NERD TOWN — Last weekend welcomed the release of SpongeBob Squarepants’ second trip to the silver screen. The new movie, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” won at the box office with a No. 1 spot and an estimated $56 million. The movie offers up laughs and a hero in the form of a nerd.

As we thought about that concept we realized nerdy heroes are more common than you may think. We decided to put together a list of some of the greatest nerd heroes to grace the screen.

First, a few rules.

If I’ve learned anything over the years of writing it’s that commenters will rip me apart for not adding this person or that. So, with that I’ve set up some rules:

1) No superheroes. Too many superheroes are nerdy, i.e. Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Reed Richards. Adding superheroes would convolute the list too much.

2) No robots. Yes, this gets rid of Johnny 5, which is a disappointment, but it’s a decision I’ve made.

3) None of these matter. I know none of these rules really matters because someone will always disagree. So, whatever. Let’s get to the list.

Wayne Szalinski – “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”

Wayne Szalinski is the epitome of a nerd. The glasses, the job, everything. But he’s also a hero. Sure, he’s the reason his kids were shrunk to the size of a tick and banished to the backyard, but he’s also the man who did everything in his power to save his kids and those ragamuffin Thompson boys from next door.

Most heroic moment: Not eating his son, Nick, along with his Cheerios.

Data – “The Goonies”

Sure, everyone remembers Mikey, Mouth and Chunk, but let’s not forget about Data.

Data had all the gadgets and gizmos (Not the Gremlins' Gizmo) to get the Goonies out of a jam. If it weren’t for “slick shoes” and a set of fake teeth the Fratelli’s would have, without a doubt, stopped the Goonies from finding One-Eyed Willy’s hidden treasure and saving their neighborhood.

Most heroic moment: Using his boxing glove contraption to punch Jake Fratelli in the face.

Hermione Granger – The Harry Potter series

Hermione Granger is a bookworm and a teacher’s pet, but she’s also loyal and brave.

Hermione is muggle-born and often looked down on because of that, but through hard work and a few good friends she becomes a true hero. Sure, Harry Potter is the “hero” of the series, but it can be argued, and often is, that Hermione is the real hero.

Most heroic moment: There are so many that it's hard to choose, but I'm going with when she punched out Malfoy in "The Prisoner of Azkaban." Why this moment when I could pick so many others that showed real courage and honor? Simply because she became everyone's hero when she did exactly what all of us wanted to do — punch that cockroach right in the nose.

Spock – The Star Trek Series

What needs to be said? Spock is a friend, a soldier, a confidant and a hero. This half human half Vulcan is one of the bravest characters to ever hit the screen and he does everything without praise or accolades while letting Capt. Jim Kirk enjoy the benefits of heroism.

Spock is a true hero by facing death in the face, giving it a Vulcan death grip and then stepping into the shadows as if nothing happened.

Most heroic moment: Again, too many to count, but let’s go with that scene in “The Wrath of Khan.” You know what I’m talking about.

George McFly – “Back to the Future”

George McFly is your classic nerd, awkward, comic book fan, sci-fi nut and a loner. The greasy-haired recluse doesn’t know how to talk to girls and has no backbone to speak of. That is until his teenage son shows up in 1955 from the future and gives him a push in the right direction.

While McFly has some issues, he’s a lovable loser and you can’t help but cheer for him as he tries to win the heart of Lorraine.

All in all, “Back to the Future” is a pretty bizarre concept, and George McFly is the strangest thing in it. While Doc Brown would have been a good choice for the list, we went with George because after he has his hero moment he’s a totally changed man. He’s a beacon of light for all us nerdy people out there waiting for our moment.

Most heroic moment: Punching out Biff of course.

So, there you have it, some of the greatest nerdy heroes from movies. There were many we could have chosen, and I have no doubt you’ll let us hear about them in the comments below — that's part of the fun. Bring it on and let us know who we missed.

John has been writing about movies, news, sports and pretty much anything awesome for more than five years. John is the co-host of the Flix Junkies podcast and will always entertain you with his stories. John is an alumnus of both Utah Valley University and BYU. He, his wife and their two children call Salt Lake City home.

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