# The Leading Ladies Showdown - We Have Our 64!



## Tonguez (Aug 14, 2005)

*Okay we have 64*
I'll post the Match-ups after the Greatest Hero Contest is done...

 I will be the moderator (although Gomez as the Master will count as a moderator too since this is based on his idea) and will rule on any questions or problems that crop up during the game.

*Heres the full list*
1.Wonder Woman
2. Wratha The Risen (Necroscope book series, Vamphire World Trilogy) 
3 Snow White (from the comic series Fables, by Bill Willingham)
4. Kitiara Uth Matar (Dragonlance Saga)
5. Lanfear, Daughter of The Night (Wheel of Time)
6. Mara Jade Skywalker
7.Daenerys Targaryen (Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin)
8. Barbarella - Queen of the Galaxy
9. Red Sonja
10.Catwoman (Batman)
11. Sethra Lavode (Steven Bursts's Dragaera novels)
12. The Lady (Glen Cook's Black Company)
13 Buffy: The Chosen One
14. Princess Leia Organa nee Skywalker
15 Valeria (Conan)
16. Momo (Story by Michael Ende)
17. Sally Tsung (ShadowRun)
18. Cinderella (from Three Nuts for Cinderella)
19. Padmé Amidala 
20. Lt. Ellen Ripley, ("Alien" movies)
21. Ambassador Delenn (Babylon 5)
22. Trinity (The Matrix)
23 Lyra Silvertongue (His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman.)
24. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider games and movie)
25. Tank Girl
26. Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)
27. Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek:Voyager)
28 Mrs. Emma Peel (The Avengers TV Series)
29 Faye from Cowboy Bebop 
30. The Bride (Kill Bill)
31. She-ra
32. Lady Snowblood
33 Miss Marple
34 Natalie Cook (Charlies Angels)
35 Barb Wire
36 Sil (Species)
37 T-X (Terminator 3)
38 Alice (Resident Evil)
39 Eowyn
40 Samus Aran (Metroid)
41 Elisa Maza (Gargoyles)
42 Sailor Moon
43 Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)
44 She-who-must-be-obeyed (Novels by H Rider Haggard)
45 Cailet Ambrai (Melainie Rawn's Exiles)
46 Moiraine Damodred (Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time)
47 Susannah Dean (Steven King's Dark Tower)
48 Ariel (the Little Mermaid)
49 Special agent Dana Scully 
50 Captain/Major/Colonel Samantha Carter
51 Mulan, savior of all of China
52 Samara Morgan (The Ring)
53 Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Stargate: Atlantis)
54 Teyla Emmagen (Stargate: Atlantis)
55 Xena
56  Supergirl.
57 Lina Inverse (The Slayers)
58 Granny Weatherwax (DiscWorld)
59 Susan Sto Helit (Discworld- Death's granddaughter)
60 Aeryn Sun – Farscape
61 Ayla (Clan of the Cave Bear)
62 Hermione (Harry Potter Movie)
63 Jaime Sommers (The Bionic Woman)
64 Electra (Daredevil)


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Aug 14, 2005)

Enough with the voting things already! At least wait until the others finish before starting a new one!


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

You mean both villiains and good ones?


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## Tonguez (Aug 14, 2005)

*1. Wonder Woman - Nominations Open*






Princess Diana of the Amazons is sent as the Amazon ambassador to the larger world. She possesses several superhuman abilities and gifts from the Greek Gods, including a magic lasso and bulletproof bracelets and thus gains the name Wonder Woman. 



			
				Melkor said:
			
		

> You mean both villiains and good ones?



Yes Heroes and Villains (since I personally can't think of a 128 female leads)


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

I have 4 candidates, and 3 are from the same book series!

Is anybody else nominating Lanfear from Wheel of Time?


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

2. Wratha The Risen (Necroscope book series, Vamphire World Trilogy) 

Once she was a beautiful young, if wild girl born among people enslaved by Vamphires,  in world pararrel to Earth. As a punishment of rejecting the affections of the son of her tribe leader, she was part of the tribute given to Vamphires. Yet Wratha managed to kill one of Vamphires that kidnapped her, and avoided punishment by seducing a Vamphire Lord, whom she later murdered, tying him in his bed after sex and burning with the light of sun. Her enemies tried to bury her alive, but she crawled her way to the ground, which was the source of the second part of her name. 

After becoming a Lady of Wamphyri, Wratha was unmatched in her passions and ambitions, which made her lead a rebellion against elders of her race, flying to seek new territories and fresh blood in the legendary old lands. She used to kill lovers that couldn't satisfy her appetites, until she found her match in  a young Lord Nestor, with whom she plotted to conquer everything in her way, becoming a terror for gypsies that inhabited new lands.


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## warlord (Aug 14, 2005)

Buffy: The Chosen One, the Slayer you know who she is.


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## Zweihänder (Aug 14, 2005)

3 - Snow White (from the comic series Fables, by Bill Willingham)

When the Adversary drove the Fables from the world, some one had to maintain order.  In their new home, nestled in an unassuming section of New York City, the government must be efficient, to prevent the knowledge of their existance from spreading to their Mundy neighbors.  The ruler is the good King Cole; at least, that's what everyone keeps telling themselves.  The true leader of Fabletown is Snow White, the most effective and efficient politician ever, barring only dictators.


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

4. Kitiara Uth Matar (Dragonlance Saga)

Deadly warrior and master strategist, Kitiara began her career as a mercenary, but managed to carve her way into ultimate power, finally achieving the rank of Dragon Highlord. She was loved by Death Knight Lord Soth and blue dragon Skie.


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

5. Lanfear, Daughter of The Night (Wheel of Time)

"If you are not mine, than you are dead!"

In the Age of Legends, she was considered the most beautiful woman of all, and most powerful female user of One Power. She desired Lews Therin Telamon, hero known as the Dragon, but he chose the love of other. She was the one to open the prison of Dark One, the eternal evil, and became one of his dreaded servants, Forsaken. In territories she conquered the suicide ratio was the highest one. She was also a master Dreamer, claiming the Dream World  as her domain.  Ever treacherous and scheming, even the other Chosen didn't trust her. 

Lanfear's only weakness was her terrible temper and desire for Lews Therin. As she returned to the world after 3000 years, Lanfear tried to seduce the incarnation of Lews Therin, Rand Al'thor, urging him to rule the world by her side.


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## Aris Dragonborn (Aug 14, 2005)

6. Mara Jade Skywalker






Mara Jade served Palpatine as the Emperor's Hand. After he was killed at the Battle of Endor, she eventually joined Talon Karrde's smuggling group. During one of their runs, they encountered Luke Skywalker's badly damaged X-Wing; this triggered a voice in Mara's head, that of the Emperor issuing one last command: Kill Luke Skywalker. Though she had the opportunity on more than one occasion, she never made the attempt. She reluctantly joined Skywalker's fight against the Jedi clone Joruus C'Baoth, and silenced the Emperor's voice forever when she killer a clone of Luke. 

Many years later, she married Luke, and they have a young son, Ben Skywalker. She is a Jedi Master in the New Jedi Order.


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

7.Daenerys Targaryen (Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin)

Heir to the Dynasty of dragon-blooded Kings, Daenerys spent her childhood in exile, alongside her mad brother Viserys, who forced her to marry leader of the blooshirty Dothraki barbarians. She endured death of her husband and unborn son, but pain only strenghtened her resolve to reclaim her lost home. She awakened the Dragons to aid her, and went on a crusade against slavers, becoming loved by many and feared by others. She has a strong sense of justice but also great pride and is also capable of ruthlessness.


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## DarrenGMiller (Aug 14, 2005)

*8. Barbarella - Queen of the Galaxy*






Barbarella.  Need I say more?!


