A Farewell to Leonard Nimoy

 

 

This is a farewell to someone I have admired since childhood.  I just read that Leonard Nimoy has passed away at 83.  I am sad, because I grew up watching Star Trek.  My love of science fiction was nurtured by that show, and Spock was always my favorite character.  I had the opportunity to meet him when he kindly donated a couple hours to lecture at our drama department.  He was a prince.  No ego or attitude, just a good, generous person talking to this tiny group of students for nothing, because he was that kind of guy.   He was a nice man sharing wisdom.  I am glad I had that opportunity.  A memory to treasure, along with his wonderful acting.  The void  left with his passing will never be filled.   Goodbye. 

Verna McKinnon

Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction-Ellen Ripley of Alien film series

 

Ellen Ripley-heroine and kick-ass!

 

 

When the film Alien first appeared in Theaters in 1979, the heroines were still evolving on film and TV.   The male-empowered film industry were slowly allowing women to do more than stand there and look pretty.   One must be well-groomed to be eaten by a monster, I guess.  Or scream.  Yeah, that's helpful.  Let's bring the monsters closer.

 

The masterful direction of Ridley Scott was also a gift.  Fantasy and Science Fiction on film can be high class with the right people to helm the story.  The cast was also a wonder of folks with not only film credits, but a theater background.  I mean, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Ian Holm, to name a few.  This strong crop of actors was the cream.  They always have a special touch on film.

 

Ripley was a heroine who fights on her own, despite the odds.  A dark tower would have been a haven compared to the shadowy corridors of the Nostromo.  A dragon a snap to tame.  This alien was terrifying.  Pure instinct and evil with an intelligent slant to trap its prey.  Ellen Ripley was not a screamer.  Though she had every right to be on the claustrophobic space vessel. 

 

Ripley employs common sense in this movie, even when out voted by her crew mates and corporate greed and the corporation's secret plans endanger her and the crew.  Ripley used her brain and instincts to survive.  She did not put anyone at risk.  She tried to save people.  Even when terrified as one of the most terrifying alien monsters ever created is about to pounce on her., she kept her smarts.  The alien they made for that film is the stuff of nightmares that extends beyond anything imagined mythology or religion.

 

Ellen Ripley, portrayed by the  beautiful. fabulous, and mega- talented actress, Sigourney Weaver, introduced a new type of heroine to film lovers.  Not a princess or a chosen maiden fated to face the beast in some tower.  Not a supernatural woman with super powers and magical weapons.  Not a padded up chick with perfect lipstick and a skintight spacesuit.  Not a fluffy girl.  She was a woman and an officer who had to rescue herself. 

 

Not that Sigourney Weaver is not beautiful, but the film was not about that.  They  way the character was written. a male or female could have played Ripley.  That was great.   It was a new type of film, a Gothic horror in space that was stark and unglamourous.  The body count was high, but one thing I adore about this film is something never done before. 

 

She saved the cat!  God bless you forever, Ripley, and the writers, for not making yet another animal on film in a horror tale a victim. Ripley risked her life to safe the kitty and was a success. In fact,

 

I also want to remark that years ago, when Aliens was released (another fab fav), some toady reviewer commented that at least this time Ripley saved something worthwhile (Newt, a  little girl) and not a stupid cat.  What a jerk.  I can say other things about such nasty toady people, but I am too much of a lady.  May nightmares of Aliens haunt them in their sleep.

 

Plus, everyone on the Nostromo was not exactly acting smartly.  The robot was willing to sacrifice them all to bring the alien back for the weapons division.  Ripley and that even that poor cat did not trust was what happening.  The crew tried to get away, but fell victim to the alien.   Ripley managed to save herself and the poor cat before blowing up the ship.  When the alien had hidden within the shuttle, once again Ripley called on her smarts to save herself and opened the door and the alien was sucked into the oblivion of space.   Ripley and kitty were safe at last and ready for a much deserved nap.  That leads us to Aliens. 

 

I loved the film, Aliens.  Ripley was back and he second movie was more action sci-adventure.  The horror was still there, but in high octane form, a James Cameron specialty.  Ripley dealt with her nightmares and multiple aliens, she got tough and survived.  Ripley did not like being there, but she did it.  Even though she was surrounded by bureaucracy, stupidity, and lies.  She alone was able to take down the mother Alien.  She saved the day.   

