Science fiction films have been responsible for creating some of the most amazing worlds it is possible to imagine. So now I am going to rank my 10 favorites sticking to only film and television:
#10 Gallifrey (Doctor Who)
This is the home planet of The Doctor in the long running UK sci-fi series 'Doctor Who'. It is also the birthplace of the timelord race and it is situated 250 million light years away, making it much further than the boundaries of The Milky Way. I will personally admit that I have never been a fan of 'Doctor Who', I've always found it a bit 'British' and lackluster, but this screenshot taken from 'The End of Time' episode in 2007 looks absolutely awesome. Unfortunately that is one of the only times we ever get to see it, the rest of the time it's mentioned through casual conversation, much like many things in the series.
#9 Arrakis (Dune)
This is a personal favorite of mine as it originates from the exceptional 1965 novel 'Dune' written by Frank Herbert, a book that I urge any sci-fi fan to read. The film was not so good to put it shortly, but it still made the setting look as awesome as it sounded in the book. Everything is as you would expect, it's a huge desert planet with no natural precipitation, the only water the indigenous people posses is harvested from the atmosphere to one day hopefully irrigate the planet and harbor life for future generations, just like a stereotypical desert.
The key plot point about this planet, and what makes it so awesome, is the fact that it contains the universes only source of a substance known as 'The Spice' which is a key part of galactic civilizations as it possess the power to extend an individuals life and make interstellar travel possible, so pretty damn important. That probably makes this the most valuable planet on this list, which is quite impressive for what is essentially a bowl of sand. Oh and did I mention it has 30m long giant sandworms, yep the local use them as transport. Still not convinced it's awesome?
#8 Naboo (Star Wars)
The first outing for the Star Wars franchise on this list, and by no means the last. This is one of many forest planets from the franchise, but definitely looks and feels like the best one by quite a way. I would say Endor would finish second, despite it being a moon, but there really isn't anything that exciting about a lot of trees, no matter how much incest occurs there. Naboo has become famous throughout the galaxy for being the homeplace of marine creatures called Gungans, which share the planet with the much more advanced human race. The Gungans are a diverse species and there kind includes the likes of people like Brian Blessed, and unfortunately Jar Jar Binks, who nearly singlehandedly demoted this planet to being off my list completely. But fortunately for Naboo it is also home to Natalie Portman, who resides as their queen, so that's always a bonus.
As much as I hate the first Star Wars film, and trust me, there was a lot to hate, I still love seeing the beautiful capital city of Theed in all its CGI glory, it really does look rather stunning, a beautiful juxtaposition between renaissance and sci-fi. In fact it may just be the only good thing about the first film.
#7 Pandora (Avatar)
Pandora is the iconic setting to James Cameron's 'Avatar' that ended up becoming the highest grossing film of all time. The planet was discovered in 2129 and is cited by the franchise as being the most important discovery in recent human history, despite the fact that the atmosphere is toxic to humans. It is probably best known for being the only site in the universe where you are able to obtain 'Unobtanium', which is the stupidest name of all time, and unfortunately drives a very lackluster and generic plot.
Even though I hate the film I will still admit that the planet looks absolutely stunning. The atmosphere can be summed up by looking at the beautiful screenshot above that shows the planet in its full glory. At night however, everything becomes bio-luminescent which makes for some visually stunning sequences, even if the dialogue and plot inevitably let it down.
#6 Magrathea (Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy)
This planet is central to the plot of the cult classic 'Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy' which was a nice film adaptation to the legendary Douglas Adams novel. Magrathea is located at the heart of the Horsehead Nebula, which is approximately 1500 light years away from Earth. Magrathea is best known for being the center for luxury planet building, which sounds as awesome as it is. In fact Earth itself was formed by the Magratheans to answer the greatest questions in life, which made Magrathea the richest place in the universe. Having said all that, does it really get much better than luxury planet building?
#5 LV 426 (Alien)
Okay so this is technically a moon, but does it really matter? All that should matter is that it's awesome, which it is. Acheron, as it's more commonly known, orbits the planet Calpamos, which is approximately 39 light years away from Earth. It was the setting in the original 'Alien' film where the 'Nostromo' travels to investigate a mysterious signal, which of course would later be revealed as a nest of xenomorphs. That fact alone puts this moon high on my list, xenomorphs are easilly one of the most iconic villains in sci-fi history. The above picture is of the Ilium mountain range which to me perfectly reflects the dark and hostile environment that surrounds the 'Alien' franchise.
#4 Cybertron (Transformers)
The homeplant of the 'Autobots' and 'Decepticons' actually gets very little attention in the film adaptations of 'Transformers', which is a little surprising seeing as it's a key plot point. The planet is about the size of Saturn and is fueled by the soul of a Transformer. However, appearances can be deceiving, as this planet may look pretty awesome but in reality it is the site of multiple civil wars and throughout the storyline it is repeatedly rebuilt, with every attempt failing. But say what you want about Michael Bay, he really knows how to make a planet look awesome.
#3 Krypton (Superman)
Probably the most famous planet on the list, ask any nerd and he will instantly tell you everything about this iconic time bomb. It is of course the home planet of Superman, who is the only surviving member of his kind due to the fact that this planet blew up, killing all but him. At one time it was a technologically advanced planet made entirely of crystal, but that was soon put to an end when its unstable core detonated with a chain of nuclear reactions. It is therefore quite spectacular how a planet that is only ever mentioned in the franchise has such a legendary status, but then blowing up is quite cool in itself.
#2 Coruscant (Star Wars)
The most important planet in the most important sci-fi series ever. It's reputation is legendary, and it's only been a part of the saga since 1997. In a galaxy far, far away it is the hub of all galactic affairs and the capital of the 'Republic' and later the 'Galactic Empire'. This is no surprise when you consider that the whole planet is just one city, and that it has an amazing 5,127 levels. The time it took to create in visually stunning CGI must have been painful, but the results are impeccable. You could argue that this is now the most important planet in the Star Wars franchise, but I think there's one that's better.
#1 Tatooine (Star Wars)
Is there anything more iconic in any sci-fi series? I don't think so. When I ask people for facts about Tunisia the only response I get is that Tatooine was filmed there, that is the reputation that this place has. It has appeared in all but one of the Star Wars films, with the amazing fourth episode being mainly set around this rocky planet. The various outings over the years have given it such memorable and unique features like moisture farms, and Jabba's Palace that's pictured above. Everything about this place has character, from the local people to the wildlife, which is an acheivment considering this place looks pretty barren, it's not a looker like some others on this list.
It's often viewed as the cesspool of the galaxy, to quote Luke Skywalker "Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from." But in my opinion this gives all that much more character, and the various gangs and thugs make this an iconic "hive of scum and villainy". Just everything about this planet is brilliant, from Jabba's Palace to the Binary Sunset, it is all unique and it's all very memorable. A staple of the vivid sci-fi universe.
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