The sci-fi and fantasy genres have been marked by many iconic heroines. Some are striking for their leadership and bravery, others for their incredible sexiness, many for both. Following lengthy debate, Total Sci-Fi now reveals the 25 most important SF & fantasy heroines of all time. We've limited ourselves to TV and film - SF and fantasy literature probably warrants a further list all of its own - and in those instances where multiple actresses have portrayed a character, we’ve written who we believe gave the most definitive performance in brackets. No doubt there are many characters you feel we’ve left off, so drop us a line at totalscifionline@titanemail.com and let us know!

1) ELLEN RIPLEY (Sigourney Weaver, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection)

Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo’s encounter with the acid-blooded menace, isn’t just one of the most iconic female characters of the genre, she’s one of the most iconic characters in cinema history. 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. Interestingly, the character was originally written as a male role, but 20th Century Fox executive Alan Ladd, Jr suggested they change Ripley to become female to make the protagonist stand out in a male- dominated genre.

2) BUFFY SUMMERS (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Popular high-school cheerleader, gifted student and world class vampire slayer… Is there no end to Buffy’s talents? Though it was Kristy Swanson who took the titular role in the 1992 movie, it was Sarah Michelle Gellar’s portrayal of the inspirational action heroine that really made an impression over seven series of the TV show.

3) STARBUCK (Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica)

Original BSG actor, Dirk Benedict, was reportedly none-too-happy that Starbuck had been changed into a woman for the reimagined show (click here to read the Dreamwatch interview with the actor). But in fact the new Starbuck proved to be a far more complex, intriguing character than the original. Strong-willed, funny, hot-headed yet, at times, oddly vulnerable, Sackhoff turns Starbuck into a truly mesmerising figure.

4) DANA SCULLY (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files)

FBI agent Dana Scully is less of an action heroine than some of the other figures here. But what she lacks in kickboxing prowess she makes up for in cool reason and dogged detective work, and it’s fascinating to watch her sceptical views challenged to their limits over the course of nine seasons. Last year’s film I Want to Believe may have been a tad underwhelming, but it was still a welcome opportunity to see Scully again.

5) SARAH CONNOR (Linda Hamilton, Terminator, T2)

When we first see Sarah Connor in The Terminator, she’s an everyday, slightly timid waitress. But being pursued by an unstoppable cyborg from the future is enough to alter anyone, and by T2 she’s very different: a muscle-bound, single-minded action heroine trained in survivalist skills. Linda Hamilton keeps this transformation entirely believable, though Lena Headey also offered an interesting take on the character in The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

6) PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA (Carrie Fisher, Star Wars)

The much-loved female lead of the original Star Wars trilogy went through a great many looks and styles (as the various Kenner figures play testament to): there’s the composed, prim and proper Princess that we see at the start of Episode IV; there’s the prickly, romantic gal who falls for Han; there’s the gun-wielding heroine on Hoth and, of course, there’s the slave girl Leia that fanboys will never forget. Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels doesn’t even come close.

7) ROSE TYLER (Billie Piper, Doctor Who)

Out of all the new Who’s companions, it is indisputably Rose Tyler who has had the most impact on both fans and the Doctor himself. The plucky young woman is one of the rare companions to fall for the Doctor, while the Doctor is unable to get over losing her in the second series. Thankfully, it isn’t the last we see of the shopgirl-turned-deity...

8) SAM CARTER (Amanda Tapping, Stargate SG-1)

Colonel Carter is both scientist and soldier, meaning she boasts an unbeatable combination of brains and brawn. She’s also a character of warmth and integrity, and over the course of 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1, two TV movies and later series of Stargate Atlantis, we really get to know her.

9) NYOTA UHURA (Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek)

The Enterprise’s foremost female, communications officer Uhura, was also one of television’s first major black characters, locking lips with Captain Kirk in American TV’s first interracial kisses and emblematic of Gene Roddenberry’s overriding message of racial harmony.

10) LEELOO (Milla Jovovich, The Fifth Element)

The image of Leeloo, clad in white strips and boasting flame-red hair, hanging off of a ledge above 23rd Century LA remains one of science fiction cinema’s most arresting moments. Jovovich’s character holds the key to saving Earth no less, and combines an alluring sense of mystery with an unbeatable sexiness.

