Well let’s see… In reverse order, the top ten are empirically known to be:
- #10 Adric – died, and stayed dead – definitely cool points for a time travel series. I think he also wins for whiniest by a large margin, as well…
- #9 Jo Grant – stood toe to toe against the Master himself, and defeated his hypnosis technique with nursery rhymes. Bad. Ass.
- #8 Tegan Jovanka – If Crocodile Dundee and David Bowie had a daughter*, it would be Tegan. Longest continuous series run, at 3 years 1 month. Also possibly the “longest running” companion in terms of chronological presence in the timeline (from the big bang to Earth’s 26th century). The only flight attendant ever to qualify for a spot in the TARDIS crew. Think about it. Also, the inspiration for the Mel Gibson film, Braveheart.
- #7 Captain Jack Harkness – bringing back the Emo Trenchcoat to sexuality-questioning teen boys everywhere. Pure win! Also wins for largest hat size of any companion. Eventually.
- #6 Leela – the noblest of savages, with enough bravado to go back into an about-to-explode lighthouse for her hunting knife. Killed the most people onscreen of any companion. Every Rose Has Its Janis Thorn…
- #5 Romana II – onscreen and offscreen chemistry in action. Hubba-yow! Plus, extra points for anyone who gets to keep a K-9 at the end of their run. If you include the books and audio, she eventually becomes Lady President of Gallifrey!
- #4 Jamie McCrimmon – You thought trenchcoats were sexy? Kilts are the real sexy. Most episodes for a single companion. Didn’t take no guff, nor any of that “color television” nonsense. A real man’s man.
- #3 Amy Pond – why yes, I would like fries with that shake, Officer Pond. Purest form of “distilled sex per cubic centimeter” on the show, ever. Not that any of it is actually cubic…
- #2 K-9 – Honest and loyal to a fault, armed to the teeth (or, er, nose, anyway), and unkillable – as evidenced by his own “4 regenerations” thus far. That’s more than KITT!
- #1 Sarah Jane Smith – Rode with the best of the best. Another K-9 Award winner. Brought the Kastrian race back from extinction (briefly). Only companion (with K-9) to have her own ongoing series. What more could you ask for? We’ll miss you, Lis!
* I’ll pay $10,000 for filmed footage of any attempts, successful or otherwise.
This answer originally appeared on Quora: Who is the best companion to The Doctor? Why?
deano.com 