We started with 64 entrants, and after a series of brutal and bloody campaigns, only two survive for the final, alliterative battle. Winner of the Final Battle will be recommended to President Barack Obama to fill Secretary position of the as-yet created Department of Geek Affairs. All results to this point can be found on the main Geek Madness page.
As a refresher (or primer, for those who might be seeing this tournament for the first time), here are the qualifications for the position:
- Advise the POTUS on matters concerning, affecting, and/or of interest to geeks (as well as nerds and similar constituencies);
- Implement POTUS policies generated by first responsibility; and
- Act as liaison on POTUS’ behalf between the greater U.S. geek community and other national and international stakeholders.
- Not required to be a U.S. citizen, because we say so.
Now do your patriotic duty and VOTE!
Joss Whedon: Writer/producer/director; creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film/TV), “Angel” (TV) “Firefly”/Serenity (TV/film) and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (interwebs)
Notes: Has strong track record of creating television shows marked by clever dialogue, smart and interesting characters, fantastical elements, and extremely short lifespans; ridiculously devoted following; as if geek cred wasn’t strong enough, was one of the co-writers of Toy Story. Defeated Ken Plume, Doctor Who, Jonathan Coulton, Felicia Day and Kaylee Frye.
Wil Wheaton: Writer, actor; blogging pioneer; most widely known for roles as Wesley Crusher (Star Trek TNG) and Gordie LaChance in Stand By Me.
Notes: Parlayed his much-maligned portrayal of Wesley Crusher into a multi-platform second career; blog/website is a hub for geek discourse; poker player and fan; has his own tag on Fark.com. Defeated Bruce Campbell, Wesley Crusher, Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak and Gabe & Tycho (Penny Arcade).
[poll id=88]
94 Comments
Okay, the choice I dreaded is here. After hemming and hawing, and trying to figure out who would do the best job as Secretary of Geek Affairs, I finally voted for Wil. Mostly b/c I met him at the LA Festival of Books, and he was tremendously nice when we spoke while he signed the books I was buying.
Definitely Wil Wheaton. He’s an all-around geek, not specialized like Joss, and he’s a hell of a nice guy. He loves his wife, kids, and fans. And he’s somewhat politically active, which might be a plus for this position.
Voted for Wil. Several folks have commented that all he’s done is be in an old TV series and/or write some books, but the man is 100% pure-bred geek. D&D, check. Comic books, check. Action figures, check. Sci-fi fan, check. I’m sure there’s a bunch more stuff that I don’t know off the top of my head but that others can fill in. And he goes to Paul and Storm concerts.
The thing about Wheaton is I get the feeling that he will actually accept and embrace the title of Secretary Of Geek Affairs.
Does Whedon even have a blog? I think I’d rather have a blogger as my Secretary Of Geek Affairs. You know, for transparency reasons.
I *knew* it would come down to this.
For me the answer is Wil, hands down. If we’re choosing a SoGA I want somebody who’s not only geeky, but is in touch with the geeky masses.
Sorry, Joss. As much as I love Firefly I can’t vote for you.
TO WHEATON!
Wow… you folks have never watched the commentary on any single Buffy/Angel/Firefly episode have you? Joss is as deep a geek as any of us. Plus, I don’t think Wil is a musical theater geek, so he falls short of Joss in at least that one category.
He *wrote the screenplay* for Toy Story for gad’s sake.
Nobody else for Joss?
I had to vote for Wil. He’s the more well rounded Geek. And I think he would feel more honored and take the title more “seriously.”
Is there a Certificate, Plaque or Trophy to give to the winner? Will there be a formal presentation/induction ceremony, say at a convention? I see no reason not to contact the media, put out a formal press release once the “Secretary of Geek Affairs” has been officially determined.
I had to give my vote to Joss, since he appreciates his fans. Wil, however, was in a cranky mood one day and decided to block me on Twitter because I sent him a link to my podcast. I thought, as a Geeky parent, that he might like to see my geeky parenting blog. It isn’t as if I wanted to sell him Enzyte or refinance his mortgage. So sorry Wil, I have to go with the guy with the better attitude.
