“This is some recuse,” are the infamous words that Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia Organa said as she realized that her rescue party (Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca) were incredibly inept to do their job. It was the start of a trope that Star Wars would be using for the entirety of its existence — strong female characters.
However, in the words of George Lucas at Star Wars Celebration 2017, “She’s not just a person you put guys clothes on, and she becomes a hero.” His statement was a memorial for the late Carrie Fisher, but also a reflection of the filmmaker’s mindset when conceptualizing the character. Star Wars began its legacy with actively engaged female characters, and that notion has evolved as the franchise reaches 44 years of age.
At the dawn of the brand’s inception, Star Wars was a trailblazer in how it handled its approach to filmmaking. The original film pioneered in many aspects, becoming the first movie to use visual and special effects on a large scale or storytelling that uses the tropes and psychological underpinning of myths to unravel its tale.
One of the most significant and impressive feats that the franchise executed was its ability to write women characters who stood their ground on par with or even better than the men they were alongside — especially during the ‘70s when strong female characters were not a commonplace occurrence. As an audience, Star Wars has been setting us on a path for a strong representation of women on the silver screen since Princess Leia took charge of her own rescue. Characters like Leia were hard to come by, yet she started a trend in the Star Wars universe that evolved even further than anticipated and is still used to this day.
Today Star Wars is full of a cast of diverse female characters. Whether they be noble Jedi or the underling of a Sith Lord, the way Star Wars has evolved in their approach to their female characters has become very different than what it was in the Original Trilogy. It is truly inspiring to see a company take a risk on a new character and make her the focal point of the latest trilogy.
Although not just a random trilogy, the sequel trilogy needed to close out 42 years of storytelling that started with a farm boy; there is something utterly poetic about the story ending with a scavenger girl. Rey is the culmination of what Leia represented at the start of the series and every female lead in ancillary Star Wars material. Whether it be Queen Padme Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Cara Dune, Bo-Katan, or Satine Kryze, they all helped pave the way for a woman to lead a trilogy of films.
It is a monument to the public’s acceptance and that the era of only male leads is in the past. What is so exciting about the Star Wars era that is currently underway at Lucasfilm Ltd. is the prospect that audiences will not only be treated to stories about familiar characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own Disney+ series, but that they will also be allowed to experience Ahsoka in her own show where she takes center stage.
It is an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. Not only do fans have the upcoming film, television and video game slate to look forward to, but also can be energized by their initiative to enrich their IP with more female characters in leading roles.
