You know how sometimes you get half-sick? You know what I'm talking about. When you're just kind of sick, when your head hurts and your stomach feels off and repetitive noises and the smell of meat make you want to either throw up or punch a hole in the wall. Great for taking care of kids (dripping with sarcasm). That's how I feel right now, people, just so you know. Because I know you're curious.
So the hype of Star Wars VIII has kind of died down. Maybe because of that X-Files twist on Wednesday (WHHAATT?!). Or maybe because people are over-stimulated by the complexity of Kylo Ren (let's all give a hearty laugh here). But I've found it interesting in conversations that some people absolutely hate the old movies but love the new ones. One of the reasons an anonymous woman recently gave was that Leia wasn't a strong female role model and that Rey was. Another talked about the overt sexualization of Leia. I decided to conduct a short survey on their different roles and found a few interesting things out:
1. Most Star Wars watchers (especially those that still go to the movies) are either Gen X-ers or Millennials. I guess it shouldn't be that surprising, seeing as how Gen-Xers were born 1961-1981.
2. 67 % of respondents thought that Leia and Rey were pretty equal. 25% thought Leia was a stronger female role, and 8% thought Rey was stronger. Since this didn't hold up with my predictions, I'm making a new one: Those who love Rey above all else are more vocal about it than those that don't.
3. Two very smart people pointed out that Rey and Leia aren't the only female roles in Star Wars. One mentioned they loved Jyn Erso and the other admired Ahsoka Tano. Which drew my attention, because I LOVE both of these characters. It makes me want to create a new survey, but I'm kind of on a time constraint (thank you, school).
4. 20% or respondents were male, and I didn't even expect them to take this survey. Well done, males! We love you!
5. The "sexy" Leia thing did come up. One respondent that said Rey was a better role model because Leia was too sexy. Just one.
What to make of this:
First, it seemed like many people agreed that Leia was more secure with herself. She didn't feel the need to prove anything to anybody, which makes sense. As one person said, she did have a "stable upbringing," whereas Rey did not. Leia knew the Rebels were in trouble and wasn't afraid to find Obe-wan Kenobi to ask for help. She didn't go to him for help because he was a man, but because he was a Jedi. Sure, she had a stubborn, passionate energy with Han. It was a great love story, and I don't think it made her less of a role model. You also need to consider that this movie came out in 1975. Maybe the audiences were mostly male at the time (that's changed drastically), but don't you think it's good that they saw Leia in this context?
Second, and my "Okay, okay, let's talk about the sexy thing," is the sexy thing. Leia does show a sexualized side at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, something probably partially done to bring more men into the theater. But I can't help but see the hidden message in this whole thing. Notice that the only time Princess Leia wears the sexy outfit (hardly anything, let's be honest) is when she's enslaved? That's right. I think there's a message, whether obvious or not, about treating women as objects and what it does to them. For those of you that don't like her for this reason, maybe you can look at it another way.
One of the survey takers also mentioned that it seems like the last two movies are geared toward a female audience. They'd be right. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. What I don't like is that the messages are right up front, like the only reason for making more Star Wars movies was to throw in a female character that could kick butt, with or without training. Since I've given myself away, I do have a problem with Rey. It's not that I hate the new Star Wars, because I don't. There are things about it that I love. But the messages of good versus evil are kind of lost underneath the feminist, cultural reprimands thrown at the audience. I don't feel like fiction in general is a good place for this blatant preachiness. I love Finn's character, too, and I think his adventure with Rose on Cantonica would have been even more effective if they didn't make it so apparent. The first Star Wars also had messages of the 99 versus the 1 percent, but they were given strength in their stories (Tatooine, slave trades, etc.) instead of losing strength in their master-of-the-obvious comments (Rose has to explain to Finn why the kids need to be freed).
Again, I can't get on board with Rey. While I did like her better in the 8th movie, I still don't understand her very well. I guess I don't know that much about her, and finding out her parents were awful people didn't change anything. She seems just as emotional as Kylo Ren; neither character is complex, but openly flat and overly emotional. This is just my opinion, so say what you must, just don't get angry here. This is a safe place.
I wanted to touch on a few other characters that show strong female roles in the whole Star Wars conglomerate. I may also comment how I would like to see more roles like this (or see them brought into the ninth movie, which would be awesome, even though I have no control over it whatsoever).
Ahsoka Tano
She is one of my all-time favorite characters. If you don't know who she is, then you haven't seen Clone Wars, the movie-turned-TV series with a six-season run on Cartoon Network. Ahsoka is head-strong, stubborn, and a seeker of truth. She's perfectly suited as Anakin's padawan, because she'll occasionally bend the rules, especially if she feels the moral advantages outweigh the consequences. Her risks sometimes get her into trouble, but she's not afraid of doing what needs to be done. I was so excited when I found out she returned in Star Wars Rebels.
Jyn Erso:
Now here's a story I can get behind. After years of tragedy and hardship, she doesn't trust anyone. But she's able to overcome that with Cassian, and although he's not trustworthy at first, the two of them work together, side by side in the end, to get the plans for the Death Star to the Rebels. Funnily enough, when I first saw the trailer for Rogue One I was worried. It seemed so cheesy. I changed my mind once I saw it. Incredible show. Not to mention the moment General Syndulla is beckoned to Yavin 4. Which brings me to...
Captain (soon to be General) Syndulla:
Her no-nonsense, organized approach to the rebellion is what keeps the rag-tag group of people together through Star Wars Rebels. She's kind of like a parent who maintains the ship and takes care of everybody.
