My Favourite Scifi Heroines

This month I’m participating in the Scifi Month challenge that was created by the bloggers at One More. Click on the link in that last sentence for more information or to sign up yourself.

There is still time to pick a few of their prompts and join in if you’re interested.

Today’s prompt was pretty self explanatory: kickass heroines. Here are a few of my many favourite heroines from various science fiction universes.  It was tricky to keep this post to a manageable length. I could have easily written a full post about every single character on this list.

Not everything on this list has been turned into a TV show or film yet. (Here’s looking at you, Feed and Wild Seed.) Whenever possible, I provided a photo of the character in question, but there are a few book covers as well.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in the film poster for The Hunger Games. She is shooting an arrow straight ahead of her at whoever is looking at the poster.  

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 

Why She’s Admirable: She volunteered to take her sister’s place in The Hunger Games despite knowing that only one of the twenty four contestants will survive each year. There were many other things she did in this series that make me look up to her, but her willingness to die in her sibling’s place in the beginning of book one endeared her to me forever.

Book cover for Feed by Mira Grant. Image on it is of an Internet signal painted in blood (or red paint) on a concrete wall.

Georgia Mason from Feed by Mira Grant 

Why She’s Admirable: Going out to wander around in a world filled with zombies is the last thing I’d do in a zombiepocalypse. The fact that this character did that so regularly impressed me. Her work as a blogger only made me look up to her more.

Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhugra from Star Trek: Into Darkness

Nyota Uhura from Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness

Why She’s Admirable: While I can find something to like about nearly any character from the rebooted Star Trek universe, Uhura is the cream of the crop. She was a highly intelligent linguist. More importantly, she had common sense. This is something that every spaceship crew member needs a copious amount of in order to have any hope of survival.

Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne from Firefly. She's standing by a chair in this photo.

Zoe Washburne from Firefly 

Why She’s Admirable: Nothing stands between her and her goals in life. From fighting for freedom in a war that couldn’t be won to falling in love to making a new life for herself over and over again, Zoe knows how to get back up and try again.

Dana Scully from The X-Files 

Why She’s Admirable: She never stopped searching for scientific explanations for the bizarre things that she and her partner discovered during their many investigations. There’s something to be said for being that tenacious!

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler book cover. Image on cover is of woman holding a glowing root.

Anyanwu from Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

Why She’s Admirable: What’s not to admire about a demigod who used her powers to make the lives of ordinary people better? Not only that, but she did so quietly and behind the scenes without expecting any sort of reward for it. This was a very different approach to having powers than certain other characters in this universe had, and it made me appreciate how careful she was about using her abilities.

21 Comments

Filed under Science Fiction and Fantasy

21 Responses to My Favourite Scifi Heroines

  1. RUTH FEIERTAG

    Excellent list!

    I don’t all these characters personally, but I am acquainted with most at least by reputation. May I say that both Uhuras are worthy of admiration? Nichols’ communications officer broke the ground for so many other characters and actors.

    How I miss the tragically truncated Firefly! She didn’t get a lot of lines that were memorable of themselves, but she landed every line she had with such aplomb that it became memorable. And I applaud Whedon for giving the show several strong women instead of just a token stand-out.

    And you’re right that Scully did keep looking for the rational causes in her investigations, but she grew markedly as the series went on, and her mind certainly opened up to other possible explanations. Someone should put her and Mr. Spock in a room together.

    I sure wouldn’t mind reading the longer essays you could write on the individual characters. I like depth and detail. Please share!

    Ruth

    • Yes, both Uhura’s are absolutely worthy of admiration! Totally agreed there.

      I will write longer posts on these characters at some point in the future. My best guess would be sometime in January or the winter in general?! We’ll see how my editorial calendar goes in that regard.

      Thank you for your enthusiasm.

  2. Good point about Katniss. Even though her volunteering is used a lot in MEMES and such, we tend to forget just what she’s volunteering for, and why.

  3. Great list! I’m a Scully and Katniss Everdeen fan as well! They both are tough and don’t waver from their own personal code of conduct. 🙂

  4. Excellent choices! I’m glad to see Uhura make your list. 🙂

  5. Oh my gosh, another X-Phile! I liked Scully for her always staying cool and logical, even when things got weird. And Katniss, Zoey, and Uhura are all incredible.

    I still have to read Wild Seed.

  6. Scully and Zoe would make it to my list too. ❤️ And sure Samantha Carter in Stargate SG1 – as she was my first TV show crush ever!

  7. Zoe!!!! And really all the ladies from Firefly <3 Great list!

  8. Catniss is such a brave woman. I have not read/watched the others mentioned in your post. I have read Dawn by Butler and even that had a strong female protagonist.

  9. I love the reboot version of Uhura! I liked the TOS version of her too and I think she’s a very important character, but I love that the reboot movies gave her more to do than be a space phone operator, and showed her using her exolinguistic skills.

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