Who is the ultimate Sci-Fi Fantasy Hero or Heroine?

a_lost_packet_ · Aug 24, 2008

<p>Every book has a Hero or Heroine in it.  Even if it isn't a real human being or even a "being" at all, there is something the story focuses on which equates to "Hero."</p><p>What is a Hero?  What does a Hero do?  Are they always good?  Are they always admirable?  We all have our favorite characters but those don't exactly always measure up to the classic image we have of a Hero.  In fact, many are anti-heros or seriously flawed and interesting characters...</p><p>But, who is the "Knight in Shining Armor" in Sci-Fi/Fantasy?  What character is the ultimate Hero portarying ultimate Hero'ness to the Universe?  Does such a Hero exist or must they all have a "fatal flaw" which has to be overcome before they can have redeemed themselves? What character is the purest of heart, most sound of mind and noblest in action in all Sci-fi/Fantasy?  If perfection in Herodom exists, who is it and why?</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

docm · Aug 24, 2008

<p>Heroic: Kal-El</p><p>Ambiguous:  Dr. Manhattan </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Limo_God · Aug 25, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Every book has a Hero or Heroine in it.  Even if it isn't a real human being or even a "being" at all, there is something the story focuses on which equates to "Hero."What is a Hero?  What does a Hero do?  Are they always good?  Are they always admirable?  We all have our favorite characters but those don't exactly always measure up to the classic image we have of a Hero.  In fact, many are anti-heros or seriously flawed and interesting characters...But, who is the "Knight in Shining Armor" in Sci-Fi/Fantasy?  What character is the ultimate Hero portarying ultimate Hero'ness to the Universe?  Does such a Hero exist or must they all have a "fatal flaw" which has to be overcome before they can have redeemed themselves? What character is the purest of heart, most sound of mind and noblest in action in all Sci-fi/Fantasy?  If perfection in Herodom exists, who is it and why? <br />Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV></p><p>I'd go way out and say.... Darth Vader.... because ultimately, he does the right thing... he makes the "ultimate sacrifice" and redeems himself... his story provides hope, and that is what a hero should do...<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>Sermo datur cuntis; animi sapientia paucis</strong></p><p><em>Speech is given to many; intelligence to few</em></p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Aug 28, 2008

<p>I'll put a name in the hat for "Ultimate Good Guy Hero": </p><p>Luke Skywalker</p><p>Now, I'm not a huge Star Wars fan.  As a matter of fact, I really only liked the first two movies.  But, Skywalker was the classic "Young Arthurian Hero" type.  Clean, pure of heart, innocent, thrust into a situation much bigger than himself, storming the castle, rescuing the Princess etc, etc, etc...  It's hard to get much better than that.  Good lord, he was blonde and blue-eyed as well and I don't even think he could have grown facial hair if his life had depended on it!  Heck, he probably was a virgin to boot.  Lucas really didn't pull out any stops in constructing his archetypical characters.  That's one of the really good things he did with those stories... Except, of course, when they started getting stupid and were overblown with toy merchandising and became 2 hours of special effects and crap stories with crap actors.. But, I digress...  Anyway, Luke Skywalker would probably be my top choice for Ultimate "Good Guy" SF hero. </p><p>For ultimate Sci-Fi/Fantasy Hero of all time?</p><p>Conan</p><p>Let's face it.  When you get down to heroic hero'ishness, Conan is pretty hard to beat.  Conan does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants and if you don't like it, tough noogies.  I look at Conan like a "Vengeance Hero."  Nobody gets away with doing anything to Conan or anyone he cares about.  Someone is always either messing with his friends, messing with him or somehow standing in his way.  Conan doesn't play those games.  If you're lucky enough for him to ask you to step out of the way, you get to live.  If you're not, well... Someone will come along and gather your remains in a bucket.  Conan writes his own rules, if he feels like it.  If he doesn't feel like it then he doesn't write any rules.  Thus, no rules constrain Conan and least of all some petty rules some guy makes up about Ultimate Sci/Fi Fantasy Heroes.  Conan is also "un-chuck-norrisable." </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

