Now that I’m really getting into V, I thought I’d honor the Visitors’ leader, Anna (played with reptilian grace by Morena Baccarin), by putting together a list of TV’s memorable alien villainesses, whose insidious forces have infiltrated, assimilated, assaulted, insulted, and generally picked on the human race.
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica, reimagined series) — Technically, she’s not the sole leader of the Cylons, nor is she necessarily evil, but from the moment she arrived on that remote space station at the beginning of the miniseries, dressed in her trademark fire-engine red, she became the face of the Cylons. Less than an hour into the series, Six seduces Gaius Baltar, snaps a baby’s neck, and facilitates the destruction of the Twelve Colonies — more than earning her Evil merit badge.
Borg Queen (Star Trek: Voyager) — I remember the Borg Queen primarily from Star Trek: First Contact, but the Borg Queen also appears in a few episodes of Voyager, including the series finale. Like many alien collectives, the Borg seems to be based on an insect hive; thus, they have a Queen Bee, who euphemistically describes her role as “bringing order to chaos.” Just remember, resistance is futile. She will bring order to your chaos whether you like your chaos or not.
Wraith Queen (Stargate Atlantis) — Yes, there are several Wraith queens that John Sheppard’s team encounter over the five seasons of Atlantis, but they are all played by the same actress, Andee Frizzell, with vicious aplomb. The Wraith are another alien species that have a hive hierarchy, but they are quite unlike the Borg. A Wraith queen’s motto is “Why assimilate them when you can eat them?”
The Founder (Star Trek: Deep Space 9) — She’s also known as the Female Changeling, and she leads the forces of the Dominion against the Federation in an attempt to take over the entire Alpha Quadrant. She is ageless and incredibly patient. She can also shapeshift into almost any form, so it’s strange that she chooses to look like Play-doh, even when she is not with her fellow changeling Odo (whose face looks like Play-doh because he is not skilled at shapeshifting). Personally, I think her choice reflects her contempt for “the Solids,” which is what she calls non-liquid people.
Commandant Grayza (Farscape) — An ambitious Peacekeeper leader, Grayza has a nifty weapon, a gland that secretes an oil that bends men to her will. This weapon, along with some manipulation and plenty of shouting, has kept her in command despite the fact that anyone could probably take her in a fight. Grayza manages to oust Scorpius as John Crichton’s number one enemy after subjecting him to her own unique methods of, um, interrogation. You know that made him mad; after setting off a weapon that could destroy the universe, John shouts an unforgettable line for all to hear: “Can I get a huzzah from the grand Peacekeeper Bitch!”
Some other memorable bad girls include Farscape’s War Minister Ahkna (played by Ben Browder’s wife, Francesca Buller), Adria (another Morena Baccarin character) of Stargate SG-1, and any number of Romulan commanders from Star Trek, beginning with the one who tried to seduce Spock in “The Enterprise Incident.”
I’ve probably neglected to mention some great characters. Who are your favorites? Let me know in the comments.
Clacked by Ruby T.
on Nov 19, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
