Ask Mike: The ultimate sidekick
Hey Guys,
I recently read a blog on StarWars.com that argues Chewbacca is the greatest sci-fi sidekick of all time. The post makes some valid points: Chewbacca is alien, but not “too alien,” and while he is intimidating to enemies, he’s also funny to those who know him best. But does that mean he’s really the best? What makes a good sidekick great, anyway?
There are plenty of great sidekicks throughout history. Off the top of my head, you’ve got Dr. Watson, right hand man to Sherlock Holmes. He certainly deserves some consideration. And what about Robin? Questionable fashion sense aside, the Boy Wonder is a fearsome ally for the Dark Knight. Along those same lines, Tonto was a fearsome and loyal friend to the Lone Ranger.
Obviously, I’m far from the first person to ponder the sidekick. The Web is full of speculation as to who is the best sidekick in history. The pop culture sages at Entertainment Weekly argue that the title belongs to Ed McMahon, longtime sidekick to Johnny Carson. Also making their list: Goose from Top Gun, and George Costanza (aka Art Vandelay) from Seinfeld. For the record, EW ranks Chewbacca fourth overall, but he is the highest ranking Sci-Fi character. Amazingly, Mr. Spock didn’t make the list at all. EW best beware the Vulcan nerve pinch.
And what of the word “sidekick”? How did it come to exist? The Straight Dope explains that once upon a time “side kick” was slang among pickpockets for the front pocket in a coat or pair of pants. “Some unknown poet of the underworld must have made the connection between the front pocket–the hardest to pick–and an inseparable companion.”
Wired.com suggests that a sidekick doesn’t have to be human. After all, Knight Rider’s KITT was a great sidekick. Ditto for Dr. Beaker, the monosyllabic assistant on the Muppets. Do you guys have a favorite cinematic or television sidekick? I’m partial to Milhouse Van Houtan myself, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below on your favorite second banana.
Thanks for reading,
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
- Rating:
(23 votes, average: 3.83) - Permalink
- Comments (80)
Loading ...
Subscribe
I can totally get behind Chewbacca as “the best” No one in Sci-Fi comes close.
Hi Mike, I am astounded that the morons (This name comes out of frustration.) at Yahoo saw fit to improve the site but make it impossible, or so it seems, to send a simple email. Ilook all over my Yahoo mail site and can find nothing to enter to just send a simple email. What happened to the “Compose” button? I can’t find it anywhere!! Would you please give me instructions on how to simply send an email, without going into a specific email???
Thanks,
Chuck the Technopeasant
Chewbacca is the best sidekick! He’s completely loyal to Han which I would think should be number 1 on the list of being the best sidekick.
My vote definetley goes to Michael Knight not Kitt, hell without Kitt there is no show at all so Knight is the sidekick not Kitt LOL
Aw, man there is no way you can ever beat Chewbacca. I mean what kind of bad guy wants to fight an 8 foot fuzzy beast with a bowcaster? WRRRRRRR!
livewoman
k since ur ‘sposed to be the ‘ultimate side-kick’ i wanted to ask you. What happened to the wizz fizz with the ugly monster things on them? You can only get them in milk bars. The new ones have pretty lil kids on them! its so sad and they taste different too.
As far as sci-fi, I have to agree with Chewie. Even in the ‘expanded universe’ books and comics, he at one point saves Leia from being seduced by Xizor (this while Han was still in carbonite) and later died saving Han and Leia’s son as well as several others.
On the subject, what’s the difference between a person being a sidekick and a person being a member of a duo? Starsky and Hutch, Thelma and Louise, Bo and Luke. Which is the sidekick? Does being a sidekick require having one of the two calling the shots?
ok well honestly you got to think “sci-fi” more along the lines of things that are not real and couldn’t be i mean trust me i love Seinfeld but stuff like that could be real, Chewbacca, Yoda and others are really sci-fi characters i mean robin was human. so i would for sure say Chewbacca was on of the greatest if not thee greatest, of course r2d2 is a robot which is could be invented but i believe by for he was more help.
