The Ten Most Badass Women In All of Science Fiction and Fantasy

 While I was working yesterday, it got a bit slow. That has a tendency to happen on Sundays. While I was sitting in a parking lot meditating over whether I would have enough time to run into the store I was parked in front of for a quick pit stop, my mind started to wander. I thought about who the most amazing badass characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy were. This told me two things:

1.) Yup, I'm a geek. That's confirmed.

and 

2.) I need to get to a con stat. I haven't had a chance to discuss the things that really matter for a while.

So as I sat there, staring past the crack in the windshield, I started making a list. As I went along, I realized that everyone on it was female. I found that kind of weird, I guess. I mean, I've always loved a strong female character. I'm a member of The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Club.  Honor is a career military officer. I've mentioned my love for a strong female protagonist several times over the life of this blog. It's not that I have anything against strong women. It's just that I expected some dudes to make the list, too.

And I'm sure they will. I'll do a most badass dude list someday, I guess. Maybe framing it that way will make it easier to write. 

But for now, here are the Ten Most Badass Women In All of Science Fiction and Fantasy as compiled by our Publisher, Chief Editor and Lead Author here at Jimbo's (All of which happen to be me. It's good to own the blog and award the titles.) as of January 2, 2023 at 1630 hours. Buckle up. It's gonna be a fun ride. See if you can guess which woman was one of the people I thought of first and didn't make the final list. 

Oh, and spoilers abound. None of this is new material but you may not have seen/read all of it. You have been warned.

Number Ten: Molly Weasley (Harry Potter)

"Not my daughter, you bitch!"

I see you out there. You think I've finally lost it. I'm crackers. That Jimbo Guy has totally gone 'round the bend. 

You're not wrong, except that none of that applies here.

Listen, this chick rode herd on six young boys and a young girl, kept her household straight, kept Arthur Freaking Weasley out of trouble with the law and oh, by the way, killed Bellatrix Lestrange, multiple murderer and trusted confidante of the Dark Lord in a wizard's duel at the Battle of Hogwarts. Mama Bear was in full effect that day. Let's not forget that it was also her second war. Order of the Phoenix, indeed. 

The only thing worse than sending five of your six kids off to war would be going with them. Molly had to look upon the face of her dead son and go back out to fight. I couldn't have done it. Mollywobbles is bad to the bone and I'd never have the guts to go heads up with her in a duel. Props to an often ignored character. 

Number Nine: Kathryn Janeway(Star Trek: Voyager)

"There are three things to remember about being a starship captain:  Keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship and never abandon a member of your crew."

First, she gets sent across the galaxy by something she doesn't understand with a crew of Starfleet officers and Marquis rebels. Then she manages to build a crew out of them, keep them from fragmenting due to the poor morale that resulted from being seventy plus years from home, get the ship pointed in the right direction and travel an awfully long way. While doing all of that she manages to defeat the Kazon. Then she straight up punks the Borg, managing to get them to make a deal to preserve her and her crew. She was the only Starfleet captain ever to do so. Next up, she defeats Species 8472, the only species ever to come close to beating the Borg. Then she makes it home and gets promoted to Admiral.

Janeway wasn't the straight up fighter that some of the other women on the list were, but there may not be a better leader on the list. We'll see what you all think, but to hold things together through the Year of Hell took a leader of the highest order.

Number Eight: Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)

"Harry Potter, you listen to me, right now!"

Luna was loving. Luna stood strong for her beliefs in the face of adversity. Luna survived the bullying of countless classmates and managed to stay strong. Luna was Luna and didn't care what you thought about it. Luna was good with her wand. Luna, above all, was loyal.

When Harry needed help at the Department of Mysteries, Luna answered the call. When Dumbledore's Army needed to posse up and fight at the Battle of Hogwarts, Luna was there. And, when the crucial moment came and Harry needed a conk on the head to find what he needed to find, it was Luna who led him to the right place. Okay, so I'm a Harry Potter mark and Luna is my favorite character, but it doesn't change the facts.

No one, not even Harry himself, faced more adversity or fought harder than Luna Lovegood. She risked it all for people who treated her like crap. Harry didn't remember his parents. Luna was there when her mother passed. 

And it is possible, maybe, that the reason I see Luna as such a badass is because she grew up as a nerd and so did I. It's possible. But I know what it's like going through that crap and she survived it and prospered. But to hell with all of that.

'Nuff said.

Number Seven: Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

"If no one else will defend the world, then I must."

Somewhere along the line, Wonder Woman has defeated Nazis, the First Reich, aliens, and a whole lot besides. She blocks bullets with her bracers. She can defeat just about any man in a straight up fight and she's not afraid of anything.

I've been a fan of Wonder Woman longer than any other woman on this list. In comics, on TV, the movies, whatever. I remember taking my daughters to see the Wonder Woman movie. My youngest was scared. She was six at the time. My oldest freaked out when I said that yes, poison gas is very scary. She hadn't realized that such a thing existed. Well now she knows and I doubt that she'll ever forget. 

