The Ten Best Pilots in Science Fiction History – Listverse
Science fiction is one of the most beloved entertainment media in the world. Most science fiction stories have spaceships, and spaceships need pilots. In fact, pilots are usually one of the main characters in any science fiction adventure (how else would they get anywhere?). Every space story features a highly trained, extremely happy pilot, and no matter how obnoxious they are, we love them.
These asteroid-avoiding wingmen and women traverse the stars in everything from single-seat starfighters to floating cities and everything in between. Some pilots have natural instincts for this skill, others have grown up flying and still others have had years of training. Whatever route these flyboys and girls took to the cockpit, their maneuvers have become legendary. These are the ten best pilots in science fiction history.
Related: 10 Lesser Known Sci-Fi Movies Worth Your Time
10 Hikaru Sulu: Star Trek
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any science fiction fan that a Starfleet pilot or two would make our list. Sulu, an original cast member of the now world famous Star Trek franchise, was the most consistent installment of the 1960s series. Sulu was first assigned to the Enterprise in 2265 and began serving as a senior officer and permanent helmsman in 2266. Sulu often navigated the Enterprise through mysterious space.
Sulu’s flying skills became even more important later in his career. He was at the helm when the Enterprise played its deadly cat-and-mouse game with Khan aboard the hijacked Reliant. When the bridge crew was forced to hijack an unknown Klingon ship to save Earth from the whale probe, Sulu was the one who piloted the ship through a time skip around the sun. His name is one of the first that comes to mind when you consider becoming a space pilot.[1]
9 Han Solo: Star Wars
As expected, Star Wars pilot Han Solo is one of the first images science fiction fans conjure up when they think of “space pilot.” Han Solo is a born pilot known for evading an entire Imperial fleet led by Darth Vader by successfully navigating an asteroid belt. He grew up encouraging speedsters on the mean streets of Corellia, where he honed his flying skills. Han subsequently spent time in the lower ranks of the Imperial Navy.
Transitioning to smuggler, he piloted the Millenium Falcon through the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, a feat never accomplished before or since. Together with his Wookie co-pilot, Chewbacca, Solo’s adventures and piloting skills are legendary in a galaxy far, far away.[2]
8 Steven Hiller: Independence Day
independence Day is a science fiction classic and for many years a standalone film, a rarity within the genre. Among the menagerie of interesting characters, independence Day introduces viewers to Will Smith’s Captain Steven Hiller. Hiller is a TopGun-level fighter pilot who weaves in and out of the winding landscape of the Grand Canyon with incomparable skill. Hiller’s skill level is second to none; he is a quick thinker and an instinctive tactician. He uses his jet’s parachute to blind his pursuer and force him into an emergency landing.
Later, Hiller becomes the first human to pilot one of the aliens’ ships. With only first-hand visual experience and one false start, Hiller successfully sends the alien ship into space and infiltrates the Mothership. Hiller has 30 seconds to escape the Mothership’s intricate architecture while being chased as the ship tries to trap him. Although Hiller dies before the sequel, his aerial efforts on Independence Day make him one of the best pilots in science fiction history.[3]
7 Rocket (Raccoon): Guardians of the Galaxy
Long before Gamora, Drax, Groot, Star-Lord, Rocket and Mantis hit the big screen, they were well-known comic book characters. While the movie version famously depicts Star-Lord and Rocket fighting for control of their ship mid-flight while being chased to prove who was the better pilot, that would never happen in the comics. It would never happen because they all know Rocket is the better pilot.
In part two of the film series, he states that he has been genetically engineered to pilot the ship. Star-lord claims he has more experience, which is true, but it’s not enough to tip the balance. Rocket’s programming includes piloting abilities, and the genetic engineering involved in Rocket’s creation was done by the High Evolutionary, an unimaginably powerful alien dedicated to genetic engineering. Not only is Rocket a better pilot than Quill (Star-Lord), but he is also ranked as the best in the entire Marvel Universe.[4]
6 Tom Paris: Star Trek (Voyager)
Possibly the most underrated pilot in the history of science fiction, Tom Paris piloted the Intrepid Class USS Voyager 70,000 light years from the Delta Quadrant back to the Alpha Quadrant. As Voyager’s chief flight controller, he has had to dig the ship and her crew out of some of the most harrowing troubles a starship has ever faced. Tom Paris is perhaps the most skilled pilot in Starfleet. He led the Delta Force Task Force, consisting of the best pilots in the Alpha Quadrant; he built a trans-warp engine and has flown through time.
