List of notable female characters

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This is a list of female characters who are notable within SF.

Criteria

This is a list of female characters who are notable within SF, beyond their original work or series. Most have had a significant influence on the development of other female characters, and have been frequently studied/critiqued/cited/analyzed. These are specific, individual characters, not character types, archetypes, or stereotypes (like the "wicked stepmother"). See Clichés, Archetypes, Stereotypes of Female Characters in SF.

Criteria and examples might include:

• first example of a female character in a genre ("Jirel of Joiry")
• the character was pathbreaking ("Uhura" as played by Nichelle Nichols)
• the character is so well-known as to have virtually defined the character; she has achieved iconic status ("Mata Hari"; Xena as a warrior princess update of Jirel of Joiry)
• the character is cited by many real-life people as an inspiration for their art or in their lives ("Wonder Woman")
• the character is the exemplar or best-known example of a female character in that role or genre (e.g., "Lara Croft" for female POV characters in the action adventure gaming genre)
• the character's story arc ("Podkayne of Mars") or personality ("Podkayne of Mars" spunky girl; "Susan Calvin" sterile female scientist) is frequently cited as an example of a particular way of characterizing female characters
• the character is highly notable in a highly notable series or work and has achieved significant notability for that ("Jean Grey/Phoenix")
• the character is well-known as a character and was pivotal in a feminist reclamation of a particular type of female character ("Buffy" as a damsel in distress; "Tenar" as a reclamation of the Earthsea series; "Alyx" as the female adventurer)
• Massive influence on fandom or the genre in some other way ("Xena" and "Gabrielle")

Characters need not be necessarily ideal, perfect, feminist, or good role-models; they are notable.

List of characters

A - C

• Ace (Doctor Who) - last companion of the original Dr Who; she had her own character arc
• Aeryn Sun - leading female character of Farscape, who also occupies the non-traditional position of being the tough warrior in a male-female relationship
• Alyx - first female antihero a la Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser or Elric; arguably the first well-defined character to introduce feminist analysis and action to a fictional luniverse
• Isabelle Blundell -- lesbian teenager whose coming out was a plot point
• Stephanie Brown (Female Robin)
• Susan Calvin - Major female scientist character by Isaac Asimov; frequently cited as an example of both the intelligent female character, and also as what's wrong with characterizations of the intelligent female character.
• Chiana - omnisexual alien outlaw
• Lara Croft - The first successful character-based video game based on a female character, Lara Croft.

E - M

• Eowyn - Warrior woman in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
• Gabrielle - Xena's companion and partner; see Xena-Gabrielle relationship; the Every Woman on a long coming-of-age, growth, and discipleship story arc
• Jean Grey (Phoenix) - Arguably the most powerful character in the entire Marvel pantheon
• Jirel of Joiry - An early series of warrior woman stories from the pulps by C. L. Moore
• Princess Leia Organa - A wise-cracking leader of the Rebellion in "Star Wars"; only female representation in a major transformative media SF trend
• Moya - living, sentient spaceship character

N - R

• Vicki Nelson - lead character from a series of novels who became the lead in a TV series.
• Podkayne - A notable "spunky girl" character created by Robert A. Heinlein in Podkayne of Mars; universally cited as the "spunky" girl character; also perhaps the most popular example of an infuriating story arc with a girl who grows up to give up her career ambitions for wifedom & motherhood
• Ellen Ripley - Arguably the first modern female action hero in a major SF film series "Alien".

S

• Toshiko Sato - first character of colour regular in a Dr Who spin-off
• Servalan - arch-villain of Blake's 7, ruthless fascist dictator with real political power
• Sarah Jane Smith - Doctor Who companion who got her own spin-off
• Starbuck (Kara Thrace) - At least in her first season of "Battlestar Galactica" (2004 re-imagining), Starbuck successfully regendered the "lovable rogue" character from the first "Battlestar Galactica", a character envisioned by at least one of its creators as indelibly masculine.
• Chloe Sullivan - Smallville character original to the TV series and kick-ass investigative reporter -- the one female character on that show who's neither Clark's relative or love interest
• Buffy Summers - Significant fandom; inspired numerous ass-kicking girl imitators.

T - Z

• Tenar - Young Earthsea priestess who first appeared in Ursula K. Le Guin's The Tombs of Atuan, and who was the narrator and protagonist of Le Guin's feminist revisitation of Earthsea, Tehanu; also appeared in later
• Uhura - First black female character in a regular science fiction role on TV; Martin Luther King persuaded Nichelle Nichols to stay on Star Trek playing Uhura because she was a role model for African Americans; Uhura participated in first televised interracial kiss in US.
• Wonder Woman - First major female superhero
• Barbara Wright - arguably the real protagonist for S1 of the original Doctor Who series, rather than the Doctor
• Xena - Significant TV warrior princess that transformed fandom and representations of ass-kicking women; lexbian subtext acceptability; importation of Hong Kong-style action hero
• Zhaan - she's kicked more ass than you've sat on, and she's a plant

See also

• surely there are lots of other great lists of female characters we can make, like
• Index to female characters by occupation
• List of SF featuring women of color as protagonists
• List of SF featuring lesbians as protagonists
• List of mythological female characters
• Black warrior women (not a list but contains one)

This article or section needs work. Please add specific major female villains that are exemplars of type! (not just "wicked stepmother") For instance, you could add other examples or explanations; fix links; add another perspective; or write a new section. Please contribute if you can. Thanks!