, too.


    REST AT LINK ABOVE

    #2
    I believe that Samantha Holloway is a Sci-Fi fan

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      #3
      Originally posted by Terra Atlantus View Post
      I believe that Samantha Holloway is a Sci-Fi fan
      Ya think?
      Jedi_Master_Bra'tac, previously known as wako!


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        #4
        The entire cast of Firefly...love it!

        Although that list seems a little biased as she's obviously a Sci-Fi fan, it was fun to read.
        sigpic

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          #5
          That caption about the Firefly crew "looking like they have history and motivations" - that's totally hilarious. It really is a great compliment to Whedon. History and motivations had to be more carefully approached in Firefly compared to the many military sci-fi series out there where it's easy to place characters - just hand the some transfer orders.


          "I have darkness inside of me!" - SpongeBob Squarepants

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            #6
            Originally posted by prion View Post
            How Tv works: Ten of the most appealing characters on TV

            http://www.examiner.com/x-11396-Jack...aracters-on-TV

            EXCERPT:

            The TV Guide channel recently ran a countdown of the sexiest guys on television, but the people acting the parts, it can be argued, aren't as important as the characters they play-- that's who the fans are watching each week, and that's who makes them famous, whether it's one defining role, such as Tom Selleck's Magnum PI, or ...

            General Jack O'Neill (Stargate SG-1): One of the first people to step off the planet by way of the Stargate, and leader of the first team commissioned to do it as their job (and by the way? Coolest. Job. Ever.), Jack is tough, sarcastic, silly, much more complex than he lets on, a survivor, and stubborn enough to bring down an ancient alien empire. Mixed in with Richard Dean Anderson's ability to convey very deep emotion with the smallest facial changes, and his equal loves for his resident brain Samantha Carter and pie, and he comes out as both kick-ass and endearing.

            (snipped)

            REST AT LINK ABOVE
            LOVED jack being on the list!!
            sally

            sigpic

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              #7
              i was hoping for more then just spock ... oh well

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                #8
                Originally posted by magictrick View Post
                Although that list seems a little biased as she's obviously a Sci-Fi fan, it was fun to read.
                I don't see how there's anything wrong with that given that most other critics completely ignore SF when reviewing TV shows and characters. This balances things out a bit.
                sigpic

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                  #9
                  agreed scifi always gets the short stick

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                    #10
                    Yeah, that list is a bit fangirl-ish.

                    I'd like to see an objective list of the most appealing characters. Although, it's arguable that the most appealing characters are the main characters of the shows that get the most viewers, looking at it objectively.

                    Tbh, I think truly strong characters are rarer in sci-fi than other genres. There is a split focus between characters and mythology in most sci-fi. The need for writers to create a world and explain everything that happens in that world can detract from character development. Some shows get it right, some don't. Often, it doesn't really matter if the characters are weak provided the world that has been created is interesting to explore - it just depends on the audience and what they're looking for.

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                      #11
                      What a list. I loved the Stargate and Farscape nods.
                      sigpic
                      MS - "Boy, wow that's a great question!"
                      "...phu...ah..."
                      "Anyone know what SENTIENT means???"
                      Sunday is my favorite day for two reasons - Football and The Walking Dead

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by lunarleviathan View Post
                        Tbh, I think truly strong characters are rarer in sci-fi than other genres.
                        See, I think it's the exact opposite in most cases. BSG,Star Trek, Farscape, Firefly, Supernatural, The 4400, and others I'm having a hard time remembering have way more compelling characters (at least in my mind) than the likes of CSI, various sitcoms, and whatever other dramatic TV is out there.

                        Thing is, most of those shows stick out because they're mainstream and there are so many more of them. But I'd take the SF characters over them any day.
                        sigpic

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Pandora's_Box View Post
                          See, I think it's the exact opposite in most cases. BSG,Star Trek, Farscape, Firefly, Supernatural, The 4400, and others I'm having a hard time remembering have way more compelling characters (at least in my mind) than the likes of CSI, various sitcoms, and whatever other dramatic TV is out there.

                          Thing is, most of those shows stick out because they're mainstream and there are so many more of them. But I'd take the SF characters over them any day.
                          Same here, my friend. No doubt about it.
                          sigpic
                          MS - "Boy, wow that's a great question!"
                          "...phu...ah..."
                          "Anyone know what SENTIENT means???"
                          Sunday is my favorite day for two reasons - Football and The Walking Dead

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