Dr. Sam Beckett, Ph.D. (Scott Bakula)
Last Seen: Quantum Leap Area(s) of Concentration: string theory and time travel Why he makes my heart leap: The fact that the man has six or seven advanced degrees to his name doesn’t make it any less impressive that he can jump into any body and just pick up where the story left off. This includes playing baseball, piloting a supersonic aircraft, and beating the tar of out child molesters. Not only is he brilliant and totally easy on the eyes, but Sam Beckett has also gotta be one of the nicest guys around. Forced to travel through time to change minor historical events in order to repair damage to people’s lives, Sam does it at the expense of his own personal life. When he is finally given the choice to stop “leaping,” he instead chooses to stay on his selfless path, and in the heartbreaking series finale, we’re told “Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home,” which set hearts a-pitterpattering and tears a-flowing all over the place.
Dr. Allison Blake, MD (Salli Richardson-Whitfield)
Last Seen In: Eureka Area(s) of Concentration: medicine, defense analysis Given that the phenom town of Eureka was built for, by, and filled with the smarty-pants brigade, it’s pretty hard to walk down the perfectly protractored streets and not run into a sexy scientist. However, as the top brass of Eureka’s main employer, Global Dynamics, Dr. Allison Blake is Head Sexy Scientist and rocks the heels-lab coat ensemble. It doesn’t hurt that she’s the adoring mother of an autistic child, whose own superior mental abilities are yet to be fully explored, as well as the tragic widow of Nathan Stark (another hot genius). I’ll just keep hoping that Dr. Blake and handsome Sheriff Carter finally put their brains and brawn together.
Admiral Spock (Leonard Nimoy and now Zachary Quinto)
Last Seen In: Star Trek Area(s) of Concentration: pretty much everything, including Vulcan neck pinching I freely admit that I’ve long been a Spock Girl. Kirk, for all his gut-cinching girdles and womanizing ways, just didn’t do it for me. A green-blooded half-breed, the Starfleet science officer’s eternal struggle to maintain his Vulcan logic and calm in the face of his human passions and emotions is, as he himself would put it, “fascinating.” While any scene involving the Enterprise’s science officer is pure Au, the ones I’ve dog-eared involve Spock cracking a smile, struggling against inner demons, or when he commandeers the ship and heads to Vulcan, where he must consummate his marriage or die. Sealing the deal: Spock attended Starfleet Academy against the wishes of his Vulcan father and the Vulcan high council, and who doesn’t love a rebel?
Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy)
Last Seen In: Heroes Area(s) of Concentration: genetics, parapsychology Well, let’s get really shallow here: it’s all about the accent and the thick, thick hair. He’s got a brilliant mind that is capable of plumbing the mysterious depths of how the various heroes came into being and power, but that voice! That hair! Heroes made a good decision when they decided Indian genetics professor Mohinder Suresh should be the narrating voice of the series. I’m not sure what’s sexier — the fact that the “humdrum” scientist now has superpowers, or the fact that he figured out how to give them to himself?
Dr. Temperance Brennan, Ph.D. (Emily Deschanel)
Last Seen In: Bones Area(s) of Concentration: forensic anthropology Affectionately dubbed “Bones” by FBI Special Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan spends her life at the Jeffersonian Institute solving murders. What sets her apart from the other Jessica Fletchers and Miss Marples out there is that all she uses to identify the victims and determine their cause of death is their skeletal remains. At times pawing through the grossest goo or the stinkiest sludge, Dr. Brennan exhibits masterful control over her own gag reflex while her limpid blue eyes seek out every scratch, nick, and break on her subjects’ bones. Her awkward social skills and sometimes dispassionate bedside manner can be unnerving, but her devotion to her victims, and the outrage she feels at their violent deaths, melts me.
Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell)
Last Seen In: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Area(s) of Concentration: astrophysics, exobiology, zoology, exoarcheology Jadzia may have several generations of Dax symbionts coursing through her trim, Trill body, but she’s no mental slouch herself. Assigned as the science officer on space station Deep Space 9, Lt. Dax holds her own with genius doctors, scheming Ferengi, and surly Klingons, and she does it all with a wicked smile and an infectious zest for life. Originally rejected by the Trill Symbiosis Program, Jadzia re-applied and persevered, becoming the only Trill in history to overcome such odds. Finally, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way she fills out both a Starfleet uniform and the trappings of an Arthurian damsel.