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## DarrenGMiller (Aug 14, 2005)

*9. Red Sonja*






Red Sonja lived with her family in a humble home in the Western Hyrkanian steppes. When she had just turned 17 years old, a group of cruel mercenaries killed her father Ivor, her mother and two younger brothers and burned their house and all their possessions. She survived but was raped by the leader of the group. Answering her cry for revenge, the red goddess Scathach appeared to her, and instilled in her incredible skill in the handling of swords and other weapons on the condition that she would never never lay with a man for the rest of her life, unless he had defeated her in fair battle.


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## Endur (Aug 14, 2005)

*10.Catwoman*












The princess of plunder....that felonious feline.....the cat who walks by herself; all these are names for sultry Selina Kyle better known as ... The Catwoman. Selina's cunning, fierce independence, and unexpected moral sense have long made her one of comics most popular characters. With what seems to be nine lives she has constantly eluded Gotham's finest and on many occasions she has slipped through Batman's fingers as well. The Cat made her debut in 1940's BATMAN #1 as a jewel thief.


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## drothgery (Aug 14, 2005)

11. *Sethra Lavode*
Steven Bursts's Dragaera novels

The Dark Lady of Dzur Mountain has been considered an evil enchantress nearly as often as hero in the Dragaeran Empire, but she -- with Iceflame in her hand -- is probably the single most important force protecting that Empire (and the rest of the world she lives in) from the Jenoine.






What can I tell you about Sethra Lavode? Those who believe in her say she has lived ten thousand years (some say twenty). Others say she is a myth. Call her life unnatural, feel her undead breath. Color her black for sorcery, color her gray for death.

- _From Jhereg_​


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## drothgery (Aug 14, 2005)

*12. The Lady*
Glen Cook's Black Company






She and ten other immensely powerful sorcerers were bound to her first husband, the Dominator, and helped him forge an evil empire that only a peasant girl with the power to nullify magic was able to end. But neither the Dominator nor his Lady nor the Ten Who Were Taken were killed; they were merely imprisoned. And when a group of wizards tried to awaken them all centuries later, the Lady was able to prevent the resurrection of her husband and built her own empire.

The Dominator kept trying to rise, though, and it was that which led to a fragile alliance with the new White Rose, the Black Company that protected her and formed the core of her army, and with the Company's physician and Analist, Croaker.

Stripped of her power when the Dominator was finally defeated, she abandoned her empire to join Croaker in searching for the origins of his band of mercenaries.


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

Ha, I wanted to nominate Lady, but didn't want to steal the entire show!

You couldn't find a more sexy pic of her?

But I stil prefer her sister.


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## drothgery (Aug 14, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Ha, I wanted to nominate Lady, but didn't want to steal the entire show!
> 
> You couldn't find a more sexy pic of her?




Murgen's right about her.



			
				Melkor said:
			
		

> But I stil prefer her sister.




Bah. Lawful Evil villians are better than Chaotic Evil villians (unless the Lawful Evil villian spent three movies as a whiny teenager)...


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

I haven' t read last two books, what happened with Soulcatcher at the end?

 Was she described as hotter than her sister?

I definately have an unhealthy crush on dangerous women.


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## drothgery (Aug 14, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> I haven' t read last two books, what happened with Soulcatcher at the end?
> 
> Was she described as hotter than her sister?




Soulcatcher, the Lady, and Booboo all look enough alike for a casual observer to confuse one for the other. Though since the Lady's magic failed, she has aged, while her sister has not. Soulcatcher ened up stashed on the Plain where a lot of the Company had been interred at the end of _She is the Darkness_.

Since Lady is by far the most sane of the three (though this isn't saying much), this probably gives her a few bonus points...


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 14, 2005)

drothgery said:
			
		

> Soulcatcher, the Lady, and Booboo all look enough alike for a casual observer to confuse one for the other. Though since the Lady's magic failed, she has aged, while her sister has not. Soulcatcher ened up stashed on the Plain where a lot of the Company had been interred at the end of _She is the Darkness_.
> 
> Since Lady is by far the most sane of the three (though this isn't saying much), this probably gives her a few bonus points...




Hmm, I read a Polish translation.... But I assume that Booboo is the sweet daughter of Lady that Singh and his cultists stole from her?


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## drothgery (Aug 14, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Hmm, I read a Polish translation.... But I assume that Booboo is the sweet daughter of Lady that Singh and his cultists stole from her?




Yup. Or rather, that's the Company's nickname for her, as Daughter of the Night was too long.


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## DarrenGMiller (Aug 14, 2005)

*13. Princess Leia Organa nee Skywalker*







Born Leia Skywalker in 19 BBY, she is Luke's fractionally younger twin sister.  Leia is adopted by Queen Breha Organa and her husband, Prince Consort Bail Organa of Alderaan.  At age 18, she becomes the youngest member of the Imperial Senate and later becomes a leader of the Rebel Alliance.  She is a capable fighter with a fiery personality.


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## Tonguez (Aug 14, 2005)

Heads Up I'm counting the Buffy Nomination so the Next Post should be #15


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## Dark Jezter (Aug 14, 2005)

*14. Valeria*

With this nomination, I've nominated a character from the movie _Conan the Barbarian_ in all 4 voting threads. 






*Name:* Valeria

*Movie:* Conan the Barbarian

*Signature Phrase:* "Do you want to live forever?"

*Biography:*  Valeria, the Queen of Thieves (this title is learned in a deleted scene from the movie) met Conan and Subotai when they happened to be robbing the Tower of the Serpent at the same time.  The three thieves joined efforts and plundered several jewels and riches from the evil temple.  Following their victory, Conan and Valeria's physical attraction quickly grew into love.  When the three thieves were given a mission by King Osric to rescue his daughter from the evil wizard, Thulsa Doom, Valeria and Subotai decided that the risk wasn't worth the potential reward.  Conan, however, had a personal vendetta with Thulsa Doom and left on his own for the quest.

Conan's mission to kill Doom initially met with failure, and he was crucified on The tree of Woe.  Subotai found Conan and cut him down from the tree, and with the help of a hermit sorcerer they managed to stop his spirit from being pulled into the afterlife.  Following Conan's near-death expirience, Valeria swore to Conan "All the Gods they cannot sever us.  If I were dead and you still fighting for life, I'd come back from the darkness, back from the very pit of Hell, to fight at your side."

The three companions, seeing that Conan was dead-set on vengence, aided him in infiltrating Thulsa Doom's underground temple and kidnapping the princess.  Sadly, Valeria was struck with a posioned snake-arrow during their escape and died.  Conan placed her body on a stone alter located on a hilltop and made a funeral pyre.  The fires that consumed her body burned bright and fierce, despite the sorcerer's insistance that no fires would burn on the hilltop due to the high winds.

The next day, as Conan and Subotai made their heroic last stand against Thulsa Doom's riders, Valeria fulfilled her promise to Conan by returning from the afterlife and saving him from a sword stroke that would have likely been the end of him.


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## Thanee (Aug 14, 2005)

16. Momo






 Michael Ende is probably best known for his book The Neverending Story and it is unfortunate that this is one of only a handful of his books available in English. In his native Germany, Ende was a well-known children's book author with many more titles to his name. Momo was translated into English, but this translation is no longer in print in the United States. Hence, for Americans, this is most definitely a lost book.

The story is simple enough; Momo, a little homeless girl, moves into the ruins of an ancient amphitheater is on the outskirts of a city. The neighborhood decides to take care of her by bringing her food and furnishing her rooms, and she takes care of them in turn by listening to them. Not just listening to them talk about their problems, but actually hearing the content of what they say. This has magical effects; people think of solutions to their problems, enemies discover the roots of their conflict, and Momo hears beauty in even the random sounds of the amphitheater at nightfall. Children flock to Momo every day because they find that a willing listener can turn their make-believes into fantastical (not to mention very amusing) realities. Hence, Momo becomes one of the most beloved members of the community.

