“Smart is sexy.”

Fans of The X-Files immediately will remember Scully saying that to Mulder in War of the Copraphages.  Those three words are a fitting quote to apply to Scully herself. 

Agent Dana Scully is a doctor, speaks several languages, and is skilled in a  form of martial arts dubbed “Scully-Fu” by fans.  She seldom wears revealing clothes, is not afraid to sport a ponytail no matter how it makes her look, and is guilty of wearing Harry Potter glasses.  But (say it with me…), “Smart IS sexy.”

When The X-Files began airing, Gillian Anderson was dubbed the sex symbol for the thinking man and Scully quickly became a role model for a generation of women.  Scully was intelligent, lived by her inner sense of right and wrong, demonstrated steadfast loyalty to Mulder, was brave to the extreme, and was shown as an independent yet vulnerable character.  This character is unmatched even all these years later, though many have tried.  Temperance Brennon of Bones seems a faint replica of Scully, as is Olivia Dunham of Fringe.  As Sophie Brown of GeekMom.com writes, ”What we need are more women who can stand on their own two feet, women who have studied long, worked hard, and never got by simply on their looks. What we need, is the return of Dana Scully.”