The Most Powerful Armies in Sci-Fi Movies & TV Shows

Warfare has been a staple of cinema across every genre, ranging from comedic satires to dark and gritty war dramas that explore all sides of combat. Science fiction has been a particularly strong genre, with many franchises musing about the potential for warfare in the future, and how evolving technologies will shape future conflict. Naturally, the genre has produced many great movies dedicated to these fantastical futures (and pasts) and the nature of their armies.

Science fiction movies and shows have pushed the limits of imagination when it comes to militarism, and many truly iconic species and forces have been created as a result. Ranging from interplanetary invasion forces to small squads who proved the might of their army, soldiers make for some of the most compelling characters in the genre. Considering the number of sci-fi movies with deadly and formidable adversaries, a strong army is usually needed to maintain an advantage in the world.

10 One Platoon Of Colonial Marines Proved Their Mettle In Aliens

After Ridley Scott’s first Alien movie, James Cameron upped the ante in transforming the story away from isolated horror into sci-fi action. The sequel followed Ellen Ripley joining a platoon of space marines as they returned to LV-426 to investigate the disappearance of its human colony. From the word go, these marines were shown to be the best of the best, with only a small band decimating a xenomorph colony.

While most of the marines were killed in action, their skills in combat against one of science fiction’s deadliest creatures are almost unparalleled. The Colonial Marines have never been shown at full strength on film, but the efficacy of just one platoon showed how formidable they are, with xenomorph kill counts comparable to the Predators.

9 Skynet Commands An Army Of Terminators

The Terminator franchise revolves around the efforts of humans and heroic Terminators to prevent an apocalyptic future from coming to pass or to defeat the Terminators in the future if that fails. The future of this universe is one ravaged by Skynet, a sentient artificial intelligence designed by humans to be the ultimate defense system. However, when it became self-aware, it created an army of robotic soldiers and crushed civilization.

Skynet has control over a large army of robots, with models such as the T-800 and T-1000, all of which are programmed to kill humans on sight. This also includes aerial vehicles, such as armored, heavy-artillery gunships that help Skynet wage its war against humanity. No scene better exemplifies their power than the opening of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, as a Skynet Terminator crushes the skull of a human underfoot.

8 The Mobile Infantry Was A Formidable Invasion Force

Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers takes place in a future where humanity has adopted a quasi-fascistic political system, where Earth is united under one government and military service guarantees citizenship. In this world, humanity has declared war on a planetary system of giant insects, with the Mobile Infantry leading the charge. The movie follows Johnny Rico, a kid who joins the MI fresh out of high school to earn citizenship. From the training phase, the MI is hyped up to be a no-nonsense military.

Starship Troopers follows Rico and his friends as they face the bugs, revealing an impressive arsenal of weapons that even includes rocket-propelled nuclear weapons. With the Fleet at their side, the Mobile Infantry has the power to conquer entire planets, with millions of human recruits eager to earn their rights.

7 The Sardaukar Are A Force To Be Reckoned With

Frank Herbert’s Dune saga is a great example of the power of good world-building as it tells the story of a future human empire thrown into disarray by the feud between the Harkonnens and the Atriedes. However, the most powerful army in this world is without doubt the Sardaukar, the Empire’s military force. The Sardaukar are trained from a young age and subjected to harsh conditions, whittling down their numbers to ensure only the strongest survive.

Though typically deployed in small numbers, the Sardaukar have proven themselves deadly killers, moving in silence towards their targets. Whether it was their swift defeat of the Atreides soldiers or their battles with the Fremen, these troops more than earned their terrifying reputation. The Sardauker are fiercely loyal to the Emperor and act as the right hand of his rule.

6 The Stormtroopers Are The Grunts Of The Galactic Empire

Star Wars began with an introduction to the Galactic Civil War in 1977’s Star Wars, which followed Luke Skywalker teaming up with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia. From there, the heroes join the Rebel Alliance and battle the Galactic Empire across the stars, taking on a seemingly endless supply of stormtroopers. The soldiers, clad in white armor, are known for their terrible aim, but they do get the job done.

