Side Characters are the Best Characters?

[Trike]

I was watching various author interviews last week and a thing Tim Hickson said while talking to Brandon Sanderson has stuck with me: “No one’s favorite character is the main character. It’s always some side character.” The ur-example Sanderson gave was Sam from Lord of the Rings, but also Snape from Harry Potter.

Comment is here - start about the 18-minute mark for the context: https://youtu.be/x88ccsc0f2M?si=ifY86...

I’m not entirely in agreement about this, because looking at my All-Time Favorites shelf it’s pretty clear that the main character is my favorite in those books, but that’s probably *why* those books are my all-timers.

The sole exception is Protector by Larry Niven, where the side character of Brennan is my clear favorite. But that aligns with Sanderson’s comment about the character being active and driving the plot, and Hickson saying they’re interesting if not entirely likable. (Except Brennan is also likable on top of interesting.) As I think about it, though, Brennan is also the main character for the first half of that book, so maybe this one is more of a gray area.

That said, once I get past those and into my merely 5-star reads, it does kinda start coming true about half the time.

In The Apocalypse Door by James D. Macdonald, the main character is Peter Crossman, a modern-day Templar Knight, but my favorite is Sister Mary Magdalene of the Special Action Executive of the Poor Clares, the James Bomd/Lara Croft of nuns.

In Jack L. Chalker’s Well World saga, once we get to the Wars of the Well storyline, my favorite character is the supercomputer Obie, with Gypsy being edged out simply because we don’t see him much.

In Jade City series my favorite was the stone-eye boyfriend of the Kaul sister. Dude lives in a world of super-powered gangsters and he’s just trying his best to get by as a normal guy.

I think a lot of people’s favorite character from Firefly/Serenity is Wash, who scores high on the Samwise likability scale, and is also really competent. I’d probably have a 4-way tie for fave in that show, because most of the characters aside from the doctor are cool, but I wouldn’t argue against Wash.

I suspect this is the case with many ensemble stories, as well as those with a large supporting cast. Kirk is the main character of Star Trek, but Spock is often the favorite. Same with Star Wars, where Luke is the main character but Spock is still somehow the favorite. (That’s a joke, don’t @ me.)

Agree or disagree with the assertion that side characters are often the favorite?

[J]

Trike wrote: "I suspect this is the case with many ensemble stories, as well as those with a large supporting cast. Kirk is the main character of Star Trek, but Spock is often the favorite. Same with Star Wars, where Luke is the main character but Spock is still somehow the favorite. (That’s a joke, don’t @ me.)"

I didn't agree with everything you wrote, but I definitely agreed with this statement. :)

I need to think more on which media I liked the protagonist best and which I preferred a side character. It's a great topic!

I'm not sure that Firefly had a protagonist, though. It's designed to be an ensemble piece, where each of the mains can be THE main character in any given episode. It was cut short, so it might be possible to determine a true main character, but I suspect that - had it gone for 5 seasons or so - the main character would have leant more toward River or Simon.

[Mark]

My library has The Apocalypse Door! Downloading now.

[Seth]

I had no idea Samwise was beloved. I can't figure out why. At least Pip and Merry were a bit interesting. Sam behaved like a main character, in that he was steadfast in moving the plot forward. I feel as if I like side characters who inject humor or chaos - they seem to work at cross-purposes to the author, which is fun.

[Jan]

I feel when I was really young I mainly identified with the main characters and found them most compelling (for example Frodo when I was 12), but the older I get the more I like the side characters (like Sam when I was 27)...