Prejudice exists on both sides. A critic of the Admiral Holdo character uses feminist in the title of an article, therefore it must be toxic, misogynist, and it thus deserves to be dismissed off-hand, even if the author has first hand experience of real suffering, and sacrifice in the name of something greater than himself. In the author’s words:
“I don’t need Vice Admiral Holdo to show me that women can be real leaders. I already have Leigh Ann Hester, who fought through an insurgent ambush in Iraq. I have Captain Jennifer Moreno, an army nurse killed during a patrol in Afghanistan. I have Ann Carrizales, a police officer who was shot in the face but still helped chase down her attackers. I have my mother, who managed to finish her degree while working full time and raising five children. I have the stories, videos and photos of the brave Kurdish and Yezidi women fighting ISIS.”
It’s not just in the title, Dre. To quote his article:
“As it turns out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi wasn’t just a science fiction movie. In reality, it was a lesson about sexism that we men badly needed. Or something.”
And then, “So please, Hollywood. I’ve been watching Star Wars for forty years. Don’t ruin it, don’t put your own personal crusades into it. Don’t spoon feed me your ideology. Just make a good movie.”
He makes some good points here and there but it’s unfortunate that people have to get caught up in this whole “agenda” they think they’re being attacked with.
Yes, the author feels TLJ has something to say about sexism. I don’t think that’s a very controversial opinion to have.
“Dern told Vanity Fair: “[Rian is] saying something that’s been a true challenge in feminism. Are we going to lead and be who we are as women in our femininity? Or are we going to dress up in a boy’s clothes to do the boy’s job? I think we’re waking up to what we want feminism to look like.””
There’s no denying it is one of the major themes running through TLJ, and I think it is fair to analyze in what ways it is successful. At the same time this author adds something to the discussion, because he has a rather unique and valuable perspective on the Holdo/Poe situation.