12 of the Best Female Leads From Sci-Fi Shows (PHOTOS)
Clarke Griffin (The 100)
Since Season 1, The 100’s “brave princess” has been leading her people into battle, saving lives and making alliances with enemies and friends. She’s smart, strong and fiercely protective of those she loves — and though everyone seems to look to her for guidance, Clarke never breaks under pressure.
Eleven (Stranger Things)
Though Stranger Things, like many sci-fi shows, is an ensemble cast, there’s no denying how much of it centers around Eleven. Now officially Sheriff Hopper’s “daughter,” El has learned much about friendship and family through the show’s two seasons and has saved those she cares about with her telekinetic powers on multiple occasions.
Michonne/Carol Peletier/Maggie Rhee (The Walking Dead)
It’s impossible to pick just one ‘Walking Dead’ leading lady, so we chose all three. Maggie, Michonne and Carol’s expansive storylines throughout the show’s eight seasons have seen them grow, change and adapt as survivors, and new showrunner Angela Kang has promised even greater roles for them in the upcoming ninth season. We’re looking forward to it.
Madison Clark (Fear The Walking Dead)
Madison Clark made surviving in the zombie apocalypse look easy. Cunning, calculating and often ruthless, she went from being a high school guidance counselor to leading an entire baseball stadium full of survivors. Though her methods weren’t always the most moral or honest, she found redemption and accomplished her main goal in the end: keeping her family safe.
Kara Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)
“Starbuck” was a man in the 1979 version of Battlestar Galactica, but the 2002 reboot redeveloped the character as a woman — and what an awesome woman she was. Katee Sackhoff’s cigar-smoking, dry-witted, hard-drinking pilot more than deserved her time in the spotlight. Many of BSG’s elaborate plot lines revolved around Kara’s past, present or future, and her unique talent for getting into and out of trouble has made her just as magnetic today as she was nine years ago.
Michael Burnham (Star Trek: Discovery)
Though we still miss Sasha on The Walking Dead,, we’re so happy Sonequa Martin-Green’s leading her own franchise! As First Officer of the USS Shenzou,, Michael’s insubordination earned her Starfleet’s first and only mutiny conviction and a life sentence. Of course, she had reasons for her actions — and ultimately makes up for them by stopping a war.
Jane Doe (Blindspot)
Though Blindspot might be more of a crime drama than a sci-fi, there’s no denying Jamie Alexander’s star power as the mysterious, tattooed Jane Doe. Though Jane’s past is a lot blurrier than the unique ink on her skin, she remains kindhearted despite it all…though her alternate self, Remi, is a lot less so!
Sarah Manning (Orphan Black)
At her core, Sarah Manning just wanted to build a better life for her daughter — and is being pulled into a dangerous human cloning experiment. After attempting to assume the identity and take the savings of a woman who looked just like her, Sarah ends up running for her life and trying to protect her daughter’s, all while discovering she isn’t the only clone…and that knowledge could be deadly.
Dana Scully (The X-Files)
The skeptic to Mulder’s wholehearted belief, Scully uses science to explain what her partner sees as extraterrestrial activity. As she works on the FBI’s unsolved “X-Files” her adherence to factual rigidity is challenged, and she discovers some things can’t be explained through Earthly means…and maybe — just maybe — there’s some fact to be found in believing.
Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)
Much of the reason Netflix’s Jessica Jones was such a hit rested on its profoundly broken and engaging antihero of a main character. As a hard-drinking private investigator, Jessica certainly doesn’t see herself as the savior New York City needs. But she most certainly fulfills that role: and by facing her demons in the form of various villains and embracing her superpowers, she comes to terms with her dark past.
Olivia Moore (iZombie)
For Liv, being a zombie is about much more than craving brains. Sure, she needs to feed to stay alive, but Liv has found a way to use her “powers” for good: since she can absorb people’s memories and personalities when she feeds, she uses dinner time as a way to solve crimes.
Wynonna Earp (Wynonna Earp)
Wynonna’s had a tough life, and given her unfortunate family situation, things probably aren’t going to get easier for her. As the heir to the Earp Curse and a descendant of Wyatt Earp, it’s her job to kill resurrected demon “Revenants” and return them to hell. A tall order, but she manages — with a little help from her friends, and a lot of whiskey.
If you're into aliens, spaceships, post-apocalyptic wastelands or eerie alternate universes, you might have once been hard-pressed to find a woman in charge. Standing out in a genre once dominated by men, these women face the supernatural, creepy and unexplained with ease, and show the boys who's boss.
Click through the gallery above to see the top female leads from sci-fi shows!
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