Female characters in SFF

This page deals with female characters in science fiction and fantasy.

Strong female protagonists

Although strong female protagonists are a minority in SFF, there are many good examples. Here's a list of some.

• Kivren in Connie Willis's "Doomsday Book"
• Cordelia Naismith in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga
• Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace from the new Battlestar Galactica series
• Dr. Sandra Foster in Connie Willis's "Bellwether"
• Molly in William Gibson's "Neuromancer" and short story "Johnny Mnemonic"
• Sharrow in Iain M Banks' Against a Dark Background
• Ripley in the Alien series
• Agatha the Girl Genius . 
• Beatrice Novak, Police detective in the "Äkta människor" TV series (aka "Real Humans") 
• Lyra Silvertongue, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials

Sexist portrayals of women in SFF

Unfortunately, many female characters in SFF are portrayed in a very sexist manner. Examples include:

• Many of Robert Heinlein's characters
• Number Six of Battlestar Galactica

More info

• Encyclopedia of female characters on FeministSF wiki (dead link)