Top 100 Fictional Space Travelers of All Time: 40-21 [List]

Meet the greatest space travelers ever. They’re soldiers, construction workers, scientists and children. Here is the third in a five part series counting down the 100 greatest space travelers of all-time.

Everyone has dreamed of going into space. While most of us will never get there hundreds of movies, television shows and books show people traveling into space. We compiled a list of the ones we consider the top 100 space travelers of all-time. You can read the criteria we used here.

Previous: #100-81 #80-61 #60-41

40. William “Hawk” Hawkins, Col. (Tommy Lee Jones)

Space Cowboys (2000)

Tommy Lee Jones is always good. Whether he’s searching for escaped prisoners. Ordering around Captain America or playing the super-villain Two-Face. Ok. We can forgive that last one. In the movie Space Cowboys he played maverick Hawk Hawkins. In your face and totally out-of-control we first meeting him giving thrill rides in a crop duster. He’s so competitive he times his eye test and reads all the way down to the “Made in USA”. Truly one of our greatest space travelers.

39. Homer Simpson (Dan Castelleta)

The Simpsons, ep. Deep Space Homer (1994) 

In the Simpsons episode “Deep Space Homer,” NASA’s attempts to make space travel more interesting lead them to put Homer in a space shuttle. In short order, Homer manages to clog the ship with potato chips, unleash an army of ants, and break open the door, risking the shuttle’s destruction on re-entry. Without a doubt, one of the worst astronauts in history, Homer gets on this list for one reason – he lived the dream for all us regular guys.

38. Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch)

Battlestar Galactica (1978)

Captain Apollo is the bravest, strongest most groovy member of the Battlestar Galactica. He and Starbuck were inseparable whether they were flying in space or boogying on the disco floor. The actor Richard Hatch tried to revive the series for years after the show ended. He even wrote a series of novels. In the end, the show was rebooted on the Syfy channel with tremendous success. We’ll always remember Hatch as being the greatest Apollo.

37. Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman)

I Dream of Jeannie (1965)

When astronaut Major Nelson’s spaceship lands on a remote island, he stumbles across a bottle with a beautiful genie inside. Hijinks ensue. We’re not sure how great he was at space travel, but he had a hot genie, and that makes him a hero in our book.

36. Dr. Zachary Smith (Gary Oldman)

Lost in Space (1998)

The original Doctor Smith was little more than an annoyance, but the movie remake of Lost in Space took him to a new level. He was still selfish and arrogant, but the movie took a twist in turning Smith into a manipulative and powerful villain.

35. Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood)

Space Cowboys (2000) 

Frank Corbin and his team were test pilots when their dreams of space travel were dashed by the arrival of the civilian organization NASA. Forty years later they get another shot to fix a Russian satellite. Eastwood rugged good looks and attitude make Frank the perfect leader. If only we could send him up for real!

34. Dr. Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart)

Lost in Space (1965)

A biochemist Dr. Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart) was the mother of the Robinson family and so much more. Sure, she prepared meals and tended the garden, but she was also the voice of compassion. Lockhart’s most popular role, her silver space suit became instantly famous and recognizable. The best space Mom.

33. Lt. Natasha “Tasha” Yar (Denise Crosby)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Even in the groundbreaking world of Star Trek, women tended to be stereotypes of nurturing, sensitive females. That’s why Tasha Yar broke new ground by performing her duties with a toughness and aggression that most women on the show had never done before. Though she died too soon, Yar left an impact that future female characters were able to benefit from.

32. Dr. Leonard Horatio “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley)

Star Trek (1966)

“I’m a doctor, not a space traveler” is probably what Bones would say about this list. He’s a doctor aboard a spaceship who hates space travel. Yet he also knows more about anatomy and medicine than anyone in the Galaxy. Bones was also Kirk’s confidant and right-hand man, making him an indispensable part of a fantastic crew.

31.”Rockhound” (Steve Buscemi)

Armageddon (1998)

We don’t know his real name. He got the nickname “Rockhound” for being a brilliant geologist. He got the Westinghouse prize at 12. Got a double doctorate from MIT at 22 and taught at Princeton for two and a half years. All that and he was still crazy enough to speak the truth and try to ride a nuclear bomb.

30. Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson)

SpaceCamp (1986)

Kathryn dreams of becoming the first woman shuttle commander when she goes to Space Camp. An accident launching the shuttle into space lets her live out her dream. While she is full of doubt with the help of her friends she lands the shuttle. Ridiculous yes, but still fun to watch.