 

We will not discuss Alien 3-it does not exist.

 

Alien Resurrection was a great film, but it is not, technically, the same character.  A clone with scary alien DNA.  But a great film.  And even clone Ripley rocked.

 

So all hail Sigourney Weaver!  She created a truly new and iconic heroine we will always love.

 

More later.

 

Verna McKinnon

 

    

 

 

 

   

 

     

Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction! This week it's Kathryn Janeway!

 

Captain Kathryn Janeway

 

 

Yes, I admire Captain Kathryn Janeway!  In fact, I love this character and the actress who played her.  I have recently watched all seven seasons of Star Trek Voyager, and my opinions have changed about the show.  I admit, I was not into the show as much when it first aired, but I feel like Star Trek Enterprise. it was underrated.  Also, I do not feel that Captain Janeway gets enough respect.  This woman, this officer was brave, selfless, put the needs of others above her own, and was willing to die if necessary for the greater good.   She had crap to deal with other Star Trek captains did not: like being catapulted into a different part of the galaxy without a compass, dealing with a shipload of cranky Marquis, hostile aliens who never heard of Starfleet or cared,  and no way to call home for some backup.

 

But this woman not only got her crew home, but in the process of the show's seven year run, she and her crew catalogued massive scientific knowledge about the Delta quadrant and its mysteries, made new discoveries,  fought major battles (again-no backup for poor Kathryn) with rude and often advanced aliens, including the Borg.   She also had to deal with Neelix's cooking and his experimental recipes.  I wonder if she had to replicate antacids much? 

 

Captain Kathryn Janeway was an officer and a scientist.  She was savvy, smart, unrelenting, and yet full of compassion.  She would defend her ship and crew with the tenacity of an angry she-tiger and not hesitate to vaporize you if you crossed the line.   Im many wat, she was more of a cowboy than Kirk ever was.  Kathryn could also be funny, she loved dogs, and was unlucky in romance, like most heroines.  She was not a twenty-something.  Thank heavens!!!  She was a real woman who spent years training and was age appropriate for her role as Captain.

 

So let's give this woman and officer some respect!

 

Next week, it's Christmas, so I will not post a new entry in my Heroic Women series until after New Year.  I will be too busy recovering from rum-spiked eggnog and too many chocolates.

 

Until then,  Happy Holidays and watch more fantasy and science fiction.

 

Verna McKinnon

 

 

      

 

 



Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction #8: Eowyn of the Lord of the Rings novels & films

 

Eowyn of the Lord of the Rings novels & films

 

 

 

This week's wonderful heroine in my series covers both literature and film.  In the novels, she was barely touched on until needed, but sill left a solid mark.  In the films that Peter Jackson so brilliantly directed, he gave Eowyn the just attention she deserved.    I mean, really, this woman faced down the Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgul!  She destroyed the Witch-king, nearly at the cost of her own life.  

 

Never under estimate a woman. 

 

Eowyn, a most females in heroic fantasy of old, chafed against her role as woman.  She was a warrior at heart and did not need coddling.  A shieldmaiden longing to follow her call into battle.  She feared the prison of her sex, for it kept people from seeing what she really was.  She  was more than a Princess.  More than a niece to King Theoden.  She was a woman who longed to become something special.   It was her destiny.

 

Eowyn became special, as her deed was part of the prophesy to destroy the Witch-king.  No one, no one at all, suspected she would be the one to do it.  She did this at a great cost.  She dressed as a man and went into battle in secret, as many a warrior maiden has been forced to do in the past.  She faced the battle that was her destiny-the Witch-king of Angmar.  It nearly killed her, yet she faced it with bravery and grit.  Eowyn destroyed the Witch-king, and suffered terrible injuries from it.  

 

None of her male characters recognized her gifts or seriously considered her desires, despite her shieldmaiden status.  Along with being generally disregarded, she endured a lot of grief too-including the attentions of the grimy Wormtongue when she tried to protect her uncle the king. You know she kept things running as best she could for the greater good.

