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Well, I finally watched the Mandalorian and am catching up on a few other things that I've let slip during the past years (whether by accident or on purpose) and it got me thinking about some of them and specifically about some odd ball favorite characters that I have in certain series. There are some that likely are pretty common (like Garek in DS9 and Amos in the Expanse) whether initially or later become "cult favorites" and others that probably truly are outliers. For example, my favorite Game of Thrones character is Lyanna Mormont, the Lady of Bear Island and I can't specifically articulate why given why especially given that there were so many great characters (Jaime, Jorah, Brienne, Tyrion, etc) in that show that had alot more development and time spent on them. I typically don't enjoy the annoying/know it all little girl trope in shows and/or movies (like early Clone Wars Ahsoka Tano which I stopped watching after season one) but I really get a kick out of how her character is portrayed in GOT. I don't know how faithful that is to the books though and I'm ok with the time she did get onscreen (and enjoyed each scene too!) without feeling that she actually needed more.

Anyone else have some oddball choices for their top character in long running series or film franchises?

Miles O’Brien.

He’s just an average bloke in Spaaaaaaaaaaaace. Suitably qualified for his job and then some, but Just A Bloke.

He has marriage troubles, he’s torn between play time with Julian, and family time with Keiko, Molly and Kirayoshi (especially noticeable when he gets some unexpected bachelor time).

He’s well conceived, well (and consistently) written, not to mention utterly likeable.

It may sound daft, but given DS9 is ultimately a political thriller, to just have a distinct Average Joe as a main character was genuinely a bold move.

I got to agree with you on Miles O'Brien in DS9. A very good character.

Here, here! Another shout out for O'Brien. I'm not sure I'd say he's a favorite. It would be insanely hard to single out a favorite character on DS9, that show was absolutely chock full of compelling characters. I'd probably have to go with Garak, but honorable mentions go to Dukat and Weyoun. The banter between those 2 was so good. Hell, Dukat with anyone was great. I loved watching him get under Kira's skin, and the rivalry with Sisko was great fun too.

Lord Refa was my favorite recurring character on Babylon 5. A fun villain with a fun accent. You could tell the actor was enjoying himself.

Dukat was a cool villain. I'm not sure O'Brien counts as an odd choice though. Everyone (myself included) seems to like him.

I honestly don't know which of my favorite characters count as odd though.
I rather liked Ivanova in B5 (and of course G'Kar and Londo), but again, who didn't?
Master Brae'tac in Stargate was also a favorite whenever he showed up.

 creeping-deth87 wrote:
Here, here! Another shout out for O'Brien. I'm not sure I'd say he's a favorite. It would be insanely hard to single out a favorite character on DS9, that show was absolutely chock full of compelling characters. I'd probably have to go with Garak, but honorable mentions go to Dukat and Weyoun. The banter between those 2 was so good. Hell, Dukat with anyone was great. I loved watching him get under Kira's skin, and the rivalry with Sisko was great fun too.

I wouldn't consider O'Brien an oddball choice as he was one of the core ensemble and probably in every episode. I agree though that he along with pretty much all of the rest were excellent characters with real growth throughout the series. If I hadn't already picked Garak in the first post, Weyoun would be a strong first runner up!

Bran Dawri wrote:

Master Brae'tac in Stargate was also a favorite whenever he showed up.

Seconded too.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Lord Refa was my favorite recurring character on Babylon 5. A fun villain with a fun accent. You could tell the actor was enjoying himself.

hrmmm... hadn't thought out B5 even though I was an avid fan during the initial run. It's been decades since I saw it so I may be remembering things a bit too nostalgically blurred. My personal favorite in the past was Sinclair but that was arguably the main character in season 1 and not really an oddball choice. Second for me would be G'kar but again he was one of the main regulars.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

epronovost wrote:

Bran Dawri wrote:

Master Brae'tac in Stargate was also a favorite whenever he showed up.

Seconded too.

And thirded. He was definitely a pleasure to see on screen pretty much every time. I actually met him at a very small local convention. The con was so small that I went to the refreshment room to pick up a free can of coke and bag of chips for the day and literally bumped into him. Holding a bag of doritos and bumping into Master Brae'tac in a hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts was definitely a pleasant surprise, lol.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Lord Refa was my favorite recurring character on Babylon 5. A fun villain with a fun accent. You could tell the actor was enjoying himself.

