ESTJ: Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, “Star Trek: The Original Series”

The Director, The Achiever, The Organizer

ESTJs are typically viewed as natural-born leaders, but not every ESTJ needs to be captain of the ship. They just require something productive to do to keep them happy. No one’s more busy and satisfied with his work than one Chief Engineer Scotty, legendary “Miracle Worker” of the starship Enterprise.

Dominant Function: (Te) Extraverted Thinking, “Organize the Experience”

Scotty gains his “Miracle Worker” title from the fact that he can always get the job done. The Enterprise is the finest ship in the fleet, but she’s constantly running into trouble, and it’s Scotty’s task to get her out of danger and keep her in tip-top shape. He excels at his work and claims to know more about the ship than the people who designed it (“The Apple,” “Is There In Truth No Beauty?”).

Scotty is task-oriented and sticks to the job in spite of many distractions. While the rest of the crew of a stranded shuttlecraft bickers and complains, Scotty remains focused on the repairs, and demands that they show proper respect to Spock, their commanding officer (“The Galileo Seven”). He crawls into a matter-antimatter reaction chamber to fix the ship’s engines, and is willing to be ejected into space if the procedure fails (“That Which Survives”).

Scotty enjoys his work and doesn’t like taking R&R (“The Trouble With Tribbles”). He’ll complain when Kirk places unrealistic deadlines on him, but he always brings the job in on time (“The Naked Time,” ST:TMP). Of course, Scotty admits that sometimes he fudges his estimated repair times to make himself look better (TNG, “Relics”).

ISTJ: Spock, “Star Trek: The Original Series”

The Inspector, The Sentinel, The Trustee

In my Star Trek Returns post, I confessed to not having seen as much of the Original Series as I thought I had (that’s been fixed with a complete re-watch). For years, my idea of Spock came from the movies I’d watched over and over, especially my personal favorite The Undiscovered Country. Now, even after catching up on everything I missed, I’m going to have to stick with old Spock as my favorite Spock.

See, the great thing about a long-running character like Spock is that we get to watch him grow as a person, literally over a lifetime. In the Star Trek universe, Vulcans are long-lived, so our last visit with Spock is roughly 80 years after our first introduction. In that time, Spock has gone from stereotypically uptight ISTJ to a man of great patience and wisdom—and yes, even feeling.

Dominant Function: (Si) Introverted Sensing, “Relive the Experience”

Spock is half-Human, half-Vulcan, but he chooses to identify as fully Vulcan. It’s from his Vulcan heritage that he derives his life philosophy and outlook. Every new experience Spock has gets filtered through his Vulcan-trained Si, comparing it to the traditions he was taught and raised with.

While others panic or jump to action, Spock responds with caution and healthy skepticism to most situations the Enterprise encounters. He patiently gathers information rather than acting on emotion or speculation. He excels at detail, and shows open disdain for guesswork and imprecision.

This is the Vulcan way, and despite being only half-Vulcan, Spock lives it better than almost any full-blooded Vulcan we meet. He’s the archetypal Vulcan, and among fictional characters, an archetypal ISTJ. Thanks to his steady, unflappable Si, he serves as a balancing counterpart to his captain and best friend, the intrepid—and not always cautious—James T. Kirk.

ENTJ: River Tam, “Firefly”

The Commander, The Field-Marshal, The Trailblazer

Honestly, at one point I almost decided to be a smart-ass and type River as a WTF/IDK.

Her brain’s been picked apart and rearranged by the Alliance, leaving her three different shades of spooky and stuck in her damaged head, so we’re not exactly seeing her at her best. Plus, superpowers don’t count as cognitive functions—you can’t just assume she’s using Ni to predict the future, or Se to be a warrior-dancer.

Since I’ve typed a character with Alzheimer’s, though, I decided I could take a crack at putting together the scattered pieces of River’s personality and find her real type beneath all the damage.

Dominant Function: (Te) Extraverted Thinking, “Organize the Experience”

River’s been a high achiever since she started correcting her big brother’s spelling at the age of three. She masters every subject she tries, be it science or art or dance—or, in the end, piloting Serenity. She got bored with the lack of challenge in her schooling until she was sent to the Academy.

The experiments done on her brain by the Alliance have left her largely unable to access this function—she’s rudderless, disorganized, and dependent on her brother for almost everything.

