pan2000 | Why the Nickel Samurai transformation fits

So, there is something I feel a little guilt about. And it's about Matt Engarde and his transformation to the Nickel Samurai. It's not because I give the piece of shit a fair chance to fight, there is nothing wrong with competent villains. It's because Matt is a clear case of Nice Character, Mean Actor, and I am afraid of that being seen as him and the characters he plays as the same, which could demonize good actors that play evil characters or vice versa. (There is also the fact that Samurai have honor, and Engarde... has NONE.)

So, why does the transformation fit him, apart from being a means for him to fight and conceal his identity? Simply, he is not a hero of justice, but even outside of his roles he pretends to be sometimes. He has several facades, and the hero Nickel Samurai is just one more, where he actually does help Starfleet to improve his image.

He wants good publicity above all else, so of course the hero he shows he is to the public is a role he plays. That's heroics for him. A role.

In short, the Nickel Samurai fits Matt as a person, not as how he is, but as the paragon of virtue he wants to be seen as.