Since the release of the first-ever Star Wars movie back in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, the franchise has only grown and expanded in ways no one thought possible. One way that Star Wars has evolved over the years is its representation of women. From the very beginning all the way to the present-day movies and television series, there is a stark difference in the way the franchise has treated its female characters. Following the order of the movies that have been released, here are all the ways Star Wars has evolved in its portrayal of female characters.

Starting with the original trilogy, one female character comes to mind instantly. Leia Organa, of course, is a huge staple for the franchise and is as beloved as Carrie Fisher who portrayed her. She is the first character to appear on screen out of the three main heroes of the original trilogy. And even in those first moments, fans get to see her firing at stormtroopers while sending R2-D2 off to find Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the first film alone she proves to be very capable, lying straight to Darth Vader's face and refusing to give up the location of the Death Star plans despite being tortured, and even manages to not give up hope after watching her home planet be destroyed. In the 1970’s, strong female characters were still rare in the world of cinema, making Leia Organa a true force to be reckoned with.

As amazing as her character is, she is only one of the three named female characters in the entire original trilogy! Not counting nameless background characters, the only other two female characters in the entire franchise are Luke’s Aunt Beru and Mon Mothma. Both characters only appear for brief scenes with few lines. Mon Mothma will get more screen time during 2008 The Clone Wars animated series, Rebels, and then again in Rogue One.

Things look very different for the female characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. While most of the female characters are not named until later on, fans still get to see some impressive female roles with Shmi Skywalker and Padme Amidala. Shmi Skywalker plays a huge role in Anakin’s life even after he leaves to join the Jedi Order. She has lived most of her life as a slave but is still able to remain kind and gentle, putting her son first. She does not hesitate to try and get her son out of slavery even if it meant that she would remain enslaved. She would even survive for a month after being tortured by Tusken Raiders before dying in her son’s arms.

The other strong woman in Anakin Skywalker’s life is Padme Amidala. In every film, Padme proves just how strong and capable she is while also showing a gentle side, much like her daughter Leia Organa. While Padme prefers to fight with the pen rather than the sword, she does not hesitate to defend herself and those around her. When faced with a blockade from the Trade Federation and an invasion of her home planet of Naboo, she is met with the slow procedure of bureaucracy from the Galactic Senate. Not willing to wait for the Senate’s aid, she returns to her home planet and manages to form an alliance with the native Gungans and save Naboo.

Padme Amidala is not the only strong female character present at the time. While the films are still lacking in named female characters, the animated series that takes place in this time period expands the characters much further. Fans finally get to see some fleshed-out Jedi women consisting of Shaak Ti, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, Ahsoka Tano, and even our first look at a female villain, Asajj Ventress. Most of these characters are only seen as background characters in the films but are more developed in The Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano is an absolute fan favorite and has even appeared in live-action in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, not to mention being featured in her own series Ahsoka. More than just having more women characters, the prequel era provides an assortment of unique female characters with their own personalities that manage to not feel like recycled traits and dialogues.

The sequel trilogy finally introduces the first female lead with Rey in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Finally, the films begin to show named female characters who have more than just a handful of lines. The first is obviously Rey, the main heroine who aids the Resistance in taking down the First Order. She follows a very similar story as the original trilogy’s main lead, starting out on a desert planet while dreaming of being a pilot only to be pulled into a galactic war thanks to a droid holding secrets to the enemy’s main weapon. This couples with coming to terms with being Force-sensitive and following the path of the Jedi while being hunted down by a masked dark side user.

Also appearing in The Force Awakens is Maz Kanata, who quickly turns into a fan favorite. She is portrayed as a wise woman with a big personality despite only having 4 minutes and 45 seconds of screen time! Luckily, she makes another appearance in The Rise of Skywalker even if it is just as brief.

Rey is not the only woman fighting the good fight for the Resistance. In The Last Jedi, Rose Tico provides her own quirky personality while dealing with the loss of her sister. At the beginning of the film, fans also see Rose’s sister take out an enemy ship, sadly losing her own life in the process. There is also Vice-Admiral Holdo, who takes over command of the Resistance forces when Leia Organa is incapacitated. She then makes the ultimate sacrifice, ramming the cruiser into the First Order fleet so that the remnants of the Resistance fleet can make it down to the planet Crait.

Not only are fans introduced to female characters on the good side, they also meet Captain Phasma, the stormtrooper commander of the First Order. She only has a combined total of 3 minutes and 30 seconds of screen time, even less than Boba Fett in the original trilogy who only got over 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Captain Phasma died in The Last Jedi. Hopefully, she can pull a “Boba Fett” and we will get to see the character again in the future.

There are honestly so many strong and well-written female characters in the world of Star Wars that this writer couldn’t possibly fit them all into one article. It is clear to see throughout the Star Wars timeline what a difference there is when it comes to its female characters. From the original trilogy only having three named female characters and only one of them having a main role in the story, to the prequels providing a wider variety of female characters, to finally having a female lead and a number of named female characters present throughout the story of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars has come a long way in its portrayal of female characters. Who is your favorite female character in the Star Wars universe?

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