Gender Stereotypes In Star Wars

The Star Wars franchise is ingrained in American pop culture as is evident from its mainstay status in homes and movie theaters since 1977. The saga started with Star Wars (later titled A New Hope) and since has spawned many more movies, TV shows, comics, novels, board games, and video games. The most recent iteration of Star Wars is titled The Force Awakens (TFA). The movie follows a woman named Rey who, after being orphaned on a desert planet at a young age, awaits the return of her family. Meanwhile, she finds belonging in the galaxy within the Rebel Alliance who are fighting an evil organization called The First Order. Along with Rey, TFA tracks the progression of Finn, who is a storm trooper, the would-be henchmen of The First Order, turned

rebel fighter. Aside from being the newest addition to the Star Wars saga, TFA differs from its predecessors in that the main characters are not white men. Rey is a strong and independent woman and Finn is a black man. Both characters are departures from the historical roles in the series that others in their demographic have held. Finn and Rey are both dynamic and experience great change throughout the movie. Mariah Burton Nelson writes in her essay, “I Won. I’m Sorry,” about how women are represented in America, specifically in sports. Michael Omi also writes about how different races are represented in American media in his essay, “In Living Color: Race and American Culture.” Both authors illustrate that people other than white males are treated poorly in the United States. In The Force Awakens, the gender stereotypes of dependence and weakness as well as racial stereotypes depicting black men as emotionally lacking are challenged, which leads to a new take on the Star Wars franchise.
In the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the prequel trilogy, the stories are focused on white men with women and minorities in supporting roles, but The Force Awakens strays from that formula. For the original trilogy, Princess Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian prop up the protagonists Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Similarly, the prequel trilogy features Padme Amidala and Mace Windu in secondary roles opposite their white male counterparts. Without doubt, every one of these characters are strong: two princesses, a Jedi Master, and an infamous smuggler. All have compelling stories that could easily give rise to a spinoff of their own. But, alas, none of them have more than a supporting role. Tragically, none of these characters develop to the point of being considered a focal point of the story. Speaking specifically about minorities, although his sentiments can be applied to women, Michael Omi states, “The existence of such contradictions, however, does not negate the one-dimensionality of these images, nor does it challenge the explicit subservient role of racial minorities. Even the ‘good’ person of color usually exists as a foil in novels and films to underscore the intelligence, courage, and virility of the white male hero” (545). The previous trilogies feature minorities and women in roles that we are meant to admire. The problem is that while we admire them, the ultimate purpose of the character is to support either Luke or Anakin, white men. The Force Awakens is starkly different from films in the past because it features both a strong woman and dynamic black man as the protagonists. Rey and Finn represent a changed Star Wars where women and people of color are the primary heroes and do not serve as secondary characters.
The Force Awakens features a strong female lead character named Rey, challenging the stereotype that women are weaker than men. This is the first film in the Star Wars franchise to show such a radical departure from traditional heroes. In Rey’s first encounter with Finn, her droid companion BB-8 identifies Finn as a thief who has stolen its masters’ jacket. Her face changes from puzzlement to furry, and she is soon running down and subduing Finn. All of this occurs after she finished fighting off BB-8’s abductors. In this scene, the writers are clearly defining Rey as a woman who is strong, regardless of gender. Further, she is not a helpless damsel nor is she a secondary or tertiary character as other women have been in previous installments; she is the hero. Strong women in media are not the norm and the new generation of science fiction fans are certainly meant to be influenced by Rey. She is not what we are made to expect of a woman and certainly does not conform to the definition of femininity, described by Nelson, “Femininity is also about accommodating men allowing them to feel bigger than and stronger than and superior to women, not emasculated by them,” (525). Rey’s character is the antithesis of Nelson’s femininity; she is unaccommodating and stronger than Finn, who will not soon forget being put on his back by Rey. In TFA, the audience is meant to see a new type of hero who happens to be a woman.
Later in the same scene, TFA attacks the stereotype that women follow male lead. Any confusion as to whether Finn is a thief has been put to rest by the time they hear TIE fighters, signaling an imminent attack from the First Order. Both Rey and Finn know they must act and gallant Finn grabs her hand to lead her to safety. Rey is appalled and blurts out, “What are you doing?!” The pair then starts to run as she yells, “I know how to run without you holding my hand!” As could be expected, Finn does not hold on to Rey for much longer. Finn’s actions in this scene are ironic because he had just been subdued by Rey. Despite being upended by Rey; he still feels some need to lead her but she will not tolerate it. Nelson illustrates how polarly opposite this is from the way women have been expected to react to men in her recollection of Sylvia Plath’s sister saying, “… Sylvia was pleased to finish second in a spelling contest. ‘It was nicer, she felt, to have a boy first’” (525). In this scene, the movie is trying to show that even though the female lead has a strong male counterpart, she will not be second in their dynamic. Even with lasers flying overhead Rey refuses to be led by anyone. That is not to say that she is making a statement by refusing to hold Finn’s hand because he is a man and trying to lead her. No, Rey does not care who is trying to lead her; she will not be led by the hand by anyone.
Just as TFA challenges gender stereotypes, it also refutes racial stereotypes.

Lando Calrissian and Mace Windu were both prominent black characters in previous Star Wars movies. They were also impassive and without clear development. In TFA Finn is the antithesis of his predecessors. Specifically, he demonstrates striking emotional fortitude as well as dramatic growth during his first appearance on screen. He is one of the many ruthless storm troopers set upon villagers at the direction of the villain Kylo Ren. After having done his business in the village, Ren orders the troopers to, “Kill them all,” in an irreverent tone. Having previously seen a fellow trooper die, Finn decides that he cannot participate in senseless killing, a hallmark of storm troopers. As his comrades lay waste to the huddled villagers, Finn looks dejected and slowly lowers his blaster. His display of emotion is disparate from storm troopers. He also exhibits a change that is unique among his Star Wars brethren; the young, black, storm trooper grows to become more than an emotionless killer. This is striking on a broader level because of the stereotypical emotional representation of black men in Star Wars. Michael Omi witnesses similar instances noting that, “Racial minority actors have continually bemoaned the fact that the roles assigned them on stage and screen are often one-dimensional and imbued with stereotypic assumptions” (546). Finn is a storm trooper. For Star Wars that means he is faceless, remorseless, and unforgiving. But when he pulls off his helmet, he is breathing heavy and obviously traumatized. Pulling off his helmet is the final step in Finn’s transformation from storm trooper to real human. Star Wars represents Finn as a rounded and compelling character to portray black men in a more realistic way. His character and Star Wars have challenged the tradition of emotionally stunted black

men.
In the United States, much of the population is at least passably conversant in “Star Wars.” The compelling story is completely entrenched in our culture. Until recently, however, the franchise did not have racial minorities or women as the primary characters in feature films. The Force Awakens does just that by having a black man and a woman in the starring roles. Moreover, TFA challenges the stereotypes that women are weak and in need of male help as well as the stereotype that black men are emotionally one-dimensional. In the movie, Rey and Finn are strong characters who grow considerably. Finn casts everything he knows aside once he witnesses the callousness of the First Order. Rey shows that while she may be a woman, she is just as tough and independent, perhaps more so when she bests Finn, as any man. Previous generations of Star Wars fans have been presented with white lead characters and with people of color and women in secondary roles. For newer generations, The Force Awakens represents a dramatic pivot from past films in its effort to challenge gender and racial stereotypes. Given the pervasiveness of Star Wars in American culture, this challenge of stereotypes is bound to have an immeasurable impact.