Most Famous Fictional Engineers
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You may think engineering is the stuff of hard fact and exact calculations but here’s a small peek into an alternate reality of engineering. From sci-fi fantasy to action heroes, engineers have been well represented in books and on screen. Ok, so they’re not always flattering depictions – think uber-nerds in some cases… So, counting down from 5, here are the top fictional characters that have inspired us, amazed us, and at times, left us in bewildered awe.
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5. Wayne Szalinski from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
At number 5 on our list is Wayne Szalinski, the goofy inventor played by Rick Moranis in 1989 Disney classic ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.’ Uber-nerd anyone? This oddball, struggling inventor accidentally shrinks his, and the neighbour’s two kids after a badly aimed baseball activates his Electro-Magnetic Shrink Ray. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s will remember the terrifying journey for the ¼ inch kids, who have accidentally been thrown out with the trash. The struggle across their backyard saw the kids face a number of terrifying incidents including run-ins with now-giant insects, the lawn sprinkler system, and a lawnmower – not to mention the giant bowl of Cheerios! The effects were state of the art and wowed audiences at the time (pre-CGI, but still pretty cool). Do not fear though, good ol’ Wayne finds the kids in the nick of time and - using his engineering prowess - restores them back to their original size.
4. Q – Pretty Much All James Bond Films
Famous for his role in the James Bond franchise, Q (short for Quartermaster) is, and has been, the mastermind behind Bond’s gadgets for over 50 years. Q (the head of Q Branch, the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service) has been played by a number of actors over the years. Desmond Llewelyn was the longest serving and will be fondly remembered as the inventor of the mini rocket cigarette, a wrist dart gun, various watches kitted out as anything from lasers to explosives, and - of course – the super-cool adapted Aston Martin DB5. The DB5 has become synonymous with the James Bond series, successfully getting the 007 agent out of many sticky situations. With everything from machine guns and ejector seats, to deceptive smoke screens, the DB5 had more modifications than a teenage boy racer’s VW Polo.
3. Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future 1,2 and 3
Doc Brown, the quirky inventor in Universals’ record-breaking film, Back to the Future, is the archetypal eccentric engineer. This loveable character invented some wonderfully weird creations throughout the trilogy, including the Time Train and a Brain-wave analyser. His most famous - and ultimately most successful - invention is the DeLorean time machine which is made out of a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car. The key behind this marvellous vehicle is the Flux capacitor which made the miracle of time travel possible when the vehicle reached 88mph. Although well-meaning, Doc was a bit of a naughty boy and did break the law on a number of occasions when trying to obtain much-needed items for his new creations - most notably, the Plutonium stolen from the Libyans.
2. Tony Stark from Iron Man
The man (and brains) behind the Iron Man suit makes Number 2 in our list.The Marvel Comic character, played by Robert Downey Jr, is a genius engineer and billionaire businessman who previously worked as a weapons manufacturer for the military. After escaping imprisonment in Afghanistan, Tony decided to put his expertise to good use and fight the evil of this world. Following his escape, Tony continued to adapt and develop his armoured suit, arming it with a host of weapons, under the new identity of Iron Man. Although Tony’s greatest achievement is the suit, he also masterminded many other inventions, including the arc reactor and repulsor blaster.
1. Scotty from Star Trek
Beam me up, Scotty! Top of our list is Montgomery Scott, affectionately known as Scotty. The second coolest Scottish man on film (after Sean Connery as Bond, obviously) Scotty was played by James Doohan between 1966 and 1994. Doohan’s role as Chief Engineer aboard the USS Enterprise regularly saw him hatching a plan to save the day - he was called the “miracle worker” for good reason. Most engineers can probably relate to being expected to work miracles. Some of the most memorable incidents include: Scotty saving the Enterprise from being destroyed by aliens (A Taste of Armageddon - Season 1, Episode 23); breaking Spock, McCoy, and Kirk out of the Brig (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier); and escaping the Romulans by hooking up the stolen cloaking device. His quick thinking and understated delivery meant that Scotty has set the standard for all future Starfleet engineers. For this reason, we had to acknowledge him as the greatest ever fictional engineer. Live Long and Prosper, Scotty!
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