The Crew Of Starshatter: Vasilisa ("Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife")
Female characters. When did this become such a rabbit hole? Characters like Vasilisa would probably be considered ""controversial"" (which is ridiculous) but she is the furthest thing from it. Allow me to elaborate.
Let's look at a stereotypical action movie - the hero beats the bad guy, gets the girl and lives happily ever after. Simple. Effective. Nothing wrong with that. Now....think of a typical "strong female" character. Usually her love interest betrays her or she leaves him because she doesn't need no man(get it? Because she is powerful and independent, and strong. Get it? Are-are you sure? They'll literally say it just to be sure you get it, don't worry.) and rides off into the sunset alone. An idiotic notion which Vasilisa calmly challenges without hesitation.
Why is it wrong for women to ask for help, to know their limitations? Vasilisa sure isn't stupid or naive enough to think she could take on the Galaxy by herself. Not because she is a woman, but because she is a Terran. What drives her is the desire to not be alone. To have someone to share the unbelievable burden of living in Fringe Space, where there is no guarantee other than the fact that each day someone loses a family member or a friend. How can finding someone to share not only the hard times but also the joy that life can bring be considered wrong?! It's not, it is so ridiculous in fact, that is not even brought up, because for her such a notion does not exist.
For her finding a husband is not the end of the story. In fact, it is merely the beginning. What Vasilisa shows is a unique struggle that I have not seen in many works of fiction - much less being done so well - the challenge of raising a family. Many people like to talk that there is no harder job than being a mother and a wife - yet they are suspiciously laking in fiction. Oh sure, you get your typical single mom, who struggles to raise her kids(and often miserably fails) but you rarely see a woman being a mother and a wife and being happy and better for it. Vasilisa doesn't need go speed off into the sunset to fight some big bad evil guy. She is doing it right now - having a family, bringing life into a galaxy full of death is just as hard and vital as killing some pirate lord. Having a family, having kids, being surrounded and helping her friends brings Vasilisa immeasurable joy, as it should, because it is natural. And as a spacer, as a woman, she sees no point in going against nature.
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