Fails the Bechdel test
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
1977. Directed by George Lucas, written by George Lucas.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
1 / 3
Fails
-
Yes
1. At least two women
7 women characters. 3 of them speak. -
No
2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other. -
No
3. About something besides a man
Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.
The film
The Imperial Forces under orders from cruel Darth Vader (David Prowse) -- hold Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hostage, in their efforts to quell the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), captain of the Millennium Falcon, work together with the companionable droid duo R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) to rescue the beautiful princess, help the Rebel Alliance, and restore freedom and justice to the Galaxy.
- Released
- 25 May 1977
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Rated
- PG
- IMDb
- 8.6 / 10
- Metascore
- 90 / 100
- Awards
- Won 6 Oscars. 70 wins & 31 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Luke 253 lines, man
- Han 152 lines, man
- Threepio 119 lines, man
- Ben 81 lines, man
- Leia 57 lines, woman
- Vader 42 lines, man
- Red Leader 35 lines, man
- Biggs 34 lines, man
- Tarkin 28 lines, man
- Owen 25 lines, man
Full cast, 105 people
- Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa
- Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin
- Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2
- Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
- David Prowse as Darth Vader (performer)
- James Earl Jones as Darth Vader (voice) (uncredited)
- Phil Brown as Uncle Owen
- Shelagh Fraser as Aunt Beru
- Jack Purvis as Chief Jawa
- Alex McCrindle as General Dodonna
- Eddie Byrne as General Willard
- Drewe Henley as Red Leader
- Denis Lawson as Red Two (Wedge Antilles)
- Garrick Hagon as Red Three (Biggs Darklighter)
- Jack Klaff as Red Four (John "D")
- William Hootkins as Red Six (Porkins)
- Angus MacInnes as Gold Leader
- Jeremy Sinden as Gold Two
- Graham Ashley as Gold Five
- Don Henderson as General Taggi
- Richard LeParmentier as General Motti
- Leslie Schofield as Commander #1
- Michael Leader as Stormtrooper
- David Ankrum as Red Two, Wedge Antilles (voice) (uncredited)
- Scott Beach as Stormtrooper (voice) (uncredited)
- Lightning Bear as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Jon Berg as Cantina Alien (uncredited)
- Doug Beswick as Cantina Alien (uncredited)
- Paul Blake as Greedo (uncredited)
- Janice Burchette as Nabrun Leids (uncredited)
- Ted Burnett as Wuher (uncredited)
- John Chapman as Drifter (Red 12) (uncredited)
- Gilda Cohen as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Tim Condren as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Barry Copping as Wioslea (uncredited)
- Alfie Curtis as Dr. Evazan (uncredited)
- Robert Davies as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Maria De Aragon as Greedo (uncredited)
- Robert A. Denham as Hrchek Kal Fas (uncredited)
- Frazer Diamond as Jawa (uncredited)
- Peter Diamond as Stormtrooper / Tusken Raider / Death Star Trooper / Garouf Lafoe (uncredited)
- Warwick Diamond as Jawa (uncredited)
- Sadie Eden as Garindan (uncredited)
- Kim Falkinburg as Djas Puhr (uncredited)
- Harry Fielder as Death Star Trooper (uncredited)
- Ted Gagliano as Stormtrooper with Binoculars (uncredited)
- Salo Gardner as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Steve Gawley as Death Star Trooper (uncredited)
- Barry Gnome as Kabe (uncredited)
- Rusty Goffe as Kabe / Jawa / GONK Droid (uncredited)
- Isaac Grand as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Reg Harding as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Alan Harris as Leia's Rebel Escort (uncredited)
- Frank Henson as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Arthur Howell as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Tommy Ilsley as Ponda Baba (uncredited)
- Joe Johnston as Spacetrooper / Death Star gunner (uncredited)
- Linda Jones as Chall Bekan (uncredited)
- Joe Kaye as Solomohal (uncredited)
- Colin Michael Kitchens as Stormtrooper (voice) (uncredited)
- Melissa Kurtz as Jawa (uncredited)
- Tiffany Hillkurtz as Jawa (uncredited)
- Al Lampert as Daine Jir (uncredited)
- Anthony Lang as BoShek (uncredited)
- Derek Lyons as Temple Guard / Medal Bearer (uncredited)
- Mahjoub as Jawa (uncredited)
- Alf Mangan as Takeel (uncredited)
- Grant McCune as Death Star Gunner (uncredited)
- Geoffrey Moon as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Mandy Morton as Swilla Corey (uncredited)
- Lorne Peterson as Massassi Base Rebel Scout (uncredited)
- Marcus Powell as Rycar Ryjerd (uncredited)
