Visc mentioned Malcolm Reynolds, and I agree with him.
Actually, I was never a Joss Whedon fan, as I've always considered Buffy, well, mostly crap(except for the geeky lesbianism. Geeky lesbians are always awesome). But, along came Firefly, and now I think Whedon is made of awesome and win. It really had kick ass characters, both due to the script and the generally spot on acting. The only character in Firefly that came out somewhat half arsed was Inara, and that was just because the chick who played her couldn't act even if her life depended on it.