'Star Wars' And The Smurfette Principle - Will 'Ahsoka' Break The Mold?

Star Wars

Jan 22

Star Wars has come under fire in the past for its representation of women. With its first female-fronted series, Ahsoka due to launch on Disney+ at the end of this year, does this mean that all is forgiven? It’s not that easy. Representation is more than just putting a single woman front and center, Princess Leia, Padmé Amidala, and Jyn Erso have all been the focus of Star Wars. The problem is that they were there alone. Lucasfilm has consistently fallen foul of what is known as ‘The Smurfette Principle’.

What Is ‘The Smurfette Principle’?

Based on the famous cartoon, The Smurfs, ‘The Smurfette Principle’ describes scenarios in film and television where one woman is surrounded by a cast of men. The woman is normally a standard female trope, such as a ‘Mary Sue’, a ‘daddy’s girl’, or just highly feminized/overtly sexual for no apparent reason. Because she is always outnumbered by men on screen, her point of view is seen as ‘other’ or different, despite representing 50% of the population. Her character is reactionary to the men and not fully developed and as a result, we don’t get to hear female stories or viewpoints.

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How Bad Is Star Wars?

JJ Abrahams and Rian Johnson tried to solve the issue in the sequel trilogy, but Rey is widely accused of being a ‘Mary Sue’ by fans. Outside of these three films, the other movies only have one woman in the main cast. In the OG Trilogy, it’s Princess Leia and in the prequels, Padmé. Later on, it doesn’t get much better, in Rogue One Jyn Erso was the only female onscreen for most of the movie. Aunt Beru only has one line spread over both the sequel films that she appears in. Beru is in the background of every conversation making sure the men have enough to drink and tidying the kitchen.

Disney hasn’t given women more presence, despite more casting opportunities, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and Andor still haven’t improved the male-to-female ratios or the amount of dialogue that the female characters receive. Cinta, a supposed ‘strong woman’ from Andor is a walking set piece in her first two episodes and only speaks when she is one-on-one with another woman. Because female roles are so limited, we also tend to see a lot of young action stars, and less from the more mature actresses. Mon Mothma’s scenes from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of The Sith ended up on the cutting room floor, despite it showing the beginnings of the rebellion.

What About Ahsoka?

Ahsoka is the ideal choice for the lead in her own series. She originally came from the mind of David Filoni, who also gave us Hera Syndulla, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Asajj Ventress. He is one of the filmmakers in the Star Wars Universe who seems able to create successful female characters. Cast to be the live-action Ahsoka in The Mandalorian, Rosario Dawson has talked openly in interviews about actors being held accountable for their role choices. She’s hosted Women’s Suffrage podcasts and spoken about feminism on college campuses so it’s hard to imagine her playing a wallflower. This gives us hope that Ahsoka will be more than sci-fi eye candy for male fans.

But to beat ‘The Smurfette Principle’, Ahsoka needs backup. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is reportedly already cast as Sabine Wren and Mary Elizabeth Wanstead as Hera Syndulla. None of these characters should be ‘cookie cutter’ female tropes if they follow the blueprint laid down in Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Still, their inclusion may not be definitive proof that Ahsoka will not spend the majority of her time surrounded by men. After all, Andor appeared to have many women in its top cast, but Bix Caleen, Cinta Kaz, and Kleya Marki did not speak in many of their scenes. If a woman in Andor spoke, it was usually to a man. And this was Disney’s most recent production. It’s not exactly making up for Star Wars’ poor history with women on screen. Sabine and Hera need to be an integral part of the story, not a brief cameo, and not another woman who shuts up when ‘the men are talking’. Both women are forces of nature and have rich backstories that writers could go to town with if they care to. There’s also potential for Urza, Sabine’s mother to make an appearance, which could definitely bring some drama.

There are rumors that Thrawn will be the main protagonist of the series, with Ezra also featuring heavily. As exciting as it is to see one of the Expanded Universe’s most popular villains finally coming to live-action (after being made canon by Star Wars: Rebels), there is a danger that Ahsoka could become the Thrawn and Ezra show. Disney is aware that there is a massive appetite for this pair, and it might be tempting to give them the majority of the screentime, at the expense of Ahsoka, herself. Disney has form for this, three of the seven episodes of The Book of Boba Fett were shanghaied by The Mandalorian. So just because it says Ahsoka on the tin, does not mean that is what we will get after the editors are done.

So Why Does It Matter? Is This More ‘Woke Politics’ Ruining A Good Story?

Star Wars is political. George Lucas wrote three movies about overcoming fascist regimes, and then three more about what happens if we become complacent to injustices and stop speaking truth to power. The fact that this message resonates with so many from so many backgrounds is why Star Wars has stayed popular. That includes women.

Women, who from a young age are bombarded with slurs such as ‘ be quiet and get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich’, ‘sit down and shut up’, ‘may I speak to your husband?’ If the female heroes and role models in these series are acting primarily for the benefit of the men, what is that going to teach the children watching the series? Star Wars creators have to ask, what does seeing Kleya instantly go quiet as soon as Luthen enters the shop teach the young girls who are watching? These examples are not one-offs, and it’s letting female fans down. Star Wars needs to move with the times and cast more female leads, and more women in speaking roles. It is akin to Mon Mothma watching all the lights going off in the Senate Pods in Andor. It may not seem important now, but who knows where it will lead if things do not change?

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