For me, Star Wars is all about the female characters. It’s always been that way, ever since I first watched the original trilogy at the tender age of five years old. Leia was everything I wanted to be: a self-rescuing princess. I had a Padmé Barbie doll and paper dolls of all her Attack of the Clones outfits. Rey was a wish fulfillment fantasy come true for me, the character I wish I’d had growing up for so many reasons. And then there were the women of the Star Wars books and TV shows, who seemed to explode off the page and screen when I finally began exploring the expanded new canon after The Force Awakens. Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Asajj Ventress, Norra Wexley, Rae Sloane…all of these women were incredible characters whose stories were what I’d been looking for since Leia first drawled “Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?”

And then there’s Hera Syndulla.

Hera is a vastly underrated character, yet her arc is one that thrills me no end. Because Hera is nobody’s sidekick. Hera is the leader of one of the Rebellion’s most skilled teams. Hera is the heir to a badass bloodline. Hera gets to be Thrawn’s nemesis. And she does it all in a practical jumpsuit without ever being needlessly sexualized.

At the end of the Star Wars Rebels pilot, Kallus tells the Inquisitor that the Rebel cell is led by Kanan. However, as with most things, he’s wrong. Kanan has never been the leader of the Ghost crew, and I’m sure that were he not fictional, he’d agree. The leader is clearly Hera. Hera is the one in contact with Fulcrum in Season One, therefore she is the one in charge of the team’s missions and keeping them connected to the larger Rebellion. She keeps the team going even when Kanan is captured. There is no “Oh, I must step up and take the lead” nonsense. Hera simply leads. There is no question of her ability to keep command, even though her close friend and possible romantic partner has just been taken prisoner. And keep command she does, never once breaking down.

Season Two sees her being promoted to the rank of captain within Phoenix Squadron, a rank she achieves through sheer determination and skill. Without a doubt, she is the best military mind on the Ghost, and there is no fuss from the male members of the crew that she outranks them. They respect her. They trust her. And Hera, despite being a stone-cold badass, is trusting and vulnerable with them. She trusts her family.

And finally, Season Three sees her being set up as the only military mind who can match Grand Admiral Thrawn. She is the one who faces off with him and bests him in “Hera’s Heroes.” She is the one who Thrawn is actively keen to face. He doesn’t care about Kanan or Ezra and, unless he’s aware of the role Zeb played in Kallus’s defection, probably doesn’t even know he exists. Sabine is the only other Rebel Thrawn would probably care to meet, if only to discuss art.

Rather than setting Kanan or Ezra up as the foils for the Empire’s greatest military mind, it’s Hera who is pitted against him. And it should be her story. After all, she is a genius tactician and a strong leader. She is the only one who could lead her forces into victory against Thrawn, even if that victory does come with help from a Force-wielder and a troop of Mandalorians. And we know she’ll emerge victorious from Season Four; she is the General Syndulla that we hear spoken about in Rogue One.

The Star Wars female characters are all inspirations, but Hera stands out from the crowd. Her quote “If all you do is fight for your own life, than your life means nothing” means the world to me. She is brave and stands up for what she believes in. I might not be fighting a Rebellion, but I do try to fight for some small things. Her words, and her courage, ring in my head every time I write about the importance of representation across the board in media. I write for those who cannot, just as Hera fights for those who cannot.

I also strive to be the heroine of my own story, much like how Hera is given her own story and is the hero of it. Hera takes charge and controls her own life. She doesn’t let anyone else define her. I too try to take charge and define myself by my terms. And if I’m an eighth as cool as Hera is, I might succeed.

And finally, she inspires me by being a woman in a position of power who is respected and treated like the powerhouse she is. Even Leia’s role as a General and leader is sometimes sidelined in favor of her role as a wife or mother. But Hera is allowed to lead and have that be her priority. She’s not Kanan’s girlfriend or Ezra’s surrogate mom. She’s Captain Syndulla first and foremost. I want to be defined by myself and my careers too, not as someone’s daughter.

Hera helps other women too. She has a strong friendship with Sabine, and as we know she and Leia will get to team up in Forces of Destiny. Women being friends and mentors to other women is a rarity in Star Wars, but Hera is the exception to the rule. I hope she’s still alive during the sequel trilogy so that she can maybe appear as a mentor and friend to Rey and Rose in a few novels or TV shows.

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Hera might be an unlikely choice for favorite female character in the entire Star Wars canon, but she is by far mine. Her role in the series is a powerhouse, and I cannot wait for one more season of inspiration.

Who is your favorite Star Wars female character, and why? Let us know! Join in the conversation on twitter with the hashtag #WomenOfStarWars