When I was in junior high I spent my summer days watching Star Trek and my nights watching The Late Show. I don’t know why, but for some reason I decided that I wanted to be a David Letterman fan. I didn’t know anything about Johnny Carson, Jay Leno or Dave’s work on Late Night. As a young teen, though, I watched Letterman every night during the summer, forcing myself to stay awake.
Even though I haven’t watched Letterman for many years, I was saddened to hear about his retirement last week. I cheered up a little yesterday, though, when I heard that Stephen Colbert would be replacing Dave after he retires.
Here are some nerdy characters who also could have replaced David Letterman.
William Riker
Commander Riker isn’t that funny but he is very good with people. He’s extremely extroverted and always enjoyed spending time with others in Ten Forward. Riker would be great at interviewing guests, making them feel comfortable with his easy going nature and inviting blue eyes. I never really liked Commander Riker when I was younger; I thought he had a little too much Captain Kirk in him. I appreciate him more now, though, and how his personable nature complimented Picard’s aloofness.
Alison Blaire
It still boggles my mind that an X-Men who debuted because of the disco era is still a member of the team today. Alison Blaire, better known as Dazzler, would be a great late night talk show host because of her experience in the entertainment industry. She is a popular singer and celebrity, drawing humans and mutants to her shows. The host needs to be comfortable in front of a crowd and I think Alison Blaire definitely has that down. Also, when the jokes were flat or the interviews hit a lull, she could just fire up her powers and make everyone happy with an impromptu light show.
Chewbacca
Chewbacca isn’t known as a Wookie of many words. He generally likes to speak through his actions, which often include shooting his bowcaster and clubbing Stormtroopers upside the head. None of us speak Wookie, though, so it’s possible that Chewbacca has all of the skills necessary to host a late night talk show. He appreciates a good joke and he is undeniably likeable. His show would also never have to worry about losing sponsorships either; Dyson and Hoover would get locked in a bidding war to be the official vacuum cleaner of the Chewbacca show.
I loved Letterman and I am loath to see him go. We can appreciate, though, that all of the newer 11:30 hosts like Fallon, Kimmel and Colbert all seem like pretty nice guys. Letterman was great but he never seemed like a nice guy. Though if Chewie was pulling your arms out of socket, you might not think he was such a nice guy either.
What other nerdy characters could give it a go on late night television?
Leave a Comment