Jan 8, 2023
RANDOM QUESTION SUNDAY 006 "Who is the most important female character in the STAR WARS movies? And why?"
Hello all! The Corellian Korean here to share my thoughts on today's RANDOM QUESTION SUNDAY. The question is:
Who is the most important female character in the STAR WARS movies? And why?
This was a question posed by someone very dear to me. She was worried that this was a "dumb question". I reassured her that there are no dumb questions when it comes to all things Star Wars. We here at Star Wars News Korea welcome all who are curious about the galaxy far far away. So let's get on with the show!
This is a challenging question, there are many female characters in the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, this question is directed at female characters that only appeared in films. So I have to exclude characters that did not appear in the Original Trilogy and the Prequel Trilogy which includes fan favorites like Ahsoka Tano, Bo Katan, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Omega, Fennec Shand, and many more. The Star Wars universe has many female characters that kickass and then some. Maybe I will revisit this question of "Top 10 greatest female characters in all of Star Wars" in a future post. But for now we will focus only on the movies that George Lucas made.
Two female characters that stand out the most when it comes to the movies. They are Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan and Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo.
SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen the Star Wars films yet. Most of you have seen the films already but just out of respect, this is your only warning before I talk about the TOP female character of the STAR WARS films.
You have been warned.
First let me talk about Padme Amidala. Fans call Amidala by her first name, Padme, so I will do as such. Padme is the birth mother of Leia Organa but dies after giving birth. In the Prequels, Padme is elected Queen of the planet Naboo. She is the female lead and the love interest of Anakin Skywalker in the Prequel Trilogy: STAR WAR EPISODE I to III. Her character sets the tone of the THE PHANTOM MENACE, her planet is invaded by the Trade Federation. To resolve the conflict, Padme seeks the aid of the Republic Senate to resolve the invasion. But the Senate is slow to react and ineffective. So with the help of the two Jedi, Obi-wan Kenobi and Qui-gon Jinn, she tries to liberate her planet by forging an alliance with the natives of Naboo, the Gungans. Together with the Gungans and the two Jedi, Padme manages to defeat the Trade Federation and free Naboo. Padme shows great leadership and unyielding courage to save her people during this challenging time. Later, she becomes the Senator of Naboo and secretly marries Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Padme is not just a politician, she is also a trained marksman who is not afraid to get her hands dirty. She will lead by example and fight in the thick of skirmishes. Even in the Senate, she becomes a respected figure and does not stand down for what she believes in. Padme ultimately dies while giving birth to twins, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. The children become their parent's true legacy and make an impact in the galaxy. Eventually Luke would redeem Anakin Skywalker and bring balance to the Force. Together Luke and Leia were instrumental in ending the reign of Emperor Palapatine at the height of the Empire. Padme was a senator, queen, fighter, wife, mother, and a hero. She is many things but she is no damsel in distress.
For me, Leia Organa takes the top spot as the most important female character in the Star Wars films and all of Star Wars. Fans also call Princess/Senator Organa by her first name so I will do as such. Leia was one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance and a Senator of her adopted planet, Alderaan. Leia was raised by her adopted parents, Senator Bail Organa and Queen Breha Organa. Her biological parents are Senator Padme Amidala and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Leia was the very first female lead in all of Star Wars. At the start of A NEW HOPE, Leia is running from the Empire. She was on a mission in route to deliver secrets of an Imperial super weapon that could end the Rebel Alliance. She used herself as a distraction to get the top secret plans away from the Empire in hopes to deliver the secrets to the Rebel Alliance. Leia enlisted the help of a former Jedi Knight Obi-won Kenobi who brings along a farm boy Luke Skywalker and smuggler Han Solo. Her character becomes the foundation for other female characters in future Star Wars projects even her mother Padme Amidala was modeled after her daughter. When Leia is captured by the Empire, she is rescued by her twin brother Luke Skywalker and future love interest Han Solo. Like her mother Padme, she is no damsel in distress. She can handle a blaster and thinks on her feet. She is fearless even in the face of true terror, the menace of the Empire, Lord Vader. She was tortured by Vader but does not yield any of her secrets to the Empire. The Empire eventually uses the super weapon, the Death Star, to destroy her home planet of Alderaan. She doesn't shed a tear when Alderann is blown to space dust front of her eyes. Leia remains resolute in her devotion to the Rebellion. Leia always puts the Rebellion before her needs. She'll even turn down Han Solo's advances for the Rebels. Sometimes she is in charge of coordinating important missions like the escape from the Empire at the Battle of Hoth. On that mission, she would end up being one of the last to evacuate trying to ensure that everyone gets off the planet safely. As I mentioned before, Leia was instrumental in ending the Empire's reign over the galaxy. Without her leadership and presence, most likely the Rebellion would have failed. But her true strength is shown in her loyalty to the ones she love. With her friends, they orchestrate a plan to rescue Han Solo from the powerful crime lord, Jabba the Hutt. For her part of the recue, Leia dawns a costume that hides her appearance to assume the likeness of a bounty hunter. She is fearless and ruthless in her bounty hunter persona. She threatens the crime lord with a bomb and earns Jabba's respect. With the help of her allies which include Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, C3PO and R2-D2, they manage to defeat Jabba and rescue Han Solo. Later, Luke Skywalker reveals that he is her biological brother. She is almost unphazed by this revelation as she is more concerned about her true brother who is planning to go on a sacrificial mission to face Darth Vader. This all happens while Leia is in the middle of a stealth mission to stop the second Death Star. Leia manages to pull herself together and finish the mission with Han Solo and Chewbacca. With that, Leia and her friends blow up the second Death Star and effectively end the reign of the Empire. But her lore doesn't end there. Leia inherited the Force from her Father like Luke. She would later display an aptitude to use the Force. This is revealed in later films. She is just that awesome.
Well that's all the time I have for today as my daughter pulls on my arms for affection. I really really have to go. I can go on and on about what makes Leia awesome but that's literally all the time I have for this post. Until next time, may the Force be with you. Always!
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