Let's settle the discussion about the female hero in 'Rogue One' once and for all.
So, um. There's a new "Star Wars" trailer out.
I... wha...
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Yeah, man.
...
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Right?
Awesome!
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
I know.
But wait, who's that lady?
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
That's Jyn Erso.
Uh, who?
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Jyn Erso. She appears to be the main character in "Rogue One," the new "Star Wars" movie.
Yes, I know that. I'm not an idiot. I mean, like, who is she?
There's not really much info on her yet, but judging by the trailer, she appears to be a renegade from the wrong side of the tracks with nothing left to lose.
Which probably means she's the hero.
Wait, wasn't the hero of the last "Star Wars" movie a woman too?
GIF from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"/Disney.
Yes.
That's kind of weird. Why would they do that?
I mean, why wouldn't they do that?
It's just, I don't know. It seems like ... why do they have to, like ... make a whole thing out of it?
Another woman! There's at least two women in this movie! Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Well, it's not necessarily "a thing." Why can't it just be ... what it is?
Is, like, every "Star Wars" movie going to have a female lead from now on? As, like, some sort of statement?
Probably not. But ... would it be wrong if they did? Putting men at the center of action/adventure movies was pretty much the default since the beginning of movies. But there's no real reason that has to be the case!
Women are perfectly capable of running, jumping, fighting, and blowing things up. When you think about it that way, having a woman lead two movies in a row seems a lot less weird.
Then why does it feel weird to me?
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Look, women are 50% of the population. That being the case, you'd expect to see a roughly equal number of movies starring women and men. But right now, we don't. From 2007 to 2014, only 30% of all speaking roles in the top 700 grossing films went to women. And in 2014, only 21% of the top 100 grossing films featured a female lead, according to a report published by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at USC. That's kind of ridiculous! But it's what we're used to.
Balancing those tables isn't giving female heroes special preeminence. It's correcting a huge imbalance that already exists. It's totally understandable that it feels odd. But what's actually odd is the way things were already. If ... that makes sense.
But what if I want to see a "Star Wars" movie with a male hero?
GIF from "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"/LucasFilm.
You're in luck! Men still hold the all-time record for Most "Star Wars" Movies Led — at six in a row. You can purchase all of those films on DVD or Blu-ray.
But what if I want to see one on the big screen with Dolby surround sound?
GIF from "Star Wars"/LucasFilm.
More good news! You can do that in just a few years when the Han Solo movie comes out.
Yeah, OK. That makes sense.
Image by Star Wars/YouTube.
Sure! Look. Change is hard. Men have been starring in big blockbuster movies since basically forever. But just because it's always been that way doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
It's not only fair to mix it up, it's more interesting! Variety is the spice of life! Normal is a setting on a washing machine!
I mean, the last woman-led "Star Wars" was pretty great. And this one looks ... pretty damn good too.
Women have always been more than capable of heading a "Star Wars" movie. And now that they're actually getting chances, they're killing it. Batting 1.000, actually (on an admittedly small sample size). I'll sign up for that any day.
Cool. Want to preorder tickets?
Nah. In the spirit of the film, I'm sneaking in.
GIF from Star Wars/YouTube.






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Resurfaced video of French skier's groin incident has people giving the announcer a gold medal
"The boys took a beating on that one."
Downhill skiing is a sport rife with injuries, but not usually this kind.
A good commentator can make all the difference when watching sports, even when an event goes smoothly. But it's when something goes wrong that great announcers rise to the top. There's no better example of a great announcer in a surprise moment than when French skier Yannick Bertrand took a gate to the groin in a 2007 super-G race.
Competitive skiers fly down runs at incredible speeds, often exceeding 60 mph. Hitting something hard at that speed would definitely hurt, but hitting something hard with a particularly sensitive part of your body would be excruciating. So when Bertrand slammed right into a gate family-jewels-first, his high-pitched scream was unsurprising. What was surprising was the perfect commentary that immediately followed.
This is a clip you really just have to see and hear to fully appreciate:
- YouTube youtu.be
It's unclear who the announcer is, even after multiple Google inquiries, which is unfortunate because that gentleman deserves a medal. The commentary gets better with each repeated viewing, with highlights like:
"The gate the groin for Yannick Bertrand, and you could hear it. And if you're a man, you could feel it."
"Oh, the Frenchman. Oh-ho, monsieurrrrrr."
"The boys took a beating on that one."
"That guy needs a hug."
"Those are the moments that change your life if you're a man, I tell you what."
"When you crash through a gate, when you do it at high rate of speed, it's gonna hurt and it's going to leave a mark in most cases. And in this particular case, not the area where you want to leave a mark."
Imagine watching a man take a hit to the privates at 60 mph and having to make impromptu commentary straddling the line between professionalism and acknowledging the universal reality of what just happened. There are certain things you can't say on network television that you might feel compelled to say. There's a visceral element to this scenario that could easily be taken too far in the commentary, and the inherent humor element could be seen as insensitive and offensive if not handled just right.
The announcer nailed it. 10/10. No notes.
The clip frequently resurfaces during the Winter Olympic Games, though the incident didn't happen during an Olympic event. Yannick Bertrand was competing at the FIS World Cup super-G race in Kvitfjell, Norway in 2007, when the unfortunate accident occurred. Bertrand had competed at the Turin Olympics the year before, however, coming in 24th in the downhill and super-G events.
As painful as the gate to the groin clearly as, Bertrand did not appear to suffer any damage that kept him from the sport. In fact, he continued competing in international downhill and super-G races until 2014.
According to a 2018 study, Alpine skiing is a notoriously dangerous sport with a reported injury rate of 36.7 per 100 World Cup athletes per season. Of course, it's the knees and not the coin purse that are the most common casualty of ski racing, which we saw clearly in U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn's harrowing experiences at the 2026 Olympics. Vonn was competing with a torn ACL and ended up being helicoptered off of the mountain after an ugly crash that did additional damage to her legs, requiring multiple surgeries (though what caused the crash was reportedly unrelated to her ACL tear). Still, she says she has no regrets.
As Bertrand's return to the slopes shows, the risk of injury doesn't stop those who live for the thrill of victory, even when the agony of defeat hits them right in the rocks.