Princess Leia Organa (Star Wars)

Picked by Abby, Gina

Abby: Leia is one of my favorite female characters because she was the first one to really show that it is what you do with power that matters, that rage and hope often go hand and hand, and that being in love is a strength.

Gina: As far back as I can remember, Princess Leia has been a part of me. She is the first character outside of animated characters that I wanted to be. She is fearless, confident, hotheaded, bossy, compassionate—all the characteristics fiction has used to make heroic and flawed male characters. A pure icon.

Raven Reyes (The 100)

Picked by Sam, Abby, Alyssa

Sam: Raven Reyes is everything I want to be. She’s brilliant—a zero-G mechanic with additional talents in engineering and chemistry—determined, sassy, and so, so strong. Without her, everyone else on the show would have been dead several times over, and yet she rarely gets recognized for her efforts. Raven also arguably goes through the most out of any character on a show where no one has it easy (paralysis of her left leg, loss of a loved one, torture, and mind-control, to name a few) but she never gets beaten down; instead, she comes out of every trial stronger and more determined than before.

Abby: Raven was the first character that I saw where I felt as though I was looking in the mirror. As a disabled female, I never felt represented until Raven appeared on my screen. She gets back up when she falls but to me the most novel thing about it was that we saw her fall, we saw her struggle and we saw her preserve and there are so many moments where Raven has made me cry and pause the episode because I was so in awe of what I was witnessing and it felt so true.

Alyssa: Raven Reyes is perhaps one of the most revolutionary characters on recent television. In terms of representation, her character is groundbreaking: a Latina, disabled women who is also an engineer and incredibly smart. Much like Hermione, the rest of The 100 wouldn't have stood a chance against hostile grounders and environmental perils, among other things, without Raven. I could make a list of everything Raven has done that's both impressive and vital for survival, but I would take up the whole article. Raven is incredibly strong, literally and figuratively. She also knows how to stand up for herself. Rejecting the typical romantic plot lines associated with female characters, she ended her relationship with Finn in Season 1 because she knew she deserved better. When Finn protested, saying he loved her, she responded with "but not the way I want to be loved." We see this again in Season 3 after Raven takes the chip, fed up with her pain and wanting to finally feel some peace. While everyone else feels content once they take the chip, Raven is different. She does accept this newfound peace at first, but after a conversation with Jasper she changes her mind. Instead of blocking painful memories, the chip also blocks happy memories. Realizing that she is unable to remember anything about Finn, she rebels against the artificial happiness that came with the chip and is henceforth determined to get ALIE out of her head. If anyone doubts the presence of innovative female characters on television, show them any Raven Reyes scene and they will change their mind.

Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Picked by Jessie

Intimidating and intelligent, Rosa Diaz is one of the best detectives in the Nine-Nine. She rarely shows her vulnerable side, except to those she trusts the most. Her composure, smarts, and determination make her a stand-out among the amazing cast of characters of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Rosa is hilarious. She’s strong, witty, terrifying, and human. It doesn’t hurt that she’s bisexual (I might be biased), and that her coming out story was amazingly handled by the show and her friends. Rosa’s friendships bring out the best in her, but she’s also fantastic to watch on her own. She is absolutely one of the best characters on the show—which is saying a lot, because Brooklyn Nine-Nine has some of the best characters, period.

Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)

Picked by Alyssa

Sansa, the oldest Stark daughter and one of the incredibly unlucky five Stark siblings on Game of Thrones, is in my opinion one of the most underappreciated characters on the show, and probably on television in general. We compare her to her younger sister Arya, who has a knack for bloody fights and kill lists, while Sansa is more at home wearing soft dresses and eating lemon cakes. It's easy to pick Arya as the "stronger" character: she's a literal fighter, she's rough—she has all the qualities of a traditional strong male character. What people forget is that equal strength can be found in being smart and kind, and Sansa's survival skills and adaptability while always being surrounded by people who want to use her as a pawn is as impressive as Arya's ruthlessness. Sansa learns from each cruel captor she has on the show: first the Lannisters, then Little Finger, expertly manipulating each situation and ultimately coming out victorious despite the obstacles she's faced. As Tyrion put it, "Lady Stark, you may survive us yet."