The Geek Zodiac emerged one lazy weekend in late March 2011 when creator James Wright began musing on the shifts and cyclical nature of nerd culture, namely how in the 80s of his formative years the robot Transformers were supplanted by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The concept germinated from there, incorporating the various touchstones he and his childhood friends geeked out over in their youth: superheroes, pirates, daikaiju, zombies, etc. Narrowing these down to a manageable 12, the next steps required determining a system of years around which to base a simple zodiac chart, as well as the attributes associated with each of these new “signs.” Pleased with the admittedly crude format, he sent it out to friends for feedback and because he thought they would dig it… >>>MORE
Use your browser’s “Find” feature to search for your birth year. (ctrl+F for PC, Command (⌘)+F for Mac)
Year of the Robot
1876 1888 1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 2032
Merits:Law-abiding, Dedicated, Logical
Demerits:Stubborn, Intractable, Cold
Why 1984?The year both The Terminatorand Transformers debut
Year of the Wizard
1877 1889 1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 2033
Merits:Wise, Worldly, Naturalist
Demerits:Aloof, Didactic, Clandestine
Why 1937?The publication of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, introducing Gandalf.
Year of the Alien
1878 1890 1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 2034
Merits:Intelligent, Technophile, Diplomatic
Demerits:Suspicious, Secretive, Inscrutable
Why 1938?Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
Year of the Superhero
1879 1891 1903 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 2035
Merits:Selfless, Moral, Vigilant
Demerits:Condescending, Pious, Sanctimonious
Why 1939?The debut of Superman #1, the first superhero to have his own title.
Year of the Undead/Slayer
1880 1892 1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024 2036
Merits:Soulful, Transcendental, Knows value of all life
Demerits:Haunted, Tormented, Difficulty connecting to humanity
Why 1880?Tod Browning, director of the 1931 Dracula film, is born.
Year of the Pirate
1881 1893 1905 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025 2037
Merits:Natural leader, Bon viveur, Charismatic
Demerits:Restless, Quick to anger, Untrustworthy
Why 1881?Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island begins serialized publication.
Year of the Daikaiju
1882 1894 1906 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 2038
Merits:Center of attention, Big-hearted, Scientific
Demerits:Destructive, Lonely, Misunderstood
Why 1954?The first Godzilla film is released.
Year of the Time Traveler
1883 1895 1907 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 2039
Merits:Punctual, Perceptive, Cosmopolitan
Demerits:Regretful, Distracted, Chaotic
Why 1895?H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine is published.
Year of the Spy
1884 1896 1908 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040
Merits:Confident, Patriotic, Desenrascanço* adept
Demerits:Duplicitous, Selfish, Remorseless
Why 1908?Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond series, is born.
Year of the Astronaut
1885 1897 1909 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2041
Merits:Bold, Team-Oriented, Precise
Demerits:Untethered, Distant, Controlling
Why 1969?The year of the first lunar landing.
Year of the Ninja/Samurai**
1886 1898 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 2042
Merits:Loyal, Deferential, Level-headed
Demerits:Unemotional, Subservient, Violent
Why 1910?The birth year of director Akira Kurosawa, who brought us the films Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, among others.
Year of the Treasure Hunter
1887 1899 1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031 2043
Merits:Adventurous, Cultured, Quick thinker
Demerits:Greedy, Loner, Cavalier with laws/rules
Why 1935?The year of Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr.’s first cinematic adventure as depicted in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
*Desenrascanço (loosely translatable as “disentanglement”) is a Portuguese word used, in common language, to express an ability to solve a problem without having the knowledge or the adequate tools to do so, by use of imaginative resources or by applying knowledge to new situations.” – Wikipedia
**This is not to say that Ninja and Samurai are the same, only that they tend to appear around the same time and often in the same stories. And yes, Jedi Knight falls under this category (but depending on your reading, Han Solo would be either Pirate or Treasure Hunter).