Sci-fi in itself can be a fascinating genre, especially when it is explored on the small-screen through long-term storytelling. However, its concepts and ideas become even more compelling when it is complemented with military realism and grit. An added layer of military drama and conflict in a sci-fi show not only raises the stakes of its story but also makes its fantastical aspects seem more relatable.
Since sci-fi is a vast genre with many diverse stories, not all shows that fall under it incline towards military themes. While some of the best modern sci-fi shows feature post-apocalyptic worlds and humanity’s struggles against an overarching alien threat, others highlight humanity’s complex relationship with technology by featuring stories revolving around AI and virtual realities.
A few sci-fi shows go beyond these ideas and use strategic warfare, chain-of-command conflicts, and military training as narrative devices to move their plot forward. Not all shows that adopt military themes turn out to be worthwhile. However, the ones that do often end up ranking among the sci-fi genre’s top offerings.
8
Falling Skies
Instead of initially walking through the explosive alien invasion that is central to its storyline, Falling Skies directly drops viewers in its aftermath from the beginning itself. It shows how the human resistance, the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, is struggling to survive while dealing with everything from weapon scarcity to limited supplies of food and medicine.
The show’s sense of realism stems from its portrayal of how humans are forced to stick to hit-and-run tactics instead of facing the threat head-on because of being overpowered by superior technological forces. As the show progresses, it walks through a realistic timeline of how humans gradually adapt to the overarching threat and equip themselves with the tech required to survive and fight back.
Although Falling Skies gradually loses some narrative momentum in its latter seasons and struggles to keep its stories fresh and novel, its earlier installments perfectly capture how military sci-fi should be done.
7
Space: Above And Beyond
Space: Above and Beyond was truly ahead of its time because of how it delivered a typical sci-fi story about humanity’s war against aliens to highlight complex themes surrounding the weight of military life. The show featured the realities of war through its central characters who lived in the dirt and claustrophobic cockpits as members of the 58th Squadron of the Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry.
From a visual standpoint, there are aspects of the series that may not have aged too well, given how the series premiered almost three decades ago. However, it is still hard not to appreciate how meticulously it builds its military world-building across 23 episodes while giving viewers an unflinching portrayal of combat trauma and the crushing boredom between military operations.
6
Halo
Halo is not exactly ranked among some of the better TV adaptations of popular games. Compared to brilliant sci-fi video game adaptations like The Last of Us and Fallout, Halo seems to have a lot of shortcomings, especially in its opening season. This explains why it received more of a lukewarm response from viewers and critics when it first premiered.
However, what still makes the series watchable is how it delves deep into its military lore and establishes clear distinctions between different branches. Instead of merely establishing hierarchy, the show draws a picture of how regular marines, ODSTs (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers), and the Naval fleet officers managing massive MAC (Magnetic Accelerator Cannon) even have different moral compasses because of their responsibilities.
In more ways than one, though, Halo struggles to reach its full potential and falls short of finding its place among the greatest live-action game adaptations out there. Fans of military sci-fi shows will still find a lot to appreciate in the series, regardless of whether they have played the original games.
5
Attack On Titan
In its early moments, Attack on Titan cleverly disguises itself as a typical post-apocalyptic drama where humans are struggling to survive against giant evil beings. However, the show gets more immersive as its military themes emerge, and it reveals all the strategy and institutional politics that lurk underneath humanity’s battle against titans.
The training arcs, action sequences, and underdog stories in Attack on Titan are enough to keep viewers hooked throughout its runtime. However, the show takes an incredibly compelling turn when it strips away typical shōnen anime tropes and replaces them with a bleak sci-fi twist. The brilliance with which it transitions from its “monsters vs. humans” drama to a chilling examination of trauma and nationalistic propaganda is truly impressive.
4
Battlestar Galactica
While most military sci-fi shows rely on high-tech featuring everything from energy fields to gravitational manipulation, Battlestar Galactica remains fairly old school throughout its runtime. Its battles emphasize conventional ballistics and carrier-based fighter combat, giving it a more “cassette futuristic” feel.
BSG also does an incredible job of establishing friction between the military leadership (Admiral William Adama) and the civilian government (President Laura Roslin). Many of its military characters are also forced into complex ethical dilemmas where there are rarely any clear right or wrong answers.
It even effectively makes a plot device out of fleet life cycles and captures the toll of combat fatigue and sleep deprivation on those involved in the military’s operations. The show almost comes off as an endless portrayal of the compromises its characters must realistically make to secure humanity’s future.
3
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 primarily operates under the premise that the United States Air Force runs a highly classified, deep-space exploration and defense program in Cheyenne Mountain. While the premise alone makes it intriguing, it is the show’s ability to integrate the unparalleled authenticity of the military’s inner-workings into its sci-fi drama that makes it exceptional.
The show’s production team worked with the United States Air Force and even featured real USAF Chiefs of Staff to further enhance this sense of realism. Almost throughout its runtime, Stargate SG-1 even explores deeper military themes surrounding diplomacy and humanity’s moral obligations by showing how its core four-person team includes individuals who understand that relentless force alone will not solve all their problems.
2
The Expanse
One of the biggest strengths that make The Expanse an incredible military sci-fi show is that it does not shy away from dabbling with hard sci-fi concepts to create a believable vision of future warfare. Instead of ignoring the realities of space, the series embraces them by portraying realistic ship physics, communication delays, orbital mechanics, and the dire consequences of high-speed combat.
Beyond its portrayal of high-g maneuvers and depressurization dangers in outer space, Prime Video’s The Expanse also features more practical weaponry. Instead of relying on “magic” and featuring fantastical technology, the show features how everything from torpedoes to point defense cannons are used during warfare.
Even its depiction of geopolitical tension between factions hits hard because it seems reminiscent of real-world rivalries between global superpowers.
1
Babylon 5
Created by J. Michael Straczynski, Babylon 5 was groundbreaking for its time because its entire run was already pre-planned. Instead of being written on a whim like most classic sci-fi shows, Babylon 5 followed a fixed game plan from the beginning, which ensured some of its early story beats got incredible payoffs towards the end.
What further added to the show’s appeal was how it treated its military sci-fi elements. It does not shy away from showing how helpless a conventional military feels when an enemy decides to commit total, eco-cidal devastation from orbit.
In one of its best plot lines, it also captures the struggles faced by the crew of the titular Babylon 5 when they are forced to defy their moral duty to the constitution after the government slides into a fascist totalitarian dictatorship. Babylon 5 eventually faced a few narrative issues towards the end because of production issues, which held it back from being a sci-fi masterpiece. It is, however, still one of the best military sci-fi shows out there.