Bechdel Test Movie List

Princess Leia is the only character whose name is mentioned in the movie. However, there is Mon Mothma, the female rebel leader. Her name is not mentioned in the movie, but as leader of the whole rebellion, she is quite an important figure.

Mon Mothma's name may not be mentioned in the movie, but it's all over the merchandise. Even as a child I knew her name. I think she should count as a named female characters.

The test is about the movie not the merchandise.

I'm a child of the 80s and saw this movie dozens of times when I was growing up --- and I've never heard of Mon Mothma.

Mon Mothma is named in the credits.

Mon Mothma really does need to be named during the movie in order for the movie to pass on this site.

But she is named during the credits, and credits are in the movie. And we also have a few female ewoks.

Besides Leia and Mon Mothma, there are two other female characters named in the credits. Sy Snootles (the lead singer of Jabba's band), while a puppet, is clearly female. Oola, the exotic dancer who rebels against Jabba and is subsequently fed to the Rancor monster, is also named in the credits. Both characters speak, though it is an alien language.

Even if they're not called by name in the movie, I believe that if they have lines of dialogue you have to count them. This sounds like a faulty rating.

The Star Wars movies have a long history of not mentioning characters' names in the actual movies even though they certainly have names. For example, the name "Palpatine" was never uttered in the original trilogy, yet he is certainly a named character. Let's be consistent, people. Mon Mothma has a name and it isn't listed in the credits as "Female Rebel Leader #2".

Credits should count. If we're looking for a cut and dry method for rating movies, the credits seem to be the best method.

The key point here should not be "named" (which is just shorthand for a non-trivial character) but "character". The Emperor may not be named in the movie, but he's certainly a character. Jabba's singer and Jabba's slave dancers are decorations. I'll abstain on the matter of Mon Mothma, but as best I recall, her role in the film is to come out and give one monologue of less than a minute. I don't think disputing the rating is much worth it when we're just splitting hairs as to whether or not the film even has two women in it...

Clearly, Leia is named. Mon Mothma is exactly AS named as Emperor Palpatine, which is named enough for anybody who give a shit about the larger continuity.

So, at the very least, we have two named characters.

Now, we can get super-dubious by suggesting that Mon Mothma's briefing constitutes a conversation with her troops (which includes Leia). If that conversation counts, it immediately fulfills the "about something besides a man" requirement, as Mon Mothma waits until the very end of her speech to mention that Han will be leading the ground forces, and a few moments later to mention the "many Bothans" who died getting that infomation. Let's be honest: that isn't about a man, except where it explicitly mentions the Emperor.

As to the final requirement...yeah. Nobody's got a good argument that Mon Mothma/Leia have a conversation that doesn't involve men.

The best this movie can hope for is a dubious 2/3, but let's not pretend that Mon Mothma's unnamed (1/3), and we can make an argument for her having a conversation (depending on how back-and-forth you want to require, 1/3 or 2/3). Still, not a 3/3, ever.

The named part of the rule is meant to keep out transient characters. If there is a scene where one woman buys a pack of cigarettes from a female cashier and moves on, that is a fail.

If she has a deep conversation with a female bartender about where her life is going it should not matter if we don't know the bartender's name.

I don't think that being given a name in the credits counts as being "named". However, I do think that a title counts as a name. For example, I would count the Emperor as a named character even though the name "Palpatine" is never actually said. Was there any title consistently used in dialogue for Mon Mothma?

Clearly at least a 1/3 since Leia and Mon Mothma are named. However, if the briefing at the end is the only shot for the second criterion, I believe it fails that, for the simple reason that while Mon Mothma talks about other things than a man, Leia doesn't actually talk back to her, meaning they do not talk to *each other*. Had Leia responded, it would have been a 3/3.

As a disclaimer, I haven't seen the movie for a fair while, but the briefing scene at the end is on Youtube so that one is easy enough to check up on, for anyone interested.

I have to strongly disagree with the 0/3 rating and request a change to 1/3.

I've looked around, and The Test never seems to specify what exactly it means to be "named". In fact, I have yet to see ANY reference to the character having to be explicitly named during a movie's runntime. Mon Mothma is both named and quite well know among most, and there are multiple other named female characters from the credits. To reiterate what one person said above, she isn't "Female Rebel Leader" in the credits, and that makes her named.

Clearly, clearly 1/3.

Saying that Mon Mothma doesn't count because nobody calls her by name in the film is absurd. By this standard, there are many main characters in film who don't count because they're not named. Edward Norton in Fight Club is an obvious one. Heck, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Volume 1. Not to mention less central but clearly meaningful/significant characters like Sam Elliott's "the stranger" in The Big Lebowski.

Mon Mothma is a significant character in the story. Her name appears in the credits. She counts.

Most definitely 1/3. Mon Mothma is one of the most important and memorable characters in this film. Mon Mothma even has her own IMDb page.

I've updated the rating from 0/3 to 1/3.

I come bearing good news, Bechdel fans in a galaxy far far away! Return of the Jedi has at least a 2/3 and maybe a 3/3

In Jabba's Palace, there's that whole dance number "Jedi Rocks" starring ms. long lips Sy Snootles - she sings:
"Cha tung ee-ma chay-choo raun ta-nee-ee-choo."
And the 3 backup singer gals, Rystáll Sant, Greeata, and Lyn Me, sing in response:
"Ee-ma chay-choo raun."

We have no reason to assume that these lyrics - translated in no source I could find - are about a man! But since I can't prove what they're saying, I'll settle for a 2/3

Now, I hear your counter-points: NONE of those characters are named IN the movie; plus, the song was added for the Special Edition - how can you call this a fair Bechdel?

Well, my friends, this is what we call a "Canon-del" - the unending Star Wars canon comes to the rescue to turn a close call into an even closer call. Someone should make a star wars SongBook and translate that song all feministy and up this rating even more

I see people arguing the letter of the rule and that's fine, but it does not pass the spirit of the rule.
At no time during the film do two important female characters have a real conversation. George Lucas has done better with female representation in other films, particularly American Graffiti and the prequel trilogy, and Willow, but here he doesn't seem too concerned about any women except Leia Organa.