Where is the love for Chrisjen Avasarala? The UN General Secretary Queen of the Earth from The Expanse lore? The Space Iron Lady!

I admire her more than other traditional depiction of bad ass action stars who are either a man or a woman. I realised I admire mental acuity more than raw strength. Avasarala is Machiavellian but a pragmatist, and ready to get her hands dirty if needs be in spite of her privileged upbringing. Her main drawbacks though is that she is too willing to get her hands dirty, especially at the first episode when she personally oversaw the torture of a Belter in a blacksite. She was also willing to use her family image to gain political sympathy. But one could argue it’s for the greater good, not that I am excusing both of her egregious and questionable actions. As I said, she is a pragmatist after all and looks at the bigger picture and have long term scope. She was right about slowly colonising the New Worlds. Avasarala is an anti-hero but she’s right in more ways than none.

‘Landlady’ is the absolute correct choice.

From Wikipedia:

Cheung Cheun-Nam, known professionally as Yuen Qiu (Chinese: 元秋; born 19 April 1950), is a Hong Kong actress and martial artist. She is an expert of both Chinese martial arts and Beijing-opera skills, and was apprenticed at the Peking Opera School under the same master, Yu Jim-yuen, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.

After being away from the Hong Kong film industry for nearly 20 years, she landed a role in Kung Fu Hustle only by chance. She was accompanying a junior woman fellow of the China Drama Academy at the audition but the director’s eye was on her. It was reported that Stephen Chow convinced her to take on the role only after unremitting and persistent persuasion.[citation needed]

Yuen later appeared in the movie Kung Fu Mahjong, with Yuen Wah, and has been active in cinema since then. (20 more films)

Michelle Yeoh

If you’ve never seen kung fu hustle don’t sleep on it any longer.

The Bride (Kill Bill), aka Beatrix Kiddo

Yes I see all these, but how many had a private, white slimline telephone?

• Tank Girl
• Wynonna Earp
• Tokyo Gore Police
• Buffy and Xena are classic
• Ghost in the Shell if counting anime

• princess Leia, padme amidala (star wars)

• Elisabeth Swann (potc)

• eowyn of Rohan (lotr)

• katara, toph (atla) + azula, mai, tai Lee of we’re counting villains

Ruth Wilson in Luther…

Nobody going to mention Battlestar Galactica (2004)? Starbuck, Laura Roslin, Athena, Kat… so many good examples of not just strong, but flawed and human women. Well, mostly human.

OG Princess Leia

Kung Foo Hustle is just amazing. I need to get that later and watch it again.

A potentially lesser known movie is ‘Kimi’. Not your typical example, but watching her get past her trauma enough to kick ass in the end was great.

Fran Fine, The Nanny

Samantha Carter, Stargate SG-1

Delenn, Babylon 5

Natalie Teeger, Monk

Eve, Killing Eve

Beth Harmon, Queen’s Gambit

CJ, The West Wing

Donna, The West Wing

Donna Noble, Doctor Who

And if children count:

Matilda, Matilda

Merida, Brave