11) CLAIRE BENNET (Hayden Panettiere, Heroes)

‘Claire Bear’ might look like your typical high school cheerleader, but, as we soon find out, she possesses a very unusual skill - rapid cellular regeneration. In other words it seems she can’t die, which is just as well, as she’s broken and burned in a variety of ways across consecutive episodes.

12) STORM (Halle Berry, X-Men)

The weather-controlling member of the X-Men was always one of the most popular heroes of the Marvel comic book, and she got the movie incarnation she deserved in the form of Halle Berry.

13) PRIS (Daryl Hannah, Blade Runner)

She can do ultra-quick cartwheels across apartments! She can pull boiling eggs out of a saucepan with her bare hands! She can crush a man’s head with her thighs! Could this robot woman be any more sexy? No.

14) CATWOMAN (Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman Returns)

Fans will always debate whether the Julie Newmar or Michelle Pfeiffer incarnation of Catwoman is the sexiest (unsurprisingly, there are few champions for the Halle Berry incarnation), but we’re plumping for the Pfeiffer version. The actress imbued the villain with an irresistible mischievousness, while few people are likely to forget that PVC catsuit…

15) BARBARELLA (Jane Fonda, Barbarella)

Posters of the scantily-clad space heroine still adorn bedrooms and living rooms everywhere, while the title sequence in which Barbaralla undresses in zero gravity was iconic enough to be referenced in a Kylie Minogue video.

16) KATHRYN JANEWAY (Kate Mulgrew, Star Trek: Voyager)

Star Trek’s first female lead is a strong-willed, determined captain who’ll stop at nothing in her attempt to get her crew back to the Delta Quadrant. She later becomes promoted to Starfleet Vice Admiral.

17) MIKAELA BANES (Megan Fox, Transformers)

Admittedly, Megan Fox’s character is probably the world’s most unlikely mechanic. And it’s debatable whether Miss Banes would be remotely memorable with any other actress else in the role. But thanks to images like the much-reproduced one above, movie fans everywhere can’t wait to get another glimpse of Mikaela in Revenge of the Fallen.

18) SUSAN IVANOVA (Claudia Christian, Babylon 5)

Babylon 5’s XO (later Captain, then General) was always a fascinating, multi-layered sort: honest and loyal to her ship and crewmates, often hot-headed but always appealing. In fact, Ivanova was arguably B5’s most engaging human character during its entire run.

19) NUMBER SIX (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica)

The blonde, leggy Number Six first appears as the Cylon who manipulates Dr Baltar into stealing secrets that help the Cylons destroy Caprica. After that she appears as Baltar’s sexy, advice-spewing vision, before the introduction of other Sixes who add surprising new dimensions to the character.

20) SARAH JANE SMITH (Elisabeth Sladen, The Sarah Jane Adventures / Doctor Who)

The shrewd investigative journalist of The Sarah Jane Adventures first popped up as the Third Doctor’s assistant in The Time Warrior and went on to accompany the Fourth Doctor on his jaunts. The SJA proved the character was strong enough to warrant a series of her own, and saw Sarah Jane develop a newfound motherly instinct.

21) WILLOW ROSENBERG (Alyson Hannigan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Aside from its titular heroine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer boasted plenty of other strong female roles, and one of the most popular was Buffy’s pal, Willow. The character went through some interesting developments over the course of the show, including studying witchcraft and eventually coming out as a lesbian.

22) WONDER WOMAN (Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman)

The DC Amazon heroine earned herself a hugely popular series in the late 70s, with former beauty pageant winner Carter playing the Nazi-kicking, alien-busting gal in Stars and Stripes hotpants.

23) XENA (Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess)

We first saw Xena as a violent warlord in three episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, before the kick-ass warrior earned her own popular series in which she battled evil in ancient Greece.

24 ) SYDNEY BRISTOW (Jennifer Garner, Alias)

J.J. Abrams’s spy-fi drama sees the tough but charming Sydney recruited as a double agent by the CIA. Over five seasons, Sydney proved herself to be a high-kicking action heroine and multi-linguist who undergoes many traumas – including the death of her fiancée in the opening episode.

25) MARINA (Stingray)

Arguably the most striking female Supermarionation character (yes, even above Lady Penelope), Marina is a mute slave girl who rescues the Stingray team and later becomes part of the crew. She was modelled on Brigitte Bardot, and was the subject of the unforgettable closing credit song, Aqua Marina.

READER COMMENTS

Please email us at totalscifionline@titanemail.com to comment on this feature.

I've reviewed the list of the Top 25 Women of Sci-Fi, I don't really agree with most of it.

