Most bad-ass sci-fi empires?

[waauw]

Who is strongest? Who would eventually win? You decide!

[mrswdk]

The Nazis.

[Lord Arioch]

Bah!
Vorlons and/or Shadows would frigging wipe all of em above out! Get your history right man research before posting;)

[tzor]

Not enough options. I also note that with the revised Battlestar Galactica you need to specify which version you are considering.

I think the most bad ass sci-fi empire was the empire run by the Padishah Emperor in the Dune series. The Sardaukar put imperial storm troopers to shame.

[thegreekdog]

What about The Foundation? Not bad ass enough?

I'm going with either the Borg or Cylons. Machines scare me.

[muy_thaiguy]

So, no kudos to the gender confused alien that could destroy entire planets with a finger and had no qualms about disintegrating his soldiers for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Even wiped out the race that had brought him so many planets.

[betiko]

The aliens from Alien, or the guys from the predator s planet, or the guys from superman s planet, or the super sayans would totally destroy your empires.

[muy_thaiguy]

The aliens from Alien, or the guys from the predator s planet, or the guys from superman s planet, or the super sayans would totally destroy your empires.

So, no kudos to the gender confused alien that could destroy entire planets with a finger and had no qualms about disintegrating his soldiers for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Even wiped out the race that had brought him so many planets.

*hint* Saiyans didn't have their own empire beyond their planet.

[saxitoxin]

Not enough options. I also note that with the revised Battlestar Galactica you need to specify which version you are considering.

I think the most bad ass sci-fi empire was the empire run by the Padishah Emperor in the Dune series. The Sardaukar put imperial storm troopers to shame.

if tzor and I agree on something, you know it must be true

the Padisha Emperor Shadaam IV, CHOAM Corporation, and the Great Houses of the Landsraad would take out all your pansy empires ... until the one they call Mua'dib brings the Jihad that will cleanse the universe and lead us out of darkness -

[demonfork]

The God Hand, who are ruled by the Idea of Evil, would pretty much dominate anything on any of these lists... Even Paul Mua'dib.

[ConfederateSS]

----Really,no love for EMPIRE OF THE DALEKS. Who wouldn't love. Flying trash cans. That travel through time and space. Multiply like rats. "Conquer and Destroy, Conquer and Destroy!" ConfederateSS.out!(The Blue and Silver Rebellion).

[muy_thaiguy]

How about the Formics? Took a completely new kind of WMD to finish them off.

[strike wolf]

Not enough options. I also note that with the revised Battlestar Galactica you need to specify which version you are considering.

I think the most bad ass sci-fi empire was the empire run by the Padishah Emperor in the Dune series. The Sardaukar put imperial storm troopers to shame.

show

[Keefie]

Dr Who has two contenders. The Daleks and the Cybermen.

[tzor]

I'm going with either the Borg or Cylons. Machines scare me.

Well Cylons V1 were more to be pitied than censured. The basic Cylon is actually to be admired, in as much as even humans still have a hard time being sympathetic to alien life forms. We can see this in a lot of the dialogue of Lucifer. Indeed there was no logical reason to initiate the extermination of the natives of the twelve planets. However, the supreme leader of the Cylons wasn't a Cylon. He was a fallen angel, the race of extremely superior beings who only show up towards the end of the original series (... NOTE ... Please don't consider 1980 as part of the "Canon" ...) a point that was verified by the only member of the 12 planets who had extensive contact with the supreme leader, Balthazar ... "I know that voice." (And the fact they used the same actor as the voice over for the supreme leader was a fourth wall breaking hint to the audience.

There is a different problem with the Borg. The original concept of the Borg was more viral than bad-ass. This didn't work well with designing long term plots. it's sort of like trying to defend against a star, the star has no real motivation, it just isn't something you want to land on or come into contact with. Over time, they added "motivation" to the Borg and that only made the Borg boring.

[owenshooter]

How about the Formics? Took a completely new kind of WMD to finish them off.

um... but after their initial attack, they no longer were a threat to the earth... their first attack was an accident, based on biology... sooooo, i don't know how BAD ASS they would be... they quit, they gave up... then we destroyed their planet...-Jésus noir

[tzor]

Dr Who has two contenders. The Daleks and the Cybermen.

