Recently I’ve done several poll on the SFF Facebook group to determine the Top 5 of lots of different things. For the 24 days leading up to the 25th Anniversary (and the day itself, of course) I will be posting a new Top 5 list each day, using the highly scientific and unbiased results from those FB polls. I’ll try to make these posts short but I’m pretty long winded and like to talk so…they’re probably all going to be pretty long. Enjoy?
Top 5 Minions
If every hero needs a sidekick to help them out, then it makes sense that every villain needs a sidekick too. While the sidekicks of most heroes are their friends, most villainous sidekicks are subordinates. Every villain needs a minion, preferably more then one, but there's often one or two minions that are more then just another piece of cannon fodder. Also all of these minions are from TV shows. No movie minions made the cut.
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!
#5 - General Mason & General Gamon
General Tanino Mason and General Philip Gamon, played by Jacob MacLeod and Ryan Segovich, are two characters in Pandora's Box. They are the results of the experiments with the cloning machine. Turlo was used to test the machine and a clone of him was created, then a clone was made of Philip Gamon before the real Phil was killed. Both men were technical geniuses and with the right training and tutoring their clones would be equally as brilliant.
The rebels thought the cloning machine had been destroyed and that Turlo's clone had died in the explosion, but the whole thing was faked by Zarina to fool the rebels into letting down their guard. The rebels never even knew about Phil's clone. Eventually Zarina had the real Turlo kidnapped and sent the clone undercover to discover some of the rebels' secrets but Turlo escaped and Tanino was unmasked.
We see both of the clones standing beside Zarina in the final episode as her trusted advisors and chief scientists. Fenric is more like a sidekick but the clone generals are definitely her minions. We never see them in combat but since they're brilliant scientists that makes sense. You don't want to damage your clones. Clones aren't cheap.
#4 - It's a tie between
Starfire & James Ford
Starfire, played by Michael Bunnell, is the codename of a character in The Gift Bearer. We never learn his real name. He first appears in Episode 14 as a time traveling Echelon agent sent to clean up the mess with Genna and her family. However he is knocked out by Xavier right away and spends the rest of the fight unconcious. I didn't really give him a character, he was just another Echelon agent who was supposed to be Camilla's minion.
Mike had other ideas, however, and created a complex backstory about how he used to be one of the best agents who had a mission in 1963 that people are still wondering about. Getting knocked out once by Xavier, then later by Taget when the captured lawyer escapes, and he suddenly finds himself demoted to being a janitor. While he's cleaning up Camilla's "dead" body she suddenly attacks him and knocks him out. When he wakes up later and realizes what happens he grumbles as he picks up his mop and bucket and says, "This time it's gonna be toilets!"
He's hilarious. Mike didn't just make the character his own he actually gave the character character. He made him more then just an extra with a name. The more of a story he gave Starfire the more scenes I wanted to see him in. Whenever I needed a random Echelon agent I chose him. Starfire was once powerful but ended up being a useless minion who discovers a bomb in the Echelon base but doesn't have any time or idea how to defuse it. The last thing we see of the Echelon itself is Starfire frowning at the bomb saying, "They're gonna blame me for this!"
James Ford, played by Ryan Homberg, is a character in Eidolon, and is the only character on this list (and one of the very few in any SFF production) that is based on a real historical person. Very basically James Ford was a criminal leader and very busy one. He appeared to be a stand-up citizen and was a civic leader and even a judge at one point. However, he secretly operated a gang of river pirates, known as the Ford's Ferry Gang, under the guise of being a ferry service on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River near Southern Illinois. He was into all sorts of nasty business, including owning slaves, and when he was murdered by his own gang in an ambush in 1833 he was not mourned.
How does that translate into him becoming a minion? Well, his nickname was "Satan's Ferryman" and legend has it then when people were carrying his casket they accidentally dropped it into his grave and he was said to have gone to Hell literally feet first. Since I wanted to have the character of Lucifer as the God of Evil in Eidolon I thought it was be great to have James Ford literally be Satan's Ferryman and personally fetch high-level souls and deliver them to his boss in Hell.
