The Coolest Movie Space Suits in History

By Tyler Doupe

In the long history of outer-space cinema, some films came close to predicting what astronauts would be wearing in the 21st century and others got it painfully wrong. With the space-age sci-fi thriller Gravity launching into theaters Oct. 4, here are the coolest looking space suits in cinematic history.

The Troopers Suits in Starship Troopers

They were both practical and stylish, allowing the hot young cast to look good while saving the world from giant, deadly bugs. Fortunately, amidst saving the world, the cast somehow, still found time for lengthy coed shower scenes and a quick roll in the hay.

Spock’s Suit in Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Even though Mr. Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) spacesuit looks primitive by today’s CGI ruled cinematic landscape, one must give credit to Mr. Spock’s bright orange getup in Star Trek: The Motion Picture It was nearly impenetrable and he and Capt. Kirk certainly needed the protection when they wore it to explore V'Ger.

Ripley’s Spacesuit in Alien

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was an all out badass, so she needed an equally badass suit to take on an especially nasty breed of alien that found its way aboard her crew’s ship. The suit looked futuristic at the time and also allowed her plenty of headroom with the giant fishbowl-like helmet at the top. Of course, we also liked her in the tank top, too.

The Storm Trooper suits in The Star Wars franchise

Go to San Diego Comic Con any year, throw a dime and you'll hit 10 guys wearing the iconic Storm Trooper suit (though never as well as they did in the movies). Who wouldn’t want to don the duds of one of Darth Vader’s minions and play the bad guy for a weekend? Especially considering most of the film’s heroes had considerably less exciting attire – with the exception of Princess Leia.

Prometheus

The suits in Prometheus were flashier than those worn in the 1979 pseudo-prequel Alien; but when you are tasked with trying to determine the origins of the human race, you simply must look sharp while doing it. With Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron playing lead roles, looking good was already a given.

James Bond in Moonraker

When plans for global genocide are afoot, one naturally enlists the services of Agent 007. Say what you will about the film’s flimsy premise and about Roger Moore as James Bond, you cannot deny that the man looked great in a spacesuit. And of course, who can forget the film’s provocatively named ‘Bond Girl’ Holly Goodhead?

Solaris

George Clooney would probably look good in a burlap sack with a paper bag over his head. And he certainly looks dashing as a psychologist sent to the Prometheus Space Station to offer treatment to a group of astronauts. While there, Chris (Clooney) must attempt to determine why the crew is being troubled by strange beings and also investigate the origins of the tomfoolery.

Event Horizon

Next to the Alien franchise, Event Horizon – the tale of a space crew sent to examine a missing space ship that mysteriously resurfaces - stands as one of the best outer space horror films of all time. It’s highly atmospheric and the ending is a complete shock. The film has an all-star cast that features Sam Neill, Joely Richardson, Laurence Fishburn and Kathleen Quinlan. Both the jumpsuits and protective attire the crew donned are highly futuristic looking and the cast looked good wearing them.

Star Trek (2009)

Even die-hard fans of the original series must admit that the duds donned by the cast of the 2009 film were highly stylized and an efficient upgrade from the suits worn in the previous films. In fact, J.J. Abrams got just about everything right in this entry in the Star Trek franchise that has the crew dealing with black holes and nefarious villains.

The Martians from Mars Attacks

Mars Attacks is the extremely farcical tale of a widespread Martian invasion that naturally causes mass hysteria. The big-brained Martians require equally large glass helmets to protect their giant heads and their tiny bodies are cloaked in stylish attire that would befit Martian royalty.