The Women of Star Wars (and Sci-Fi)

This week saw the release of not only The Force Awakens on Blu-ray but also, the trailer for Rogue One. That’s a pretty good week for Star Wars fans. But, wait… there’s a disturbance in the force. Apparently there’s a contingent of Star Wars ‘fanboys’ who are quite livid at the prospect of another Star Wars film coming out with a FEMALE LEAD character. This has really got me boiling inside for a number of reasons [which I will get to throughout this blog]. Before that, I will simply say: this trailer has me [perhaps] more excited for this December than I was for LAST December! Rogue One looks dramatic, engaging, serious in tone, and adventurous. I am anxious to see the full might of the Empire bearing down on the galaxy —  as it appears that’s what we’re going to get in this film. I cannot explain why, but Rogue One looks to be even more Star Wars than The Force Awakens was! Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it and based on that trailer, it appears as though Gareth Edwards is going to deliver a hell of a film.
But back to my initial gripe, of these Fanboys who have their underoos in a bunch over Felicity Jones’ character Jyn. I’m not sure what upsets me more, that my peers, my fellow Star Wars fans are being misogynistic, and biased against women, or that they are going to bemoan a Star Wars film BECAUSE the lead character IS a woman. It’s both insulting and bigoted. It has always been my opinion that fans of Science Fiction are fans of ALL Science Fiction and therefore, fans of it all. Be it: Dr. Who, Star Trek, Isaac Asimov or any other sci-fi that has come out in the last fifty years. I have always considered myself a fan of all Sci-Fi and if there’s one constant that’s always permeated the genre, it’s that WOMEN have always been strong and active participants.

Gene Roddenberry, in all his permutations of Star Trek over the generations have always had strong female characters. Sigourney Weaver’s ‘Ripley’ in the “Aliens” franchise is as strong of a female lead you could ask for. Linda Hamilton’s ‘Sarah Connor’ in the “Terminator 2” film set the bar for ass kicking female sci-fi leads in the nineties. While I was never a fan of videogames, I seem to recall Tomb Raider’s ‘Lara Croft’ being universally lusted after. Should I go back further to “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” and Erin Gray’s ‘Colonel Wilma Deering’? She was a pilot AND a colonel. I could easily go on and on, but I think I have made my point. Any upstanding fan of science fiction, regardless of which franchise, if your favorite has had or still does have a woman or women in LEAD roles. This sudden disdain or reaction to Rey or Jyn in these recent Star Wars films really appalls me.

 

Let’s take another quick history lesson; in 1977 when A New Hope was released, the first time we meet Leia, she is defiantly raising a blaster and firing on Stormtroopers. She subsequently stands up to Vader when apprehended, then exhibits the same behavior towards Tarkin. When Han & Leia attempt to rescue her with no clear escape plan, SHE steps up and thinking on her feet, figures it out. I think it’s quite clear that the first Star Wars film established a strong, confident female presence. While Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill may have been the stars, I think Carrie Fisher shared in that title equally. Leia was no less of a slouch for the remaining two films in the original trilogy. She stood her ground until the last moments during the attack on Hoth and only retreated when she had to. When betrayed by Lando she was more than willing to let Chewie choke him out. Lastly, she strangulated Jabba the Hutt to death with her slave chains. I think it’s fair to say, she’s a strong female role model.
While the prequels are still reviled by many fans, if there’s one thing that carried over, it was the presence of another strong woman. This time, it was Padme Amidala. She was just as aggressive, defiant, and daring. Whether it was as queen renouncing the Trade Federation, standing up to pressure in the senate, or fighting alongside Obi-Wan and Anakin in the arena on Geonosis, Padme was perhaps, even more cunning than her future offspring Leia.

Of course, this past December we were introduced to Rey. I, along with my 13-year-old daughter, were enamored with her. Daisy Ridley brought this character to life and made her shine. Even my wife, who despises sci-fi, thought she was an excellent role model for young girls. Also forgotten is this fact, Disney (which now owns Lucasfilm & Star Wars) has a long tradition of making movies with Female leads, whether animated or live action!

Jyn Erso appears to be just as compelling as all of these other women of Star Wars. But to hear fans complain about a woman being the lead is downright atrocious. Was The Force Awakens diminished by Rey being the lead? I don’t think so. Hollywood for decades turned out plenty of films where men were the leads and women were either victims or put in the background. This past year alone saw some amazing female lead roles. Charlize Theron as ‘Furiosa’ in “Fury Road”, Alicia Vikander in “Ex Machina,” Britt Robertson in “Tomorrowland” (which was especially motivating for both STEM and young women) and Jennifer Lawrence’s last turn as ‘Katniss’ in the “Hunger Games” franchise. So to listen to fanboys complaining about women in lead roles is quite a huge disappointment, especially when you consider the box office amount, two of those films garnered, while the other two received high critical praise.

It’s ironic, the same fanboys & sci-fi guys that likely wished they had girlfriends, are now  the ones whining about women in leading roles. Good grief, get a grip gentlemen. If you long for the heyday of 80’s action stars, I’m sure you’ve got those DVDs in your collection too. Go watch them. Hell, I like those films too, but I’ve also matured enough over the years to appreciate that whatever sex the lead is in a film does not dictate its failure or success. There’s been plenty of movies with big name male stars that have tanked badly. It’s been almost 100 years since the Little Rascal boys had their ‘he-man women haters’ club, let’s not go back down that path.

The Cantina Cast

The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!

*I’m a jack of many trades, but master of none; though I excel at drawing, writing and love photography. Aside from this blog I also review movies weekly in my column ‘Film Unfiltered’ for the Valley Breeze in Northern RI. You can find me on Facebook at teburke3, Twitter & Instagram: .MTFBWY, Tom