The women of Star Wars

I really think that the women of Star Wars should be given more xposure in the movies. They should have more action roles. So far we have Princesses and Queens doin the role of damsel in distress and having knights and hotshot pilots risking their own necks for the fair ladies. Surely The Flannelled One can come up with better, more feisty characters for the gals. Before you flame me to bits....just think..wouldn't it be even cooler to have more characters like Zam Wezell and Aurra Sing running about loose kicking the $#@% outta the guys? Hah?!
It's more than girl power statement..go on..admit it...you guys would prefer watching Xena over, say...Hercules?

 

Actually, I'm a Gabrielle kinda guy myself.

 

The women warrior bit? Ugh, Leia and Padmé are bad enough... well I stand corrected, Padmé hasn't done anything yet to warrant such a title.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for viva la girl power and all but with today's culture, it's kinda PC. The EU already provides a large variety of women who are strong, fiesty and could probably kick a few arses without breathing hard. What I think would be more refreshing if we get a few women who don't go around blasting things into pieces with large blaster rifles or have explosive tempers. Mara and Leia are already the pinnacle of the warrior women view.

And Padme and Leia are DID's? Well I suppose that's their role, but considering what they've done, they're not your average ones. And oh yeah, I really do believe that Star Wars should show case a few more main female characters too.

Edit: Actually I would like to see how Zam would do in AOTC. She seems like an interesting character.

 

This is why I think Tionne Solusar is so important, because she is a thinker, rather than a blow 'em up type. She is a nurturer, a scholar, and historian. That may not be exciting to some, but I think she deserves more screen time (page time). Maybe I just have a soft spot for gentle silver haired beauties.

 

Ye, yes, the EU has a wide variety of strong female characters but don't you wana SEE them in flesh? In action...well.. not necessarily brandishing blasters or lighsaber but still providing a strong personality...see Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for an example. A gal who has a very strong opinion about everything and not afraid to voice it...also a comic relief from time to time....get what I mean?

 

Ooops..double posted. Anyway..yeah..characters like Tionne is severely overlooked. But I heard that another EU character will be given flesh and blood in Epsd 2. Aayla Secura, I think...
She's a Twilek with amnesia. Hope they show more EU characters in it. Aurra Sing shouls also ahve another cameo in it like in Epsd 1.

 

Sounds like you want more characters like Mara Jade-Skywalker or Leia Organa-Solo, neither of which have much of a problem of letting their feelings be known. The problem you get into here is actually the same problem I have with so many female super heroines and by and large of the main reasons I gave up reading comics in the first place- the women were all bitches.

It began about ten years ago when females went from being heroic to arrogant, almosty overnight, and I blame certain authors and artists- Chris Clairmont springs to mind. When they restarted the Fantastic Four in 1998, the first five issues were great Susan Storm-Richards was as she should be- down to earth and keeping Reed rooted in reality. In issue six, I was half way through Sue's tirade when I stopped reading- I knew instantly that the author from previous issues was not the same, I jumped to the front and saw that it was in fact Chris 'I single handedly ruined the X-Men' Clairmont writing.

A strong female is not only someone who can out swear or out fight anyone else, a strong female character knows when to be strong and when to care and help the people that mean the most- and these two things are not always the same, though they can be. The only female character in comics that I liked when everything else had gone down hill, was Catwoman, largely because she didn't take herself seriously a lot of the time.

Having strong opinions is perhaps less important than realizing that other people have them as well. Being able to kick ass should just be another facet to her personality and not it in its entirety.

 

Er, what SW have you watched Amarice?

Let's consider Leia: Gets captured after shooting a stormtroopper dead, brought face to face with the baddest bastard in thye galaxy and she insults him. Insults his superior, once rescued takes over her escape; the whole time coming out wth insulting one-liners. Come ESB she is briefing rebel pilots on Hoth and leading the rebellion, culminating in the assault on Endor, where she is very handy with a blaster; previously having engaged scout troopers on speeder bikes. Not exactly a weak character!

Second, when GL introduced Leia she was one of a very, very few female characters who were not subservient to the men.

