The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 21 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains
This a follow-up to an earlier post extracted from SciFiNow #39. You'll note the stark contrast in my personal choices than from those listed in the aforementioned magazine. This is the official The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 21 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains [originally planned to be The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 15 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains] according to the mind of a science fiction fanatic. This is a difficult list for anyone to winnow down to twenty-one. These lists have a tendency to move position so I wouldn't necessarily look at the choices chronologically, but a selection of favorites from across the spectrum. Let the villainy begin.
21. The Apes. Those damn, dirty apes made for some of the best cinema beginning in 1968. 
20. The Baltars: Count and Doctor [Battlestar Galactica Classic & New]. This is a twofer. John Colicos was indeed a vintage era 1970s villain for the classic original series of Battlestar Galactica and he was always terrific as Klingon Commander Kor in Star Trek: The Original Series and later Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Still, I have to tip my cap to the twitching, delicious wild card performance by James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar. Callis captured the screen with his work in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. 
19. The Xindi [Star Trek: Enterprise]. I enjoyed the much maligned Star Trek: Enterprise for many reasons. The fascinating race collective known as the Xindi made things very interesting in Star Trek: Enterprise Season Three. 
18. The Zygons [Doctor Who]. I should say Doctor Who is filled with an endless supply of terrific villains and could easily make a Top 20 list of their own. The Cybermen, Davros, The Daleks. The list goes on. The alien race that was The Zygons made just one appearance which is something of a surprise given the genuinely hideous and remarkable work provided in the creation of those stunningly designed creature costumes. The Zygons are my one entry in a nod to the best of Doctor Who villainy across the big pond. 
17. Smoke Monster [Lost]. The unpredictable Smoke Monster always had me on edge as survivors made their way across the island traipsing through the jungles of Lost. It was a truly nifty, simple and terrifying invention. It's one of the best CGI villains ever. I always prayed for the appearance of the Smonster! I suppose this is more a monster, but an intelligent one at that. 
16. The Smiths: Doctor and Agent [Lost In Space & The Matrix]. This is another twofer although less fair than my entry on the Baltars. Jonathan Harris was brilliant in the iconic role of Dr. Smith for three seasons of Lost In Space. There's simply no denying it. Not to mention Harris provided that wonderful voice to Lucifer in the original Battlestar Galactica. Meanwhile, later, Agent Smith was a truly worthy adversary across The Matrix trilogy. The wonderful Hugo Weaving proved to be just as magnificent for three films ironically bringing the virtual, relentless character to life. 
15. Aliens [Alien]. A sci-fi/ horror franchise villain to end all villains. Though I'm not sure how befitting of the word villain these instinctive monsters truly are. 
14. The Reavers [Firefly]. A terrific ongoing villain within the Firefly universe the cannibalistic Reavers truly shined next to other antagonists like The Alliance and the mysterious faction known as the Hands of Blue or Blue Gloves. The Reavers really took center stage in the film Serenity with one of the most thrilling and suspenseful sequences in the middle and end of the film. 
13. Klingons [Star Trek: The Original Series]. WAR! What is it good for?! Klingons! 
12. The Borg [Star Trek: The Next Generation]. One of the greatest Star Trek foes since the Klingons. 
11. Zoltar. Berg Katse [Battle Of The Planets]. Man or woman? As a child I was never sure and despite Zoltar's wicked ways there was something completely unnerving about that aspect of the villain... or villainess. 
10. The Shadows [Babylon 5]. As science fiction goes, J. Michael Straczynski's epic saga was at its best when it piled on the mythology surrounding the Shadows. The smiling Morden was the true face of evil as the herald for the Shadows. As the harbinger of doom, making deals with Morden was, in essence, making a deal with the devil himself. It was unsettling, terrifying stuff for science fiction. 
9. Sleestaks [Land Of The Lost]. Was there a more frightening villain to dog the lost Marshall, Will and Holly back to their cave hideaway? They still look amazing today and once upon a time they were the face of horror to young, unshaped minds across the globe always preceded by that hair-raising hiss. Yikes! Time for more Captain Crunch! 
8. Replicators [Stargate SG-1]. The nasty metallic version of the face hugger. 
7. Darth Vader [Star Wars]. Nuff said. 
6. The Replicants [Blade Runner]. Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah and company at their dark and misunderstood best. 
5. The Angels [Neon Genesis Evangelion]. again, smart monsters, but a relentless and formidable nemesis. 
4. The Wraith [Stargate Atlantis]. The malevolent race is a nasty and formidable opponent not just to the human race, but any creature with a heartbeat. 
