15 times The X-Files’ Dana Scully was the best character on TV

15. “The Scully Effect”

Perhaps most importantly of all, the character of Dana Scully has had a tangible effect on our real world. And it’s not just in the form of shoulder pads in Halloween costumes or a metaphorical flood of fan fiction across the internet.

Instead, the so-called “Scully Effect” has been credited with introducing girls to work in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Actor Gillian Anderson said that she had no idea her role would have been such a big deal for some of The X-Files’ viewers.

“We got a lot of letters all the time,” she said at a 2013 event commemorating the 20th anniversary of The X-Files. “I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those pursuits because of the character of Scully.”

This isn’t just a feel-good note, however. Representation really matters. The kinds of media you consume from the beginning of your life can dramatically shape your world view. For some, it appears, seeing a truly complex, intelligent woman like Dana Scully on screen opened up a world of possibilities for themselves.

For that alone, we can easily name Scully as one of the most important female characters in 1990s media, if not in the whole world of television.