- Shane Rimmer as InCom Engineer (uncredited)
- Pam Rose as Leesub Sirln (uncredited)
- George Roubicek as Cmdr. Praji (Imperial Officer #2 on rebel ship) (uncredited)
- Erica Simmons as Tawss Khaa (uncredited)
- Angela Staines as Senni Tonnika (uncredited)
- George Stock as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Roy Straite as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Peter Sturgeon as Sai'torr Kal Fas (uncredited)
- Peter Sumner as Lt. Pol Treidum (uncredited)
- John Sylla as Cantina Voices (voice) (uncredited)
- Tom Sylla as Massassi Outpost Announcer / Various Voices (voice) (uncredited)
- Malcolm Tierney as Lt. Shann Childsen (uncredited)
- Phil Tippett as Cantina Alien (uncredited)
- Burnell Tucker as Del Goren (uncredited)
- Morgan Upton as Stormtrooper (voice) (uncredited)
- Jerry Walter as Stormtrooper (voice) (uncredited)
- Hal Wamsley as Jawa (uncredited)
- Diana Sadley Way as Thuku (uncredited)
- Bill Weston as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Fred Wood as Cantina Patron (uncredited)
- Colin Higgins as Rebel Pilot, Col. Takbright (uncredited)
- Ron Tarr as Jabba's Henchman (uncredited)
- Anthony Forrest as Sandtrooper / Fixer (uncredited)
- John Cannon as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Larry Ward as Greedo (voice) (uncredited)
- Eddie Eddon as Pello Scrambas (uncredited)
- Rick McCallum as Stormtrooper (uncredited)
- Steve Williams as Mos Eisley Citizen (uncredited)
- Ian Selby as General Hurst Romodi (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 11 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 6% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 481
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 11 | 0 | 23 |
| 12 to 22 | 3 | 63 |
| 23 to 33 | 8 | 96 |
| 34 to 44 | 2 | 46 |
| 45 to 55 | 1 | 60 |
| 56 to 66 | 0 | 69 |
| 67 to 77 | 0 | 16 |
| 78 to 88 | 8 | 55 |
| 89 to 99 | 0 | 33 |
| 100 to 110 | 0 | 81 |
| 111 to 121 | 15 | 64 |
| 122 to 132 | 3 | 24 |
| 133 to 143 | 8 | 26 |
| 144 to 154 | 2 | 11 |
| 155 to 165 | 1 | 1 |
| 166 to 176 | 1 | 3 |
| 177 to 187 | 1 | 2 |
| 188 to 198 | 8 | 18 |
| 199 to 209 | 2 | 34 |
| 210 to 220 | 0 | 10 |
| 221 to 231 | 0 | 10 |
| 232 to 242 | 0 | 5 |
| 243 to 253 | 0 | 6 |
| 254 to 264 | 0 | 5 |
| 265 to 275 | 0 | 7 |
| 276 to 286 | 0 | 8 |
| 287 to 297 | 0 | 8 |
| 298 to 308 | 0 | 9 |
| 309 to 319 | 0 | 4 |
| 320 to 330 | 0 | 6 |
| 331 to 341 | 0 | 8 |
| 342 to 352 | 0 | 8 |
| 353 to 363 | 0 | 6 |
| 364 to 374 | 0 | 5 |
| 375 to 385 | 0 | 7 |
| 386 to 396 | 0 | 8 |
| 397 to 407 | 0 | 5 |
| 408 to 418 | 0 | 4 |
| 419 to 429 | 0 | 3 |
| 430 to 440 | 0 | 6 |
| 441 to 451 | 0 | 5 |
| 452 to 462 | 0 | 3 |
| 463 to 473 | 0 | 2 |
| 474 to 481 | 2 | 9 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 7 are women's.
65 lines from women, 882 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit B: who's in it
7 women and 77 men in the cast. 3 women and 30 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 31 of 1,007.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 176 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 7% of the words (719), men 93% (9,786).
Exhibit D: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
0
Two men
95
Exhibit E: behind the camera
3 of the 13 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 9% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- George Lucas (man)
- Written by
- George Lucas (man)
- Produced by
- Gary Kurtz (man)
- Shot by
- Gilbert Taylor (man)
- Edited by
- Richard Chew (man), Paul Hirsch (man), Marcia Lucas (woman)
- Music by
- John Williams (man)
- Production design by
- John Barry (man)
- Costumes by
- John Mollo (man)
- Cast by
- Dianne Crittenden (woman), Irene Lamb (woman), Vic Ramos (man)
The crew, department by department
-
Other crew
3 women, 20 men, 7 not listed
-
Sound
0 women, 17 men, 4 not listed
-
Production
2 women, 9 men
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 6 men, 1 not listed
-
Art
0 women, 5 men, 1 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 4 men, 1 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 3 men, 1 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
0 women, 4 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit F: how old the stars were
Women: 20 on average. Men: 42 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Carrie Fisher 20
Men
Mark Hamill 25, Anthony Daniels 31, Peter Mayhew 33, Harrison Ford 34, David Prowse 41, Kenny Baker 42, James Earl Jones 46, Peter Cushing 63, Alec Guinness 63
Exhibit G: the money
It made 70.5 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $11 million
- Box office
- $775 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 481 scenes and 1,007 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