3. Scorpius [Farscape]. A delicious creation for the world of villainy as embodied by actor Wayne Pygram who plays the character with relish. 
2. Stormtroopers [Star Wars]. 
1. Cylons [Battlestar Galactica Classic & New]. 
How on Earth do you miss Scorpius from any list? Please. Tell me. How? SciFiNow did in their list of classic villains for The 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains. It's certainly a nice alternative to this list. Farscape's contemplative Scorpius is a shining example of quiet, manipulating malevolence. I'm also good with Zombies [Resident Evil, The Walking Dead] and Satan or the devil [Millennium], but since those two villains cross so many amazing series I left them off the list. Additionally, I really wanted to include a few more options from the Star Trek universe like The Romulans, The Andorians, the Dominion or The Cardassians, but alas maybe this should have been a BIG 25. So there you have it, the vast quintessential BIG 21 from the mind of a sci-fi infected fanatic. That's it for now. Sorry to rush off, but I have a planet to destroy! Farewell. [Insert EVIL CACKLING LAUGHTER].
This a follow-up to an earlier post extracted from SciFiNow #39. You'll note the stark contrast in my personal choices than from those listed in the aforementioned magazine. This is the official The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 21 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains [originally planned to be The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 15 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains] according to the mind of a science fiction fanatic. This is a difficult list for anyone to winnow down to twenty-one. These lists have a tendency to move position so I wouldn't necessarily look at the choices chronologically, but a selection of favorites from across the spectrum. Let the villainy begin.
21. The Apes. Those damn, dirty apes made for some of the best cinema beginning in 1968. 
20. The Baltars: Count and Doctor [Battlestar Galactica Classic & New]. This is a twofer. John Colicos was indeed a vintage era 1970s villain for the classic original series of Battlestar Galactica and he was always terrific as Klingon Commander Kor in Star Trek: The Original Series and later Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Still, I have to tip my cap to the twitching, delicious wild card performance by James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar. Callis captured the screen with his work in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. 
19. The Xindi [Star Trek: Enterprise]. I enjoyed the much maligned Star Trek: Enterprise for many reasons. The fascinating race collective known as the Xindi made things very interesting in Star Trek: Enterprise Season Three. 
18. The Zygons [Doctor Who]. I should say Doctor Who is filled with an endless supply of terrific villains and could easily make a Top 20 list of their own. The Cybermen, Davros, The Daleks. The list goes on. The alien race that was The Zygons made just one appearance which is something of a surprise given the genuinely hideous and remarkable work provided in the creation of those stunningly designed creature costumes. The Zygons are my one entry in a nod to the best of Doctor Who villainy across the big pond. 
17. Smoke Monster [Lost]. The unpredictable Smoke Monster always had me on edge as survivors made their way across the island traipsing through the jungles of Lost. It was a truly nifty, simple and terrifying invention. It's one of the best CGI villains ever. I always prayed for the appearance of the Smonster! I suppose this is more a monster, but an intelligent one at that. 
16. The Smiths: Doctor and Agent [Lost In Space & The Matrix]. This is another twofer although less fair than my entry on the Baltars. Jonathan Harris was brilliant in the iconic role of Dr. Smith for three seasons of Lost In Space. There's simply no denying it. Not to mention Harris provided that wonderful voice to Lucifer in the original Battlestar Galactica. Meanwhile, later, Agent Smith was a truly worthy adversary across The Matrix trilogy. The wonderful Hugo Weaving proved to be just as magnificent for three films ironically bringing the virtual, relentless character to life. 
15. Aliens [Alien]. A sci-fi/ horror franchise villain to end all villains. Though I'm not sure how befitting of the word villain these instinctive monsters truly are. 
14. The Reavers [Firefly]. A terrific ongoing villain within the Firefly universe the cannibalistic Reavers truly shined next to other antagonists like The Alliance and the mysterious faction known as the Hands of Blue or Blue Gloves. The Reavers really took center stage in the film Serenity with one of the most thrilling and suspenseful sequences in the middle and end of the film. 
13. Klingons [Star Trek: The Original Series]. WAR! What is it good for?! Klingons! 
12. The Borg [Star Trek: The Next Generation]. One of the greatest Star Trek foes since the Klingons. 
11. Zoltar. Berg Katse [Battle Of The Planets]. Man or woman? As a child I was never sure and despite Zoltar's wicked ways there was something completely unnerving about that aspect of the villain... or villainess. 