Good choice. A nice foil and glimpse of what Mollari could have become. And he died very satisfactorily.
My favorite villain of the show remains Bester though.

 warboss wrote:
I typically don't enjoy the annoying/know it all little girl trope in shows and/or movies (like early Clone Wars Ahsoka Tano which I stopped watching after season one)

You might want to consider going back and watching more. I thought the exact same thing the first time I watched the first season and dropped out. Later I went back and watched it again... and they give Ahsoka Tano the most remarkable character arc through the series that has her grow out of that little know-it-all and into quite the promising young Jedi.

And then things get really interesting for her.

Do, or do not. Your choice, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you do.


On the original subject, I was quite fond of Lennier and Vir Cotto. A pair of diplomatic aides in way over their heads, just trying to keep their embassies on an even keel. Both get wonderful moments on their own, especially Vir, and then there's their one memorable moment together.

"... makes me nervous."

On Ahsoka, in hindsight it seems fairly certain she was meant to be irritating at first. After all, she was a 12 year old Space Wizard.

Florence Scanwell in Harlots.

When we first meet her, she just seems like your stereotypical self-righteous religious hypocrite who exists just to be a stupid bigot and make the protagonists' lives difficult (or perhaps to be a straw SWERF). But then we gradually find out more about her past and why she's the way she is, and why she made her devil's bargain with Lydia Quigley. It turns out she's a genuinely good person, but ruined by her own guilt and shame (and with some downright wrong beliefs, but ones that are entirely appropriate for the time she lives in). And then her daughter gets stabbed by Lord Fallon and she goes straight from Harmless Blind Lady to Vengeful Mama Bear and it is glorious.

It helps that Dorothy Atkinson is a fantastic actress.

Bran Dawri wrote:
Master Brae'tac in Stargate was also a favorite whenever he showed up.

I'll definitely echo this. He was a great character. I loved how he called the general "Hammond of Texas".

Speaking of Stargate, I'll mention Jacob Carter/Selmac. Not as likable as Bra'tac perhaps, but still had some good episodes and made a great go-between for the SGC and the To'kra.

Second Ahsoka. We all hated her at the beginning, but she earned the appreciation of the fandom with great character development and becoming the empathetic, brave, and selfless character that would have exemplified the Jedi in early eras. Honestly, if anything Clone Wars is Ahsoka's series. Maybe shared with Rex. They're the most consistent appearing characters in the show, and I think they might have more appearances than many other characters from the franchise. Between them, Ahsoka and Rex grow more than anyone else.

Sokka from Avatar the Last Airbender. I think he doesn't get enough credit for being right there with Aang and Zuko as one of the characters who grew the most over the course of the series. It's quite shocking watching how haughty, naive, and bravely foolish Sokka was in the first season, and how mature, cunning, and wise he became by the end. Bonus points for being the main cast's token normal.

I'm also going to make maybe a more obscure choice; Crank Zent, from Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. For a guy who was only in two episodes and a few flashbacks, he was one of the coolest guys in the show. Noble, in a stupid but awesome way, and the man who single handedly established the premise and theme of the entire series; It is impossible to live without making waves in the lives of others, for good and ill, and your life does ripple outward regardless of your own intentions.

I'd say 21 for Venture Bros. He was always a kooky side-character that had a very meta-knowledge that despite his relative initial incompetence that he was a survivor and was pretty lazy and unmotivated until 22's death. Then he had a major character change and can almost go toe-to-toe with Brock Samson. I love how he's the Monarch's best friend at this point and it's fantastic seeing how his character has evolved from how he was at the beginning.

The transition to making the show more about Rusty and The Monarch, and less about how non-functional Hank and Dean are, was the smartest thing the makers of the show ever did. Venture Bros. best moments are all really about Rusty, The Monarch, and their associated 'henchmen' (Brock, 21, 22, Sergeant Hatred, and Dr. Girlfriend). I'm not sure if that was originally intended or not. Most of the time Hank and Dean are cringy and disturbing, not amusing. Granted, Hank and Dean came back at the end too and had some great moments in the last two seasons.

The whole show really might as well be 'ensemble dark horse' the series. There are characters who had one off appearances on the show who were lovable and fun, many of whom would come back and become part of the series' increasingly broad ensemble cast as seasons advanced. Billy Quizboy and Colonel Gathers were two of my favorite characters in show aside from The Monarch and 21, and if you'd told me those two one off gag characters would go on to become well developed in their own right when they first appeared I'd have called you crazy! Then the final seasons gives us freaking Red Death, who had only 2-3 main appearances but was freaking amazing in all of them.

Mr Van Driessen.

The only person willing to go to bat for Beavis & Butthead, however ineffectually.

Everyone needs a Van Driessen in their life.

