38. Jessika Pava
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
Say hello to the first female X-wing pilot to appear in a Star Wars movie. She even has lines! And a cameo in a book! Jessika Pava has already become a fan favorite character, despite her being a minor character. The reason for this is girls like to be pilots, too. The Phantom Menace gave us female pilots in the Battle of Naboo. But everyone knows the coolest starfighters are the X-wings in the original and sequel trilogies. The fact Jessika wears that signature orange flight suit and flies her very own X-wing in the assault on Starkiller Base makes her worth celebrating.
Fortunately, Jessika Pava is no longer the only female X-wing pilot in the Star Wars movies. In Rogue One, two women fly X-wings in the space battle above Scarif. Women pilot other ships in the movie, as well: a U-wing and a starfighter in Gold Squadron. The number of female pilots can only increase as more Star Wars movies are added to the saga. But let it be known: Jessika Pava was the first of the many.