The first fifty pages of the book illustrate Momo's world before the conflict. It introduces the reader to Momo's two closest friends, Guido Guide and Beppo Roadsweeper. Guido is a storyteller who discovers that with a listener like Momo, new stories pop into his head as fast has he can tell them. He makes his money by giving tours of the amphitheater, complete with false histories from his imagination which he maintains are better than the false histories sold in guidebooks. Moreover, he has an entire collection of "Momo stories" that he will only tell to his best friend because these are the stories that are closest to his heart. Beppo is, as one might guess, a roadsweeper, who believes in taking life at its own pace. He never hurries, never despairs at how much road there still is left to sweep, and he takes his time answering a question even if it takes hours and causes people to think that he didn't hear the question in the first place. Momo always listens though, for as long as it takes for the answer to come.

This first section of the book is incredibly entertaining and easy to read, but as with The Neverending Story there is a sad moral to the tale. In The Neverending Story, Fantasia (or Fantastica in some translations), the world of human dreams is dying out because people are no longer taking time to dream. Moreover, a terrible Nothing is pulling Fantasians into its inky blackness and into the real world. There they come out as twisted perversions of their magical selves, as lies. An abuse of human creativity in Ende's view. In Momo the villain is not some mysterious Nothing, but instead Gray Men, men in gray suits who live off of stolen time. In order to perpetuate themselves, Gray Men visit people with free time and encourage them to become timesavers, which means working more quickly, getting more done, and cutting out time wasted by talking to friends or relaxing at the end of the day. The standard pitch is that all the saved time goes straight into the Timesavers Bank, where it will accrue interest. Hence, people are convinced that if they just work harder and longer today, it will pay back in a wonderful tomorrow. Yet the more the work, the less time they find they have, which makes them work even harder. No one remembers a visit from a Gray Man because they are so blank and boring, they are instantly forgettable. No one even notices one walking down the street with his suit and briefcase. The city becomes transformed into a bustling metropolis full of overworked, unhappy people who cannot remember why they chose to live in this way.

And Momo soon becomes a thorn in the side of the Gray Men because she has all the time she wants and knows how to enjoy it. Moreover, she is teaching other people to do the same thing. She even visits some of her friends affected by the Gray Men and persuades them to abandon their timesaving ways. Therefore the Gray Men try to neutralize her, but in the process learn that not even a Gray Man is impervious to the power of listening. The agent sent to distract Momo finds himself confessing his own misery, and so he makes himself memorable. This makes Momo more than an inconvenience; she becomes instead a serious threat to the existence of the Gray Men because she alone knows they exist.

So the stage is set for a showdown between a homeless girl and an army of time-thieves. Fortunately Momo is not alone. She is rescued from the Gray Men's first attack by a talking turtle named Cassiopeia, who turns out to be a creature from beyond the frontiers of time. Thus Cassiopeia has the ability to see one half hour into the future, never mind that she can't do anything to change what she sees. She takes Momo to the mysterious Professor Hora, who explains to Momo the inner workings of time and prepares her for her counterstrike against the Gray Men. But little does Momo know that while she is with Professor Hora, the Gray Men have moved against her closest friends and the children she once used to look after. The world she returns to is nothing like the world she fled with Cassiopeia. Before Momo gets the chance to save her city, she must first witness the unimaginable damage done by timesaving.

While this is a children's story, the theme is by no means childish. I read this book when I was a teenager, and thought it was fun. I suppose I understood the moral, but it wasn't until I grew up and started law school that I understood how literal some of the images were. The men in gray suits who always urge one to work harder, or feel guilty for 'wasting time' are very much alive in our society. This makes the battle between Momo and the Gray Men, at times, heart wrenching. Guido is seduced by fame and learns that his special stories meant only for Momo garner him no more acclaim than any of the rest of his stories, but he tells them anyway because he's desperate not to lose his status. Ever increasing numbers of children start flocking to the amphitheater with their expensive toys, bad manners, and sad stories of how they think they are nothing more than a drain on their parents' time. On the other hand, some of the images are also funnier to an adult, like Guido's story of Marxentius Communis, a cruel tyrant to who tries to remake the world according to his own ideas. He builds an entirely new Earth, but the only materials at hand are those of this world, so he ends up with a world just like the one that existed before. (Few children will know enough about Marx to get the joke.)

Ende, in his afterword, claims that this story was told to him by a stranger on a long train ride, and this stranger said: "I've described all these events as if they've already happened. I might as well have described them as if they still lay in the future. To me, there's very little difference." Momo has a very timeless feel to it; the story could take place in any era since the invention of the automobile. Moreover, the images and themes of this book are no doubt recurring ones. Hence this shouldn't be a lost book; it should be a story that every child, and parent, knows well.

Momo even has a familiar, Cassiopeia the talking turtle. 

Bye
Thanee


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## Thanee (Aug 14, 2005)

17. Sally Tsung






(couldn't find a better pic )

Mage, shadowrunner. Sally is a complete mercenary, conscious only of her reputation and the bottom line. Nothing for nothing is her defining principle. The only things she cares about are biz and fun. If she's aware of Ghost's regard for her, she is completely inconsiderate of it.

Bye
Thanee


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## Pielorinho (Aug 14, 2005)

Momo is out of print?  I had no idea!  It's a great book.

Daniel


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## Thanee (Aug 14, 2005)

18. Cinderella (from Three Nuts for Cinderella)









A young woman who is put upon by her stepmother and stepsisters. Well, everyone knows the story. The film 'Three Nuts for Cinderella' employs a twist, though, when a handsome prince comes knocking. Cinderella does not simply fall into the prince's arms. In this version, he must actively pursue the young woman who is a skilled sharpshooter prone to wearing hunting outfits. Cinderella also has three wishes at her disposal, gained from three magic nuts.

A comment from IMDB: "I particularly remember Cinderella being very liberated and foiling the prince's attempt at shooting an animal by hitting him with a snowball, and I thought, "Wow, she is soooo cool!" She ran around in the woods and fended for herself. She was very independent, strong, kind, and extraordinarily beautiful. Apparently many of the comments made by other IMDB users about this film are correct in saying that American adaptations of Cinderella are lame and pathetic. I am an American and I must agree whole heartedly!" 

Bye
Thanee


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## Dark Jezter (Aug 14, 2005)

*19. Padmé Amidala*






*Name:* Padmé Amidala

*Biography:* Born Padmé Naberrie, her name changed to Padmé Amidala after being elected the queen of Naboo when she was only 14 years old.  When the Trade Federation invaded her home planet in protest over taxation of trade routes throught the Old Republic, Padmé escaped with the help of two Jedi knights named Obi-Wan Kenboi and Qui-Gon Jinn.  Due to a damaged hyperdrive, they were forced to land on a remote world named Tattooine.  Disguised as one of her own handmaidens, she accompanied Qui-Gon to find the necessary parts and was introduced to a 9-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker who immediately took an interest in her.  After winning the necessary parts from betting on a pod race where Anakin was the victor, Padmé and the Jedi knights left Tattooine for Coruscant.  Upon arriving to the planet, Padmé met with Senator Palpatine of Naboo while Qui-Gon Jinn took Anakin to the Jedi temple, intent on training him as a Jedi knight.  Padmé went to the Galactic senate and pleaded for help, but when the senate failed to take her pleas seriously, she called for a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Chancellor.  The vote was successful, and Senator Palpatine was elected as the next Supreme Chancellor.  The Galaxy would never be the same.

In the meantime, Padmé returned to Naboo along with the Jedi knights (and Anakin as well) and formed a desperate plan to capture the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray.  Padmé enlisted the help of the amphibous gunguns, who had long been at odds with the human citizens of the planet, and together the two peoples succeeded in defeating the Trade Federation (although not without cost, as Qui-Gon Jinn was killed during a battle with a mysterious Sith Lord).  In the celebration that followed, peace was declared between the gungans and the Naboo.

