I suppose this really is a matter of opinion and taste, but memorable quality is probably a good barometer, too. I had a lot of trouble narrowing the list, but I did end up coming up with a top 5. Granted, these are rather subjective, but I think most people would agree that, at the very least, they are memorable. 1. Lt. Cmdr. Data, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Data, to me, is the reason I became a scifi fan. His curious nature, his constant search for ways to be more human, his heroic qualities... just some of the things that made him so memorable and loved. And I do make the argument that he embodies all the qualities of a hero. It's amazing how a character who has no emotion can spark a wide variety of emotions in others... just like Riker said once. Brent Spiner did a phenomenal job of bringing to life what could have easily turned out to be a dull creation. 2. Elim Garak, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Plain, simple Garak is anything but plain and simple. One of the best characters to ever be made in the STSR TREK franchise, you never knew what to expect with him. His background was a mystery. He never told the whole truth. But you couldn't help but be sucked in by his nature. The time that cemented him as a memorable character? The end of "THE WIRE" in season 2, when Bashir comments on all the conflicting stories and lies, and Garak simply said they were all true, "Especially the lies." Absolutely brilliant portrayal by Andrew Robinson. 3. G'Kar, BABYLON 5 - Brilliantly acted by the late Andreas Katsulas, his character had enormous growth from the beginning of the show to the end. He went through virtually every emotional turning point a single person can go through. 4. Londo Mollari, BABYLON 5 - It's almost impossible to think of G'Kar without Londo in the same sentence. These two were joined at the hip in multiple ways, and were equally memorable. His arc was in some ways the exact inverse of G'Kar, but Peter Jurasik played him with such ability that he could not be anything but memorable. 5. Scorpius/Harvey, FARSCAPE - FARSCAPE was FILLED with brilliant characters, and it is so hard to pick one. But I just realized there isn't a villain on this list. In my view, Scorpius is perhaps the best villain ever made. He had the one quality that is absent in almost all great villains... patience. His plans were such a slow burn, and he played such a long game. But they paid off a lot. And Harvey, inside Crichton's head, was just as memorable, if not more so. Some of the best scenes in the series had him. Wayne Pygram was excellent in this role. What about everyone else? I'd love to see what you think are the greatest characters in scifi tv.
I agree about most of those. I found Scorpius a tad cliche. You have to include Spock on lists like this, it’s the law. My list would include: Data Dale Cooper Hugo Reyes Gaius Baltar Ben Linus The trouble with finding villains is they tend to get less screen time than the heroes on TV.
Agreed about Spock, but since I was trying to narrow it down to 5, I had to go with Data because he functions as TNG's Spock in many ways and he is the reason I became a scifi fan.
Also I wanted to include a woman. I think Seven and Starbuck would easily make my top ten. Maybe Kira.
Depends if robots count as being gendered, but yes. Also if Buffy counts as scifi and not fantasy, yes.
1: Rodney McKay=I lead that is a perfect blend of arrogance,humor,intelligence and decency. 2. Quark=Maybe the most lovable scumbag ever. 3. Scully=Smart and good at her job not a cliche action hero. 4 Kirk=Just so cool. 5 G'kar and Londo=They deserve to share the same spot. Maybe the greatest character evoultions were from them. As for Spock he is number 6. It was the logical place for him. Jason
G'Kar and Londo Mollari were among the best science fiction characters ever. The heated rivalry and eventual friendship between the two is one of those things that made B5 a great show. I do think that Dr Phlox from ENT is an underrated character within science fiction.
Kirk Spock Ahsoka The Orphan Black clones The Prisoner The other Number Sixes nuStarbuck Mulder and Scully Kolchak & others edit - e.g. Æon Flux
I'm gonna start with the military men: COMMANDER/ADMIRAL WILLIAM ADAMA (nuBSG): Possibly the best reboot of a character ever. All the gravitas of the original with an extra helping of badass. COMMODORE ROSS (Space: Above and Beyond): Because of the one time he threatened to make some recruit walk twelve plus light-years back to Earth to a specific music shop if he damaged his guitar. I laugh every time I think about that line. CAPTAIN JELLICOE (TNG): because Jellicoe is THE MAN. And he was played by Ronny Cox, who is also THE MAN. CAPTAIN BENJAMIN SISKO (DS9): The best captain of the TNG era. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER PIKE (The Cage): The best Trek captain. Period. Then on to the ladies: NUMBER ONE (The Cage): the best Trek first officer. Period. LIEUTENANT TASHA YAR (TNG): My favorite female character of season one. Killed by a talking oil slick because TNG's writers were fucking idiots. ENSIGN RO LAREN and MAJOR/COLONEL KIRA NERYS (TNG/DS9): Next to Number One, my favorite women in Trek, because they're both tough and smart as well as beautiful. LIEUTENANT/CAPTAIN SHANE VANSEN (Space: Above and Beyond): A fighter, a leader and a survivor, and simply one of the most compelling characters, male or female, in science fiction. I could go on, but I think I'll stick with just five ladies and five gents for now.
Men: James T. Kirk Jean Luc Picard Spock John Crichton Londo Molari Women: Samantha Carter Aeryn Sun Kira Nerys Dana Scully Ambassador Delen