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 in geeky media and creators as well. They are a prime example of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers from For All Mankind, particularly Danielle Poole‘s arc.
Danielle Poole
Fast Facts
Commander Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall) is a retired (we now assume) NASA astronaut who spent 33 years of her life dedicated to space exploration. Not much is known about her formative/adolescent years. On October 27, 1970, Danielle became one of the first female astronauts and the first Black astronaut. At this point, Danielle is married to her first husband, Clayton Poole (Edwin Hodge), who served in the Vietnam War.
Season 1
In Season 1, Danielle joins Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) and Gordo Stevens (Michael Dorman) on the Jamestown base on the Moon. The guys are in awe of Danielle’s advanced knowledge of pop culture and entertainment. They all bond over watching The Bob Newhart Show, which gives birth to their forever inside joke — saying “Hi, Bob” whenever they see each other.
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Next, Danielle intentionally breaks her arm to protect Gordo, who is slowly unraveling while on Jamestown. She understands what will happen to his career if he goes home because of a mental breakdown.
Season 2
In Season 2, Clayton, having returned from the Vietnam War with severe PTSD, unfortunately commits suicide. Danielle clashes with his sister while bringing over a box of his belongings. On the NASA front, Danielle becomes the face of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, a historic event showcasing peace between the US and the Soviets. Despite troubles with the docking maneuver, Danielle’s ship attaches to the Soviet vessel, wherein she shakes hands with Stepan (Nikola Djuricko) for a photo op.
Season 3
In Season 3, Danielle is married to Corey Johnson (Sean Patrick Thomas) and has a stepson, Isaiah (Justice). A new horizon dawns for NASA as they gear up to set foot on Mars. Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt) names Danielle the commander of Sojourner 1. When the Soviet ship, also bound for Mars, encounters mechanical problems, Danielle and her crew take them aboard. Subsequently, she becomes the first woman on Mars.
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Unfortunately, she and her team spend over a year on the Red Planet with little resources before they’re rescued. She’s there to assist when the group sends Ed’s daughter, Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu), back to the orbiting Phoenix to give birth. Additionally, Danielle makes the tough call of exiling Danny Stevens (Casey W. Johnson) from the Mars base after he causes a devastating tragedy, resulting in the loss of life.
Season 4
In Season 4, Eli Hobson (Daniel Stern) begs Danielle to come out of retirement to command the now-booming Happy Valley base on Mars following the failed asteroid capture mission. While serving as commander, Danielle butts heads with Ed, who doesn’t like that she’s in charge. When the Helios workers go on strike, Danielle does what she can to placate them.
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Later, Danielle oversees the Mars side of the latest asteroid capture mission. Ed and the Helios CEO Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) hijack the plan to capture the asteroid Goldilocks for Earth, instead sending it to Mars to mine the iridium there. This results in a violent fight between the Helios workers and the senior staff on Happy Valley. Unfortunately, Danielle is shot during said fight. Thankfully, she survives and returns to Earth to reunite with her family and meet her granddaughter.
The Real Deal
Danielle is a boundary breaker. She has smashed so many glass ceilings, from being one of the first female astronauts to being the first Black astronaut at NASA. She helped establish the Jamestown base on the Moon. Additionally, she became the first woman to set foot on Mars. She’s a decorated commander who’s overseen a sprawling Martian base and a Mars mission fraught with peril. Danielle boasts a history-making career with the immense intellect and courage to match.
Danielle has had to overcome gender and racial barriers amid her tenure at NASA. She’s addressed racism head-on and called it out for what it is. Danielle doesn’t stand by while discrimination takes the front seat. She doesn’t tolerate it, nor should she.
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In addition, Danielle is kindness and sunshine personified. She’s incredibly warm. She’s a selfless, natural-born leader who ensures her crew takes precedence before anything that could truly endanger them. Danielle is intelligent, resourceful and wholly capable of surviving under intense, life-threatening conditions — she’s done it multiple times on the show. She’s also tenacious and not easily deterred when she sets her mind to something. Her strength never wavers through it all, even when she feels the weight of her responsibilities.
Why She Matters
Danielle Poole is the textbook definition of “badass.” History books in the For All Mankind timeline will dedicate chapters to her. I’d argue that she’s had the most lasting impact (alongside Ed) regarding career achievements and her contributions to space exploration. She’s a multifaceted, talented Black woman who handles more than she should have to because of racism/misogyny and rises victorious as a steadfast NASA commander.
So, be like Danielle. Be brave, even when the odds are stacked against you. Lead your team as best as you can. Set an example for those around you. Stand up for what’s right. Oh, and keep your TV sitcom knowledge sharp. You never know when you’ll encounter a Bob or two.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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