When first introduced in Episode 4 he presents himself as a ghost who wanders around helping other ghosts out of boredom. He tricks Zelda into giving him permission to possess her so he can walk her comatose body out of the house. He says that she can possess her own body and that would be a workaround to her curse. Like an idiot she falls for it and he attempts to take her body to Hell so her soul can go with it. Maria and Terri stop him and he escapes. He returns later but Maria is prepared and, a part-time demon hunter, she is able to capture him.
She delivers him to Lucifer and demands that they both stay away from Zelda. This is when we see Ford as a minion for the first time as he cowers at Satan's feet. In the final episode Ford appears again to help facilitate Zelda's death by placing a real gun where the sleep fighting Maria can grab it. When he is caught by Mordecai he is dragged back to Lucifer and thrown at his feet again. Lucifer appears to have him on an invisible collar and leash and is very disappointed in him. Lucifer promises Mordecai not to interfere again and that's the last we see of Ford.
#3 - Coskin
Coskin, played by Michael Baym, is a character in Pandora's Box. He is Zarina's personal bodyguard and obeys her every word. When General Leffridge and her army attacks the palace, Captain Jeri and Coskin work together to save Zarina's life and sneak her out of the palace using a secret passage. From this point on Zarina fights a losing war against Leffridge and the Army Faction and loses her power and position as Empress. She's a spoiled bitch who has no idea how to live on her own and Coskin takes on the role of a domestic servant as well as a bodyguard.
He is the only one who stays beside Zarina when everyone else has abandoned her. Coskin is willing to give his life to protect her and will always be faithful until the day he dies. When Zarina orders him to find the body of a girl who looks enough like her so that Zarina can fake her death Coskin agrees. Zarina knows the only way her ruse will be successful is if her faithful bodyguard is found with her corpse because the whole world knows that Coskin would never leave her and would literally protect her with his dying breath. Honestly Coskin knows this too and although he looks shocked when she points a gun at him, deep inside I think he knew it was coming. He had to die in order for Zarina to start a new life. He's most loyal minion on this list and honestly the most loyal minion in all of SFF's productions.
#2 - Major Fenric
Major Gina Fenric, played by Diana Neatrour, is a character in Pandora's Box. She is introduced in Episode 13 as Captain Fenric. When Zarina tries to sign up for the army she miserablely fails the entrance exam - a one-on-one fight with a big bury soldier, no weapons allowed - and Fenric is the only one to take pity on her. Fenric gives her some money and when Zarina insists she had to join the army, Fenric gives her some advice, tells her about the rumors of a hermit who can train her how to fight, and some some vague directions.
Zarina never forgets this kindness which ultimately leads her to Thebe, the woman who saves her life and soul. Thebe trains her to fight and after Thebe is murdered, and Zarina swears to avenge her death, Zarina successfully joins the army under the name Mira Mernecky. Fenric is there when she succeeds and takes her to the training academy where we discover that Fenric is the officer in charge of training new recruits.
We don't see any of Zarina's actual training, just a montage of her going up the rank in uniforms on a road with voice overs from people like Fenric praising her skill. When we finally see Zarina again Fenric, who was her instructor and superior, is now her subordinate. Fenric has been promoted to a major and is General Mernecky's sidekick. Fenric follows Mira/Zarina's orders, but she does sometimes question them. Overall she's satisfied with Mira's answers and as a "good little subordinate" follows her orders.
In Episodes 21-23, co-written by Diana herself, we get to learn more about Fenric and why she is so loyal to "Mira". When Leffridge tries to get her to spy on Mira, she refuses, then Leffridge suggests she leave Mira's side in order to go back to teaching with Fenric loved, but again Fenric refuses. She insists on staying by Mira's side, as fiercely loyal as Coskin but a lot smarter.