You didn’t mention Lassie !
I mean, what would our youth be without Timmy and Lassie by his side ?
Maybe you’re too young to remember Mike…Too bad..Lassie gave us very good life lessons…:-)
I don’t read your blog but you need to shave, you really look scruffy.
The thing says in SCI-FI, not in the super hero genre where Robin may be the ultimate sidekick. Nor the action hero where Tonto may lay claim to that title (I don’t think of the Lone Ranger as a super hero). Personally, I look at Stargate Atlantis where Shepard dubbed Ronon Chewie. It fits cause Ronon does display some qualities similar to the Wookiee.
Chewbacca cool but the best, Tattoo from Fantasy Island gives the best entry for many years.
Side-kick came from the dodge of tripping a mark and then catching him, picking his pocket and handing it off to your partner. That way if the mark finds his wallet or valuable gone and blames you, you don’t have it Making him a false accuser. At one time this could get you the same punishment that a thief got unless you made arrangements with the pickpocket not to press charges. As far as movies are concerned, the term originated with the western. The Saturday matinee always had a sidekick. taken mostly from the fact they rode beside the hero and kicked their horse to get them to move.
Best Sci-fi sidekick – Has to be Chewbacca because Star Wars is the best Sci-fi movie ever!
The best Sci Fi sidekick is Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series) LOL.
I always liked Star Trek The Next Generation’s “# 1″.
For me, the best side kicks were Beaker from the Muppets, Pinky from Pinky and the Brain, and Ron from Harry Potter.
R2-D2 was also pretty slick in sidekick maneuvers,
“Stan Laurel” of Laurel & Hardy
“Lou Costello” of Abbott and Costello
“Curly” of The Three Stooges
“Dick Martin” of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
“Johnny Wayne” of Wayne and Shuster
“Al Borland” of Home Improvement with Tim Taylor
“Pinky” of Pinky and the Brain cartoon
“Wile E. Coyote” of Sam Sheepdog skits
“Ernie” of Ernie and Bert Sesame-Street
“Francis” of Francis the Talking Mule ~ was his own best side kicker,
have a nice day y’all
“Pa” of Ma & Pa Kettle
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Scoobie gang (Willow, Xander, Giles).
The best sidekick is so Robin
Chewbacca is probably the most well known, best all-around sidekick in the Sci-Fi genre.You dont really think of him as a sidekick at first, because he’s such a staple of the Star Wars saga (at least, in the movies), and thats a testament to his greatness as a character. Chewbacca would get my vote anyday. (Followed closely by Robin. Gotta show love for the Dark Knight and friends…
)
Spock did not make sidekick status because in a lot of circles, Kirk was the sidekick to Spock. Good Friend an ally but not in a subserviant position.
Kato was the best side kick. Hollywood missed their opportunity to have Bruce Lee do way more on the old “Green Hornet” show. Cast in a subordinate roll, he stole every scene he was in by his mere presence, which goes a long way in demonstrationg the personal power of the individual over the casting.
In Sci-Fi I think Spock beats out Chewbacca as the best.
It appears that Yahoo does not answer, or even accept, feedback and questions about using, or even setting up, an e-mail channel.
I have tried asking for help, and you display my request, but make no attempt to answer me!
This is not an acceptable level of ‘service’.
I think it’s safe to say that when someone says the word “sidekick”, nearly everyone’s first thought is “Robin”. That should tell you something.
Helloooo…. The Green Hornet’s awesome side-kicking Kato, played by BRUCE LEE!!!!
Tommy’s sidekick Chuckie is my favorite.
Gotta love them Rugrats.
what about kit!
I am surprised that Fred, Super Chicken’s buddy isn’t on the list. The award for most sidekicks would go to Robin Hood and his Merry Men. But my all time favorite sidekick vote has to go to Kato. No, not from OJ or the Green Hornet, but Inspector Clouseau’s Kato!
ur update keep it up
Speaking of The Simpsons, I prefer Lenny and Carl. They aren’t major characters per-say, but the ambiguity of their relationship keeps me interested, and laughing.