Joss For The WIN!
I voted for Wil because he said he liked my art. He never did get back to me about his Wil Wheaton sweater picture though:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jawboneradio/3216730070/
I have been expecting this showdown. I have to vote for Wil. As much as I love Joss and his work, and appreciate his understanding of geek culture, I think that Wil is a better choice. As someone above said, I also think that Wil would take the job more “seriously”, and would represent the interests of all Geek Americans proudly.
HAD to vote Joss! Look at the rest of the competition…he CREATED one of the competitors in the Penultimate 4. Creator and createe, both in same competition. Love Wil, but Joss has created more geeks, and is therefore the bigger geek.
I’m voting for Wil for one specific reason: If Joss were busy with other things, he would not have time to devote to Dollhouse and any other projects he might have in the oven, baking.
Come on, people! Think!
Much as I love and respect Joss, I had to go for Wil. Fact is, he’s been acting as a shadow SoGA for years anyway. (Note: I only mean that in the parliamentary sense of “shadow”, not the B5 sense…!)
Because of his years of active promotion of Geeks everywhere, I expect that
Wil should win by a landslide, I encourage Wil to embrace his SoGA role publicly. He should start by writing a Geek Affairs Manifesto for the Obama administration…!
Both are admiral, but in the words of Nathan Fillion (in the Serenity gag reel), “Joss is boss.”
I think the fact that Wil has geeked out over Joss’s work makes him a more unabashed geek. Which for some reason I think makes him more qualified.
If this happened before Dollhouse I’d be voting Joss all the way, but my spite now demands a vote for Wil.
JOSS! C’mon guys!
That’s all I can say. Just..c’mon!
I respect them both but my vote is for Wil. Wil is a geek among geeks. He loves his wife and delights in leading his boys along the geek path.
Joss FTW!
Wil, if you win this, don’t let it go to your head.
This was a hard decision, as either would be worthy. I *almost* voted for Whedon in the hopes that a win for him might help with Whedon Watch, but had to go with my guy and vote Wheaton.
Dollhouse = vote for Wil.
Have to go with wheaton on this one.
Len, That picture is fantastic.
Oops. “Gut” not “guy.”
I voted for Will because Whedon has too much to do. He’s got Dollhouse and hopeful a sequel to Dr. Horrible.
Feeling slightly ashamed to have found out about these via @whedonesque and still voted for Wil! In my defense, I am proving my slavish devotion to Joss by enduring Dollhouse each week.
Dollhouse! = Clear vote for Joss. That show is awesome. So many layers.
I voted for Wil! I’m a HUGE Joss Whedon fan, but while Whedon FANS are bigger geeks, Wheaton, himself, is a bigger geek than Joss, thereby understanding what geeks need much better. Joss Whedon might be my Master Now, but I want Wil Wheaton to be my Secretary of Geek Affairs.
However, he does still owe me $12:
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2009/03/09/wil-wheaton-is-a-deadbeat/
I’m a die-hard Whedon fan, but I agree with the above who have said Wil would embrace this more than Joss would. Joss would get too busy and fall behind in his Secretary of Geek Affairs like he did when he was writing the Fray comic. I love you, Joss, but come on, you know it’s true!
So Wil gets my vote.
I voted for Wil, and here’s why:
Wil reminds me of my dad. Kind of creepy, I know, but just listen. My dad is a total geek. Tons of fun and super cool, but still a huge geek. I’m a different, geekier person because of his influence. Joss is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but he just seems like the cool uncle that you always want to hang out with but you wouldn’t want to live with. Wil just seems more open and friendly. Plus, he’d blog and Twitter up a storm about geek affairs.
Joss, totally.
1) He is just as nice or nicer to fans (and wife and kids and friends, and stray puppies)
2) He is wayyy more the comic geek than Wil is – Joss has been a fixture at ComicCon for years, and has written for comics (X Men, Runaways, etc.)
