From the opening minutes of the very first Star Wars film, it was an undeniable fact that Princess Leia Organa would be a force to be reckoned with (even without the Force). Standing up for the greater good is a brave action in and of itself, but facing Darth Vader –the most dangerous man in the galaxy, second only to the Emperor — with no fear and an air of defiance, greater powers that not many others possess. Leia is not the only woman in the vast Star Wars universe who exhibits extraordinary power. While some are Jedi, others are not, showing that one of Ahsoka Tano’s most famous lines — “You don’t have to carry a sword to be powerful” —applies to women from all corners of the galaxy.
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As the season of the Force begins, let’s take a look at five of the most powerful women in Star Wars.
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka’s previously mentioned quote goes further, “You don’t have to carry a sword to be powerful. Some leaders’ strength is inspiring greatness in others.” This notion encapsulates Ahsoka as a whole; though she carries two swords (lightsabers) and is a ferocious fighter who was able to defeat Darth Maul as a teenager, Ahsoka’s greatest strength lies in her ability to inspire others. Her moral compass is perhaps the strongest out of any other person in the Star Wars universe, as she was able to see the injustice in the Jedi Order and walk away when she was still only a padawan, even though her entire life was spent at the Jedi Temple. It was an act of bravery that even her master, Anakin Skywalker, could not bring himself to do, even though he shared Ahsoka’s sentiment.
After leaving the Jedi Order, Ahsoka continued to inspire others, acting as the secret informant known as Fulcrum, feeding secrets to the rebels. The galaxy would not have been the same without Ahsoka’s fearlessness and unyielding pursuit of justice.
[RELATED: Star Wars: Ahsoka Star Just Gave Us a Big Hint About Season 2]
Hera Syndulla
There’s a reason the fandom affectionately refers to Hera Syndulla as “Space Mom,” and it’s not just because she’s a single mother and a General in the New Republic. Before all of that, Hera was first and foremost a Twi’lek with the spirit of a rebel and a dream to be a pilot. Hera eventually made that dream a reality and became one of the most essential pilots in the entire Rebellion, with her found family aboard her ship, the Ghost.
Hera was first introduced in Star Wars Rebels and her fierce determination and fearlessness are the reasons she and the rest of the Ghost crew are so successful in acts against the Empire in the Outer Rim. The epilogue of Rebels series finale shows that Hera had a child with her late husband, Kanan Jarrus, and their son occupied the co-pilot seat in the cockpit that his father once had. Hera was brought into the live-action New Republic era of the Star Wars universe in the Disney+ series Star Wars: Ahsoka, where she is shown to be a high-ranking General and veteran of the Galactic Civil War, with the same untamed rebel spirit she possessed from childhood.
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze was originally introduced in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clones Wars, as part of the Mandalorian terrorist group known as Death Watch. Mandalorians, by nature and history, are a warrior people. However, at the time, Bo-Katan’s sister Satine Kryze was the ruling leader of Mandalore and was a staunch pacifist. Bo-Katan was young and fiery, determined to rebel against her sister and restore Mandalore to the ways of the past. However, after her sister was killed by Darth Maul, Bo-Katan underwent serious character development, taking her from a teen activist to a respected leader in her own right.
When Bo-Katan is seen again in Star Wars Rebels, she becomes the rightful wielder of the Darksaber — an ancestral weapon forged by the first and only Mandalorian Jedi that can unite all the splintered Mandalorian clans. For years, Bo-Katan ruled over a united Mandalore until the very end of the Galactic Civil War when Moff Gideon and his Imperial Forces led a full-fledged attack against the planet, massacred most of its people, and stole the Darksaber from Bo-Katan. In the second season of The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan makes her live-action debut and is on a mission to track down Gideon and retrieve the Darksaber, which she ultimately does by season three, once again uniting her people and taking back her beloved home planet.
Leia Organa
It would be a crime to compose a list of powerful Star Wars women and not include the original badass herself: Princess Leia Organa. If you even have a passing knowledge of Star Wars, you know how iconic and significant Leia is in shaping the galaxy, both in a military and political sense. Like her mother, former Queen of Naboo and Senator Padme Amidala, and her adopted father, Senator Bail Organa, Leia has a natural gift for politics and expertly navigating loopholes in Imperial law up until the Rebellion officially broke out.
Not only is she highly intelligent and strategic — invaluable assets for a Princess, diplomatic representative, and Rebel leader — but she is fearless almost to a fault, much like her father, Anakin Skywalker. Leia has no qualms about jumping head first into battle against even the strongest of adversaries, including Darth Vader himself. If the Disney+ series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi showed fans anything, it’s that Leia has been a courageous rebel since childhood and has let nothing stand in her way.
Padme Amidala
Padme Amidala was way more than just a mother to Luke and Leia and wife to Anakin Skywalker. At 14, she was elected Queen of Naboo and ruled with a steady hand that earned her the love and respect of her people and became arguably the most popular regent in Naboo history. In fact, Padme was so popular and beloved by the people of Naboo that there was a movement to allow her to serve a third term as Queen, though the constitution allowed a regent to serve only two. Padme declined and instead went on to serve as Naboo’s representative senator in the Republic Senate.
Padme was much more than an effective and brilliant politician. Her bravery was on par with some of the best fighters in the Clone Wars, and she was able to defend herself with ease, despite the many attempts on her life and the senatorial-decreed bodyguard assigned to protect her (her future husband, Anakin). Padme continued to fight for justice until the very end of her life, even if that meant confronting the man she loved and denouncing his ways.
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