The venerable UK sci-fi magazine SFX is celebrating their 200th issue with a countdown of the top 200 sci-fi and fantasy characters based on polling from the magazine readers. They have released Top 20 polls in a number of categories, with Star Trek’s Mr. Spock coming out on top in the Favorite Alien list, but Captain Kirk is only 12th in the favorite hero list? More details below.
Spock the alien winner but Kirk not even in top 10 hero?
The poll of 6,000 readers from SFX breaks the top 200 sci-fi and fantasy characters into 10 categories, each with a top 20. Trek is applicable to six of the categories and comes out on top in one. Here is a breakdown of the categories applicable to Trek with the winners and highest ranked Trek character.
- Favorite Robot: R2-D2 (Star Wars) – the top Trek entry: Cmdr Data (TNG) at #2
- Favorite Monster: Daleks (Dr Who) – top Trek entry: The Borg (TNG) at #11
- Favorite Alien: Mr. Spock (Star Trek) – 2nd top Trek entry: Elim Garak (DS9) at #8
- Favorite Sage: Rupert Giles (Buffy) – Top Trek entry: Guinnan (TNG) at #17
- Favorite Villain: The Master (Dr Who) – Top Trek entry: Khan (Wrath of Khan) at #9
- Favorite Hero: The Doctor (Dr Who) – Top Trek entry: Capt. Kirk (Star Trek) at #12
The results are interesting and it is nice to see Mr. Spock, Garak and others on the list get the votes (click the links to see even more Trek characters on the lists). It is true that you can certainly see a bit of UK bias in the results, but then again SFX is a UK mag. However, the Favorite Hero poll is most curious, here are the full results with Trek entries bolded:
FAVORITE HERO
1 The Doctor (Doctor Who)
2 Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Firefly)
3 Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
4 Miles Vorkosigan (Miles Vorkosigan books)
5 Ianto Jones (Torchwood)
6 John Crichton (Farscape)
7 Han Solo (Star Wars)
8 Samuel Vimes (Discworld)
9 Indiana Jones (The Indiana Jones movies)
10 Wesley Wyndham-Pryce (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel)
11 Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who, Torchwood)
12 James T Kirk (Star Trek)
13 Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
14 Fox Mulder (The X-Files)
15 Sam Winchester (Supernatural)
16 Bill Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
17 Sam Beckett (Quantum Leap)
18 Sam Tyler (Life On Mars)
19 Number Six (The Prisoner)
20 Leonard McCoy (Star Trek)
Han Solo beating Kirk, I can see that happen sure. And with Kirk and Picard splitting the Trek vote, it is hard to compete against ‘The Doctor’ (who is one character with many actor incarnations). But who the hell is Miles Vorkosigan? I demand a recount. Go to www.sfx.co.uk for the full results.
Vote Spock 2010
SFX is now holding voting online for the ultimate Sci-Fi and Fantasy character, choosing from the winners of each category. So that means Spock is going up against The Doctor, R2 D2 and the rest of them. Show your Trek love by voting for Mr. Spock at sfx.co.uk.
Vote Spock!
In my humble opinion (except for Spock, that is) the voters are off their collective rockers.
Of course Han Solo will beat Kirk,,,
Hans not very diplomatic and will shoot first !
Can’t believe Captain Kirk is all the way down at #12. And where is Captain Sisko? Gul Dukat? If Garak is on the list of ‘best alien’, Sisko and Dukat should be on the ‘best hero’ and ‘best villain’ list, respectively.
I like the fact that Data is #2 behind R2 D2. Nice to see Khan, the Borg and Guinan get some recognition, though I would have slotted them higher.
And its nice to see Dr.McCoy get some recognition as well. Too many times, when magazines mention TOS, they talk about Kirk and Spock, while forgetting about McCoy.
The Doctor? Really? Anthony, let’s do our own poll
What no Jack O’Neill or Teal’c? A travesty of justice I say!
Were any B5 characters in the list?
Well I agree it’s nice to see “Bones” up there but come on!! 3 & 4 *have* to be a joke! Seriously?
As for the vampires, “Angel AND Spike” would tie it for me!
*LOL* But what a hoot that John Crichton “Farscape” beat Hans Solo in “Star Wars!” Ohh! I love that one!!! =)
Nice to see Mal Reynolds on the list! And on 2nd even.
He’s way cooler than Capt Kirk.
Why the F#@% is Ianto Jones at number 5, ahead not only of Kirk and Picard but Capt. Jack? Clearly this audience for this poll preferred their heroes with an English accent.
Exactly, CJS (#10). Ianto? Ianto? Really? Most illogical.
I’m a bit confused. The favorite alien is listed here as “Mr. Spock (TOS)” which makes it pretty clear it is Nimoy’s Spock in the original series. But the entries for the heroes Kirk and McCoy don’t make it clear which versions were represented?
May be the UK source article clears this up?
Topher Brink as #2 favourite sage? Who the heck is he? I can see that this poll was invaded and occupied by Whedon enthusiasts.
@10 Ianto Jones is actually Welsh not English :-)
RE: TOS
well actually SFX use “Spock (Star Trek)” but they also use Nimoy’s picture. But like “The Doctor” the vote is for the character, not a specific incarnation. but if it is really all that confusing i will change TOS to ‘star trek’
Get back to us when an American pole is taken.
@2
Kirk once stated, he’s a soldier, not a Diplomat. I go with Kirk any day.
It’s really no surprise Doctor Who takes the #1 spot in a UK magazine. Under British law, if one of the Queen’s subjects doesn’t vote for the Doctor in a sci-fi poll, Prince Charles will come to your home and stick his feet in your shepherd’s pie (which ironically has been known to improve the flavor).
