5. Queens/Empresses/Royalty
Princess Isabella of Valencia from Galavant. Beautiful singer (listen to that vibrato on “who knew he came from such a looooovely home” during “Oy! What a Knight!”), improv enthusiast, smol, Gryffinclaw, invisibly disabled Valencian bb. What’s not to love?
Guinevere from Merlin. Angel Coulby brought so much character development to a character who was shafted so much by the writers. Her final scene cements a radical reinterpretation of Arthurian myth that decenters white male destiny.
Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time. My problematic fave.
Princess Leia Organa from Star Wars. She’s incredibly resourceful. She assesses what resources are available to her and puts them to work. And eventually marries some of them.
Fastrada from Pippin. She has the best villain song in musical theatre.
10. That I'd want to kiss
Princess Isabella of Valencia from Galavant. Why else would I have analyzed even her tiniest singing parts?
Delores van Cartier (as played by Patina Miller) from Sister Act: The Musical. I relate to “The Live I’ve Never Led” for many reasons, the most relevant being that if I was an initiate, I would also want to run away from the church to be with Delores.
The Leading Player (as played by Patina Miller) Pippin. Diddly-dee.
Mirror Ezri from Star Trek: DS9. So smol, so nineties.
Odette from Swan Lake. I just don’t want her to be sad.
14. I wish had a better love interest(s)
Ezri Dax from Star Trek: DS9. I like Julian, but he needs to stay the fuck away from Dax symbionts and disabled women.
Jenny Mills from Sleepy Hollow. Every white dude character called “Han Solo-like” by his creator is a bad idea. Hawley added nothing to Jenny’s life or the show.
Tara Thornton from True Blood. She deserved a better everything, but her love interests were particularly injurious to her.
Nora Martinez from The Strain. Eph is a total jerk and doesn’t care about her feelings at all. I really, really hope the show follows the books in terms of Nora’s love interests.
Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: TNG. Having a Twilight-esque relationship with a ghost who fucked her grandma was okay with the network, but being with a woman was not.