The Eight Best Couples In Science Fiction

I'm a big fan of 'what if' or 'Elseworlds' stories, in which you take an established character and dump them into a new works. What if Batman existed in 1889 and fought Jack the Ripper? What if Superman took place in 1930s America? These stories ('Gotham by Gaslight' by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola, and 'It's Superman!' by Tom De Haven, respectively) are always fun, but no matter what period you put Lois and Clark in, there's a way these two characters - a wide-eyed moral farm boy with a secret, and hard-nosed no-nonsense reporter - fit together that's just so satisfying. The only downside is it makes any non-Lois romance with Superman fall flat, because Lois is SO CLEARLY the best.

This was never officially acknowledged in canon, but the pairing of Kirk and Spock (NO GROSS PUN INTENDED) a seminal moment in fandom. Kirk/Spock stories (read as 'Kirk slash Spock') were so popular in the 70's that the name was eventually shortened to just 'slash', spread to other fandoms, and now all same-sex fan stories are called 'slash fiction'. Thanks, Kirk! Thanks, Spock! Who would've guessed viewers would've wanted to see an impulsive, sensual character melt the steely exterior of his best friend (which secretly is just a front to control his roiling emotions)?

Listen, in my fan fiction they go on adventures. They are the perfect odd couple: one is sassy robot that's polite, and the other is sassy robot that's rude! Imagine C-3P0 cooking a breakfast (also, imagine these robots need to eat) and then K-2S0 accidentally insults his cooking, which hurts C-3P0's feelings. The next morning K-2SO tries to make it up to C-3P0 by making breakfast for HIM, but he wasn't programmed in making breakfast so his meal is even worse, and they laugh and laugh and laugh. Delightful. Disney, make this canon.

Okay, this isn't a romantic relationship but it is a delightful one. Data's a robot who's bad at interpersonal relationships, and Geordi's a human who's terrible at interpersonal relationships! One time Geordi made a duplicate of a woman he had a crush on in the holodeck so he could date her there, AND NEVER EVEN GOT HER PERMISSION TO DO THAT. What are you doing, Geordi? But with Data he can relax, be himself, and the two of them bring out the best of each other. They're literally two best friends who travel around the galaxy solving mysteries together. I love that, and I love them.

Another non-romantic relationship, but this was FRIENDSHIP at its best. The Doctor's companions are often female and usually at least broad gestures are made towards a possible romantic relationship, but Donna was different, making it very clear she only wanted to be friends. She was confident, capable, funny, adventurous, and she saved the entire universe even when the Doctor couldn't. The way her story ended (with all her memories of The Doctor being erased, and the character being given a bit of money and left on Earth to get married) was a travesty. DONNA DESERVED BETTER. If you want a romantic relationship, The Doctor with Captain Jack or Rose were fine I GUESS, but seriously: Donna for Best Companion Ever 2017.

Okay, YES this is a romance between a smart, powerful, intelligent woman and a goofy guy who did a lot of things for no raisin. But Fry had heart, and it took years for Leela to see that, and when the got together it worked really well. The (first) series finale of Futurama ('The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings') was both the perfect sendoff for the series, and for this will-they-or-won't-they-okay-they-did-and-now-it's-weird-but-whatever couple.

So: BABYLON 5. Yes, the great romance on the series is between the space station's captain, John Sheridan, and the Minbari ambassador Delenn. And YES, the series finale (Sleeping in Light) has a scene between the two that is incredibly moving. But stay with me, because AFTER that scene, we see Babylon 5 - the eponymous station that's been at the middle of all the stories we've been watching for the past five years, our last best hope for peace - get decommissioned. The lights get turned off, the station gets a salute from all the alien races, and then, as the music swells, it finally self-destructs. My wife and I watched the entire series together (her for the first time, me for... definitely not the first time) and she has never let me forget that I remained cold and emotionless during the Sheridan and Delenn scene, but was reduced to a bawling baby when the space station exploded. Babylon 5 for Best Self-Destruction Space Station 2017.

The Good Place (a story about people wake up after dying in an afterlife run by Ted Danson called 'The Good Place') is the most recent series on this list, and it's so well-written, with each episode getting a twist. It's like Parks and Rec meets Westworld, only it's EVEN BETTER THAN THAT SOUNDS. Eleanor's causal, no big deal bisexuality is a breath of fresh air, and the rest of the series (and the characters in it) make everything work. Listen: there's a restaurant in The Good Place called 'The Good Plates'. Check it out if you haven't already, and thank me later.

What if Romeo never met Juliet? What if Juliet got really buff instead of moping around the castle all day? What if they teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits? For more SFF relationship fun this Valentines Day, visit romeoandorjuliet.com and check out Ryan North's novel Romeo And/Or Juliet.