Analyzing the Rise of Female Characters in Science Fiction Movies

This report examines the evolution of female characters in science fiction films, highlighting their transformation from objectified figures to powerful protagonists. The analysis begins with movies like Aliens and Terminator 2, which initially presented women in limited roles, and progresses to films such as Ex Machina, Annihilation, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Ghostbusters. These later movies showcase women as scientists, researchers, and individuals who are central to the plot, challenging traditional gender roles. The report specifically discusses Ava in Ex Machina, illustrating the complexities of artificial women, and Lena in Annihilation, emphasizing the dynamic portrayal of women. Additionally, it references Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate, who embodies authority and power, and the female-driven narrative in Ghostbusters, demonstrating the enduring relevance of female characters in science fiction. The report concludes by asserting that the representation of women in science fiction has evolved to reflect their increasing agency and importance in society. The report utilizes references from Aksit, Onur O., and Asli Favaro (2019) and Thompson, Symeon J. (2019).

Running head: RISE OF FEMALE IN SCIENCE FICTION
RISE OF FEMALE IN SCIENCE FICTION
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Author Note

1RISE OF FEMALE IN SCIENCE FICTION
The paper intends to find out how through the passage of time the female characters
have been able to secure an upheaval position in the file of science fiction. It has been noticed
that with the gradual progress of time from the space of Aliens 1986 and Terminator 2 1991
women from merely being at the state of objectification have come a long way to secure them
as prolific scientists, eminent researchers and still the platform of experimentation. There are
movies like Ex Machina, Annihilation, Terminator: Dark Fate, Ghostbusters where women
have transcended the level of success of the science fictions within a glimpse and the movies
have reached the pinnacle of accomplishment and triumph.
Ava in Ex Machina is robot turned to a attractive woman has portrayed the progress
of science as a whole and bestowing the power on mankind to transform a lifeless into
something alive. Ava was given human emotions to fulfill Caleb’s emotional vacuum the way
Eve was created to fill the emotional gap of Adam. At a point Ava was attributed with an
artificial vagina that could even feel pressure at different points1. Here women are definitely
shown as objects however, in Annihilation, the audience are never reminded that there is
something odd about the movie being driven mostly by all women. The portrayal is so natural
that the movie suggests how dynamic the relationship between men and women can be
emphasizing upon the character of Lena.
In this movie the women are mainly dominating the plot where in some parts they
express the role of men in their lives. The movie is not only talking about progressive science
but also suggesting how the women have come forward with gun and ambition who live their
lives on their own terms. In movie like Terminator: Dark Fate, Sarah Connor, a bereaved
1 Aksit, Onur O., and Asli Favaro. "Pygmalion Myth and Artificial Women in Contemporary
Science Fiction Films." In CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS SERIES, p. 169. 2019.

2RISE OF FEMALE IN SCIENCE FICTION
mother had left battlefield joins the army to kill Terminators. The woman here is the portrayal
of authority and power. She remains at the zenith of the plot dealing with the responsibility of
saving the world2. This movie talks about how women are just not any object to have beard
with the domination of patriarchy, it gives the woman power to take her own decision and in
fact the freedom to kill.
Ghostbusters talks about how a female driven story can never get old and battered.
Science does not discriminate between men and women therefore in the projection of science
and scientific experiments women should be given as importance as men. Women get equally
affected hence the objectification of women in the form of robots is now a rusted concept.
Women are equally powerful and taking parts in battles and experiments. The way the
women have come out of the shackle of domestic confinement in real life, the same way the
reality has been chosen to showcase in the field of science fiction through the representation
of women in bolder characters than before.
2 Thompson, Symeon J. "Terminator: Dark fate: The heart that makes us human." News
Weekly 3057 (2019): 20.

3RISE OF FEMALE IN SCIENCE FICTION
Reference
Aksit, Onur O., and Asli Favaro. "Pygmalion Myth and Artificial Women in Contemporary
Science Fiction Films." In CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS SERIES, p. 169. 2019.
Thompson, Symeon J. "Terminator: Dark fate: The heart that makes us human." News
Weekly 3057 (2019): 20.