Yet River’s very direct when she can be. She states what she knows very matter-of-factly, even when it’s the creepy psychic readings she gets from people. She’s not trying to scare anyone—she’s just being honest to an innocent degree.

River tries to “fix” Shepherd Book’s Bible, because it’s “broken.” Catching logical discrepancies almost feels like a Ti thing, but it seems that River’s main concern is that the Bible doesn’t conform to the facts she knows about the world—evolution, for instance, or simply the number of animals that could or could not physically fit on the Ark. She wants to reorganize the book and make it jive with the real world as she knows it.

She also freaks out when Book lets his hair down…er, up…because in her child-like directness, she’s not used to world she knows changing form like that.

In Firefly’s last episode, “Objects in Space,” River finally becomes lucid enough to take control of her situation. She organizes the crew and slyly turns the tables on her bounty hunter, directing him step by step until he falls into her trap. Her brother Simon almost messes up her plan with his careless heroics. “He takes such looking after,” she sighs to Mal.

ISTJ: Simon Tam, “Firefly”

The Inspector, The Sentinel, The Trustee

Simon gets typed as an INTJ a lot because, hey, remember that time he came up with a plan? That’s what INTJs do, right? Plan things?

Just like any type can be an artist, so too can any type can come up with a genius plan. And if you pull out those two big instances of Simon coming up with a plan and take a look at them, you see him stepping out of his comfort zone. He’s stretching himself by using his lower functions to follow through on the convictions of his higher functions.

Simon doesn’t live in the conceptual world of an Intuitive. For someone who’s lost in space, he’s remarkably grounded and practical. His smarts come mostly from book-learning, but he applies them with intelligence.

More about that in the function breakdown.

In the meantime, since this post is about a big brother, let me be all big brotherly and remind everyone not to assume someone’s a dullard just because of their type. Like our young doctor, they might just surprise you.

Dominant Function: (Si) Introverted Sensing, “Relive the Experience”

Simon lived a privileged life on the core worlds as a promising and brilliant young doctor from a wealthy family. Even after he escapes that life, he continues to dress finely and act formally, the way he was raised. He tells Kaylee that being proper with her is his way of showing respect, not to mention the only way he has of retaining who he is.

Simon’s first suspicions that something bad was happening to his sister came from reading her letters and recognizing that she didn’t sound like herself. She referenced things that didn’t happen, people who didn’t exist, and even spelled things wrong. “She started correcting my spelling when she was three,” he reminds his parents, who don’t—or won’t—acknowledge that anything’s wrong.

It takes a great deal for Simon to give up his comfortable, familiar life and strike out into the edge of civilization. In “Objects in Space,” he notices that Serenity has become River’s home, but even after all these months, he’s still having trouble adjusting. He’s constantly cautious, questioning Captain Mal’s decisions and showing exasperation at the crew’s unpredictable and uncouth ways.

ESFP: Hoban “Wash” Washburne, “Firefly”

The Performer, The Activator, The Challenger

For the record, Alan Tudyk is taller than Gina Torres (by an inch-and-a-half, according to IMDb). Usually, he plays big guys (like the serial killer Alpha in Joss Whedon’s later show Dollhouse, where he’s super ripped, or Steve the Pirate in Dodgeball). He argues this vehemently in the commentary for “War Stories,” since his character Wash comes off looking like such a weenie compared to his warrior wife.

And yet, he needn’t have worried, because everybody loves Wash. Kaylee may be the heart and soul of the Serenity, but Wash is its sense of humor and fun. Figures these two ESFPs would be the most colorful bright spots on a ship way out in the black.

Dominant Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se), “Experience the Experience”

Wash is a natural pilot, and a daring one. In high-pressure flying situations, he oscillates between panicked high-energy and a strange Zen-like, calm focus. Although he seems like a weirdo when Mal and Zoë interview him for the job, Mal points out that he’s got a recommendations list as long as his arm, and a whole slew of other captains who want to hire him.

Wash lives with his own special flair and zest for life. Hawaiian shirts and toy dinosaurs are among his signature possessions, as well as a distinctive mustache that he thankfully had the decency to shave off some years ago. Unlike his wife Zoë, he very much wants to explore the core planet Ariel and enjoy all the finest it has to offer.

Wash shows constant surprise at the caliber of woman he married. He eagerly describes all her best parts to an Alliance officer interrogating him: “Have you ever been with a warrior woman?” We never learn how or why they ended up getting married, but Wash’s extraverted energy seems to put the normally stoic Zoë at ease, bringing out her romantic, playful side.

