CarmEmily

chicks on spaceships

Ok, I was a little intimidated by the 317 hours of SG-1 and SG-Atlantis I was going to have to watch to catch up to the current season, so I skipped right to the pilot episodes of SG-U. (I did read that entire Wikipedia article you linked to in your post, so I do feel somewhat educated on the franchise.) Now, I know that because I have been watching BSG a little longer, my loyalty might cause me to be slightly biased, but I think we need to discuss the role of women in both of these shows.

Perhaps I need to give the SG women a few more episodes to develop, but so far, the women who have emerged as the three main female characters are somewhat stereotypical. First, there is Chloe, the dead senator’s daughter, who spent half the pilot running around hysterically blaming Dr. Rush for her father’s death. I know she lost her father, but she’s supposed to be a strong, independent future politician, not some whiny girl crying in the arms of that soldier. Then there’s the medic, who, as it has already been implied, was probably leaving the military because of an affair with an officer, and who keeps claiming throughout the pilot that she’s not qualified to handle the medical emergencies on the ship, and every shot of her shows her looking all sad and forlorn at the suffering of her patients. Isn’t she supposed to be a seasoned battle medic? Finally, there’s the women who appears to be in some sort of administration role, I don’t know her name, we’ll call her that bossy lady. She does nothing but meddle and try to throw her weight around with the soldiers, the best word to describe her is “catty.” None of these women have inspired me yet, and not one of them has done anything to break out of the classic roles women typically play in the very male dominated science-fiction-action-military-space-cliff-hanger genre. (I do have to make an exception for the scientist woman in SG-1 (yes, the one with MacGyver) who is both a soldier and a geeky scientist, but that’s a different series.)

Now, contrast these women to three I have selected from the wide variety of female roles in Battelstar Galactica. Sure, there is Colonel Tigh’s wife, who is a harpy, but for the most part, BSG has some pretty strong female characters. First, Laura Rosselin, who has stepped into the leadership role of president, and even though she struggles, the show has avoided the oh-so-easy conflict of people not respecting her authority because she’s a woman. And she keeps her cancer battle private; the strength to suffer in silence is usually one attributed to men. Next, the blonde cylon lady. Although she is not exactly likable, she is an incredibly complex character, aspiring simultaneously for love, a baby, power, and control. She fights her battles not only with the obvious tactic of sex appeal, but also with brute strength and psychological manipulation. Without any of the classic female-villian backstabbing and scheming, she is easily the most sinister anti-hero in the show so far (I’m only on season 2.5) Finally (best for last!) Kara Thrace. She is tough and tomboyish, without being butch, despite the whole cigar-smoking, card-playing, boxing-glove-wearing attitude. She makes mistakes with men, she cares what people think but acts like she doesn’t, she is often conflicted about where her loyalties lie…in short, she acts more like a real female than most female TV show characters ever do. And I’ll admit, I want her to hook up with Lee Adama, but at the rate she keeps hooking up with other men, she might not – and if she doesn’t it is okay, her character is complete and compelling enough to stand on its own, unlike so many female roles which exist for the sole purpose of coupling with the lead male.

I am by no means giving up on SG-U. But I do expect some of these female roles to emerge as slightly more complex if I am to become really attached to them. This is, I believe, one of the primary reasons why shows like this have predominantly male following. If there is no one for a smart, science-fiction-savvy woman to relate to, if all the women follow the overdone generalized female roles – mainly as a plot catalyst for one of the more dominant male roles – we are much less likely to be won over as fans.