What Sarah Conner Did for Women in Action Films

The A.V. Club is beginning a series on "women of action" in movies, and the first subject is Sarah Conner, as portrayed by Linda Hamilton. When you think of her as an action hero, you think of that moment we first saw the character in the 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day and marveled at the muscles she'd developed since The Terminator. She'd also become a fearless tactician and a weapons expert. But Caroline Siede argues that she was just as much of an action figure in the original 1984 film. It's in the first film that we see her transform from an everyday woman negotiating the dangers of modern life to a critical part of a time-travel loop, and having to fight her way through it.

Sarah Conner was more than just an action hero. She was a badass, but also had flaws, fears, and a personality that made her a more rounded and relatable character than the male characters around her. And we can't forget that she was not the main character in either movie, just the most memorable. Read a look into the character of Sarah Conner at the A.V. Club.