coeptus · Aug 28, 2008

<p> </p><p>May I have unanimous consent ??</p><p> </p><p><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/0/488e7598-f5da-439e-a09c-e4cb0a9008f3.Medium.jpg" alt="" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff00ff">If not for bad Pluck, I'd have no Pluck at all . . .</font></p><p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff">This is your vogon, posting under coeptus, and trying IE and Firefox to see if either is faster with fewer misloads. Erf !!</font></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Aug 29, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> May I have unanimous consent ??     Posted by coeptus</DIV></p><p> </p><p>Ah, nice choice.  Someone thrust into situations beyond their control and which they aren't usually equipped to deal with (a woman blowing up aliens) who is motivated to do "Good" even though those around her would try to get her to act on selfish principals. (corporate greed)  In the end, she embraces that which destroys her.</p><p>Very nice choice! </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

cosmictraveler · Aug 31, 2008

<p> </p><p><strong><font size="4">Bilbo Baggins comes to my mind in recent times. What more could a hero be to save himself, his friends and the Middle Earth. Through his perilous journey with his friends he encounters many things he has never experienced before and must deal with them all. He wasn't meant to be a hero and never wanted to be but due to overwhelming problems and distractions he not only becomes a hero to his friends but finds himself as well. He has many trials and tribulations to go through testing his very existence and integrality, but he overcomes the  problems one by one, with help from his friends as well. </font></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><font size="4">He will never kneel to anyone for he has become  more than anyone could ever realize through his own strife and persecution and will be a hero to everyone who can only find it in themselves to overcome the negativity and push through life with a little help from their friends.</font></strong></p><p> </p><p>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilbo_Baggins</p><p> </p><p><font size="4">The Lord Of The Rings</font></p><p> </p><p> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>It does not require many words to speak the truth. Chief Joseph</p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Aug 31, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Bilbo Baggins comes to my mind in recent times. What more could a hero be to save himself, his friends and the Middle Earth. Through his perilous journey with his friends he encounters many things he has never experienced before and must deal with them all. He wasn't meant to be a hero and never wanted to be but due to overwhelming problems and distractions he not only becomes a hero to his friends but finds himself as well. He has many trials and tribulations to go through testing his very existence and integrality, but he overcomes the  problems one by one, with help from his friends as well.  He will never kneel to anyone for he has become  more than anyone could ever realize through his own strife and persecution and will be a hero to everyone who can only find it in themselves to overcome the negativity and push through life with a little help from their friends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilbo_BagginsThe Lord Of The Rings   Posted by cosmictraveler</DIV></p><p>That's a good point.  Bilbo is an interesting Hero and he does fit within the mold of the "Everyman thrust into an extraordinary situation achieves extraordinarily outcomes."</p><p>I think that there is somewhat of a contrast between the heroes of Bilbo and Frodo.  Bilbo is sort of a classic hero, put into a situation as a relatively innocent bystander and then "growing" to become a great hero by finding an inner strength he didn't know he had.  What about Frodo?  Where does he get his strength?  Frodo has some of the same qualities but Frodo seems to draw his strength from those around him.  Frodo is rarely alone and in the instances in which he is alone, he is captured and rendered helpless.  It's his friend (Sam) that rescues him and makes him "whole" again by returning his ring.</p><p>Both Bilbo and Frodo start out with similar Heroic qualities.  But, as their story progresses, the strength that makes them a true Hero seems to come from slightly different sources. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

