by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

I have loved Star Wars as far back as I can remember. I particularly remember one birthday, early in the morning, my mom put on A New Hope (for probably the 100th time) and handed me a piece of birthday cake. I did not think life could get any better than that moment right there. However my fandom was not one I thought about that often besides dressing up as Leia or Padme for halloween, or seeing the films in theaters. It was not until my late 20s that I realized all Star Wars meant to me and how much more it could be. This happened when I started watching the Clone Wars TV show for the first time. I got to see the many complicated, messy, and beautiful stories the Star Wars universe could offer, many of which starred some of the most interesting female characters I had met. While I struggled to think about what Star Wars concept  I wanted to delve into this May the 4th I just kept coming back to the women of the Star Wars cartoons. These are some of my favorite women, mainly from Clone Wars and a few from Rebels, whose stories made me remember why Star Wars is so important.

The Daughter

"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end."

The Daughter appears in a three episode arc that starts with “Overlords” in Season 3 of The Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi Wan Kenobi land on a mysterious planet where three godlike figures rule; The Brother, The Daughter, and The Father. The Brother represents the dark side, the Daughter, the light, while the Father represents the balance of the three. This is one of the more fantasy heavy arcs in the series in as much as it feels very much like a Tolkien story. While this did not feel like it entirely fit in with what I believed to be “Star Wars” it ended up making me much more interested in the mythological roots of the franchise. The Daughter is the personification of the light side of the force with all of its compassion, life-bringing, and selflessness. While The Daughter herself is only present either in person or images in The Clone Wars and Rebels, she has a connection with a bird named Morai who becomes a consistent figure in the backdrop of Ahsoka Tano’s storyline. This bonds the two characters in a fascinating way that brings more goddess elements into the Star Wars Universe. 

Mother Talzin

"Where one sees failure, others see opportunity."

Talzin hails from Dathomir, the home of Darth Maul. The men and women of this planet are separated; the men typically become fighters while the women form a coven known as “The Night Sisters” the night sisters are essentially space witches and Talzin is their leader. What Jedi know as the force is magic to the sisters who use this universal power to concoct spells that can do a variety of things, including bringing people back from the dead. Her magical expertise and power become renowned and eventually attract the sith. While Talzin does work with the sith it is clear that she is willing to play all the sides in the war in order to gain the power she and her sisters need to survive. Talzin becomes a bit of a puppet master later in the series as she tries to manipulate those around her to do her bidding or enact her plots of revenge. Talzin is a force to be reckoned with and is one of the more interesting Force users we are introduced to. 

Mina Bonteri

Surely there's room in the galaxy for Confederate and Republic planets to coexist.

Mina Bonteri represents a storyline I did not know was essential to expanding the Star Wars Universe. She is a leader on the planet Onderon and is part of the Separatists, the enemies the Republic is fighting in the prequels. Mina is one of the first of the true Separatists we actually meet. In the films, we really only interact with the generals like Grievous and Duku and their army of droids. But there are real people who are not aligned with the dark side or the light who simply did not want to be a part of the Republic. Clone Wars is fantastic as showing how the Republic and the Jedi Order are riddled with problems, and finally meeting characters who are not bad people, but just disagree with the Republic, is essential to understanding the complexities of the war. Bonteri is unaware of the evils of the Sith and how it has infested their movement. She is just trying to do the best for her people and family. Her character is introduced in season three of Clone Wars in the episode “Heroes on Both Sides”. In the episode we learn that Bonteri is an old friend of Padme’s and in an attempt to proceed with peace talks Padme seeks out her friend on the other side to find common ground. 

Padme Amidala 

"If you see injustice, you must stand up and face it. You must get Involved."

Yes Padme is in the films, but I would argue that Clone Wars takes on the task of flushing out this character and making her one of the most interesting senators in the galaxy. While the films lean heavily on her romantic relationship with Anakin, the television show gives us a chance to see Padme on the ground doing work to end the Clone Wars. This often puts her in danger and also puts her at odds with her husband, Anakin. Padme becomes a character that recognizes the fate of the galaxy is more important than her personal relationships and she frequently takes on the more dangerous assignments if it means helping the people of Naboo. Padme is not one to sit on the sidelines and let others do the work for her. The Padme Clone Wars gives us is not someone who would “die of a broken heart” but someone who would look evil in the face and stand against it even if it's the face of one she loves. 

Satine Kryze 

Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself.

I had heard so much about the Mandalorians but knew nothing until I started watching Clone Wars which ends up becoming a lot about the Mandalorian people and the eventual fall of the planet. However, when you are introduced to Satine Kryze, the Duchess of Mandalore, she seems to be nothing like the legendary race of fighters we have heard about. Much of this has to do with the fact that Satine is a pacifist and Madalore is trying to remain in a neutral position as the Clone Wars roar on. This becomes more and more of a struggle as Satine takes on issues with The Jedi, Republic, and Sith. It becomes even more difficult when there are factions of her own people that disagree with her and want to go back to their warrior roots. Satine’s struggle to maintain order and keep the peace is heartbreaking to watch and you watch it wear on her throughout the series. But just because Satine wants to stay out of the war does not mean she will not stand up and put herself in the line of danger to save all those she loves, including a jedi she has been in love with for a long time. Satine’s story is beautiful and sad but she remains regal and fierce in my eyes. 

