WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story. Proceed with caution.
Solo: A Star Wars Story features a number of prominent female characters. And the new wave of Disney Star Wars films have had female protagonists at the forefront of their stories. As far as visibility for fictional women, this is all great news. But, there are glaring moments in Solo: A Star Wars Story that shine a light on one big issue facing the Star Wars franchise: the lack of a visible presence of creative female voices and their narrative perspective.
We’re going to take a look at exactly what elements in Solo: A Star Wars Story highlight this problem, but first we have to address a major criticism that certain fans have when you vocalize support for female writers and directors at the helm of a Star Wars movie.
Kathleen Kennedy
At present, Kathleen Kennedy is the person who holds the keys to the Star Wars franchise. As the president of Lucasfilm, she oversees immense decisions in regards to which direction the series will go. Some fans believe this is proof enough of female creative direction in Star Wars and that no other representation is needed.
But, those fans aren’t factoring in a number of things. She is not making precise story decisions or on-set creative choices that will shape the final product in immeasurable ways. Her role at Lucasfilm is much more corporate and producer-oriented than it is strictly creative. While she may give the okay for certain projects, she is not in the thick of these productions every single day as a director would be.
Among other duties, Kennedy’s role in Star Wars is to get projects greenlit and to make sure they make it to the theater. As far as shaping the mythology, emotions, characters, and narrative power of the franchise, that is something that is left in the hands of writers and directors.
With that out of the way, it’s time to look at exactly what parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story prove why Star Wars needs female writers and directors. Specifically, it’s the characters.
Val
The biggest example is the character of Val, played by Thandie Newton. Newton is currently slaying it on TV as Maeve on Westworld. She’s a phenomenal actress and is clearly invested in providing the world with characters that push the boundaries of what we expect from female representation. It’s worth noting that Val is the first prominent female character of color in the Star Wars films. That’s important and a great step forward for Star Wars.
It’s also disappointing when you see how her character is treated in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Val is only in a brief section of the film before sacrificing herself in vain and she is given little to no individual agency. She is the lover of Tobias Beckett and her arc only exists to service his ongoing narrative. That’s a huge bummer especially since Newton’s portrayal is as confident and cool as you’d expect from such a talented performer.
It is story and character decisions like this that showcase how important the female perspective is in crafting strong female characters. Credited screenwriters Lawrence & Jon Kasdan might never have been able to see this angle when they were writing Val. It was obviously not a malicious decision but it is an oversight that could have been corrected with input from a female writer.
L3-37
There is a lot to like about L3-37. She’s got a vibrant personality, a great sense of humor, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings the fully animated character to life. However, a huge crux of the character centers on her rebellious nature towards the treatment of droids. Honestly, this is a great starting point for a droid character. It’s a perspective we’ve never seen in Star Wars before and that’s refreshing.
So, when she also falls victim to having her arc be intrinsically tied to another male character, Lando, it’s a deflating piece of writing. Not to mention that the humorous approach to her feelings about equal rights has had some people derisively labeling her “MeToo-D2.” Again, it’s clear that the Kasdans didn’t intend for this to be the case, but having a female creative voice backing up L3’s feelings would have gone a long way in making her come off as less of a joke.
While she is also killed in service of the plot like Val, her death also involves the characters cannibalizing her corpse in order to utilize the navigational mapping abilities inside of her programming. There is a lot of debate going on between fans about whether or not this means her consciousness is a part of the Millenium Falcon. Regardless, it’s still a story decision that might have had more impact or could have been handled better if a female director and/or writer had the chance to oversee it.
Qi’ra
When it comes to female characters in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Qi’ra is the one that almost comes out on top. Her arc is actually about being subjugated by a man, Dryden Vos, and the climax of the film is her overthrowing him. It’s a genuinely rousing moment that feels absolutely right for the character. She also betrays Han Solo and becomes a crucial figure in the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn. This is a wonderful conclusion that separates her arc from Han’s in a definitive way.
That’s what makes her final moment so discouraging. Her victory is undercut by the appearance of Darth Maul. It turns out that she is still in the service of a male character and her decisions are not her own. It’s also unfortunate because this is a beloved villainous character with a ton of history for fans. His brief cameo is thrilling but it also takes away from the emotional impact of Qi’ra’s arc.
It’s these kinds of story decisions that indicate a lack of female perspective in the creative process. Yes, it is cool to see Darth Maul on the big screen again. But, it’s not cool that it comes at the cost of the film’s most prominent female character and her arc. If a woman had been deeply involved with the script or the direction of Solo: A Star Wars Story, it’s likely that there would have been more consideration taken towards giving Qi’ra an ending that focused on her instead of the man commanding her.
The Future of Star Wars
With all of this said, it’s also important to look at what the road ahead currently looks like for Star Wars. As of now, the only announced projects all have men as writers and/or directors. To be fair, these are accomplished filmmakers in their own right and we should be excited to see what they have planned for the Star Wars universe.
However, the lack of female writers and directors at the helm of any upcoming Star Wars projects is distressing. With the problems we’ve seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story, it’s understandable to think that similar missteps might happen with future projects.
Now, it’s worth noting that the other Disney Star Wars films have made admirable strides with female characters. Rey, Jyn Erso, Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and Rose Tico have been wonderful additions to the Star Wars canon. But, much like Guillermo del Toro did when he co-wrote The Shape of Water with Vanessa Taylor, it would be excellent to see women directly involved with shaping some of these characters and stories. That perspective is crucial to consider as Star Wars continues to move forward into the future. And as Wonder Woman proved, having a female director take charge of a story with a female protagonist can lead to some extraordinary results.
Solo: A Star Wars Story isn’t a bad movie, but its characters expose why the franchise needs to start having female creative voices guiding certain elements of these stories. It will only lead to better Star Wars films. That’s something everybody wants.
