Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we spotlight strong women and nonbinary folks who inspire us. This includes fictional characters and creators in geeky media. They are a prime example of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.
Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers for Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory ahead.
Brooklynn
Fast Facts
In the animated Netflix Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series, fans stay behind on Isla Nublar between the events of the Jurassic World movie timeline. Camp Cretaceous was intended to be a seasonal camp where children and teenagers would stay while learning about the park and its dinosaurs. During the first camp session, the specially selected VIPs were the first kids in the world to experience the camp. However, the Jurassic World Incident saw the camp destroyed by the Indominus rex. This would be the camp’s only session.
RELATED: 6 Fictional Books With Dinosaur Characters to Read if You Love Jurassic Park
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous has five seasons for the original run and an ongoing spinoff series titled Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. A time skip occurs between the two series so that the events in the current episodes take place before the Jurassic World: Dominion movie. This is where we see how Brooklynn transforms from a social media mogul to a dinosaur-saving vigilante and our newest crush.
In Camp Cretaceous, Jenna Ortega voices her. However, in Chaos Theory, Kiersten Kelly takes on the role, who also has a limb differential like Brooklynn loses her hand. While Brooklynn loses her arm in an accident, her voice actor was born without part of her right arm.
Brooklanders
Six VIP teens experience the inaugural opening of Camp Cretaceous. While the others in the group have a personal connection to the island or are there by luck, like Darrius, who won a video game contest for his spot, Brooklynn is set apart as the only content creator. While the others are there for leisure, Brooklynn is there to unbox the mystery of the dinosaur island.
RELATED: 6 Iconic Onscreen Dinosaurs
She’s not an up-and-coming name either, with members of the group like Sammy being highly familiar with her channel. It is later revealed that Sammy is sent to the island to be a spy for a rival company, but Brooklynn is the only camper shown to be actively working while on the island. She spends her time following leads, interviewing the other campers and meticulously planning shots for her internet special, working nearly nonstop in contrast to the laidback camper cast.
Dark Jurassic
Eventually, everyone makes it back home, but not everyone has something to go back to. With little family to speak of, Brooklynn and Kenji continue dating. Brooklynn starts a new career as an investigative journalist. Unfortunately, her inability to slow down and her willingness to do anything to uncover the truth leads to her shutting out Kenji. After their eventual breakup, Brooklynn begins leaning into Darius for support before her disappearance kicks off Jurrasic World: Chaos Theory.
Once presumed dead by the known world, Brooklynn goes deep undercover to try to bust dinosaur dealing rings on the mainland through a site known as Dark Jurassic. A close encounter with a fierce allosaurus and a trained group of atrociraptors amputates her left hand and leaves her to recover while infiltrating a new dinosaur liberation group.
RELATED: 3 Animated Shows and 2 Short Films to Watch if You Love Jurassic Park
The Real Deal
Brooklynn’s a natural-born leader, using her natural charisma to lift up the group and bring out the best in them. Though sometimes the source of the drama, the group often looks to her unique life experiences and skill sets to get them out of hard situations. Her crowd-pleasing persona isn’t her greatest asset, though, with her tech-savvy prowess and scientific background rounding out her character arc.
Working as a content creator from such a young age did have some drawbacks, though, as Brooklynn has a hard time pulling away from her phone during the early development of her character. While empathic and supportive of the other campers’ problems, Brooklynn has a hard time letting anyone into hers. Her fierce independence and resourcefulness allow her to excel at practical applications and problem-solving, but navigating interpersonal relationships once the camera shuts off proves difficult for her.
RELATED: Everything Coming to Netflix in November 2024
Why She Matters
Brooklynn is a survivor in more than one sense of the word. Her strong tactical mind and strategic planning back her charming, camera-worthy personality for the ultimate self-preservation ability. From VIP guest to one of the doomed Isla Nublar Six, Brooklynn’s vast range of knowledge and skills come in clutch for the group many times over the five seasons they are trapped on the island.
Brooklynn is also the most emotionally complex character we have across the series arcs, and as an adult, I found her the most relatable in a cast of teens. The audience sees her struggle with self-doubt, PTSD, heartache, a work-life balance and even a forced amputation. While losing a hand changes her character, it doesn’t make Brooklynn weaker. Instead, we see her adapt and even incorporate her missing hand as a strength when on missions.
So, be like Brooklynn. Be adaptable. Elevate those around you. Use your life experiences to your advantage. And when the deck is stacked against you, don’t be afraid to knock it down.
The complete series of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and the first two seasons of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory are streaming exclusively on Netflix.
- F2P Friday: CATS HIDDEN IN CHRISTMAS - December 6, 2024
- AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER: A Gift Guide For All Four Nations - December 2, 2024
- F2P Friday: TRICKY DOORS - November 28, 2024
