Sigourney Weaver: Why She Deserves Her Title as The ‘Sci-Fi Queen’

We know her as the renowned Alien hunter Ellen Ripley, as well as the compassionate Grace Augustine in Avatar (2009). Sigourney Weaver has a place in many of our hearts as not only a sci-fi and action heroine but more importantly her ability to transcend gender roles in the cinema industry. The late Pauline Kael, well known for her film criticism in The New Yorker, singles out and praises Weaver in 1986 for her performance in Aliens:

“With her great cheekbones, her marvelous physique, and her lightness of movement, Weaver seems to take over by natural authority and her strength as an actress. Her surprisingly small, tense mouth holds all the suspense in the story…. Weaver gives the movie a presence; without her it’s a B picture that lacks the subplots and corny characters that can make B pictures amusing.”

Weaver also played an active role as Dana Barrett in the Ghostbusters series, in which director Ivan Reitman has recently confirmed that she will return to reprise this role in the third installment that is due for release later this year. Weaver is also impressive in terms of portraying characters that sharply contrasts her usual courageous and tough personality. The sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest (1999) that pays homage to Star Trek is an entertaining film that Weaver participated in by filling the role of Gwen DeMarco, the movie’s female sex symbol. Here, Weaver is the ultimate sci-fi babe and what’s more is that she went blonde! While parodies aren’t usually my cup of tea, I remember getting a good laugh from this one. For Trekkie fans out there, Tim Russ, who played Vulcan Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager claims that he “had flashbacks of Galaxy Quest at the many conventions [he has] gone to since the movie came out. [He] thought it was an absolute laugh-a-minute.” RottenTomatoes.com also deemed the film certified fresh, totaling a successful 89% rating. So put that critic hat down, grab some snacks and sit through this amiable comedy that replicates all that is science fiction.

Interestingly, IMDb.com expresses how Weaver is often depicted as a character that has to deal with artificially intelligent spaceships as witnessed in the Alien series as well as Galaxy Quest. However, despite her AI aversion, other trails of Weaver’s accomplishes include her minor involvement with Pixar and Disney’s WALL-E (2008) where she got a chance to be the voice of the Axiom’s computer. She also played a guest role in the Futurama Season Four episode, “Love and Rocket” where she played the female Planet Express Ship. Clearly, our Sci-Fi Queen has a fantastic sense of humor as well as one badass attitude. What’s not to like?

As a last ambiguous note, it is rumored that she will return in Avatar 2 AND 3 despite the façade of her death in the first installment. In her own words, “Don’t worry, I will be back. [James Cameron] says no one ever dies in science fiction. He’s told me the stories for the next two movies and I have to say that they’re absolutely wonderful and there’s a real treat in store. Now we just have to make them.” Looks like even James Cameron can’t get enough of our heroine!

Ultimately, it is difficult to find a strong comparison to match the multi-talented Sigourney Weaver. Almost twenty years after her role as Ripley, she still embodies a myriad of elements that culminates the realm of science fiction. In her hopes of yet another Alien sequel that she would willingly reprise her role for, she confidently states that she “could definitely kick that alien’s ass again.” I think this last quote just sums up why she does indeed deserve her title and a permanent spot under the limelight.

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