Science fiction and fantasy stories are so expansive in scope it can cover a wide range of subjects. Despite the fantastical worlds in cyberpunk cities, the battles amongst the stars, and space operas they the have ability to tell very modern tales through their social commentary.

This is important to help us as the viewers or readers to be able to relate to the stories being told. However, to tell these stories in a convincing manner these stories need great characters, people we can relate to from different backgrounds and different genders.

Science fiction has a way of being able to provide memorable characters like Spock, Kirk, Han Solo, William Adama, Princess Leia, Starbuck, and so many more.

These characters often get locked into the male and female character categories. So while it’s tempting to coin the term strong male or female characters in science fiction. However, the strength of a person’s character isn’t dependant on their gender so we’re going to look at some of the best characters in sci-fi of both genders and why being so iconic is dependant on so much more than just looks.

25 Star Trek: The Next Generation - Marina Sirtis As Deanna Troi

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Those who grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation will likely have had a crush on Marina Sirtis’ character Deana Troi. She was every science fiction fan’s dream come true, a mix intelligence and beauty.

She served as counselor aboard the USS Enterprise serving under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Counselor Deanna Troi was a half-human member of the Betazoid race which had telepathic abilities although she was only partially able to read minds Troi was actually more of an empathic. This gave an extra layer of depth to the character beyond serving as every 90 kid’s first major crush. Even though she broke some hearts when she married Picard’s number one and became Deanna Troi-Riker she remains one of the most iconic female science fiction characters ever.

24 The X-Files - Gillian Anderson as Dana Skully

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When The X-Files began in 1993 the series became an instant cultural phenomenon. The series not only sparked an obsession in everything UFO, alien, and paranormal related it launched the careers of two most recognizable science fiction actors in the world Gillian Anderson as Dana Sully and David Duchovny as Fox Mulder.

Gillian Anderson’s skeptical FBI Agent Dana Skully quickly became as popular and as iconic as any sci-fi character could be.

Anderson won several television awards for her portrayal including the SAG and Saturn Awards, as well as a several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

In addition to her outstanding performance based accolades Anderson was listed in FHM’s Hall of Fame for most the attractive woman and as People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

23 Battlestar Galactica - Tricia Helfer As Cylon Number Six

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For many science fiction fans, Ronald D. Moore’s reimagined Battlestar Galactica was one of the best science fiction television shows in modern times. Although a lot of that critical acclaim was for the writing, the special effects, and the acting, the memorable characters played a major part too.

One of the most memorable characters in the series was Cylon Number Six portrayed by former supermodel Tricia Helfer in a breakout role.

Number Six was a new generation of Cylon that had a completely humanoid appearance and could infiltrate and seduce as needed to achieve mission objectives. It was later revealed that her personality was modeled after Zoe Graystone in the Battlestar prequel series Caprica as stated by series showrunner Kevin Murphy but the show was canceled before this plotline was reached.

Tricia Helfer now has a recurring role in the series Lucifer and gamers may recognize her voice work as Sarah Kerrigan in the StarCraft 2 series.

22 The Orville - Adrianne Palicki As Commander Grayson

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On the new Star Trek-inspired sci-fi comedy series The Orville Adrianne Palicki plays Commander Kelly Grayson the first officer to Seth MacFarlane’s character Captain Ed Mercer on the U.S.S. Orville. While the critical response has been middling fan response to the show has, by contrast, been very positive, with many claiming that The Orville is more “Trek” than 2017’s Star Trek: Discovery.

Fans of superhero and sci-fi genres already know Adrianne Palicki from her appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.

In addition, she starred in Supernatural, and the TV pilots for Wonder Woman playing the title character, and Aquaman reprising her role as Kara from the Smallville series.

With her fun and charismatic appearances in The Orville, in addition to her appearances in the superhero genre, Palicki s definitely on her way to becoming a sci-fi icon for today.

21 Blade Runner - Sean Young As Rachael

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Sean Young’s appearance as the Replicant Rachael in Ridley Scott’s influential neo-noir sci-fi opus Blade Runner was a role that she became most recognized for throughout her career. Being only 22 at the time, Young had the presence and maturity of a femme fatale you’d find in a 1940s film noir but transported into the futuristic cyberpunk LA.