Asajj Ventress

"I am fear. I am the queen of a blood-soaked planet and an architect of genocide. I have helped to crack the galaxy in half with this war and conquered every enemy I have ever faced—including death.

While there is one Clone Wars character that will always be my favorite, Ventress has to be a close second. We meet Ventress in season one of Clone Wars and she is introduced as the apprentice to Count Dooku. She is also from Dathomir and was one of the Night Sisters before she found her place in the Sith. She wields two red lightsabers and is a worthy opponent for the best of the Jedi order. As the story goes on, we learn about her tragic roots and follow her down a path of vengeance. She feels like the shadow version of Ahsoka and both of these women go on very different soul quests to find themselves outside of their allegiances. Ventress ultimately has one of the most unique character arcs in the show. Since she was not in any of the films, and therefore her story was not beholden to anything already considered canon, she ultimately gets a freedom other characters do not. Although her journey is marked with pain and death she gets to truly find herself along the way. 

Bo-Katan Kryze 

I wish I was good at something other than war.

Bo-Katan is one of the characters we have seen appear in both Clone Wars and Rebels. And her recent appearance in season 2 of The Mandalorian has made this Mandalorian royalty a Star Wars staple. It also helps that she is both voiced and played by Katee Sackhoff, a major player in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Bo-katan is the sister of Satine but when we are introduced to her in Clone Wars, she is also part of Death Watch, the terrorist organization Satine is trying to weed out. While she is introduced as an antagonist she is much more complicated than we are led to believe and while she may be on opposing sides with her sister it is clear she both cares for and respects the pacifist leader. The survival of her people is one of the most important things to her and she is frequently beholden to their traditions. Bo-Katan is one of the fiercest fighters and when she is on your side she will make for a fierce ally. 

Sabine Wren 

I left to save everyone. 

Yes, another Mandalorian warrior, however Sabine breaks the mold in more ways than one. Sabine Wren is one of the main characters in Star Wars: Rebels. While Clone Wars takes one all over the galaxy with a huge cast of characters, Rebels is much more about the close knit family that Sabine is a part of. After the fall of Mandalore, many of the remaining clans side fight for the empire including Sabine’s. She becomes a cadet in the Imperial Academy and shows much promise to be a rising star in the empire. However her rebellious nature takes over when she realizes the carnage the empire has in store and joins the crew on the “ghost” to fight for the rebellion. She is an artist by nature and has even painted her Mandalorian armor to make herself truly stand out above the rest. Like many of the Mandalorian people, she is a fierce fighter and quite adept at working with different weaponry. While she is tough she is also a caring and empathetic person who will stop at nothing to save both her new family and her old one. 

Hera Syndulla

If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing.

Hera is one of the most important characters in Star Wars. She is one of the few mother figures that the franchise has, and because of this she fills a major gap in the Star Wars universe. This is also probably why she is named after a powerful but understated Greek Goddess.  While she is the mother figure of the ghost crew on Rebels she is also one of the strongest women the universe has to offer. She is the daughter of General Cham Syndulla, a fierce warrior on Ryloth. While she ultimately makes the decision to leave her people and serve the rebellion she has a deep rooted connection to her ancestry and history. Her connection to her culture is one aspect of Hera’s personality that makes her so interesting and unique. Oh did I mention that she is also one of the best pilots in the galaxy? Hera gets her crew out of more than one sticky situation and moves up the ranks to become a commander in the rebellion. She is a fun, sassy, and deeply emotional character who is not one to be messed with.  

Ahsoka Tano 

In My Experience, When You Think You Understand The Force, You Realize Just How Little You Know.

I have to save the best for last, Ahsoka Tano, the woman that changed Star Wars for me. As someone who did not care about the cartoon series until very recently, Ahsoka’s arc is ultimately what made me feel so attached to the series and breathed new life into my relationship with Star Wars. Ahsoka is introduced at the padawan to Anakin Skywalker. While there is much she learns from her master, including how to bend the rules, she ultimately forges her own path and has an innate sense of what is right. Knowing how Anakin’s story ends makes their relationship all the more important for both of them. Ahsoka becomes a powerful Force wielder who ends up facing off against some of the most terrifying opponents in the empire. She is also someone who has to forge her on path as she sees the cracks in both the Republic and the Jedi Order. She is someone who becomes an important figure in  Rebels, The Mandalorian, and now with her own show announced we will get many more tales from this powerful hero. Ahsoka is gentle, powerful, clever, and has an intuitive wisdom which is why she is a character that has managed to live on. There is so much emotion behind her episode arcs that they have brought me to tears every time I have watched them. 

While these ladies of the galaxy are some of my favorites there are plenty of other women from both series that you may love. Some only show up in one episode while others are figures in the backdrop but women like Jocasta Nu, Riyo Chuchi, Shaak Ti, The Seventh Sister Ketsu Onyo make their mark on the television shows. Also with shows like The Mandolorian and Bad Batch plus the High Republic series of books out we can see that this trend of powerful women in the galaxy is here to stay. So on this May 4th I am very grateful for Star Wars and the representation I see.