10 Most Empowering Moments Of "Star Wars: Forces Of Destiny" So Far

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny shows that even galaxies far, far away need a little girl power.

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Star Wars: Forces of Destiny is the latest addition to the new Star Wars canon, and boy is it overdue. Finally, the franchise is focusing on the heroic leading ladies of the movies and TV shows, letting them take center stage without being overshadowed by their male counterparts. From mainstays like Rey and Leia Organa to lesser known characters like Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren, the animated shorts have them all. Here are the top ten most empowering moments of the series, for new fans to the young at heart.

1. Female Friendships

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If there’s one thing Star Wars lacks when it comes to the films and tv shows, it’s women helping other women. But Forces of Destiny allows the relationships between the female characters to take center stage. From Sabine and Leia conspiring to get Imperial data to Ahsoka and Padmé facing off against a bounty hunter, everyone’s favorite space gals get to be friends. It’s about time the franchise passed the Bechdel test, and when the second wave of shorts comes in October we’ll get to see more positive female interactions.

2. Jyn Erso: Rebel Rescuer

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Jyn Erso might’ve been a reluctant hero in Rogue One, but here she’s all about everyday acts of heroism. When she sees a young girl and her tooka (think Star Wars’s version of a pet cat) being harassed by stormtroopers, she leaps into action and all but dares the troopers to pick on someone their own size. Using her wits, she’s able to outsmart the troopers and rescue both girl and cat from danger. While she was a controversial heroine in Rogue One, here she is eminently heroic and likable, and we want to see more of her pre-Rogue adventures.

3. Compassion Saves the Day

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Rey is every inch the hero we all need: brave, strong, and above all, compassionate. When faced with a giant nightworm who feeds on scrap and intends on making a meal out of BB-8, she protects her new friend but not without showing a lot of compassion for a creature just trying to survive. She even gives the monster some scrap out of her own salvage. Rey is not only a role model for tough girls everywhere, but she could teach us all a little bit about compassion as well.

4. Growing Up Padawan

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When Ahsoka was first introduced in The Clone Wars movie, the then-padawan was widely reviled. Now, she’s beloved, but not after some serious growth on her part. The short “The Padawan Path” sheds some light on Ahsoka’s development over the course of the Clone Wars television series, as it depicts Yoda bestowing an honor upon her for her maturity, and because of her promising future. It’s a nice reminder that we all start somewhere and that we all can grow into something better.

5. Leia the Leader

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Leia is the original leading space lady, and gets the lion’s share of shorts in the eight episode run. We get to see her at three different points in her journey, and in all of them she’s a tough cookie ready to fight injustice. We see her pass off important intel to Sabine all while still undercover as a senator in the Galactic Empire. Risking her life and her cover to get information to the Rebellion is one of Leia’s hallmarks and it’s always an empowering moment to see her take action, even when it would be easier for her to turn a blind eye. Of course, it’s not all politics for her...

6. Leia the Action Girl

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Leia’s not just a pretty face and politician. When it comes down to it, she gets her hands dirty too. In a deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back, she rescues Chewie - and the entire Rebel base on Hoth - from a Wampa that’s trapped inside. With more grace and skill than her brother Luke, she distracts the monster long enough for Chewie and Artoo to power up the door, then narrowly escapes through it before they seal the Wampa in. Seeing Leia get to be the badass she always has been is a friendly reminder that princesses can be self-rescuing too.

7. Aggressive Negotiations

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Padmé might not be the most popular Star Wars leading lady, but this short showcases her as the powerhouse Lucas never quite let her be. Her episode focuses on a diplomatic dinner she is organizing that comes under fire from an assassin. Even with Jedi Ahsoka taking on most of the defense, Padmé proves she’s no wilting damsel when she knocks out the assassin before she can escape or ruin the negotiations. Padmé has always fared better on the animated side of Star Wars, and hopefully we’ll get to see more of her being the leader she was supposed to be.

8. Piloting Prowess

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Move over Anakin and Luke, it’s the women who are the real best pilots in the galaxy. Rey gets to show off her piloting skills in “BB-8 Bandits”, as she dodges and swoops away from a group of scavengers trying to steal BB-8. In a scene reminiscent of Luke and Leia’s Endor pursuit, she easily out-navigates and out-maneuvers her opponents. It’s a great moment, seeing her show off those piloting skills that wowed us in The Force Awakens, and reminds us just how capable Rey is of taking care of herself.

9. The Force is Female

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Forces of Destiny also reminds us that the Force isn’t just for male characters. We see Rey possibly tap into her Force abilities in “Sands of Jakku”, and Ahsoka gets to use her lightsabers to protect and defend. While we probably won’t see Rey with a lightsaber in the series, seeing Ahsoka at full Jedi capacity is a nice reminder that the Jedi lineup is no longer just a boy’s club. Girls can use lightsabers too, and in fact are probably better at it, given that they’ve all yet to lose a hand in the process.

10. Fierce Yet Fashionable

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We’ve all wondered where Leia got that beautiful dress she wears at the Ewok village, and this short answers that question. After helping to save two Ewoks from stormtroopers, the grateful tribe gifts her a dress. “It’s beautiful,” remarks Leia, before she asks if it comes with a spear. Even when getting dolled up, function and the ability to fight back are on the forefront of Leia’s mind. She’s always ready for action, which is why she’s always going to be our princess.

What were your favorite Forces of Destiny moments? Sound off in the commnets or on Twitter!