Padmé served two full terms as Queen of Naboo, and was so popular that the people tried to amend the planet's constitution to allow her to serve even longer.  Padmé declined the offer, but continued to serve the people of Naboo as a senator.  When tensions began to arise between the Republic and the Confederation of Independent Systems, Padmé opposed the creation of a grand republic military and urged the senate to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis.  Somebody disagreed with her stance, however, and several assassination attempts were made on her life.  Two Jedi knights were assigned to protect her, and Padme was surprised to see that they were her two old acquaintances Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.  Moreover, Anakin (who had only been a little boy when she'd seen him last) had grown into a handsome young man who was very obviously enamored with her.

After yet another assasination attempt that was foiled by the Jedi knights, Obi-Wan left on a search for the assassins while Padmé and Anakin fled in secret to Naboo.  While in hiding, romance began to blossom between the senator and the Jedi apprentice despite Padmé's initial reluctance.  Padmé accompanied Anakin to Tattoine to find his mother, and comforted him when he was distraught over failing to save her life from the vicious sandpeople.  When Obi-Wan sent a distress signal after discovering a Seperatist battle droid factory on the planet Geonosis, Padmé and Anakin set off on a mission to rescue him.  The two of them were captured, and as they were led into the Geonosis arena to be executed, Padmé confessed her love to Anakin.  Luckily, they were rescued by a combined force of Jedi knights and clone troopers before they could be executed, and the resulting battle was the first in a conflict that would spread throughout the galaxy and be known as the Clone Wars.  Following the Battle of Geonosis, Padmé and Anakin returned to Naboo and were married in a secret ceremony attended only by the two droids, Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio.

Over the next three years, war raged throughout the Galaxy.  While Anakin fought the Seperatists on the field of battle, Padmé continued to try and find a diplomatic solution for the crisis.  Padmé was also dismayed by the number of emergency powers that the senate was granting Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, and became convinced that the Republic was becoming just as bad as the Sepratists they were fighting.  Near the end of the Clone Wars, Padmé surprised Anakin during a secret rendezvous by telling him that she was pregnant.  Shortly after that, Anakin began to be troubled by nightmares (which he believed to be prophetic) of Padmé dying in childbirth.  Anakin became obsessed with trying to find a way to prevent the death of the woman he loved, which was capitalized upon by Chancellor Palpatine, who was really the Sith Lord named Darth Sideous.  As Anakin struggled with the temptations of the dark side, Padmé met with other senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to discuss the troubling amount of power that Palpatine was gaining.  When Padmé witnessed the Jedi temple in flames, Anakin came to her and told her that the Jedi had attempted to seize control of the Republic.  Shortly thereafter, Palpatine declared that the Old Republic would be reordered into the first Galactic Empire, and Padmé could only watch in horror as the republic she loved transformed into a ruthless dictatorship.

After Palpatine's speech, Obi-Wan came to Padmé and revealed a horrifying truth to her: that Anakin had fallen to the dark side of the Force.  Padmé was unwilling to believe him, and took her ship to the planet Mustafar to speak with Anakin herself.  Upon speaking with Anakin, her worst fears were confirmed, and she pleaded with Anakin to abandon his evil ambition and come back to Naboo with her.  Anakin refused, and used the Force to choke her into unconsciousness.  Obi-Wan, who had stowed away aboard Padmé's ship, fought Anakin in an epic clash of lightsabers, a battle which ended with Anakin being burned and dismembered, his body placed inside a special suit to keep him alive.  The man Padmé had fallen in love with was gone, replaced by the evil Sith Lord known as Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan took Padmé to a secret outpost where Master Yoda and Bail Organa were hiding, and Padmé began to go into labor.  She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Luke and Leia, respectively.  Unfortunately, Padmé was consumed with heartbreak and despair, and did not survive childbirth.  Her last words were spoken to Obi-Wan, telling him that there was still good in Anakin.

Padmé's body was taken to Naboo, and the entire planet mourned the loss of their beloved Queen and Senator.  Her legacy lived on, however:  The plans Padme had formed with Organa and Mothma would one day lead to the creation of the Rebel Alliance, and her children (who were seperated and hidden to keep them safe from the Emperor) would play a pivotal role in bringing about the downfall of the Galactic Empire and redeeming their father from the dark side.


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## Thanee (Aug 14, 2005)

> Actually, Thanee, your nomination should be only number 15.




Heh. Gotcha! 

The ones above mine are wrong, as you noticed yourself already, apparantly.

Yours is #19 not #16, tho. 

Bye
Thanee


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## Dark Jezter (Aug 14, 2005)

Thanee said:
			
		

> Heh. Gotcha!
> 
> The ones above mine are wrong, as you noticed yourself already, apparantly.
> 
> ...



 Corrected. 

Although when I started writing mine up, it WAS only number 16.  That biography of Padmé I wrote ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would.


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## Richards (Aug 14, 2005)

How about Lt. Ellen Ripley, from the "Alien" movies?






Third in command on the starship Nostromo, Ripley and crew are awakened from cryostasis by the main computer, Mother, who tells them that a unknown message has been picked up. The crew goes down on the planet the signal came from. Three of the crew walks to a crashed, alien space ship: Capt. Dallas, second-in-command Kane, and navigator Lambert. Kane gets a parasite in the face - a facehugger. Ripley, who is back on their ship and now in command, is "by-the-book" and refuses to allow the three explorers back on board, quoting the quarantine regulations. She is furious when Ash decides to ignore her command and wrongly lets the three on board.

Later the alien embyro develops into a burster, kills Kane, runs off and gets real big and ugly. The alien managess to kill everyone but Ripley, who sets the Nostromo to self-destruct and escapes in a lifepod, not realizing the the alien is in the lifepod with her. She opens the door to suck the monster out. When it hangs on in the doorway, she shoots it, ejecting it into space.

Johnathan


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## Endur (Aug 15, 2005)

*21. Ambassador Delenn (Babylon 5)*






Full name: Delenn, of the family of Mir.
Profession: Ambassador for the Minbari to Babylon 5, former member of the Minbari ruling body - "Grey Council." Dukhat`s former aid.
Race type: Half Human, half Minbari. Born pure Minbari, but had human genes from the day she was born. "You are a child of Valen" -Dukhat
Planet of origin: Minbar (Minbari Homeworld) Born in Yedor, Minbar`s capital city.
Date of birth: Human Calendar, year of 2228.
Sex: Female.
Caste: Religious caste.
Religion: Minbari religious caste.
Current assignment: Ambassador for Minbar on Babylon 5, Ranger 1 (Entil Zha), and co-founder in the new Interstellar Alliance.
Married to: President John Sheridan of the Interstellar Alliance.


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## Endur (Aug 15, 2005)

*22. Trinity (The Matrix)*






Trinity: I know why you're here, Neo. I know what you've been doing... why you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit by your computer. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. And when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question, Neo. It's the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did. 
Neo: What is the Matrix? 
Trinity: The answer is out there, Neo, and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.


----------



## Wyn A'rienh (Aug 15, 2005)

*#23 Lyra Silvertongue from the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman.*
(Did I do that right?)

This little blurb is from a His Dark Materials website.  I edited out some spoilerific info.  If anybody wants to read the whole thing, here's the link.

Name: Lyra Silvertongue-Belacqua 
Age: 12 
Eyes: Blue 
Hair: Fair 
Dæmon: Pantalaimon 
Quote: "Oh, my heart, Will!"

Extended Bio
Lyra Belacqua/Silvertongue is the golden haired eleven-year old girl at the core of His Dark Materials. It is her journey from innocence to wisdom that will become the story we have all grown to love. Her beloved daemon, Pantalaimon accompanies her on her journey towards maturity.


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## reapersaurus (Aug 15, 2005)

I'm sorry I don't follow this thread vote stuff, and this won't fit the conventions, but I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen Xena mentioned yet.


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 15, 2005)

reapersaurus said:
			
		

> I'm sorry I don't follow this thread vote stuff, and this won't fit the conventions, but I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen Xena mentioned yet.




