(Sometimes You Find) the [Only Lasting] Truth Is [Change] Out There {So, What Happened Really?}: The Female Protagonist in Modern Science Fiction

Abstract: 

The science fiction genre has evolved from space travel in Star Wars and Star Trek and time travel in Doctor Who to explorations of paranormal activity, incredible scientific advancements, and speculation about both the present and future. The X-Files (1993-2002), Fringe (2008-13), Parable of the Sower (1993), and Nope (2022) all follow forensic pathologist and FBI agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), prophet Lauren Olamina, and jack-of-all-trades Emerald Haywood’s (Keke Palmer) search for a truth at the center of the texts’ larger narratives. In different mediums and different decades, these four characters not only inspire complex discussions of the intersection of race and gender in science fiction but also reflect the evolution of popular and contemporary feminist thoughts and practices as well as the science fiction genre. By challenging and shaping the portrayal of female characters in science fiction, these four characters helped define feminist science fiction in the last thirty years and offer complex representations of gender in science fiction.