First of all, I'm not sure how Lara Croft did not even get a mention. After all, she is a video game icon and the Wonder Woman of the modern era. Additionally, Seleen from Underworld should have been part of the list as well as Nancy Calahan from Sin City.
Fred Saulo

What? Xena is only at no 23?!? I can't believe it!! She should have been in the first place, or *at least* in the Top 5!! She's WAYYYY better than Buffy!!! You guys don't know anything about sci-fi strong females!
Manon

I was disappointed to see Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan, Star Trek: Voyager) did not make it to your list.... After the initial reaction to her being just the 'babe' of the show, she actually became a lot more. Throughout the 4 series she was in she grew as a character developing emotions and becoming more human and Ryan played it wonderfully... She remains my favourite character of the show.
Kirstie

Claudia Black – Farscape
Jacky

Aeryn Sun | Claudia Black – Farscape. A 10 worthy character and actress that I cannot believe you do not have listed here.

I'm surprised you have Megan Fox on this list. I can't honestly see what she brings to the table as an iconic sci-fi heroine...except maybe the ability to wear daisy dukes.

Regards,
Linda

As I read your list of Top Sci-Fi women, I was impressed until I realized you'd put Claire Bennett and Mikaela Banes on there. I'm not sure if my definition of top Sci-Fi women matches yours. Neither of these characters are the least bit iconic in nature. They haven't earned that distinction, especially the Mikaela character in Transformers who is nothing more than eye-candy.

To include those 2 characters cheapens what was a great list. To exclude the likes of Aeryn Sun and Zoe Wash, even Seven of Nine, shows that your decision was probably influenced more by the supposed hotness of the actresses than any real substance to their characters. It's a shame really. You were doing really well until then.

Sincerely,
Mia (Sci-Fi fan for over 30 years)

Certainly a forgotten figure since the series is not well known, is Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) in the series Farscape.

Thanks and goodbye
Fabio

I'm glad to see you've included Starbuck, Uhura, and Scully.

But I've got no words other than WTF for Claire Bennet, Mikaela Banes, and Berry's Storm. I love Storm, but there's nothing about the X-MEN movies that does her justice, or any of the other X-MEN for that matter.

What about ANY of the women of Firefly/Serenity, and specifically Zoe and River??

As long as you're talking Sci-Fi AND FANTASY- Where is EOWYN??
Jessica Gardner

Dude! How could you forget Dark Angel's Max Guevara? And there's no way that Buffy would be more kick-ass than Scully and Starbuck. ;)

That said, it was a neat list!
Patricia

Your list of "The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi" has a big gap: the iconic Seven of Nine (Jerri Ryan, Star Trek: Voyager) - powerful, strong-minded and sexy as hell ex-Borg.
Nancy

Here's some more for your review ... enjoy

Seven of Nine: Star Trek Voyager

Sub-Commander T'Pol: Star Trek Enterprise

Princess Vespa: Spaceballs

Elizabeth 'Willie' Williams: Leviathan

Josie: Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space
Archonwizard

Hey there,

Great list! I really enjoyed it. I have two additions. I think Alice (Milla Jovovich) from the Resident Evil series is one of the sexiest, most ass-kicking woman in the post-apocalyptic world. Also, Cameron (Summer Glau) from The Sarah Connor Chronicles brought a tremendous amount of depth to a character who is not really supposed to feel anything. She was easy to fall in love with, even though she could kill you in an instant.

That's my two-cents!

Best,
Robert DiTillio

Your The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi poll

You missed out Summer Glau

She would have won.

I am disappointed in you for such an oversight.
SK

You forgot Jeri Ryan the actress that played the Borg "7 of 9" in Star Trek Voyager, and, of course, Zoe Saldana who plays Uhura in the latest Star Trek movie.
Vincent Gonzales

How could you leave off AERYN SUN!?!? Did you people not watch Farscape? Claudia Black is a much better actress than Sarah Michelle Gellar could EVER dream of being (imho). I'm disappointed you left off the Radiant Aeryn Sun.

Thanks for listing Samantha Carter though. She does totally rock!
Cyn E.

Read the list on the website and feel it left off several very important actresses who have made serious contributions to the genre.

