Interesting. It’s worth noting that Jimmy Olsen was first introduced in the SUPERMAN radio show, not the comics, possibly because Superman needed somebody to talk to?

“Gosh, Superman! I wonder where Mister Kent got to?”

“I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually, Jimmy.”

Another example: Gary Seven in “Assignment: Earth.” Seven is rather austere and mysterious, while the actual POV character is Roberta Lincoln, the much more relatable sidekick.

Commissioner Gordon is also sometimes used in this way, at least since BATMAN: YEAR ONE.

And if you look at the pulps, they were often told from the POV of the hero’s sidekicks (see Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Avenger) as opposed to the larger-than-life hero themselves. Or, alternatively, from an innocent civilian who…

And THE LIBRARIANS, is course, produced by the same people who made LEVERAGE . . . .

And dare I mention that I’ve done/am doing tie-in books for both shows? I’m actually working on a LIBRARIANS book right now. So, lots of competent heroes with quirks! :)

Another thought: People’s strengths are often double-edged swords, so that their virtues and their vices derive from the same basic trait.

So that your super-competent protagonist may also be a perfectionist, over-confident,overly single-minded or whatever. Or your super-altruistic shining knight might also be overly…

Thank you. For some reason, I couldn’t get the name “Jacob Stone” out of my head. :)

Also the Christian Kane character on LEVERAGE (whose name escapes me at the moment).

Sometimes, with super-competent, larger-than-life characters like Doc Savage or Batman or whomever, the trick is to view them primarily from the outside and tell the story from the POV of a much more relatable character.

Let’s call this the “Watson” approach . . . :)

Speaking of nerdbait, note also that Batgirl (as played by the late Yvonne Craig) also appeared on that same first page, directly below Spock.

They didn’t get the story wrong. The Vulcan symbol was was for the front-page story on notable celebrities who passed away in 2015—including Leonard Nimoy.

Good point. Remember “The After Hours” about the sentient department mannequins? Or Talky Tina?

Lest anyone argue that silly talking teddy bears have no place in science fiction. :)

“The Measure of a Teddy.”

It dawns on that me that that was also basically the premise of LITTLE FUZZY by H. Beam Piper (minus the getting high part).

Speaking of TED 2, I haven’t seen the movie, but doesn’t the plot (such as it is) involve Ted trying to get legally recognized as a sentient being?

Seems to me that was also the plot of at least one STAR TREK episode? :)

Does 2001 belong the same list as QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE? And, yes, lots of us may be more inclined to check out a new comedy if it it has a sci-fi or fantasy element in it. Look at how worked up folks in these parts are about the new GHOSTBUSTERS movie. Or the prospect of a new SPACEBALLS movie.

And what about EUREKA,…

And, of course, beyond the pulps you had any number of old movies and serials that combined intrigue and action with futuristic tech, lost civilizations, death rays,killer robots, etc.

Heck, I believe the first movie to actually feature a robot was an old Harry Houdini adventure serial, predating METROPOLIS by a…

We’ll see. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be on a Best OR Worst List, or that somebody won’t invariably object to its inclusion in any either case. :)

“That’s not SF! That’s a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy of manners!”

Just wait until next year when we’re all arguing about how to label PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. :)

As noted by others, movies (and books) can be more than one genre at once. Action comedies. Erotic thrillers. Paranormal romances. Weird westerns. Sci-Fi horror.

Heck, some of my favorite movies mix and match genres and work on multiple levels. Look at TIME AFTER TIME, which is a steampunk time-travel chase thriller…

Good point. As I recall, the old DOC SAVAGE paperbacks were routinely shelved in SF/Fantasy sections of bookstores and libraries. Ditto for The Shadow, The Avenger (by “Kenneth Robeson), etc.