ESFP: Kaywinnet Lee Frye, “Firefly”

The Performer, The Activator, The Challenger

I really need my car to keep working just a little bit longer until I one day have a job where I can afford a new one, and I sure do wish I had Kaylee to help me out. Some sci-fi shows have their “miracle workers” to keep their cutting-edge starships sailing, but Kaylee rolls up her sleeves and makes things work that shouldn’t. That includes people and well as machines.

Dominant Function: (Se) Extraverted Sensing, “Experience the Experience”

Kaylee’s just happy to be here, no matter where here is.

She joined Serenity on a whim, when the Captain presented the opportunity—on the day he discovered her getting it on energetically with his original mechanic. She loves all the new places and people she gets to discover in her travels. She’s thrilled by the many-layered dress she finds in a store window, even more so when she gets to wear it to a ball, where she heads right for the buffets.

And does she ever love strawberries.

She takes an instant liking to most people, and doesn’t judge much, just accepting them as they come. It’s this quality that makes her a favorite among the crew. She makes friends with River when no-one else can (or is afraid to), earns affection from the Captain that he would never show to anyone else, and even inspires concern in tough old Jayne, who camps outside the infirmary when she gets shot.

It’s no wonder the straight-laced Simon falls for her, even if he takes a long time to admit it.

Kaylee has a natural knack for engines, an instinct for working with mechanical things. She knows how things work and how to put them together for the best results—and to keep them going with what little resources she’s got. She doesn’t mind getting into the works and getting dirty. She’s not always perfectly put together, because she’s always enjoying the moment, whatever work or activity she’s found.

ISTJ: Zoë Alleyne-Washburne, “Firefly”

The Inspector, The Sentinel, The Trustee

In many ways, Firefly is the un-Star Trek of science fiction television. And yet, both share the nifty similarity of having an ENFP/ISTJ pair at the helm. Star Trek has Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, and Firefly has Captain Mal and Zoë.

Zoë’s human through-and-through, but she approaches her job with the same sensible attitude and deadpan wit as her Vulcan counterpart. She and Spock have the tireless task of keeping their ENFP captains from getting lost in space. There’s no telling what kind of extra trouble Mal would find himself in without Zoë at his side.

Dominant Function: Introverted Sensing (Si), “Relive the Experience”

Zoë’s a trained, disciplined soldier, and leans on her finely honed skills to back Mal up in their adventures. She continues to call him “Sir,” and defer to him like her commanding officer, just as she did in their military days. Years after one of her comrades bit into a booby-trapped apple, she still carefully slices hers open before eating, just to be safe. She’s cool, cautious, and prepared, and acts as the voice of reason to Mal’s impetuousness.

Zoë doesn’t like Wash when she first meets him. He’s probably too much energy, garish and loud and impulsive. Eventually, somehow, they end up married. Wash’s Extraverted Sensing balances out Zoë’s Si, and the two make a weirdly perfect match as a couple.

Zoë prefers life on Serenity because it feels real. She expresses no desire to visit the core planet Ariel when they stop by because it’s too sterile. Serenity is her home, and Zoë will defend it with her life.

ENFP: Malcolm Reynolds, “Firefly”

The Champion, The Energizer, The Discoverer

Oh, boy.

I’m gonna catch a lot of gou shi for this one.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds is a mercurial character, much like the writer who created him. Pinning down his exact personality type is extraordinarily tough. I usually find him typed as an NT, because people see him as a problem-solving scoundrel out for his own profit who occasionally struggles with his conscience.

Mostly, Mal pops up as an ENTP all over the place. Like here, here, and here. I think a lot of my fellow geeks love that one of our favorite heroes could be an ENTP spaceship captain.

I’m going to disagree with them.

Mal presents himself—and his creator Joss Whedon presents him—as an antihero. A Han Solo type. A bizarro Captain Kirk. He’s the one who rebels against the Federation and their utopian ideals and sets off on his own to be a space pirate. With a heart of gold, of course.

He’s really a good guy. Well, maybe he’s just all right.

But just because you rebel against the ideals of utopia doesn’t mean you don’t have ideals yourself. Mal lives like a rogue, but that’s not how he started. As Mal once says in jest, “You can’t open the book of my life and jump in the middle. Like woman, I am a mystery.”

