From its emergence in 1818 with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the popularity of the science-fiction genre never ceased to grow. The emergence of new technologies allowing better animation effects and CGI over the last few decades brought to our screens a number of amazing sci-fi stories and offered the genre continuous popularity. The options in terms of movies and series are endless, and it is easy to get lost in all the possibilities. To make your life easier, here is a list of the 10 sci-fi series everyone should watch.
Disclaimer: most superhero shows and movies are also considered sci-fi; however, for the sake of variety, we will not consider this specific branch of the genre today.
Firefly
Here is a gem of a series that was sadly brought to an end far too soon. Firefly is a space western taking place 500 years in the future in the aftermath of a civil war that left our entire galaxy broken. The story follows a group of mercenaries aboard a spaceship doing their best to survive and evade the authorities.
Despite the series being canceled after the first season, Firefly won the heart of many and imposed itself as a must-see in the sci-fi genre. The fan’s loyalty to the show led to an expansion of the franchise to different media such as comics and board games.
Stranger Things
If you have been on the internet, or have left your house at least once these past three years, you will have heard about Stranger Things. The series takes place in the ’80s in a fictional town called Hawkings. After conducting experiments into the supernatural, The US government created a portal to another dimension, the Upside Down, and saw one of their human test subject, a girl named Eleven, escape.
The disappearance of a young boy named Will leads his three friends to join forces with Eleven in hopes to bring him back home and get rid of the entrance to the Upside Down.
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is an older series that deserves more love than it got. After discovering an ancient alien technology called a Stargate that allows the user to travel to distant planets through one gate to another, the US government forms teams, one of which being SG-1, to travel the galaxy and defend earth from aliens.
The series is a continuation of the 1994 movie Stargate and ran from 1997 to 2007. It’s popularity led to two spin-offs following the end of the original show: Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as well as a direct sequel to the original series, Stargate the Ark of Truth.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is an anthology series with each episode being a reflection of the modern, technology-driven world we live in and the consequences of such major technological evolution on the relations between human beings as well as our relations to tech-objects. Though gripping, this series can often be both psychologically and emotionally challenging due to the creator’s desire to shock the public into awareness of the direction our current technology-based society is going in.
This series can be triggering on many levels but is definitely worth the watch if you are looking to enter the dark, satirical side of science-fiction.
Star Trek
Star Trek has to be one of the most popular and renowned science-fiction series out there, and this universe has been around since 1966. The original series follows a crew aboard the Starship USS Enterprise on a mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!”.
Among the crew member are some iconic characters such as Spock and Captain Kirk, that everyone has heard about regardless of how well they know the show. The show’s popularity earned it many movies, spin-offs, and reboots over the years. It is undeniable that this universe has served as an inspiration for many sci-fi stories and is one that will continue to expand with each new generation.
Star Wars Rebels
Of course, we had to include a Star Wars series in this list, if only to level the eternal Star Trek Vs Star Wars battle amongst sci-fi fans. The Star Wars universe has known a large number of canon stories since the release of the first movie in 1977 and reached its fans across a variety of mediums.
The animated series Star Wars Rebels takes place five years before A New Hope in a time when the Galactic Empire was still hunting down the Jedi, and the rebellion against the Empire was starting to form. This series is a must-see for all fans of the movie series and will shed some new light on the origin of the original story.
Torchwood
Torchwood is a spin-off based on a beloved Doctor Who recurring character, Captain Jack Harkness. The series tells the story of the members of a secret organization founded during the Victorian era that aims to protect our planet from aliens. Their current leader, Jack Harkness, portrayed by John Barrowman, has the rare ability to be immortal, which would come in handy when spending one’s life fighting off alien invasions.
This series has an incredible cast and characters with real presence. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but most of all, it will leave you wanting more.
Westworld
The Westworld universe was first introduced to us in 1973 in the movie Westworld. It later expanded to a second movie serving as a sequel as well as two TV series, one of which is currently running on HBO. Westworld is a dark, western sci-fi taking place in an Old West-themed park cared for by androids called Hosts where the rich can come to live their wildest fantasy thanks to artificial consciousness.
This series is visually unique compared to the overly futuristic sci-fi series that recently emerged and allows a younger audience to revisit a classic world with a new amazing cast and incredible visual effects.
X-Files
The duo Mulder and Scully are without a doubt high on the list of most well-known duos. The series follows these two FBI agents who investigate unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. The force of this pairing resides in the significant differences in the beliefs of the two characters. Mulder is a firm believer of aliens and paranormal, while Scully is a down to earth, skeptical doctor.
X-Files first aired from 1993 to 2002 and was brought back multiple times since due to its popularity, however, it seems it will not be renewed for a 12th season. It can now be considered a classic among sci-fi series.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is one of BBC’s longest-running TV series and is among the most popular sci-fi shows out there. It follows the adventure of a strange individual from a distant planet, traveling all of time and space with his companions in an old school, bright blue Police Box. The series takes us anywhere from well known moments in human history as well as to some incredible new planets with their own story to tell.
If you are looking for a fun, fast-paced and a bit emotional series that never cease to re-invent itself, look no more, Doctor Who is the one for you.
