Gender Doesn’t Matter In ‘Star Wars’, Says ‘Ahsoka’ Actress

in Star Wars

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in the 'Ahsoka' trailer

Credit: Lucasfilm

Ahead of the release of Disney+’s highly-anticipated Ahsoka series, one franchise newcomer is getting honest about her thoughts on female representation in Star Wars.

Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in her own solo series
Credit: Lucasfilm

When it comes to the galaxy far, far away, women have always played a pivotal role in the series. From the fearless Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) to Naboo’s courageous leader, Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), to more recently, the fierce Rey Palpatine (Daisy Ridley), Star Wars is one of few sci-fi franchises to have featured consistently strong female characters from the start.

While it might’ve taken a little more time to introduce other female heroes to the Star Wars universe, Leia could always square off against her male counterparts, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and even proved a worthy adversary to Jabba the Hutt—even though George Lucas might’ve made her wear a particularly revealing bikini while doing so. Star Wars isn’t perfect, after all.

Princess Leia in a white gown and hood in A New Hope
Credit: Lucasfilm

Still, Leia was, and continues to be, a groundbreaking character, as her gender identity hardly played a role in her goals, actions, and personal arc throughout the series. Razor-sharp and quick with a blaster, Leia was just another one of the Original Trilogy’s main heroes, driving home the importance of writing authentic, well-rounded characters no matter what gender they may identify with.

Recently, Ahsoka star Mary Elizabeth Winstead praised Star Wars for “starting a trend” with Leia back in the 1970s, saying that “gender doesn’t matter” at this point because these iconic characters “transcend gender in that way.”

Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla in Ahsoka
Credit: Lucasfilm

Speaking with The Wrap at this year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, Winstead, who’s set to play fan-favorite Star Wars Rebels character Hera Syndulla in Ahsoka, explained how she initially didn’t think twice about the show’s predominantly female-led cast:

I was saying to Rosario [Dawson] that I really didn’t even notice until we had been shooting for a little while — that it was such a female-led show — because we never commented on it.

rosario dawson dual lightsabers ahsoka
Credit: Lucasfilm

With Dawson starring as the titular ex-Jedi, Winstead as the fearless star pilot, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Mandalorian Sabine Wren, the Dave Filoni-helmed Ahsoka show certainly is geared up to feature women in the lead. Instead of pointing this out, however, Winstead explained that “it was just Star Wars,” and that’s what’s “really revolutionary:”

It was just ‘Star Wars’. We’re just all here making Star Wars. So one day, I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Wait a second. This is really amazing.’ So there’s something really revolutionary to me about the fact that we didn’t even need to talk about it.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren in Ahsoka
Credit: Lucasfilm

She acknowledged that with Leia, Star Wars kicked off a trend where characters “transcended gender,” creating a new norm for movies and TV projects:

‘Star Wars’ started a trend starting with Princess Leia and has continued and it has grown and it’s grown to the point where now, that sort of doesn’t really matter, gender doesn’t matter. It’s ‘Star Wars’. We’re all in this together. So there’s something really special about being a part of something like that, that we don’t really need to call attention to it. Because these characters transcend gender in that way.

In recent years, Disney has found itself in hot water thanks to its hit-or-miss approach to diversity and inclusion in both its Parks and its theatrical releases. Star Wars, in particular, felt the wrath of frustrated fans following Rey’s introduction in the Sequel Trilogy, with the character seemingly unable to please everyone. Some found her a poor example of female representation, saying Rey could apparently “do no wrong” in the movies. Others were probably just hesitant to see male characters more or less take the backseat for once, due to their own biases and preconceptions.

Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

It’s safe to say Star Wars and many other franchises still have work to do when it comes to creating fleshed-out female characters. Achieving a gold standard of diversity and representation should always be an ongoing goal for any series. Still, Winstead is correct in saying that Leia, Hera, Ahsoka Tano, and other leading ladies throughout Star Wars’ history have all been revolutionary in their own right, and hopefully, this positive representation will carry over into the Ahsoka series when it arrives on Disney+ this fall.

Are you looking forward to seeing Hera Syndulla make her live-action debut in Ahsoka? Let us know in the comments below.

in Star Wars

Comments Off on Gender Doesn’t Matter In ‘Star Wars’, Says ‘Ahsoka’ Actress