10. Lieutennant Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica

An obvious knock off of Han Solo from the Star Wars trilogy, the ace Viper pilot Lt. Starbuck nonetheless is cool enough to make the list. Played by Dirk “Face from off of The A-Team” Bennedict in the grad tradition of Flash Gordon-esque swashbuckling sci fi heroes, the popularity of Starbuck apparently pissed Richard Hatch off, who felt that his character of Apollo was being sidelined to make room for more episodes starring Bennedict.

9. Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation

A bit of a controversial one here since there are those who think that Picard should be in the top spot on this list, but for my money, Picard’s in his rightful place at number nine. A man who would seemingly rather sit in his ready room and hold meetings rather than actually, yanno, *do* something, Picard has nonetheless negotiated his way into saving the universe a couple times and for that he is worthy of inclusion.

8. The T-800 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day

The only character on this list to have been both the baddie and the goodie, Schwarzenegger’s heroic T-800 from T2 has become a pop cultural icon and one of the most parodied characters in cinema history. After fighting on the side of Skynet in the first movie, the Austrian Oak returned, reprogrammed and fighting the good fight in the sequel.

7. Flash Gordon

dumdumdumdumdumdumdum FLASH! Ah-ahhhh! He’ll save every one us! Well, he’s been saving every one of us in books, comics, radio, TV shows, and movies since 1934 and it doesn’t look like he’s planning to stop any time soon. Created by Alex Raymond (one of the most underrated and unappreciated men in comics history) the “saviour of the universe” has been battling the forces of Emperor Ming in every form of media and Freddie Mercury was not using hyperbole when he described Flash as “king of the impossible.”

6. Han Solo from Star Wars

The role that made Harrison Ford a star. Be honest, who hasn’t wanted to be Han Solo at some point in their life? The coolest guy ever to wear a waistcoat and buddies with a death dealing walking carpet, the cocky smuggler Han Solo is undoubtedly the best character in Star Wars. He’s at his best in A New Hope when he’s arrogant, wisecracking and absolutley 100% uninterested in the Rebellion’s cause. His character becomes watered down the more into the rebellion he gets, but he still maintains that smuggler cool, even when he’s being upstaged by Ewoks.

5. Mr. Spock from Star Trek

Flawlessly logical and endlessly cool (in the “as a cucumber” sense of the word) the half Vulcan-half human Mr. Spock was Captain Kirk’s second-in-command and right-hand-man. Acting as a calm and rational counterpoint to the passion and emotion of Kirk and Dr. McCoy, Spock was absolutley invaluable to both the fictional sucess of the Enterprise’s missions and the very real sucess of Star Trek.

4. Luke Skywalker from Star Wars

He was never as cool as Han Solo, but from a heroic standpoint Luke places higher than Han. The son of Darth Vader and brother of Princess Leia, Luke’s journey from simple farmboy to Jedi Knight is – despite what Lucas might say about Vader and/or the droids – the true story being told in the original Star Wars trilogy. The real trick Lucas played with Luke was casting Mark Hamill, an actor capable of going from gormless boy to mature and confident man. Whether he’s destroying the Death Star in ANH, trying to save his friends in TESB or redeeming his father in ROTJ, Luke is the real hero in the Star Wars trilogy.

3. Superman

Some of his powers and adventures might be more fantasy than science fiction, but his origin is pure scifi. The last son of Krypton, sent to earth from his dying home planet as a child in a rocketship built by his scientist father, Superman has saved his adoptive home – not to mention the entire universe – on occasions innumerable. Constantly threatened by evil geniuses, mechanical robots, giant apes and interdimensional tricksters, Superman also has to face some very human problems such as dealing with his boss, his pushy girlfriend and his nerdish friends. Known as the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow and, ocassionaly, the Metropolis Marvel, Superman is not only comic’s greatest hero, but also one of science fiction’s.

2. Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek

Every so often a character and an actor become so inextricably linked that it’s impossible for any other actor to play the role. Chris Pine learned this the hard way when he tried to essay the role of Jim Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek reboot. Now and forever, Captain Kirk and William Shatner are all but one and the same. Kirk is the classic image of the authoritarian who’s not afraid to play by his own rules when the going gets tough. Captain, of course, of the USS Enterprise, Kirk has saved the galaxy more times than I’ve had hot dinners.