Considering that it was only her third acting job at the time she successfully played a character that seemed artificial yet very much a living breathing character.

Despite her youth, and working alongside acting heavyweights like Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer she commanded a raw presence that made her as memorable as Deckard and Roy.

Of course, the film itself has one of the most influential sci-fi settings of all time. Many games such as the Deus Ex series, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, and even Final Fantasy VII are full of nods to the dark and dank cyberpunk atmosphere seen in Blade Runner.

20 Star Wars Saga - Carries Fisher As Princess Leia

Via Mirror

Ask just about any science fiction fan that grew up with Star Wars who their biggest crush was when they were a kid and the chances are they’ll tell you Princess Leia Organa, the twin sister of Luke Skywalker and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker AKA Darth Vader and Padmé Amidala.

Beyond the sci-fi genre, Leia is one of cinema's most recognizable characters.

The late Carrie Fisher’s portrayal as a strong tough female character as opposed to the damsel in distress types that moviegoers became accustomed to in the 1970s made her more than a match for everyone’s favorite smuggler and space pirate Han Solo. As a result, and the metal slave costume aside, Leia became a fan favorite, a feminist icon, and one of the greatest memorable science fiction characters of all time.

19 Star Trek: Voyager - Jeri Ryan As Seven Of Nine

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Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine character was introduced in season four of Star Trek: Voyager as a former member of the Borg and her relationship with Captain Kathryn Janeway was similar to that of Spock and Kirk in the original Gene Roddenberry Star Trek series.

Seven of Nine was a character that many fans thought saved the series by appealing to the 18 to 35 demographic. While this brought in quite a lot of criticism especially in regard to her outfit and look, it forced the writers to give the character more depth and backstory.

This along with Jeri Ryan’s performance helped give the series the ratings boost that it needed.

However, for Ryan, the outfit – which was meant to be made of a special fabric that allowed the skin to regenerate – was a hindrance in the beginning. The producers aimed to make the outfit look like a second skin and it was so tight that she struggled to breathe. It took nurses arriving on set to give Ryan oxygen for them to redesign and loosen its corset-like appearance.

18 The Matrix Trilogy - Carrie-Anne Moss As Trinity

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Whatever your opinion is on The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, in 1999 the first Matrix film was an innovative and genre-defining science fiction action film. It’s Hong Kong influenced action scenes and bullet time sequences influenced and carried over into movies like Equilibrium, Wanted, Inception and Night Watch and Dy Watch. In addition, the Max Payne series drew a lot of inspiration from The Matrix and John Woo films, and the VR game Superhot has been compared favorably to it too.

Just as iconic as the films, are the central characters Neo, Morpheus and especially Trinity played by Carrie Anne Moss.

Trinity was cool, intelligent and tough as nails.

She was the one that guided Neo and commanded him to rise from his death drawing comparisons to the Holy Trinity/Three-In-One Being from Christian theology.

17 Dark Angel - Jessica Alba As Max Guevara

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Created by James Cameron, Dark Angel was a post-apocalyptic science fiction series set in a cyberpunk setting of Seattle. Its main character was played by Jessica Alba in her breakout role as Max, a genetically enhanced super-soldier that was trained from birth at a military facility.

Max and the other young soldiers managed to escape the camp and the story focused on her trying to live a normal life whilst evading capture from agents sent by the facility.

Alba was convincingly tough and as sassy as they come in the role of Max.

Dark Angel's first season was one of the most well-received shows in 2000 and won several awards. However, the second season lost its way and was eventually canceled. Luckily, Alba’s career continued on with roles in the Fantastic Four film franchise, the Sin City franchise, and both Machette films.

16 The Star Wars Saga - Harrison Ford As Han Solo

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Even though the Star Wars saga has been predominantly about the Skywalkers ask most people who their favorite character is and they will often say, Han Solo. Much of this was down to Harrison Ford’s portrayal and naturally dry sense of humor and wit, but even Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker thought that Solo was the lead character when he first read the script.

