Top 10 Fictional Currencies In Film And TV

This movie takes the phrase, “time is money,” literally. In a future world, people stop aging when they turn 25 and are then given one more year to live – but they can earn even more. How much time a person has left is stored on devices on their wrists. This central premise drives the plot of the film in a very inventive way, as an unexpected windfall of time drives the protagonist, Will, through a series of events that see him attempting to change the vast wealth, and therefore age, gap inherent in his society. We’ve got to wonder if daylight saving time is still a thing, though.

Like the franchise they come from, these fictional coins have been reinvented since their initial appearance. In the original 70s series, they were, true to their name, golden, rectangular coins, inspired by the initials of series creator Glen A. Larson. The cubits seen in the reboot, however, have the characteristic “cut corners” that are found on other objects used by the Twelve Colonies, like paper. Though the post-apocalyptic nature of most of the series, and the survivors’ move towards a barter system, relegates cubits primarily to gambling situations, the prequel series “Caprica” offers more varied scenarios for the currency to pop up.

The protagonist of the “Riddick” films, Richard B. Riddick, is a murderer and a notorious criminal, whose list of offenses is longer than the number of ways he can kill you. With such an impressive résumé, it’s little wonder that Riddick has quite a bounty on his head. In the Riddick-verse, that comes in the form of UD, or Universal Denomination, which comes in the form of bond notes. While their appearance in the film is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, prop photos reveal an elaborate, semi-transparent design.

Mel Brooks’ brilliant spoof of “Star Wars” loves to slap the word space on the front of just about everything, and its fictional currency is no exception. Spacebucks are more than just a part of the film’s ambiance, however. They’re also a motivating factor for the protagonist, Lone Starr. The roguish hero and his sidekick Barf owe a debt to Pizza the Hutt and are eager to make a big score of space bucks by retrieving a princess for a big reward. The currency’s role in kick-starting the movie, and its representation of the film’s silliness, made it a natural pick.

While we also considered the 300 dollar “Tricky-Dick Fun bill” from “Futurama,” the trillion dollar bill plays a more significant role in this “Simpsons” episode. After an audit, Homer becomes the FBI’s lackey, with the aim of going after a bigger fish: Mr. Burns himself. After World War II, Mr. Burns was given a trillion dollar bill to aid in Europe’s reconstruction, but being the miser he is, he never delivered it. When Homer’s dumb luck leads Burns to admit to having the bill, things don’t look good for the gazillionaire, but Homer decides to aid Mr. Burns in an escape to Cuba. On a side note: don’t trust Fidel Castro with your money.

Although the Federation itself claims to have moved beyond money, plenty of other cultures in the “Star Trek” galaxy do use it, and none is featured quite as often as Latinum, the preferred tender of the capitalistic Ferengi. Introduced in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” Latinum - despite being divided into gold bricks, bars, and strips - is actually a liquid pressed inside the gold, making it a unique currency indeed. And with several Ferengi in “DS9”’s main cast, the pursuit of Latinum acts as a recurring catalyst for many plots in the show.

This classic animated sitcom is famous for substituting animals for modern conveniences, and that extends to money too. The Flintstones and the rest of the residents of Bedrock use real clams as their currency, in a clever take on an old slang term for money. That’s not to say they don’t use paper cash too. In fact, this is far more prevalent in the original cartoon, where money is a frequent plot point. Clams and, alternatively, sand dollars, are seen more prominently in the live-action film adaptations, “The Flintstones” and “The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.”

Despite its fantasy setting, “Game of Thrones” deals a fair amount with economics. While there are several currencies in the world of “Game of Thrones,” including the Gold Honors, our pick had to go to the resident coinage of Westeros. The coins operate on the gold standard and are frequently mentioned in connection with the Crown’s debts, as a reward, or when comparing cheap things. The coins’ names are probably derived from the crests or emblems of the series’ Great Houses: dragons for the Targaryens and stags for the Baratheons. Still, considering how rich they are, you’d think the Lannisters would have a lion coin.

While the name “credits” is kind of the go-to word for fictional currency, “Star Wars” does manage to make up for this shortcoming with the money’s importance to several plots. The pursuit of credits by characters is a plot point in several episodes of the various “Star Wars” animated series. However, their greatest importance to the franchise occurs in “The Phantom Menace.” When the party from Naboo is unable to use Republic credits on Tatooine, they bet on one Anakin Skywalker to prove victorious in a podrace so he can win his freedom and they can get the parts they need, effectively leading to many of the important events in the franchise.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Units
“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)

- Gold Coins
"John Wick” franchise (2014-)

- Bison Dollars
“Street Fighter” (1994)

When you think of fictional currency, these wizarding coins are some of the first to spring to mind. Similar to “Game of Thrones,” Galleons are gold, Sickles are silver, and Knuts are bronze. In the “Harry Potter” books, fake versions were used as a communication tool for the young rebellious wizards of Dumbledore’s Army. While this detail is removed from the films, currency is still often featured. Harry’s discovery that his parents left him rich serves as one of many indicators that he’s left his old life behind. In addition, in the final movie, he and his friends find themselves nearly killed by some rapidly multiplying galleons and other treasures inside a vault.