Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death just days after we got a glimpse of the CGI-recreated young Princess Leia in Rogue One is rather uncanny. Fisher’s portrayal of Princess – and later General – Leia Organa in the Star Wars series, remains one of the most iconic female characters in Science Fiction Movie-dom.
The rebel princess was probably responsible for paving the way for more mainstream Sci-Fi films with strong female leads. As a tribute to the late actress, here’s taking a look at some of the most memorable women leads who captured our imagination in Sci-Fi Films over the last 4o years.
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Alien series
The Alien series is a cult classic among nerds today. The first in the series was released just about a couple years after the first Star Wars movie, in 1979. This was one of the very first space films to have a female in the lead role. In fact, Ellen Ripley the character, is probably bigger than the movies themselves. Weaver played the lead with a lot of heart and attitude: the quintessential alien-basher with a soft side hidden beneath a tough exterior.
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Post-Apocalyptic movies were pretty much non-existent in the 90s. This was as close as anyone could get to the idea of a world replete with anarchy. The movie belonged as much to the lean and muscular Hamilton as it belonged to Arnie. Remember the sequence in which she’s giving guards the slip in the asylum or the several scenes in which she’s loading her gun? Goosebumps!
Jodie Foster as Eleanor Arroway in Contact
Sure Jodie Foster is known for her acting skills for two of the most disturbing movies of all times – Accused and Silence of the Lambs, in case you are wondering – but her turn as the risk-taking Dr. Arroway in 1997’s Contact gets her a place in this list. No brownie points for guessing who she was trying to contact. Extra Terrestrial Beings, obviously!
Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala in Star Wars (Episodes 1-3)
Oh she had to be here, right. Amidala precedes the legend of Princess Leia. She gave birth to her! Padme Amidala was the Queen of Naboo and Senator of the Galactic Republic. Amidala is one of those rare breeds of strong female characters, in sci-fi, who manage to exude authority and confidence without wielding a gun.
Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw in Prometheus
Imagine doing your own C-section aboard a spaceship. That’s what Elizabeth Shaw did to extract a squid-like creature from her abdomen. This follows after she sees her partner being burnt to death with a flamethrower. If that is not badass, what is?
Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity in The Matrix Series
Forget Neo for once. Matrix would not be half as riveting without the enigmatic Trinity. Anne Moss posed serious competition to Hamilton’s Connor with her muscular figure and gun skills. Also, she’s the one who made Neo embrace his destiny as The One. C’mon Morpheus was just the facilitator. Trinity did all the hard work!
Can you think of any other character to add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
All Images Source: Google
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