# Who is the coolest science fiction TV/movie character of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696 "2003-12-30T04:04:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/1 "2003-12-30T04:04:52Z")
Here’s some nominees me and my wife came up with. I’m sure we left some out, since I left my handwritten list on the back of a Target receipt back at Olive Garden (yeah, In know, I’m a real fun date!): _ **THIS LIST IS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!** _ **Nada** played by Roddy Piper in “They Live”. One line says it all: “I came to chew bubble gum and kick ass…and I’m all out of bubble gum.” Unfortunately, like other wrestlers who tried to go Hollywood, Hot Rod’s suprisingly cool performance lead him right to clunkers such as “Terror in Tiny Town” an eventually, back to the mat. Guess Piper had some gum hiding under that skirt after all. Harrison Ford as **Han Solo**. What can we say except the wisecracking skipper of the Millennium Falcon oozes cool? _Points off: Falls in love and **ack** :eek: marries Princess Leah. Major wussy points, and have you seen Carrie Fisher lately?_ **Vacendak** , played by Mick Jagger in Freejack with Emilio Estevez and Rene Russo. Jagger is as cool as ice as a bounty hunter in this one. It’s a shame he never did more movies. Then again, how many parts are there for cool as ice as a bounty hunters? Billy Dee Williams schmoozes the silver screen as **Lando Carlissian** in the Empire Strikes back. This was one slick wheelin brother from another planet. _Points off: Stabs Han Solo at the end of ESB; but makes an effort to redeem himself in Return of the Jedi. Still . . . . not a guy I’d trust as my wingman at the local pick up bar._ **Zaphod Beeblebrox** , Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Two headed scoundrel President of the Milky Way Galaxy and babe magnet. This might be the coolest sci-fi character EVER. **Starbuck** from the ORIGINAL Battlestar Galactica. Gamblin, flirting, cigar smoking hustler . . . and an ace starfighter pilot to boot. What twelve year old boy DIDN’T want to be Starbuck in 1978? Wesley Snipes plays \*\* Simon Phoenix\*\* in Demolition man. Super hyper futuristic criminal. _Points off: The hair and threads, man, the hair and threads!!!_ **Dana Scully** from the X-Files. Hot, brainy, counterpart to ultradork Fox Mulder. She also looks like she could down a few shots with the boys too. \*\* Richard B. Riddick\*\* (Vin Diesel) in Pitch Black. If you saw this movie when it first came out, you knew Vin was going to be a star. He plays a “misunderstood” con who ends up on a planet of light phobic badass aliens. In other words, he crash lands at the Rebublican National Convention. **Ellen Ripley** , the Aliens movies. “Take that you bitch!” yells Sigourney Weaver as she blasts that mother of all lizards, and we knew she was one of the boys. Even her clones are cool, so you know you are on the list when even your DNA kicks ass. **Captain James T. Kirk**. Cheated on his Captains final exam, and gets all the intergalactic chicks. Forget about “brown sugar”- Jame T. has had green, blue, purple, whatever! Lord knows what diseases he picked up on the way however. That is one STD clinic that needs to be quranantined . . . from the next star system. **Morpheus** from The Matrix. _Points off: With his beer belly hanging out from his vest, Lawrence Fishburne looks too much like James Earl Jones in Reloaded. Marovingian outcools him, for godssake._ **Lex Luthor** , Smallville. _Points off: Enough whining about your daddy, all ready! Just take over the damn world!!!_ **Wolverine** from X-Men. Definitely a dude I’d want watching my back in a barfight. Not SCRATCHING my back, mind you . . but watching it! **Neo** from Matrix. Actually whether it be Keanu Reeves, Carrie Ann Moss or Lawrence Fishburne, how can you NOT look cool in that long leather jacket and sunglasses? **The Goose** from Mad Max. Bleached blonde adreneline junkie copper who got off whenever he crashed his motorcycle. Too bad he was unable to get off when he was burnt into a marshmallow by the evil biker gang. Some others: \*\* Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds\*\* from the short lived TV show “Firefly”. Rutger Hauer’s demented android \*\* Roy Batty\*\* from Blade Runner. \*\* Captain Steven “Steve” Hiller\*\* (Will Smith) in Independence Day. ---
