Toughest Sci-Fi Warriors
10. Ender (Ender’s Game)
Ender Wiggin is a child soldier in the ground-breaking novel Ender’s Game. When alien bugs attack Earth, select children are trained to lead fleets in battle. Ender proves himself a maverick, a tactical genius who can lead Earth to victory. He might only be a kid, but his brilliance in battle earns him a spot in our top ten.
Get Ender's Game here on Amazon
9. Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica)
Watch Battlestar Galactica now here on Amazon Prime Video.
8. Captain Kirk (Star Trek)
Kirk isn’t only a capable starship captain. He’s also an accomplished brawler, and he never shies away from a fight. Whenever the chance arises, he beams down to a planet to fight his enemies hand to hand. Perhaps his most memorable fight was against the infamous Gorn.
Watch Star Trek now here on Amazon Prime Video.
7. Jayne Cobb (Firefly)
Jayne is a hulking, gruff mercenary serving aboard the Serenity. He helps the crew on their various smuggling missions and heists, usually by providing the muscle. He best friend seems to be Vera, his beloved rifle. Despite his tough-guy persona, Jayne loves wearing an adorable beanie hat, which his mother knitted for him.
Watch Firefly now here on Amazon Prime Video.
6. Commander Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
Bill Adama is the laconic commander of the Battlestar Galactica. His stony exterior belies his kind, compassionate nature. He truly cares about his soldiers, seeing them as his children. In times of battle, he is calm, competent, and willing to make the necessary sacrifices. With his decades of experience, Adama inspires loyalty from his troops, who affectionately refer to him as “the old man.” Adama’s leadership helped humanity survive the devastating Cylon attack.
Watch Battlestar Galactica now here on Amazon Prime Video.
Like what you're reading?
If you're enjoying this top 10 list, why not join the DSF community for more awesome content? You'll get to be notified whenever a new top 10 list, or any other articles of interest goes up on our site. It's free to sign up and you'
ll also get recommendations for new releases and discounted ebooks from our expert editorial team, from bestsellers to hidden gems.
5. Admiral Ackbar (Star Wars)
Admiral Ackbar is only a secondary character in the Star Wars saga but an important one. He was one of the high commanders of the rebel alliance, leading fleets into battle. During his many years of service, Ackbar was regarded as a brilliant tactician and courageous officer. He famously commanded the rebel fleet during the Battle of Endor. Despite inadvertently flying into a trap, Akbar eventually led the fleet to victory.
Watch Star Wars now here on Amazon Prime Video.
4. Addy (Earthrise)
Addison “Addy” Linden is a heroic warrior from the Earthrise series. Following a devastating alien invasion of Earth, Addy joins the army as a humble private. She fights in many battles, rises through the ranks, and becomes a war heroine and leader. Addy is loud, foul-mouthed, and covered in tattoos. She loves beer, hot dogs, and good old-fashioned hockey fights. Despite her coarse exterior, on the inside Addy is deeply compassionate and loyal to her friends. Her leadership, courage, and determination give Earth a fighting chance against the alien menace.
Get your copy of Earth Alone, the first book in the Earthrise series, here on Amazon.
3. Juan Rico (Starship Troopers)
Juan Rico is a young soldier from Robert Heinlein’s seminal novel Starship Troopers. Earth is battling a race of alien bugs. Juan enlists, goes through gruelling bootcamp, and learns how to operate a mech suit—a powerful robotic exoskeleton. He eventually becomes an officer and heroically leads his platoon to victories on the battlefield. He is the archetypical space marine, inspiring many heroes in the genre of military science fiction.
Get your copy of Starship Troopers here on Amazon.
2. The Terminator
The Terminator is nearly unstoppable. Bullets, fire, explosions—he can survive almost anything. He just keeps going until his mission is fulfilled. If he’s your enemy, you’re in deep trouble. If he’s your ally, he’ll protect you until the very end. The Terminator is definitely one of the toughest characters in the genre.
Watch The Terminator now here on Amazon Prime Video.
1. Ripley (Alien)
Topping our list is Ripley from the Alien franchise. When an unknown creature infiltrates the starship Nostromo, Ripley manages to survive while the alien kills everyone else, one by one. On the colony LV-426, which has been overrun with aliens, Ripley proves herself a valiant warrior. She battles an alien infestation, faces off against the alien queen, and even saves the orphan Newt, the colony’s sole survivor. When it comes to pure grit, Ripley is impossible to beat. We give her the crown of toughest sci-fi warrior.
Watch Alien now here on Amazon Prime Video.
What do you think? Do you agree with our list? Who do you think is the toughest warrior in science fiction?
Sound off the in the comments below, or chime in with your 2¢ in the Discover Sci-Fi Reader Group on Facebook.
Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. He's written over sixty novels in multiple series.
He is best known for Earthrise, the story of Earth struggling to rise after a devastating alien invasion. The Earthrise universe is explored in three series: Earthrise The Original Series, Soldiers of Earthrise, and Children of Earthrise.
In addition to Earthrise, Daniel has written the comedic sci-fi trilogy Alien Hunters.
He's also written several epic fantasy series: Kingdoms of Sand, Moth, Requiem.
I am more interested in book or book series heroes. Too few in your list as most listed are from movies or TV series. My hero candidate is Sten from the series by Alan Cole and Chris Bunch.
Yes 👍 Sten was the first name to come to my mind also.
Where is Roberta Drapper from The Expense Series?
Or indeed Amos Burton?
Takeshi Kovacs from Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies beats most of those on your list.
What about “Erik Cain from Jay Allan “Crimson Worlds” series. A tough Space Marine will do any thing for his troops.
I agree! Eric Cain was tougher than any on this list.
A major miss – Honor Harrington
Riddick. Certainly in the top ten
Robert Neville from Matheson’s “I Am Legend”
Sarah Connor – She stood up to your #2 without being a cyborg
Paul Atredes – DUNE
Taylor – Get your stinking hands off me you damned dirty ape”
You forgot the best: Felix from Armour. Not even the Ants on Banshee could defeat him, let alone Fleet.
Kimball kin is on second stage lensman
Kimball Kinnison is who you mean, and he has my vote too.
I feel like Kenneth Chinran from the Freehold Series (Michael Z Williamson) should have an honorable mention. Not always a hero (depending on your perspectives) but definately a bamf