 LordofHats wrote:
The transition to making the show more about Rusty and The Monarch, and less about how non-functional Hank and Dean are, was the smartest thing the makers of the show ever did. Venture Bros. best moments are all really about Rusty, The Monarch, and their associated 'henchmen' (Brock, 21, 22, Sergeant Hatred, and Dr. Girlfriend). I'm not sure if that was originally intended or not. Most of the time Hank and Dean are cringy and disturbing, not amusing. Granted, Hank and Dean came back at the end too and had some great moments in the last two seasons.

The whole show really might as well be 'ensemble dark horse' the series. There are characters who had one off appearances on the show who were lovable and fun, many of whom would come back and become part of the series' increasingly broad ensemble cast as seasons advanced. Billy Quizboy and Colonel Gathers were two of my favorite characters in show aside from The Monarch and 21, and if you'd told me those two one off gag characters would go on to become well developed in their own right when they first appeared I'd have called you crazy! Then the final seasons gives us freaking Red Death, who had only 2-3 main appearances but was freaking amazing in all of them.

Always awesome to find another Venture Bros fan! I always feel like it's a pretty niche show so I don't usually get to talk about it with somebody else . Either way, your analysis is spot on. I'm glad to see them having moved on past Dean's crush for Triana (though I don't approve obviously with his recent tryst with a certain aquatic female >.> ) and Hank's desire to follow in Brock's footsteps. I feel like they've actually grown in tune with the show. The show does an amazing job of fleshing out the side characters without detracting from the main cast and always finds an organic way for them to develop without them being shoehorned into the main plot. The show also has amazing cameos from a bunch of voice actors like Kevin Conroy as Captain Sunshine (still one of my personal favourite episodes) and as you mentioned Clancy Brown kills it as Red Death.

On a bit of a side note, I would say Lucky for King of the Hill. He was a bit of a late entry to the series and I was kind of surprised that he of all people was who Luanne ended up with, but he was surprisingly a lot more wholesome as a character (his scamming stuff aside) than I expected him to be.

I think one of the things that makes King of the Hill forever endearing is its humanity. It's a show that does almost nothing but poke fun at being a stereotypical redneck, but does it in a way that is compassionate and kind of awesome. It's the kind of comedy we just don't seem to get anymore. Takes too much genius, or a willingness to make a joke at someone's expense but with a desire to love them for who they are rather than just laugh at them. That whole show is one of a kind and Lucky kind of exemplifies it in his transition from being a total loser to being a lovable goof trying to do right by the people he loves.

Margo, of the Magicians. She's initially barely a character, essentially a pair with Elliott and wildly overshadowed by him as the typical fraternity boy/sorority girl socialites. But as the series progresses we discover that she is the coldest, most pragmatic and ruthless person on the show, bar none. Her wrath is glorious, and her good favor fleeting.

 LordofHats wrote:
I think one of the things that makes King of the Hill forever endearing is its humanity. It's a show that does almost nothing but poke fun at being a stereotypical redneck, but does it in a way that is compassionate and kind of awesome. It's the kind of comedy we just don't seem to get anymore. Takes too much genius, or a willingness to make a joke at someone's expense but with a desire to love them for who they are rather than just laugh at them. That whole show is one of a kind and Lucky kind of exemplifies it in his transition from being a total loser to being a lovable goof trying to do right by the people he loves.

Definitely. I'm glad they didn't drag out the show past the 13th season but at the same time it's very disheartening to see how many adult cartoons continue to follow the Family Guy model and basically have horrible characters tearing each other down while using potty humour as a way to mask how caustic the cast is. It really is a one of a kind show in that regard.

Yeah. It pokes fun at Hank Hill’s sensibilities, without poking fun at the man himself.

Doctor Who - Wilf.

What a wonderful, gentle character. In some ways, the mirror of the Doctor (tries to do right, was pulled into a war etc).

Well enough written, and beautifully portrayed.

epronovost wrote:
I got to agree with you on Miles O'Brien in DS9. A very good character.

Well obviously Mr Morden in B5 and his associates
Darla in Buffy/Angel closely followed by Anya
Bela Talbot in Supernatural
Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders

Hmm, I am old so my memory can be really hazy on things like this. However, here are a few I recall.....

Marcy(?) in Daredevil. That was Foggy's girlfriend. She was a pretty well developed character, despite her potentially being a cartoonish "ex" and now rival as it initially started out.

"School Rep" in Evangelion. I honestly do not even think she gets a name, but builds a relationship with one of the pilots. She doesn't even really know when that pilot gets killed and then she disappears shortly after. However, the fact that she had no name, but displayed more humanity than any other character on the show was very striking and I would guess, intentional.