Just a little known fact.
Kirk for sure. Sisko deserves to be on there too though.
Garak is the best alien ever. Hell, he’s my favorite Star Trek character period. Other than McCoy. But you know.
What!! no Predator. C’mon. He’s my hero.
This is a Brit poll and skewed to the Dr. Who nonsense. The poll is bollocks.
SPOCK and KIRK ……EVER !!!!!
Theres a good reason The Doctor is #1… Its a British Site, and The Doctor is a british science fiction character, who is only now becoming popular in North America.
Had this poll been made aware of to a North American audience, the picks would have been much much different
As the article points out, it’s a UK poll, so I can only take the results so seriously since clearly they have a preferential bias, though it is nice to see Spock come out on top in spite of that bias.
The Doctor is perfectly understandable as #1. But the fact that a main character off ‘Supernatural’ made the list over Kirk, Picard, Bones, Han Solo, Indiana Jones, etc, etc, automatically makes this poll null and void for me… seriously. I’m surprised there’s no Jacob or Edward on there, if you’re going to go the eye candy route.
Their top two would probably be my top two as well, though my mind screams at the notion of choosing one over another.
Sam Vimes and Han Solo are another close pair … I might edge Vimes over Solo just a tad, and push ’em both closer to the top …
Number Six would probably be my #3 pick a few years ago, but like Kirk, his awesomeness has recently been stained by a cheap re-imagining.
So Leonard McCoy would edge him out; I’d bump him up sixteen or seventeen spaces :)
And then, of course, there’d be all those heroes that aren’t on this list at all, edging out most of them that are (but I still agree with their top 2).
#15.
Thanks for the answer, Anthony. I figured someone here would know it and answer faster than it would take me to dig this out of that site:
“(And remember, you are voting for the characters AS A WHOLE, in all their various incarnations, not just, for example, Matt Smith as Doctor Who or Christopher Lee as Dracula – the pics are just there as a guide and to stop the page looking dull.)”
#26.
What does your mind do at the notion that only the top one is in contention for the favorite character of all time?
The British also have bad teeth, what would they know about heroes?
James T. Kirk is the greatest #1 hero!
Maybe Kirk was #2 or #3 until Nu-Kirk’s douchebaggery kicked him down the list? :P
#29
Bad teeth, maybe, but many a hero and legend has walked that island—King Arthur, Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart, Guy Fawkes (well, arguably an anti-hero), Winston Churchill, Eric Clapton, John Cleese, etc., etc…
UK Survey… that’s why…
Interesting they picked that annoying Buck Rogers robot over Gort. At least Robot B-9 faired better…
We can take some solace in that Guinan is #17 on the list of favourite sage – and Yoda didn’t make the cut! Guinan before Yoda; didn’t think that would happen.
Top Heroes In Sci-Fi:
1- ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN STAR TREK
imho
IANTO is #5 and JAMES T. KIRK, the Sci-Fi hero, is #12?!?!?!? You’ve got to be fracking kidding me!!!!!!!!! KIDS TODAY!!!!!!!!!
EDIT: JAMES T. KIRK, the Sci-Fi hero ARCHETYPE…
#28: ” What does your mind do at the notion that only the top one is in contention for the favorite character of all time?”
My mind is content to blame FOX :)
#35: Dude, some of us still start lip-quivering and sniffling just barely beginning to remember what happened to poor Ianto :( Sympathy vote, man!
Spock is a unique creation. Kirk is a conventional leading man transplanted to a unique setting. In many ways Spock is Star Trek even if no other elements are present. Kirk in isolation is William Shatner playing a hero, which is not unique to Star Trek.
This article should be renamed to: UK Poll
I know very few ppl on this side of the Atlantic (Canada, particularly) that have the slighest clue what Dr. Who is
“Wasn’t that a James Bond movie?”
The article states that this is a poll based in the UK.
I don’t see why there has to be a whole lot of racial bashing here…
Well, here in the States Dr. Who is known thanks to PBS and BBC-America, but he doesn’t nearly have the following like in the UK. My dad, a red, white & blue Oklahoma cowboy, sometimes talks fondly of watching Dr. Who and Benny Hill on PBS in the ’70s, but, of course, he’s a much bigger Star Trek fan, having watched it since ’66.
Yep, I’m afraid there is a large streak of snobbery against Star Trek still here in the UK. Even after all these years I still expect some ribbing when I hold my hand up to being a Trek fan.
uite how that explains Spock coming in first though I’m not too sure!
#29 its good that you don’t fall back on ancient stereotypes. Perhaps the glint off your ridiculosly white teeth is blinding you to reality.
#41
I don’t think the people of the UK would be considered a race. I’d say it’s more like nation-bashing going on around here, though I’m sure the British people could never be accused of doing the same (nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more…)
#42. Vultan
>>Well, here in the States Dr. Who is known thanks to PBS and BBC-America<<
You forgot the SyFy Channel, formerly back then the Sci Fi Channel, which aired its first few seasons before it ended up at BBCA, where it now airs in a much more timely fashion compared to when they get to see the new eps in the UK, and when we used to get to see it in contrast when it was airing on SFC instead (the airing gap was considerably larger back then).
lol Loving all the ‘its a UK poll’ arguments…that’s why Doctor Who is also in the Guinness Book of WORLD records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world, and as the “most successful” science fiction series of all time, in terms of its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales, iTunes traffic, and “illegal downloads.
John Crichton @ #6? A one-trick pony has more variety than that hacktor.
Dr. Who number one? Is that a UK poll?
Who is number one?
You are number 19.
Doesn’t have the same ring to it….
The Doctor, I’d agree … and I’m not British.
C3PO was always undervalued.