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Main Characters
Sydney
Sydney Fox
Played by: Tia Carrere
The titular "Relic Hunter", Sydney is an ancient studies professor but primarily hunts for ancient artifacts around the globe.
- The Ace: Intelligent, accomplished university teacher? Check. Expert fighter with developed skill in numerous marital arts? Check. Attractive and a good people person? Check.
- Action Girl: Sydney is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, being trained in Tai Chi Chuan and a variety of other martial arts styles.
- Adventurer Archaeologist: Works as a globe-trotting "relic hunter" who hunts for ancient treasures and artifacts so that she can bring them to their her university’s museum or the descendants of the original owner. In a few episodes, she is actually shown conducting conventional archaeological excavations.
- Badass Bookworm: She's an accomplished university teacher and an expert in many martial arts.
- Brainy Brunette: She has long brown hair and is an archeologist who lectures at the American University Trinity College.
- Catfight: Often subverted when it comes to Sydney. Most of her fights tend to be taken seriously and can be quite brutal. One example being the battle she had in the jungle with an amazonian-looking woman, or with WWE wrestler Sable in "Nine Lives". Played Straight in "Transformation", however, which is an actual mud fight.
- Cool Teacher: Sydney is a dynamic and unorthodox teacher, doing things such as reenacting tribal rituals in class in full tribal attire. Also helps she doubles as a Hot Teacher, which makes her very popular with her students.
- Daddy's Girl: Her mother died young, so she was raised by her father. She spent her youth traveling with him around the globe and her love for history and adventure come from him.
- Does Not Like Guns: Sydney once delivered a lecture about why she's this trope to Reiner.
- Expy: Has a lot in common with both Lara Croft and Indiana Jones.
- For Great Justice: Her work as a "relic hunter" is driven not by monetary gain, but by a passion for history and culture. She will take on seemingly lower profile cases for people if she sympathizes with them.
- The Gadfly: She enjoys getting a rise out of people, Nigel being her favorite target.
- Hot Librarian: Technically not a librarian, but gives off this looks at the university when she wears glasses and a Prim and Proper Bun.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The masculine girl to Nigel's feminine boy.
- Missing Mom: Her mother passed away when she was very young.
- Ms. Fanservice: The show like to emphasize her sex appeal, she's often wearing very tight-fitting and revealing clothing and the plot often requires her to take them off.
- Omniglot: Sydney speaks multiple languages fluently.
- Outdoorsy Gal: Obviously, given the nature of her job, Sydney spends a lot of time outdoors and in more wild environments.
- Pom-Pom Girl: In one episode, Adventure Archaeologist Sidney mentions that she was a cheerleader in high-school, causing her assistants to curiously look at her high school yearbook once she leaves the room.
- The Protagonist: Sydney is the titular Relic Hunter and the main character of the show.
- Raised by Dudes: Was raised by her father and his roughneck, adventurous friends.
- Sexy Silhouette: In "The Emperor's Bride", Nigel (as well as the audience) is treated to Sydney giving us one of these, as we see a view of her undressing from outside her tent.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Sydney is very comfortable with her body and has no problems taking communal showers or walking around in a state of undress, and seems to be even amused by the awkwardness it can cause others.
- Stupid Sexy Friend: For Nigel; while their relationship isn't romantic, he is hardly immune to Sydney's sex appeal and is in a constant state of sexual frustration over her Shameless Fanservice Girl antics.
- Tank-Top Tomboy: Sydney often wears these when out adventuring.
- Thrill Seeker: Part of the reason she works as a relic hunter: she enjoys the rush of a dangerous mission.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Sydney, the Action Girl who was Raised by Dudes and is a Thrill Seeker, is the tomboy to both her office secretaries (Karen and Claudia's) girly girls, as one was a Ditzy Secretary and The Fashionista while the other was a Sexy Secretary and often a Damsel in Distress.
- A more subtle example could be shown in episode 7 between Sydney and Turley, the female villain of that episode with whom Sydney had a mud fight. Look at their respective reactions when they enter The Pig-Pen and begin fighting. Sydney quickly becomes comfortable fighting in mud, while Turley is visibly disgusted with getting dirty.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Her appearance is feminine, but she still acts like a Tomboy a lot of times, probably due to being Raised by Dudes.
