The Critics Choice Association Women’s Committee has announced that Ahsoka will be honored with the Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE) to recognize its positive female representation. Ahsoka premiered on Disney+ on August 22 and has received high praise from fans and critics alike. The latest entry in the Star Wars universe has significant connotations for the franchise, bringing viewers beyond the galaxy and delving deeper into Star Wars lore than most series.
However, one of the best aspects of Ahsoka is that it is predominantly a female-led series. The show sees Rosario Dawson in the lead role of Ahsoka Tano as she sets out to foil Grand Admiral Thrawn’s (Lars Mikkelsen) plans to return and inherit the Empire. To do so, though, she requires the aid of a few friends. She is joined by General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a key figure from Star Wars Rebels who is now a prominent military leader within the New Republic. Rounding out the lead trio is Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), a Mandalorian warrior-turned-rebel, who joins the team as Ahsoka’s padawan.
The opposing side in Ahsoka is also largely female-led, with Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and her fellow Nightsisters largely orchestrating Thrawn’s return. All of the women in Ahsoka are skilled and fierce, wielding an impressive amount of power through the Force, magick, or their own strategy and combat skills. They are always the first to take charge, rushing to stop Thrawn and bring Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) home, while the men of the New Republic’s Senate are too afraid to take action. Now, Ahsoka is getting recognized for its female empowerment.
Ahsoka receives accolades for its female-driven story arc
Ahsoka is set to be awarded the CCA’s SOFEE accolade, which “recognizes outstanding new films and television series that illuminate the female experience and perspective through authentically told female-driven stories.” To be eligible for the award, Ahsoka had to meet a few requirements, including having a “prominent female character arc,” giving female characters adequate screen time, having women on the creative team, and passing the Bechdel test. Shows are evaluated and scored on a one to ten scale based on how well they meet the requirements. According to the CCA, Ahsoka scored a perfect 10.
While Ahsoka does have a male showrunner, Dave Filoni, it also has female leadership behind the scenes. Half of the episodes were written by women, while Lucasfilm’s president, Kathleen Kennedy, was involved as an executive producer. Meanwhile, the series is focused on Ahsoka‘s character arc as it explores not just her goals to stop Thrawn but also her fight to forge her own path apart from the Jedi and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). As mentioned above, the series’ cast is largely female-led, with the women boasting more screen time than the men. The women also occasionally speak to each other about something other than men, ensuring it passes the Bechdel test.
Most importantly, Ahsoka re-emphasizes that women can be heroes in the Star Wars galaxy and beyond. Ahsoka‘s women aren’t your standard female characters that too often fall into sexist tropes. They have their own stories and are powerful, intelligent, brave, and just as strong, if not stronger, than any man. They show that women can be pilots, warriors, military leaders, and rebels and that there are really no limits to what a woman can do or be. As a result, it appears that Ahsoka‘s award from the prestigious CCA was very well-earned and will hopefully inspire other films and TV shows to meet SOFEE’s standards.
(featured image: Disney+)
