By Velvet Wells

I am quiet and cautious in real life so I love to be adventurous when I am improvising geek comedy with The Dandies.

Captain Tachyon Field is my improvised Star Trek character in Holodeck Follies. I play him as an idealistic adventurer with a touch of the rogue scoundrel waiting to emerge. The first quality fits well within Starfleet ideology, while the second quality helps when dealing with nefarious aliens or stubborn crewmates.

My recent favourite television programs and movies have protagonists that embrace those characteristics.

Here are five characters similar to my geek comedy character Tachyon Field that you can watch online right now…

1. Michael Burnam (Star Trek: Discovery)

Each week, I can’t wait to watch the new episode of Star Trek: Discovery on Crave TV.

I enjoy the dynamic for the entire USS Discovery crew, but I see Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as the more serious version of my Tachyon Field character.

Sonequa deftly performs a balancing act: portraying a character with the need to act first, like Captain Kirk, and a person with high logical and interpersonal intelligence like Captains Picard and Janeway. Though Burnham’s instincts and intentions serve the greater good, the way she shares decisions can sometimes catch the crew off guard.

She hasn’t sung or destroyed Discovery yet, but there is still time for Michael Burnham to emulate geek comedy captain – Tachyon Field.

2. Robin (Teen Titans Go!)

I enjoyed the first season of the live action Teen Titans on Netflix, but my favourite version of Robin is from Teen Titans Go!… also on Netflix.

Where Michael Burnham inspires team trust, Robin’s demeanor inspires rebellion. Robin (Scott Menville) is seen as the uptight perfectionist leader of superheroes. As the only non-powered hero, Robin is the perfect foil for the other super powered Titans. He gets the heroic job done, but he is even less capable than Tachyon Field at managing his crew.

Teen Titans Go! is very silly so these dynamics don’t truly get in the way of team success or mutual admiration.

3. Thunder (Black Lightning)

I have been watching Black Lightning on Netflix, but it was only with the introduction of Thunder and Lightning that I feel it found its stride.

Thunder (Nafessa Williams) is a queer social activist who uses her newly discovered powers to enact positive change in the community.

Unlike the self discovery journey for most superheroes, Thunder has a loving mentor in her father, Black Lightning. Most recently, Thunder is learning to balance her need for an immediate solution with the potential long term implications.

Like Michael Burnham, Thunder has high interpersonal intelligence but, like Tachyon Field, she has destroyed quite a few things to get the job done.

4. Nadia (Russian Doll)

Russian Doll is the newest series to hit Netflix and it is one that divides my friendbase. Some consider the show a Black Mirror version of Groundhog Day. A number of my friends found that concept difficult to watch through the first series; Andie and I weren’t in that group.

Nadia (played by show creator Natasha Lyonne) is caught in a time loop. Nadia is a gifted game designer but a troubled soul. She lives through a haze of drugs, malaise, and parties with frenemies.

Like the other characters mentioned, Nadia is highly intelligent but lacks concern for social graces. When faced with the seemingly insurmountable puzzle of death, she uses her problem solving prowess to find clues, answers, and solutions.

Her laissez faire attitude mirrors Tachyon’s response to high tension moments before destruction seems imminent.

5. Number 5 (Umbrella Academy)

Umbrella Academy is the most recent addition to Netflix and just one episode in, I can tell number 5 is my favourite. Number 5 is smart, assured, combat ready, and 13.

To avoid spoilers: if you know why tachyon is an important particle in Star Trek, you will get a sense why Number 5 calls to me.

Need more geek comedy characters – brash or not – in your life?

Don’t forget to catch Holodeck Follies, Hogwarts Follies, and Death Star Follies at Toronto ComiCon.