Dr. Ellie Sattler is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise, serving as the secondary protagonist of the 1993 film adaptation, a minor-yet-influential character in Jurassic Park III, and one of the two main protagonists (Alongside Owen Grady) in Jurassic World Dominion. She is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation, casting Laura Dern as Sattler and giving the character a more substantial role compared to the novel. She is a paleobotanist in both the novel and its film adaptation. In the novel, she is a student of Dr. Alan Grant. For the film, Spielberg made them a romantic couple, with Sam Neill portraying Grant.
Novel[]
In the first novel, Sattler is a paleobotanist and graduate student who is studying under paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant. John Hammond's investors demand that he bring experts to his island, Isla Nublar, to certify the safety of a new theme park he is building there called Jurassic Park. Grant and Sattler agree to Hammond's invitation to tour the park, in exchange for $50,000 of funding for the dig site. They are awestruck to learn that Hammond has cloned living dinosaurs.
Although Sattler is initially thrilled to see the park, she finds poisonous plants in public areas and near swimming pools, and is angered by how little attention the staff has given to reproducing prehistoric plant life. After a tour, the rest of the group returns to the Visitor Center while Sattler stays with veterinarian Dr. Harding, to take pictures of a sick Stegosaurus. The dinosaurs eventually escape, and after a Tyrannosaurus attack, Sattler helps Harding care for Dr. Ian Malcolm's injuries. During a Velociraptor assault on the Visitor Center, Sattler uses herself as bait to distract the pack of raptors trying to get into the lodge.
In the novel, it is stated that she plans to marry a Chicago doctor sometime the following year. She is briefly mentioned in Michael Crichton's sequel novel, The Lost World, in which she is now known as Ellie Sattler Reiman. It is stated that she married a physicist and gives guest lectures at his workplace, University of California, Berkeley, while raising two young children.
Films[]
Jurassic Park[]
Main article: Jurassic Park (film)
The film adaptation of Jurassic Park generally uses the same story and characters as the novel, though with some differences. In particular, it depicts Sattler in a relationship with Grant, rather than being his graduate student. She wants to have a child, but Grant is resistant to the idea of starting a family. Over the course of the film, he warms up to Hammond's grandchildren and protects them. Malcolm flirts with Sattler on several occasions, to the annoyance of Grant.
Jurassic Park III[]
Main article: Jurassic Park III
Ellie has a minor role in Jurassic Park III. She and Grant ended their relationship some time after the first film, but remain close friends. She is now married to Mark, an employee of the U.S. State Department, and she is in the process of writing a book. They have two children, including a three-year-old boy named Charlie and a baby. Grant has continued his Velociraptor research, which he discusses with Ellie while visiting her, which implies by their conversation that she is traumatized by her encounter with them at Jurassic Park. Later, Grant contacts Ellie for help after he and others become stranded on Isla Sorna.