How 'The Force Awakens' Heralds A Feminist Future For Star Wars

Though Lucasfilm might still bear Star Wars creator George Lucas's name, there's a new boss in the galaxy: In 2012, Lucas handpicked Kathleen Kennedy, a frequent collaborator and one-time Steven Spielberg production partner, as his successor, handing her the reigns and creative control over the future of the franchise. And with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she's unveiled the female-forward direction the series will pursue both on and off screen. The rumors are true: The Force Awakens' protagonist Rey is a feminist hero, even more awesome and capable than fans could have imagined. The question only remains whether the as-of-yet-untitled Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX will sustain the feminist momentum.

The first moments of The Force Awakens look a lot like the exposition of A New Hope. The protagonist rescues a chirping droid from certain destruction at the hand of scavengers on a barren planet in a galaxy far, far away. That early scene in A New Hope has earned a mythic quality: Luke Skywalker meets his trusty robotic companions R2D2 and C-3PO, with whom he'll traverse the galaxy and tear it from the clutches of the evil Sith. Yet in The Force Awakens, Luke Skywalker's parallel is a young woman named Rey, and her R2 stand-in is a diminutive female droid named BB-8. The Force Awakens doesn't just place its female characters at the center as feminist tokens. The film makes a concerted effort to center women's narratives in front of the camera, and to narrow the gender gap among crew behind the lens.

Female characters haven't been absent from Star Wars in the past, but they've been sidelined or exploited as a way to advance the narratives of their male counterparts. Padme Amidala is a powerful politician, first as a respected leader on her home planet of Naboo and then a thoughtful senator for the Republic, before she marries Anakin Skywalker and becomes a footnote in his descent into evil. Princess Leia fares better, but she's a solo female protagonist in a galaxy populated by men. If The Force Awakens is any indicator, Rey will be no historical footnote in this galaxy or any other — she's successor to both Han Solo as captain of the Millennium Falcon and Luke Skywalker as powerful possessor of the Force.

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