 

After Eowyn's victory, Tolkien magically transformed Eowyn with his mighty pen after her heroic battle with the Witch-king into a simple princess again, content to heal and be peaceful.  She was given a noble husband and sent off to domesticity.  No longer seeking the glory of battle, Eowyn was content to remain in the background now.  That irked me.  She fulfilled a great prophesy-yet no one seemed to acknowledge it.  I am sure Tolkien made knit something too.

  

I acknowledge Eowyn-a great hero of a legendary fantasy saga.  Double acknowledgement to Miranda Otto for playing her so beautifully in the film versions.  She was the perfect choice.   

 

More next week.  Until then-read more fantasy!

 

Verna McKinnon 

 

 

 

 

Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction #7: Sarah Manning of Orphan Black

 

Sarah Manning, played by the mega talented Tatiana Maslany

 

 

 

Reviewing Orphan Black's characters, particularly Tatiana's multi-faceted performances as  its vast basket of heroines and villains, is hard.  As Tatiana portrays the many clones in the series, I will just have to take one clone at a time.  So for this entry into my heroine series, we begin with the first clone we see in the series, Sarah Manning.  (Is anyone else salivating for season 3-I know I am)

 

Sarah is a complex character.  A true anti-hero in many ways.  She was not evil, but at the start of the show she is a mess.  She is mixed up with bad things and bad men. She wears tatty punk t-shirts and heavy eyeliner.  She pretends to be someone else ( tragic suicide clone Elizabeth Childs) to get some money and a place to sleep.  She is drifting through life and snatching for bits and pieces.  Sarah has a daughter that she loves, but she did not take her when she took up with one of her low-life beaus and was gone for 10 months  Some may have called this neglect, (Alison was quite vocal about this) but after you meet Vic, you also realize that no matter how messed up Sarah was, she was never going to expose her daughter to him.  Despite her vagrant life and flaws, she is devoted to those she loves.  She is scrappy and a quick thinker.  Her skills, never really challenged in life, are finally tested when she entered the circle of the clones.  Her strength and thinking expanded.  Do not back this woman into a corner, because she will fight back with the resilience of angry lioness, especially if you try to hurt her daughter, Kira.   The danger she faces from everything around her only makes her stronger.   

 

Sarah is accidentally thrust into the role of heroine.  She never tried to be one.  She just tried to survive.  Over the course of the first season, Sarah Manning evolved into a first rate hero, putting her petty drugged-out & grifter lifestyle deep into the past as she became embroiled in the mystery of her fellow clones.  She changed for the better, stepping up to protect her clone sisters and her family.  This was not just because she decided to give Alison back her 70,000 dollars, which at the time was Sarah's escape money.  She stayed because it was right.  Sarah, who always seemed to be close to her foster brother, Felix, reforged their relationship and the two could not be closer if they were blood related.  Sarah developed a new bond with her daughter and the equally mysterious, Mrs. S, who was Sarah's foster mother and protector of Kira. 

 

Instead of running away in anger, as she had done her whole life,  Sarah oddly found an emotional home as she bonded with her clone sisters.  She thrived on the conflict and danger.  Her character, which was so flawed and scuffed by inner turmoil in the beginning, evolved into that of a stalwart and true heroine.  She worked to unravel the secrets that threatened them and developed skills as a leader and warrior in the process.  Sarah began as a leather-clad punk wreck at the start of Orphan Black.  Sarah was lost, as so many of us are.  In the terror of her new life, instead of running she found strength and compassion to stay.  Like a reluctant butterfly, Sarah emerged from her punk leathers and became who was she meant to be.  Sarah fights for the good and for her family now.  That's why she is a hero. 

 

Next week, another entry of my heroine series.  Until then-read more fantasy!

 

Verna McKinnon  

 

      

 

 

 

Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction #6: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer played by Sarah Michelle Gellar

 

 

 

Okay, this may be my favorite guilty pleasure.   What can I say- I love Buffy.  Who else can carry a wooden stake and a lipstick in her purse and look fashionable while kickboxing a vampire's face?  I started watching it out of curiosity when it first air and was prepared to hate it, but it instantly  hooked me.  For the seven wonderful seasons it aired I never stopped loving it-even when the show sideways at times.  The TV show had great casting, from the wonderful Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy to the tweedy Giles played by Anthony Stewart Head.  It had a great combination of humor, suspense, action, drama, and mythology,(which included consistent demon/vampire rules).  Buffy was an innocent girl compelled to face horror and darkness because she was chosen.   The one girl in the world chosen to slay the vampires and demons.  So not fair-the world is filled with these evils and she had to carry this all alone?  She did of course.  Buffy saved the world on a weekly basis from vampires, demons, obnoxious jocks, and soured-faced high school principals.   

