Who said the lead character in Star Wars Episode VII is going to be a male star? :)
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) January 3, 2013
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard it hinted that a woman may be leading the new movies, but Sciretta seems oddly confidant.
There are plenty of options for characters, Expanded Universe or no Expanded Universe, and 2012 was a banner year for female-led action movies – with three more Hunger Games films and a female Expendables (for instance) on the horizon, there’s certainly momentum.
Before you comment, please note that this is a fancasting-free zone!
This would not make me unhappy.
Or how about simply having more than one main female character. Let’s be honest, Star Wars has always been quite a sausage fest.
I’d take it.
From a marketing point of view, this would be very wise.
Androgynous Hutt lead FTW!
I hope so too. If the movies are going to continue with the Skywalker storyline, PT being mainly Anakin’s story, with OT being Luke’s. I speculate that the Sequel trilogy will be about Leia and her children, with Leia making Yoda-like appearances. Of course, if its no longer the Skywalker saga then who knows what it will be.
I hope not.
I’m not sure this is the best site to admit that on, Gabriel. ;)
BUT WILL SHE HAVE BABIES? – internet.
BUT WILL SHE HAVE BABIES? – internet forum posters.
Fixed that for ya.
I’d be cool if it was Jaina, and this replace the SOTJ trilogy. But if its a new Skywalker that overwrites the EU I will be a sad bantha
I heard this same bit of news from someone I speak to at Lucasfilm in as similar way. But I was told that initially the character was being written in a gender neutral way so it could be changed in subsequent drafts.
I did a Tumblr poll based on the rumor: http://walkingcarpet.tumblr.com/post/39350175249/star-wars-episode-vii-the-gender-of-the-hero
It pretty much failed and no one wanted to talk about it.
Well, written neutrally means it probably won’t be a particularly romancey storyline, at least. No one wants Star Wars to be more like Twilight in that aspect, if that’s what anyone is fearing.
As for your Tumblr Q… Different demographics, perhaps? I linked this post on our Tumblr and it seems to be doing okay.
Luke was originally a girl in the early drafts of ANH so this is nothing new, really. SW has always been lacking in the gender equality, both sets having a single strong female character who kinda tanked in the third movie, so having the main lead of the new set be a strong female who manages to carry that out through all three sequals would be quite a feat.
However, are they doing this because they want to be seen as gender-sensitive or because they are capitalizing on the recent success of films like Hunger Games? Either don’t sound appealing to me at all. If they can make it work organically then I’d love to see a female lead but I’d rather they had a male character that works with the storyline than shoehorn in a female lead that doesn’t.
Lastly, I don’t mind if it’s Jaina, just as long as it’s not Goddess!Jaina who seriously needed a slap or two. Romance is good, worked in SW, but it was understated and not dragged out nor did you see Leia emo-ing over it all. If these sequals turn into some psuedo-Twilight love triangle crap it will seriously damage my calm.
Ah, thanks Dunc.
Yeah, I spoke about the romance angle with a friend. In a way, an emerging romance could be better if we have one at all.
My person at Lucasfilm has a peculiar place to be honest, and that is what they were hearing. They have no clue if that is even close to true, I just want to make that clear.
Padme is the protagonist of The Phantom Menace. Ahsoka is the protagonist of The Clone Wars. I think it is really likely that could be the case, JayCee.
@Jason Ward
Just so long as she has a character adjustment and isn’t the emo-riddled character that is the EU who basically needed a good set down and talking to. She was literally a two steps away from being the Paris Hilton of the SW universe.
I’m confused as to why you’d think it would take ‘shoehorning’ to get a woman into a lead role in Star Wars. I mean, early drafts aside, it wouldn’t have been much of a change if Luke had been a woman in the final draft.
(If they wanted to stay heteronormative, they would have had to take out the barely-there love triangle aspect of Han and Leia’s relationship. So I guess we’d be out the ‘Looking for love in Alderaan places’ tee. But that’s about it).
Ahsoka–who could easily be a guy without changing anything aside from not being a hero for little girls who have very few–has shown pretty clearly that Star Wars films can have women Jedi without ‘shoehorning.’ All it takes is 1. A girl and 2. A lightsaber.
I, for one, really hope this rumor’s true. I like everything about the idea of Star Wars films starring Luke’s daughter.
I just hope they follow the basic character structure that exists in the books and thus the minds of most of the faithful fans of Star Wars, who have had only these books to look to as to what happens next for the last 30 years… If all of a sudden Jaina doesn’t exist (or Mara, or Jacen or any of the other characters that hopefully wheren’t created lightly,) then that would just be lame.
As long as they follow the basic family structures, then it’s all good in my book… Which should work just fine for having a strong female lead…
@Annalee I didn’t say that it would take shoehorning to get a female lead, but that depending on what kind of story they want to tell and what kind of relationships (romantic, familial, etc) that they want to go after, the female could become a forced, shoehorned, character…. kinda like Fett in the prequels.
