As a fan of Star Trek and The 4400, for me the highlight of ConCarolinas was Jeffery Combs. My family is in the middle of watching DS9 season 7, and my girls were beyond excited that mom got to meet Weyoun (also Brunt and several other Star Trek characters). He signed a picture for me, “Long live the Dominion.”
In his two Q&A sessions, Mr. Combs told stories about his movies, his experiences doing Star Trek, and his one-man Edgar Allan Poe show, Nevermore. I can now see how addictive conventions can be. That rush of excitement and OMIGOD THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER feeling when in the presence of an actor who is part of a beloved story is really … amazing!
My oldest daughter pointed out that I’ve now met someone who knows Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and Damar (Casey Biggs). Not sure if that makes me just one degree of separation or two degrees from my favorite Star Trek characters, but whatever it is, I’ll take it. I ❤ Cardassians, the sexiest bad boys of science fiction.
Which got me to thinking, as I looked over my photos from the event in Charlotte, NC, this past weekend: What is it about sci-fi bad boys? Klingons, Mandalorians, road warriors, stormtroopers, imperial guards — they were all over the convention. And, from what I could tell, the ladies loved it.
In Britain, I believe they call that “liking a bit of rough.” A similar topic came up at a Browncoat dinner for fans of Firefly, which I attended a couple weeks ago. The conversation began politely enough with discussion of the Avengers movie, since… y’know… Joss Whedon. But then it turned into a Captain America “blah boring” vs. Loki “oh, yeah, he’s hot” discussion.
So, what makes sci-fi baddies so, so good? Who are your favorite “misunderstood” villains, bad boys, badasses and black-clad hotties, and why?
J.L. Hilton is the author of the Stellarnet Series of cyberpunk romantic thrillers, published by Carina Press. Her original jewelry designs are featured in the books “Steampunk Style Jewelry” and “1000 Steampunk Creations.”
Contact – Infinite Futures 
Rather than pick just one sf baddie, I’ll offer up an explanation as to why they’re so well liked in three words: vicarious wish fulfillment.
Think about it. 😉
Although I feel I must add that I rather *liked* Captain America’s understated bearing and humor. The contrast was refreshing. No doubt my view was colored by the fact that I would trust my teenaged daughter with *him* and not the other guys.
My tween daughter just replaced the poster of Jack Sparrow in her room with a poster of Loki. I think I’m in for some trouble in a few years… lol
Good for you! I was thinking of doing something like this to balance my “sexy robot women” post, but you beat me to it. Good to see women rocking out to sci-fi, it’s so cool!
Love your photos from the con! There was a lot of great cosplay going on, wasn’t there? I quoted you in my recap of ConCarolinas at my blog: http://www.traciloudin.com/2012/06/concarolinas-2012-recap.html
I also touched on your question about bad boys. 🙂 Although now, looking back, I realize you cited Cardassians as bad boys, but they’re *really* bad. Like, evil bad. So I may not have completely answered your question, but I’ll let you decide that!
Thanks, Traci! It was a great convention, wasn’t it?