Star Wars: Feminism Strikes Back
Fans are skeptical of the series' new take on feminism.
Soon to come is another Star Wars reboot, this time with a female lead. After the release of the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, fans began to speak out about the creators’ intentions, the issues with their feminist overtones, lack of creativity, and desire for money.
Most fans have now seen Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and caught onto the recurring feminist theme. The lead in the show, Daisy Ridley, plays Rey: a strong and independent female character. Throughout the movie, she takes on battles and is able to thrive on her own.
Rogue One, which comes out on December 26, hints towards a plot taking place after Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV — Events of Hope.
Fans React to Feminism
Sometimes, art is seen differently by people but that’s the point. If feminism was intentionally added into new films, the same can be expected for the upcoming film. Three in five fans (60%) had negative responses about the female leads when commenting on forums.
Lack of Creativity
Going back to the early 2000s, fans tend to pick at the lack of creativity issue in Hollywood films. Reboots and spinoffs are thought to be excuses from creators who only want money — however, it’s hard to determine the authenticity of the statement, so we can only observe and hypothesize.
Even with fans being “upset” about these films, the box office sales still reach high gain numbers. With what has already been said, the creators have expressed that they don’t intend to “rip off” a series or destroy stories. Seeing value and something good in the stories and wondering if more can be added to only expand a story’s universe is far different from lacking in creativity.
A New Expansion to the Galaxy Far, Far Away
Fans suspect that creators want to squeeze any bit of money they can make out of these films, so they do prequel reboots. Perhaps a message about feminism is now blossoming in our pop culture. The creators are trying to back up a cause they know to be important. Strong female characters are bringing even more awareness to the issues of today.
How Rogue One turned out
Two dates in the original need a small correction. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened in the United States on December 16, 2016, not December 26, after a Los Angeles premiere on December 10. The fourth episode it leads into is A New Hope, the 1977 film; Rogue One ends a week before that story begins.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film starred Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, the female lead the trailer had introduced. Whatever fans wrote on forums in the spring of 2016, the box office answer was clear: Rogue One grossed about $1.059 billion worldwide.
The story also kept growing in the way the writer described, expanding a corner of the universe instead of rebooting it. A prequel series, Andor, premiered on Disney+ on September 21, 2022, following one of the film’s characters, and ran for two seasons through 2025.
Questions people ask
When did Rogue One come out?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in Los Angeles on December 10, 2016, and opened in United States theaters on December 16, 2016. It was directed by Gareth Edwards and earned about $1.059 billion at the worldwide box office. The film is a standalone story set just before the original 1977 Star Wars.
Who is the female lead in Rogue One?
Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, the lead character of Rogue One. The film is set a week before the events of the original 1977 Star Wars, later titled A New Hope, and follows the rebels who steal the plans to the Death Star. A prequel series about one of its characters, Andor, premiered on Disney+ in September 2022.
