Scrumtrulescence: 3 Women of Sci-Fi

Scrumtrulescent – adj: so great that any other word employed would be woefully insufficient, and would serve only to limit the sheer magnitude of the greatness intended as a descriptor.

In the realm of entertainment, a few men and women become stars. Songs, sagas, and salaries stratospheric are rendered unto them. This blog entry isn’t about them. No, instead I want to cast a light on three who have shone by their own scrumtrulescence.

Liz Vassey (actor)

Liz Vassey really caught my attention in the oft-forgotten tale of sci-fi mockomage, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space. Though her role of Princess Tyra, while heroic, was also classically cheesy, Liz managed to shine. Since that time, she’s been on my short list of actors to pay attention to. Both in movies and television, she has never disappointed.

One of her more memorable roles was as Captain Liberty in the brilliant, but tragically short-lived, live-action version of “The Tick”. Again, as with Princess Tyra, she managed to bring more to the role than you’d expect from a costumed, torch-wielding superhero.

If you look on her imdb.com page you quickly see that Ms Vassey has worked quite a lot over the past 20 years or so. That is a testament to what I’ve been saying: she is worthy of attention. Fortunately, you don’t have to dealve into the depths of syndication to find her these days. As one of the lab rats, Wendy Simms, in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Liz once again brings something extra to a role that could just as easily be anonymous.

Marti Noxon (producer)

During the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fans became very accustomed of seeing Marti Noxon’s name as one of the two executive producers of this classic series (the other, of course, being Joss Whedon). Like most producer types, she was mostly just a name on the credits (also as a writer). But then came the episode “Once More With Feeling”.

During that unforgettable musical episode (whose songs bore into your brain refusing to exit), it was revealed to the larger buffyverse that not only is Marti very attractive, but she also has a killer singing voice. I mean, seriously, this lady can sing.

Needless to say, she’s also a brilliant producer and writer. You look at her credits, and there doesn’t seem to be a clunker in the bunch. That’s a heck of a track record. Then again, I don’t think we’d expect less from this sort of talent. Thank goodness she works on the side of good (well… most of the time :-D )

Natira (alien)

Though her species is unknown, there is little doubt that one of the sexiest aliens ever to grace the screen is the enigmatic, but ruthless, Natira from the series Farscape.

Natira was no Star Trek bumpy-headed alien. Though humanoid(-ish), it’s clear that her species preferred a more arthropodal direction in their evolution.

A shrewd and opportunistic female, there is more villain than not. She’s definitely a scoundrel who will stand by her friends unless there is profit to be made doing otherwise. Even so, she is no cardboard cutout character. Natira has a brain and is not afraid to use it. She also has those very threatening claws on her head, and she’s not afraid to use them, either (especially when pretty eyeballs are near).

Looking at her, I’m sure many people are wondering how I could describe her as “sexy”. Well…when she’s not being all threatening, she has a most comely appearance:

Can you tell me that his isn’t one attractive alien? Seriously? Those eyes. That mouth. That chitin-armored exoskeleton. What’s not to like? Mostly though, it’s her mind. Natira isn’t some snarly low-life. She is composed and refined, and happy to engage in some word play (one of my favoritest things).

Let’s face it, she is the complete package. A killer bod (literally), a keen mind, and a sense of humor. So what if she collects eyeballs and such? It just shows that she knows how to take some time away from having to manage her depository. After all, all work and no play can’t be helpful for Natira’s disposition.

I mean, she may be alluring and all, but I wouldn’t want to be around her when she’s cranky.