Things I like About Princess Leia

Coolest. Princess. Ever.

So, Andrew and I were watching Return of the Jedi tonight just for fun. For those of you who don’t know, my sister and I pretty much watched Return of the Jedi every day during summer vacation when we were kids. The only days we didn’t watch it, we were watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Anyway, Andrew and I were watching Return of the Jedi. And I started to think of how much better Leia ever was than any of the stupid women in action movies these days.

Think about it. Leia is kick-butt from the very beginning. Leia never goes through a whiny coming-of-age phase like Luke does when he wants to go to Toshi station to pick up some power converters. No, the first time we see Leia, she has a blaster! This fact alone pretty much makes her the coolest princess ever.

I recognized your foul stench when I was first brought on board.

Leia insults Governor Tarkin when she smells his “foul stench,” thus displaying mental wit and considerable sass…not something we see from, say, Katie Holmes (or Maggie Gyllenhall, for that matter) in the Batman movies. (On that note, I’m glad they finally killed off Rachel and put her out of her misery!)

Also, who killed Jabba the Hut? That’s right–Leia! Bonus points for being able to kill him while chained up and wearing nothing but the gold bikini!

Make Jabba No Bargain...

All this, and Leia still manages to convey a distinctly feminine persona. She definitely has the most interestsing hairdos in the whole galaxy. And let’s face it, Leia is hot. So, we have a useful female character in an action movie who can kill bad guys, look hot in a gold bikini, and still manage to find time to braid her hair, all while playing a key role in a massive rebellion against an evil empire. Could any woman ask for more than that?

So, Princess Leia, we in the WOL salute you!! May you always live on as our favorite female character in an action movie. And may you continue to inspire generations of little girls to aspire to be more than a ditzy sidekick.  As Luke says, “You’ve always been strong.” And so you will always be in our memory.