Whether she's a drawing on a page, or being portrayed by Gal Gadot or Lynda Carter she's one of the most badass women around. Don't get caught up in that Lasso of Truth.

Number Six: Princess/General Leia Organa Solo (Star Wars)

"Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, flyboy."

Princess Leia is the woman who stared down Darth Vader, the woman who saw her lover frozen in carbonite and rescued him, the woman who led the Rebel Alliance to victory and who refused to back down from anyone or anything. She was good with a blaster and never gave up.

I can't help but think that if I were going into danger and had to take one woman with me, it would be Leia. Fans of the Star Wars Extended Universe know how hard she fought to protect her children. Anyone else needs to do some reading. Leia was loyal to a fault and strong without being brittle. She didn't just lose her family or her friends. She lost her whole planet and everyone she grew up with and - after that - she kicked the Empire's ass. Leia Organa Solo is the woman who was forced into a metal bikini and choked the thing that did it to her to death. 

So that's the first half. Ready for the rest?

Number Five: Ellen Ripley (Alien)

"I say we take off and nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

Going on missions to explore strange planets takes enough guts for a lifetime. Having an alien organism attack you after sneaking aboard your ship would be worse. Having it kill crewmembers left and right before you can finally take it out yourself is straight up gangsta. 

Alien came along during the heyday of topless, screaming women fleeing from monsters. Ripley was having none of that. She went straight at the threat and killed it. Her decision to nuke the remainder of the hive was not only the most intelligent thing she could have done, it was the safest. She managed to protect the entire human race from what was down there. At least until the next movie came along.

It doesn't get any more intense than it does in Alien. The courage of a character like Ripley is amazing. How did she not panic in that situation? I'd like to know. Lord knows if people were dying, murdered by some weird freaking alien whatever and I didn't know what it was, where it was or the best way to fight back I'd be more than just a little worried. Ripley may very well have felt that way but she never let that limit her ability to do her job and get out alive. That fact alone is enough to put her in the top five. 

Number Four: Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games)

"I realize that the answer to who I am lies in that handful of poison fruit."

Katniss Everdeen was a badass before the beginning of the first novel. I mean that seriously. In a world where gun control is so complete that you can be executed for owning a bow, she found a way to not only own one, she used it to feed herself, her family and a lot of other people, besides. Those who have never fired a bow may not realize this, but hitting what you aim at with a bow is not an easy task. Katniss was known to use one to take down small animals. That's hardcore folks.  I've bow hunted, but I've never even thought of shooting a bow at something smaller than a deer. The amount of skill needed to hit a squirrel in a tree or a bird on the wing is something I just don't possess. Katniss did, and that's how she made her living.

Then, having established her bona fides as a hunter, she steps in to keep her sister from having to go to the Hunger Games and probably die. Given the fact that twenty four kids go into the Games and only one survives, her odds don't look good. But not only does she survive, she brings Peeta with her, angering no small amount of people.

Then, of course there's a second Hunger Games, the rebellion, a win and, of course, killing the Communist who deserves it. She looses Prim (the same little sister whose life she volunteered to save) at the big battle and keeps fighting. One gets the feeling that there is absolutely nothing Katniss can't do. The Girl on Fire is among the Baddest of the Bad because she's earned it.

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another idea to get us all killed, or worse - expelled."

Is it humanly possible to say enough about Hermione? 

Okay, first things first. There are multiple ways to be a badass:

Some people are badasses through sheer physical skill. They can beat someone to the ground/shoot them/blow them up, etc.

Some are badass leaders: I've already mentioned Captain Janeway, and George Patton would be a good, real -life, example. The ability to pull people together and get them to work toward a common goal is a rare one.

They can be badass schemers: This is the third Harry Potter  character to get mentioned on a list of ten women, so let me make one more HP reference: Voldemort/Tom Riddle is a schemer of the baddest order. There aren't many Death Eaters really, but he manages to infiltrate, connive and scheme his way almost to the top of the wizarding world, if only it weren't for that kid and all of his little friends.

But the ultimate badass, and the one that is most useful to any endeavour, is the intellectual badass. The IB is the person who can look at a problem and find a solution. They know where to look to get the information you need, because sending your physical badass to the wrong place to fight the wrong people is worse than useless. The IB will find a way where none should exist.  Hermione Granger is that person.

I mean, don't get me wrong. Hermione fought the Snatchers. She was at the Department of Mysteries. She was at the Battle of Hogwarts. She destroyed a horcrux. She impersonated Bellatrix Lestrange and got into her vault. Anyone who says Hermione can't or won't fight is a liar.

But Hermione was more than just a soldier. Hermione was the brains that made the whole thing work. Think about it like this: There was no danger that Harry wouldn't brave. He went to his death knowingly and willingly with no idea that he wouldn't actually die. But he never would have made it that far without Hermione's help along the way. 