We’ve had great characters and crappy ones in both the movies and the EU, I’m trying to be realistic that depending on how they play it it could go horribly wrong. I’d rather they get everything right even if that means pushing gender equality to the side.
FOUR MORE HUNGER GAMES MOVIES!?!?!?!
SOMEONE STOP THIS MADNESS!
I promise I read the rest of the post too.
Wait, I was actually wrong on that. It’s four movies TOTAL, including the first one. The books are a trilogy and the last one, Mockingjay, is getting split into two movies. So only three to go.
I would like to see a shuffling in the gender roles. A female Jedi in the lead with a male politician, maybe. For variety more than anything else. The first two films had generational symmetry and that was understandable, but I’d love to see the third set break the pattern… just enough to keep it fresh.
@Palob Phrase: I’m sorry to sound like the harbinger of doom, but if you’re going into Episode VII expecting the EU to remain intact, you’re likely to be disappointed.
Besides, the most likely female protagonist would be the daughter of either Luke or Leia. Jaina’s the only candidate, and she’s already a master and in her late 30s, which doesn’t really fit with someone just starting out on their hero’s journey.
JayCee, a badly-written character is a badly-written character regardless of gender. I can’t imagine a situation where the choice is “this character is female and badly written or this character is male and written well.” Either the character is written well, or they’re not. Gender’s not really a factor there.
Josh: Yeah, that’s why I said “Luke’s daughter.” We know that Lucasfilm doesn’t think of the EU as canon. They’ve out and said so several times. Holding out hope that they’re going to change their mind about that is just setting up for disappointment.
If they go with a woman protag, and if they choose to make her Leia’s daughter instead of Luke’s, it’s still not going to be Jaina. Even if they name her Jaina, and I don’t think they would, it still would not be Jaina.
Also, Palob, there are plenty ‘faithful’ Star Wars fans whose image of what happened Slightly Less Long Ago In A Galaxy Slightly Further Away isn’t at all influenced by the books. A person who’s built miniatures of every ship that appears on the screen but has never picked up a SW novel is just as ‘faithful’ as someone who’s pre-ordered every hardcover. The same goes for the folks who’ve played every video game, the folks who’ve researched and built dozens of costumes, the folks who’ve spent years writing/roleplaying out their own ideas of what happened after the credits rolled, and the folks who’s only involvement in Star Wars is watching the films and liking them.
There are all kinds of fans, and all kinds of ways to love Star Wars. It’s a fallacy to believe that the specific subset of fans who happen to be interested in the EU books are somehow more ‘faithful’ or ‘truer’ fans than anyone else.
I get being attached to the EU stories. I’m attached to some of them myself. But no one’s going to break into our homes and take our books/video games/comics/etc away from us just because the movie tells a different story.
And far be it for me to tell you how to talk on someone else’s blog, but ‘lame’ is an ableist slur. A movie that doesn’t follow the books will in no way resemble a human being with a disability.
Whoa…
I was not aware that this was about fan validity, but since you asked…
I’ve only read about 90 of the novels, and have just about every comic made since “Republic” started. My collection of somewhere near 500 different action figures and vehicles, (including Legos, role playing/board games, video games, clothing, linen, furniture, etc., etc., etc., and a whole room in my house to put it all in,) that started in 1980, helps me and my kid imagine what could happen next. I could just watch the Movies for the thousandth time, I guess, or just recite them to myself, for that matter, if I want story. The movies. It seems like half the fans or more consider the last three they made to be ‘lame’ for some reason. I am not one of those fans. I was so happy to have “Star Wars” again I failed to notice how annoying Jar Jar was, until my brother said so. I was fine with George using Fett, why shouldn’t he? He had to have taken into consideration what the fans would want, having chosen to have “fan favorite” Boba Fett be the basis of his new character in EpII- and he had to make him work with the story, and I think it worked out fine. That tells me that the fans are important to LucasFilm, and they do take into consideration what fans want in a story. I’m sure I will love whatever they do next, even if it has nothing to do with the EU. I suppose I’m to believe Star Wars isn’t about ‘story’, anyways, so much as big, fantastic visuals…
My point, I guess, comes from the fact that they have always said, ” This part of the timeline is off-limits” and,” you can’t do that backstory” because they didn’t want those stories told… Now they are making movies in an era in the timeline where they have allowed stories to be told,and characters to be created, but only by their OK. I remember hearing once how George wanted Aniken Solo to be killed off for some reason (I think it was because having two “Anikens” was too confusing… Whatever.) So, why should he care? You tell me. I know what they’ve said about stepping all over the EU before, I’ve read all the same reports as everyone else, but, since NONE OF US REALLY KNOWS ANYTHING FOR SURE, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Hi. Moderator here.
