Let me clue you in on something: 80% of the reasons why I liked Star Wars as a 13-year-old had to do with Princess Leia. She was the coolest female movie character I'd ever seen and she didn't need to be Lara Croft to do it. Granted, Lara Croft didn't exactly exist at that point, but you get the idea.

So, I spent my teenage years admiring a strong female personality like Leia and being intrigued by the EU females such as Mon Mothma, Rhysati Ynr and especially Mara Jade.

My senior year of high school, The Phantom Menace came out and I thought it was cool that Queen Amidala could kick butt. I fully supported fanfic authors who kept her in that characterization.

Attack of the Clones came out and her characterization was so varied that you couldn't tell whether to get her footie pajamas or an Uzi. Mostly, she wanted to be someone who couldn't make up her mind, who had to dress like a #### to feel self-assured and who willingly and wittingly fell in love with a time bomb. Not only that, but she fell in love with a time bomb who couldn't flirt his way out of a paper bag! I wasn't fond of that one.

I should have known that we were in trouble when Revenge of the Sith came around. Gone was the resourceful, mischievous Padme of the Clone Wars miniseries and she was replaced by someone who spent her time whining about her co-workers and brushing her hair to the strains of Hayden Christiansen's revival hit: "I can't flirt and the girl I knocked up has forgotten how." No, it's not a catchy title, but their romance on-screen is about as captivating as that.

It's not to say that it didn't have potential or even that it didn't have its moments. But the entire character development of Revenge of the Sith was to turn the woman who defied the Trade Federation into someone who would pop their clogs just because her mass-murdering puerile scandalous hubby was slow-roasted on Mustafar.

Honestly? I can't recognize where ROTS Padme and OT Leia have anything in common. On behalf of hte strong women of the world, George Lucas, shame on you!