Xena is pathetic, I want more Vampire chicks! 

Tonguez, I have already nominated 4 "ladies", am I entitled to nominate more?


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## Szatany (Aug 15, 2005)

*24. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider games and movie)*

Lara Croft, Duchess of Saint Bridget, is a British eccentric and wealthy aristocrat from the borough of Wimbledon, London. She is the daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft. Educated from the age of three by a private tutor, at the age of eleven she began at Wimbledon High School, and at sixteen moved to Gordonstoun. Her taste for adventure was first aroused upon reading an article on the archaeologist Professor Werner Von Croy in National Geographic, and she persuaded her father to allow her to accompany the archaeologist on his tour of Asia. She also became interested in mountain climbing during her time in Scotland.


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## Szatany (Aug 15, 2005)

*25. Tank Girl*

Tank Girl was a 1990s English comic strip and the name of the leading character. Drawn by Jamie Hewlett and written by Alan Martin, later writing was done by Peter Milligan.

As the name suggests, Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home. She undertakes a series of missions for a nebulous organisation before making a serious mistake and being declared an outlaw; later strips were deeply disorganised and chaotic. Initially set in a stylised Australia (geographical knowledge is slight since she drives Tank from Australia to New Zealand), but most of the strips mine British pop culture. Real-life celebrities (usually B list, from Britpop bands and UK children's TV) shared the page with other major characters: Booga (a kangaroo and Tank Girl's boyfriend), the soft toys Camp Koala and Mr. Precocious, Stevie, Barney, Sub Girl and Jet Girl.


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## Szatany (Aug 15, 2005)

*26. Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)*

Set in the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell is superficially a futuristic spy thriller, dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a member of the covert operations section of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission, Section 9, which specializes in fighting technology-related crime. Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as major due to her past rank in the armed forces. She is almost completely mechanized, a human brain in an artificial body, capable of superhuman feats, and specialized for her job.


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## Szatany (Aug 15, 2005)

*27. Kathryn Janeway*

Kathryn Janeway (Born: May 20, 2336 in Bloomington, Indiana), was the captain of the USS Voyager NCC-74656 (years 2371-2378) in the Star Trek: Voyager. She was later promoted to Admiral.

Throughout the series, she maintained a steadfast goal of getting out of the Delta Quadrant and back home to Earth. Along the way, Captain Janeway spent much time helping other crew members grow and deal with their situation. Hard as nails, the good Captain nearly sacrificed herself many times to help out her crew.


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## Tonguez (Aug 16, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Xena is pathetic, I want more Vampire chicks!
> 
> Tonguez, I have already nominated 4 "ladies", am I entitled to nominate more?




If we _don't_ have more than 50 suggestions by Wednesday then yeah go fo it


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 16, 2005)

Also, do Pirotess and Soi I nominated in Sidekick thread qualify as leading ladies? 

Hmm..., I think Yui would be better nomination.


----------



## Shadowdancer (Aug 16, 2005)

No Sarah Connor from Terminator and Terminator II? No White Rose from the first Black Company novels? No Aeon Flux? No Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop?


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## Tonguez (Aug 16, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Also, do Pirotess and Soi I nominated in Sidekick treat qualify as leading ladies?
> 
> Hmm..., I think Yui would be better nomination.



 Miaka and Yui are kleading ladies rather than soi but yeah go for it and let the fans decide


and Shadowdancer - you can nominate them


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## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 16, 2005)

Shadowdancer said:
			
		

> No Sarah Connor from Terminator and Terminator II? No White Rose from the first Black Company novels? No Aeon Flux? No Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop?




I tend to nominate villiains. My girlfriend is the sweatest person in the world, I need some balance.

Anyone read Necroscope? Do you think adding Devetaki, Zek Foener and Karen in addition to Wratha will be overloading?


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## Richards (Aug 16, 2005)

Ooh, here's a good one:  Mrs. Emma Peel!






Emma Peel [née Knight] is a widow. She is athletically fit, 5'-8½" in height and has an IQ of 152. In her spare time,  Mrs. Peel ("a talented amateur") works as a karate-kicking spy for the British Government. Her partner is the dashing Major John Steed.

During her stint with Steed, Emma offered her assistance on a variety of cases from finding missing scientists and diplomats; investigating the death of man killed with a 300-year-old bullet, cracking down on a marriage bureau (Togetherness, Inc.) whose clients quickly learned the meaning of "till death do us part"; escaping the deadly talons of a crazed comic book character called The Winged Avenger; being kidnapped by a mad movie director who wanted Mrs. Peel to star in his latest but deadly film production; and battling karate-chopping killer robots called Cybernauts. Before each assignment Steed showed up at Emma's apartment and simply stated "Mrs. Peel – We're needed."

After a happy association with Steed, Emma learned that her presumed dead husband, test pilot Peter Peel, was alive (thought killed in a plane crash in an Amazonian jungle). Consequently, Emma departed Steed’s company. Her final words of advice: "Always keep your bowler on in times of stress, and a watchful eye open for diabolical masterminds!"

Johnathan


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## Hand of Evil (Aug 16, 2005)

Don't know if she is a leading lady or side kick but...

Faye from Cowboy Bebop


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## Tonguez (Aug 16, 2005)

Richards said:
			
		

> Ooh, here's a good one:  Mrs. Emma Peel!




Wow Emma Peel - well I know whom I'm voting for, one of the true greats


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## griff_goodbeard (Aug 16, 2005)

*30. The Bride*











Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, The Bride emerges from a coma and decides it's time for payback ... with a vengeance! Having been gunned down by her former boss and his deadly squad of international assassins, it's a kill-or-be-killed fight she didn't start but is determined to finish!


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## ThirdWizard (Aug 16, 2005)

*31. She-ra*






She-ra. Her real name was Adora and she was the twin sister of Adam (He-Man). Like her brother, she posessed a sword that gave her power, and she used this to fight evil enemies, such as The Horde, and sometimes Skeletor and his minions.


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## merztrumpet (Aug 16, 2005)

*32. Lady Snowblood*






Surviving the murder of her family, and her subsequent rape and torture by the culprits, Sayo Kashima is sentenced to life in prison after murdering one in retaliation. While in prison, she intentionally allows herself to become pregnant thus birthing (as well as dying in the process) Yuki Kashima or Shurayuki-hime aka Lady Snowblood - a "child of vengeance". Trained by an assassin in her early years, before eventually growing into womanhood and accepting the role her mother vowed for her.


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## Thanee (Aug 16, 2005)

#32 Miss Marple






Miss Jane Marple doesn't look like your average detective. Quite frankly, she doesn't look like a detective at all. But fans of Agatha Christie’s novels know only too well that looks can be deceiving, for the mild-mannered spinster sleuth is as adept at solving murders that baffle Scotland Yard as she is at unravelling village secrets. 

In appearance, Miss Marple is a tall, thin woman with a pink, wrinkled face, pale blue eyes and snowy white hair which she wears piled upon her head in an old-fashioned manner. Her innocuous appearance, meandering conversation and ever-present knitting needles often mislead people into underestimating her as simply a "dithering old maid." Those who really know her recognize that she is a sharp observer of human nature with "an uncanny knack of being always right."

Despite a lifetime spent in peaceful St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple 's attitude is surprisingly worldly and she seems familiar with all the seven deadly sins. As she often points out, village life provides countless opportunities to observe every evil trait in human nature. Drawing parallels between the everyday mysteries that puzzle her neighbours, and cases of national importance, Miss Marple's logical mind pieces together the clues with unnerving accuracy.



Bye
Thanee


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## Endur (Aug 17, 2005)

I recommend you close the nominations at 32.  We have the major Leading Ladies.  And 128 is a heck of a lot of votes to count.


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## Szatany (Aug 17, 2005)

*33. Natalie Cook*

One of the new Charlie's Angels, Natalie Cook is probably best summed up as the dumb, but very attractive, blonde. She is awkward and boy crazy and kiss some major ass across both movies.