 

Unlike current "glossy" vampire shows, it showed vampires as being, well, hideous, nasty demons that want to feed on you.  The exceptions to this, Angel, a vampire cursed with a soul, made her fleeting and doomed romance with Angel tolerable.  It was not about vampire love and longing.  The relationship between Angel and Buffy was always doomed, but he had a human soul.  If you are not familiar with the mythology rules on Buffy, if you were turned into a vampire the demon got your body, memories, and even your personality, but it did not get your soul.  The person they killed and turned no longer existed.  This made Angel an acceptable hero and tragic.  Before Angel got his souls back, he was a vicious vampire named Angelus.  When when a gypsy cursed him and his old soul inhabited the body again.  The real person is then restored, but they are still vampires.  No weak misunderstood demon who loves you and just wants to feed on you.   No glorification.   

 

Even in the last couple of years when Spike (another vampire) loved her, her relationship was out of pain and clinical depression.  But Spike loved her so much, that he went to a powerful demon to ask for his soul back.  This relationship was shaky for me, but that fact that she was depressed (being ripped out of paradise with good intentions) made it an acceptable relationship. 

 

Like most heroes, Buffy faced a lot of difficult battles alone.  She never fit in at school.  She was never understood at home.  Never special academically (C average). Buffy was rejected by most of the usual high school cliques, so she was out of step and often mocked by her peers.  Principals did not trust her (it is hard to explain burning down a gym chock full of vampires) and even her mother regarded her as a delinquent.   Thankfully, Buffy had her sidekicks Xander and Willow, plus her mentor, Giles.  Even an outcast needs other outcasts to make a support group. 

 

Like most heroines, Buffy often had to make sacrifices and endure a lot of personal and physical pain.  She did it bravely and accepted her duty.   It was hard, as it ruined her dating life and shopping time.  She protected her friends and family, and all of Sunnydale, even though she knew she wold never get credit for it.  She was human, despite her super powers, and moaned her curfew and lack of a good hair conditioner.  She was devoted to her friends and family.  She would give her life for the ones she loved and the greater good-which she did more than once.  She never whined and slayed vampires into dust with flare and gusto.  I know that the stories have continued in comic book form, but it is not enough.  I miss Buffy.    It had something today's shows are missing-heart.    

 

Until next week, read more fantasy!  And watch some Buffy!

 

Verna McKinnon-Hipps 

 

 

        

 

 

   

Heroic Women of Speculative Fiction #5: Samantha Carter of Stargate SGI & Stargate Atlantis

The Amazing Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter of Stargate SG1

Samantha Carter.   I miss seeing her every week on Stargate SG1.  People scream about the lack of good role models for young girls, and yet all you have to do is watch some decent science fiction, people!  That's where they are!  Samantha Carter is one of the best role models for women and young girls anywhere, anytime, any galaxy-and Sam Carter has been to more than a few of them.  For 10 happy years on Stargate SG1, and 1 season on Stargate Atlantis, plus two Stargate films, she ruled as one of the great leading heroines of science fiction.

I do not know where to begin in praise of  the fantastic Samantha Carter, one of the major stars of the long running science fiction shows Stargate SGI and Stargate Atlantis.  An Air Force officer, her military rank over the years advanced from Captain, to Major, to Lt. Colonel, Colonel, and finally to Brigadier General.  Oh, and she could also be address as Doctor, since Sam Carter earned her PhD in astrophysics, and was also an engineer and a savvy pilot.  She even commanded a Daedalus class spaceship (if you watched the show you will know what I am talking about).  She invented scientific defenses and was awarded just about every honor an officer could hope for. 

