The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I watch the SyFy Channel. For the uninitiated, “SyFy” is the cable channel formerly known as the “Sci-Fi Channel” where one used to be able to find reruns of shows like Star Trek and Night Gallery.

However, in an effort to branch out beyond its reliable demographic of 18-24 year old fanboys, it rebranded itself and began showing programming ostensibly designed to appeal to a broader audience. As a woman pushing 40 (well . . . I pushed it so hard I hit it last year), I may not seem to be a natural fit for SyFy (even though I met my husband on the college debate circuit and my best movie memory is seeing Star Wars in its first run at a packed “wide-screen” theater at the age of 6).

I got hooked on SyFy after a colleague (of whom I have always been jealous because he got to go to space camp back in olden days when there was a shuttle program) recommended that I check out Battlestar Galactica. I remembered watching the original version as a kid but doubted that such fanfare would hold my overextended attention span now that I was a busy college prof and mother of two. I was wrong. Not only did the Battlestar Galactica reboot cast a woman in the role of the tough-as-nails fighter pilot Starbuck, but it also featured a woman president (something that, sadly, still seems a bit like science fiction after the way Clinton and Palin were treated in ’08). Battlestar Galactica was lauded by media critics and scholars, and the New York Times noted that as of July 2005, the series was “the most successful original program in the Sci Fi Channel’s history.”

Showrunner Ronald Moore explained that he was able to challenge boundaries on Battlestar Galactica and address issues of race, religion, and gender in complex ways, in part, because it was “science fiction.” He noted that “the networks are terrified of controversy, but in sci-fi, they don’t notice or care so much—you get a free pass.”

Battlestar Galactica ended in 2009 and like fangirls everywhere, I’ve been waiting for the network to spawn another series that, you know, “gets” us. I was hopeful that this summer’s Alphas might fit the bill.

The premise of the show is that a small number of gifted individuals (“Alphas”) possess unique mental and physical abilities. These individuals need the guidance of a wise elder scientist to develop and properly utilize their gifts, and, of course, they are periodically required to fight crime, complete top secret missions, and (one can only assume) occasionally save the world.

Yes, it’s a bit derivative (think Heroes, X-Men, The Avengers, etc.). But taking a look at the character development in the series premiere is worthwhile even if you don’t watch science fiction because it reveals how truly entrenched certain gender stereotypes are in popular culture—even in a television series that purports to be cutting edge, is designed to try to attract a young female demographic, and is produced in the relatively independent environment of a science fiction series on a niche cable network.

As the series opens we are introduced to each Alpha individually. The initial group of four Alphas is balanced in terms of gender (two males, two females) and one of the men is an African-American. After seeing each individual utilize their unique ability to help them solve hum-drum problems of daily life, the screen flashes an ID card with the character’s name, her or his ability (which, interestingly, is called a “diagnosis”), and a description of what she or he can do.

First, we meet Nina, a drop-dead gorgeous “Hyper Inductive” who “overrides willpower in others.” We see Nina using her enhanced powers of persuasion to get out of a speeding ticket and soon learn that she also drives a fancy car and lives in a posh apartment rent-free because of her unique ability. So, SyFy gives the audience a pretty girl who doesn’t need a job to have financial security—one who can get out of tickets and talk other people (mostly male) into doing whatever she wants. She spends her day at Alpha headquarters painting her nails. “Hyper Inductivity” is apparently the new name for feminine wiles.

The second female Alpha we meet is Rachel. Her “diagnosis” is “Synesthesia” which is explained as the power to “enhance senses.” Rachel can amplify any of her five senses in order to glean more detailed information from her surroundings than a normal person is able to perceive. That’s right—Rachel’s “ability” is being a hyper-sensitive female. At times during a mission she becomes so wrapped up in what she senses that she compromises her own safety and the success of the mission. But it doesn’t end there. When the viewers are introduced to Rachel they find out that her traditional parents are panicked by the fact that their 24-year-old daughter is “breaking her mother’s heart” by failing to find a suitable husband. A sensitive soul, Rachel is the only Alpha to collapse into tears after a stressful mission.

The male Alphas don’t fare much better. The African American Bill possesses “Enhanced Strength” which stems from his “fight or flight response.” So, we have an African American male whose strength comes from one of our most primitive evolutionary urges. Gary, a young white male and the only fanboy type in the bunch, possesses the power of “Transduction” which makes him “able to see all electromagnetic wavelengths”—he can literally visualize the digital signals that zip in and out of the natural world—no smartphone or laptop needed. Talk about a sci-fi rush! And, since all (stereotypically) good fanboys are stunted in the relationship department, Gary is one of the few people on whom Nina’s powers of persuasion fail to work. Oh, and did I mention that he lives with his mother? Yep. Of course, this motley crew of oddly-talented folk is headed by a learned and compassionate white male scientist without whose care the Alphas flounder.

The fact that gender stereotypes are reinforced in prime-time television is, of course, neither shocking nor new. But a careful examination of the particular stereotypes chosen by the series’ writers and producers reveals the intransigence of gendered assumptions in popular culture. Women use their sex appeal to confuse and manipulate men. Their sensitivity makes them perceptive, but it also inhibits their ability to achieve the rational distance required for competent independent action.

White men, though relationally challenged, excel in terms of analytic ability and leadership. That matters, because as popular culture augments the same old stories about women and men, it reinforces attitudes that constrain women’s ability to rise to positions of power and prominence in business and government.

Women, both real and fictive, have a lot more to offer than good looks and sensitivity. White men are not the only ones capable of vision and disciplined leadership. But barricades to advancement will retain their resilience in the real world as long as we fail to envision creative alternatives in our popular culture.

I’m rooting for Alphas. In the era of reality t.v., it’s nice to watch something with a serviceable script! I will continue to tune in, in the hopes that the Alphas showrunners will take a cue from Moore and use these characters to disrupt the stereotypes that the premiere episode established so forcefully. It would be nice if the network whose slogan is “imagine greater” had greater imagination when it comes to the gender roles of their characters. Until then, I can always watch reruns of Battlestar Galactica.