1. The Doctor from Dr. Who

If Captain Kirk is the epitome of a sci fi hero in a uniform, then the Doctor is the ultimate sci fi renegade. The Gallifreyan Time Lord has probably saved the universe more times than anyone, and yet can be a bit of a bastard himself – stealing the TARDIS, almost strangling his companion Peri, frequently losing his temper and being guilty of some shocking wardrobe choices. Played by eleven actors (so far) – Peter Davidson, Matt Smith, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee being some of my favorites – my all time favorite Doctor however is Colin Baker. Sadly Baker was never given much of a chance in the role (Timothy Dalton comes to mind) and the scripts he was given let him down somewhat, but he was brilliant in the role, pitching his performance somewhere between the grumpiness of Hartnel, the quirkiness of Tom Baker and the nice-guy-ness of Davidson. In any case, the character of the Doctor is without question science fiction’s greatest hero and one of its most beloved characters.

Whether we’re being attacked by Ming the Merciless, the Cybermen, the Klingons or Lex Luthor, we can always count one of of these guys to save the day. This list could easily have been a top twenty, so whittling it down to just ten wasn’t easy. Annoyed that I’ve missed out one of your favorites? Let me know your thoughts below. End transmission.

10. BUCK ROGERS

First introduced in 1928, Buck Rogers is the space exploring hero that almost every boy who ever marvelled at the stars wishes he could grow up to be. Perpetually jetpacked and perpetually packing a ray gun, Buck Rogers, 20th century pilot transported to the 25th century was the inspiration for almost every space-age character that followed. After a movie serial in 1939 and a short lived TV show in the fifties, Buck eventually rode the crest of the “Star Wars” wave to another TV show in the seventies. Ironic considering that without Buck Rogers, “Star Wars” wouldn’t have existed.

9. THE GREEN HORNET

Another pulp hero resurrected for TV piggypacking on the popularity of something else (in this case the 1966 Batman series), the Green Hornet and his Asian sidekick Kato fought crime as masked vigilantes by night and masqueraded as a newspaper magnate and his valet by day. Created in 1936, the Green Hornet was made into a TV show in the sixties with a young Bruce Lee as Kato. Despite the popularity of the character, the Green Hornet has slipped into obscurity somewhat in recent years, but a planned movie for this year should remedy that. Cool car, too.

8. ZORRO

One of the earliest characters on our list, Zorro was created in 1919 in the pulp novel “The Curse of Capistrano” and has been a fixture in pop culture ever since. The classic silent movie starring Douglas Fairbanks and it’s even more classic remake starring Tyrone Power and the great Basil Rathbone are both great swashbuckling adventures, but the recent movies with Antonio Banderas in the title role brought Zorro back into the public eye. Interestingly, Zorro seems to be an inspiration for Superman in Zorro’s alter ego Deigo de la Vega is a weakling and coward (or, he pretends to be), much in the same way that Clark Kent is. Altogether now: Out of the night, when the full moon is bright, comes the horseman known as Zorro!”

7. TARZAN

Another ridiculously old character Tarzan of the Apes was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912 and is probably best known through the series of movies starring Johnny Weismuller as the titular apeman. The son of a British nobleman who was raised by apes in darkest Africa, Tarzan is a character who speaks to the anamilistic instinct in all of us. One of the most influenctial heroic characters in fiction, the “Lord of the Jungle” trope has been used by novellists, filmmakers and comic book writers, indeed a Tarzan clone named Ka-Zar currently stalks the jungles of the Marvel comics universe. The original books have come under some fire of late due to the treatment of African natives, but taken in to context of the time the books were written they’re still massivley enjoyable peices of pulp. Also worth reading is Phillip Jose Farmer’s excellent “Tarzan Alive.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHWbsvgQUE

6. MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN

Depending on your definition of “superhero,” Mandrake the Magician, created in 1934, may have been comics’ first superhero. Certainly he is one of the first. Created by comics genius Lee Falk, Mandrake is another character who is all but unknown today. People of my age and slightly younger may remember him as one of the “Defenders of the Earth” in the cartoon of that name, but with no recent media apperances he has been forgotten. Which is a shame because he is an incredibly interesting character. Using superhumanly fast hypnotic powers, Mandrake (and his African sidekick Lothar) fought mad scientists, aliens, mobsters and giant robots by creating illusions to trick them into traps or by causing himself to appear and disapear at key moments during the villain’s plans. An obvious inspiration for any number of later superheroes, Mandrake is an important part of comics history.