Third, compare Leia with Padme. The latter is often dismissive of the Jedi and is frequently protesting about the plans of qui-Gon Jinn. Sounds similar to Leia in ANH doesn't it? But there is a crucial difference: Leia had a point, when she took over in the detention block it was because she had a plan! It might not have been great but it was what Luke and Han did not have. Padme however whines but has no better idea, she complains to no good effect! Padme is a far weaker and more irritating character than Leia.

Looking back, Leia may seem over the top and a tad harsh with Luke and Han, neither of which were exactly nasty personalities. But, the time excuses these faults. Characters created in the 1990s have no such defence for feminism had secured a few victories by this time. This is why people do object to the standard Girl Power stereotype, because it seems a relic of a bygone age if feminism has been so successful. For the allowance of the strong behaviour exhibited by Leia in ANH was that it was needed for women to get respect from men. Two flaws in applying that theory to SW is: None of the men in SW are nasty enough to justify such behaviour and second, times have changed.

Kier_Nimmion puts the argument very well, it isn't that people object to strong female characters, it is that they object to the type of strength being promoted by those characters; which by promoting certain strengths dismisses other strengths. Again Kier_Nimmion's citing of Tionne Solusar, is she a weak character due to her lack of martial prowess? No has to be the answer.

Jedi Ben

 

How exactly are women like Leia and Padme damsels in distress, Amarice?

As I recall, Leia was the one who ended up rescuing her rescuers, not the other way around. Just look at the movies - She withstood torture, mouthed off to Vader, rescued Luke from Bespin, rescued Han from carbonite, strangled Jabba the Hutt with her bare hands, and led the Rebellion against the Empire...Not typical characteristics of a helpless woman. In fact, Leia was one of the very first women to hit the cinema that was actually take-charge, and many thought her attitude was over the top at the time. Padme is considerably less feisty than Leia, but she shows signs of quiet strength in her scene in the Senate and her protest to Qui-Gon.

Can women are only be viewed as strong and interesting if they can dominate men, both physically and emotionally, act as if they have no emotions except for anger and hostility, and release such emotions in the term of physical violence? Let's try reversing the roles - How would most people feel if the roles were reversed in a TV show or movie - if the main hero showed his "strength" by beating up women whenever he pleased, and treated the women around him as dirt? I suspect it would not be embraced openly. In my opinion, women such as Leia and Padme who bear enormous burdens and responsibilities, help others in need, and use diplomacy or tactfulness rather than physical violence to express their opinion are far stronger than the so-called "bad girls" who perpetuate society nowadays. Such women who act like this I would judge to be secretly insecure and unstable and thus deal with this by trying to be impenetrable.

When the archetype for strong women started with Leia, it was a welcome change; however, now it has become so popular it has been exploited. Such women that serve as role models now in the real world would not be accepted into present day society with their tactlessness and tendency to violence any time something doesn't work out for them. Being able to outfight anyone doesn't make someone strong in my book. There is much more to a woman than her physical strength.

Jedi Iganuas

 

Well, there are a few prominent female jedi characters who will probably get a bit of action in AOTC. Depa Billaba, Yaddle, and that new jedi master and her apprentice (I can't remember their names at the moment) are most likely going to be in the arena fight.

Too bad about Zam Wessel though. What is it with GL and cutting off people's arms. Me thinks he has issues.

 

i want the wome of star wars to have more exposure as well... (hehehe)

 

What kind of exposure exactly?

Mmmmmm.... Natalie.... and the unsung handmaiden Kiera Knightly *drool*

 

Whoa people!!! Stop with the flamin'!!! All I meant was that George should introduce a wider variety of female characters. NO, they all don't have to be bad ass chicks with a huge chip on their shoulders and enjoys kicking the **** outta guys.
Yes, Leia has her inner and physical strength and Padme has very good diplomatic skills. And Shmi is the maternal figure.I'm not bashing em at all. I'm just sayin, that there should be more female characters in the film...it would make the story line much more interesting besides high octane lighsaber duels and pod racings.
I realise that I am up against loyal dedicated fans of Padme and Leia but do keep in mind that I'm not trying to soil their good names. I rather like them ladies...and not in the dirty kind that some of you guys are thinking!!!

