In fiction, the most romantically thrilling stories are those
involving journeys – such as quests and exploring or trekking through unknown
lands. Aside from being rich of mystery
and adventure, what makes such stories of journeys exciting is the assortment
of travelers that banded together to go on the journey, since, more often than
not, the journey is more fascinating if it’s being undergone by a group rather
than an individual.
Here are my choices of the most interesting traveling parties that are
involve in some form of adventurous journey – quest, exploration, voyage,
expedition, and the like.
10.) KING ARTHUR & THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE (Monthy Python
and the Holy Grail)
There are a few journeys in fiction that can rival the hilarious
insanity of this satirizing of Arthurian legend. The depiction of King Arthur and his knights in
this movie had been extremely amusing. This
traveling party deserves a spot on this list for their hilarious “horse-riding”
throughout their quest: they would mime as if they were galloping on a horse while
their porters trotted behind them thumping coconut shells together to simulate
hoof sounds.
9.) LITTLEFOOT & FRIENDS (The Land Before Time)
Almost every Land Before Time
movie involves Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike travelling
somewhere. But the most dramatic
adventure that this group of juvenile dinosaurs had will always be their first.
It was a pretty moving journey (from a
very touching movie); I was still a toddler when I’ve first seen the movie (in
Betamax, I think), but up till now, I can still remember the emotional
investment that the toddler me has put into it while watching them journeying
towards their families.
8.) A “PARTY” OF “PLAYER CHARACTERS” (Dungeons and Dragons)
I never get the chance to play the D&D board game (it would have
been awesome if they made an epic PC game based on this premise and property),
but from what I understand, the experience was pretty fun and engaging. Players get to role-play “player characters”
and form “parties” and complete “adventures” and “campaigns.” Yep, that sounds fun and engaging indeed.
There was also a TV show based on the premise of the game. The party consists of friends, aged between 8
to 15, that have been magically transported to the realm of D&D after
taking a roller coaster ride. Upon
arrival, they were given “player character” weapons and identities – Ranger,
Barbarian, Magician, Thief, Cavalier, and Acrobat – by the Dungeon Master. Their main journey revolves around finding a
way home, but at the same time, helping folks and fighting the evil they
encounter along the way.
7.) THE ARGONAUTS (Jason and the
Argonauts)
One of the most enduring tales of journey is that of Jason and his
Argonauts’ quest for the Golden Fleece.
This tale originates from Greek mythology, but my definite understanding
of the story was from the 1963 movie.
This was my first encounter of the concept of warriors/sailors voyaging
on a ship, having episodic adventures along their way, and it mightily appealed
to me.
I liked the Argonauts (being dubbed as such for their ship’s name was
“Argo”, after its builder, Argus) for they were supposed to be a group of
elite, badass heroes. Even the
strong-man Hercules was a member of the Argonauts. They seek glory and adventure, and believe
they will obtain them by accompanying Jason.
6.) THE CREW OF USS ENTERPRISE (Star
Trek)
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship
Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out
new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
That’s the original tagline of Star
Trek. As far as “star-faring”
journeys are concerned, the original TV series could be the most well-known (as
for the movie reboot, the journey has just started in Into Darkness). That’s why
it’s called Star Trek in the first
place. The characters of this show – the
crew of the USS Enterprise – would turn out as one of the most beloved and
iconic ensembles of characters in fiction.
5.) THORIN’S EXPEDITION TO THE LONELY MOUNTAINS (The Hobbit)
The Hobbit, the prequel to
the epic Lord of the Rings, depicted
one of the most legendary fantasy journeys ever. This journey was undertaken by an expedition
composed of a wizard, a hobbit, and 13 dwarves, whose purpose is to reclaim the
dwarves’ mountain kingdom and its immense treasury from the dragon Smaug. It was during this journey that the hobbit
Bilbo “re-discovered” the One Ring, which would be the central plot device in
LOTR.
4.) KA-TET OF 19 (The Dark Tower)
At first, Roland Deschain’s ka-tet
(meaning a band bonded by “ka” or
destiny or fate) has no formal name. But
along their journey, they observed that the number “19” was recurring
everywhere. They realized that the path
they are on was under the “ka of 19”,
and Jake (if I remembered right) suggested calling their ka-tet the “ka-tet of
19.”
This band of travelers was assembled by Roland, the last Gunslinger,
midway his journey towards the Dark Tower to accompany him. They were individuals from different 20th
century periods from our world, and were struggling from some form of misery
(e.g. drug addiction, split personality disorder) and only found “relief” when
they joined Roland. Along the way, Roland
would train them the gunslinger way and they would eventually become talented
and capable gunslingers themselves.
Deep inside, Roland is sadly aware that his companions will be mere
“expendables” for his journey; that in the end, he will be the only one
remaining standing before the Dark Tower.
In some ways, his companions know this, too, but are still willing to
press on, for they, like Roland, are also compelled by ka and the Dark Tower to do so.
3.) SANZO’S PARTY (Gensomaden
Saiyuki)
Made up of the coolest foursome in fiction, Genjo Sanzo, Son Goku,
Cho Hakkai, and Sha Gojyo were tasked to journey westwards to retrieve the stolen
Holy Sutra, which is a catalyst for reviving a powerful demon. I really mean what I said about this four
being the coolest foursome in fiction.
Not even the Fantastic Four, awesome superhero team they might be, can
match the kickassery and charisma of these four. No matter how disadvantageous or tough the
battles they face during their travels, they always win in a cool and badass
style. Their mode of transportation is a
mini dragon that can transform into a jeep; that’s another reason why they are
an awesome travelling group.
2.) THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Lord
of the Rings)
The purpose of the fellowship is to accompany and protect the
ring-bearer, Frodo, in his quest of disposing Sauron’s ring into Mt. Doom. Though they failed in doing so – leaving
Frodo and Sam to complete the mission – and disbanding just merely a third into
Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship had
made enough impact to become a favorite of mine. With sword, bow and arrow,
axe, and magic – they were a collection of formidable warriors who were capable
of taking on multitudes of enemies at one time.
1.) STRAW HAT PIRATES (One Piece)
The Straw Hat Pirates are one of
the most awesome ensembles or teams in fiction.
They are in constant adventuring, with the intention of finding the
titular “One Piece” someday and of together accomplishing their dreams. Each of them has different goals and dreams
in life but essentially believe that by helping their captain, Monkey D. Luffy,
achieve his own dream of becoming pirate king, they are set to achieve their
own dreams along the way. They are a
diverse bunch with different skills and personalities, who are fantastic in their
respective roles in the crew. Most
importantly, despite the petty comical arguments that sometimes erupt among them,
they maintain a strong bond of belongingness and friendship with each other.
Honorable Mentions: The
expedition to Atlantis (Atlantis: The
Lost Empire); Phileas Fogg, Passepartout, and Aouda (Around the World in 80 days); the crew of the “Dawn Treader” (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the
Dawn Treader); Dorothy and friends (The
Wizard of Oz); Christiana, her sons, Mercy, and the other pilgrims (The Pilgrim’s Progress)
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