Mee_n_Mac · Sep 2, 2008

I wouldn't place him in the ultimate hero catagory but his actions would certainly qualify.  The person ... Lazarus or more properly Anti-Lazarus from an episode of ST:TOS I never really liked.  Seems to be a person of ordinary abilities who sacrificies himself for all eternity (literally) to save both his and our Universes. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Sep 2, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I wouldn't place him in the ultimate hero catagory but his actions would certainly qualify.  The person ... Lazarus or more properly Anti-Lazarus from an episode of ST:TOS I never really liked.  Seems to be a person of ordinary abilities who sacrificies himself for all eternity (literally) to save both his and our Universes. <br /> Posted by mee_n_mac</DIV></p><p>So, would you say the "action" of his self-sacrifice would make him a hero?  IOW, do you think that self-sacrifice is normally seen as a heroic quality?  Would the greatest "Ultimate Heroes" usually display some measure of self-sacrifice or is it necessary at all?</p><p>I apologize for the barrage of questions but, "self-sacrifice" is seen as an intrinsically noble and altruistic quality of character.  Those are usually viewed as positive qualities in a "hero" and I'm wondering how others view those qualities and if they always consider characters with those traits as "heroic." </p><p> </p><p>I liked that episode, btw.  I thought it was fairly unique.  They touched on "dimensions" and other forms of existence that went beyond normal expectations.  There isn't any reason why an "anti-matter" person could not exist.  But, as soon as they materialized in this Universe and/or interacted in any way with normal matter, there would be big problems. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

taylormade · Sep 3, 2008

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Bilbo Baggins comes to my mind in recent times. What more could a hero be to save himself, his friends and the Middle Earth. Through his perilous journey with his friends he encounters many things he has never experienced before and must deal with them all. He wasn't meant to be a hero and never wanted to be but due to overwhelming problems and distractions he not only becomes a hero to his friends but finds himself as well. He has many trials and tribulations to go through testing his very existence and integrality, but he overcomes the  problems one by one, with help from his friends as well.  He will never kneel to anyone for he has become  more than anyone could ever realize through his own strife and persecution and will be a hero to everyone who can only find it in themselves to overcome the negativity and push through life with a little help from their friends. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilbo_BagginsThe Lord Of The Rings   <br />Posted by cosmictraveler</DIV><br /><br /><font size="3">Are you sure you dont mean frodo baggins, sure enough bilbo stumbled across the ring and kept it safe and secrete for many a year but we have to remember with out gandalfs guidence and words of wisdom that ring would have remaind in Bilbo's coat pocket, frodo on the other hand got the hard end of the bargian he had to walk for many leagues taking on all that was evil in middle earth and with the help of loyal frienship was the bearer of light to those lost deep in the tunnel. I will go one further and say if there is to be a hero in lord of the rings it is gollum for the movie doesnt portay it but he voluntarily takes himself and the ring into the fires of mordor for he couldnt live in a world with out the ring an the world couldnt live with the ring, though getting side tracked lord of the rings isnt exactly sci-fi is it?</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> everyone gets one </div>

taylormade · Sep 3, 2008

<p><font size="3">An unlikely hero but one just as important as any other, infact more important than most for he saves the most important planet to us all ( for those that havn't guessed it yet, yes, earth). Recorded in his grey matter was everything we hold precious had he died the mice could of claimed their victory but he didn't and they couldn't. Arthur also instils a faith in the common man that even the most unlikely character is capable of amazing characteristics. Some will laugh at this and say his was lucky and stumbled his way across the finish line this may be true but he did it non the less. Even though hitch hikers maybe a satire the themes and values still hold true to what i like to call a hero. </font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> everyone gets one </div>