Nerd.
mike how do i sign a friend to yahoo
I dont know. You could make an argument that Jessie Ventura as “Blaine” in the Predator was a good sidekick to Ahhhnold. Come on, this dude has a streetsweeper machine gun that can take down forest! YOU WANT HIM ON YOUR SIDE!
I agree that Chewbacca is a great sidekick, but is he the best? Hard to say. I’m not a die hard Star Wars fan, but what about R2-D2, he’s got his own sense of humor and always there, the only question is his “hero” that he follows? He’s seen a lot with Anikin, but he helps other too.
Also, the mini-cons of the transformers are great sidekicks. Think about it, have you ever seen a mini-con disobey their commander?
According to the dictionary, a sidekick is a person’s assistant or close associate, esp. one who has less authority than that person. So could a secretary, such as Pepper Potts, be Iron Man’s sidekick? Or Andrew Paxton (the secretary in “the proposal” be Margaret Tate’s sidekick?
Based off that definition, Spock would definitely be Capt. Kirk’s sidekick. But I think that the mini-cons rank up there too, with their little beeps, bleeps and dedication.
would kato (green hornet’s sidekick?) be a contender? Rocky’s Bullwinkle? (or is it the otherway around?)
I’d say the best sidekick of all time is Abu from Aladdin! XD
IF (and, granted, it is a big IF) Batman could be considered SciFi (look at all the TECH he uses!), then Robin IS the greatest sidekick – especially since he Took Over *** AS *** Batman recently…
My favorite second tator tot would have to be Chewbacca too…:D
Willow, Buffy’s sidekick on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Close second would be Spock to Kirk, but they’re more like companions.
Hi I think probably Morgan freeman
Chewbacca was the only reason that P.O.S. falcon stayed in motion. NO Way, would Han have been able to alude BobaFett without Chewie’s mechanical and engineering know-how. His race were the bad-asses of bad-asses. Han’s lucky Chewie put up with his trash-talk and huge ego. I think he was more like a right-hand-man than a sidekick. Or are those terms synonymous?
CHEWBACCA FTW!
The robot from Lost in Space gets my vote.
lenny from lenny and squiggy from laverne and shirley was a great sidekick.
Does Silent Bob count? =D
Rowdy Yates – Rawhide
Barney Fife – The Andy Griffith Show
Festus – Gunsmoke
Tony – Tom Mix’s horse
Songbird – Sky King’s plane
I agree that Chewy is one of the best sidekicks ever, but I really like Sam from the Lord of the Rings (I think he should count) as the best. And maybe Wilson from House…
LMAO… I agree… Chewbacca is thee GREATEST! Don’t forget that he (as a wookie) can/(are) known for also tear the arms off a droids.
Eh, Spock is cool and can beat batboy, he cannot beat Wookie power! Wookies are warriors at heart and deserve the best.
I like Pinky of Pinky and the Brain.
What about Lewis and Clark. Clark definetly took the backseat to Lewis and let him take all the credit but was always there for him no matter what.
this isnt sci-fi but spiderman cause wen he teams up with cat he the sidekik
this is going to sound a little silly, but i actually think Sam from LOTR is quite possible the best side kick ever… Frodo would have been done for right in the very beginning is not for Sam…. Sam is actually the real hero, helping Frodo, pushing him to go forward, being his support and practically carrying him through Mordor. There would have been no story without Sam there to carry Frodo’s sorry ass the whole way.
In my opinion, the best sci-fi sidekick of all time is Spock from the original series of star trek. So there!
What about Samwise Gamgee? Frodo Baggin’s “sidekick” he certainly deserves to be on that list . . .
