Since I just did a countdown (sorta) of my favorite incarnations of the Doctor–one I am sure you all read–I figured that I should give equal time to the Doctor’s companions. This was not an easy task; while there are only eleven Doctors to sort through, there are (without doing an accurate count) about five or six times as many companions.

10. Zoe Heriot and Jamie McCrimmon (Second Doctor)

I can’t really think about Zoe without also thinking about Jamie, and vice versa. The math whiz from the 21st century and the 18th century Scottish Highlander are inextricably linked with my memories of the Second Doctor.

9. Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (various, although primarily the Third Doctor)

The Brig was the perfect foil for the Doctor during his exile on Earth. As a military man, Lethbridge-Stewart had a very rigid view of the world that was often at odds with the weird crap that goes on when the Doctor is in the room. Also, the Brig kinda reminds me of a Monty Python sketch.

8. Rose Tyler (Ninth Doctor and Tenth Doctor)

I love the concept of Rose Tyler much more than I do the execution. The fact that this regular working-class girl can grow to become a hero is amazing. The fact that she was kinda reduced to the Doctor’s “OMG! greatest love of all the times!!!!!11!!!!” is kinda lame.

7. Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw (Third Doctor)

I blame The X-Files for the fact that I love me some scientist–I call it Scully-osis–and Liz Shaw certainly qualifies. Liz was a civilian member of UNIT during the Third Doctor’s exile on Earth and, as his lab assistant, frequently aided him in his adventures.

6. Dr. Martha Jones (Tenth Doctor)

Poor Martha had the misfortune of following the aforementioned “OMG! greatest love blah blah whatever.” Martha is probably the only character to be more awesome when she’s not with the Doctor. (Seriously, Martha on Torchwood is a-mah-zing!)

5. K-9 (Fourth Doctor)

A robot dog. I’ll say that again, in case you missed it: A. Robot. Dog.

4. Sarah Jane Smith (Third Doctor and Fourth Doctor)

What can be said about Sarah Jane that hasn’t been said by hundreds of other people before? Not much. She is, without question, the Doctor’s “best friend” and the best example we have of what happens to companions after their time with the Doctor comes to an end.

3. Amy Pond and Rory Williams (Eleventh Doctor)

The pirate and the centurion. The greatest married couple in all of time and space.

2. Romana (Fourth Doctor)

People keep saying that River Song is the Doctor’s equal. I guess…if by “equal” you mean “someone whose entire existence is tied to the Doctor and therefore isn’t really an individual.” As a fellow Time Lord, Romana was an equal to the Doctor.

1. Ace McShane (Seventh Doctor)

Not only is Ace afraid of clowns, but she makes her own explosives and knows how to handle an RPG launcher and a slingshot. If Ace were any more awesome, all of existence would unravel.