The Sci-Fi Cast

There are few couples in all of science fiction more deliciously wonderful than Zapp “The Zapper” Brannigan and his hapless, defeated assistant, Kif. Originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, Zapp was portrayed by Billy West and was based upon Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Even when he’s stripped of his rank after destroying the Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.), Zapp lands back on his two feet. Largely because of Kif.

Ah, Kif. Zapp’s assistant and Amy’s boyfriend, Kif is smart enough to recognize when Zapp’s about to get into trouble, but too timid to do anything about it. Some of our favorite Kif moments are his exasperated sighs. For example:

Leela: You know, Zapp, someone ought to teach you a lesson.
Zapp: If it’s a lesson in love, watch out; I suffer from a very sexy learning disability. What do I call it, Kif?
Kif: [sighs] “Sex-lexia”

If Kif and Zapp ever starred in a buddy road trip movie, we’d be first in line to see it. Here’s to Kif and the Zapper, one of our favorite sci-fi duos.

If you’re going to put a comedy duo smack dab in the middle of a sci-fi kids show, what better straight man could you have than a cool, calculating robot? When Lost In Space first premiered on US television in 1963, producers soon realized they had a classic comedy team in Doctor Zachary Smith, played with scene chewing panache by Jonathan Harris, and the B-9 Robot, voiced by Dick Tufeld.

As the show progressed over its 3 season run, the relationship between Dr. Smith and the Robot turned from one of creator and progeny to that more akin to Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy. The Robot served as the perfect straight man to Dr. Smith’s increasingly outlandish jibes and insults and viewers loved every minute of it.

I can’t count how many times Doctor Smith got himself and Will Robinson into trouble and how many times the Robot would have to come to the rescue. And no matter how many times the pair would verbally joust, Smith always seemed to have a new name to call the Robot. “Bubble-headed Booby” was one of the most beloved, but there were many, many more. I think one of the reasons why kids like myself always loved the duo was that no matter how badly they insulted each other, in the end, they would always have the other’s best interests at heart. Plus, the Robot was just plain cool.

Check out our other favorite duos!

Theirs was the classic story: Boy loses sister to aliens via trade with a government shadow agency, boy’s cheese slips a bit off of his cracker, boy draws attention of men running said shadow agency, men introduce sexy yet reserved female scientist to boy –  ignorant of her real purpose — to debunk his investigations of said shadow agency, boy falls in love with girl but doesn’t kiss her for like 7 seven seasons despite the fact that she’s a smoking hot redhead with pouty lips, boy and girl have baby. Kind of.

There’s so much to love about these two, like Scully’s ability to ground Mulder when he seems lost, and Mulder’s need to push Scully beyond her dedication to the scientific method. For me, however, the highlight of this couple is the subtlety of affection.

For decades, TV shows have used “the reluctant couple” as a plot device. From Hawkeye and Hot Lips to Tony and Angela to that dude on Night Court and the blonde girl, it’s a prime time staple that usually culminates in a kiss scheduled for sweeps week. Not so with The X-Files.

It was clear that both characters shared a deep affection that didn’t need overt acknowledgement. Good-natured ribbing, subtle looks and even brief hand-holding were just as meaningful as that eventual kiss. You knew that Mulder loved Scully and vice-versa. Chris Carter kept it at that and the show was better for it.

Hats off to Mulder and Scully, one of our favorite Sci-Fi duos. Have you got a favorite?