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

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
  • Isabelle Blundell - lesbian teenager
  • 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

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