John Crichton (Ben Browder)
Last Seen In: Farscape Area(s) of Concentration: cosmology and astrophysics Shot through a wormhole to live, fight, and avoid death with strange aliens who become his new family, John Crichton is a man out of water. Thankfully, he’s also a man in leather. First rocking out in a tight white T-shirt and his khaki astronaut jumpsuit, Crichton later opts for the bad-ass black leather togs of a Peacekeeper. I won’t get into how hot and uncomfortable such attire must be because, quite frankly, I like the way it makes me hot and uncomfortable. Whether facing down a Scarran with abysmal breath or a really long equation that will finally unlock the secrets of wormholes, Crichton is always ready with a quip or a random pop-culture reference, and I’m always ready to listen, look, and drool.
Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis)
Last Seen In: Battlestar Galactica Area(s) of Concentration: computer science, defense research, artificial intelligence He might be selfish, egotistical, insane, and directly responsible for the Cylon attack on Caprica, but there’s just something about Gaius. He knows he’s far and away the smartest person on board Galactica and his self-confidence is alluring, as is his twisted sense of humor. Also, a guy who goes from world-destroyer to president to Christ-figure to humble farmer defines the word “versatile,” and there’s a whole lotta sexy in knowing that he’ll always come out on top no matter what position he’s put in.
Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones, Jr., Ph.D. (Harrison Ford)
Last Seen In: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Area(s) of Concentration: archaeology Not content to spend all his days in dusty classrooms teaching moony co-eds, Dr. Jones frequently ditches his chalk and elbow-patched tweed jacket for a whip, gun, and a death wish. Bearing both muscled arms and brain, Dr. Jones is also chock-full of morals. He never wants to keep his valuable archeological finds, and instead insists they either belong in museums or need to be fully studied before being released to the public. Was there anything sexier than how, when confronted by a machete-wielding fancy-pants, Dr. Jones just took out a gun and shot him? Practical and effective. And the fact that he’s deathly afraid of snakes just makes him all the more human. Also, as dumb as it seemed, you know you would have written “Love You” on your fluttering, come-hither eyelids if he were your professor.
Commander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock)
Last Seen: Serving as a Starfleet officer in Enterprise Area(s) of Concentration: security, catsuits and all things sciency Sure, she spends the greater of the first few years aboard the Enterprise sneering at Cpt. Archer’s bumbling attempts at captaining, but so did I. T’Pol is another calm, cool, and collected Vulcan with fire and passion trembling just below her green-tinged surface. Serving as the ship’s highly intelligent science officer, T’Pol also shows a refreshingly open mind where food is concerned and experimented with pecan pie, peaches, and mint tea. Of course, her skin-tight uniforms never betrayed any evidence of her gastronomic experiments. Though she didn’t show her superior Vulcan strength by giving Cpt. Archer a much-needed ass-kicking, saving his life and the life of her fellow crew members multiple times certainly excited me.
Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles)
Last Seen In: Moonraker Area(s) of Concentration: aeronautics, astrophysics Okay, first of all there’s the name, “Holly Goodhead,” which is as Bonds Girly as they come. Dr. Goodhead — Vassar grad-fashion model turned astronaut and CIA agent — is not only smart, beautiful, and can hold her own when sparring verbally with James Bond, but she can literally kick ass. Remember this awesome exchange? James Bond: “Where did you learn to fight like that? NASA?” Dr. Holly Goodhead: “No. Vassar.” Plus, you gotta admit that keeping the sheet wrapped around two naked bodies while in zero-G took some sort of genius.
Dr. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd)
Last Seen In: The Fantastic Four Area(s) of Concentration: physics He’s shy, retiring, and not at all confident in his own abilities, or that his masses of dark curls are perfect for running one’s fingers through. That sort of humility from a scientific genius is totally intoxicating, and I’d gladly invite Reed to try out his stretchy-bendy superpowers on me. The final kicker is when Reed drops science in order to defeat Doom: “Time for your lesson: Chem 101. What happens when you rapidly cool hot metal?” I have a follow-up question: what happens when you rapidly heat loins?
Dr. Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell)
Last Seen In: Lost Area(s) of Concentration: fertility First off, she’s a fertility specialist, so her job is pretty much all about sex. I could stop there but I won’t. Juliet oozes self-confidence, which might be the secret behind her shiny, shiny blond hair, and it’s that “don’t give a crap what YOU think” attitude that seduced Jack, Sawyer, and me. Brandishing her signature crooked smile and sardonically cocked eyebrow even when she’s holding a deadly weapon sends me, and I’d happily face a dozen smoke monsters if only Juliet would let me aloe her weird branding scar.
