Sci Fi Icons #13--Original Cylons

The original cylons continue with the theme established by HAL 9000 of artificial intelligence created by biological life forms getting out of hand. Unfortunately, the reptilian race, also called Cylons, that built these monstrosities were not as fortunate as Dave Bowman in stopping their creation. The reptilian cylons died out centuries ago, leaving behind only these Cylons to pursue an agenda of conquest.

When the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series began, Cylons had been at war with the human Twelve Colonies for a thousand years. They were singularly dedicated to wiping out humanity after they intervened on behalf of the Hasaries, a race subsequently wiped out by the Cylons before turning their attention to their new human enemies.

Battlestar Galactica was too short lived to develop the Cylon Empire too develop Indeed, they rarely make an appearance after the first half of the season. How their xenophobic philosophy allows for an alliance with the carnivorous Ovions is a never clear. Cylon society beyond the military is largely unknown. Their history with count Iblis can only be guessed. Whether there was any sort of plan to explore these matters is not very clear, either.

But the unanswered question matter little in the grand scheme of things. Cylons are a vital part of ’70’s science fiction based largely on their metallic look, distinctive voices, and that sliding red eye. One of the best moments in the re-imagined series from the ’00’s was seeing the class version back in action. I am mercifully excluding all Original Cylon appearances in Galactica: 1980 and Caprica for the sake of fan sanity.

Sci Fi Girl #1--Tricia Helfer

Number Six/Caprica Six/Gina--Battlestar Galactica
EDI-Mass Effect 1-3
Sarah Kerrigan--Starcraft II
Dare--Halo
Boodikka--Green Lantern: First Flight
Felicia Hardy/black Cat--The Spectacular Spiderman
Killan Qatar--Command & Conquer 3

Well, here she is folks. Tricia Helfer ranks as our number one Sci Fi Girl. The woman so hot, Gaius Baltar nearly annihilated the human race to get in her undies. I imagine some may be disappointed with Helfer in the top spot, but it is difficult to make a convincing argument otherwise. Why? Pictures are worth a thousand words each:

Sci Fi Girl #2--Scarlett Johansson

Ashley Parker--Eight-Legged Freaks
Jordan Two Delta/Sarah Jordan--The Island
Olivia Winsome--The Prestige
Silken Floss--The Spirit
Black Widow--Iron Man 2
Black Widow--The Avengers

I was going to include Ghost World as well, since it is based on a comic book, but I figured the definition of science fiction had been stretched enough with The Prestige The Prestige is one of her best. So is Ghost World.

Speaking of stretching, how about that Black widow costume?

Sci Fi Girl #3--Jessica Alba

Max Guevarra/X5-452--Dark Angel
Nancy Callahan--Sin City
Sue Storm/Invisible Girl--Fantastic Four/Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Sydney Wells--The Eye
Molly--Idle Hands
Eve--Venus Rising

Outside of Sin City, her projects have not been all that great. Do you really care, though, all things considered?Dark Angel fans may take issue, but I never got into the show.

Sci Fi Girl #4--Gillian Anderson

Special Agent Dana Scully--The X-Files/Fight the Future/I Want to Believe

My reviews of The X-Files were once called love letters to Gillian Anderson. So be it.

Sci Fi Girl #5--Monica Bellucci

Sylvia--Brotherhood of the Wolf
Persephone--The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions
The Mirror Queen--The Brothers Grimm
Veronica--The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Monica Bellucci is a stunning Italian beauty who turned to modeling in order to pay law school tuition and wisely deciding a career as a model and actress was much better than enslavement as a lawyer. The epiphany has been a blessing all around, no?

Sci Fi Girl #6--Eliza Dushku

Faith--Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Faith--Angel
Annabel--Soul Survivors
Jessie Buringame--Wrong Turn
Tru Davies--Tru Davies
Erica--Open Graves
Echo--Dollhouse
Shockzana--Robotomy
Selina Kyle/Catwoman--Batman: Year One and DC Showcase: Catwoman

Eliza Dushku has dual American/Albanian citizenship, so we technically continue the lists international flavor. Dushku was, howeer, born in America and obtained Albanian citizenship upon being invited to the country of her father’s birth by its prime minister. One assumes he was a fan.