What the Imperial military lacked in marksmanship it more than made up for in firepower and sheer numbers, with millions of stormtroopers under the Emperor’s command. With millions of fighter craft, thousands of Star Destroyers, and a grip over thousands of planets, the Empire was brought down by hubris, rather than military weakness. They were so strong that their remnants were enough to continue to be a genuine threat after the establishment of the New Republic.

5 The Sontarans Were The Original Clone Army

In Doctor Who, the Doctor has faced off against a series of alien empires and civilizations. One of his oldest and best enemies is the Sontaran Empire, an entire civilization of clone soldiers devoted to warfare. Best known for their small stature and potato-like appearance, the Sontarans have dedicated their entire existence to mastering warfare.

The Sontarans have a fierce honor culture, and questioning their skill or courage is enough to get someone killed on the spot. Their only weakness comes in the form of a small opening in their armor at the back of their head for feeding tubes. The soldiers typically travel in large units and have conquered many planets, with their forces numbering into the millions.

4 The Klingon Empire Is Ruthless In Combat

The Star Trek universe follows various crews of the Enterprise and Starfleet comes into contact with a range of alien powers, such as the Cardassians and Romulans. However, there’s no finer warrior in the galaxy than the Klingons, whose empire is vast and has a strong emphasis on warrior culture. This produced some of the franchise’s most compelling heroes and villains alike, notably Wharf.

Klingons possess a great deal more strength than most species, and relatively few can overpower and defeat large squads of Starfleet crew. The Klingons had a large space-based navy and controlled several worlds and systems. The species borrows from cultures like the Vikings and Samurai in its commitment to honor and enthusiasm for combat.

3 The Grand Army Of The Republic Guaranteed Both Quality And Quantity

The Grand Army of the Republic — also known as the Clone Army — served with the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars, a conflict that spanned across the galaxy in Star Wars. The clones were born into service and trained from a young age, with an accelerated aging process that halved their life expectancy from a regular human. Cloned from the bounty hunter Jango Fett, these soldiers were well-versed in military tactics, and combat and were very adaptive to changing environments.

The clones had a vast arsenal of weapons and vehicles at their disposal, ranging from the LAAT gunship and AT-TE walker to their Venator-class capital ships. With notable characters such as Captain Rex and Commander Cody, the clones were instrumental in the downfall of the Jedi Order as their inhibitor chips compelled them to carry out Order 66. For a brief time, the clones also served as infantry for the Empire, before being declared obsolete.

2 The Borg Win Through Assimilation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is perhaps the best of all the Star Trek series, thanks in large part to its characters and darker villains. One of the best creations for the series was the Borg, a cybernetic race of beings who grew their numbers through assimilation, and all belonged to one hive mind. Their goal was to spread themselves across the galaxy, assimilating world after world into their collective.

The Borg were one of the most dangerous enemies the crew of Picard’s Enterprise ever encountered, due to their ability to adapt to weapons, rendering them invulnerable. Just one touch from a Borg could be enough for them to infect someone with their technology and begin the assimilation process. It was later revealed that the species was controlled by a central queen, who attempted to travel back in time and assimilate Earth before they’d even invented the Warp Drive.

1 The Daleks Are Almost Impossible To Kill

Doctor Who has produced many terrifying species over the years, but the Daleks remain the series’ deadliest force, as well as its most iconic. These creatures are mutants, genetically engineered to only possess negative emotions like hate and anger, sealed inside their metallic casings to make the ultimate killing machine. Created by the evil scientist Davros, the Daleks aim to rid the universe of all other life, believing themselves to be the supreme beings.

No matter how many Daleks the Doctor faces, there are always more waiting around the corner, thanks in part due to their limited time travel capabilities. This means that the creatures can surface in virtually any time period, such as World War II or the far future. They once numbered in the billions with an entire empire, and have the ability to manufacture more, purer Daleks. Of course, they’re often downplayed in the presence of the Doctor, but their near-victory in the Time War and attempt to destroy reality shows them to be a force like no other.