Ellen Ripley, science fiction's original female badass, came in as a very deserving number one on TotalSciFi's list of ass-kicking women in movies and television who shook science fiction. But who else made the list?
In making their selection, Total Sci Fi pointed to the character's iconic status and particular blend of traits:
An appealing combination of toughness, self-reliance, vulnerability and sexiness, Ripley is far from a conventional damsel in distress. New layers were added to the character in Aliens, which saw Ripley proving to be tougher and smarter than a unit of marines, yet still finding time to form a motherly bond with Newt. The two subsequent sequels added even more dimensions, leading to one of the most critically analysed characters in the history of cinema.
To be honest, I'm not sure how any self-respecting list of women in science fiction - particularly one that zeroes in on those who "shook" the genre - could put anyone other than Ripley in the top spot, so no arguments there. I'm a little less sure when it comes to some of the other characters they chose, however. Without further ado, here's the complete list:
1) ELLEN RIPLEY (Sigourney Weaver, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection)
2) BUFFY SUMMERS (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
3) STARBUCK (Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica)
4) DANA SCULLY (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files)
5) SARAH CONNOR (Linda Hamilton, Terminator, T2)
6) PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA (Carrie Fisher, Star Wars)
7) ROSE TYLER (Billie Piper, Doctor Who)
8) SAM CARTER (Amanda Tapping, Stargate SG-1)
9) NYOTA UHURA (Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek)
10) LEELOO (Milla Jovovich, The Fifth Element)
11) CLAIRE BENNET (Hayden Panettiere, Heroes)
12) STORM (Halle Berry, X-Men)
13) PRIS (Daryl Hannah, Blade Runner)
14) CATWOMAN (Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman Returns)
15) BARBARELLA (Jane Fonda, Barbarella)
16) KATHRYN JANEWAY (Kate Mulgrew, Star Trek: Voyager)
17) MIKAELA BANES (Megan Fox, Transformers)
18) SUSAN IVANOVA (Claudia Christian, Babylon 5)
19) NUMBER SIX (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica)
20) SARAH JANE SMITH (Elisabeth Sladen, The Sarah Jane Adventures / Doctor Who)
21) WILLOW ROSENBERG (Alyson Hannigan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
22) WONDER WOMAN (Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman)
23) XENA (Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess)
24 ) SYDNEY BRISTOW (Jennifer Garner, Alias)
25) MARINA (Stingray)
There are definitely a lot of great choices here, such as Buffy, Starbuck, Uhura, and Sarah Jane Smith (and the Gerry Anderson fan in me absolutely loves that they included Marina), but Claire Bennet? Mikaela Banes? I'm not sure that either of those really "shook" science fiction, and I'm skeptical they'd make a similar list made even five years from now. It's telling that even the listmakers admit Mikaela's inclusion pretty much comes down to the fact that Megan Fox is pretty.
Still, it's a good list, and the authors rather sportingly asked readers to let them know what they think are the biggest omissions. I'll go ahead and nominate Leela - either the Doctor Who or Futurama version, it doesn't really matter which. Which woman in science fiction would you vote for inclusion?