Sam Carter helped save the world and the universe on a regular basis, yet never gloated or bragged about it.  It was just her daily duty.  Duty was important to Sam, as was loyalty, friendship, compassion, and honor.  She was a great friend and possessed a sense of humor.  The character of Samantha Carter is an incredible example of equality for women on television.  She never fought with her male characters about equal treatment or was treated differently in any way.  I loved that.  The writers treated her with respect and equality.  I am so tired of hearing how women have to work twice as hard to get same recognition as men.  It is an old chant that deserves to be obliterated with a laser pistol like a nasty Goa'uld (watch the show and you will know what I am referring to.  Seriously-WATCH IT!) 

Then there was Samantha Carter the warrior.  She fought battles on earth and in space.  She could handle herself in hand to hand combat and could master any weapon, including some powerful alien weaponry.  She could kick ass while punching calculations into her computer and powder her nose all at the same time.  Sam was a brainy scientist that I am sure all the world's geeks and nerds pay homage too.  She was also so damned gorgeous you wanted to hate her-but you can't because she is so wonderful.

I credit much of this to the actress who portrayed Samantha Carter, the fabulous Amanda Tapping.  She is amazing and such an endearing goofball with a great sense of humor.  I love the special features on DVDS because you see these folks off screen and you can tell if they are jerks or wearing a mask or just normal nice people.  Amanda struck me as nice and silly.  You forgive her perfect blond beauty because there is character and personality under all that glamor.  Her subtle but sincere acting gave Samantha depth, and I know that she fought for it.  I mean, in the pilot they had her say a couple of stupid things that the actress did not like and was nothing a feminist would say.  Feminist is a word women need to take back.  We need it today more than ever.  Amanda Tapping worked hard to make Sam Carter not only a worthy and important character, but one that to me is a role model and example of what women should try to achieve.  Forget the mythic warrior and perfection and think about the bedrock of her character.  She was brave, honorable, and worked for what she wanted in life without betrayal or relying on the superficial foundation of looks or nepotism, or stepping on anyone.  She did not accept roadblocks to her life goals.  She pursued them with tenacity and grit.       

I know she sounds mythological, but that is fine.  Most of our greatest heroes are a bit on the myth side.  They are supposed to inspire us!  Sam Carter was very human and had issues like any normal human woman.  She had issues with her father, lost her mother at a young age, and had trouble in the romance department.  I guess it is hard finding the right guy when you are saving the universe.  But that was just background sprinkles for her character.  In science fiction shows like this, the lead actress is not moaning about the lack of a husband or howling in terror of her biological clock.  She has better things to think about, like saving the world from being sucked into a black hole and fighting evil aliens who want to dominate us. Sam had friends and a great life that she enjoyed.  She made her own choices in life.  She was fearless.  She knew what she wanted and did it.  

Not that men did not love her.  Many a human and alien fell for Sam's charms.   Even Jack O'Neill loved her, but their roles as work comrades prohibited their romance.  She was open to love, but also refused to compromise.  Life is complicated, and no one's life is perfect.  But you can try to find a life that is perfect for you.  You can achieve great things in life if you work for it with your whole heart.  That is what Samantha Carter achieved.     

People also complain about the lack of young women entering the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.   A show like this would encourage young girls to have an interest in science.  Sam Carter made science cool.  And science should be cool!  They did some great things on the show and it can be inspirational to a young mind.  We are often shown images of scientists as being weird, misfits, awkward or wallflowers with poor fashion choices.  They have made being a nerd or geek as something beneath everyone else.  A laughable image that normal people can mock.  This has become a stigma.  I do not like it. Normal never gets anything done anyway.  It is the geeks and nerds who make change in the world.  Hence, I forbid it in the future and you should too.  Sam Carter was none of those things.  Embrace the science! 

I miss seeing Stargate, but I have all the DVDS.  Again, science & technology at work.  So check out some Stargate SG1, one of the better science fictions shows that was ever filmed.  And it was real science fiction!  Aliens, space travel, and a big dash of mythological mystery with Ancients and the Ori makes Sam Carter and her team of intrepid heroes worth checking out.  Plus, it was not dystopic and depressing, and the the main characters were not betraying each other in a doomed storyline.  They were a team, that trusted each other and loved each other.  They never left anyone behind.  They were bonded like glue, and I believe the heart of the bond of that team was Samantha Carter.  Stargate SG1 was about hope and making a better world.

Next week I will review another great strong woman of science fiction and fantasy.  Until then, watch some Stargate SG1!  Enjoy the aliens til then. 

Verna McKinnon