3) Joss can check the D&D box also (he told me that gaming in college was the most fun he had until he had his own show to run)
4) Joss is also politically active
5) Joss may not blog as often as Wil, but then, he has actual movies, TV shows, and comics to communicate with. He does post on Whedonesque when he has something to say, including politics if he feels it is appropriate
Don’t vote for Joss because Dollhouse is awesome (it is), but because he is an uber-geek even more than Wil.
Vote Wil. Because he has better hair…. LOL
In the end, for me the question was not so much the candidates’ own geekosity but their ability to inspire geekosity in others.
Wil Wheaton’s top accomplishment in this regard, as far as I know, was to inspire someone to create the erstwhile USENET group alt.ensign.wesley.crusher.die.die.die.
Sorry, Wil. My vote goes to Joss.
I voted Wil.
Because it came up tails.
I voted for Joss – I mean Dr. Horrible is AWESOME. Plus you have Whedon Watch, and I do trust your judgment (most of the time?). So yeah, Joss, FTW.
I love them both, but I had to vote for Wil for one reason: Wil is a natural-born evangelist, in addition to being a geek. Joss is brilliant, but his skills lie elsewhere.
hrm..choices hard. If Joss wins then no time to make more excellent shows. If Wil wins..will he have time for his bloggity goodness? Voting for Wil because we can’t risk not having Whedon shows.
This is truly the pinnacle of geekdom. Going against my better judgment, I believe Wheaton is the better choice. I mean, seriously, look at who he defeated:
Bruce Campbell: a deity among geeks
Stephen Hawking: smartest man alive? uber-geek
Wesley Crusher: If you can defeat your alternate self and survive, you have achieved everything that it is to be a geek.
Sorry Joss, I’m still a huge fan.
Man… Most of the people I voted for didn’t make it too far. I don’t care about either of these guys. I’m not voting on this round.
Joss is boss
I voted for Joss because he owns 1/2 of my soul.
I gotta go with Wil on this one! Go Wil!
WIL WHEATON
Wil would be a MUCH more articulate ambassador for geek-kind. Joss is a good writer, but not so good at the speaking.
This WAS a tough one — but it comes down to what others have already mentioned: who will embrace it and be the evangelical geek diplomat/advocate? Against pretty much any other opponent I’d vote for Joss… but in this instance, it’s Wil FTW.
Mr. Whedon or Mr. Wheaton. It’s a tough choice. It comes down to who is a higher quality geek. For my vote, that’s Mr. Wheaton. He seems like a normal guy. Occasionally does some acting. Plays ye olde fashioned pen and paper D&D, and shamelessly rocks out to Guitar Hero on YouTube in front of a crowd of fellow geeks.
I don’t know what Mr. Whedon does in between his shows being canceled on Fox.
Good luck Wil.
At least it isn’t Wesley Crusher vs. Wil Wheaton.
Wil – because he cares. Whedon just continues to ignore Paul and Storm – he must be punished. Minions unite!
Joss should win this thing hands down. The end.
I find it comic that Joss is beating Wil, and yet, pretty much every comment made is pro-Wheaton.
That being said, I feel Joss FTW, just cuz I’m a vampiric-Active-Browncoat-Evil Genius (that just sounds sad in retrospect), and figure Joss could just write a autobiographical T.V. show, wherein the plot precognitively solves any political/diplomatic problems
I’m with #39, noone I care about is in the final round. One is certainly a geek, but one with strange agendas and a poor attitude a lot of the time. The other makes TV shows and movies, but as someone who doesn’t watch television, that doesn’t mean much to me either. I suppose if I vote, it’ll be against the person who seems to have a chip on his shoulder a lot of the time.
I’m pretty sure my 6mo old son’s first words will be something Whedony. How can you not consider the man a geek? His outlet is film. Who cares if he doesn’t keep a public blog. The man gave us like 10 years of vampires & demons, a bunch of space cowboys (and girls). And not for nothing, he gave me more Gina Torres.
Joss IS Boss.
Joss is too private an individual… Besides, as he likes to say, he’s not comfortable talking about other people… We’re not voting for who you like better, but for who will be a better representative for our community… To me, this means Wil, hands down.