Dominant Function, (Ne) Extraverted Intuition: “Conceptualize from the Experience”

Mal hungers for open skies and boundless possibilities. In our earliest glimpses of him (in flashbacks from “The Message”) he’s carefree and careless, despite fighting a war. He takes up the cause of the Independents because it jives with his Ne need for freedom (and also his Fi ideals). He’s adaptable and resourceful, at times playful, and thrives on the possibilities found outside the borders of the Alliance.

His loss at the Battle of Serenity hardens him, pushing Mal down into his more practical Te, but he’s still out there looking for the next shiny adventure.

The moment he lays eyes on the Serenity, Mal starts dreaming. His second-in-command is skeptical, but Mal encourages Zoë to see what the ship could be, not what she is. At the end of the original pilot episode, after all the trouble they’ve been through, Mal’s just happy to be, “Still flying.”

Mal tries to be gruff and grim, but there are times when he comes off as downright poetic. He’s clearly an inspiring leader to the soldiers under his command, and he’s virtually a fountain of creative metaphors and witticisms. And yes, he’s read a poem, don’t faint.

ESFP: Dash Parr, “The Incredibles”

The Performer, The Activator, The Challenger

This profile will be quick, like Dash. He’s a little boy, and he doesn’t experience as big a character change as his sister, so we don’t get to see all functions up and running yet. He’s a super obvious Extraverted Sensor, though, so I’ll cut right to chase.

Dominant Function, (Se) Extraverted Sensing: “Experience the Experience”

Even if Dash didn’t have a super-speed power, he’d still be a bundle of energy. He loves his crazy family, he loves being in motion, and he loves mischief. He loves seeing Frozone turn his spit into an icicle in mid-air, he loves pestering his sister to her breaking point, and he envies his baby brother’s toilet-free life.

Dash discovers the full extent of his powers through pure instinct. His mom told him to run as fast as he can, and he does. To his delight, he finds he can beat up bad guys, dodge bullets, and run on water. Every moment brings wonderful new surprises, and he enjoys it to the fullest.

He’s the most upbeat of the family, and his impetuous joy at his own capabilities serves as a contrast to their caution.

ESTJ: Helen Parr/Elastigirl, “The Incredibles”

The Director, The Achiever, The Organizer

I’ve noticed a trend in my ESTJ collection—lots of strong female characters.

That’s not a complaint, we need more of those. But it seems odd that when a strong female character is ESTJ, she’s a hero, and if she’s ENTJ, she’s a villain (okay, that happens to male characters, too; but why are we less comfortable with leaders who create new rules rather than follow the old ones?). Also, strong female ESTJs seem to be sidekicks or supporting characters—you’ve got your Hermiones, your Saaviks, your Princess Leias. Rarely the leads.

Helen’s the lead female character in The Incredibles, but the movie’s main lead is Bob. When Elastigirl heads into action, she’s every bit as fun to watch as Mr. Incredible—that stretching through multiple doors scene is a classic. Makes me wonder what the story would look like if it started out from her perspective.

There’s some production company out there working on a female superhero movie, I’m sure. Right? Right, guys?

Dominant Function, (Te) Extraverted Thinking: “Organize the Experience”

Helen’s just trying to keep everything together. As a young superhero, she was out to be the best. “Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so.” In her married life, she still wants to do everything right, and to run an orderly, successful home. She still makes note of her achievements, too—like unpacking the last box from their move-in three years ago.

She needs a partner, though, and hers is frustratingly slow to pitch in—he was almost late to their wedding night, for one thing. Helen tries to encourage Bob in his work, especially when she believes he’s gotten a promotion, but most of the time she has to badger him into engaging with the family. She hates coming across as the bad guy when she has to be the one enforcing the rules.

Helen quickly takes charge of the situation and stays focused in a crisis, even when missiles are bearing down on the plane she and her children are in. She orders the kids into action and pulls them together when all seems lost and they’re screaming and crying. She’s direct and honest with them about the dangers they’re facing, and doesn’t sugarcoat the facts.

She eventually encourages the kids to use their powers to their full potential. “Run as fast as you can!” she tells Dash. She demands a lot from them right away, though, and pushes Violet too hard at first.

Helen will keep her family together no matter what. She’ll trek halfway across the world to find her husband, and she won’t let him face danger alone. She continually reminds him that they’re a team now—both as husband and wife, and as superheroes.