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About the “Lady Armour” in The Mandalorian
Star Wars is at a crossroads when it comes to diversifying the franchise and renewing its appeal for future generations of its vast fandom. The Skywalker Saga has (supposedly) reached its conclusion in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, an ending that drew significant criticism from both film critics and many of the saga’s fandom.
As referenced in a previous essay of mine over the relationship between Disney and American conservatism, The Rise of Skywalker drew particular backlash for its decentralised approach to its female characters and their agency in the saga. The apparent retconning of Rey’s lineage, whose powers did not occur from any relation to a known male character in The Last Jedi, seemed a direct appeal to conservative critics such as anti-feminist Ben Shapiro. Shapiro, who used the terminology “Mary Sue” to describe Rey, a phrase actress Daisy Ridley views as a sexist criticism of her character, praised the final instalment of the saga for retracting the Mary Sue aspects of Rey’s characterisation.
