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Fathers and daughters have a special relationship in the movies, sentimentalized to the extreme in movies like the original Father of the Bride, with Spencer Tracy doting on Elizabeth Taylor. That movie came out in 1950, just as the first great decade for science fiction cinema was getting started. Every monster / space flick of the era seemed to feature a brainy but befuddled scientist with a beautiful daughter, waiting to be kissed by the police officer / brave citizen / gun-toting hero. The fathers were protective; the daughters needed to be protected.

As the decades have passed, the idea of "Daddy's Little Girl" hasn't progressed very much. Women have played more warriors and have safeguarded their own daughters, but when it comes to the father / daughter dynamic, very few relationships have been portrayed with much subtlety or depth. For a mainstream comparison, take a look at Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness, in which Mel Gibson plays a Boston police detective seeking vengeance for the murder of his daughter. The film is a tight thriller featuring an abundance of dramatic flavor. What drives the narrative forward, however, is Gibson's memory of his lost adult daughter as a little girl, the darling child with shaving cream on her face, shaving with a comb in imitation of her loving father.

Here are the top sci-fi fathers and daughters, the highlights and low lights of the genre's least appreciated family relationship.

1. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Darth Vader doesn't have any kind of relationship with his daughter as his daughter -- he thinks she's the enemy -- but it's the mere threat that he will have one that whips Luke Skywalker into a frenzy. Surely the blood shared by Darth and Leia informs the entire series.

Wrestling with issues of life and death in genre films: ordinary and customary. Doing so from a religious and/or spiritual perspective: not so much. Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, which expands wide tomorrow, tackles Alice Sebold's novel and flings its spiritual concerns firmly into the realm of wide-eyed, teenage fantasy. The director successfully added drama to the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien, but critical reaction to the heavy dose of other-worldly whimsy that he adds to the criminal / domestic drama of a young girl's murder has been mixed. (See, for example, the thoughtful review by Cinematical's Elisabeth Rappe.)

By its very nature, science fiction invites debate on the past, present, and future of mankind, thus treading boldly into arenas formerly reserved for sacred discussions. Religion in sci-fi movies becomes a hazier issue to define by today's terms. Is 2001: A Space Odyssey a religious picture? How about Planet of the Apes? Rather than split any more hairs, and without passing judgment on the merits of the religions involved, here's a list of the Top Ten Religious Sci-Fi Characters.

1. Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)
As if his desert home and hooded robe weren't enough, old Ben spills off religious platitudes like water over a broken dam. He doesn't force his faith down anyone else's throat, but neither does he hesitate to speak about it in warm, personal terms. In repudiation of lapsed believer Darth Vader's contempt for his "devotion to that ancient religion," Obi-Wan displays genteel grace and self-sacrificing faith in a key climactic scene, providing admirable inspiration for everyone.

Charles T. "Chuck" Baker makes the least dignified astronaut entrance in cinematic history. He lands on Planet 51, plants an American flag, encounters life in the form of a "dog" that looks suspiciously like a mini-me version of the creature from Alien -- and promptly runs away, screaming like a little girl.

Baker, voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the amusing animated film that opens tomorrow, has a lot to learn about being an astronaut. Planet 51, aimed squarely and pleasantly at children, is ready to impart lessons about the true meaning of "the right stuff," not only for Baker, but also for mournful astronomer Lem (Justin Long), his unrequited love Neera (Jessica Biel), and the evil 1-2 punch of a a military leader (Gary Oldman) and a scientist (John Cleese). The film pays homage to a variety of sci-fi flicks, and the stylish, rounded curves of its character and production designs are reminiscent of the early 1950s, the grand era when astronauts first started popping up on the big screen.

In compiling this list, I was tempted to draw from the huge pool of space jockeys, ranging from Luke Skywalker to Captain Kirk, but decided instead to stick to a more traditional view of astronauts. Some, obviously, are more realistic than others.

In the Shadow of the Moon

You can't get much better than the real thing. David Singleton's documentary allows the Apollo astronauts to give voice to their hopes, fears, and memories of their dazzling missions to the moon, accompanied by rarely-seen archival footage. It's dazzling, mesmerizing, and ultimately humbling.