Captain Phasma

The internet got a Star Wars character turned into a woman

When the first cast photo from Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released, many people unsurprisingly raised concerns that there was only one woman among the new cast members, adding to the gender imbalance of a franchise that had only featured one prominent female character in the original trilogy (the Expanded Universe, may it rest in peace, is another story). You know how those internet feminists are, pointlessly complaining about the lack of representation and trying to ruin a perfectly good patriarchy. And what’s worse, according to Vulture this always completely ineffectual whining led to new character Captain Phasma being gender swapped:

It was around that time that [co-writer Lawrence] Kasdan and [writer/director JJ Abrams] Abrams, who were still attempting to cast Phasma (and, it’s rumored, had been talking to Benedict Cumberbatch for the role), had their gender-flipping brainstorm. “Everything was happening simultaneously,” Kasdan told me. “When the idea came up to make Phasma female, it was instantaneous: Everyone just said, ‘Yes. That’s great.’”

[Gwendoline] Christie concurred yesterday, delighted by the bombshell. “I think that’s great of them, don’t you?” she said. “That there was a discussion about that, and an evolution?”

That’s right, we could have had Cumberbatch playing yet another villain, probably giving the same hammy performance like he always does. But instead we’re being subjected to the brilliant and badass Gwendoline Christie in what’s sure to be a unique role, because of her amazingness and because, while we know very little about Captain Phasma, it seems safe to say the Star Wars movies haven’t had a female villain like her before.

And what’s worse, she doesn’t even have the completely unrealistic and potentially lethal boob armor we’ve been able to come to expect on lady warrior characters. That’s some SJW nonsense right there.

Director JJ Abrams seemed to get it recently when he said “Star Wars was always a boys thing,” but then he had to go and clarify that he didn’t mean to erase the legions of long time female fans, and the issue was representation and having female characters for girls and women to be inspired by.

And now we know that because of internet feminists The Force Awakens doesn’t just feature a black lead and a female lead, it features what many expect to be a kick ass female villain too. Those whiney, ineffectual feminists ruin everything.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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