George Lucas’ Star Wars was a truly remarkable film franchise in the sci-fi fantasy genre. But the film series may not have been perfect in all sense. For years, the franchise had been accused of portraying poorly-written female characters. In particular, the original trilogy’s Leia was criticized for being a ‘damsel in distress’ character.
Lucas vehemently defended the series, claiming that the films were groundbreaking for including strong women. He shared that women like Princess Leia and Queen Amidala were the true leaders of the rebellion. He added that he couldn’t just put women in pants in his films to make them the heroes. However, Lucas’ views might be skewed in more than one way.
George Lucas Defended Star Wars Against Accusations Of Being Sexist
Star Wars tended to give more importance to the male characters in the past since they catered to a predominantly male fandom. While the modern-day Star Wars projects constantly try to rectify this mistake, they have largely failed to create female characters who could create an impact.
George Lucas responded to the claims against his original trilogy during an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival recently. Lucas shared that people who say that there were no women in the Star Wars movie didn’t think twice about who the actual heroes in the movies were. According to the creator, Princess Leia was the head of the Rebellion.
He shared that Carrie Fisher‘s character took Mark Hamill‘s Luke Skywalker under her wing when he didn’t know anything. He also added it was she who turned Harrison Ford‘s Han Solo from a smuggler to a leader of the Rebellion. Lucas shared that Leia’s involvement with the Rebellion was groundbreaking for a female character at the time. Lucas shared at the event (via That Shelf | YouTube):
There are no women in the movies. I said, ‘Who do you think the heroes are in those films? Who do you think Princess Leia was? She is the head of the Rebellion. She’s the one that’s taking this young kid (Luke) that doesn’t know anything. And this boisterous ‘I know everything’ guy who can’t do anything. And trying to save the Rebellion with these clowns.’
He further added that the same was the situation with Natalie Portman‘s Queen Amidala in the prequel trilogy. He shared that even though she had the Jedi by her side, she was the hero in the films. Lucas shared that women cannot be made heroes just by making them wear pants. He shared that it was their brains and their ability to think that mattered. He shared:
I said, ‘She’s the hero of the movie.’ And its the same thing with Queen Amidala. Even though she had Jedi on her side, she was still the hero prime mover. You can’t just put a woman in pants and expect her to be a hero. They can wear dresses. They can wear whatever they want. It’s their brains and their ability to think and plan and be logistical. That’s what the hero is.
Many Star Wars fans agreed with Lucas that the critics purposefully avoided seeing these two powerful women characters in his original and prequel films. However, George Lucas may not be entirely right about how Leia was portrayed in the films.
Why Do Some Fans Believe That Princess Leia Is A Character Born Out Of George Lucas’ Sexism?
While George Lucas claims that Princess Leia and Queen Amidala were unsung heroes, both these characters received attention from the fandom for all the wrong reasons. Fisher’s Leia could’ve been a more assertive leader of the Rebellion, but her character was instead used to flesh out the romance in the films. She was definitely sassy, but Lucas put in little effort to develop the character over the three films.
Many fans did not see Fisher as the hero but rather the “girl” from Star Wars. During the release of the films, her bikini-clad photos were mostly used in promotional materials. If Lucas had made her the character he claims her to be, she wouldn’t have required the ‘Skywalker’ title by the end of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
Moreover, the ‘Princess’ title also rubbed some fans the wrong way as it suggested a damsel in distress rather than a soldier in charge of the Rebellion. While Lucas created a popular female character in cinema, she was not allowed the chance to become a groundbreaking character.
All the Star Wars films are now available for streaming on Disney+.