These women need to be on any list of "women in sci-fi" :

Summer Glau (Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles)

Jewel Staite (Firefly, Stargate Atlantis)

Jeri Ryan (Dark Skies, Star Trek: Voyager)

Suggestion: Try a user poll where fans can submit their choices for the most important/influential women in media.
Philip

You forgot 7 of 9 in Star Trek ??
Mike Morris

The Bionic Woman and Diana from "V" both come to mind instantly, for various reasons... and I certainly wish Wonder Woman was higher on this list (for historic and personal reasons, since I wrote and drew her adventures years ago). And let's face facts -- Storm was MUCH cooler in the comic books than she was in the movies. :)

By the way, how many women were involved in this debate? I always find when I ask women about this topic, their opinions often vary from that of their male counterparts!

Take care!
Phil Jimenez

While the idea for this list is great, I don't like how the awesomeness of many of these women is really just how sexy they are. Really? You can't just leave the description at why a woman was powerful, witty, engaging with science and fun to have on the show? Did you have to undermine the strongest women in sci-fi by talking about their bodies? Would you ever do that to sci-fi men? Or any men?

The worst description (it was a close call) was for Pris from Blade Runner: "She can do ultra-quick cartwheels across apartments! She can pull boiling eggs out of a saucepan with her bare hands! She can crush a man’s head with her thighs! Could this robot woman be any more sexy? No." Oh good, she can do graceful gymnastics, cook you breakfast, kill you in a sexy way, and, you guessed it, be sexy! Let's f*** her! I'd say the same thing about Tom Hanks in Apollo 13!

I also struggled with the description of Sarah Connor, because it highlights her toughness and her connection to her son. Toughness, cool, but connection to her son? Would that ever be highlighted in a man's list? No. And while this is loosely pointing out the second shift (women being expected to work a 40-hour paid job as well as do housework and carework for children), it's not really talking about why it is bad – it's natural for a woman to love her baby from the moment of conception! Duh!

The description of Catwoman only talks about who played her in the sexiest way. Great. Thanks.

Barbarella is awesome because men love to ogle posters of her. Wow, I admire her contribution to science fiction!

Banes, from Transformers, is only shockingly awesome because of the picture of her - a hot mechanic - and the paragraph undermines the possibility of her being a good mechanic anyway. Why is she on this list?

'Number six is sexy. Then she comes back as sexy. Her character has dimensions.' Really? Talk about them, because that makes her shocking. The fact that 20/25 on this list are "sexy" means that is standard for sci-fi's women. Oh, does that surprise you? Does targeting a male audience, you know, because men are so naturally good at science, does that mean that we put "sexy" women in roles that don't really mean anything but being scantily clad? Thanks, sci-fi.

"The SJA proved the character was strong enough to warrant a series of her own, and saw Sarah Jane develop a newfound motherly instinct." You cannot develop an instinct. That is the whole point of it being instinct and thus not learned behaviour. Mothering is learned behaviour. I'm glad you admire gender roles, which is utterly shocking.

"The DC Amazon heroine earned herself a hugely popular series in the late 70s, with former beauty pageant winner Carter playing the Nazi-kicking, alien-busting gal in Stars and Stripes hotpants." Really? That's all you have to say about WONDER WOMAN? "She was played by nationally-recognized-beauty and was mostly naked." ONE SENTENCE? REALLY?

Sydney (Alias) had so much potential: "J.J. Abrams’s spy-fi drama sees the tough but charming Sydney recruited as a double agent by the CIA. Over five seasons, Sydney proved herself to be a high-kicking action heroine and multi-linguist who undergoes many traumas – including the death of her fiancée in the opening episode."

'This show was good, Sydney was cool, she kicked ass and was brilliant, oh, and just for good measure, she lost the number one man in her life on the first f****** episode, which is always the worst in a series, but, yeah, sure, let's talk about her need for love.'

I was excited to read this, but turns out I am just super disappointed. Limited selection pool? Probably. SO WRITE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THAT, not just throwing "sexy" women into the category of "shocking." Nothing here shocked sci-fi: hot chicks in tight clothes with mothering instinct - that's the science part of the women!

Next time, either write a shorter, more sincere list about why women actually shocked sci-fi, or just call this list what it is: Hot Women in Sci-Fi.
Julie O’Brien

Summer Glau is missing from the list! Her role in Firefly, Serenity and even the Terminator TV series deserves a mention!
Michael Spaling

To Whom It May Concern:

I was disappointed to discover that the list, "The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi," was shallow and dedicated entirely to characters from mainstream franchises of the last fifteen years or so. I mean, Mikaela Banes? Aside from being played by Megan Fox, there's nothing even memorable about the character herself. Surely we're not supposed to believe that no young female character in the "all time" history of sci-fi knew mechanics before Mikaela?
Travis McClain

7 of 9.
Gene

Hi!

