It’ll probably come as no surprise to all y’all that we enjoy military science fiction around here (particularly sci-fi war movies). Some of them we enjoy because they’re good, others because they’re nostalgic, and more than a few because they are incredibly craptastic.

The selection below isn’t a “best of” type article. It’s actually pretty random. Sorry not sorry. Hopefully some of these choices will resonate with you. If not, hit us up in the comments below with your opinions. We’ll almost certainly maybe perhaps definitely respond and/or put your suggestions into the list!

Aliens (1986)

The pipehitters in this flick are the quintessential sci-fi soldiers: space marines, specifically. Everything about them is iconic, which is why we reckon this is one of the best military sci-fi movies ever made. The M41A Pulse Rifle (“10mm, with an over-and-under 30mm grenade launcher pump-action grenade launcher…”), the M56 Smart Guns carried by Vasquez and Drake, and even the buckle-on, clamshell-style armor, helmet, and attachments are all immediately recognizable.

Recognizable not just to us, by the way. Roman legionaries from the time of Emperor Augustus to that of Diocletian would have immediately intuited how to wear it.

Unfortunately for the Colonial Marines, their 10mm explosive-tip, caseless, standard light armor-piercing rounds were insufficient…or at least their leadership was.

Space: Above and Beyond (1995)

Remember this one? It was one of the first sci-fi war movies of its kind (well, it was a television series, but you know what we mean). The “Marine Space Aviators” of the 58th Space Aviator Cavalry Squadron (“Wildcards”) were the protagonists, doing battle with the vaguely insect-like, humanoid Chigs. The show had a lot of potential, but never quite got the following it could have had. Some reviewers call it a sci-fi show “that came out before its time.”

The pilots in this show were also somehow infantry. When they weren’t flying “Hammerhead” SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jets off the space carrier (CVS?) USS Saratoga, they were hunting alien Chigs or alien sympathizers with M590 Assault Rifles, M70 Pistols, and smart grenades (that would move and follow targets).

Also…Kristen Cloke. (Yum.) She’s one of the reasons this series is a favorite to watch on Nostalgia Night at Nancy’s Squat ‘n’ Gobble.

Their rifles were built on a Ruger Mini-14 chassis, by the way. Maybe some of the same ones the A-Team used! Their pistols were modified Glock 17Ls.

“Easy as eating pancakes.”

Rest in peace, Lt. Col. Ray Butts.

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Alien invaders vs. jarheads in the City of Angels. What’s not to like?

“At 14:46 Pacific Standard Time, 12 different locations around the world were breached, in what appears to be a coordinated attack by an unknown enemy. All breaches were along the coastline, in what is a campaign of rapid dominance. This is a textbook military invasion. There are massive casualties in New York, defensive lines are being setup in Boston, and at 13:15 Zulu Time we lost communications with San Francisco and San Diego, their status is unknown. What we do know is that we are the LAST offensive force on the West Coast; we can not lose Los Angeles!”

A good action flick, this movie has a cult following in certain circles (including our own Daniel Shaw). You’ll recognize the weaponry in this one, since a bunch of you reading this have carried them yourselves. There’s some pretty good gun handling in this one, though some stoopid shit does make it in occasionally (looking at you, “US Air Force Recon Division”).

The TSgt. Santo character seems like it was written into the movie For Reasons. To have a female shooter? To have Michelle Rodriguez in the cast? Because a comms intelligence recon specialist sounds better coming from the Air Force? We don’t know. Evidently, a CCT or TACP from a Special Tactics Squadron just wasn’t appropriate. But hey, at least there was a 61st Air Wing, once.

But we digress. Some reviewers have criticized Battle: Los Angeles for having too many war movie clichés, but they’re stupid. That’s exactly why so many of our crew enjoyed it. If we wanted complete realism, we’d watch a documentary. While sitting in a hot porta-shitter, bored out of our minds.

What are some other good scenes that belong in this rundown?

Battlestar Galactica 2004 Reboot

Ron Moore’s 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot took a beloved, but short-lived, series, knocked off the clean-cut feel good stuff, and gave us a gritty, dramatic tale of the remnants of humanity fleeing (an actual) genocide and fighting against a ruthless, devious, and very capable synthetic alien race called Cylons.

The original Galactica seemed more like a roomy starship from Star Trek, which also happened to have a fighter wing. But Moore stripped it down, making the old girl look and feel like an actual warship, including internal bulkheads, doors with those wheel thingies, and a comm system that used actual warship phones. The Galactica seems like an aircraft carrier/battleship that’s been at sea too long, including the stressed-out crew and patched together equipment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cijhXMILMf4

That look extends to the Viper fighter ships. The original show kept them pristine, with their gleaming paint jobs somehow remining unmarked from week to week. But these Vipers look like they’ve seen hard use, complete with battle damage and scoring from near misses. You see the hangar deck crew struggling to find parts and making do with what they have.

The cast is great too, including Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck, the smartass ace fighter pilot who was played wonderfully by Dirk Benedict back in 1978. But this Starbuck has an edge beyond the smooth-talking, cigar-smoking, card-playing original. She smokes the stogies, drinks the whiskey, and wins at cards, but she’s also a bad hombre in a fight. She’s also not opposed to slugging superior officers when she feels the need (or, as she calls them, superior assholes).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGjRxmY0Wc

Like Space: Above and Beyond, the Galactica’s pilots (called Warriors in the original) seem to have some ground training, as demonstrated in several episodes. Starbuck herself leads a Marine boarding party in one episode where she’s also the designated sniper tasked with smoking a high-value target.

We’ve gone on about Starbuck because she’s the most intriguing character, but the entire cast is just fantastic. The characters are real and played masterfully. Edward James Olmos as the crusty Commander Adama is choice. And if you haven’t seen Tricia Helfer as the Cylon Number Six…well, you owe it to yourself to remedy that.

The space battles are absolutely epic, with capital ships pounding one another with nukes and giant explosive kinetic rounds. The Vipers also use smaller kinetic rounds, which we think looks cooler than the space lasers of other franchises because they are (1) believable and (2) you can see their paths and how they go off-track as the Viper moves. Kinda hard to describe but it’s a cool effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_3bswFLbM

The show inevitably gets some military stuff wrong, like certain protocols and sloppy saluting. The ground combat also tends to neglect flanks and pretty much ignores security. But it’s Hollywood. It happens, and while the plot is occasionally overly dramatic, the show delivers with constant tension, stress, and solid action sequences.

So, what the frak are you waiting for? Check it out!

sci fi military, sci fi war movies, military science fiction