**Author:** ![HomerIU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HomerIU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomerIU)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/2 "2003-12-30T04:15:46Z")
I vote for Q from Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/3 "2003-12-30T04:25:11Z")
“Ace” Rimmer from **Red Dwarf**. Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/4 "2003-12-30T04:29:18Z")
Q from Star Trek is a good candidate. It’s all about the approach. ---
**Author:** ![Mnem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mnem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnem)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/5 "2003-12-30T04:30:55Z")
Q is awesome, he gets even better in Voyager. I’ve always found Data from Star Trek to be a great character. He’s amusing, charming and you can’t help but like him. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/6 "2003-12-30T04:34:15Z")
Bender (from Futurama). He knows how to party. Jon ---
**Author:** ![hansolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@hansolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansolo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/7 "2003-12-30T04:46:18Z")
hands down for “coolness” not like OH THATS COOL! but, man hes COOL AS ICE. HAN SOLO. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/8 "2003-12-30T05:02:48Z")
Doctor Who… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/9 "2003-12-30T05:09:09Z")
Points to the OP for mentioning the Goose, but really, Max himself, specifically and only in _the Road Warrior_, gets my nod. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/10 "2003-12-30T05:09:11Z")
The Cat from Red Dwarf. He’s smooth with a capital smoo. ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/11 "2003-12-30T05:55:09Z")
I’ll buy Mad Max. But Goose is one step above in cool. We thought about Bender . . he’s the life of a the party, but in a buffoonish sorta way, so not “cool”. The same with Alf. None of the Doctors in Doctor Who were cool in any way. Lovable, magnetic, charming, yes, but not cool. Colin Baker may have been the closest to cool, and even he was El Dorkwad. None of the Masters were cool either, to be fair. Dr. Who, as a whole, just was not that cool. Great, but not cool. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/12 "2003-12-30T06:03:32Z")
Ah - but what do we define as “cool”? I must admit I am pleased to see all the Dwarf nominees, but because I am currently obsessed with **Andromeda** I’m going to vote for **Harper**. Anyone who can plug himself into a computer while coming up with that many witty comments deserves a vote. ---
**Author:** ![Flowerchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/858c86/32.png) [@Flowerchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flowerchild)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/13 "2003-12-30T06:08:55Z")
I may go to hell for saying this. Crow From mystery science theater 3000 (Well, anyone from that show really) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/14 "2003-12-30T07:08:12Z")
Coolest of all time? Not limited by having to be in movies/TV? Captain John Carter of Virginia Other cool ones: The Doctor Q Merlin Lazurus Long Beren Louis Wu Limiting to film/video: Q ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/15 "2003-12-30T07:29:01Z")
Snake Plisken from _Escape from New York_ Eric Draven from _The Crow_ ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/16 "2003-12-30T07:34:39Z")
**G’kar** from Babylon 5. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/17 "2003-12-30T07:59:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Odinoneeye \* > \*\*The Cat from Red Dwarf. > > He’s smooth with a capital smoo. \*\* Oh gosh, I absolutely _ **hate** _ that cat. I’d be a Red Dwarf fan if that damn cat wasn’t on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/18 "2003-12-30T12:52:30Z")
Spock towers over them all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/19 "2003-12-30T13:49:41Z")
Another vote for Louis Wu. Also Kim Possible. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696/20 "2003-12-30T13:53:32Z")
Well, in the movie version of FOTR, Aragorn is pretty dang cool in just about all his scenes. Didn’t Dr. Who have an Amazon sidekick for a couple seasons? I’ve forgotten her name but not her coolness. so the show did have a bit of cool. all for now [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-science-fiction-tv-movie-character-of-all-time/221696.md?page=2)