29. Roger Healy (Bill Daily)

I Dream of Jeannie

A ladies man and an astronaut…does anyone else notice that astronauts get chicks? Maybe I’m in the wrong job. Anyway Healy almost crashes his car into Jeannie. When Jeannie, a genie, disappears he realizes the truth about her. Soon he befriends her master and the two become fast friends. One of the best comic relief actors ever.

28. Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

In the classic sci-fi movie, Adams commands a mission to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an entire colony. In the process, he discovers a lost alien civilization under the control of a mad scientist. Adams is strong, confident, and dashing as the leader of a crew of young, strong men aboard a starship. At the same time, he shows himself as imperfect as he struggles with temptation. Adams was a model for space commanders such as James T Kirk on Star Trek.

27. Seven of Nine / Annika Hansen (Jeri Ryan)

Star Trek: Voyager

When the starship “Voyager” is lost in the Delta Quadrant they encounter many stunning things. None more stunning than Seven of Nine. A human that was assimilated by the Borg Collective as a child she was saved by the ship and added to the crew. Smart move. Frankly, Tuvox was my favorite character, but the number of viewers went up by more than 60% after she joined the show. While her skintight Catsuit got most of the attention it was her struggles for humanity that made her great. Yes. We will be assimilated.

26. Harry S. Stamper (Bruce Willis)

Armageddon (1998)

When a asteroid is headed for Earth NASA has only one man to call: Harry Stamper. He’s the best deep sea-sea oil driller in the world. The United States government asked them to save the world. He couldn’t say no. He and his team of misfits are sent into space to blow up the rock only after the government promises them they never have to pay taxes again and bring back 8-track tapes. This movie got Willis a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor.

25. Lieutenant Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Katee Sackhoff)

Battlestar Galactica (2004)

A cigar-smoking, gambling, loud-mouthed space pilot. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s Starbuck. But wait! In the 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica they made her a woman! Shocking! No one thought it would work, but they were wrong. She became one of the most endearing characters ever to travel in space. Besides changing the “bromance” between Starbuck and Apollo to a romance, it also allowed them to make one of the strongest female characters to travel in space.

24. Commander Adama (Lorne Greene)

Battlestar Galactica (1978)

The human race is reduced to a handful of ships searching for a new home. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica. In one of his truly great performances he had the presence and gravitas to lead the entire human race. While not perfect, he pretty much did all the right things. Adama was one of the reasons that the show, while only lasting three seasons became a cult classic. He was the great grandfather of the galaxy.

23. John Robert Crichton Jr. (Ben Browder)

Farscape (1999–2004) 

In Farscape, Crichton was a scientist working on wormhole technology when he was accidentally hurtled across space. There, he finds a new civilization and joins the crew of an alien spaceship, all of them trying to get home. Crichton broke the mold in that he was a technological genius, but also tough, handsome, and never lost his sense of humor.

22. Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson)

Stargate SG-1 (1997)

Jack O’Neill is a United States Air Force colonel with experience in special operations before joining the Stargate Program. He traveled to an alien world using a “Stargate.” When he got back he was put in charge of the SG-1. The television series based on the movie of the same name is the longest running US television series ever. While the character was serious with Kurt Russell, Richard Dean Anderson asked them to make the character more comedic before agreeing to take the role. Anderson was won a Saturn Award in the category “Best Genre TV Actor” in 1999, and was nominated six more times. His character was so well respected that Anderson was made an honorary Brigadier General by the US Air Force in 2004.

21. Ben Jacob “The Thing” Grimm

Fantastic Four (1961–present), comic

“It’s clobberin’ time!” An orange rocky-skinned, blue eyed superhero is an expert pilot and astronaut. He was so good, that when his good friend Reed Richards was looking for a pilot for his experimental mission into space he called his good friend Ben. Too bad. Cosmic rays transformed him into a monstrous creature of immense strength. The second strongest character in the Marvel Universe he’s also the most tragic trying for years to reverse the process and change back into a normal human. We love him the way he is though. In the 2004 film he was played with expert skill by Michael Chiklis. The movie was pretty weak, but we did get to see him clobber for real. I still love to watch the movie for him.

Tomorrow’s the big reveal! The top 20 space travelers of all time. Come back and see who made the top ten as we count down the top 100 space travelers of all time!

Make sure you read our previous entries: #100-81 #80-61 #60-41

How do you feel about the list so far? Who do you hope is on the list?