by DWIGHT LONGENECKER
As J.R.R.Tolkien wished to write a myth for the English people, George Lucas wanted to create a myth for the American people. Tolkien gave us Lord of the Rings. Lucas the Star Wars saga. To compare the two is a kind of critical blasphemy since Tolkien’s work is so far superior, however every comparison is also a contrast, and nothing epitomizes the difference between the two modern mythical epics more than the portrayal of their female heroes.
In the opening trilogy of Star Wars the hero, Luke Skywalker is a classic knight in shining armor. He is trained by his mentor, the eremitical Obi Wan Kenobi, and sets out to defeat the arch villain Darth Vader, destroy the Death Star and rescue the beautiful Princess Leia. As the saga progresses we learn that the princess is his long lost sister and Luke Skywalker has a different destiny than marriage to the damsel in distress.
If Luke Skywalker is a classic knight in shining armor, Leia is the classic princess. She may need rescuing, but despite her goofy hairdo, she’s no bimbo. She can hold her own with the sarcastic one liners, outsmarts the baddies and shoots a blaster like the best of them. As such, she plays a classic female lead: beautiful, smart, classy and sassy, but most of all feminine.