5. CONAN THE BARBARIAN

“Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.” That’s how Conan’s creator Robert E. Howard first described Conan in1932 and it’s a description that’s yet to be bettered. The first of a long line of barbarian heroes, Conan was first introduced in the pulp magazine Wierd Tales and he has been in the public eye almost constantly ever since. From those original tales to great Marvel comics of the seventies to the films starring Arnold Swarzanegger to the current Dark Horse comic series, Conan is another character that appeals to our savage, animalistic instincts. From the mythical land of Hyboria, Conan has fought and won battles with giants and monsters, has sailed with pirates, has conquered cities and has even worn the crown of a king. Incidentally, US President Barack Obama is a Conan fan and has a pretty impressive collection of Conan comics.

4. THE PHANTOM

Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that the above image has a caption reading “by Lee Falk author of Mandrake.” More than Seigel and Shuster, more than Stan Lee, I think Lee Falk is the single most influencial man in comics history. Those who don’t accept Mandrake as the first superhero invariably accept the Phantom as the first and either way Lee Falk was the creator of the character. The Phantom, created in 1936, is known as “The Ghost Who Walks” – and with good reason: he seems to be immortal. In fact, the mantle of the Phantom is passed on from father to son and in this way the Phantom has been fighting crime since 1536. The current Phantom, Kit Walker, was another member of the “Defenders of the Earth” and the subject of two movie serials in the forties and fifties and a film starring Billy Zane in 1996. It’s not a masterpeice, but it is a fun movie and well worth a look.

3. FLASH GORDON

dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum FLASH! AH-AAAAH! HE’LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US! He’s been saving every one of us since 1934 and he’s the ultimate space hero, Flash Gordon was created by Alex Raymond and has enjoyed a long media career including three forties serials with Buster Crabbe, several live action TV shows and animated series including “Defenders of the Earth,” the classic 1980 movie with Sam Jones and, most recently, a Sci-Fi channel “reimagining.” Flash and his archnemesis Ming the Mercliess, are two of the most famous and influential characters in both comics and science fiction, just ask George Lucas who, when he couldn’t secure the rights to the Flash Gordon stories, changed the names around and called it “Star Wars.”

2. DICK TRACY

The square jawed detective with a rouge’s gallery the likes of which Batman could only dream, Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy investigated his first case in 1931. Initially relativley serious (it could be argued that Chester Gould was the inventor of the “police procedure” genre), the series became more light hearted in tone with the intorduction of Dick Tracy’s now legendary villains inclufding Flattop Jones, Lips Manlis, Mumbles, Pruneface and of course, Tracy’s archnemesis Al “Big Boy” Caprice. Despite the more comedic villains, Tracy remained staunchly conservative in his views on law enforcement. Like other characters who were first introduced in the pulps or on the funny pages, Dick Tracy has had a varied media career appearing in several films with Ralph Byrd and Morgan Conway as Tracy, a TV series starring Byrd, a now infamous cartoon series and the 1990 feature film starring Warren Beatty (which, like “The Phantom” is better than you might have heard.) Dick Tracy can still be found on the comics pages of US newspapers, making him one of the longest running characters in comics.

1. THE SHADOW

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” Created in 1930 by Walter Gibson the Shadow is one of the most influential characters in fiction – so much so that Bob Kane “borrowed” wholesale from the Shadow books and radio dramas when he created Batman. Socialite and man-about-town Lamont Cranston by day, mysterious crime fighter with the “power to cloud men’s minds” by night, the Shadow is number one on our list of pulp heroes. With a media career spanning radio, books, comics and film the Shadow is the prototypical “Dark Knight” superhero – sticking to the shadows, covering his face and not exactly “by the book” in his methods of crime fighting. Like Dick Tracy and the Phantom the live action film based on the character is better than it’s reputation and is an obvious influence on “Batman Begins.” The Shadow also inspired the character Darkman who was created by Sam Raimi when he couldn’t secure the rights to the Shadow (shades of Lucas and Flash Gordon.) Rumor has it the Shadow is going to stalk the screen once more in an upcoming remake of the film, but is there any truth in rumors? Only the Shadow knows!

So there ya go. If you’ve never heard of some of these guys I hope you’ll hunt them down and check them out – especially if you’re a fan of the comic book characters they inspired. As always, post comments if you have any. End transmission.