She is hot, too. It is disappointing she has yet to find a steady, longtime starring role for herself.

Sci Fi Girl #7--Claudia Black

Aeryn Sun--Farscape and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars
Vala Mal Doran--Stargate SG-1/The Ark of Truth./Continuum
Liz--The Dresden Files
Pandora--Queen of the Damned
Sharon Montgomery--Pitch Black
Cassandra--Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Many, many computer and video games voices, because she has got that voice….

Claudia Black is the second Australian in the top ten. Aside from her science fiction acting roles, Black is also an accomplished jazz and classical musician.Then there is that.

Sci Fi Girl #8--Lea Thompson

Lorraine and Maggie Baines/McFly/Tannen--Back to the Future I-III
Kelly Ann Murkowski--Jaws 3D
Beverly Switzer--Howard the Duck
Sylvia Vane--Tales from the Crypt

Lea Thompson has not done any genre work in twenty years and some of it outside of the Back to the future trilogy is an acquired taste, but she still ranks near the top of my favorites. I left the 80’s without crushing on Molly Ringwald, but not without crushing Thompson.

She still has it at fifty. (Yikes--fifty!)

Even talking ducks went for her back then.

Sci Fi Girl #9--Natalie Portman

Padme Amidala--Star Wars prequels
Evey Hammond--V for Vendetta
Molly Mahoney--Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Jane Foster--Thor

Like the rest of us, she would prefer to forget the Star Wars prequels. No such luck.C3P0 is forever her co-pilot. See how thrilled Portman is at the prospect?

Sci Fi Girl #10--Rose Byrne

Dorme--Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones
Cassie--Sunshine
Maj. Scarlett Ross--28 Weeks Later
Diana Wayland--Knowing
Rena Lambert--Insidious
Moira MacTaggert--X-Men: First Class

We are finally moving into the top ten.

The versatile beauty who has had award winning role in drama, comedy, science fiction, and horror adds to the Sci Fi Girl list's international scope. Byrne is Australian.

Sci Fi Girl #11--Linda Harrison

Nova--Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes\
Susan--Cocoon and Cocoon II
Unnamed woman--Planet of the Apes (2001)

Nova is every man’s fantasy--a sexy woman who wore nothing but a loincloth and never said a word until the final scene of her final appearance. She called out Taylor’s name, prompting him to set off the nuclear bomb to kill everyone remaining on the battered earth. Because he knew once women learn to speak your name, there is nothing but nagging in your future.

Harrison has had a scant acting career since her debut in the late ‘60’s. Little matter. She married uber-producer Richard D. Zanuck, who has been behind some of the biggest films of the last forty years: The Sugarland Express, The Eiger sanction, Jaws, The Verdict, Driving Miss Daisy, and Wall*E among them. She probably does not care nova is the only role anyone remembers her playing. Too busy eolling in money and all.Here is one from Harrison's brief modeling career.

Sci Fi Girl #12--Carrie Fisher

Princess Leia organa--Original Star Wars films and projects.

Deciding what to do with Carrie Fisher was the toughest part of making this list of Sci Fi Girls. Obviously, she cannot be skipped altogether. Princess leia is too iconic a character to be ignored. Need I even mention how her turn in Jabba’s harem in Return of the JedI warped an entire generation of men’s views on women and sex? There is no way to ignore the impact.

But it is also tough to ignore fisher has had a hard life since being chained half-naked to a gangster slug. There is barely enough brain bleach to get over what cocaine, bipolar disorder, and an obscene amount of Dunkin Donuts have done to the woman over the last 29 (!) years.

I had to be fair. Fisher is a moment frozen in time. The mental images of her from her Princess Leia days are going to have to serve as the happy place one goes to in order to avoid experiencing the ten miles of bad road the poor woman has become. Your mileage may vary, but I think she comes in a #12 plausibly.

