Some play integral roles in their films or shows while others merely appear and disappear as needed. But no matter how big or small of a role they play, all of the stations elevate their particular piece of fiction to new heights.
For our purposes, space stations are defined as any large structure that can support a colony in orbit around a planetary body or are large enough to stand on their own in deep space. Despite the fact that some ships in science fiction act as stations, they were not included in this list. []
For example, although the Battlestar Galactica ship and the American Airlines space freighters in the movie "Silent Running" were in the pool of contenders, they fall into the category of "spaceship" and not station. Bases built on the moon, Mars or other cosmic bodies were also left off the list (sorry "Space: 1999" and "Outland").
So without further ado, here are SPACE.com's picks for the topsci-fi space stations on TV and in the movies. Did your favorite make the list?
The Death Star (and Death Star II), "Star Wars"
The giant space weapon so nice, they made it twice, the Death Star is one of the most iconic space stations in history. Used to destroy Princess Leia's home planet of Alderaan in "Episode IV: A New Hope," thewas later destroyed by the rebels. By "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi," however, the Empire is already building a second Death Star. And never be fooled. It may be big, but "that's no moon."
Babylon 5, "Babylon 5"
This station is home to 250,000 people in orbit around the fictional planet Epsilon III. It exists in a neutral part of space and was constructed to allow humans and aliens a chance to work together in peace within the universe of the "Babylon 5" TV show.
Deep Space 9, "Deep Space Nine"
This outpost near a strangely stable wormhole plays host to Captain Benjamin Sisko, his Starfleet crew and many civilians. The 24th century group of space explorers uses the wormhole to travel to the far reaches of the universe in hour-long adventures. One of the best things about Deep Space Nine: It didn't always work right. The station was built by the Cardassians, a militaristic alien race, as a mining refinery and outpost over the planet Bajor, but was handed over to the Federation after Bajor won its independence. The DS9 crew had to battle with clunky computers, unwieldy Cardassian station design and, of course, pesky vole infestations.
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