There. I've said it. Now don't start with the flamin, you guys...chill *runs for cover like a mad woman*

 

Padme is considerably less feisty than Leia, but she shows signs of quiet strength in her scene in the Senate and her protest to Qui-Gon.

In TPM Padme is a 14 year old child that had recently (six months) before gotten her job. Her people had never known war. Neither had Padme. She went to the school of hard knocks, baby. She landed in smack in the middle of the coup de grace of the ages. She handled herself miraculously well. Leia was raised to be a rebel and a fighter.

Padme's culture is one of refinement and sophistocation. She's not stronger than Leia, as of TPM. She will be. She gives up everything, because she is not selfish. She is smart and insightful, and brave. And a kid. Look for a much more confident and scrappier Padme in EPII and III.

 

Actually I find Padmé a much more stronger character than Leia since she didn't need to go around blasting things and putting down the people around her unless it was necessary like Leia did (Alright, Leia DID need to blast things but Padmé had a bit more prudence when it came to that). She also didn't have the attitude, I don't get why some people say Leia and Padmé are so much a like when those two are light years apart. Sure they're both Senators and asides from a few other things, I think the similiarities stop there.

And yes, I do like to see more female characters on screen, but I don't think it's necessary to introduce more than the needed amount of characters. Of course the OT needed more women but not necessarily in the main lead or do they need to be as feisty as Leia is.

 

Padme is stronger than Leia? I beg to differ. Leia was able to withstand being tortured and mind-probed, was forced to watch as the man she loved was torn from her, left the Rebellion behind to rescue him...

I'd say Leia is pretty damn strong. It angers me to see how Leia is put down and other female characters are hoisted up as "better" because they're prettier, more glamorous, whatever. If I disliked Padme, I could turn your argument around and say she was weak, not willing to fight unless she was forced to. But I don't dislike Padme; I like her and admire how she didn't want to start a war.

She and Leia are in entirely different situations--Leia is in the middle of a galaxy-wide war, Padme is in the middle of a local dispute. I don't think it is fair to say that Padme handles this or that situation better than Leia.

 

Me? Think dirty? Amarice... you know me better than that. [face_innocent]

 

Let's remember that we've only seen Padme in one movie, while we've seen Leia in three. I'm sure we'll get plenty of opportunity to revise our opinions of Padme once AOTC comes out.

 

There was a cool article back in one of the Galaxy magazines about the women of Star Wars. Mostly a lot of EU characters were profiled, but Leia had a nice big chunk. It was neat, and the first time I read about some of the characters. Also, I think it had some of the first art work for some characters.

 

On Padme in AOTC, yes that may be cause for revision...

As it stands though she is a royal pain, forever telling the Jedi they are too reckless; when it is quite likely that it is just that supposed recklessness that has saved her bacon. She criticises for no reason other to criticise, but then perhaps I should cede the floor to our resident guest speaker Spike:

"She's not just your 14-year old sister; she's a fourteen year old hormone bomb."

Jedi Ben

 

Hey, someone told me that Shmi Skywalker will die in Epsd 2. Or was it 3? Anyway, is that true? [face_shocked]
Please please someone who is on the LFN insider thingie tell me if it's true.

 

Amarice, you have shown me the light ! What SW needs is a woman who can bring comic relief !! Give C-3PO a break, allow the Wraiths to run wild and free !!!
<runs away with the flower people >

Actually i think having a person like Anya in SW would be great. Practically evey line of Anya's has me rolling around on the floor. She's even funnier than Spike.

<begins solemn voice>

This is what Star Wars needs. Laughter

 

I hear you, the women need allot more 'action' in the movies.

No seriously, they do deserve better roles. Padme though did do some a$$ kicking in episode 1.

 

Attack of the Clones Spoiler














In AotC we will see the Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu. Here is a woman who is like Tionne. She is a Jedi historian who, from the looks of her, seems very gentle and nurturing while at the same time very firm.














End Spoiler.

 

Yes, I think we should see more women in SW but not necessarily there to kick the #$%@ out of men. Women would liven up the movie, just look at what the TV show "ALIAS" has done so far. She (Sydney) is a good character that gets down and dirty and kicks some major butt! Adding someone like that to the GFFA would only make it better. I personally would like to see more of Shada Du'Kal (sp), I think she would fit that role perfect.