It is high time that I give recognition to people from the visual media that are people of science.

Far too often, scientists are presented as dorks, nerds, somewhat insane, or possibly totally insane and just generally as people that are not normal. That is wrong. I am a person of science and I'm perfectly normal.

I scoured my collection of movies and TV shows and then thought about shows or movies that I don't have but liked to piece together a list of the Top Ten coolest science people of all-time. Or at least the ones I deemed the coolest.

Honorable Mentions, these are all people I highly enjoyed in their films but one has to make concessions to put together a Top Ten List. Still, they are all very worthy.
Emilia Rothschild from Jack of All Trades. She referred to herself not as a mad scientist, but merely as a 'mildly irritated' scientist.
Professor X from the X-Men. It was Patrick Stewart. That is all.
Ellie Arraway from Contact. She picked up an alien broadcast. She helped design an awesome wormhole vehicle. She made first contact.
Dr. Spock from Star Trek. Live long and prosper.

The Top Ten.

10. Ira Cane from Evolution.
David Duchovny played a banished science teacher in an Arizona community college. He also found a way to stop a vicious alien invasion with the help of shampoo. And he got the girl at the end. Nice.

9. Hawkeye, Trapper and Henry from MASH.
It doesn't matter if you like the TV or movie versions, they were all hilarious at times, serious when they had to be and all pretty much likable characters. I would contend that it was these characters that set the stage for all other TV medical shows.

8. Dr. Farnsworth from Futurama.
Good news, everybody, Dr. Farnsworth in on the list. He invented machines that could detect smells across the stars. He found parallel dimensions. He saved the world from a giant ball of garbage. And he shacked up with the most powerful woman on the planet.  So he's got that going for him.

7. Simon Tam from Firefly/Serenity. All he wanted to do was save and protect his sister. He ignored a supreme hottie, Kaylee, in order to continue this quest. He was standoffish with the captain of the ship and nearly got himself kicked off the vessel. But in the end, he was always a heroic figure that got the job done. And he got busy with Kaylee at the end of the movie. So he didn't let his previous mistake plague him.

6. Richard Kimble from the Fugitive.
It was Harrison Ford and he was looking for a one armed man that killed his wife. He escapes a burning bus, jumps off of a dam, escapes the cops by blending into a St. Patrick's Day parade, and infiltrates a hospital. He uses his incredible intelligence to stay one step ahead of Tommy Lee Jones and solve the crime. And did I mention, it was Harrison Ford?

5. Gil Grissom from CSI.
The first one, not all the crappy offshoots. The level of awesome that William Petersen gives this character is unparalleled. He almost always solves the crime and in the meantime, he also finds time to flirt with Sarah and some S & M Lady of the Night. Gil, keep on keeping on.

4. Dana Scully from the X-Files.
I first saw this show in college and even though Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, had typical early 90s hair, I fell in love. She was sexy and brilliant, not a bad combination. She was always the skeptic about the cases they were investigating but as the series progressed, she became almost as big of a believer as Mulder was. And she had a little dog named Queequeg. Sweet.

3. Dr. Cox from Scrubs.
John C. McGinley gives this role the toughness that it needs but also finds a way to become that compassionate guy when the moment needs it. Even though he would never admit it. He is gruff, a narcissist, and has a relationship with his ex-wife that is a little weird at times. The show would have never gone anywhere without this guy.

2. Doc Brown from Back to the Future.
The Flux Capacitor. The Delorean Time Machine. Scores of other interesting little inventions. And 1.21 Gigawatts!!! He saves the day, all the while having a mop of Albert Einstein-like white hair.

And the top spot goes to...

1. Chris Knight from Real Genius.
Val Kilmer brings this character completely to life. He is a flatout genius that is kind of searching for his calling in life. His methods are unconventional and his behavior is erratic, to say the least. But he has everybody else's best interests in mind. Unless you are the jerkhole professor that torments him. Then he will fill your house with popcorn.

There it is. Let the debates begin. I make no apologizes for my choices. These people rule.

This is Pete,

Over and out.