Han Solo has topped many lists as being the coolest character in the Star Wars universe and as one of the greatest characters of all time.

The iconic Han Solo has influenced a large number of characters in popular culture from Starlord in Guardians of the Galaxy to Balthier in Final Fantasy XII.

15 Firefly And Serenity - Morena Baccarin As Inara Serra

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The Firefly series ran from 2002 to 2003 and was created by Joss Whedon the director of Marvel’s The Avengers. Similarly to The Avengers, Firefly features an ensemble cast of memorable characters who live on the Firefly-class spaceship called Serenity in a cool mash-up of science fiction and western genres.

Despite getting canceled far too soon the series has a gained a large enough following and sold enough DVDs to justify a well-received big screen conclusion to the series called Serenity in 2005.

One of the most well-loved characters in the series was Morena Baccarin’s character, Inara Serra.

Inara was a Companion that traveled with the crew on the Serenity. She was a strong-willed character with a tragic and mysterious backstory.

Morena Baccarin continued her sci-fi career with significant roles in Stargate SG-1, and the good but short-lived remake of the alien invasion saga V.

14 Travelers - Mackenzie Porter As Marcy Warton (Traveler 3569)

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Travelers is a science fiction time-traveling series from Brad Wright one of the creators of Stargate SG-1. It is co-produced by Showcase and Netflix and has so far run for two seasons with fans hopeful of a third.

It’s plot centers on a group of operatives known as travelers whose consciousness have been sent back in time from a post-apocalyptic future into the body of present-day people that were moments from death.

One of the best characters is Marcy Warton played by Mackenzie Porter whose opening scenes are easily one of the most memorable in the series.

Warton is the team’s medic known to her team as Traveler 3569 who assumes the role of an intellectually disabled woman. Marcy and the rest of her team are sent to the modern day to try and avert a global crisis.

13 Star Trek - Chris Pine As James T. Kirk

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Despite being critically well-received many Star Trek fans are divided in opinion over the rebooted film franchise. Some die-hard fans felt the new direction was bordering on blasphemy while other felt the alternate timeline respected the legacy of the original.

One of the many positives to come from the series is Chris Pine’s take on Captain Kirk.

Pine maintains many of William Shatner’s sarcasm and wit, but he also made the Kirk character his own.

Whatever your opinion is of the new direction it can’t be denied that the rebooted film franchise created a new generation of fans and that they are here to stay. Additionally, with J.J Abrahms joining forces with Quentin Tarantino to take the series in a less family-friendly direction, Pine will likely be staying our Captain for the foreseeable future.

12 Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis - Amanda Tapping As Samantha Carter

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Stargate SG-1 was created as a sequel to the 1994 science fiction Roland Emmerich film Stargate. With 214 episodes the series was one of the longest-running North American science fiction series surpassing The X-Files and – if you count superhero shows – coming second only to Smallville.

Despite the recasting of Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson and Richard Dean Anderson as Colonel Jack O'Neil, they made the characters their own and the show was a huge hit and considered as one of the best sci-fi television shows of all time.

A new member of the team Samantha Carter a brilliant astrophysicist and a US Air Force Captain played by Amanda Tapping.

Described as a cross between Daniel Jackson and Jack O’Neil she was a combination of brains and military toughness.

Tapping continued to play the character in Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe and portrayed Helen Magnus in the sci-fi fantasy series Sanctuary, and as Dr. Perrow in Travelers.

11 Lost - Evangeline Lilly As Kate Austen

Via SKy TV News

Lost is a series considered by many critics to be a not just a phenomenon of its time but one of the greatest television shows of all time. It is the recipient of numerous awards and nominations including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble, and a Golden Globe for the best drama.

The ensemble cast is what made the series work so well, and one of the best characters in Lost was Kate Austen played Evangeline Lilly.

Kate was a resourceful character with a complicated and mysterious past.

Despite her past, Kate was regarded as a strong leader she along with another plane crash survivor Jack was the driving force behind the group.