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## Szatany (Aug 17, 2005)

*34. Barb Wire*

Barb Wire is a comic book series set in a post-apocalyptic world, published by Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics.
Bard is a mercenary and nightclub owner in a cyberpunk future entrusted with looking after a pair of contact lenses necessary for the exposure of a political scandal.


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## Szatany (Aug 17, 2005)

*35. Sil (Species)*

 Species begins with the premise that the information contained in Human DNA is packagable in a few kilobytes, transmittable as a radio signal, and "reprogrammable" by an alien civilisation. The DNA sent by alien civilization in a transmission is injected into an egg which develops into a 12 year old girl before the project director, Xavier Fitch (Ben Kingsley), decides to terminate the project.
However, the girl, codenamed SIL, endowed with superior strength, manages to escape from confinement and head out in a train to L.A. After spending a brief period in a cocoon, she emerges all adult and sexy, having consumed the train conductor for breakfast. But underneath her good looks lies a predatory monster. Its only goal is to go through her life cycle, without hindrance from humans. This, the screenwriters decided, would involve finding a mate by scouring all the bars in downtown L.A. to have a baby with.


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## Szatany (Aug 17, 2005)

Well, not really a woman, but I think "she" fits this showdown.

*36. T-X (Terminator 3)*

The T-X, in the female appearance it assumes throughout most of the film, was an extremely advanced robot composed of a mimetic polyalloy endo-skeleton with liquid metal exterior and highly superior to the basic T-800 - 850 series robotic Terminator model.

Its official SkyNet classification is T-X Enhanced Logic Weapons Systems Cybernetic Warrior/Infiltrator Unit. T-X's utilization of nanotechnology gave it advanced regeneration and limited shapeshifting abilities through body contact, much like its precursor, the entirely liquid metal T-1000, which appeared in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. 

The T-X's prime directive is to assassinate by any means possible John Connor and his wife Kate Brewster, by being sent back in time from SkyNet, and thus prevent them from saving what is left of humanity in the postapocalyptic machine controlled future.


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## Szatany (Aug 17, 2005)

*37. Alice (Resident Evil)*

Milla Jovovich plays Alice, whose job it was to guard the underground entrance to the Hive, an underground R&D facility owned by the sinister Umbrella corporation. When the Red Queen, the computer that runs the Hive, suddenly seals the complex shut and kills everyone inside, Alice is taken along by the company’s private security force to find out what happened.


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## Thanee (Aug 17, 2005)

Alice/Milla would make a good cyberpunk/shadowrun character. 

Bye
Thanee


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## MonsterMash (Aug 17, 2005)

*38. Eowyn* - two words can sum up why - Witch King, after all who else deals with this big bad in the LotR?

Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eowyn


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## stevelabny (Aug 17, 2005)

39. Samus Aran (Metroid)




The hot video game chick from long before hot video game chicks became the tired fad.
The best bounty hunter this side of Boba Fett and Jubal Early, this chick constantly finds herself on planets devoid of all life except hungry predators, space pirates, an annoying dragon-thing and FLOATING BRAINS! 
Luckily, she has the stylish and powerful red and gold space suit to protect her and provide a variety of weapons to dispatch her foes. With her ice beam, grappling beam, or ability to curl up into a ball and use bombs, this chick has plenty of tricks up her sleeves.


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## stevelabny (Aug 17, 2005)

40. Elisa Maza (Gargoyles)




This NYPD cop served as friend and example to Goliath and the Gargoyles, helping them to become heroes. She also had a thing for Goliath that's best left to bad fan-fic. 
Shudder.
Fan-girls frighten me.
Speaking of which...

41. Sailor Moon




My girlfriend made me do it. Probably responsible for the popularity of manga and anime among girls nowadays, this chick uses her sparkly powers and her school-girl uniform to fight stuff. Or something. What do I know?


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## Tonguez (Aug 18, 2005)

Okay I'm going to try and extend this to *64 nominees * (not 128) - so come on peoples only 22 to go.

42. Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)





Dorothy Gale is swept away by a tornado and transported (with house and dog) to the magical land of Oz whereupon she embarks on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz who can help her return home. ALong the way she meets a brainless scarecrow, a heartless tin man, a cowardly lion, witches, ,umchkins and flying monkeys


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## Tonguez (Aug 18, 2005)

43. She-who-must-be-obeyed  (Novels by H Rider Haggard)






Ayesha, the Queen of Death, the White Goddess of the lost city of Kôr who rules her kingdom with terror

"Past the furthest borders of Tibet into unknown lands, across the vast & deadly deserts & through the eternal snows wander Leo Vincey & Horace Holly, in pursuit of a legend -- the fabled Ayesha, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

"Ayesha lived centuries ago & she would live again, for she could not die. And when Leo & Horace enter her dark domain, they are plunged into a world of danger & adventure, & ancient magic from beyond the dawn of time."


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## drothgery (Aug 18, 2005)

I'll add some people when I get home from work.

44. *Cailet Ambrai* (Melainie Rawn's Exiles)





Cailet became Mage Captal at the age of 17, when her dying predecessor -- and two other Mages with little time to live -- transferred his knowledge of magic (and some other things) to the powerfully mageborn third daughter of Maichen Ambrai and Auvry Feiran.

She was the magical force behind a successful revolution, and battled afterwards to keep the Mage Guardians apolitical. She had less success there, and as of the conclusion of Mageborn Traitor, is in hiding.

45. *Moiraine Damodred* (Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time)





When Moiraine and her best friend overheard the birth of the savior -- and destroyer -- of the world being prophecied, as her arcane training was coming to a close, she began a quest that would claim her life in finding the boy who would be the Dragon Reborn, and teaching him as much as she could of what he needed to know.

She sacrificed herself to kill the Forsaken Lanfear, a much more powerful weilder of the One Power than herself.

46. *Susannah Dean* (Steven King's Dark Tower)





Other names that come to mind...

Jean Grey (X-Men)
Rogue (X-Men)
Storm (X-Men)
Winifred 'Fred' Burkle (Angel)
Faith the Vampire Slayer (Buffy/Angel)
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy/Angel)
Cordelia Naismith Vorksosigan (Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan saga)
Eli Quinn (Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan saga)
Aliera e'Kieron (Seven Brust's Dragaera)
Esmeralda 'Granny' Weatherwax (Terry Pratchett's Discworld)
Susan Sto Helit (Terry Pratchett's Discworld)
Althea Vestirt (Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders)
Hermione Granger (JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels)
Lina Inverse (The Slayers anime)
Apsalar (Steven Erickson's Mazalan books)
Nynaeve al'Maera (Wheel of Time)
Egwene al'Vere (Wheel of Time)
Elayne Trakand (Wheel of Time)


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## stevelabny (Aug 19, 2005)

47. Ariel (the Little Mermaid)




"I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, I've got whozits and whatzits galore. 
You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty. But who cares, no big deal, I want MORE. 
I want to be where the people are, I want to see...want to see them dancing,
Walking around on those - what do you call em? oh - Feet.
Flipping your fins you don't get too far, legs are required for jumping dancing,
Strolling along down a - whats that word again?  Street. 
Up where they walk, up where they run,
Up where they stay all day in the sun,
Wandering free, wish I could be, part of their world.
What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet'cha on land they understand, That they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women sick of swimmin', Ready to stand."

Idol to millions of little girls everywhere, she is the part of all of us that wants to get away from home and move on to something better. And more importantly than any of that, Ariel brought back Disney animation, and is therefore responisble for many great movies of the past 16 years.


----------



## Kahuna Burger (Aug 19, 2005)

Special agent Dana Scully 




Assigned as a partner to assist the lunatic Mulder, unfortunately, they were only assigned to cases involving actual paranormal. Great pantsuits, always looks a little tired.

Captain/Major/Colonel Samantha Carter




Brillient scientist, combat pilot, well trained soldier, but unlucky in love. Easily the smartest member of SG1, as well as the most diversified, and professional to a fault.

