Summary
AtFan ExpoChicago,Star Warslegend Mark Hamill had very high praise forA New Hope, specifically pertaining to the representation of Princess Leia and the movie’s feminist story arc.A New Hoperemains one of the most beloved additions toStar Warsmovies and TV shows. In fact, despite the nearly 50 years since the original trilogy debuted,A New Hope,The Empire Strikes Back, andReturn of the Jediare still frequently regarded as beingStar Wars’best movies. Now, Hamill has specifically called out the arc of one ofStar Wars’best characters, Princess Leia.
In his Fan Expo Chicago panel, “Mark Hamill Live,“Hamill highlighted the"effortless feminism"ofA New Hope. Specifically, as revealed in a video posted byva.va.veraon TikTok, Hamill joked about how Princess Leia made chumps of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and had no fear whatsoever when she faced off against Darth Vader.
Although this perspective will undoubtedly be controversial to some, as even the term ‘feminism’ has become loaded in this fandom and beyond,Mark Hamill’s assessment of bothA New Hopeand Princess Leia’s role in the movie is absolutely perfect.
10 Things You Somehow Missed In A New Hope
A New Hope has inspired countless Star Wars stories for decades, but there are still some parts of the classic movie that are easy to miss.
Leia Organa
As Mark Hamill correctly pointed out,Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia was a brand-new type of hero for movies likeStar Wars—and this was in part because it was such a massive deviation from how women were typically depicted in stories of this kind. Specifically, Hamill identified Leia not as a damsel-in-distress stereotype but rather as a take-charge hero in her own right, willing to mock Tarkin to his face in front of the terrifying Darth Vader. This was clearly quite different from the role many women characters had played in science fiction thus far.
InThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, Leia proved to be absolutely essential to both the Rebellion and the future of the Jedi.
Leia’s incredible arc only continued from there. InThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, Leia proved to be absolutely essential to both the Rebellion and the future of the Jedi, as she not only served as a leader in the fight against the Empire but also consistently helped (and at times saved) Luke. The sequel trilogy then proved that even after the Empire fell, Leia remained a major player in the galaxy. Ultimately, she was also a huge reason the First Order was able to be defeated as well.
Truly, there are very few characters as impressive, influential, and beloved as Princess Leia, despite decades of new characters being introduced. Again, while Hamill’s choice of words might sadly stir the pot, his description of Leia’s role throughout theStar Warsfranchise was entirely accurate.A New Hopereally was a beautiful representation of a feminist story arc, and that comes down to how brilliant a character Princess Leia was.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast
Star Wars is a seminal science fiction film released in 1977 that follows the quest of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to rescue Princess Leia from the oppressive Imperial forces. They are aided by the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they strive to restore peace to the galaxy.