Annalee has a point: There’s no quantifying what ‘most’ Star Wars think or feel about the EU; We simply don’t have enough information to assume anything on that point. However, we do know that the books are only a small fraction of the Star Wars merchandise LFL sells. They sell well, for SF/F books, but a hell of a lot less than, say, the toys.
And she has a point about the ableist language as well.
But Palob, no one was calling your fandom into question, just your statement about how fans feel about the EU. We don’t make those kinds of judgements about other fans here: Everyone who likes Star Wars – however or whatever they choose – is a fan. Period.
Palob, you may note your second comment wasn’t approved: It went over the line. Disagreeing with other fans is fine, but there is a line and if you cross it, we are under no obligation to continue letting you comment. (No, Annalee is not crossing that line; As I said, I believe you are misinterpreting her comments.) This is not a ‘public forum,’ it’s a privately-run site. I only have you on moderation at the moment, but consider this your first warning.
Oh, and it’s spelled ‘Anakin.’
I never was the one calling out anyone’s fandom.
I was simply making points about what I would like to see in the future of Star Wars, and why i think it could happen. And then i get accused of, like, I’m not sure what, really… (I think I got “shoehorned” into the thing about “shoehorning”)… but i find myself called out on merely hoping the EU isn’t entirely ignored, on a sight supposedly devoted to “fandom, particularly as it relates to the EU novels” or something like that. Whatever. After 4 or 5 years of referring to “Club Jade” for my Star Wars news, faithfully at that, at first because it was named after one of Zahns characters, then because i liked the attitude of your site, I find myself being alienated as a fan here. After basically trying to say “I, too, am excited at the prospect of a female lead, and, also being a fan of the EU novels, hope that could be Jaina, whom I’ve read so much about.” I in no way assumed that would get me the reaction a got, nor did I say anything at all like, “…and if you don’t like the novels, you’re not a real fan” I wasn’t bringing anyone else’s fandom into question. I don’t know how that even came into play.
I’m not a writer, I’m just a fan and lowly carpenter who honestly tries to not cuss around children, so I have to say, I’ll take note on the ‘ableist slur’ thing. But, in my defense, there are four different definitions of the word I used, i was using the third, which is much tamer than the words people usually use to describe their loathing…
You’re the one who brought up fan validity when you misinterpreted what Annalee said. Which was, again, addressing the comment you made about what ‘most’ fans think, not you or your opinion about the EU or female characters.
This is not the place for an in-depth discussion about ableist language, so let’s just say that it’s not something that’s welcome here and leave it at that.
And this is now dreadfully off-topic. If you feel alienated I’m sorry, but please try and read a bit more carefully in the future before turning a a civil conversation into a pointless argument.
I felt just as misunderstood in the first place, that is why i tried to clarify. I just assumed that a sight devoted to “Star Wars fandom particularly as it pertains to the novels of the EU” would have lots of folks who feel the same as I, that they shouldn’t, and might not, dismiss the EU entirely. I did not mean to imply that those who don’t consider the novels important are any less of a fan… Then in my haste, I didn’t read to the bottom of Amalees post, and didn’t catch on to how my wording was offensive, until after I posted the second time, and I apologize for that.
My original comment was not a reply to any other post, in fact I didn’t even read any comments before I posted the first time, so I fail to see how I misinterpreted anybody else’s comments in the first place.
For the third and final time, Palob: The main problem was not with your opinion on women protagonists or the EU. No one is arguing with you about that. The problem was simply with the word usage of “most Star Wars fans.” Had you said something like “many Star Wars fans” or “some Star Wars fans,” none of this would be an issue, because the words “many” and “some” do not imply a majority the way “most” does. It all boils down to a word choice issue.
(I myself am careful to use words like ‘many’ or ‘some’ in relation to various Star Wars issues, because this is a huge franchise with many fans with many different levels of involvement. It’s hard to pin a definite majority on anything. )
We can’t even say “most EU fans” because there are plenty of us who are well versed in how Lucasfilm has of recent been ignoring parts of the EU on a small scale in The Clone Wars, and things said from those at LFL which has implied this will only continue, and are willing to accept it. Some of us actually think the freedom that gives them will make for better movies – all of which I’ve discussed, at length, on this site twice before.
However, if you read the comments on any post here that addresses EpVII and the EU, you’ll see you are far from alone in feeling that the movies should leave the EU intact. (If you go and find an active message board, you’ll see even more.) In fact, I strongly suggest you always read the comments on every post you plan to comment on here. We generally don’t get an unwieldy amount of them.
Where you started misinterpreting things – and where you got in trouble with me – was with your response to Annalee’s post, aka comment #27. (And the unapproved comment, which exacerbated the issue even further.)
Now. This issue – by which I mean the issue of Palob’s comments, not the actual content of the post – is done. Closed. I’m not going to explain it a fourth time.
I would love to see a strong female protagonist in Star Wars VII!