Nigel
Nigel Bailey
Played by: Christien Anholt
Sydney's British teaching assistant who's far more reserved. Often accompanies her on her travels whilst searching for the relics.
- Butt-Monkey: Terrible things tend to happen to him and he's usually the butt of the joke for other characters.
- Distressed Dude: Nigel often finds himself in trouble and needs Sydney's help to get out of them.
- Chick Magnet: Attracts many girls with his boyish charms.
- Deuteragonist: His character is second only to Sydney as the show's focus.
- Endearingly Dorky: A lot of his Love Interest are draw to his nervous dorky behavior.
- Formerly Fat: Used to be fat in his youth, with his brother still calling him "Podge" many years later.
- Got Volunteered: Sydney often drags him along on missions without Nigel wanting to come.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The feminine boy to Sydney's masculine girl.
- Non-Action Guy: He's not at all adventurous or athletic and is often times hopelessly out of his element when accompanying Sydney in her relic hunts.
- Sibling Rivalry: With his older brother Preston, who is far more successful than him and who he has competed with since childhood.
- Sidekick: He's Sydney's teaching assistant, assisting her both academically and out in the field.
- Speech Impediment: Very prone to stammering when nervous.
Claudia
Claudia
Played by: Lindy Booth
Sydney's office secretary who often helps out Sydney and Nigel from the campus back home whilst they are abroad.
- A Day in the Limelight: Usually stays back at the university while Sydney and Nigel are out adventuring, but accompanies them in a few episodes.
- In "The Maze of the Myth" she's sent ahead of Sydney to Greece to do some advance work for her and thus gets caught up in the rest of the mystery.
- In "Gypsy Jigsaw" she accompanies them on a case largely due to having a useful knowledge of tarots cards and fortune teller lore (which she uses to figure out which boys to date).
- In "Roman Holiday" she goes to the airport with another academic and ends up on a plane to Rome, before becoming a kidnapping victim.
- In "M.I.A." She gets more screen time helping with clues to rescue Sydney.
- In "Out of the Past" she has visions about a past life related to a relic they want.
- Ditzy Secretary: Works as a secretary for Sydney in season 1 and 2. A very incompetent one.
- Dumb Blonde: She's at the very least Book Dumb. At one point she confuses astrology and astronomy. Another episode (where she's holding an artifact that forces people to be honest) has her admit to her study buddy that she's only offering date him to get someone to do her homework for her.
- The Fashionista: She's an expert on fashion trends.
- Only One Name: The only main character not to get a last name.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: There are a couple season two episodes ( "M.I.A." and "Run Sydney, Run") where Sydney and/or Nigel are in danger and Claudia puts aside her usual shallowness to be genuinely frightened for them and dedicated to working to help save them.
- Put on a Bus: After season 2 she gets replaced by Karen as Sydney's secretary. Sydney mentions she got a "dream job" in New York.
- Rich Bitch: Downplayed, but she's a vain rich girl that solves her problem's with her father's money and she can be very mean.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Usually engages on this with Niles.
- Valley Girl: Despite being the secretary of a famous relic hunter, the only history Claudia cares about concerns the auspicious roots of alternative music, high fashion and body piercing.
Karen
Karen Petrushky
Played by: Tanja Reichert
Sydney's office secretary for the final season, replacing Claudia.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Unlike Claudia, Karen comes from a poorer background, needs the job and is actually good at it.
- Damsel in Distress: Has a habit of getting kidnapped.
- Favors for the Sexy: Acts flirtatious with some of the university's administrators to get funding for Sydney.
- Girl Friday: She's far more competent than Claudia, and manages things at the university while Sydney is off adventuring.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She's a sweet, mature woman and about a third of her outfits have at least some purple.
- Ms. Fanservice: Much more sexed up than Claudia. The camera certainly loves to focus on her cleavage.
- Sexy Secretary: Works as a secretary for Sydney in season 3. She's not above using her looks to help Sydney with her work.
- Street Smart: Was raised in a much more humble background than most characters at the university and learned how to handle herself on her own. It helps greatly with her job.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Nigel.
- Vapor Wear: She generally seems to be braless.
