The Greatest Sidekicks In Film And TV History

What is a hero without a sidekick? It's like that old saying that "Behind every great man is a great woman" except usually with less vaginas. Heroes get all the credit and glory while the sidekick gets shafted. The sidekick is an ancient archetype going back thousands of years. Enkidu played second fiddle to Gilgamesh and Sancho Panza was the original lovable fat guy to Don Quixote. Often times, the hero only succeeds in his quest because the sidekick saves him at a crucial moment. Unless he gets captured all the time and endangers the hero's life. Hence why Robin isn't on this list. That guy sucks. Also, I've left off Spock because he is more of a partner, (not in the gay way in spite of what a lot of fan fiction may tell you). Here is a list of the best sidekicks in film and TV history.

Samwise Gamgee

Everyone's favorite fat hobbit saved Frodo's Bag End more than once. I've had arguments with fellow nerds that Sam is the true hero of The Lord of the Rings. The truth is that Sam is a much fitter ring bearer than Frodo. When Sam temporarily carries the ring after Frodo is captured by orcs, it doesn't tempt or change him at all. When Frodo gives up on the slopes of Mt. Doom, Sam is the one who carries him up to the top, (as my friends and I chanted "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"). Without Sam, Sauron would be ruling the Earth to this day. So, thank Sam that you aren't ruled by a giant flaming eyeball.

Chewbacca

They say a man's best friend is his dog and Han Solo is no different. Chewie is his buddy and literal wingman. Chewie flies the Falcon, does maintenance on the ship, and protects Princess Leia while Han is a mansicle. In fact, Chewie does all the hard work so Han can spend his time looking roguish and handsome. One of the greatest travesties in the history of film happened at the end of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope. After destroying the Death Star, Luke and Han are given medals by Princess Leia while Chewie gets nothing. Chewie is the one who actually flew the ship into the Death Star trenches and avoided being blown up by tie-fighters and laser canons. You know what that is? Racism against Wookies.

Screech

Would Zach from Saved By The Bell looked as cool without Screech? Zach was a total d-bag who only seemed like he was badass in comparison with Screech's total dorkiness. Screech was loyal to Zach even though Zach treated him like crap. Maybe Screech had low self-esteem and felt he didn't deserve love? Maybe he was secretly in love with Zach and only pretended to be into Lisa Turtle? It's hard to say. Screech's loyalty and inner goodness speaks of the best in humanity. No matter how much Zach mistreats him, Screech will always be by his side. Even though Zach sucks so bad you just want to punch him in his smirking face.

Short Round

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom we meet Indi's little Asian sidekick, Short Round. We are told that Indi found Shorty on the streets after his parents were killed. Indi then becomes like a father figure to the scrappy lad. When Indi is captured by the Thugee and is brainwashed by drinking skull blood or whatever, it's Shorty who brings him back to reality. Temple of Doom is actually the prequel to the series, so the question is: What happened to Short Round? According to the Indiana Jones "expanded universe", Indi sent Short Round to a boarding school after the whole almost getting him killed by Hindu occultists thing. Good parenting, Indi.

KITT

Seriously, who gives a crap about Michael Knight on Knight Rider? He's just the Hoff in a tight leather jacket. While that might appeal to some people, (no judgment), he's pretty lame. The ONLY reason we tuned in each week to Knight Rider was to see KITT. The car with all the fancy gadgets and the sassy attitude made that show. Every episode, Michael was about to be killed by some nondescript thugs until KITT showed up to save his hairy man pecks. The car also out acted Hoff, which is sad. If anyone truly deserved to run on a beach with Pam Anderson and Carmen Electra for ten years it was Kitt and not the Hoff.

Article By Jack Tomas
http://www.jacktomas.com >