Paris had a distinguished Starfleet career despite early setbacks that landed him in a penal colony. Paris was also the first human pilot to safely reach warp ten and thus the transwarp threshold. Despite success in the simulations with no ill effects, the actual flying experience caused him to begin mutating into an amphibious creature that could no longer process oxygen. Paris is just a great, smart pilot.[5]
5 Hoban “Wash” Washburne: Firefly
One of the biggest disappointments science fiction fans ever suffered was the cancellation of Firefly after just one season. Thank goodness for that Firefly fans, the TV series was followed by a feature film titled Peace for the ship the characters traveled in. The ship’s colorful crew consists of officers and passengers, including the pilot Wash.
Throughout their illegal career, Wash guided the Serenity in and out of various tight spots. He held the ship level with a moving train while the crew performed a training job. He also managed to perform a ‘Crazy Ivan’ maneuver, quickly reversing the Serenity’s engine alignment to escape a pursuing Reaver ship. Wash navigated the ship through a fierce, chaotic battle between the Reavers and the Alliance Fleet, with the crew landing in one piece despite the incapacitating damage. “I am a leaf in the wind… Look how I float,” were his last words during Serenity saddest moment – that moment solidified Wash’s place among the most outstanding science fiction pilots.[6]
4 Hera Syndulla: Star Wars (Rebels/Ahsoka)
Although chronologically she first appeared in The bad batchSyndulla is best known for her role as Specter One, leader of Ghost Team and Phoenix Squadron Rebels and most recently, Ahsoka. Hera’s flying skills cannot be overstated. You could say she’s too good at her job. Her flying skills caught the attention of Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the Star Wars the universe’s most ruthless and deadly villains.
Hera was chosen to become the test pilot of the prototype B-Wing fighter, the blockade runner, and she is the only person to outrun Darth Vader one-on-one in his TIE-Advanced. Vader set a trap for their ship to crush the Specters. However, Hera’s slick maneuvers caused Vader to ensnare his fighter in the trap he intended for the rebels. Impressive. Most impressive.[7]
3 Kara “Starbuck” Thrace: Battlestar Galactica
The restart of Battlestar Galactica (2004) was the most extensive in TV history. The early 2000s sci-fi drama delved deeply into the characters’ origins and traumas. However, the character of Starbuck had a gender swap for the newer series and was given the name Kara Thrace – Starbuck was simply her call sign. Thrace manages to stop two of the three nuclear missiles from hitting Galactica during their first Cylon sortie and saves Lee (callsign Apollo) from destruction in an innovative maneuver in the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage.
Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) repairs a crashed Cylon Raider found on a habitable moon and returns it to Galactica, giving the fleet a vital piece of Cylon fighter technology for study and use. Thrace shows off the new Blackbird fighter’s impressive stealth capabilities during its first flight.
When she returns from her successful mission, she sends her reconnaissance photos to Pegasus. Admiral Cain is very impressed with Thrace’s performance and promotes her to Captain and Pegasus CAG. Near the end of the colonists’ journey to Earth, Starbuck appears to deliberately die in her Viper. However, she seemingly returns from the dead several months later, giving her the status of “Angel” within the colonists’ myths and legends.[8]
2 Alex Rogan: The Last Starfighter
The last star fighter is an ’80s sci-fi gem based on an arcade-obsessed teen named Alex Rogan. In the film, “The Last Starfighter” refers to a cabinet-style video arcade game, and Alex has broken the high score on the cabinet in his trailer park. It turns out that the game is actually a recruitment tool for skilled interstellar pilots, and Alex is quickly recruited by an alien dressed as a man dressed in a suit.
However, Rogan is initially in way over his head as a mere Earthling. He wants nothing to do with an alien conflict where people risk their lives. But then he realizes that the Earth itself and his birthplace are also threatened. Alex turns out to be a born Gunstar pilot. He and his co-pilot successfully repel the entire Ko-Dan Armada single-handedly, using Death-Blossom, a “Hail Mary” type maneuver. Rogan’s innate skill as a starfighter is evident from the start. While The last star fighter is a coming-of-age story, the core theme is Alex’s ability to control, and he doesn’t disappoint.[9]
1 Leela: Futurama
Turanga Leela is the only character to ever pilot the delivery ship Planetary Express Futurama. Her strong desire to fly is evident in the first episode, when she quits her job as a Fate Assignment Officer. Despite her significant lack of depth perception due to having only one eye, Leela has proven herself time and time again against the best pilots in the galaxy. With a ‘no rain or sleet’ attitude and a ‘kick-your-ass’ grace, this delivery captain is a refreshing source of professionalism to counterbalance the rest of the crew.
She has flown through asteroid belts and around black holes. There is no interstellar phenomenon too dangerous for this unflappable captain and pilot. Despite Futurama Being a comedy, there is no shortage of potentially deadly situations that Leela and the crew of the Planetary Express have narrowly escaped. Furthermore, as a great pilot, she is also the most skilled melee fighter on the team and even has her signature “Hi-Ya!” kicks. While many may find it hard to believe, Leela has proven herself to be the best pilot in science fiction history.[10]