Star Wars VII Gets A Female Stormtrooper

It looks as though the Empire is getting a bit more diverse… as ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ introduces a female stormtrooper.

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According to Lizo Mzimba from the BBC, a 30-year-old British actress is set to become a female stormtrooper in the upcoming ‘Star Wars VII’.

And if you take a closer look at her Spotlight Portfolio credits, you can see it right there in… ahem… black and white.

“2014, Film, Storm Trooper, STAR WARS, Disney, J.J. Abrams”

But what does this mean for the ‘Star Wars’ universe?

At the moment, it’s unclear whether or not Hargreaves will actually be playing a female stormtrooper on screen. Although I can’t help thinking that this is just the sort of thing that Disney would be keen to encourage. After all, we’ve recently seen the Empire’s first black stormtrooper in the form of John Boyega.

But will Hargreaves be a stormtrooper in her own right? And if so, will it be a visibly female trooper?

Of course, it’s entirely possible that she could be playing a stand-in for Gwendoline Christie. After all, it’s been rumoured for some time that Christie would be playing a very special kind of trooper. But there’s also another possibility – Hargreaves could also simply be donning a standard trooper costume as an extra.

It’s certainly not unheard of to see a woman donning the male trooper costume, after stunt-woman Tracey Eddon clambered into the iconic suit for various Endor scenes in ‘Return of the Jedi’. But is it merely a matter of getting people to suit up for a scene? Or could this be something else entirely?

According to former ‘Star Wars’ canon, the Empire eventually used female stormtroopers - the first of which was seen in ‘Star Wars Legacy’ issue #0. The first named female trooper was also revealed in this title, named Jes Gistang. She apparently served the Empire under Grand Admiral Thrawn around 100 years after ‘A New Hope’.

But could this female stormtrooper indicate a shift in the tide? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

‘Star Wars VII’ heads to cinemas on 18 December 2015.

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Picture Credit: Lucasfilm. Spotlight/Laura Crouchley