Of course, Newman from Seinfeld is also a classic. He was always a petty villain just trying to ruin Jerry's day. Why? Who knows, but he had such panache.

Wang in Dr. Strange and Rhodey in Iron Man. I don't know why, but they were my favorite "side kicks" in the MCU.

I am sure there are more, but I am old, tired, and cranky now......

 LordofHats wrote:
The transition to making the show more about Rusty and The Monarch, and less about how non-functional Hank and Dean are, was the smartest thing the makers of the show ever did. Venture Bros. best moments are all really about Rusty, The Monarch, and their associated 'henchmen' (Brock, 21, 22, Sergeant Hatred, and Dr. Girlfriend). I'm not sure if that was originally intended or not. Most of the time Hank and Dean are cringy and disturbing, not amusing. Granted, Hank and Dean came back at the end too and had some great moments in the last two seasons.

The whole show really might as well be 'ensemble dark horse' the series. There are characters who had one off appearances on the show who were lovable and fun, many of whom would come back and become part of the series' increasingly broad ensemble cast as seasons advanced. Billy Quizboy and Colonel Gathers were two of my favorite characters in show aside from The Monarch and 21, and if you'd told me those two one off gag characters would go on to become well developed in their own right when they first appeared I'd have called you crazy! Then the final seasons gives us freaking Red Death, who had only 2-3 main appearances but was freaking amazing in all of them.

Well, crap. I hadn't even realized they'd had the show cancelled out from underneath them.
Boo to cartoon network for gutting it mid-storyline.

Voss wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
The transition to making the show more about Rusty and The Monarch, and less about how non-functional Hank and Dean are, was the smartest thing the makers of the show ever did. Venture Bros. best moments are all really about Rusty, The Monarch, and their associated 'henchmen' (Brock, 21, 22, Sergeant Hatred, and Dr. Girlfriend). I'm not sure if that was originally intended or not. Most of the time Hank and Dean are cringy and disturbing, not amusing. Granted, Hank and Dean came back at the end too and had some great moments in the last two seasons.

The whole show really might as well be 'ensemble dark horse' the series. There are characters who had one off appearances on the show who were lovable and fun, many of whom would come back and become part of the series' increasingly broad ensemble cast as seasons advanced. Billy Quizboy and Colonel Gathers were two of my favorite characters in show aside from The Monarch and 21, and if you'd told me those two one off gag characters would go on to become well developed in their own right when they first appeared I'd have called you crazy! Then the final seasons gives us freaking Red Death, who had only 2-3 main appearances but was freaking amazing in all of them.

Well, crap. I hadn't even realized they'd had the show cancelled out from underneath them.
Boo to cartoon network for gutting it mid-storyline.

Wow, I completely missed that part of his paragraph of it being the final season. That kinda ruined my day tbh, what a complete let-down. It completely flew under the radar for me that they had cancelled it late last year. I was totally looking forward to seeing what they would have done with Hank. I guess if it isn't churning out season after season in every 1-2 years they gotta get the axe at some point So much writing potential ruined for no good reason. Curse youuuuuuu network executives!

 warboss wrote:
Anyone else have some oddball choices for their top character in long running series or film franchises?

Bodhi Rook, the shuttle pilot from Rogue One, who sets the whole thing in motion. I seriously think he's the most heroic character in the whole franchise. He was just a working joe in a comfortable and safe job, where he didn't have to look at any of the nasty things the Empire was doing. He could have just kept his head down, done his job and toed the line, and nobody would particularly have judged him. But instead, he turns his back on his old life, makes an enemy of the Empire and throws himself on the mercy of the Rebellion, many of whom which would have happily killed him. And in the end, he sacrifices his life.

The Empire didn't kill anyone he liked, he didn't have personal ties to anyone in the Rebellion, and he didn't have a special destiny. He did all of that because someone he had no obligations to asked him to do the right thing, and he decided to do the right thing.

A solid argument.

To the degree I kinda hope they just leave him as is background wise. Just a spod with a conscience.

Nate Fisher Snr, Six feet Under

Quite an achievement for a character who was dead to begin with, and is just a construct based on the memory of whoever is imagining him, with subtle acting shifts depending on who is 'seeing' him, the one Claire sees is my fav

Vir Cotto, Babylon 5

If the set up and pay off between him and Morden was all he had that would be enough but there's so much more to him from unquestioningly belief in the status quo of the Centari to pragmatic realist was awesome

Jessica(h) Hamby, True Blood

Cos reasons

G