Macho Women in Science Fiction

I know there are a lot of strong women in science fiction, probably more than in any other genre – and I love them. Here are some of my favorites.

My number one favorite was Riply in the Alien series. Here was a woman who had everything. She was smart, tough and courageous. In Alien, she stood up to the weak captain of the ship in attempt to prevent the man infected with the alien from boarding the ship. She was the only one aboard who realized the danger. In Aliens, we see a softer side in her relations with the little girl, Newt, who was a strong female character herself. In Alien 3, she had to face tough prison inmates as well as the alien creatures and had to sacrifice herself to prevent the horror from brought to earth. And in Alien Resurrection, she became part alien herself.

Second on my list of favorite macho women was Lara Croft in the movie version of the game, Lara Croft, Tomb Robber. Angelina Jolie was perfect for the part, smart, sexy, athletic and tough. I hope they make a third Lara Croft movie with her in the lead.

My third favorite strong woman is not from the movies but from a book. She is Kithryn from the Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Kithryn is young student sent back to the middle ages only to find herself in the time of the Black Plague that killed a third of the population of Europe. Ill herself from a pandemic in her own time, she manages to cope as the people around her die horribly, and she is unable to return to the place she needs to go to return to her own time.

Fourth is Zoe Graystone from the SyFy canceled TV series, Caprica. In the show, she is the daughter of high-tech scientist-entrepreneur Daniel Graystone or I should say the virtual copy of the real Zoe Graystone, who is killed by a terrorist suicide bomber boy friend early in the plot. She leads a tough life inside a PC virtual world as well as the mind of a warrior robot invented by her father.

Fifth is Morgan Le Fay (AKA Morgaine) in the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Morgaine is a priestess fighting to save her matriarchal Celtic culture in a country where patriarchal Christianity threatens to destroy the pagan way of life. Morgaine is a strong woman who has unique gifts and responsibilities at a time of enormous political and spiritual upheaval as she is called upon to defend her heritage against impossible odds.

Sixth and Seventh were the main female characters in the TV series Lost, Kate Austin, Juliet Burke and Sun-Hwa Kwon. All three showed their self reliance in a hostile environment without loss of their femininity.

Of course, the main characters in my own novels are strong women, Morgaine the Demon Witch and Raven Lenore, Psychic Investigator.

I also enjoyed several strong female characters in Dark Shadows, the old TV paranormal soap opera.

Of course it was hard to choose. There are so many strong women in genre fiction. In my own novels, Morgaine the Demon Witch, her rival Melody Trent, and my favorite of characters I've created, Raven Lenore, Psychic Investigator.

Who are your favorites?