Since the demise of both Babylon 5 and Space: Above & Beyond however, today's television genre offerings have presented little in the way of ass-kicking chicks. The X-Files' Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) has degenerated into the prototypical heroine in peril (and usually a stupid one at that) and judging by the Harsh Realm pilot, Chris Carter isn't up to making the female lead anything other than incredibly weak and boring. In fact, in his violent world the only chick toting a gun is mute. I guess she won't be trading snappy comebacks with anyone. Damnit.

Luckily syndicated and cable television series have attempted to fill the void. Officer Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) of Farscape and Captain Lily Marquette (Lisa Howard) from Earth: Final Conflict are two promising heroines, even if they aren't the main lead and don't come off as particularly Joan-like.

And thank God we still have Buffy. So she's not the most cerebral of characters and dresses more fashionably than her more mature counterparts. She's strong, brave, a natural leader, continually kicks demon ass with a vengeance, and suffered horribly at the hands of her boyfriend after one night of shagging bliss. What more could you ask from a Joan of Arc type heroine?

So while Ellen, Sarah, Susan, Shane, and Buffy are firmly planted in either the future or an alternative reality present, it's important to note that although their actions may seem extreme, they are not completely out of the realm of possibility. If you still have a hard time believing that such women can exist outside the fictional world, do a little research on Joan of Arc and you'll see that we've been kicking ass and pulling off the impossible for centuries.

The author would like to send out special thanks to Teri Spears and Vivian E. Lee for their help.

We welcome your opinions on this article. Please send questions or comments to letters@the11thhour.com