Reader Top Ten Greatest Science Fiction Film Characters: Cannon

Reader and writer Cannon today offers his selections for the top ten science fiction film characters. He uses dialogue from the films in question to describe the characters, which is a pretty neat approach, if you ask me.

Here's Cannon:

1. R.J. MacReady – Simply put, MacReady is me. I relate to the guy. I AM that guy ...occasionally. MacReady is a loner and outsider who doesn't want anything to do with society/humanity at large. That's why he's out there on the Antarctic ice, half a world away from anywhere, residing in his shack with a bottle of Scotch whiskey and a computer Chess Wizard as his only company. I also dig how he finds the most elegant solutions to unsolvable problems: when said computer beats him fair and square, he pours his drink into its hard drive; when a giant space monster crashes up through the floor board, he responds, "Yeah, fuck you too!"before throwing a stick of dynamite. In the end, when left to his own doom -- when the darkness closes in -- MacReady faces it with the indifference of a guy who's had a rough day at work.

2. Ellen Ripley – "This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off."

3. Allan Grant – "The point is, you are alive when they start to eat you."

4. Dredd – "She’s a pass."

5. James T. Kirk – "What does God need with a starship?"

6. Mr. Spock – "The sensor. It must contain some special meaning. I must try to mind-meld with it."

7. T-800 – "Sarah Connor?"

8. Otto Maddox – "Excuse me while I fold my pants."  

9. Rick Deckard – "Enhance fifteen to twenty-three ...give me a hard copy right there."

10. Kenneth Calloway – "My calibrations are flippin' pinpoint, okay?"

On a personal note, I'm thrilled to see Dredd on the list, as well as the T-800, both cinematic bad-asses.  

The same could be said to be true for MacReady, a character who was on my mind as I composed my own list..