Daleks are spoiled and rotten children.
Cybermen had a hard time controlling anything.

Unfortunately they appeared in the second doctor's tenure. But the Dominators are definitely a kick ass empire.

But they are no match for the Sontarans, who first appeared in the third doctor's tenure.

[Symmetry]

Dune, God Empire thereof

[Dukasaur]

The Mule (of Foundation fame) makes them all look like wastrels.

[jimboston]

How about any empire controlled by Humans of Earth?

Just about every sci-fi book or movie I ever read, shows this empire getting smashed initially... they're always on the ropes and ready to die. Yet their indomitable spirit always rises up to save them from ultimate destruction. Yes, they sometimes have other races working with them... but this ability to make alliances is just another key talent that they bring to the table.

They have beaten aliens, robots, time criminals, cyborgs, virus', zombies, vampires, dinosaurs, extra-dimensional monsters, fallen angels, gods, I could go on. You name the threat and they have at the very least defended themselves admirably, but often crushing the opponent completely.

[muy_thaiguy]

How about any empire controlled by Humans of Earth?

Just about every sci-fi book or movie I ever read, shows this empire getting smashed initially... they're always on the ropes and ready to die. Yet their indomitable spirit always rises up to save them from ultimate destruction. Yes, they sometimes have other races working with them... but this ability to make alliances is just another key talent that they bring to the table.

They have beaten aliens, robots, time criminals, cyborgs, virus', zombies, vampires, dinosaurs, extra-dimensional monsters, fallen angels, gods, I could go on. You name the threat and they have at the very least defended themselves admirably, but often crushing the opponent completely.

Like the original human empire that fought the Forerunners and Flood?

[Dukasaur]

How about any empire controlled by Humans of Earth?

Just about every sci-fi book or movie I ever read, shows this empire getting smashed initially... they're always on the ropes and ready to die. Yet their indomitable spirit always rises up to save them from ultimate destruction. Yes, they sometimes have other races working with them... but this ability to make alliances is just another key talent that they bring to the table.

They have beaten aliens, robots, time criminals, cyborgs, virus', zombies, vampires, dinosaurs, extra-dimensional monsters, fallen angels, gods, I could go on. You name the threat and they have at the very least defended themselves admirably, but often crushing the opponent completely.

It's just propaganda.

In real life, any human who has has gone toe-to-toe with the Vogons or the Tralfamadorians or even (comparably) pitiful species like Haldeman's Taurans, has been completely and utterly obliterated. That is why we don't have any hard evidence of these encounters, just hearsay and fictionalized accounts.

[Symmetry]

I'm going with either the Borg or Cylons. Machines scare me.

Well Cylons V1 were more to be pitied than censured. The basic Cylon is actually to be admired, in as much as even humans still have a hard time being sympathetic to alien life forms. We can see this in a lot of the dialogue of Lucifer. Indeed there was no logical reason to initiate the extermination of the natives of the twelve planets. However, the supreme leader of the Cylons wasn't a Cylon. He was a fallen angel, the race of extremely superior beings who only show up towards the end of the original series (... NOTE ... Please don't consider 1980 as part of the "Canon" ...) a point that was verified by the only member of the 12 planets who had extensive contact with the supreme leader, Balthazar ... "I know that voice." (And the fact they used the same actor as the voice over for the supreme leader was a fourth wall breaking hint to the audience.

There is a different problem with the Borg. The original concept of the Borg was more viral than bad-ass. This didn't work well with designing long term plots. it's sort of like trying to defend against a star, the star has no real motivation, it just isn't something you want to land on or come into contact with. Over time, they added "motivation" to the Borg and that only made the Borg boring.

I've never understood the premise of the BG update. How is it so tough to figure out who is a cylon? The pilot establishes that their spines glow red during sex. Given the general promiscuity of the BG world, you'd think someone might notice.

[Symmetry]

As an aside, Admiral Adams was the origami cop in Bladerunner. Mind. Blown.