When the newest installment in the Star Wars franchise dropped, so did my mouth at all the amazing representation in the film. Not only are there some great examples of POC heroes and three-dimensional villains, but there were some truly talented and strong female characters. Let’s take a look at three of our stellar ladies. Oh, and there are major spoilers ahead!
Rey
Rey, portrayed by Daisy Ridley, is the main character in the film. Yes, you heard me right, The main character in a Star Wars film is a woman! Not only that, but she is a total BAMF.
Rey, who was abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku, has grown up supporting herself as a scavenger. In order to survive, she’s taught herself how to speak several different languages—including how to understand droids, how to pilot different crafts to navigate the planet and how to repair mechanical equipment like the AT-AT she repurposes as living space and the Millennium Falcon that she uses to escape with Finn. Speaking of Finn, in the time of crisis at their first meeting, she is the one to keep her head and decide what to do—he needs to hold her hand!
Later in the film, when Rey and the others visit Maz, Luke’s—and formally Anakin’s—lightsaber calls to her. The “Force Awakens” in her as she is the first new Jedi in years, at least since Luke left. As they begin to leave, the First Order strikes and she is taken prisoner by Kylo Ren. He ruthlessly uses the Force to try to get information about the map to Luke from Rey but she parries with her own use of the Force. She is able to keep him out of her mind for an extended period of time and then Force-controls a Stormtrooper into freeing her and giving her his weapon. Her use of the Force is incredible and so strong with no training, whereas most Jedi need years of training to have even a fraction of her power.
In the end of the movie, the final battle is a lightsaber duel between Rey and Kylo Ren (revealed to actually be Ben Solo). She is able to use the Force to get Luke’s lightsaber, a desired possession for Kylo, after Finn is proven to be an unfit opponent for him. Using her history in fighting on Jakku with a quarterstaff—a melee weapon—Rey is able to hold her ground against a heavily trained Kylo. She eventually is able to outsmart him and outmatch him, leaving a scar across his face. Their fight is interrupted as the planet begins to break down, which does not allow Rey to finish off her opponent.
Rey is a breath of fresh air in a world where action and adventure movies are constantly driven by male leads. She is strong, smart, and skilled in a world that she dominates. And, before you say anything, she is no “Mary Sue.”
Princess General Leia Organa
Leia Organa, depicted by everyone’s favorite space mom, Carrie Fisher, is back, and she is here to kick butt and take names.
The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the original trilogy and Leia is still captaining the resistance. Acting as General, she has many people under her command.
It is revealed that her brother, Luke Skywalker, has been missing for years and she has been soldiering on without him and in search of him. Leia sends her best pilot, Poe Dameron, to recover a piece of the map to Luke. Even after years of separation for her brother, she does not give up hope of finding him.
When she gets the map, she is reunited with Han Solo as he helps deliver it. They talk about their son, the villain Kylo Ren, and how his turn to the Dark Side pushed them apart. Do you see this, people? This woman was left by brother, her son and her lover at about the same time! And still, Leia still continued on. She was never once tempted to turn Dark and continued to fight for what she believes in.
One of the strongest characters in the movie, she now has to carry on with the death of Han at the hands of their own son. If there is anyone to look up to in this movie, it is Leia who proves that you can experience tragedies and still be strong.
(P.S.: She also shows that moms can kick ass, too!)
Maz Kanata
Maz, voiced and motion captured by Lupita Nyong’o, is introduced when Rey, Finn, Han and Chewie go to see her for help getting to the Resistance. She is shown to be a successful smuggler and business woman who can find basically anything in the galaxy that someone could want. As she should be—she’s been doing it for 1,000 years! A Yoda-type figure, she is shown to be one of the wiser characters in the film, offering advice to several of the film’s main characters.
She is revealed to be Force sensitive when she explains to Rey the history behind the lightsaber that she has kept safe for many years. Although she was never a Jedi, she can feel the energy radiate through her and Rey. Maz encourages Rey to accept her abilities and offers guidance on the subject.
Maz is shown to be an extremely intelligent woman and a mentor to her peers. And, when a battle breaks out on her planet, she helps kick butt, too. Maz is definitely a great female character!