terranempire:

One of the best things about “Killjoys” is the way that Syfy pulled a switcheroo in the way they were promoting it. It seemed like a fun, action/sci-fi space western (in the style of Firefly), about space bounty hunters (a la Starhunter), led by the usual 30-something, brown-haired white guy – in this case the delightful Aaron Ashmore. And for the first, oh, three minutes of the first episode that seems the case. And then Dutch appears.

Dutch: the female boss, the badass woman of color who is so much tougher, and cooler, and more interesting than the (also good) male character they were selling as the lead, and literally every other character in the series. She is very much the main character, make no mistake. Hannah John-Kamen, the actress in question, is first billed in the credits, too. Syfy lured in the nerds with the genre and style and what the expected face of the leader would be, and then they shouted, “Psych!” and gave us this amazing gift.

I have a lot of love for “Killjoys”’ (female) showrunner, Michelle Lovretta, already for her work on the amazing “Lost Girl”, and I think she is one of the most important players in the television game right now.

See how Dutch is not only front and center, but she has the most direct gaze? The boys are beside and behind her in lesser positions, both angled towards her. It’s clear who the leader is.

What’s even better is that Syfy did almost the same thing with the show they paired “Killjoys” with – “Dark Matter”. Played by the Chinese-Canadian actress/singer Melissa O’Neil, Two is an incredibly deadly, ferocious fighter, who wants to be more than the criminal past she doesn’t remember. In addition to her exceptional martial prowess, she is also clever and tech-savvy. While Two is not the focal point of that show the way Dutch is in “Killjoys”, she is the unquestioned leader of her group, immediately stepping into the role of captain. And, unlike Dutch in “Killjoys”, Two has the opportunity to regularly interact with other female main characters, as her crew includes a teenage girl and an ostensibly female robot (incorrectly called an android in the show – as a female-form robot she is actually a gynoid), the latter of whom is played by “Lost Girl” alumna Zoie Palmer.

Note the positions here – Two stands dead center, while One (the usual choice for main character and again fitting the 30-ish, dark-haired while male descriptor) is on the floor by her feet, and Three (the typical gun-toting muscle type) stands at her back, with the rest of the crew fanning out on either side. She also has the most powerful, confrontational body language of the group. Again, it is clear who the leader is.

Syfy gave us two cool science fiction shows set IN SPACE with powerful, badass, capable, intelligent female lead characters of color. “Dark Matter” also has multiple additional male characters of color, though in all other things I find “Killjoys” to be the superior show. What’s more, the upcoming series “The Expanse” is likely to be the best of the three as far as story goes. The book series of the same name from which it is adapted is AMAZING. “The Expanse” will also feature powerful, prominent characters of color, including women of color – though “The Expanse” will not be led by women like these two are.

I am so happy and excited to have this current slate of programming from Syfy. They have been making some really, really good, progressive choices, while simultaneously bringing in some elements of science fiction their recent slate has desperately been lacking. I really hope they keep it up.