Well the good thing is, unlike presidential elections, no matter which candidate wins the country is in good hands here.
Wheaton. He is the Uber-Geek!
Whedon is winning. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I gotta go with Wil on this one. Sorry Joss.
Forget ‘Next Generation’ … Kirk is the ONLY cap’t of the Enterprise … JOSS FOR LIFE !!
Wil Wheaton, no doubt about it. He taught me how not to be a dick.
If you take a look at who they beat to get to the final round, Wheaton had to work a whole lot harder. I’m not a fan of Wil’s oft-snarky attitude (though who can blame him given the whole Wesley Crusher teenagehood), and I love Joss’s work far more. But Wil deserves (and probably wants) this win more than Joss.
Oh and besides, Wil insprired me back in 2002 to start my first blog. Joss entertains me, but never really inspired me to write a musical or anything.
Definitely Will Wheaton – he’s an all around geek, not specialized – he’s comfortable talking with and about others, he’s a great writer – he’s very good at NOT being a Dick – and he’s at least a little political – which, as others have said, might be useful in this situation.
Wil all the way baby, the man owns GURPS books for God’s sake! GURPS books! And he uses them to actually play GURPS! How can it get any geekier than that?!?
Yes Joss has a blog. It’s called Dr. Horrible!
Voted for Joss. But honestly, would not be the least bit disapointed if Wil Wheaton won the crown.
Totally Wil.
Ahhh, how to choose?
I’m thinking Wil.
Wil seems like more of a geek to me… Joss is just a creative genius!
Wil for the win – he’ll be a better representative of the common geek. Plus, he triumphed over his own alternate character earlier – if that isn’t a sure sign of uber-geekdom, I don’t know what would else would qualify. Joss knows how to appeal to the geek in all of us, but Wil embodies it in all he does.
I voted for Wil. This was a TOUGH call, but for me, it ultimately came down to one thing: Joss Whedon needs to remain undistracted by governmental duties to continue doing what he does best: making the shit we end up dreaming about for decades. Wil Wheaton, on the other hand, is a PERFECT choice. Why? Because the man is the ULTIMATE geek FAN. He can speak intelligently on all things GEEK, and has all of our best interests at heart. He is the perfect choice to ensure that Geekdom, as a whole, continues freely and unmolested.
Wil was snubbed for portraying a geek back before geeks were considered cool. I’m not aware of Joss ever sacrificing cool for geek. Sure he’s geeky, but uncoolness (real or perceived) is an important part of geek heritage. Besides, I’d rather have Wil leading us and Joss entertaining us than the other way ’round.
If anyone has any doubt that Wil is The One, just follow his Twitter-feed for a few hours. I mean, damn! There’s no contest here. I admire Joss, too, but if what we’re looking for is the right geek to fill this new cabinet position, then there is no question which way we must vote: WIL!
I’m a total Whedon fangirl, but Wil wins my vote here.
Joss is brilliant and very geeky, but his online presence is lacking. I mean the man can just barely figure out how to post on Whedonesque, bless his heart.
Will is Geek 2.0.
Wil wins because he is CleverNickName over at Slashdot (News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters).
The choice is obvious: Wil, because he’s been around in the geek scene since he was a kid. I’ve only recently become a fan of Joss’s, with Firefly. But Wil still feels like part of the crowd when it comes to geeks, and for that I have to vote for him.
Read this post from Wil’s blog: http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/03/this-isnt-a-book-its-a-time-machine.html
… and tell me he doesn’t belong as SoGA.
I’ll be happy whoever wins. I love them both so much that I had to just close my eyes and point. After reading everybody’s comments, though, I have to agree that Wil would appreciate the honor more, and it’s best for everyone if Joss keeps churning out the entertainment for us to enjoy.
I voted for Wil, because as much as I’ve liked Joss’s work, I think Wil is pure ubergeek. Also, I think Wil will think this is awesome and have a lot to say about it, while Joss may not even know/care that this is going on, and probably won’t have any kind of public reaction.