10. The Shadows [Babylon 5]. As science fiction goes, J. Michael Straczynski's epic saga was at its best when it piled on the mythology surrounding the Shadows. The smiling Morden was the true face of evil as the herald for the Shadows. As the harbinger of doom, making deals with Morden was, in essence, making a deal with the devil himself. It was unsettling, terrifying stuff for science fiction. 
9. Sleestaks [Land Of The Lost]. Was there a more frightening villain to dog the lost Marshall, Will and Holly back to their cave hideaway? They still look amazing today and once upon a time they were the face of horror to young, unshaped minds across the globe always preceded by that hair-raising hiss. Yikes! Time for more Captain Crunch! 
8. Replicators [Stargate SG-1]. The nasty metallic version of the face hugger. 
7. Darth Vader [Star Wars]. Nuff said. 
6. The Replicants [Blade Runner]. Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah and company at their dark and misunderstood best. 
5. The Angels [Neon Genesis Evangelion]. again, smart monsters, but a relentless and formidable nemesis. 
4. The Wraith [Stargate Atlantis]. The malevolent race is a nasty and formidable opponent not just to the human race, but any creature with a heartbeat. 
3. Scorpius [Farscape]. A delicious creation for the world of villainy as embodied by actor Wayne Pygram who plays the character with relish. 
2. Stormtroopers [Star Wars]. 
1. Cylons [Battlestar Galactica Classic & New]. 
How on Earth do you miss Scorpius from any list? Please. Tell me. How? SciFiNow did in their list of classic villains for The 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Villains. It's certainly a nice alternative to this list. Farscape's contemplative Scorpius is a shining example of quiet, manipulating malevolence. I'm also good with Zombies [Resident Evil, The Walking Dead] and Satan or the devil [Millennium], but since those two villains cross so many amazing series I left them off the list. Additionally, I really wanted to include a few more options from the Star Trek universe like The Romulans, The Andorians, the Dominion or The Cardassians, but alas maybe this should have been a BIG 25. So there you have it, the vast quintessential BIG 21 from the mind of a sci-fi infected fanatic. That's it for now. Sorry to rush off, but I have a planet to destroy! Farewell. [Insert EVIL CACKLING LAUGHTER].
Good list my friend! Who's the dude on the beach? I'm not aqcuainted with that villain.
ReplyDeleteAgree about the villains from Battle Star Galactica, that blonde and the crazy doctor, I got to hate them with their mind games and their quiet calculating nature!
I was never much of a fan of the Sleestaks, specially not in the new film, to me they were pretty harmless. They never really did place much of a threat on the film. I guess as a child they certainly proved to be more frightening, I know I did when I watched the show in the 70's and 80's. Back when shows like these where something special.
I would add Q, a great villain, so entertaining just to hear him speak. He was always always so God like with all that power. Though I see why youd choose the Borg as a representation of some of the best Star Trek villainy. They are some of the best villains for sure, that drone like mentality is always frightening to me! Reminds me of religion.
Thanks Franco!
ReplyDeleteQ is a great choice.
Yeah, I refer strictly to the Sleestaks from the original TV series though I did use the film photo.
I have yet to see the film. I have been mostly advised against it. : )
I couldn't agree with you more. You really did come to hate those two on Battlestar in so many ways or love to hate.
That is Scorpius in the beach attire from Farscape.
Cheers my friend.
sff
Mr. Fanatic,
ReplyDeleteLong time no see again, but I keep appearing whenever you mention B5. :)
The Shadows were great. I'm in the middle of it now - rewatching all of B5 for the 19th time, this time with a twist - I am watching it with my fiancee. Yes, the one that loves "Gilmore Girls" and "Sex in the City" and snorts at anything sci-fi. I had to pull off a spectacular deal to make it happen. If you're interested, you can read about it on the babylon5 subreddit - http://reddit.com/r/babylon5 - the posts are named "The Rewatch", and you will find the older ones further down, newer towards the top. I'm "eventualperv" on there. Not an ambitious blogging project like your review was - just a small diary of my attempts to get her to see the greatness of B5. :)
Take care!
Hey H!
ReplyDeleteAlways great to hear from you.
The little one must be getting big.
The Shadows were just top shelf. What a creation.
I will definitely check your link out later.
Also, I still need to finish off some Babylon 5. Maybe in the near future. : )
Tell your fiancee good luck!
Cheers my friend
sff