Jaime Sommers (The Bionic Woman)

For the character from the 2007 television series, see Jaime Sommers (Bionic Woman).
Jaime Sommers
Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers.
First appearance"The Bionic Woman" (episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, 1975)
Last appearanceBionic Ever After? (TV movie), 1994
Portrayed byLindsay Wagner
Carlena Gower (childhood flashbacks)[1]
In-universe information
AliasThe Bionic Woman
SpeciesHuman
GenderFemale
OccupationSecret agent, schoolteacher, former professional tennis player
SpouseSteve Austin
ChildrenMichael Austin (stepson)

Jaime Sommers is a fictional character from the science fiction action series The Bionic Woman (1976–1978). American actress Lindsay Wagner, who first played the role in the 1970s American television series The Six Million Dollar Man, would continue this role in the spin-off series. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wagner reprised the role in several reunion television films.

Jaime Sommers is a former professional tennis star who suffers near-fatal injuries in a skydiving accident. Following cutting-edge surgery, she becomes the first female cyborg. She is assigned to spy missions as an occasional agent of the Office of Scientific Intelligence, while also teaching middle school students at a local airbase.[2] Through the use of cybernetic implants known as bionics, Jaime is given an amplified bionic ear which allows her to detect sounds, at frequencies outside of the human ability to hear, over uncommonly long distances. She also has extraordinary strength in her bionic right arm and both legs, which enable her to run at speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour.[3]

Jaime is portrayed as the third cyborg, following the astronaut/test pilot Steve Austin and race car driver Barney Hiller (seen in the November 1, 1974, and November 9, 1975, episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man). In the reunion specials, Jaime has become a clinical counselor after retiring from the OSI. She assists Doctor Rudy Wells in training others in the use of their bionics. She trains Austin's son, Michael Austin, and paraplegic Kate Mason to manage their new abilities and counsels them both as a therapist and as someone who faced the same challenges.

In 2004, the character was listed in Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters.[4] AOL named her one of the 100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters.[5]

  1. ^ Episode "Jaime's Mother", March 24, 1976
  2. ^ Some dispute exists over whether the OSI stands for Office of Scientific Information or Office of Strategic Intelligence. This version of the name is per several episodes of season one of The Bionic Woman that explicitly spell out what OSI stands for. Spin-off media, however, such as novels and comic books, have tended to use to Strategic Intelligence version.
  3. ^ Although 60 mph is the most commonly cited running speed for Sommers and Austin, the Bionic Woman episode "Winning is Everything" shows her unambiguously outrunning a race car going 100 mph (a speedometer is shown on screen). The Six Million Dollar Man also established that Austin was capable of exceeding 60, as well.
  4. ^ "Bravo > 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2006.
  5. ^ Potts, Kim (March 2, 2011). "100 Most Memorable Female TV Characters". AOL TV. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2012.