James "Jim" Holden

Holden starts as the earnest XO of an ice hauler, a working stiff with a moral compass he can't help but consult out loud. He believes in doing the right thing, says so constantly, and gets his crew tangled in a conspiracy the moment he acts on that belief. Idealism, not ambition, drives him.

Strait plays Holden's righteousness as a genuine character flaw as much as a virtue — he's the guy who broadcasts the truth to the whole solar system because it seems obviously correct, consequences be damned. The show trusts that friction between principle and pragmatism to generate story, and Strait keeps him likable even when he's plainly being reckless.