what led to this cliche character type

February 2, 2010 6:14 PM

Origins/examples of this sci-fi trope: psychic hell-chick

I'm playing Mass Effect 2 and have run across this character Jack who seems oh so familiar. Of course the game is a stew of SF cliches, but I feel like this one has become extremely popular over the last decade or so. Characterics:

- Strong female personality with aggressive temperament
- late adolescent / young adult
- Has unusual psychic abilities
- Gained these abilities while being experimented on against her will
- Doesn't fully control abilities; may be dangerous

I immediately think of the River character from the Firefly series, for one. Several female heroes from Marvel fit the bill as well. What I really want to know is, is there an ur-form of this character, maybe from an earlier book/movie, and/or have there been academic books/studies that touched on this character type and what it signifies culturally?

Sorry if this is too chatty, I just want to know how/when/why this science fiction trope emerged and became popular.

posted by chaff to media & arts (18 answers total)

Warning: TV Tropes Link Below

Well, you can do infinite exploring from the Firefly character page on TV Tropes. Should give you lots of other examples.
posted by Netzapper at 6:30 PM on February 2, 2010

Tank Girl?
posted by DU at 6:33 PM on February 2, 2010

Carrie?

Dark Angel?

Bionic Woman (the latest cancellation)?
posted by jkaczor at 6:36 PM on February 2, 2010

If you want to go back about 3000 years, Cassandra (from Greek mythology) kind of fits. Strong female personality? Sorta. Young adult? Check. Unusual psychic abilities? Check. Gained abilities against her will? Check. Can't control them? Check.
posted by oinopaponton at 6:45 PM on February 2, 2010 [7 favorites]

I'll take a swing at this: How about Persephone, goddess of Greek mythology as the ur-River? It's not a perfect match, but it bears some interesting parallels:
- Once sweet and innocent
- Kidnapped
- Forced to "eat seeds of Hades" while kidnapped ( ~ scientific experimentation)
- Everafter forced to return to the underworld periodically ( ~ recurring episodes of violence)
- Part time Queen of the underworld ( ~ badass, bringer of death)

Bit of a stretch, maybe, but hey, I tried.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 6:46 PM on February 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

There is a journaldedicated to feminist/gender-studies SF-ish themes
posted by EsotericAlgorithm at 6:50 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Fringe.
posted by sanka at 6:51 PM on February 2, 2010

Charlie from Firestarter.
posted by The Tensor at 7:08 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't remember her being aggressive, but this sounds like of like The Secret World of Alex Mack.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 7:15 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Amy Irving in The Fury?
posted by octothorpe at 7:21 PM on February 2, 2010

Alice from the Resident Evil movies.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 7:46 PM on February 2, 2010

The femme fatale character in film noir sorta fits, if you take her strange power over men as an unusual psychic power.
posted by AlsoMike at 8:58 PM on February 2, 2010

Recurring persona in various Philip K. Dick novels described by critics/analysts as "the dark-haired girl" fits possibly some of these characteristics.
posted by ovvl at 9:52 PM on February 2, 2010

Liz Sherman.
posted by SPrintF at 9:57 PM on February 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

The archtype for this is the evil child/daughter/teen but slightly more grown up. Evil children have been a staple of storytelling for quite some time now, perhaps even thousands of years.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:01 AM on February 3, 2010

Recurring persona in various Philip K. Dick novels described by critics/analysts as "the dark-haired girl" fits possibly some of these characteristics.

Especially Mary Anne from The Game-Players of Titan.
posted by burnmp3s at 7:19 AM on February 3, 2010

Persephone is the inspiration for the mother of the archetype, Mina Harkness from Dracula.

Since this was Victorian lit, she wasn't all that bad-ass by modern standards, but she fearlessly joined the expedition to kill Dracula, and stuck with it the whole way through, her psychic connection to to the vampire aiding their quest.

(Also the first "super team" makes its appearance in Dracula, with all the loving archetypes - rugged and rough tough guy with a heart of gold, the charismatic leader, the smart old guy who knows what to do, etc.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:39 AM on February 3, 2010

Thanks for your help with this everyone!
posted by chaff at 2:59 PM on February 3, 2010