Top Female Characters On TV #5

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Today I'm going back to the top female characters list with the number four entry; Laura Roslin (played by the lovely Mary McDonnell) in the reimagining of Battlestar: Galactica.

After falling into the role of President, Roslin has a lot of hard decisions to make and she has to make them throughout her entire term (and even after). One thing that really stands out to me about Roslin is her unwavering hatred of the Cylons. This might sound like an odd thing, but before I started the series I thought she would be the one to try and help them the rest of humanity see the good in the Cylons, but instead Roslin’s flaw is her distrust for the Cylons and everything that they stand for. Roslin is such a strong character thrown into such horrible situations and she has to suck it up and deal. There are a lot of things that she did that people didn’t like but she felt comfortable in doing them because she was so sure that she was right, that she was helping people.

She is also a very faithful woman, and I really like that about her. I am a faithful woman and I love it when people of faith and belief are treated well and with respect on television. And by that I mean the character as a character was treated with respect even when the character onscreen was being mocked.

Mary McDonald is such a terrific actress, and some of her best moments are when she is playing Roslin. We see her strength and courage when she is being strong, but we also see her sadness and moments of weakness too. Roslin did a lot of things that I didn’t like too much, but she did them with such conviction that I have to respect her for making them.

I forgot to add Laura onto my FaceBook poll, and nobody added her. 

Let me know your thoughts about Laura in the comments. 

Kathy

Themes: Battlestar Galactica, Favourite Female Characters, Top Female Characters on TV, Laura Roslin, Mary McDonnell

Top Female Characters on TV #7 (BEDA #24)

Number seven in my top female characters on TV is Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace from Battlestar: Galactica

Starbuck was truly fraked in the head; no doubt about it. From a young age her mother wasn’t very loving and there was no father in the picture, so she was all by herself for a lot of the time, just trying to get along. Then the world ends and shit just goes from bad to worse. Starbuck is such a great character, and she would not have been so awesome if it weren’t for the epicness of Katee Sackhoff. Katee is one of my favourite people in the world, and we should totally hang out sometime but not in a weird way. I love how Katee worked with herself and the character over the years to create this fully rounded person who hasn’t always done the right or the best thing, but just did things. Starbuck is a great character in her own right, but you don’t always see how good she is until she’s around other people. Her relationship with Lee Adama is so different from her relationship with William Adama which again is so different from her relationship with Tigh and everyone else on that show. Kara is constantly defining herself through other people so it’s only natural that we as the audience do that as well.

Even though the show only went for four seasons it was remarkable in its character arcs. They are also one of the shows that did a love-triangle in a way that didn’t make me want to puke. You could honestly see why Kara did the things she did, and I think Katee’s comments on the matter help haters to understand her reasons: “she loves Anders but Lee is her soul mate”. Perhaps this is an actress who has seen the good in her character, and ya’ll know how much I hate cheaters, but Kara’s affair with Lee didn’t really seem like cheating to me.

Some people say that Kara is a role model for young women, and I agree. Kara is a woman who does her own thing and has taken a fair share of knocks, but she keeps on bouncing back. She’s not perfect or extra-ordinary but that’s why she is such a good role model: she is just a woman. A crazy woman, but a woman nonetheless. 

So what does everyone else think of Starbuck?

Kathy

Themes: Battlestar Galactica, Top Female Characters on TV, Katee Sackhoff, Starbuck, Favourite Female Characters