Futurism logo

Who Is Admiral Holdo?

And Why Should We Care?

By Abdullah MasoodPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Like

When I first saw the movie The Last Jedi, my curiosity was immediately piqued by vice-admiral Amilyn Holdo. For those who don't know, she was the purple haired lady that takes command after Leia is indisposed and sacrifices herself in order to save the rest of the Resistance. We clearly had never seen this new character in the sequels or prequels and while she does add to the roster of strong female leads we are seeing more often in Star Wars, I couldn't help but wonder where she came from and who she was. And so comes this article. We will now look at the background of Amilyn Holdo and what she represents.

The Actress

The new woman on the Star Wars block is Laura Dern. She is the daughter of Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. She has starred in epic movies such as Citizen Ruth, Mask, Blue Velvet, and Wild at Heart. However, for all you nerds out there, she has also played the role of Dr. Sattler in Jurassic Park. Most recently she did an amazing speech at the Golden Globes. She won that for her supporting role in Big Little Lies. I personally think she brought a lot of maturity and grace to the role and fulfilled it to the best of her capability.

Humble Origins

Amilyn Holdo is from Gatalenta, a planet with multiple suns, known for its tea and strong traditions of the Jedi Order. Not much is revealed about her youth except for the fact that she was Leia's friend. A young rebel, she dyed her hair and had vibrant clothing to rebel against her planet's austere and non-violent traditions (kind of like every other teenage girl, though). Holdo likes speaking in metaphors, too. The meeting between the two was mostly due to the fact that she was also a part of the Apprentice Legislature (a youth body of the Imperial Senate that Leia joined as her Challenge of the Mind). Interestingly enough, it's the same body that Padme joined at 8 years old. The year was 3 BBY and both did senatorial and pathfinding missions together. Eventually she found out about the Rebellion from Leia and helped her out. When the events of the Return of the Jedi take place, the Imperial Senate and all its bodies are abolished with the establishment of the New Republic and one of it's strongest members is Holdo's planet. However, the Imperial remnants leave for the Outer Rim, eventually returning as the First Order we see in Force Awakens. A call is arms is made and the Resistance forms. Eventually in 34 ABY Holdo joins Leia and becomes vice-admiral with her own ship, the Ninka. The events of the Last Jedi need no further repetition and with her supreme sacrifice, she saved the Resistance by going into hyperdrive and breaking Snoke's ship Supremacy into two. Oh, and Poe did a mutiny against her. There is also a mention about something legendary called the Battle of Chyron Belt, but I have yet to find something about that in detail so we'll have to wait for that one...

What does Amilyn Holdo represent?

Some people have compared her to Luna Lovegood. I have heard those words but I disagree. Some have called her useless. I again disagree. Look, we have had three major female leads in most sci-fi movies and shows except for Firefly and Buffy. One is the badass tomboy zombie killing hot chick that has mind-blowing sex and kicks butt. The second is the poor damsel in distress that needs saving. The third is the nerdy scientist who later becomes either of the two roles. Most of these are young people, headstrong and not very bright. Admiral Holdo is a middle-aged general that knows what's going on and can make the tough choices. She isn't trigger happy like Poe wants her to be, and she isn't dumb enough to make choices based purely on extinct. She is a character that represents what a true leader should be. Sacrificing for the good of the many. In my opinion the only character she resembles in sci-fi is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager from Star Trek. Captain Janeway sacrificed her own happiness in the future so that her crew would not face the horrors they had in her own timeline. She doesn't take nonsense, she has the authority of command and no weakness to show, which is what makes her such an exceptional character to begin with.

Bonus: She had a deleted scene with Luke.

So this tweet has since been deleted ,but Mark Hamill congratulated her for her Golden Globe by mentioning a deleted scene between her and him in TheLast Jedi. While it's anyone's guess whether it comes out in the DVD release or not, I for one can't wait to see more of this amazing character...

star wars
Like

About the Creator

Abdullah Masood

Hi I'm a young guy looking to write on stuff I find interesting and fun so hello and enjoy!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.