Oh, I'm aware of Galadriel, Arwen, and Eowyn. I was just saying that Tolkien didn't feel compelled to force a female character into the Fellowship itself. And I agree that Star Wars would feel incomplete without such a character. My point is that Leia was part of Star Wars because her presence was organic (ha!).

So to determine whether a character is necessary, we need to figure out what story we're trying to tell. I think everyone here wants to tell an Anakin Skywalker/Obi-wan Kenobi origin story, and have it take place during the final days of the Republic/first days of the Empire. And it is probably supposed to be a tragedy, ending with the "death" of Anakin or the reveal of Anakin as Vader, depending on whether the reveal is saved for the OT or not.

We also agree that a strong female presence is required for a Star Wars trilogy. This means that the story should not be entirely about the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, but instead by about a small or large group of heroes, with Anakin as merely one of a dynamic group. In my opinion, two Jedi are about one Jedi too many for a small group of professionally diverse heroes.

So if there is to be some sort of ensemble cast, what sort of professions would round out our Jedi-heavy group, regardless of gender?