Reader Top Ten Greatest Science Fiction Film Characters: Jeffrey Siniard of A Beachfront Cineaste

Jeffrey Siniard, the excellent writer and blogger at A Beachfront Cineaste, provides us our first reader list of the day.

Jeffrey writes:

“Here is my list for the top 10. In accordance with your point system (and unlike the films list), these have been ranked from first to last. The first two picks for me were easy, while the rest were much more difficult.”


1. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver): Alien. Even if Alien were her only appearance, Ripley is a fascinating character. We see her commitment to her job in refusing to allow entry to the landing party, combined with compassion for their predicament. She nearly falls to pieces under the stress, then gathers her composure and faces down monsters biological, mechanical, and corporate - and she never fails to show compassion or sympathy even when it would be in her best interests not to do so (rescuing Jones, checking on Parker and Lambert even knowing the Alien might be there, or even unplugging Ash). These qualities shine through in every situation Ripley faces, throughout the Alien Series. Ripley is not just a great science fiction character, but one of modern cinema's greatest heroes.

2. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer): Blade Runner. "More human than human" is the motto of the Tyrell Corporation, and it applies in Batty's case. Beyond the even the landmark special effects and production design, Batty is what endures in Blade Runner. He's everything that is great and terrible about humans in a 4 year package, showcasing tremendous maturity, intelligence, and compassion coupled with an almost childlike innocence, yearning, and rage. As Tyrell says: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly Roy."

3. Dr. Morbius / The Monster from the Id (Walter Pidgeon): Forbidden Planet. What's fascinating is how Morbius and his alter-ego are a representation of a human future so bound to technological innovation that it has split the logical intellectual and the emotional savage into distinct characters. You see Morbius emotional detachment in every interaction, even with his prized creations: daughter Altaira and Robby the Robot. He's always present and in control, even when frustrated. On the other hand, The Monster from the Id disappears and reappears at random, and when present, is never under control. 

4 (tie). James Kirk (William Shatner and Chris Pine) Star Trek. Shatner's Kirk goes from middle aged and still reckless in The Wrath of Khan to fully seasoned and mature beyond his years, enduring the loss of his friend and his ship along the way. When he accepts responsibility in The Voyage Home, there's a sense that he's really, truly owning his choices for the first time. Pine's Kirk matures similarly but much sooner in life, and there's a different kind of assured confidence from facing the worst case scenario without cheating that his Kirk takes to the captain's chair at the end of Star Trek Into Darkness.

4 (tie). Spock (Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto) Star Trek. Nimoy's Spock spends most of his late adult life coming to the realization that logic is only a means and not the end. What Nimoy portrays so eloquently is shown to us in a rawer form by Quinto, who hasn't gained the years of experience and insight which his older version had as a cushion, and you can see him almost at war between the logic he was raised to accept and the raging anger and loss that percolates beneath the surface.

6. Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) Planet of the Apes. What makes Zaius so captivating is his pure commitment to preserving Ape Society at whatever cost; including ignoring scientific truth, quashing religious freedom, and even destroying intelligent life. That he does so while radiating intelligence and charisma makes him all the more compelling... that he radiates intelligence and charisma and KNOWS he's correct about mankind is devastating.

7. Lieutenant Jean Rasczak (Michael Ironside): Starship Troopers. Paul Verhoeven's argument against Heinlein's worldview is weightless, unless he gives Heinlein's actual views some place in the story. Lt. Rasczak forcefully, intelligently, and charismatically embodies the virtues of Heinlein's worldview. You come to fully understand how and why Rasczak feels, thinks, and acts the way he does, even if you don't fully agree with him.

8. Mace (Chris Evans): Sunshine. Mace would be a tragic hero or villain in almost any other story, playing such a single minded and driven character. Mace, one of the great under-appreciated sci-fi heroes of recent vintage, is utterly selfless. He's willing to sacrifice his crew, his humanity (by killing Trey), and then himself while facing incredible suffering. His selfless devotion to humanity is the mirror image of Pinbacker's selfish devotion to God.

9. Centauri (Robert Preston) The Last Starfighter. Centauri is a con man and swindler who just happens to be the best recruiter in the galaxy. He's also like the black sheep uncle we all have in our family - the guy who you never invite over to watch your kids, the guy who's always playing the get rich quick scheme, and the guy you're never fully sure about until he steps in front of you to take a laser blast in the gut. 

10. David (Michael Fassbender) Prometheus. David is such an interesting character because while he aligns himself with other humans from time to time, he is almost always pursuing his own sense of freedom and truth - often without regards to the collateral damage it might cause. He comes off like a toddler in some instances, and like a super-intelligent superhuman in others. As some have pointed out, he's a true spiritual child to Peter Weyland's self-conception, that of Nietzche's "übermensch."

Although Prometheus met with a divided reaction (while I loved it through and through…), there is almost universal appreciation for the character of David, and Fassbender’s performance in the role.  Accordingly, tt’s great to see the character on a top ten tally.

I also love that old Centauri (Robert Preston) is represented on Jeffrey’s list.  Jeffrey’s description of him is perfect, and that character brings so much life and humor to The Last Starfighter (1984).

Dr. Morbius is also an intriguing and worthy choice, one of the science fiction cinema’s most tragic and brilliant villains, if that’s the right word to describe him.