The classic westerns of the 1950s marked a golden age in Hollywood. Even skeptics of the genre recognize its stylistic trademarks like shootouts, closeups on the eyes, sweeping landscapes, masculinity and machismo, and other tropes. Westerns became less popular after the neo-Western boom of the 1970s, but their impact on film never went away. Recently, however, movies like News of The World, The Harder They Fall, and The Power of the Dog have started to bring back the western, and this re-emergence is in large part owed to the genre’s ability to adapt with the times and combine with other genres.
Space westerns have a unique way of creating an earthly connection with the far reaches of outer space. Space can seem like a vast, daunting, and empty abyss, but in many ways it’s no different from the wild western frontier, with astronauts like modern cowboys (or Space Cowboys, as the title of a film with western star Clint Eastwood refers to). Even anime and streaming series are making the space western more popular. Here are the eight best space westerns, ranked, for those looking to dive deeper into the genre.

8 Cowboys vs. Aliens

The title of Cowboys Vs. Aliens gives away pretty much everything viewers need to know about the plot of this silly, dumb, and fun flick. An otherworldly threat (aliens) comes to invade a frontier town (cowboys), and the small civilization from the past must rise to defeat an enemy with technology from the future. The film was criticized for its lackluster writing, and did not perform particularly well at the box office. Some viewers found the premise too ridiculous or ‘alien’ to really immerse themselves into, which is odd considering the popularity of superhero movies and their ridiculousness (men in spandex, flying around with superpowers). Regardless of its reception, the film stands as one of the most obvious space westerns and an interesting and fun experiment in the genre.

7 Guardians of the Galaxy

This film may not be as obvious a space western as others, but its central focus on a group of outlaws in the far reaches of space leaves room to argue that Guardians of the Galaxy is a space western in its own way, reminiscent of The Magnificent Seven or The Wild Bunch. With its 80s pop soundtrack and strong comedy, the film has a completely different tone than the serious and dry feeling of most westerns, and is a nice outlier. This Marvel film turns some of the galaxy’s most wanted criminals into a band of its most-needed heroes. Guardians of the Galaxy is loved for its heist-like plot, sidesplitting humor, and variety of great Guardians cast of characters.

6 Cowboy Bebop

Surprisingly large amounts of great anime series from across the sea experiment with western elements and fit into the sci-fi western genre, including Trigun and Outlaw Star, but Cowboy Bebop is arguably the best and most famous. In Cowboy Bebop, cowboys work as bounty hunters in a setting in deep space after the earth has become largely uninhabitable. Most of the show focuses on inner conflicts between these space cowboys and the outlaws they hunt down. Fans of the series enjoy the wacky sense of humor present in most anime shows, along with the unique cast of characters, incredible music, and hyper-stylized sense of cool.
Related: 8 Contemporary Actors Who Should Star in a Western

5 Mad Max Franchise

The Mad Max franchise starts with the premise that the world has run out of oil. Unable to recuperate, the world struggles with political, financial, and violent crises, and amidst the anarchy, people form gangs to survive. In one way or another, each of the movies ends up with a story about tribal warfare at its heart with one character, reminiscent of The Man With No Name from the great Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Mad Max is so unique that it’s hard to place it in any one genre, and even though it never technically goes into space, the films’ dystopian, western-like setting, tribal bands of outlaws, sci-fi cyberpunk technology, and traditionalist shootouts, we included it on this list. Plus, Mad Max: Fury Road is arguably the greatest apocalyptic movie of all time.

4 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

While parts of the many Star Trek movies and TV series have strong western themes and moments, the new Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may already be the most like a space western of them all. The series starts off strong with a first contact story similar to ones already present within the franchise. These stories about men exploring far-off places and building relationships (some good and some bad) with the native people follows the same structure as many classic westerns. Even if its general tone is much more sci-fi than western, the premise is extremely similar to the expansionist principles of the wild west. Aside from its compelling premise, the show is praised for Anson Mount’s performance as Captain Pike.

3 Avatar

Avatar surrounds an excavation to mine valuable materials from a far away planet (akin to the California gold rush so present in great westerns). To blend in and establish connection with the locals, the main characters psychically connect to and inhabit the body of an avatar. When summarized so quickly, the film’s plot may sound confusing and deeply difficult to follow, but Avatar actually follows the same story arc as many westerns (to the extent that it’s often been criticized as a Dances With Wolves rip-off), making it surprisingly simple for audiences to follow. As Jake learns to connect with the land and appreciate his newfound planet, audiences enjoy the creative visual effects and will wish they could visit Pandora in real life.

2 Star Wars and The Mandalorian

Star Wars‘ epic battles between good and evil are famous for their mythical qualities, and if set on earth in the 19th century would make for a great traditional western. Ever since A New Hope, the franchise has always been synonymous with space westerns, and this blend between science-fiction and western is part of what made the franchise popular in the first place.
Related: Here’s How The Power of the Dog Completely Reimagined the Slowburn Western
Most recently, Disney has leaned into this genre even further in its latest series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. The Mandalorian is highly praised for its dissonant but kind cowboy-like character. Even the series plot line about the Mandalorian returning Grogu to live with the Jedi is oddly reminiscent of a cowboy returning a lost child to live with their people, or the kind cowboy with violent capabilities helping a small town or child (like Shane or Hondo).

1 Firefly

Firefly is often one of the first examples to pop up in any conversation about space westerns. In many ways, this show stands as an essential archetype for the subgenre. This series follows a ship of outlaws and travelers as they smuggle goods outside the government’s eye. The ship becomes a target when one particular passenger turns out to be smuggling something uniquely valuable. Everything from the brown and dusty coats to the shootouts screams space western. Each of the characters talks like John Wayne, even though they are in the far reaches of outer space.
Firefly didn’t get enough viewership for a season two renewal. However, after the show was released on DVD, it garnered a large enough following for a one-off movie, Serenity. Joss Whedon managed to fit a story of epic proportions into a small timeline. The show remains beloved, and to many, features Nathan Fillion’s best performance. Even though we wish there was more Firefly (at least until the possible Firefly reboot is released), we love that the show is the perfect length to binge in one weekend.

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