Movie

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

If this were a series about male villains, Darth Vader – one of the most iconic bad guys in cinema history – would be top 10 material for sure. But since I’m reviewing female baddies, there are few to choose from in the Star Wars franchise. Discounting the miscellaneous women who’ve appeared as Imperial commanders and the like, I can think of only two.

Female leads have become more prominent in action movies over the past decade, and Star Wars follows this trend. Jyn Erso in Rogue One (2016) proved to be a fantastic heroine in the well-regarded spin-off prequel to Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). However, female villains remain a rare breed in this galaxy, and those that have featured are not especially memorable. A shout-out to Solo (2018) for including a masked rebel pirate who turns out to be a woman (with a voice disguiser, naturally), but she couldn’t be considered evil. There’s also a late reveal that a seemingly sweet companion is actually a Sith agent, but it’s a onetime appearance. So we’re still waiting for a true female badass.

Villainess

Zam Wesell (Leeanna Walsman)

There’s not much competition for Star Wars villainesses, and Zam almost wins by default. That said, there are memorable scenes in Attack of the Clones, even though Zam is a minor character who only lasts the first quarter or so of the movie. Unfortunately, she’s then eliminated by an allegedly more important male villain.

Zam is a bounty hunter working for the bad guys who want to conquer the galaxy. No limit to their ambition, and anyone who’s seen the original trilogy will know they succeed. Which makes the heroes’ efforts moot, but they have to fill up three movies somehow and make it a struggle for the Dark Side. Technically, Zam works for Jango Fett, father of Boba from The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and she’s a footsoldier in it (presumably) for credits.

The villainess gets an explosive introduction when she attempts to assassinate Senator Padme Amidala on her arrival to Coruscant. When the bomb kills the Senator’s decoy instead, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker are assigned to protect her. The mercs are not about to be deterred, and Jango orders his underling to “try something more subtle”. That means killing off Padme with poisonous, slithery worm-like things. I’m sure the creatures have a more ominous name in the Star Wars universe, but they’re never given one in the movie.

After the Jedi arrive in the nick of time to save the imperilled Senator – a habit of heroes – we’re treated to one of the best scenes in franchise history. The two main characters pursue the would-be assassin in an airborne speeder chase through a planet-covering capital city. This is especially memorable as their quarry proves to be slippery and dangerous, with Zam shooting Obi-Wan off a flying drone and performing daredevil moves as she attempts to give her pursuers the slip.

During the sky chase, Zam is revealed to be a changeling, a humanoid creature able to alter her appearance. After a crash landing, the final confrontation takes place in a bar. This sequence is disappointing as the villainess remains in the same human form throughout. I’m assuming changelings can take on any guise within limits, so I would have liked Zam to be more deceptive considering that Anakin has already seen her face.

Instead, she foolishly goes after the master Jedi and gets cut down rather easily by his lightsaber. The villainess’ demise is okay, though nothing special. Just as she’s about to name her superior, a helmeted mercenary offs Zam with a toxic dart, and she reverts to her natural form. Before the Jedi can track the killer, he jetpacks off into the sky, setting up the main plot of the film.

Overall, I’ve ranked Zam low on my list because of her limited contribution. The role of women in this film series is worthy of discussion, but the wait for a notable female foe goes on. Until then, Aussie actress Leeanna Walsman can claim she’s played the best villainess in a Star Wars movie.

Honourable Mentions: Star Wars

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) – Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie)

Okay, so perhaps she’s not terrible, but people expected so much more from Gwendoline Christie as the statuesque silver stormtrooper. After her memorable stint as warrior woman Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, fans understandably had high expectations. Then The Force Awakens was released in 2015, and we got to see Phasma do… well, not very much.

When she featured in Episode VII – and her appearances were fleeting – Phasma stood in the background and gave a few orders to her troops. Armoured eye candy is not what we expected. As for actual combat, there was none. Phasma gets captured by the heroes without a fight, and we’re left with a very unsatisfying off-screen resolution with her character thrown in a trash compactor (according to Han Solo).

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) – Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie)

The good news is Phasma sees some action in Episode VIII and didn’t get the off-screen death we all feared. Maybe the filmmakers resurrected her to avoid fan backlash?

This time, the silver-clad giantess poses a threat, though she’s absent for most of the film. Phasma engages in combat, fires blasters, and fights hand to hand with the hero Finn in an epic confrontation. Still, there are a lot of cutaways to CGI-heavy hero versus trooper battles, and the all-too easily defeated commander is jettisoned into space. Which left Star Wars and villainess fans wondering what might have been.

Two barely honourable mentions, and even that feels generous.