By Jessica Wedemeyer
1:43pm PDT, Aug 12, 2018
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at our favorite female sci-fi stars of the big screen. In the prequel to 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" — "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" — Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, a thief and forger who's recruited by the Rebel Alliance for a mysterious mission that we won't spoil here! Keep reading to see which other ladies have impressed us over the years…
RELATED: "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" cast: Everything you need to know
Seriously though, the "Star Wars" franchise is responsible for some of the coolest female characters ever to grace the big screen. Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala wasn't just the Queen of Naboo — she was also a senator in the Galactic Republic and (spoiler alert!) Luke and Leia's mother. She kicked serious butt in 2002's "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones."
Sigourney Weaver portrayed Ellen Ripley in four "Alien" movies between 1979 and 1997. She even earned an Oscar nomination in 1987 for her work in "Aliens." (Sigourney later spoofed the genre that made her a star in 1999's "Galaxy Quest.")
Jennifer Lawrence became a household name thanks to her role as Katniss Everdeen in the 2012 adaptation of "The Hunger Games" and its three sequels.
Linda Hamilton starred as Sarah Connor in 1984's "The Terminator" and 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." (The role has since been played by not one but two "Game of Throne" stars: Lena Headey on the 2008 Fox series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and Emilia Clarke in 2015's "Terminator Genisys.")
Zoe Saldana is no stranger to the science-fiction genre. She stars as Uhura in the "Star Trek" franchise and portrays Neytiri in "Avatar" and its upcoming sequels. But we loved her best when she went green to play the alien assassin Gamora in 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy." She'll return to the role in 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
Neo may have thought she was a guy, but no, Carrie-Anne Moss's Trinity was one lady-hacker who could kick some serious booty — and rock black leather like no other — in 1999's "The Matrix."
Dina Myer's Dizzy Flores was the quarterback of her high school football team, a mobile infantry solider and a citizen of the Federation, of course, in the cult 1997 sci-fi flick "Starship Troopers."
Jane Fonda starred as the titular heroine — a lover AND a fighter! — on a mission to save the universe in 1968's "Barbarella."
Emily Blunt held her own against Tom Cruise as alien-fighting war hero Rita Vrataski in 2014's "Edge of Tomorrow."
Alicia Vikander earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as the humanoid A.I. Ava in 2015's "Ex Machina."
Daryl Hannah cartwheeled her way to fame when she portrayed "basic pleasure model" replicant Pris in 1982's "Blade Runner."
Summer Glau starred as the unstable psychic and former assassin River Tam on the cult sci-fi series "Firefly" and in its 2005's film sequel "Serenity." (She also starred as the Terminator Cameron on Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.")
Sandra Bullock earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as astronaut Dr. Ryan Stone in 2013's "Gravity."
Scarlett Johansson starred as the titular drug mule who develops seemingly infinite mental and physical abilities after she's exposed to a synthetic compound in 2014's "Lucy."
Charlize Theron starred as the titular agent of an underground rebel organization in a future in which most of Earth's population has been wiped out by a deadly virus in the 2005 cult classic "Aeon Flux."
Newcomer Sofia Boutella earned raves for her performance as the alien scavenger Jaylah (whom writer-actor Simon Pegg named after Jennifer Lawrence aka J.Law — get it?) in 2016's "Star Trek Beyond."