Wil Wheaton is the patron saint of the Internets.
Joss Whedon pwns Wil Wheaton! I voted for him and all of you should too!
Flux out!
For anyone who thinks Wil isn’t the biggest geek, go to http://www.wizards.com/dnd and listen to the Dungeons & Dragons podcast he recorded with Gabe & Tycho of Penny Arcade.
The man busted out Elvish this week (technically Eladrin) for flip’s sake!
I voted for Joss. Will was a good actor and lives the life of an alpha geek.
Joss CREATES geekdoms. Joss is a geek god.
Big difference between the two. They are just in separate levels and Joss godhood trumps living the geek life any day.
For precisely the reasons #78 Scott outlined above, I would not vote for Joss, no offense. I’d want a SecGeek who was well-grounded in policy and extremely adaptable. Mr. Whedon, your admirable views on social issues tend to permeate a lot of your different ‘verses…which means I get a sense of deja vu when watching different shows.
Also, Whedon doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who could operate *under* a commander or within a command system. Wil Wheaton’s earned his wings there.
Whedon would be the Sam Archer of the Department of Geek Affairs, the one-man Swiss Army knife capable of creative endeavors wherever required. But for the Secretary of Geek Affairs, the man in charge of representing all geekdom to the President and United States, I vote Wil Wheaton.
Damn. Scalzi’s endorsement certainly tilted the balance…
Joss is a reclusive genius, Will interacts with his fans. If Joss won he’d be the creepy unseen man-behind-the-throne in the oncoming dictatorship; if Will won we could all have more influence at the highest levels of our government, 2 steps away from the president himself.
Will Wheaton: +1 for transparency and democratic access in government;
Joss Whedon: +1 because that t-shirt where it says “Joss Whedon is my master now” would be accurate.
Wil Wheaton looks dorky. He’s a classic geek, only lacking the glasses. Joss Whedon looks crazy. He’s a classic mad scientist, only lacking a lab coat. (No offense to either, since it’s comforting to see real people in the plasticine pleasure palace of Hollywood.) We can be represented by someone who is a geek themselves or by someone who might cut our brains open to comprehend us better.
Will Wheaton: +1 for representation by the people;
Joss Whedon: +1 for the shivveringly cool scenario of Joss with a scalpel picking our brains.
If Joss Whedon gets it he might not have as much time to write screenplays. If Will Wheaton gets it he can blog funny things about meeting the president.
Will Wheton: +1 because the product he currently puts out aligns with the position of Head Geek;
Joss Whedon: -1 because it would be a huge loss to the geek community.
Wil Wheton wins! WIL WHEATON WINS!
OMG! I can’t decide!
Not even a challenge. Wheaton FTW.
Anyone still undecided can check out my blog about this on the SFX website. Might help. I’d post a link, but it appears not to be allowed (which is beyond ok). Oh, and #80, same thing happened when this went up at Whedonesque. Back and forth, to and fro, forward we look and forward we go.
PS-Wil FTW, indeed.
Both were great choices, but I feel that TV needs Joss so much that we can’t afford to divide his attentions.
No contest what-so-frakking-ever. Dearly though I love Joss and his creations, Wil Wheaton gets my vote.
Wills competition is farked again!
Joss Whedon all the way!
Was the voting shut down early? There appears to be no link to click to actually vote on this.
A few people that should without a doubt make your masterlist of Geekdom celebrities (though I understand that starting with a list of 128 choices would’ve been totally unwieldly):
-Isaac Asimov (you included other dead folks)
-Mark Hamill
-Stephen Colbert
-Terry Gilliam
-Neil Gaiman
-Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick
-Vin Deisel (for his noted love of D&D)
-Ben Edlund
I voted Wil Wheaton. Wish JoCo had come up against him instead of Joss, but…
The article author is obviously a Wil Wheaton fan! hence why he shut the voting down earlier.
FINISH HIM
Somebody needs to bump this to the top of paulandstorm.com, declare a winner, and send the results off to Wil…
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