Two of my favorite SF/F female characters kicked a lot of butt in the 70’s.

If BSG and Buck Rogers had been on the same network, my dreams of a Wilma Deering/Lt. Sheba team up might have come true!

I think it’s more that we haven’t had a strong female in Star Wars before other than Leia. Padme kicked some butt in AOTC, (and stole Col. Deering’s uniform) but she didn’t do a whole lot in ROTS.
People and media outlets tend to overlook comics and novels, and only consider tv and film characters. And even then, they forget anything more than a decade old.