Hermione discovered the Basilisk. Hermione deciphered the clues to find out what and where the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone was and how to get to it. Hermione is the reason Ron didn't flunk out of Hogwarts. Hermione solved all of the riddles except one and who really wants to eat Gillyweed anyway?

I may be waxing a bit eloquent (in my own mind, at least) here because the Intellectual Badass is the kind of woman I've always wanted and, alas, thought I had at one point, but that doesn't take away from Ms. Granger's unbelievable badassness. I almost feel like she's under-rated at three, but I couldn't put her in front of the next two for reasons that will soon be revealed.

Number Two: Susan Ivanova (Babylon 5)

I am Susan Ivanova, Commander. Daughter of Andre and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart! I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me.

Hold on. I'm going to go ahead and drop that video into this post because it is, quite simply, the single most badass moment of TV in the freaking history of TV. No, that wrestling spot wasn't better. Yes, I saw the cage break and I know that JR thought Mick Foley was actually dead. It doesn't matter. Claudia Christian has you beat, bro.

Susan FREAKING Ivanova. Listen folks, this is the last woman you want to mess with. First, she was the executive officer of Earth's last, best hope for peace. Then she was the executive officer of Earth's last, best hope for victory. Somewhere along the line, Earth's government went bad and she led the effort to remove them. Regime change happened. Then, of course, came the Shadow War and they had to be vanquished, and...

Yeah, Ivanova did it all. She lost one commanding officer, then lost another and then became the commanding officer, lost her lover....

And shot down anything that got in her way.

Just being real, Ivanova probably would not have made the list if Babylon 5 had gotten cancelled before the fourth season. That season is, simply put, the best season of television in the history of ever and I'm a ST:DS9 fan. (IYKYK) The fact of the matter is that Season Four is where Ivanova went from being someone who ACTED like a badass to some who ACTUALLY WAS a badass. Seriously, don't get in her way when she's in a bad mood.  Ivanova becomes, quite simply, an unstoppable force of nature while leading the White Star Fleet. 

It's weird too because, in like one or two episodes (it's been awhile since my latest rewatch) you go from feeling bad for her because she's been forced out of the uniform she's worn her entire adult life into a new one that's just been invented and has no real history to it to hiding under the bed every time she gives someone a dirty look. There is no one who can lead a fleet like Ivanova except...

Number One: Honor Harrington (The Honorverse)

"Let's be about it."

If you read that phrase the Big Fight is about to start and people are going to start dying in job lot quantities.

 But first...

I can hear the wailing now. Someone out there has read this far, is interested to see who the Number One Most Badass woman is and...

Doesn't know about Honor Harrington because she's the only one here with no TV show or movie. 

Please allow me to express my sympathy to you in my most sincere and heartfelt terms.

YOUR BAD. GO READ THE BOOKS.

It's not my fault that Hollywood doesn't have the guts to do the right thing and turn Honor's exploits into a movie. 

Seriously, David Weber is the highest selling Science Fiction author still capable of drawing breath for a reason and her name is Honor Harrington. There's a reason I'm a member of the fan club.

Honor is the single most badass woman ever for a number of reasons, but the first is that she is a badass leader. Honor starts out the books in command of a destroyer in the Royal Manticoran Navy. Things go awry quickly and she and her ship get sent to the worst posting imaginable, where she very quickly notices things that could be improved and sets about improving them, despite the fact that her CO abandons his post and takes the larger of the two ships that should be guarding the post along with him. Somewhere along the way, she prevents a major invasion from happening...

And that's the end of the first book in the series named after her. In book two, she saves an entire star system from conquest and they're technically not even allies yet. They end up so amazed with her that she's made the first female Steadholder (Basically the equivalent of a medieval duke) in the history of the planet and they name a class of ship after her. 

Then her lover gets killed. She manages to find and kill not just the paid duelist who shot him, but the man who hired him. The latter she kills while wounded, if I recall correctly. It's been a minute. But please believe me when I say that dude had it coming and I wanted it just as badly as she did. Then again, I'm a McCoy of the McCoys and Hatfields so that kind of thing just come naturally to me. 

Harrington is gene engineered, is over six feet tall, has increased muscle mass and is trained in the Martial Arts. She can fire a ten millimeter semi-automatic pistol well enough to hit her target flawlessly and has a pulser (think high caliber gun except deadlier) installed in a bionic arm that was implanted to replace one that got blown off. 

She gets captured, saves her home planet from invasion, both while in command of an entire fleet, and still manages to get married and have a couple of kids. In the last book she turns down promotion to First Lord of the Admiralty and goes home because she's tired of all the killing.  At that point I couldn't blame her. What she has gone through to get there would have broken most human beings. 

And there it is. Feel free to flame me in the comments because I got one wrong. I know someone is upset because their favorite didn't make it on the list. I'm a big boy, I can take it. 

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