Eh, I don’t know if Master Chief from Halo could compete with these guys, maybe the Arbiter.
well I do think chewbaca was a good sidekick, I’d have to say I don’t like how sometimes ppl don’t develop every character well. We didn’t know a thing about chewy, his home planet and his cultural until much later in the new saga. That sorta ticks me off.
One sidekick I do like is ronald weasley, simply becasue ppl were able to know about his family and even got to know him a little too well. Even if harry was predominately the main protagonist, it seemed like his best friend had personality and opinions, something more than just a growl of disapproval.
don’t get me wrong, star wars is my favorite movie ( all of them) of all time. Aliens make great sidekicks, but only if they are capable of more than just comic relief.
Oh please, Yoda can kick Chewbacca’s ass any day. Also i used to always call him Chewawa and sometimes I call him, Chew Tobacco lol
I think that the apprentice from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the best. He’s totally awesome, has a hot girlfriend, and can use the force. He carries his lightsaber like no one else and eventually turns to the light side. STUD.
But Macgyver would be the best sidekick to Chuck Norris. Can you imagine?
These are to me the best and funniest side-kicks.
Zidane and (To Materazzi)
Captain Haddock (to Tintin)
Snowy (to Tintin)
Al Borland (to Tim the toolman Taylor, Home Improvement)
Dwight Schrute (to the regional manager Michael Scott, The Office)
Chloe O’Brian (to Jack Bauer 24)
Donkey (Shrek)
Butters (To Eric Cartman, Southpark)
Beavis (To butthead) or Butthead (To Beavis)
Jose Garcia (To Antoine Decaunnes)
The mythbusters dudes
And last but not least
Bear Grills (To Himself: Bears Grills)
I forgot Mike Ronson (To David Bowie)
Han Solo is one of the biggest bad asses of all time, so of course anyone that associates oneself with Han Solo is legitly epic cool
Chewbacca I wouldn’t go an call him the greatest sci-fi side kick but the most iconic one
my vote is for Terminator when he’s protecting John Connor
Chewy is the best sidekick ever.
I can make a wookie sound.
*GLURGHHHHH*
I’m going to buy a movie quality Wookie costume someday and pretend to be a Wookie.
what is you doing
Hey, could Mister Spock be considered a sidekick?
The thing I particularly enjoy about Spock is that he is not exactly womanizing; not in the way his captain is.
This isn’t exactly sci-fi, but definitely had some sci-fi to it… I’m thinking the immortal Bruce Lee as Cato was a pretty Kick A– side kick!!!
Chewbacca was awesome. But you can’t underestimate Kato, as the sidekick who was way cooler than the hero, the Green Hornet.
“Tails” Prower! Are you kidding me? He can airlift Sonic up in the air by spinning his tails like a helicopter, and he flies the biplane stuff! How many sidekicks can do that?
Chuck the Technopeasant, if you click in the corner where it says “New”, it should say email message.
Wrong to all prior choices.
In Science Fiction movies the best sidekick is the robot Gort in the original ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. What other sidekick can bring you back from the dead, at least temporarily, to tie up all those loose ends a sudden demise may leave? Also he is a kick ass companion. Anyone who messes with you messes with Gort, a being with the power to incinerate a planet. ‘Nuff said!
Roy Rogers side kick Gabby Hayes
how about Ando, friend of Hiro from Heroes or
Patrick, friend of Sponge Bob
i luv this add mike
You CAN’T forget Illya Kuryakin ( David McCallum ), the sidekick of Napoleon Solo
( Robert Vaughn ) on “The Man from U . N . C . L . E .” .
my vote goes to Ginger Rogers..’backwards and in high heels’ she was pretty slick
I’m not sure Chewie is even the best Sci-Fi sidekick of all time.
I think that one might go to Spock.
The better sidekick for Batman has always been Alfred the butler. He is the Watson to Batman’s Sherlock. And who can compete with the best detective in the World?
She-ra’s Battle Cat! a talking transforming super-fast battle tiger!
I like the old Johnny Quest cartoon. His sidekick was Raji. I guess I just dated myself but I did like that cartoon.