After appearing at the end of 2017 for Doctor Who‘s Christmas special, actress Jodie Whittaker will be fully stepping into the shoes of the iconic character this year as the 13th Doctor. Her arrival is a long time coming (Doctor Who first premiered in 1963, after all), but she follows a succession of fierce leading women who have left an indelible mark on sci-fi television over the past 20 years.
Here are four female characters who paved the way for the 13th Doctor.
Dana Scully (The X-Files)
FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are iconic characters now, but when The X-Files first premiered in 1993 it was surprising and refreshing to see the by-the-books skeptic in the partnership be the woman. Gillian Anderson’s grounded performance set the stage for future sci-fi TV frontwomen like Anna Torv’s Olivia Dunham in Fringe and showed a generation of women that the FBI isn’t a men’s club.
Anderson won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal in the 1990s and has since returned to the iconic character with The X-Files revival that started in 2016.
Captain Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager)
Since its inception, Star Trek has always featured strong leading ladies, from Uhura on Star Trek: The Original Series to Counselor Troy and Doctor Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation to Dax and Kiera on Star Trek: Deep Space 9. However, none of these women ever got sit in the Captain’s chair, save one.
Catherine Janeway was the captain of the U.S.S. Voyager. She was the captain of her own ship and the lead cast member of her own series, Star Trek Voyager. Actress Kate Mulgrew’s turn as Captain Janeway gave lovers of sci-fi a powerful role model they could follow.
Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV adaption of the movie of the same name, firmed established both Sarah Michelle Gellar and Joss Whedon as titans of geek TV. Gellar’s performance as cheerleader turned slayer Buffy Summers struck the perfect balance between slangy valley girl and action star. Echoes of her character can be seen in shows like Veronica Mars and Dead Like Me.
In addition to Buffy herself, Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured a supporting cast filled with strong women like Alyson Hannigan’s Willow, Eliza Dushku’s Faith, and Michelle Trachtenberg’s Dawn.
River Song (Doctor Who)
Professor River Song — the woman who would both kill, love, and marry the Doctor — was a powerful leading lady on Doctor Who. She first appeared in Season 4, when David Tennant’s 10th Doctor found himself inside the biggest library in the universe. This mysterious woman claimed to be his wife and even knew his name.
Although River technically died saving the Doctor in the library, her character came back many times in Seasons 5 and 6. In fact, her storyline was the main focus of both of those seasons. First, the Doctor had to discover who she was, and then he had to save himself from her assassination programming.
River Song came back for Peter Capaldi’s series as well, specifically the Season 9 Christmas special, “The Husbands of River Song”. In that episode, the Doctor and River spent their last years together before her final moments in the Library. She was after all a time lord, just like the Doctor.
During her tenure on Doctor Who, she saved the day on numerous occasions, she fought her way through Weeping Angles and the end of the universe, she even saved the Doctor’s life by giving him all of her regenerations. If any woman helped pave the way for a female time lord, it most certainly would be the unforgettable River Song.
The 13th Doctor will make her debut later this year when Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC America.