Will Hunting (Matt Damon)
Last Seen In: Good Will Hunting Area(s) of Concentration: mathematics All he had was a mop, a bucket, and an obsession with chalkboards. Janitor Will Hunting spends his days cleaning up after MIT geniuses and when they can’t finish their problems in algebraic graph theory, he does it for them. But he does it all for his own edification. Will isn’t nosing after the Fields Medal, he’s just a guy who loves the Red Sox and his working-class friends. The fact that he’s a mathematical genius is merely a sideline. He’s also the victim of a tortured past, which makes him a fragile and damaged mathematical genius, all wrapped in a coarse Boston accent. Anyone who has seen Rebel Without a Cause knows what suckers we chicks are for damaged guys. When Will chucked potential rockstar mathematician status to follow his super-smart, super-hot, super-nice girlfriend, I needed piles of Kleenex for my tears and drool.
Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman)
Last Seen In: Batman & Robin Area(s) of Concentration: botany A brilliant botanist and passionate advocate for the environment, Dr. Pamela Isley isn’t some stinking, tree-sitting hippie. Sure, she starts off homely and stuttering, but as soon as she gets some toxins splashed all over her milky skin, she turns into the titian-haired Poison Ivy and shows off the body hiding under that drab lab coat. Bad girls are always much sexier than goody-two-shoes, and while I’m sort of terrified by her ingenious plans for eco-domination, I’ve always been on board with recycling, so why not? Did I mention that green is my favorite color?
Dr. Peter Venkman, Ph.D. (Bill Murray)
Last Seen In: Ghostbusters Area(s) of Concentration: parapsychology, psychology, marshmallow toasting Yes, yes, so Dr. Venkman might not be the sweetest piece of eye candy on the Ghostbuster team, but he’s a lovable misfit, who proves that combining science and humor can benefit humanity and his own love life. I mean, he clearly won over Sigourney Weaver with his quick patter and his world-saving ways, so who am I to judge? And man, does he bring the funny! The “cats and dogs living with each other” apocalyptic speech is a classic. A girl can stare at a Greek god for only so long. If he doesn’t make her laugh or think, what’s the point? Finally, there is no better retort in the geek-power lexicon than “Back off, man. I’m a scientist!”
Dr. Emma Russell (Elizabeth Shue)
Last Seen In: The Saint Area(s) of Concentration: cold fusion Leggy, blond, and oozing dangerous amounts of intelligence, Dr. Emma Russell goes head-to-head with devious and thieving Simon Templar. Not only does she use her idealism, grit, and moral courage to force Templar to see her way of things and fight the Russian Mafia, but she manages to get him to fall in love with her, too. And she has the formula for cold fusion! And seriously? When she sticks the secret formula in her bra in order to keep it away from the scheming Simon Templar, grasping the concept of cold fusion has never been hotter.
Dr. Diane Hughes, M.D. (Keegan Connor Tracy)
Last Seen In: Jake 2.0 Area(s) of Concentration: medicine, nanotechnology Under that shy exterior and those dark-rimmed glasses hides a heart that beats hard and fast for the nanite-infested Jake. As an NSA doctor, Diane carries the double whammy of being part of the beyond cool “Never Say Anything” crew as well as having access to Jake’s anatomy as she “monitors” his “vitals” on a regular basis. With quirky-curly dark brown locks, Diane is actually one scientist who doesn’t even need to take off her glasses and shake down her bun to look hot. Glasses on, she’s a stunner but doesn’t realize it — something that adds to her appeal even more.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh)
Last Seen In: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Area(s) of Concentration: alchemy, chemistry, anatomy Putting aside his disgusting habit of grave robbing, Dr. Frankenstein is one crazy-hot mad scientist. The man has such a zest for life, he is driven to recreate it from moldering old corpses. Also? He’s environmentally-minded, because he’s clearly into recycling. Dr. Frankenstein isn’t just all cold steel instruments and sutured faces, either. The man has a heart (or knows where to get one) and as soon as his monster gets a little lonely, Dr. Frankenstein decides to whip him up a little female companionship. He’s a true romantic, which makes him catnip to the ladies.
Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. (Gillian Anderson)
Last Seen In: The X-Files Area(s) of Concentration: physics, medicine, forensic pathology Scully is a complicated chick. She’s quite religious, but she’s also got a scientific brain that makes her highly skeptical of supernatural events and happens. Brilliant, ambitious, and successful in most of what she attempts. While she comes off hard as nails in her professional capacity, she also has a great capacity for compassion and empathy. Scully’s a redheaded enigma and it’s definitely worth the time to try and crack her code.
