She-Ra Is the Best New 'Star Wars'

For whatever reason, Netflix has consistently put out quality cartoon reboots of 80s properties; Voltron, Castlevania, Carmen Sandiego. But the one that I am constantly surprised by just how genuinely good it is, is She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. This show is not only a great science-fantasy show, but it’s giving me the fix I need that I should be getting from Disney’s Star Wars sequels.

She-Ra as a Star Wars:

The first season of She-Ra is The Force Awakens if Rey was also Finn and if Finn was friends with Kylo Ren. Let me explain, the main character Adora, is a soldier in the Horde (basically the Empire), but she deserts and joins the resistance, just like Finn does in Force Awakens. But, Adora then gets a magic sword that turns her into She-Ra and becomes a chosen one just like Rey. Also, Catra is a major character. So imagine Finn had like a stormtrooper buddy, who then felt betrayed once he left the First Order. Sort of like TR8R, if he got promoted to Kylo Ren. And that’s Catra. Adora and Catra were raised by the bad guys together, then Adora deserts leaving Catra feeling betrayed.

The story plays out pretty much how you expect. It’s the standard hero’s journey, but what makes it interesting is the relationship between Adora and Catra. Adora is conflicted about being raised by the bad guys, and her new destiny as She-Ra, while Catra feels betrayed by Adora’s desertion. It’s a simple concept, people who were once friends but are now enemies, but just like Lex and Clark’s relationship in Smallville, it’s incredibly compelling.

So imagine Finn actually dealt with the fact that he deserted the first order, or the fact that there are probably other good men in the first order that just don’t realize they are on the wrong side. Or imagine Rey and Kylo Ren had a connection like they did in The Last Jedi, but it was actually genuine and well fleshed out. Basically, She-Ra is a simple twist on a classic story that focuses on its character relationships for just a better overall time.

She-Ra has excellent supporting characters.

The villains are all really fun and compelling, and I like how they are constantly butting heads and changing allegiances. They all feel genuinely threatening, but are also given a lot of sympathetic moments as well. It feels like what they could’ve done with General Hux, Snoke, and Kylo Ren, but instead they made them all terrible.

The first season focuses on our heroes who have to recruit all of the Princesses of Power, who are all these quirky characters that all have their own gimmick. Like they go to the ice mountain and meet the ice princess who has ice powers. But the best princess by far is Entrapta, who is so quirky that she just decides to join the bad guys towards the end of season 1. She just flips sides simply because her thing is science, and the bad guys have lots of technology. I like how they foreshadow Entrapta’s allegiance in the theme song by having her be the last princess to show up right before they show the villains.

My other favourite character is Scorpia. She’s basically the sidekick to Catra, and it’s sort of a Joker/Harley Quinn dynamic, minus the abuse. Scorpia is just delightful. She is like straight up in love with Catra, but Catra just doesn’t notice because she is so fixated on Adora. There’s just all these fun and interesting character dynamics and relationships that make the show really engaging.

Season 3 of She-Ra pays off mysteries set up in season 1.

Like Rey, Adora’s origins are kept a mystery for most of the show. She doesn’t know who her parents are or where she comes from. Until season 3 when they start revealing the answers to these questions, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s actually satisfying. That’s because the revelations here actually make sense, and feel organic like they were planned from the beginning. What a crazy concept? Okay, spoilers I guess, but Adora finds out that she is from the same world that the first She-Ra was from, which is why she is able to become She-Ra. It doesn’t feel out of place at all, and makes total sense as an explanation of why she is special. We also get some really great conflict with her, as she doesn’t really want her destiny. These revelations serve to develop her character and make her more compelling. On top of that, this reveal sets up potential for future stories, because now there is this whole other world full of possibilities and even more powerful threats. So now I’m even more invested to see what happens next, unlike The Last Jedi, which once the reveal that Rey’s parents are no one, and she doesn’t turn to the dark side, there’s nothing else they could do with her character.

So in conclusion, She-Ra and The Princesses of Power is a quality fantasy cartoon with strong writing and really fun characters. Unlike the current Star Wars films, it has a compelling female lead with interesting mysteries that have satisfying conclusions. The Disney Star Wars films are kinda dumb and poorly thought out, and if you haven’t already you should check out She-Ra because it's pretty cool.