Science fiction television is experiencing a veritable boom, with acclaimed series like Force, Foundation, Disruption, Paradise, Killbot, For All Mankind, Pluribus, the Star Trek sequels, and now Star City among the best and most must-watch series currently airing. Perhaps it's because our own existence has become too dystopian to comprehend without the safe distance of genre conventions that keep us from fully immersing ourselves in existential nightmares, or perhaps it's the desire for cinematic spectacle laced with social critique, but science fiction is more popular than ever.
All the most popular sci-fi series draw inspiration from their predecessors, including the decision to feature a compelling female lead. Some of the best sci-fi series of all time feature memorable female leads, and today we want to celebrate them. Here are five sci-fi series with female leads that are perfect from start to finish and equally deserving of being added to your to-watch list.
Read also: 19 Sci-Fi Movies That Got Bad Reviews From Critics But Are Actually Worth Your Time.
Battlestar Galactica
Kara Thrace does push-ups on Battlestar Galactica (SyFy).
What more can be said about Battlestar Galactica that hasn't already been said? This gritty, realistic reboot of the 1970s one-season series of the same name, spanning 76 episodes across four seasons and two movies, became the seminal science fiction series and the defining space opera of our time. It took the sci-fi elements established by cult series like Star Trek and blended them with the serious tone popularized by the then-burgeoning era of prestige television, exemplified by The Sopranos and The West Wing. It was a sci-fi series that used genre to hold a mirror up to society, unafraid to peel back the layers and expose just how ugly existence can be.
The series followed the remnants of human civilization after a race of sentient machines known as the Cylons devastated their homeworlds. They sought refuge on the eponymous warship, the Battlestar, in hopes of finding an Earth colony. Battlestar Galactica boasted a slew of incredible female characters (special thanks to Mary McDonnell for her portrayal of President Laura Roslin), but perhaps the show's true driving force was the storyline of Kara Thrace (call sign "Starbuck"), played by Katee Sackhoff. A seasoned Galactica pilot, Starbuck possesses all the makings of an untouchable heroine (rebel, master of combat, center of a supernatural destiny), but her rich history and complex relationships with those around her made her one of the most compelling female characters not only in science fiction history but also in television, regardless of genre.
Orphan Black
Sarah and Helena in "Orphan Black" — Space/BBC America
One of Canada's premier entertainment projects, the action-packed sci-fi detective series Orphan Black debuted in 2013 and, over five seasons, has become one of the best sci-fi series of all time. The series follows Sarah Manning, the title character and one of four main characters—all played by Tatiana Maslany. Manning is a street con artist, but her life is turned upside down after she witnesses a woman who looks exactly like her throw herself in front of a train. While attempting to assume the identity of her deceased doppelganger to gain access to her finances, Sarah discovers she is one of many human clones—including Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Helena, Rachel Duncan, and many others—as part of the so-called Leda Project. All the clones are unknowingly connected to each other in North America and Europe, and Sarah and her clones must discover the origins of their existence.
Of course, asking too many questions inevitably attracts negative attention, and Orphan Black uncovers clandestine organizations, powerful secret institutions, and, to top it all off, a cult of religious extremists. The result is a series that blends genres and explores themes of identity, autonomy, corporate power struggles, and the ethics of scientific discovery. The writing itself is compelling enough, but it's Maslany—who would later become the titular She-Hulk in the Marvel Universe—who holds the key to the series' success. Playing a multitude of clones with distinct personalities, inner lives, and dialects, she embodies them all with such precision that you'll likely forget they're all played by the same woman. Orphan Black has continually reinvented itself, evolving from a detective thriller into a sprawling conspiracy saga, without ever losing sight of its characters.
The X-Files
Dana Scully Looks Tough on 'The X-Files' - Fox
«The X-Files was and remains one of the most influential science fiction series in television history, paving the way for modern supernatural series. Combining standard crime drama with the impossible, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) stop at nothing to prove that "the truth is out there" and get to the bottom of the government's most complex cases. Mulder and Scully serve as individual protagonists and as part of a team, but most critics (and the show's creator) consider Scully the true protagonist. Her perspective as a rational skeptic allows viewers to view their mysterious cases from a different perspective, and the more she learns to cast aside doubt, the more the viewers themselves become believers.
Many of the best episodes of The X-Files centered on Dana Scully, and she was the only female character in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field on a primetime series for much of the 1990s. Anderson's performance inspired countless women to pursue careers in STEM, so much so that the phenomenon is known as the "Scully effect." Among those familiar with her character, 91% called her a positive role model for young women. Besides The X-Files being one of the best sci-fi shows of all time, Scully as a character gave us the opportunity to truly believe in ourselves.
Stream of Aeon
Aeon Flux is about to begin filming – MTV
Before adult animation firmly entered mainstream pop culture, MTV's Liquid Television was an experimental space for underground art. Airing from 1991 to 1995, the series introduced viewers to adult animation that wasn't tied to the sitcom-driven comedy genre that characterized the then-new phenomenon of The Simpsons. Most of the animated segments featured on the show were created specifically for the show, but some previously produced segments were selected after successful festival screenings, helping to bring the work to a wider audience.
One of the series' greatest successes was Aeon Flux, an avant-garde sci-fi adventure television series created by Peter Chung that remains one of the most original works in television animation. The series initially premiered as a six-episode series, followed by five short standalone episodes, and later a season of 10 half-hour episodes. Set in a surreal, dystopian German Expressionist future populated by mutants, clones, and robots, the protagonist, Aeon Flux, is a dominatrix spy from the individualistic, anarchist city-state of Monica, who infiltrates and sabotages facilities in the neighboring, Orwellian totalitarian city-state of Bregna. Her nemesis (and sometimes lover), Trevor Goodchild, is the technocratic dictator of Bregna, and the pair find themselves embroiled in a seemingly endless war for ideological supremacy.
Today, Aeon Flux is overshadowed by its 2005 film adaptation starring Charlize Theron, but it is a groundbreaking work of animated sci-fi storytelling and features one of science fiction's greatest heroines... even if she is (intentionally) constantly was dying.
Made for love
Hazel Escapes Made for Love - HBO Max
The HBO Max original series Made for Love is a darkly comedic sci-fi story about a woman named Hazel Greene (Cristin Milioti) who is trying to escape her stifling 10-year marriage to billionaire tech entrepreneur Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen) in a hermetically sealed virtual reality facility known as "The Hub." It's a dangerous decision because her husband is one of the richest and most powerful men on the planet, but he has also secretly implanted her with a revolutionary microchip that allows him to track her movements, see what she sees, and control her "emotional data." Trying to hide from prying eyes, she reunites with her estranged father, Herbert (Ray Romano), in Twin Sands, the desert town where she grew up, but her father has since become obsessed with his synthetic companion, Diana.
Jacob Hall of /Film rightly called the series "outstanding," but it was unceremoniously canceled after two seasons. To make matters worse, HBO Max removed it from its library in 2022 as a tax break. This is a gross injustice, as Made For Love was a truly magnificent series and featured one of Milioti's best performances of his career (and arguably Romano's best). The series is currently unavailable for legal viewing or purchase on any digital platforms in the United States, but if HBO Max had any common sense, they would find a way to re-release it internationally. That's what people want, and that's what the show deserves.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.