Feminist SF Wiki - User contributions [en]

Athena (character)

2008-12-16T20:51:46Z

64.34.172.97: varcoz

novarrica
{{femchar
| Names = Athena; Sharon Athena Valerii; Sharon Athena Valerii Agathon
| Species = Cylon clone
| Occupation = Pilot (Lt.)
| Works = "[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica (2004+)]]
| Image =
| Caption =
}}

'''Athena''' (third season human callsign; previous human callsign, "Boomer"; human full name, "Sharon 'Athena' Valerii"; possible married name "Sharon Valerii Agathon"; Cylon identity, "Number Eight") is a series of characters played by Grace Park on [[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]], the 2004+ TV series.

The character "Boomer" was a minor sidekick on the original show: a fellow male pilot and friend of Starbuck's and Apollo's, who was played by an African-American actor, Herb Jefferson, Jr. In the re-envisioned 2004+ version, Boomer is a much more central character.

==Character arc (and spoilers)==
At the end of the pilot miniseries it is revealed that Boomer is actually a Cylon clone, later identified as model "number eight".

Thus, Grace Park comes to play several cloned versions of her character. All apparently have a very similar personality, and two of them share memories through the pilot miniseries. In these memories, Boomer believed herself to be human and had memories of being raised on Troy and orphaned at an early age. As a pilot on Battlestar Galactica she had a secret affair with Chief Galen Tyrol (secret, because she is an officer and he is enlisted).

After the miniseries, Boomer's memories diverge. See:
* [[Boomer clones]]
* [[Boomer (character)]]
* [[Athena (character)]]
* [[List of Cylon characters from Battlestar Galactica 2004+]]

While [[Boomer (character)|Boomer]] is back on Galactica, the character later known as "Athena" appears on Cylon-occupied planet Caprica, where "Helo", her fellow lieutenant and raptor-crewmember, was stranded at his own request. While this Boomer has all the memories through, apparently, the miniseries, she is aware that she is a Cylon, and is under a mission to have a love relationship with Helo. The two fall in love, and she becomes pregnant--a first for the Cylons. They eventually escape the planet and return to Galactica.

missions, imprisonment, missing baby, etc.

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Battlestar Galactica]]

Category:Writers

2008-12-16T20:18:00Z

64.34.172.97: FIELD_OTHER

FIELD_MESSAGE_getouczelsit

History of feminist SF publishers and presses

2008-12-16T18:58:25Z

64.34.172.97: trocbocna

ricpaslioloc
The publishing history of feminist SF follows the publishing history of SF generally. The feminist and women's presses are a type of [[separatist media]] that emerged out of the [[women's movement]] in response to [[sexism]].

==Early history==
Works that today would be considered SF--speculative, utopian, supernatural, fantastic, etc. fiction--were not distinguished as a marketing category or literary genre until the early 20th century. As inexpensive publications proliferated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, specialized publications began production. Starting in the 1920s and 1930s, the "pulps", pulp magazines focusing on "weird", supernatural, or speculative science fiction, got started and became popular. While a large subfield dedicated to publishing SF got started, non-SF publications and other subgenres also continued to SF, including satirical works, surrealist literature, "magical realism", speculative YA, and so on.

==1970s==
In the 1970s a number of women's and lesbian/gay presses began operation, distributing to an emerging network of women's and glbt bookstores, other specialty bookstores, and general bookstores. Collectives of women also operated their own micropresses, putting out a limited number of works. Lesbian and women's presses, such as [[Naiad Press]] and [[The Women's Press]], that were focused on non-SF nevertheless often included SF, speculative, or supernatural-themed works.

==1990s==
The 1990s saw significant consolidation and diminution of independent presses and bookstores. Many women's bookstores closed. The Feminist Bookstore Network closed and ceased publication of the ''Feminist Bookstore News''. At the same time, gay-themed works were increasingly being adopted by mainstream presses and general bookstores began offering gay literature and gender studies sections. Shelf space at large bookstores was increasingly treated as a market commodity, with large publishers paying for advantageous shelving and display. Large publishers also began thinning out their own lists and backlists. As pressure for publication and distribution intensified, already-marginalized voices suffered. However, the marginalization of gay and woman-created content was diminishing somewhat in the competitive main lists.

==21st century==
After this consolidation, 21st century models of distribution and production may be again opening the market for new and marginalized voices.

==Presses and publishers==
Below we list small, independent, and academic presses with a significant feminist SF or queer SF component.

* [[Aqueduct Press]] "Bringing challenging feminist science fiction to the demanding reader" http://aqueductpress.com/

* [[Papaveria Press]] Papaveria is a small, private press founded in 2001 in the arts district of Philadelphia. Specializing in fairy tales & fabulous visions, Papaveria produces handmade limited editions of hardbound volumes with companion editions sometimes available in PDF and paperback format, as well as prints of several of the illustrations within the books. [http://www.papaveria.com Papaveria home page]

* Tachyon Press

[[Category:History of feminist SF]]
[[Category:Publishers and presses| ]]
[[Category:Creating SF]]
ca[[Category:Feminist and women's culture]]