Have to ask why on Earth Aeryn Sun of Farscape wasn't on your list, and yet a character whom you yourselves imply to be simply eye candy, is? I quote: "But thanks to images like the much-reproduced one above, movie fans everywhere can’t wait to get another glimpse of Mikaela in Revenge of the Fallen." Perhaps it is because I am not male, that I don't even remember this character - then again, I did just watch the movie for the giant killer robots. And okay, it's two robot movies, but I'm certainly not going to watch it for anything other than the robots.

Seriously, people.

Regards,
Ellie Jane

The one thing I strongly disagree with in your "25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi" is placing Samantha Carter down at 8th place. In the decade plus run of Stargate, she has had a larger impact in the show and the role of sci-fi in TV than your #3 placed Starbuck or #7 Rose Tyler.
Bob Henderson

You missed Claudia Black - Farscape she should be number 1.
Karen Affleck

I dont agree with the people who say Aeryn Sun or Vala Mal Doran, played by Claudia Black, should have been on the list. Maybe on the list of the 2 women who have ruined sci-fi. She was awful on Farscape and even worse when she was put on SG-1 which went downhill super fast once she was on it. I think she is the reason it only lasted 10 years.

Instead of her on the 25 list should have been Seven of Nine, Sue Storm from Fantastic 4, Seline from Underworld, Rebecca Romijn Stamos as Mystique or T'Pol from Enterprise. But never Claudia Black, all she does is ruin whatever show she is on.
Greg Pennington

Hey there,

I liked your article on the 25 Women of Sci Fi - I agreed with most of them (with the exception of Megan Fox and a couple others...). The only one that I thought could have done with being on there though, is 7 of 9 from Star Trek: Voyager! How can you have a list of sci-fi's biggest women without her?!
Jess Gerr

In many cases, I agree with your list. Ripley was a great pick for # 1, and I agree with most of the top 10. (I would have had Leia lower on the list. Still on there, but lower.) However, there are a few that I would strongly disagree with. Catwoman, Mikaela Banes and Barbarella weren't iconic roles, they were just hot bodies.

I would say that no top 25 list would be complete without bringing up River Tam (Firefly) or Delenn (Babylon 5). Both were amazingly strong, deep characters that were very well acted, to boot. In fact, while not exactly a woman per se, I would give EVE from Wall-e a nod over any of those three. She learns to overcome her programming, helps to return humanity to Earth, and falls in love with one of the most adorable robots to ever grace the silver screen! What's not to like?

As to the detractors of Buffy, well, her character was far deeper than most would give it credit for and provided, very successfully, I may add, a great message that women, even young ones, can, and should, be tough. Women in vampire flicks generally are the ones getting munched on, not the ones doing the saving. Well deserving of the #2 spot, in my opinion.
Devon Vaughn Miller

What? Are you kidding me? No Turanga Leela from Futurama?

She easily trumps many on that list!
Damian Finol

I'm very surprised that Trinity from Matrix wasn't listed.
Trish

Um, this would be an interesting article if seven of the top 25 had anything to do with the actual science fiction genre.

Buffy Summers: Horror/Fantasy/Supernatural
Claire Bennett/Storm/Catwoman: COMIC BOOKS which are adventure/horror, not sci-fi in nature. (Also... Halle Barry? Um, not even close, she hated being in those movies just as much as fans were saying, "Oh, you know who'd have been an awesome Storm? Angela Bassett.")
Wonderwoman - Comic book/fantasy
Xena - Fantasy/horror
Sydney Barstow - Espionage/horror/fantasy.

And where the helling hell is Aeryn Sun?
Amber

Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine should have been there. She was the strongest female character on any Star Trek series ever, and one of the best SF heroines of all time.

Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) should be on the list, too. I am not the biggest fan of the character, but she is definitely a great, complex, strong character and she was a PRESIDENT and leader of humanity. She definitely did shake SF.

On the other hand, why is Claire Bennet on the list? How did she shake SF? She is basically just a damsel in distress chased by a bad guy, only she's an indestructible one who heels every time. She's even despised by many Heroes fans for the lack of character development and stagnate storylines. There are more interesting female characters even on Heroes, but sadly they get a lot less attention and screentime (Angela Petrelli) or get killed off soon (Elle, Eden).
Ivana Cvetanovic

First of all, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) should have been higher on the list. I say this 1) because I am biased, but 2) because she was an iconic film character who starred in 3 of the biggest grossing films of the eighties! Star Wars was a turning point for sci-fi films, and I think she should have at least made number 3.

