100 Sexiest Women in Science Fiction (85-71)

Being Part 2 of a huge list celebrating the many smart, beautiful and confident women of the science fiction genre in film and television. The rules and #86-100 have already been set down. Obviously, you're free to disagree with any of these, or that perhaps I SHOULD have given animated characters a chance, etc. Heck, give me a couple months and I'll probably disagree with myself! The idea is really to pay homage to the many lovely ladies of the SF genre, so without further ado (what IS ado, anyway?) let's get into the next fifteen...

85. Abby Maitland from Primeval (Hannah Spearritt)
Primeval is a show that features a lot of sexy women, and they're all very different from one another. Abby is the sweetest, but she's still sexy with her punky looks and independent attitude. Plus, she's got brains and a love of animals (she's a zoologist) and isn't half cute. One of the things that gives a television character sexiness is a romance in which the woman is in control, and they've given her that in Connor. She's the girl he can't get, and then the girl he does get but can't control. Instant sexy.

84. Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Marina Sirtis)
It's really too bad they never let Marina Sirtis' sense of humor seep into Deanna Troi. Funny is sexy. So Troi coasts a heck of a lot on the personality they let her have in the Star Trek films from First Contact onward. On tv, attempts at sexual tension fell pretty much flat. But oh, that blue dress...

83. Padme Amidala from Star Wars Episodes 1-3 (Natalie Portman)
Padme was similarly trapped in a chemistry-less relationship, and is saved from slipping off this list thanks to a little thing called "being played by Natalie Portman". She has to have chemistry for two and almost manages it. I must say that once she got out of the royal clothes and into "rebel" gear, the Princess Leia vibe starting vibing. Not that I would watch these movies. Well, not for anything else.

82. B'Elanna Torres from Star Trek: Voyager (Roxann Dawson)
What did I say about women you can't control? The half-Klingon B'Elanna has anger management issues, sure, but the right man can transform that anger into passion. In short: She's a tigress. You know, Tom Paris was perhaps designed to be the Kirk/Riker stud of the show, but he's really just a big geek who loves antiques and B-movies. Never underestimate the attraction of a woman who appreciates "the Geek". Not in this corner of the Internet.

81. Carmen Ibanez from Starship Troopers (Denise Richards)
What? Denise Richard doesn't even make the top 80? Well, it's Starship Troopers, not Wild Things. For all the unisex showers in the movie, Carmen is still the girl who gets cheated on by her boyfriend and, ulp!, Barbara Gordon! Maybe if they'd kept the romantic triangle with her, Rico and Zander, but once she gets into space, there's little sex appeal beyond the woman in uniform thing. But as she is played by Denise Richards, that baggage does make her top our first 20.

80. Dualla from Battlestar Galactica (Kandyse McClure)
Speaking of women in uniform in a world with unisex bathrooms... There's something magically sexy about exotic women and Dualla's light eyes and dark skin are definitely that. The women of the Galactica universe are almost universally as strong if not stronger than the boys, and while Dee has a softer, prettier edge, it certainly hasn't softened her appeal. Makes me yearn for hand-to-hand combat training (if you know the scene I'm talking about). There's a reason TWO characters proposed to her.

79. Romana from Doctor Who (Lalla Ward)
Let the controversy begin. My own rules forbid the same character from appearing twice as played by two actresses. What to do with Romana, who regenerates from one sexy woman to another? I had to make a choice. While Mary Tamm, the original Romana, is a gorgeous, self-possessed woman, I went for the more girlish and offbeat Lalla Ward. I looked at the iconic elements of both portrayals and found that Lalla didn't just have more fans, she had more fans OF THAT SCHOOLGIRL OUTFIT FROM CITY OF DEATH! It helps that she was always a match for Tom Baker's Doctor in whatever outfit she wore (I personally really like the long pink coat). Sparks - both good and bad - flew on the set between the two actors and they wound up married, and that energy is certainly palpable on screen.

78. Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Gates McFadden)
From the first episode of TNG to the last (but far from every episode in between), the sexual tension between Beverly and Picard drew us in. Sadly, like Troi, none of her other romances really had any chemistry to them. But Beverly was always much more relaxed than the corseted Deanna was, and it shows. Gates McFadden even got to use her dancing background on the show, and you know how sexy dancers are. A little passion about the arts, a born caregiver's attitude, and a head or red hair, all place her well ahead of her shipmate.

77. Talia Winters from Babylon 5 (Andrea Thompson)
Telepathic women naturally scare me, and Talia is a bit of an ice princess, however... Here, it's all about the implied sexual relationship between her and Susan Ivanova. What is it about the potential for girl-on-girl action that fascinates men so? The superficial answer is that you get twice the women and none of the men (stuff we want to see versus stuff we don't). The deeper answer is that it's taboo. And I don't mean that it's wrong in any way, but that it's a place where men are not invited. It gives it its mystery and allure. And I'm sure such relationships are for the most part misrepresented in media, being male fantasies rather than the (unknowable to men) real thing. The Talia/Ivanova relationship scores highly exactly because it IS implied and not truly seen.

76. Susan Ivanova from Babylon 5 (Claudia Christian)
Though simpler to keep her and Talia together, she just misses out on the top 75 because of how severe and military she is for much of the series. There's something about JMS' women in Babylon 5 that tends to make them all stand-offish, and Ivanova's belief that all love is unrequited is part of that. When she lets her hair down, Claudia Christian's natural warmth shines through, but Ivanova is never allowed to vamp like we know Christian can (from that guest-starring role on Quantum Leap).

75. Dr. Ann McGregor from Time Tunnel (Lee Meriwether)
The sexy librarian is a phenomenon we haven't yet mentioned, but it's real. Some women, by their LACK of overt sexuality, are incredibly sexy. Like the "ice queen", they beg to be melted, or in this case, for someone to take off their glasses and loosen their hair. So of all of Lee Meriwether's genre roles, it's Ann McGregor that's the sexiest. Not Star Trek's Losira who has come "for you" in her genie outfit. Not even Catwoman. No, it's Dr. Ann. All she has to do is sit at that console and act worried about Tony and Doug, but Lee's in there for when they make it home.

74. Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact (Alice Krige)
This list is dedicated to variety. There's all sorts of sexiness, and I'm not subscribing to a single definition. The Borg Queen is CREEPY sexy, but it counts. She's a nightmarish cyborg creature out to assimilate the whole of humanity and corrupt - gasp! - Data's innocent soul, but Alice Krige imbues her with innate sexiness. Cuz when the Queen is blowing on your arm hair, that's the entire Collective putting the moves on you! Personally, I think it's because she's perpetually moist. Dryer Voyager versions of the Queen were never sexy.

73. Beka Valentine from Andromeda (Lisa Ryder)
The first of a trio of "warrior women", strong of mind as much as body, starts with Beka Valentine. She's a total ass-kicker with a fondness for sleeveless shirts and chokers who, though physical, never let go of her full-blooded femininity. Managed to make herself the mother of an entire race too. What is it with Canadian women, sci-fi and kickassery?

72. Teyla Emmagan from Stargate Atlantis (Rachel Luttrell)
The Canadian Mosaic really does feature heavily in this particular 15, doesn't it? Teyla Emmagan is yet another warrior woman played by an actress who lives on these shores. This exotic beauty falls into the strong SF tradition of girls that can break you in half, and that is so sexy. In her case, she does it with sticks and a wicked midriff.

71. Aeryn Sun from Farscape (Claudia Black)
In her portrayal of our third consecutive warrior, Claudia Black not only gives great hair, but shows (once again) how sexy women in their 30s can be, having matured in their confidence. Their passions are so much more believable. And for passion, you could do worse than the tragic love between Aeryn and Crichton. Again, much of the sex appeal comes from what we cannot have, what lies beneath the strong, severe exterior.

See you next week for Part 3 as things get ever steamier.