Captain Tightpants was a true TV hero, even if his status only came about from 14 episodes of blissful Browncoat action. As a struggling Independent, his loyalty to the Serenity crew lived on after the war ended, and he even put his neck on the line to help wanted fugitives.
Aside from the political and moral stuff, Captain Reynolds completely kicks ass. His pistol is amazing, he wears a really cool coat (we want one!) and he always gets the best lines (Jayne excepted). What we really love about him is that you can only push him so far, before you can push him no further. Denying him the number one position was a real task.