Wednesday, January 06, 2010

GSCE Candidate: John J Sheridan

It's 2010, the Year We Make Contact. That means Scifi needs to get over the Mayan 2012 doomsday "prophecy", post-apocalyptic craze, and embrace space travel. And what better way to celebrate Scifi's outer space roots than by deciding who is the Greatest Starship Captain Ever?
 
John J. Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) Babylon 5
 
Captain Skills: 5
A war hero from the Earth-Minbarri War, Sheridan was the first choice to Captain Babylon 5, but was withheld in favor of a more diplomatic Jeffrey Sinclair. Sheridan is a skilled starship Captain, who's performance places him in command of the key space station in the known worlds, leading to captaining the White Star- a Minbarri-Human vessel.
 
Starship Combat Skills: 5
While he is flying a desk at Babylon 5 most of the series, Sheridan's skills as a Starship captain are revealed with the legend of his destruction of the Minbarri flagship, the Black Star, during the Human-Minbarri war. The only victory humans had in the war.
 
Crew: 4
During his pre-B5 days, Sheridan undoubtably possessed a superior crew, but we can't be sure. Aboard the White Star, Sheridan has a crew made of Rangers- beings part secret agent, part warrior monk, part commando. Clearly a better-than-average crew.
 
Personal Combat Skills: 3.5
Sheridan may be a Captain, but he isn't afraid to let fly some whoop ass, or bust a cap in enemy's asses when needed.
 
Ladies Man: 1
Sheridan believed his first wife dead, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in the ladies, eventually remarrying during the B5 series.
 
Coolness: 5
If it isn't enough for you that Bruce Boxleitner was better know (from his previous TV Series) as secret agent "Scarecrow", co-starring with a frickin' Charlie's Angel, consider this: When Sheridan is first posted to the B5, the Minbarri about shit- he is, in their eyes, a war criminal for nuking their flagship during the war.Yeah, nuking. How many scifi characters can say they eliminated their enemy with nuclear weapons? Not many. No wonder Sheridan is such a hero he is able to start a civil war and topple the Earth Alliance's corrupt government towards the end fo the series.
 
Total score: 23.5 out of 30

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