Top 10 All-Powerful Empires In Movies & TV

Like the Asguardians, the Kree are technologically advanced aliens from another planet. Unlike the Asguardians, the blue-skinned humanoids are military-based and reign over the vast Kree empire of multiple planets. These extraterrestrials have encountered each other several times in the Nine Realms, Earth and beyond, but the Kree bring with them a rather untrustworthy reputation. With the likes of Ronan the Accuser and Yon-Rogg hailing from Kree, it’s obviousl that they’re both powerful and singularly focused on themselves, and as such, it’s not surprising that they’ve appeared in multiple MCU films and TV series.

These blue creatures formed an important part of Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi series. Based on Tarn-Vedra, they were the first intelligent race to discover the Slipstream, this universe’s version of hyperspace, and used it to expand their Empire. But despite their galactic expansion efforts, the Vedran eventually entered a war with the powers of the Triangulum Galaxy, during which they realized – after 4000 years – that their imperial ways were not sustainable. This led the Vedran Empire to reform as the Systems Commonwealth, with other Slipstream-capable worlds. Unfortunately, the Empire met its true end during the conflict with the Magog and the Nietzscheans, but the species lived on once Tarn-Vedra was reunited with the rest of the Commonwealth.

You wouldn’t expect imperial aspirations from a species of parasitic snakes, but that’s what we got from these guys. Originally coming from the planet P3X-888, the Goa’uld had control of the other native species of that planet, the Unas. Unfortunately for the rest of the galaxy, they deciphered the Stargate and moved onto conquering other worlds. Eventually, a Goa’uld named Ra discovered Earth and the Empire was able to hold control of the planet for thousands of years, framing themselves as Gods and deities familiar to humans. Despite their silent and deadly nature, the species is mostly known for its unquenchable taste for power, which has resulted in plenty of nasty internal conflicts.

In a universe as massive and complex as the one created by Frank Herbert, you’d better hope there’s a system to watch over all the chaos. Alternatively known as the Imperium, the Padishah Empire was responsible for providing a framework and stability for the Known Universe. The Empire was usually led by one of the major houses, like during the several millennia long rule of House Corrino. But the Corrino rule of the universe ended when Paul Atreides, AKA the Kwisatz Haderach, married Irulan Corrino and became the rightful heir to the Empire. Under Paul’s rule, the Empire became almost unrecognizable, and it was ended when Paul’s son and heir, Leto II, met his death.

In the original “BSG,” the Cylons are a series of robots created by a species of sentient reptiles, also called Cylons, who are hell-bent on, what else, the destruction of humanity. However, their origins became more complex in the 21st century reimagining: there, they were originally created by humans as “Cybernetic Lifeform Nodes,” to be workers and soldiers. But the Cylons turned against their creators and almost destroyed all of humankind, driving them into space. The rest of the series is based around the ensuing war between the Cylons and the Twelve Colonies, but the humans face a rather complex problem. In addition to usual robot Cylons, there are also 13 Cylons that are disguised as humans.

“Avatar” might’ve been marketed to a younger audience, but the heinous acts carried out by the Fire Nation are shockingly numerous. To start, Fire Lord Sozin harnessed the power of a passing comet to increase his people’s abilities and initiate a massive war. Then, they executed the genocide of the Air Nomads, to make sure that the Avatar wouldn’t be reincarnated and that they would be unstoppable. Then they continued to wage war for a hundred years, only to be stopped by the final confrontation between Fire Lord Ozai and Aang, the Last Airbender. While not everyone in the Fire Nation was evil (Hi, Zuko), a majority of them were responsible for one of the deadliest conflicts in all of fiction.

There’s corruption and bloodshed in many empires, but some more than others. Established by Aegon I Targaryen with the help of a couple of dragons, the Seven Kingdoms are defined by the Iron Throne, the ultimate symbol of power in the land of Westeros. They’re also defined by corrupt leaders who are only out for personal gain, like Cersei Lannister, Petyr Baelish, and psychopathic Kings, like Joffrey Baratheon. Despite this, there’s no lack of people throughout the Seven Kingdoms who want nothing more than to rule it, leading to events like Robert’s Rebellion, which saw the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen deposed, and the incredibly devastating War of the Five Kings.

They may look like tin cans with plungers, but make no mistake: this alien empire is one of the greatest threats in all of modern fiction. The Daleks were created by the megalomaniacal scientist Davros, who was able to turn the members of his species, the Kaleds, into emotionless, murderous machines with lasers and the power of flight. Oh, and they can travel through time too. Because of this, the Dalek Empire became the greatest threat to the universe, appearing at multiple points in time and even conquering many worlds. Their conquests eventually led them to all-out war with the Time Lords. Luckily, the Doctor was able to put a stop to them, almost exterminating the entire race.

“Star Trek” has no shortage of alien civilizations, like the ever-threatening Romulan Empire. Since the original series often reflected the political atmosphere of the 1960s, its creators also included the Federation’s own version of Soviet Russia: The Klingons. But it’s those cybernetic organisms in search of perfection and that are willing to do anything to achieve it that land here. Linked through the Collective, the Borg inject nanoprobes into their targets with the intent to assimilate them as drones into the hive mind. Other than the Borg Queen, individual Borgs couldn’t really be identified or defined. Yet somehow, they were still able to bring multiple technologies, cultures and beings into themselves and elicit widespread fear across the entire galaxy - so much so that the expression “resistance is futile” has been very well-cemented into pop culture.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Skrull Empire
“Fantastic Four” (1994-96)

The Alliance
“Firefly” (2002)

Centauri
“Babylon 5” (1993-98)

Peacekeepers
“Farscape” (1999-2003)

Decepticons
“Transformers” franchise” (1984-)

The First Galactic Empire was the result of a plan by Darth Sidious, who, under the guise of Senator Palpatine, orchestrated a series of conflicts between planets that eventually led to the Clone Wars and to Palpatine declaring himself Emperor. After that, the galaxy fell into disarray, epitomized by the extermination of the Jedi and the rise of Darth Vader, the Emperor’s right-hand man. The Empire is defined by its seemingly unlimited power, including a massive Imperial Army and Navy, and the ultimate power in the universe, the Death Star. The Empire eventually met its end thanks to a scrappy Rebellion, but its effects are still felt in the galaxy, particularly among groups like the First Order.