We’re one week removed from the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer, and it’s still all everybody’s talking about. Even when FOX tried to score some headlines by revealing their Fantastic Four cast, or Sony released that new Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer, it’s still Guardians of the Galaxy that has people jonesing. Have you seen the Parks and Recreation version? Classic Internet!

But there’s a problem: I already did a Guardians of the Galaxy list! So what the heck am I supposed to do now? How about a list of all of my favorite aliens?

Miniature American flags for all!

Do aliens exist for real? Maybe. I’m of the mind that they’re probably out there somewhere, evolved in ways we can’t even fathom. But I doubt they’ve visited to Earth to abduct cows and rednecks. Aliens have always been big in pop culture. There are probably more made-up aliens and alien races than there are stars in the universe at this point. And here are my personal favorites!

6. Max

Spaceships can be aliens too

Flight of the Navigator was one of my favorite movies as a kid because Max, ‘short for Trimaxion Drone Ship’, was the coolest darn spaceship around! Paul Reubens was a great voice, and there were just so many exciting things on that ship. Max had his own zoo and all sorts of fancy powers, from hyper drive to those nifty floating stairs. Max also represented freedom, and the idea that a kid like David can get whisked away on such an amazing journey. Who wouldn’t want that kind of adventure? Itty bitty Sean was in love with the idea.

5. The Doctor

Trust me, he’s an alien

Who doesn’t love the Doctor? I’m still a relatively recent convert to the wonderful world of Doctor Who, but I was hooked after only a few episodes. The Doctor is such a deep and fascinating hero, his altruism and heroism tempered by his loneliness and the fact that, sometimes, the Doctor can fail. His friends get hurt, his loved ones pay a price for knowing him, but the Doctor perseveres. He’s the ultimate whimsical warrior, making friends and doing the right thing wherever he goes. He’s good for drama, comedy and even action. He’s the Doctor, and that should be all we need.

4. Saint Walker

Maybe a Blue Lantern movie would do better

There are a bajillion aliens in comic books; heck, even Superman is an alien! But I could give or take the lot of them. One of the ones I actually like is the recent creation, Saint Walker, otherwise known as the Blue Lantern. The Green Lantern has been around forever, but only recently did DC Comics introduce a whole spectrum of multi-colored lanterns. The Blue Lanterns represent hope, and Saint Walker is their unofficial leader, striving to bring hope and goodwill to the galaxy. Some might call him naive, but Walker never backs down. He’s too pure of heart. And those are the kinds of heroes I love. He also looks pretty neat.

3. Chewbacca

Rebel, freedom fighter, ladykiller

As I’ve aged and wizened, I’ve come to appreciate Chewbacca a lot more. I never particularly noticed him in Star Wars as a kid, but as an adult, I really have a soft sport for the sidekicks and supporting characters in fiction. Chewbacca was never the star of Star Wars, but he was always right there in the thick of things alongside Luke, Han and Leia. He was the Ringo to their Beatles, because even though he was a big, furry alien who didn’t speak English, Chewbacca was still a fully sentient, heroic person in the struggle against the Empire. He deserved that medal after the Battle of Yavin, dammit! And there are few things I love more in this world than when people treat Chewbacca as a real person whenever he shows up at events or award shows.

2. Dak Hamee the Hork-Bajir

The green one, though the purple one is cool too

This is going to be a complicated one…but did anybody else read Animorphs as a kid? It was a young adult series of novels about five teenagers with the power to transform into animals, which they used to repel an invasion of brain-controlling slugs. That was the main thrust of the series, but writer K.A. Applegate went out of her way to create this vivid, intergalactic tapestry of alien races in the background. One of those races were the Hork-Bajir, whose entire race had already fallen victim to the slugs, and who were used as living weapons in the invasion of Earth. In a book called The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, Applegate wrote about the slug’s invasion of the Hork-Bajir homeworld, and how one of them, the super-intelligent Dak Hamee, fought for his people’s freedom. I loved that book, it’s one of my favorite in the whole Animorphs series. Dak is a wise hero, the smartest of his normally dim-witted race, and his journey from peaceful alien nobody to romantic freedom fighter was truly exciting. I also really liked Axe from Animorphs, he was really cool too.

1. Silver Surfer

The surfboard makes sense, if you think about it!

The Sentinel of the Spaceways! The Silver Surfer has always been my favorite alien, hands down, no arguments. He was my favorite superhero as a kid, and he remains a truly spectacular character. The Surfer has even more existential dread than the Doctor, and a lot more kickass powers to boot! He’s just such a brilliantly simple design, so serenely perfect in his simplicity against the vastness of space. And there’s tragedy in him too, how he gave his life to servitude in order to save his home planet. In fact, I have a soft spot for Galactus too, and all of his heralds. It’s such a uniquely fun concept, and there’s so much pathos in the story of the servants rebelling against their master on this cosmic scale. But the Surfer has in spades the one thing that makes any alien great: he’s just so human.

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