TheOscarMP · Sep 3, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> I will go one further and say if there is to be a hero in lord of the rings it is gollum for the movie doesnt portay it but he voluntarily takes himself and the ring into the fires of mordor for he couldnt live in a world with out the ring an the world couldnt live with the ring<br />Posted by taylormade</DIV></p><p>maybe my memory is a bit rusty and it has been several years since I last read "Return of the King"  but I don't recall that Gollum "voluntarily" threw himself into the fires of Mordor.</p><p> </p><p><em>edit</em></p><p>just checked the cliff/spark notes for the novel.  no mention that Gollum's fall into the fires was in any way voluntary.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff00ff">Screw you guys...I'm going home: Eric Cartman</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>SILENCE...I KILL YOU!!!!:</strong> Achmed, the dead terrorist</font></p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Sep 3, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>maybe my memory is a bit rusty and it has been several years since I last read "Return of the King"  but I don't recall that Gollum "voluntarily" threw himself into the fires of Mordor. editjust checked the cliff/spark notes for the novel.  no mention that Gollum's fall into the fires was in any way voluntary. Posted by TheOscarMP</DIV></p><p>The movie got it right, more or less.  After Gollum gnawed the ring off of Frodo's hand, he was so happy he didn't notice his danger and fell in, IIRC.</p><p>For Gollum, the only thing that gave him any meaning for his existence was the Ring.  Smeagol, on the other hand, wanted to leave that life behind and Frodo gave him that opportunity.  But, Gollum was just too far gone by that time and the perceived "betrayal" at the "Forbidden Pool" at Henneth Annûn was the last stroke that effectively banished the Smeagol personality and allowed Gollum to dominate.</p><p>IMO, Both sides of the character Gollum/Smeagol had their fatal flaws.  For Gollum, it was power and the Ring.  For Smeagol, it was greed.  Neither personality could be called "good" IMO.  However, I think that the Gollum personality was born not when Smeagol stole the Ring through murder but, when Smeagol realized what he had done and had to justify that act to himself or go completely mad. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

Mee_n_Mac · Sep 4, 2008

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So, would you say the "action" of his self-sacrifice would make him a hero?  IOW, do you think that self-sacrifice is normally seen as a heroic quality?  Would the greatest "Ultimate Heroes" usually display some measure of self-sacrifice or is it necessary at all? Posted by <strong>a_lost_packet</strong>_</DIV><br /><br />I would say self sacrifice for the benefit of your fellow man is heroic.  Certainly the soldier who throws himself on the grenade in the foxhole to save his companions is seen as heroic.  I'd also say that just making the choice to self sacrifice is enough to qualify as a hero, despite the outcome.  If the grenade is a dud, the soldier is no less heroic. If the grenade was a "super" and all his buddies still end up dead, the soldier is no less heroic. The choice to self sacrifce is sufficient, though I wouldn't say necessary, to be deemed heroic.  I'd say risking some potential harm to serve others may be seen as heroic.  There's seems to be a degree of altruism needed in heroism as well as a degree of risk. Swatting a wasp won't get you a medal ........... unless you have a deadly allergy to stings and the wasp and his 1000 nestmates were crawling towards a baby with the same allergy.  Running into a burning building to save a baby is seen as heroic, running into the same building to save your iPod with all your music isn't (courageous or foolish or both .... perhaps). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Sep 4, 2008

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I would say self sacrifice for the benefit of your fellow man is heroic.  Certainly the soldier who throws himself on the grenade in the foxhole to save his companions is seen as heroic.  I'd also say that just making the choice to self sacrifice is enough to qualify as a hero, despite the outcome.  If the grenade is a dud, the soldier is no less heroic. If the grenade was a "super" and all his buddies still end up dead, the soldier is no less heroic. The choice to self sacrifce is sufficient, though I wouldn't say necessary, to be deemed heroic.  I'd say risking some potential harm to serve others may be seen as heroic.  There's seems to be a degree of altruism needed in heroism as well as a degree of risk. Swatting a wasp won't get you a medal ........... unless you have a deadly allergy to stings and the wasp and his 1000 nestmates were crawling towards a baby with the same allergy.  Running into a burning building to save a baby is seen as heroic, running into the same building to save your iPod with all your music isn't (courageous or foolish or both .... perhaps). Posted by mee_n_mac</DIV></p><p>Good point.  It seems that the degree of "Altruism" demonstrated by someone's "Self Sacrifice" has some bearing.  If they stand to lose a great deal from their act and it is truly altruistic, then feelings towards them are elevated proportionately.  Even if their act could be in vain, there is a an underlying symbolism that people can't really ignore.</p><p>I think most heroes would have to have some sort of altruism or "self-sacrifice for a greater cause" type of qualities.  Whether it's stealing from the rich and giving to the poor or battling against deadly evil for the cause of good, most heroes seem to have it somewhere. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

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