^ Hi, PatBat!
Lists are always so hard to do, but my choices for top 10, in no particular order and gonna pretend some characters are still alive, mind you:
Clarke - she's a smart cookie, makes hard decisions, but she thinks on a much larger scale (bigger picture) than most, which I think is essential for survival. Also a leader.
Bellamy - he's smart and clever. He knows the people. He makes the hard decisions too. He thinks of the individual, inspire courage and hope in them, which is also important for survival. He's a leader.
Monty - he's one of the brainiacs of the bunch. He's such a smart cookie who is quick of mind, and also the prankster (together with Jasper). He's an engineer apprentice, enough said.
Raven - she's another brainiac. She's a smart cookie, who can make anything work out of air, pretty much. They're screwed without her. She's a mechanic, she can fix anything.
These 4 characters above has saved everyone's asses multiple times already and hardly gets any thanks from other main/minor characters and is a clear given on any list of mine.
Kane - he thinks of the bigger picture, like Clarke, good at diplomacy. He's a leader.
Jasper - he's a smart cookie and he's a prankster. We need the funny guy making people laugh on those boring long bunker days. He's a chemist. Also, moonshine, essential stuff.
Abby - she's a doctor. She can help with anything scientific and medical. Let's face it, the young people get hurt all the time. It's a full time job keeping them healthy.
Octavia - she has potential, with the right guidance and mentorship *cough*Kane*cough*. She's a survivor, like her brother and that experience is important.
Wells Jaha - he's smart and unlike his father, has morals. He's needs to balance out the crazy, sort of a moral 'moral compass' because the other characters moral compass is kinda off.
It's always the last one giving me the most trouble...
Luna - she's calm and peaceful (gonna ignore her turn) and she can give the others the calm of the sea (without killing them). Also, her hair is fantastic.
It's almost impossible to keep to only 10. I struggled with putting Harper, Gina or Octavia on the list, because while I like Gina and Harper as a person, Octavia is not a favourite by far, but she's still Bellamy's sister, so in the end, that won out because everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves and do better by others.