Also, though I am a HUGE Transformers fan, I don't think Mikaela Banes should have made it on the list. One, I have seen Revenge of the Fallen, and Megan Fox's performance, let's put this simply, hideous, for lack of a better word.

No, I'm not jealous of her, but I think that because of Megan Fox's mostly bad acting skills in the sequel Mikaela Banes doesn't deserve to be on the list. It seems that the only reason that she was cast to play Mikaela was to reel in guys to come and watch the movie (and make up most of the earnings at the box office).
Alexis
Sci-fi fan @'_'@ (yeah thats supposed to be Princess Leia...)

Hi,

Your 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi missed the mark with me especially after excluding Majel B. Roddenberry from Star Trek TOS - Number One in the 1st pilot , Nurse Chapel in the regular seasons. She also voiced the ship’s computer voice in all of the series and 6 out of 10 movies. She also played Dr. Christina Chapel in two of the Star Trek movies and Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

She may have not been the cutest but she probably had more influence on sci-fi than any other women.

Oh and I'd axe CATWOMAN (Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman Returns - terrible movie); BARBARELLA (Jane Fonda, Barbarella - Hanoi Jane in this pathetic movie), MARINA (Stingray - stringed puppet), BUFFY SUMMERS (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - horror genre) , WILLOW ROSENBERG (Alyson Hannigan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - horror genre).

7of 9 should be on the list more than Starbuck – she’s a lot better actress and brought a lot of viewers to Voyager during/after the 4th season. Bionic Woman should be too for the same reasons; T'pol (Jolene Blalock) should be too - just watch the Carbon Creek episode of Enterprise.

I'd replace the whining, dreadfully boring Samantha Carter with the flirty, funny Claudia Black from Farscape SG-1 and a SG movie or two, Xena and Beastmaster.

Also I'd replace MIKAELA BANES (Megan Fox, Transformers - attractive but that’s it) and SARAH JANE SMITH (Elisabeth Sladen, The Sarah Jane Adventures / Doctor Who) with Zoe (Gina Torres of Serenity/Firefly and The Matrix movies fame) and River (Summer Glau) of Serenity /Firefly fame.

I’d drop SYDNEY BRISTOW (Jennifer Garner, Alias – sci-fi?). I agreed with the remark "I'm very surprised that Trinity from Matrix wasn't listed."

Thanks
John S

Besides those already mentioned, I would add Kate from Lost. Several on the list should not have made it. Sexiness alone does not make a good heroine.
Heather Christiansen

I guess I am disappointed that this list did nothing with the ALIEN WOMEN of sci-fi. These are some of the tougher roles, with actors and writers attempting truly new things - and not one woman playing an alien character was listed!

Given this bias of mine, serious contenders should have been: 7 of 9 from ST:Voyager, Delenn from Babylon 5, Kira Nerys from ST: DS9, Boomer from BG, and Aeryn Sun or Zhaan from Farscape. (This is also what makes Number 6 from BG so interesting.) While I don't think she is in the top 25, I also think Deanna Troi from ST: TNG could be great when she was at the top of her game.

In a related manner, I think the River character from Serenity deserved some notice. While not alien, she was this brilliant, enigmatic, tortured child with these impossible "chunks" of near-meaningless lines - and Summer Glau pulled it off brilliantly.

In terms of the number and development of interesting women developed on a sci-fi show, some standouts to my mind are Babylon 5, ST: Voyager, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and possibly Farscape and Sanctuary.
Louise Cornwall

May I ask Why Teyla Emmagan and Elizabeth Weir of SGA, Zhaan And Chianna of farscape and Aeryn Sun/Vala Mal Doran of Farscape and SG1 weren't on the list!!! Why Was Sam Carter only #8 She should have been #1!!! Why was Xena on the list she isn't from a Sci-Fi Genre!!! Look, I love sci-fi but Sam should have been higher and Aeryn Sun should have been mentioned!!!! Go Aeryn Sun!
Tegan B

Where is Anne Francis? She set the standard and held it longer than most of your list has been alive.
Rod Richardson

Please email us at totalscifionline@titanemail.com to comment on this feature.