Today, the topic of the Top Ten Tuesdays is
Top Ten Most Inspirational characters.

I’ve never thought of characters as inspirational, but I guess they can be. Many main characters, at least in the science fiction and fantasy genres, overcome huge obstacles and major villains. However, I find myself turning more to movie and TV for inspirational characters than books.

1, Sarah Connor
From the first Terminator movies but especially from the TV-show Sarah Connor Chronicles. She knows the future; that most humans will die. Still, she stubbornly says that there’s no future but the one we create for ourselves.

2, Sam Gamgee
From both the book and the movie. He’s not a great warrior, ranger, or scholar. But he’s a true friend.

3, Miles Vorkosigan
From Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan sf series. He’s short, has brittle bones, and a hunchback. Yet, he’s very intelligent and energetic. There are a lot of thing he can’t do, but he inspires the people around him to do their best and reach their own potential.

4, Ista dy Chalion
From Lois McMaster Bujold’s fantasy book Paladin of Souls. She’s middle aged, a widow, mother to an adult daughter, and a grandmother. Many people would consider her life to be over, especially in a pseudo-Middle Ages setting. Yet, her adventure has just begun.

5, Amelia Peabody-Emerson
From Elizabeth Peters’ historical mystery series. She’s an independent woman in Victorian England.

6, Buffy
From Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She showed that you don’t have to be six feet tall male to save the world. A lot.

7, Elena Bothari-Jesek
From Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan sf series. She grew on the patriarchal planet Barrayar but was able to stand up to her father and become an independent woman.

8, Shadow
From Anne Logston’s fantasy series. She’s a thief but she cares about her friends and protects them fiercely.

9, Ro Laren
From Star Trek: the Next Generation. She was a recurring minor character. From the start, she a rebel who was given a second chance on Enterprise. She had screwed up but wasn’t afraid to own up to it. And in the end, she could choose a dangerous and controversial life for herself.

10, Dr. House’s group of underling doctors. ;)
They are able to take a lot insults, assholery, and general mischief while doing a difficult job under pressure.