Ten of the best… sci-fi sidekicks

Although the hero gets all the glory, the girl, the cool cars, the best toys, the fame, the better costume and… ahem. Yes, the sidekick is still an essential accessory, celebrated here.

R2-D2

Franchise: Star Wars
Species: Droid
Sidekick to: Anakin/Luke Skywalker

With a bewildering variety of gadgets, apart from a voice synthesiser, R2 is the Swiss Army Knife of sidekicks.

Abe Sapien

Franchise: Hellboy
Species: Icthyo Sapien
Sidekick to: Hellboy

Out of all the deities we’d choose to bond to, a jellyfish would be fairly low down on the list. Not for Abraham Sapien, however, who embraces it wholeheartedly.

Mystique

Franchise: X-Men
Species: Mutant
Sidekick to: Magneto

With the ability to change into anyone she wants, Mystique is a powerful ally to have on your side. Not only that, but she doesn’t wear clothes. Bonus.

Bender

Franchise: Futurama
Species: Robot
Sidekick to: Philip J Fry

It’s fairly safe to say that were Bender and Homer Simpson ever to have a drinking contest, it would end the world. For now, let’s just be glad he’s in the 30th Century.

Starscream

Franchise: Transformers
Species: Decepticon
Sidekick to: Megatron

The typical whiny little child of a sidekick, Starscream uses most of the time trying to denigrate and/or usurp Megatron. We don’t understand why he’s not been melted down yet.

Arthur

Franchise: The Tick
Species: Human
Sidekick to: The Tick

The long-suffering Arthur has a lot to put up with from his boisterous, over-confident (and slightly stupid) superhero partner, but he handles it with style.

Marvin

Franchise: The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
Species: Android
Sidekick to: Arthur Dent/Ford Prefect

He probably wouldn’t be first on any box social invitation list, but we think Marvin’s alright. Useful too, having an android on your side, paranoid or otherwise.

Kiff

Franchise: Futurama
Species: Amphibiosan
Sidekick to: Zapp Brannigan

Poor Kiff. Anyone who’s had an intensely irritating friend/flatmate/sibling/manager can understand his pain. Plus, to add insult to injury, he got knocked up by a girl.

Mr Spock

Franchise: Star Trek
Species: Vulcan
Sidekick to: Captain James T Kirk

Certainly the most stylish sidekick on this list, Spock served as Kirk’s right-hand man through countless episodes of Star Trek and a number of films, and even death couldn’t keep him down.

Chewbacca

Franchise: Star Wars
Species: Wookiee
Sidekick to: Han Solo

He might have a nit problem and he sheds all over the cockpit, but Chewie is good to have watching your back in a fight. Now, where did we put the carpet shampoo?