10 Westworld - Evan Rachael Wood As Delores

Via Sky Atlantic

Westworld is a science fiction drama that has been compared with the best in science fiction such as Blade Runner. It was based on the original Michael Crichton film of the same name released in 1973 and even featured some elements of Futureworld released in 1976.

It’s a brilliant thought-provoking series that raises questions about what it means to be human, free will and memory. With Westworld playing out like a real-life video game and its paying guests treating the A.I’s like they are cannon fodder or worse, it takes a look at the darker side of entertainment as a whole. Gamers anticipating Red Dead Redemption 2 may think twice about shooting those poor unsuspecting NPC's.

One of the characters right at the center of what starts out as a seemingly confusing story is Evan Rachel Wood’s character, Delores.

Her character development is some of the best ever seen on a screen big or small.

As we watch the story unfold she takes through series putting together pieces of her memory to make sense of the world around her.

9 Killjoys - Hannah John Kamen As Dutch

Via syfy.com

Along with Dark Matter, the Syfy Channel’s original series Killjoys helped renew a lot lost faith in the channel. This was because the channel seemed to be making a habit of canceling good science fiction shows, airing TNA Wrestling, and producing terrible movies like the Sharknado franchise.

Killjoys featured a likable cast and a strong female lead in Dutch played by Hannah John-Kamen.

Dark Souls fans may recognize her voice work as Lord’s Blade Claran in the first game and as Sweet Shalquoir in Dark Souls II.

Dutch is a superhuman bounty hunter with a mysterious past that gradually unfolds as she and her teammates/friend take on warrants for the Reclamation Apprehension Coalition (RAC) across a four-planet and moon system.

Killjoys is set to continue with its fourth season sometime this year in 2018 and will conclude on series five.

8 Caprica - Alessandra Torresani As Zoe Graystone

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Caprica was a science fiction series and was a prequel set 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica. It told the story of how the humans created the Cylons the machines that gain their own consciousness and would eventually turn on their creators.

One of the characters central to this is Zoe Graystone or rather her virtual copy/avatar known as Zoe-A portrayed by Alessandra Torresani. Zoe-A is eventually captured and download into the first Caprican Cylon.

Zoe was confirmed to be the basis for the Cylon Number Sixes.

Even though the series was eventually canceled it still provides a ton of backstory for the rebooted Battlestar Galactica just through the creation of Zoe’s character and her copies and helps explain the mysterious spectral apparitions seen by Gaius Baltar.

7 Altered Carbon - Joel Kinnerman As Takashi Kovacs

Via Netflix

Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk science fiction Netflix series that has been compared favorably to the likes of Blade Runner and poised to become another big hit for the streaming service. The series is based on a novel – which is a first in a series – of the same name set in the 26th century by Richard K. Morgan.

Altered Carbon’s protagonist Takeshi Kovacs played by John Kinnaman is a former member of the elite military force known as the Envoy Corps and a mercenary before being imprisoned.

Kovacs is set become the next big anti-hero in sci-fi.

Kinnaman is no stranger to tough action roles after starring as Rick Flag in Suicide Squad and Alex Murphy in the Robocop remake. He’s also adept at playing more challenging roles as displayed like detective Stephen Holder in AMC’s The Killing and as Will Conway in the American version of House of Cards.

6 Babylon 5 - Claudia Christian As Susan Ivanova

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Before the rebooted Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse were seen as the absolute pinnacle of complex space-based television storytelling there was Babylon 5 which premiered in 1994. It told an involved story over the course of five years as intended. Meaning that without the pressure of a network forcing it to wrap the story up early fans got five years of quality science fiction setting a new standard for effects and serialized TV.

It was the characters that made the series so good

The women in Babylon 5 were strong characters that were equal to the men. This was at a time when the 90s were dominated roles created to suit the male power fantasy.

This was especially true of Commander Susan Ivanova played by Claudia Christian. She was a character that rose through the ranks on her own merits. Additionally, Ivanova was a true soldier that fought on the front lines and single-handedly destroyed a small fleet – if that isn’t the definition of a strong female lead then we don’t know what it is.