Mulan, savior of all of China







Always a tomboy, uncomfortable in her 'proper' role, Mulan risked her life both with the enemy and her own people by disguising herself as a man and entering the Chinese army (so that her crippled father would not be drafted). Though she never completely measured up to the 'other men' in raw strength, her tactical mind and sheer cussedness eventually made her the hero of China.


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## Tonguez (Aug 20, 2005)

stevelabny said:
			
		

> 47. Ariel (the Little Mermaid)
> Idol to millions of little girls everywhere, .




hey who ya calling a little girl bub!
(I saw this movie 7 times at the theatre (3 times on opening day))

Anyway we at #50 only 14 to go before voting can start...


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## stevelabny (Aug 20, 2005)

i also LOVE the movie, but I wouldn't call her my idol.


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## Szatany (Aug 20, 2005)

*48. Samara Morgan (The Ring)* - she kills people through videotapes, can walk out of tv, and never sleeps. Her origins are unknown but motives are - its all about vengeance.









			
				drothgery said:
			
		

> Jean Grey (X-Men)
> Rogue (X-Men)
> Storm (X-Men)
> Winifred 'Fred' Burkle (Angel)
> ...



Isn't that thread about *leading *ladies? Those don't strike me as main characters.


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## drothgery (Aug 20, 2005)

Szatany said:
			
		

> > Originally Posted by drothgery
> > Jean Grey (X-Men)
> > Rogue (X-Men)
> > Storm (X-Men)
> ...




Umm...

I'm not a big comics fan, but the three X-men above have all had their own comics at one point or another.

Cordelia Naismith (later Cordelia Vorkosigan) is the lead character in _Shards of Honor_ and _Barryar_; in the other Vorkosigan novels, it's true that she's mostly there as Miles' mother, but she's still a force to be reckoned with. Eli Quinn is one of the two lead characters in _Ethan of Athos_, along with the title character, even if she's usually an officer under Miles' command in the other Vorkosigan novels she appears in.

Esmeralda Weatherwax is certainly the lead witch in the "Witches" subseries of the Discworld books (_Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum_). Susan is the lead character in most of the Death subseries (_Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, Thief of Time_).

Althea Vestirt is the lead character of the Liveship Traders series if anyone is.

Lina's certainly the lead character of The Slayers.

The rest are defintely secondary characters, but a fair number of secondary characters have already been nominated (from Princess Leia on down).


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## reapersaurus (Aug 20, 2005)

wow - I'm shocked that Miss Marple and Sailor Moon are OK for this, but Xena, the (arguably) most well-known and influential leading ladies ever, is "pathetic."

I'm wondering what possible criteria could be used to conclude that.


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## stevelabny (Aug 20, 2005)

Um, Reap... ONE person said Xena is pathetic. He might even have been joking.

You see how the thread works, nominate her yourself. She 100% fits the bill for this thread. Really.


----------



## Zweihänder (Aug 20, 2005)

49 - Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Stargate: Atlantis)






The leader of Atlantis expedition, and easily the most qualified to deal with the new cultures they would be encountering (she worked for the UN previously), she also provides an important counterpoint to some of the other, more extreme members of the expedition (most notably Dr. Rodney McKay).

50 - Teyla Emmagen (Stargate: Atlantis)






A stong and willful Ethosian who has joined the Atlantis expedition, Teyla has proven herself invaluable in many situations, to both her own people, and to citizens of Atlantis.


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## Tonguez (Aug 20, 2005)

Thats 54 (the numbering sequence is out but we can fix that later)

*The next entry should be 55*

(only 10 to go - and yes XENA is a perfect candidate if someone wants to post her)


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## reapersaurus (Aug 23, 2005)

She HAS to be in the running.

55 - Xena

Who doesn't know her story?





As a young woman, refused to allow her hometown to fall victim to a warlord, she mustered up a fighting force to face him. Thus, beginning her path towards war. She is inevitably tainted by the violence, and becomes very powerful embracing her fighting and mental skills/strategies.
She meets Hercules, and realizes there is another way to make a difference in the world. She re-dedicates herself to fighting for good, but still uses the cunning skills of a warrior-borne.


----------



## Melkor Lord Of ALL! (Aug 24, 2005)

Okay, it is me that doesn't like Xena. I didn't like the mixing of everything in ancient history and mythology into those series. Surely the followers of Xena won't hunt me down now?


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## Szatany (Aug 24, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Okay, it is me that doesn't like Xena. I didn't like the mixing of everything in ancient history and mythology into those series. Surely the followers of Xena won't hunt me down now?



Soo... you don't like xena or you don't like xena the tv show ? Because I kinda like the 1st one but not the second.


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## Tauric (Aug 25, 2005)

56.  Supergirl.







Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.


In 2004, Kara Zor-El was reintroduced into DC continuity in the Superman/Batman series. Like the pre-Crisis version, this Kara claims to be the daughter of Superman's uncle Zor-El and his wife Alura. In a twist from the traditional Supergirl origin, Kara is actually older than Kal-El (Superman) and was a teenager when he was a baby. When Krypton exploded, she was sent in a rocket (in suspended animation) to look after Superman. However, her rocket got caught in a piece of Krypton and she has just arrived on Earth now. Writer Jeph Loeb explains, "She came to Earth essentially to look after this baby who was sent at the same time. But her rocket got wedged into a huge chunk of the planet and it has taken years to get here. When she arrives, the baby isn't a baby, he's Superman -- the greatest hero the universe has ever known. And as a teenager who has lost everything in her past, this is quite the monkey wrench. It may be part of the reason why, at least at first, she'll be hesitant to spend too much time with Superman. She was supposed to take care of him, not the other way around."


----------



## ThirdWizard (Aug 25, 2005)

*Lina Inverse - 57*









Lina Inverse, _The Slayers_.

Lina is a sorceress of high power, a thief of great renown, and a born leader. That, and she has an appetite that is only matched by her hot temper. Oh, and don't mistake her for a young girl or you might find yourself on the wrong side of a fireball, and that's if she's in a good mood.

Lina isn't your typical hero. She's greedy, manipulative, but at the same time you love her, because deep down she's... um... well, deep down she is a good person, but she doesn't like to show that side of herself too often. She's good to her friends, and will go through a lot to save those she cares about, or those she has become attached to even though they drive her nuts. And, on more than a few occasions, she shows that she is intelligent and thoughtful. Usually right before deciding to blow something up, though.


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## Aesmael (Aug 27, 2005)

*Because she deserves to be here:*



			
				Renton said:
			
		

> _Nanny Ogg: "How did you do that?"
> Granny: "Simple. He knows you wouldn't make his daft head explode."
> Nanny: "Well, I know you wouldn't, too."
> Granny: "No you don't. You just know I ain't done it up to now."_
> ...




Even though I'm too lazy to do it myself.


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## drothgery (Aug 27, 2005)

59. Susan Sto Helit
Duchess of Sto Helit, and Death's granddaughter






(from the Wikipedia entry, because I'm just not good at writing these things...)

Susan Sto Helit is a fictional character who features in three of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels - Soul Music, Hogfather, and Thief of Time.

She is the daughter of Mort and Ysabell. Ysabell was the adopted daughter of Death and Mort was, briefly, Death's apprentice. They leave Death's ambit and become Duke and Duchess of Sto Helit. Susan is their only child.

Despite her tenuous relationship to Death, she is often called his granddaughter and she refers to Death as grandfather. Because of this link she has certain abilities: she can "walk through walls and live outside time and be a little bit immortal."

Her most obvious character trait is being sensible, an attribute carefully cultivated by her parents as a counterbalance to the influence of her grandfather. Initially, this manifested itself as a refusal to admit the supernatural side of the world (beyond basic magic) even existed. Latterly, however, she accepts she is part of the same world as the Hogfather and the Tooth fairy. She just wishes she wasn't. She can be relied upon to keep her head in a crisis, something she tends to view as a character flaw.