Sci Fi Girl #13--Milla Jovovich

Leeloo--The Fifth Element
Alice--Resident Evil/Extinction/Apocalypse/Retribution
Violet--Ultraviolet
Dr. Abigail ‘Abby” Tyler--The Fourth Kind

Milla Jovovich is a multitalented singer, model, fashion designer, and actress with a penchant for choosing strange roles in science fiction films. Jovovich is probably most famous for filling out this costume as Leeloo in The Fifth Element:For better or worse, comic book conventions will be graced with all sorts of fan girls sporting the outfit from here on out. Like this lovely fan, for instance:So there is that legacy, too.

(Part of The Other McCain's Rule 5 Sunday.)

Sci Fi Girl #14--Hayden Panettiere

Claire Bennett--Heroes
Kairi--Kingdom Hearts series
Kirby Reed--Scream 4

Hayden Panettiere is a PETA activist who has her own line of designer calfskin handbags. I cannot add anything else to that other than there is a warrant for her arrest from Japanese authorities for her anti-whaling activities. Oh, yeah--she sells her autograph for $60 a pop. because she is a big star.

Truly a complex individual.

Sci Fi Girl #15--Morena Baccarin

Inara Serra--Firefly and Serenity
Black Canary--Justice League
Adria--Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Anna--V
Cheetah--Batman: The Brave and the Bold

The Brazilian beauty adds to the international spectrum of the list. But why did Baccarin chop off that gorgeous hair of hers?

Sci Fi Girl #16--Charisma Carpenter

Cordelia Chase--Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
Kyra the Seer--Charmed
Trianna--Legend of the Seeker
Maggie Stark--Supernatural
Various cheapo SyFy MOTW I will not embarrass anyone by naming. Seriously, if Sylvester Stallone had not taken pity and cast her in The Expendables, she might forever hover in that special level of science fiction actress hell that Kari Wuhrer currently suffers and Olivia Munn is destined to indwell.

Charisma Carpenter joins Summer Glau, Jewel Staite, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as entries from Joss Whedon created television shows. Odd. I am not much of a Joss Whedon fan.

(Part of The Other McCain's Rule 5 Sunday.)

Sci Fi Girl #17--Jeri Ryan

Juliet Stewart--Dark Skies
Seven of Nine--Star Trek: Voyager
Seven of Nine Alarm Clock--Dilbert
Sonya Blade--Mortal Combat: Legacy/ Rebirth
Valerie Sharpe--Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000

If you watched the last few seasons of Star Trek: Voyager for any reason other than to ogle Jeri Ryan, I probably do not like you as a person.

Okay, you could have watched for Robert Picardo, too. He did about as much of the heavy lifting as Ryan's catsuit.

Sci Fi Girl #18--Billie Piper

Rose Tyler--Doctor Who

Billie Piper has only played one role in science fiction, but such a large amount of the success of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who counted on the former pop singer’s ability to attract armies of fourteen year old male eyeballs, she is automatically iconic. Besides, could you picture Britney spears channeling the power of the TARDIS in order to disintegrate a half million Daleks along with their emperor? I think not. Spears would shave her head and smash their flying saucers with an umbrella at best.

Just to provoke a pointless geek battle, Piper edges out Katy Manning.....and Nicola Bryant......for hottest companion on top of easily being the most recognizable since the late, great Elisabeth Sladen.There. This post ought to satify any wondering why more Doctor Who companions are not showing up on the list.

Sci Fi Girl #19--Sarah Michelle Gellar

Buffy Summers--Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (recurring)
Helen Shivers--I Know What You Did Last Summer
Casey Cooper--Scream 2
Gwendy--Small Soldiers
Karen Davis--The Grudge/ Grudge 2
Krysta Now--Southland Tales
April O’Neil--TMNT

Sarah Michelle Gellar may count more towards the top Scream Queen list coming to the Eye in October, but she has enough of a crossover fan base to be considered a Sci Fi Girl. Or was I the only one to watch Southland Tales. It is a distinct possibility. The film was not much of a follow up to the far better Donnie Darko for Richard Kelly.

So what makes Gellar cool? Aside from being hot, she has a black belt in teakwood. All those fighting moves of Buffy Summers were real, folks.