Hot Sci Fi Men in Uniform

We had two choices for theme of the month and I'm going with men in uniform, but adding a science fiction twist, and of course  guys in uniform are always hot. Right?

First, major respect and appreciation to the men AND women in uniform for their country in real life, and for the veterans and the families.

OK, if I was going to pick my favorite military man in uniform in SF, it would have to be Corporal Hicks in the movie "Aliens", as portrayed by Michael Biehn. I always go for that Southern accent and the man is not only good looking, he's calm, deadly with pulse rifle and can survive an Alien encounter.

A close tie for second would be Raleigh Becket and Stacker Pentecost in "Pacific Rim." Played by Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba respectively, they cancel the Apocalypse and keep us all safe from alien Kaiju. (And the character of Mako Mori, played by Rinko Kikuchi, was wonderful!)

Then there's "Firefly" and Captain Mal...."Independence Day" with Will Smith's fighter pilot (although I actually preferred Jeff Goldblum's civilian character)...

When I'm writing science fiction, I almost always make the hero a Special Forces soldier in the Sectors military. (The Sectors being the galactic civilization where my SFR novels take place.) I think they're the most bad ass guys around, the kind of people I want to come rescue me, fight my way out of danger with and celebrate the victory in all possible ways together with. The quiet professonals, as we say of the modern day Navy SEALs.

So far I've done three SFR novels (the 3rd, "Mission to Mahjundar" is coming in August) and the three heroes share some things in common, while being very different individuals. Nick Jameson, in "Wreck of the Nebula Dream," has just come off a really bad mission, blames himself for the loss of his Team and seems to be trying to drink himself to oblivion while on his way to a court martial. But when danger threatens the ship he's on, he's right there, working to save the civilians, putting his life on the line for theirs. It helps that a certain beautiful and competent galactic businesswoman is at his side.

In "Escape From Zulaire," Tom Deverane has served his time and would retire if he

 thought he could handle peace and quiet. He's hiding a secret, which has the potential to endanger everyone whose life he's trying to save. Despite all the odds being against them on a planet descending into war, he refuses to give up. And Andi, the woman he was sent to rescue, turns out to be the key to mission success, with her hard headedness and local contacts.

In "Mission to Mahjundar," (cover reveal SOON, book out in August) Mike Varone has one last job to do before he takes early retirement to help his family out at home. The mission seems simple enough - find a downed ship and retrieve the casualties - until he's thrown into the local political intrigues, takes a detour to go tomb raiding and rescues a reluctant princess from her arranged marriage. But Princess Shalira, although blind, can channel the powers of the local gods and proves to be every bit his equal in solving the challenges they encounter.

The only easy day was yesterday, as the SEALs will tell you, whether you're on Earth or Out There.

Amazon best-seller Veronica Scott is a two-time recipient of the SFR Galaxy Award and a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award finalist. She's written a number of science-fiction and paranormal romances, including Magic of the Nile, her most recent. You can find out more about her and her books at veronicascott.wordpress.com.