She is first introduced as a sixteen year old pupil at the "Quirm College for Young Ladies" in Soul Music, shortly after the death of her parents. After graduating -- and despite being technically the current Duchess of Sto Helit -- she begins a teaching career, first as a governess (in Hogfather) and then as a school teacher (in Thief of Time). She proves to be quite good at handling small children, a skill that is attributed to her sensible and practical nature.

This could also be due to her approach to children's problems. When a child complains about a monster in the cupboard or under the bed, most parents would go to great lengths to carefully explain to the child that there is no monster. Susan, on the other hand, simply hands the child a suitable weapon (such as an axe or broadsword) with which to assault the monster, or goes and does it herself. Monsters from a wide area have come to dread the fireplace poker she uses for this task, although as word of Susan has quickly spread among the city's resident monsters, she latterly has only needed to deal with newcomers.

Her approach in other areas is also unusual. For example, in her role as a governess she has found that her charges' reading progress has been greatly enhanced by using interesting books which are slightly too difficult for them, and which therefore present something of a challenge. Parents may, however, have reservations about her choice of General Tacticus' Campaigns as a reader, since it may be argued that the ability to spell 'disembowelled' is not necessarily needed by children under ten.

As a schoolteacher she is sufficiently successful to have parents clamouring to have their child included in her class. Her approach to history and geography, often subjects which children find rather dull, has particularly captured her class's attention. The occasional need to remove from their children's clothing dried-in bloodstains or ground-in swamp mud is generally seen by parents as more than compensated for by the broad education being received - a child's description of one of the classic battles from Ankh-Morpork's long history, for example, might be sufficiently vivid and detailed to make the parent think that the description could not have been improved upon if the child had actually seen the battle at first hand.


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## John Crichton (Aug 27, 2005)

*60. Aeryn Sun - Farscape*






Aeryn Sun (played by Claudia Black) is a former Peacekeeper (a militaristic police force) pilot and Officer of Icarion Company, Pleisar Regiment. Although she appears to be human, she is in fact Sebacean - a species (practically) indistinguishable from humans. When John Crichton appeared through a wormhole, Officer Aeryn Sun was one of the pilots ordered to bring him in.

However, Aeryn's Prowler was caught up in the stream of Moya's starburst and was towed along when Moya first escaped from the Peacekeepers along with her crew. Aeryn was brought on board Moya as a prisoner, but because of her time spent with Crichton and the others, she was deemed "irreversibly contaminated" (a removal of name, rank, and status as a Peacekeeper) by Bialar Crais, and was ordered to be put to death.

She was in turn saved by the crew of Moya, and has since learned to think beyond the strict, militaristic confines of her Peacekeeper upbringing. She is very well skilled in hand-to-hand and weapons combat, and can more than hold her own in a fight. She has also become a valuable and important member of Moya's crew, and a companion and romantic interest to Crichton.

Aeryn was raised from birth to become a Peacekeeper, and she now has difficulty dealing with the fact she can never return to her previous life. Her experiences, however, have taught her that there is more to life than the emotionless, structured existence of the Peacekeepers.

[sblock]Aeryn was raised by the Peacekeepers without being told about her parents. After she became a fugitive, Aeryn discovered that her mother, Xhalax Sun, was a Peacekeeper pilot who—against Peacekeeper regulations—fell in love with an older officer, Talyn Lyczac. Xhalax was forced to chose between Aeryn and Talyn, and she executed Aeryn's father so that Aeryn could live.

Farscape's Aeryn Sun travels a long and complex character arc. She evolves emotionally and ultimately becomes a loyal, compassionate, loving wife, friend, crewmate and peacemaker. She eventually marries John Crichton and together they have a son they name D'Argo, who is born during the final battle of the Peacekeeper Wars.[/sblock]


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## reapersaurus (Aug 27, 2005)

Melkor said:
			
		

> Okay, it is me that doesn't like Xena. I didn't like the mixing of everything in ancient history and mythology into those series.



If perfection was a criteria, almost noone would be in this list.

However, if most-well-known Leading Lady is a criteria, the contest is down to 5 entries max IMO :

wonder woman, red sonja, buffy, xena, and maybe lara croft (however, Lara's way too superficial and "perfect" of character)

Out of those, I think Xena stands out, due to the sheer amount of character development, and story-arcs in her long-running series. Also Xena was the most influential woman in modern fantasy TV/movie history. Before Xena, there simply was not the overwhelming acceptance for a "butt-kicking female" that is ubiquitous now.
The impact of Xena is the subject of woman's studies college classes, for gosh sakes.
I don't think this contest should be viewed solely in the light of "I didn't like XYZ from the show the character came from."

Also, characters that were only in one or 2 movies (Trinity) don't deserve the title of Best Leading Lady ever.


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## John Crichton (Aug 27, 2005)

reapersaurus said:
			
		

> However, if most-well-known Leading Lady is a criteria, the contest is down to 5 entries max IMO :
> 
> wonder woman, red sonja, buffy, xena, and maybe lara croft (however, Lara's way too superficial and "perfect" of character)



If Red Sonja and Lara Croft are on this short list than I think Princess Leia belongs as well.  Ask anyone who the most recognizable female character in science fiction is and they'll probably bring her up.  It's all about the buns.



			
				reapersaurus said:
			
		

> Also, characters that were only in one or 2 movies (Trinity) don't deserve the title of Best Leading Lady ever.



I generally agree with this but she is pretty well known.

Side note:  I was going to nominate Hermione from Harry Potter as she is in so many scenes with Harry but I don't know if she's a leading lady.  In the books she is more of a secondary character but in the movies she is in almost as many scenes as Harry and is a very important character.  Thoughts?


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## Tonguez (Sep 6, 2005)

61. AYLA (Clan of the Cave Bear)







When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.

We'll put Hermione (Harry Potter) at 62 whch only leaves 2 more to go (64 MAX)


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## Endur (Sep 6, 2005)

reapersaurus said:
			
		

> Out of those, I think Xena stands out, due to the sheer amount of character development, and story-arcs in her long-running series.
> 
> Also, characters that were only in one or 2 movies (Trinity) don't deserve the title of Best Leading Lady ever.




I have the opposite opinion.  Xena always bored me, but I agree she definitely is in the running for best leading lady.  Trinity seemed like a very strong lead in the Matrix series, better than Neo or Morpheus.

And for sheer longevity, you have Charlie's Angels, Wonder Woman, and the Bionic Woman.  Wonder Woman has 60 years of character development.


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## Endur (Sep 6, 2005)

*63. The Bionic Woman*

63. The Bionic Woman

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN series is based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin. The story centers on former astronaut Col. Steve Austin who is critically injured when the experimental aircraft that he is testing crashes on the runway. The U.S. government takes this opportunity to create the world's first Bionic man. Col. Austin's legs, right arm, and left eye are replaced with cybernetic limbs which give him extraordinary strength and abilities. The Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) promptly sends Steve on covert missions, and he becomes an enormous asset to the government. 

The Universal series also became an asset to ABC-TV. However, after several years it was felt that Col. Austin needed more than weekly missions. So, Kenneth Johnson created the perfect female companion for him--Jaime Sommers. After a tragic skydiving accident, Jaime also received Bionic replacements. She and Steve planned to be married, but it came to pass that Jaime's body rejected her new limbs and she died. 

ABC realized how phenomenally successful Lindsay Wagner's portrayal of Jaime Sommers had become. So, they brought her back to life and spun her off into her own series--THE BIONIC WOMAN. It debuted in January 1976 and was an immediate hit. The series ran on ABC for two seasons, and was picked up by NBC for its final season. Today, through syndication, THE BIONIC WOMAN continues to entertain audiences around the world.


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## Endur (Sep 6, 2005)

*64 Electra (Daredevil)*

64 Electra (Daredevil)


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