When De Carlo is captured by Mira and is left alone with Fenric, he tries to convince her to betray Mira because Mira is really Zarina who faked her death. Fenric replies that yeah, no duh she's actually Zarina. She's known that all along and doesn't care because Mira is not the same person Zarina once was, she is smarter, stronger, and will be a good leader for the Army Faction. She truly believes that the new Zarina will be a good leader. She tries to explain why she believes in her and doesn't support the rebels using muffins as metaphor.
Sometimes Zarina crosses the line and Fenric will politely warn her she's in dangerous territory. If Zarina doesn't listen and goes ahead with her plan anyway Fenric is willing to undermine her and appologize later. She's loyal but she's not stupid and because she has built a solid bond of trust with Zarina over the years - she was Zarina's mentor in the Army after all - Zarina is willing to overlook these tiny rebellions because she knows Fenric has her best interests at heart. The biggest example of this is when Zarina kidnaps three children and holds them hostage in order to control their parents, a plan Fenric isn't fond of. When given the chance to allows the kids to escape and stops Zarina from killing them later.
Diana and I worked on several short stories that take place twenty years after the end of Pandora's Box where Zarina turns the Army Faction back into the Empire and becomes the Empress again. There's a lot of stuff that happens but let's just say that eventually Fenric's loyalty wears thin and she blames herself for enabling Zarina to become the ruthless tyrant she ends up being.
#1 - Hela Drake
Hela Drake, played by Katie Johnston, is a character in The Gift Bearer. She is technically a sidekick/minion to Victor Drake, but in reality his subordinates are more like siblings and he considers Hela to be family. Well, almost. I mean Drake and Hela did date each other for awhile so they obviously didn't consider themselves as siblings then. They were great friends, however, and remained friends even after they stopped dating.
When Xavier throws it in her face that she works for a monster, she insists that she doesn't work for Drake, she works with him. There's a big difference. The fact that Hela and all the other people who work with Drake take his last name tells you that they really do consider themselves to be a family. Technically you could list all the Drakes here including Tez, Loki, and Morgana but I don't have permission from the actors to post their images (we filmed before the internet was much of a thing) and they're not as compelling as Hela anyway.
Drake has been there for her, saved her life, and taught her magic, turning her into a powerful sorceress. She falls in love with Xavier when she meets him on a mission and he is forced to choose between his job and his feelings for her. He chooses the job and kills her. Of course he doesn't know that as a powerful sorceress she didn't actually die but she gets revenge on him later. Drake comforts her after Xavier breaks her heart and later on in confrontations between Drake and Xavier it's clear that Drake is still protective of Hela and won't let Xavier hurt her again.
Hela is the one who convinces Xavier to join Drake and betray the Echelon, after all they've betrayed him for years. She literally seduces him and makes him realize that if he joins Drake he will have more freedom and will have Drake and Hela's help to protect the Silverstone sisters. She really isn't a minion or a sidekick but an equal partner to Drake, however Drake is still in charge and Hela follows his orders most of the time, although she almost always agrees with him anyway.
When the Echelon goes after Xavier and Silverstones and they seek help and protection from Drake, Hela graciously welcomes them and assists Drake in healing Peri, but she makes it clear to Atlanta which one of them is in charge. Atlanta likes to think she's a bad ass, but Hela actually is one. Hela doesn't need to fight and scream and proudly declare herself to be a bad ass because her attitude and actions speak for her. Yes, technically Hela is a villaious sidekick/minion but she's not a bad person, she just a bad ass and she's the most badass minion in all of SFF.
When the Echelon goes after Xavier and Silverstones and they seek help and protection from Drake, Hela graciously welcomes them and assists Drake in healing Peri, but she makes it clear to Atlanta which one of them is in charge. Atlanta likes to think she's a bad ass, but Hela actually is one. Hela doesn't need to fight and scream and proudly declare herself to be a bad ass because her attitude and actions speak for her. Yes, technically Hela is a villaious sidekick/minion but she's not a bad person, she just a bad ass and she's the most badass minion in all of SFF.
No comments:
Post a Comment