For many years, the Star Wars universe may have been considered a male-dominated fandom, but not only has that never been 100 percent the case, these days female fans of the franchise, and of sci-fi in general, have been growing more vocal in their devotion. With lead characters like Rey in “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” and Jyn Erso in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” female fans have more characters to look up to than ever. And, as a new New York Times piece details, women are taking their fandom online, making their voices heard, and rejecting the idea that “Star Wars” has ever just been for boys.
Whether it’s via online communities, message boards, podcasts, or fanzines, female fans of “Star Wars” are making their presence known. But they’re not just online to celebrate characters like Rey and Jyn, they’re also going to scrutinize when something doesn’t seem right. As the Times writes, “On ‘Scavenger’s Hoard,’ a new ‘Star Wars’ podcast hosted by two female fans, Rachael — who goes only by her first name online — noted that the films have created ‘these entire worlds populated almost exclusively by men,’ so even when a female protagonist is added to the mix, there remains an ‘absence of any meaningful relationships between women.’”
“On Twitter, Johnamarie Macias, the proprietor of the popular ‘Star Wars’ site ‘The Wookiee Gunner,’ lamented that the franchise remained stuck on its daddy issues instead of exploring a mother-daughter dynamic. ‘Super happy that Jyn is the lead’” she wrote, but added: ‘Why does the father have to be the scientist? GAH!’ And on the podcast ‘Fangirls Going Rogue,’ the three hosts discussed the role of Jyn’s mother with guarded enthusiasm. ‘Mothers tend to get erased, or they’re there to die,’ the co-host Tricia Barr said. ‘Hopefully we’re not continuing that trend.’”
Though the Star Wars universe may only feature a few key women in leading roles, the female fans online are digging deep to make lady characters with small roles into big names. For example, “Jessika Pava, an Asian female X-wing pilot, has just a few lines in ‘The Force Awakens,’ but on Tumblr, she has become the star of her own stories… [scroll through] Tumblr, and you’ll find what looks like a dynamic, bustling world of female ‘Star Wars’ characters — it’s just that they’re pieced together from different books, series and stories, and then fleshed out by fan art and analysis.”
Expect this kind of devotion to continue the more “Star Wars” films are made. In fact, expect this kind of devotion, examination, and scrutiny to spread into other franchises, sci-fi properties, or fan worlds, because women are done being silent when it comes to how they feel about representation in their favorite pieces of entertainment. And “Star Wars” is just the beginning.
