10. Dr. Frankenstein

Towering over science fiction's many characters is Dr. Victor (sometimes Henry) Frankenstein. He is the genre's pure example of that combination of conceitedness, brilliance, and lack of concern for consequences that makes up almost every mad scientist in print or film. Single-mindedly obsessed with creating life, Dr. Frankenstein is heedless of what the consequences of such an act would be or what the creation itself might think. The good doctor has been played by many different actors, but the portrayals of him by Colin Clive and Peter Cushing remain the best. While the performances vary greatly in style, they do have one thing in common: the willingness to go to absolutely any length to prove his own theories.

9. John Connor

It is no coincidence that Terminator franchise star John Connor shares his initials with Jesus Christ because Connor is the savior of the human race in a post-apocalyptic world. Though in the first film Connor was only mentioned, he was a vital piece of the franchise from its very inception. Throughout the Terminator films, viewers have watched the rise of John Connor from frightened teenager afraid of his destiny (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) to his eventual role as leader of the resistance (Terminator Salvation). Connor’s strength, courage, and determination demonstrated in these films have made him a truly exceptional science fiction character.

8. Malcolm Reynolds

Macolm Reynolds, commonly called “Mal” by his crew, is the quick-witted captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity, in the film named after his ship and based off the cult hit television series Firefly, to which the film serves as a final episode. Written and acted to perfection by Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion respectively, Mal not only has a great one-liner loaded and ready at all times, he also always has a trick up his sleeve as well as the knowhow to get his crew through the toughest situations.

This is also a character with flaws, though, and that makes him even more fun to watch. Every now and then, he’ll spout a witticism that doesn’t quite work. See the following exchange, for example:

Mal: Do you want to run this ship?!

Jayne (crew member): Yes!

Mal: Well … you can’t.

There are also moments when Mal’s plans don’t quite work out, making it fortunate that he has such a (mostly) loyal crew. All of these things make the character human and fully enjoyable to watch. A true space cowboy, in a more literal sense than science fiction has brought us yet.

7. Dr. Manhattan

Dr. Manhattan is the god-like superman from the comic book-adapted film Watchmen, originally conceived by the legendary Alan Moore. After being accidentally vaporized in an Intrinsic Field Subtractor, Dr. Jon Osterman uncannily and half-voluntarily reassembled himself over a period of two months. He reemerged as a blue-skinned being literally capable of almost anything imaginable. He can duplicate, triplicate, and presumably any-number-prefix-icate himself; he exists unbound by time, effectively able to see his future; he can take on any size or form; he can disassemble and manipulate matter with a mere thought; and he can teleport himself and others at will.

The character presents an extremely interesting view of the world, a viewpoint from which all events in time can plainly be seen and from which all life is merely a complex construction of molecules, hardly any different from inanimate objects. “A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles,” he says at one point. “Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts.” That is a point we would all like to argue with him … but how? The mere concept of Dr. Manhattan forces us to reconsider our understanding of the world.

6. Mr. Spock

In the 1960s, the image of aliens on film and TV was almost always one of something fearful and dangerous. With the exception of Klaatu from The Day the Earth Stood Still, aliens were always trying to conquer or possess us. Spock, and Star Trek, changed that forever. This alien was working peacefully with humans to explore the galaxy. He also had full control over his emotions, immense intelligence and strength, and those amazing pointed ears! Always the voice of logic, Spock had the unique ability to detach himself from even situations that he would be directly impacted by (see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), in order to serve “the needs of the many” over “the needs of the few.” His best friend, Captain Kirk, once called him the most "human" soul that he had ever encountered, and his friendly rival Dr. McCoy secretly admired him as well. Played brilliantly by Leonard Nimoy (and recently by Zachary Quinto), Spock, after over forty years, is still Star Trek's signature character.

5. Darth Vader

Darth Vader, from the Star Wars films, lived one of the most storied lives of any science fiction character ever. Born as Anakin Skywalker, he was destined to be a great Jedi from the beginning. As a boy he pledged to be a benevolent warrior, but as a teenager, knowing how powerful he was, Anakin proved to be quite the arrogant Padawan (Jedi student), and when his life began turning for the worse, beginning with the murder of his mother, Shmi, he began walking the path of fear and anger that inevitably leads to the Dark side.

This path took him all the way to a duel with his former master, Obi Wan Kenobi, and ultimately resulted violently with the loss of most of his body. It was at this point that he dawned his iconic black life support armor, fully embraced his hatred, and became the massively powerful Dark Jedi known to as Darth Vader. As Darth Vader, he set out under the evil (even more so) Emperor Palpatine, his new Jedi master, to conquer and rule the galaxy with an iron fist, perfectly willing even to destroy entire planets to instill fear in those who might resist. It would take an even more powerful Jedi, his long-lost son, to find the good within him and lead him to redemption. His story is an example of how unchecked anger can turn one evil and how, even after a lifetime of evil, anyone has the ability to turn back and become good once again.

4. Ripley

She’s the baddest female of them all. Ripley, the star of every film in the Alien franchise, is a character powerful in both strength and will. She fought off the most vicious creature the human race has ever encountered in Alien, she fought off hordes of them in the first sequel, and she kept up the act in the following installments. She even fought one-on-one with a queen alien, never once betraying a hint of fear. At the same time, thanks to Sigourney Weaver’s acting, she does not come across as “macho” and always retains a distinct, motherly femininity. That’s saying something when you’re blowing away born killing machines with flamethrowers and machine guns.

3. Han Solo

In 1977 a young Harrison Ford brought the cocky pilot-for-hire Han Solo to life in Star Wars. Compared to Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Princess Leia, Han was a down-to-earth hero who was far from perfect. He was much more concerned with a large reward than ridding the galaxy of the Empire, and he had what was for a time a rather explosive relationship with the Princess. However, he had a great sense of humor, grew to be loyal to Luke and Leia, and helped them out of one jam after another. One of his most enduring legacies may be how much he influenced later characters in both science fiction and other genres (including one of the characters on this list, Malcolm Reynolds). There is sure to never be a shortage of sci-fi characters modeled after the swaggering smuggler captain of the Millennium Falcon.

2. Captain Kirk

Confident, outgoing, a ladies' man, occasionally arrogant, always loyal and brave, these are just some of the words that apply to James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek TV series and films. Jim Kirk was a person who, it seemed, could enter a world dominated by war for centuries and establish justice with little more than a stirring speech. Furthermore, he was a man who would risk everything to save his friends. His true love was his ship and its crew, and he always did everything he could do to protect them. William Shatner played Kirk inimitably, and recently Chris Pine has filled his shoes quite well. While the Enterprise has had other captains, and Star Trek has had other important leaders, none have ever made such a large and unforgettable impression as the original Captain.

1. Luke Skywalker

There are those who would place Han Solo in the number one spot of a list such as this, but, for all the charm that scruffy nerf herder possesses, in our eyes his character is beat out by Star Wars’ manifestation of hope and goodness. Luke Skywalker is at once modern and archetypal, a farm boy with big dreams who gets caught up in a battle for freedom spanning an entire galaxy. Luke goes through an amazing maturation in the original trilogy, and, though he was clearly destined for great things, the responsibility with which he accepts his lot is inspiring. It is because of Luke that peace and order was restored to an entire galaxy. How can you top that?