Joss Whedon, the creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is behind the sci-fi FOX series “Firefly.” The mothership in this futuristic tale is called “Serenity,” and Kaylee Frye is the vessel’s mechanic, even though she’s never been trained. Jewel Staite nailed the role in the spinoff film, but that didn’t mark the end of her time in Hollywood.
The clever girl from 2517 was lovely then as Jewel Staite is today. Add that to her numerous roles in sci-fi and fantasy, and you got yourself the coolest girl in Comic-Con. In more recent times, she played a lawyer in The CW series “Family Law.”
Gillian Anderson – The X Files
Dr. Dana Scully from "The X Files" is one of our favorite TV nerds. This offbeat character is a legend in geekdom. Gillian Anderson grew up as an outsider. Her coolness was actually apparent from a very young age. As a teen, she moved from England to a small conservative town called Grand Rapids.
She said, “There were only six punks there. We were weird. It’s not like London.” Underneath the tough punk exterior, which included dyed and shaved hair, plus piercings (before the look was a global trend), was this gorgeous face. She even played Margaret Thatcher in Netflix's "The Crown."
Zachary Levi – Chuck
In this "Slacker"-meets-Stanford television series, Chuck Bartowski is a geeky software whiz who ends up as a CIA asset. His character gets kicked out of Stanford (not his fault), and he ends up living with his sister and working an electronic superstore at the Geek Tech desk.
Zachary Levi certainly made the nerdy role his own. But that's not exactly what this actor is like in reality. Like, seriously, look at him. He’s no geek. Not only that but he's also played two iconic cinematic roles: Flynn Rider in "Tangled" and the title character in the DC superhero movie "Shazam!"
Alexis Bledel – Gilmore Girls
Rory Gilmore is a classic nerd. Her biggest problem was choosing between Harvard and Yale, for crying out loud. The striking Alexis Bledel was chosen for the role of Rory on "Gilmore Girls" because of her charming naivete. At the time, she was a model with no acting experience.
Today, she has quite an acting record, and she still looks sweet and charming. But the coolest thing about her was the way she made "Gilmore Girls" fans swoon over her 4-year-long relationship with co-star Milo Ventimiglia. Is the designated bad boy of the show tamed by the good girl in real life? Yes, please!
Melissa Fumero – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
As a rule, cops are not cool (and if it rhymes, it must be true). On "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," Sergeant Amy Santiago dreams of being captain of the NYPD. The ambitious, young smarty is an obsessive-compulsive organizer and a stickler for rules, with a soft spot for Jake Peralta.
The best and worst thing about Amy is her infatuation with office supplies. But real-life Fumero is the coolest cat there is. In 2004, she was cast in the daytime soap opera "One Life to Live," and met her now-husband — David Fumero. The two now have two children together who are undoubtedly as cool as their mother.