10 Greatest Opening Lines In Sci-Fi TV History
Zach Moser has been writing for ScreenRant since 2022, covering movies, classic TV, and streaming TV. His areas of expertise cover a wide range of genres with a particular interest in horror and drama, and the conversations around the TV and film industry. When he's not covering the latest film releases or chronicling the latest season of a new show, he's writing humor pieces for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and Points In Case or working on short stories and his second novel.
These ten opening lines from sci-fi TV shows are the best in the genre's history. Not every opening line is created equally. While some openers are as important as any line in the pilot episode of a sci-fi show, others are used to set the stage for everything that is to come in the series.
Some of these shows open with quotes overlaid on the screen, but those don't count as the opening lines. For a line to make this list, it has to be uttered by someone, anyone, in a science fiction series. These are ten of the best opening lines, and you'll likely be able to guess the show from the words alone.
"There Is A Fifth Dimension Beyond That Which Is Known To Man."
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
The opening line of The Twilight Zone is as recognizable as the eerie bongos and guitar chords that invite viewers into Rod Serling's surreal and frightening world. This famous opening is actually different in season 1, and in season 2, the line was changed to the now more familiar, "You're traveling through another dimension...".
This original version of the opening still has the same effect. It's a mysterious, intriguing, unnerving way to begin the series, and it's a fabulous tone setter for the episode to follow. The "fifth dimension" of the opening line is the perfect way to describe the Earth-like settings of each episode.
"There Is Nothing Wrong With Your Television Set."
The Outer Limits (1963-1965)
The Outer Limits followed on the heels of The Twilight Zone, and as a science fiction anthology series, it was naturally compared to Serling's series. The Outer Limits was much more focused on science fiction though, and was more straightforward, often forgoing the philosophy of The Twilight Zone.
The first line of the pilot is the first line of every episode, and in a similar fashion to The Twilight Zone, it sets the stage for what viewers are about to see. This line may be more recognizable than the show itself. Its ominous, slightly hammy intensity is a great lead-in to one of the '60s greatest sci-fi shows.
"Space: The Final Frontier."
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
"Space: the final frontier", probably inspired as much interest in the cosmos as any actual moon landing. This opening to Star Trek: The Original Series was spoken over the opening credits, often by William Shatner, but also by other members of the crew of the USS Enterprise, a space-faring vessel in the year 2266.
The rest of this opening monologue is equally as memorable as the opening line, though the outro, "...to boldly go where no man has gone before!" perhaps eclipses everything. A show about the excitement of space travel and the splendor of the universe deserves as epic an opening as this one.
"Space. It Seems To Go On And On Forever. But Then You Get To The End And The Gorilla Starts Throwing Barrels At You."
Futurama (1999-Present)
There's no doubt that Matt Groening's The Simpsons follow-up, Futurama, is a futuristic sci-fi show, so the opening line of the pilot, "Space Pilot 3000", serves as a kind of bait-and-switch. Philip J. Fry narrates a scene of space, presumably commenting on the vast expanse. A quick zoom out reveals he's literally explaining a video game in the current year.
It's a great way to introduce Futurama's sensibility. Like The Simpsons, Futurama loves to tell a joke that the audience thinks is going one way, only for it to veer in the other direction. It's also a good thematic line for the series. Many episodes could be described as a "gorilla throwing barrels at you while in space".
"Are You Alive?"
Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)
Battlestar Galactica begins with foreboding text that explains how the show has gotten to the point where we're watching. Then, we come to enter a spaceship, where an older man is desperately doing something, only for the main doors to open up, and two large, angry-looking robots to enter.
Instead of confronting the man, they make way for a woman dressed in a red suit who walks forward and asks the man the question above before violently kissing him. It's a strange, mysterious, sexy opening to the series, and a sign of things to come. Things will only get more intense as the show goes on.
"What I'm About To Tell You Is Top-secret."
Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
It's hard to think of as exciting a line as the one that opens up Mr. Robot, the 2015 techno-thriller starring Rami Malek. Though it eschews the rule of "show don't tell", some exceptions can be made when what's being told is so engaging. Something "top-secret" can't help but draw viewers in.
Mr. Robot follows Elliot Alderson (Malek), a socially awkward but brilliant computer engineer who uses his notable hacking capabilities to help him act as a vigilante. His dealings lead him to some dark places and top-secret institutions, so the opening line makes it clear that we will be along for the ride.
"We Trust That Time Is Linear."
Dark (2017-2020)
We might not even know that we trust that time is linear until we hear it spoken in the opening scene of Dark. The ominous quote is said by a deep, German voice, and we're immediately brought into the world of Dark. Of course, we assume that time is linear; that's how it works.
But the way this line is said immediately gets the viewer wondering. It's a line that causes you to begin questioning why we assume time is linear, and it's that kind of head-space that is necessary to fully enjoy Dark. This is a place-setting opening line that perfectly orients the audience to what they are about to see.
"There Will Be No Mob Justice Today!"
Watchmen (2019)
Those familiar with Alan Moore's Watchmen series may be a bit surprised when the first scene in Damon Lindelof's Watchmen TV show begins. Instead of the modern day, we begin with a young black boy watching a silent cowboy film in 1921. The cowboy catches a criminal, and the boy excitedly shouts his catchphrase, "There will be no mob justice today!"
Then, the theater explodes, and we see we are at the start of the real-life Tulsa race massacre. There may be no justice being done today, but there is plenty of mob rule. This opening line is a commentary on what the rest of the HBO series will be about, and what the original is about as well: the grey line between mob justice and vengeful chaos.
"I Can Bring You In Warm, Or I Can Bring You In Cold."
The Mandalorian (2019-2023)
If you want to make sure viewers respect your new character as a gun-slinging badass, then an opening line like the one in The Mandalorian is a good way to start off. Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) is a Mandalorian bounty hunter, of the same ilk as Boba Fett, though he's still collecting bounties five years after the end of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi.
Din is a dangerous opponent, and as the opening line suggests, he doesn't much care what happens to his quarry as long as it means he collects his reward. It's a line that quickly gives the viewer an idea of who this character is, and it also helps to show how far he comes over the course of the series.
"Who Are You?"
Severance (2022-Present)
The opening line of Severance serves as the most important question of the show, one that could be asked over and over again. The series opens on Helly (Britt Lower) waking up on a conference room table with no knowledge of who she is. A crackling voice from a recorder asks her who she is.
At first, it seems like the person behind the voice is just trying to learn the name of the person in the room, but it's quickly revealed to be a test to make sure the "severing" process was successful. The question of "who are you" never stops being a matter of concern in this sci-fi series, so it's appropriate that it begins with the question.
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