I remember in the early nineties, strong female characters on TV were extremely thin on the ground. Gillian Anderson landed pretty much the only female lead role who was competent and professional, and not just as a label so that when she tripped and fell the hero was saving a competent professional (which is how most shows handled "strong" women up 'til then). I saw her interviewed after getting the role of Scully, and she was very aware that Scully was the only new part on TV at the time that qualified as a strong woman.