And finally, Mon Mothma:
She's the leader of the Galactic Senate's Loyalist faction, and was the head-figure in the Rebellion when the first movie came out. Star Wars got it before society did, guys. They had a woman leader; a very smart, capable woman who was respected by the alliance. Woman for president! (I don't know, too much?)
I know that as a society, we aren't quiet there yet. Women are not treated equal , and blacks are not seen as equal with whites. Growing up privileged is disturbing to those growing up poor. These are messages that are important and need to be seen. But there is an effectiveness in subtlety. Charles Dickens believed his fiction had more power than politics ever would. C.S. Lewis knew there was more truth in fiction because of the elements any given writer needed to create a piece of powerful fiction. If Star Wars could take that idea and change it into something less didactic, I think we will have an effective and entertaining Star Wars IV on our hands.
So the hype of Star Wars VIII has kind of died down. Maybe because of that X-Files twist on Wednesday (WHHAATT?!). Or maybe because people are over-stimulated by the complexity of Kylo Ren (let's all give a hearty laugh here). But I've found it interesting in conversations that some people absolutely hate the old movies but love the new ones. One of the reasons an anonymous woman recently gave was that Leia wasn't a strong female role model and that Rey was. Another talked about the overt sexualization of Leia. I decided to conduct a short survey on their different roles and found a few interesting things out:
1. Most Star Wars watchers (especially those that still go to the movies) are either Gen X-ers or Millennials. I guess it shouldn't be that surprising, seeing as how Gen-Xers were born 1961-1981.
2. 67 % of respondents thought that Leia and Rey were pretty equal. 25% thought Leia was a stronger female role, and 8% thought Rey was stronger. Since this didn't hold up with my predictions, I'm making a new one: Those who love Rey above all else are more vocal about it than those that don't.
3. Two very smart people pointed out that Rey and Leia aren't the only female roles in Star Wars. One mentioned they loved Jyn Erso and the other admired Ahsoka Tano. Which drew my attention, because I LOVE both of these characters. It makes me want to create a new survey, but I'm kind of on a time constraint (thank you, school).
4. 20% or respondents were male, and I didn't even expect them to take this survey. Well done, males! We love you!
5. The "sexy" Leia thing did come up. One respondent that said Rey was a better role model because Leia was too sexy. Just one.
What to make of this:
First, it seemed like many people agreed that Leia was more secure with herself. She didn't feel the need to prove anything to anybody, which makes sense. As one person said, she did have a "stable upbringing," whereas Rey did not. Leia knew the Rebels were in trouble and wasn't afraid to find Obe-wan Kenobi to ask for help. She didn't go to him for help because he was a man, but because he was a Jedi. Sure, she had a stubborn, passionate energy with Han. It was a great love story, and I don't think it made her less of a role model. You also need to consider that this movie came out in 1975. Maybe the audiences were mostly male at the time (that's changed drastically), but don't you think it's good that they saw Leia in this context?
Second, and my "Okay, okay, let's talk about the sexy thing," is the sexy thing. Leia does show a sexualized side at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, something probably partially done to bring more men into the theater. But I can't help but see the hidden message in this whole thing. Notice that the only time Princess Leia wears the sexy outfit (hardly anything, let's be honest) is when she's enslaved? That's right. I think there's a message, whether obvious or not, about treating women as objects and what it does to them. For those of you that don't like her for this reason, maybe you can look at it another way.
One of the survey takers also mentioned that it seems like the last two movies are geared toward a female audience. They'd be right. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. What I don't like is that the messages are right up front, like the only reason for making more Star Wars movies was to throw in a female character that could kick butt, with or without training. Since I've given myself away, I do have a problem with Rey. It's not that I hate the new Star Wars, because I don't. There are things about it that I love. But the messages of good versus evil are kind of lost underneath the feminist, cultural reprimands thrown at the audience. I don't feel like fiction in general is a good place for this blatant preachiness. I love Finn's character, too, and I think his adventure with Rose on Cantonica would have been even more effective if they didn't make it so apparent. The first Star Wars also had messages of the 99 versus the 1 percent, but they were given strength in their stories (Tatooine, slave trades, etc.) instead of losing strength in their master-of-the-obvious comments (Rose has to explain to Finn why the kids need to be freed).
Again, I can't get on board with Rey. While I did like her better in the 8th movie, I still don't understand her very well. I guess I don't know that much about her, and finding out her parents were awful people didn't change anything. She seems just as emotional as Kylo Ren; neither character is complex, but openly flat and overly emotional. This is just my opinion, so say what you must, just don't get angry here. This is a safe place.
I wanted to touch on a few other characters that show strong female roles in the whole Star Wars conglomerate. I may also comment how I would like to see more roles like this (or see them brought into the ninth movie, which would be awesome, even though I have no control over it whatsoever).
Ahsoka Tano
Jyn Erso:
Captain (soon to be General) Syndulla:
And finally, Mon Mothma:
I know that as a society, we aren't quiet there yet. Women are not treated equal , and blacks are not seen as equal with whites. Growing up privileged is disturbing to those growing up poor. These are messages that are important and need to be seen. But there is an effectiveness in subtlety. Charles Dickens believed his fiction had more power than politics ever would. C.S. Lewis knew there was more truth in fiction because of the elements any given writer needed to create a piece of powerful fiction. If Star Wars could take that idea and change it into something less didactic, I think we will have an effective and entertaining Star Wars IV on our hands.
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