By Deanna Destito
Princesses are taking back the power this November in Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. While most of the beloved characters from the original ‘80s series will be there, this reimagining puts more emphasis on power, what it means, and why the princesses—plural—have it. With Adora leading the way, the idea of just how powerful women can be, especially when they work together, takes center stage.
Noelle Stevenson (Nimona, Lumberjanes) is at the helm, with Aimee Carrero (Young & Hungry, Elena of Avalor) as Adora/She-Ra. When asked why it was so important to resurrect the character, Stevenson explains, “I’ve always wanted to have these stories of female heroes and villains and female everything in between and outside of that. Like, just the most complicated relationships as complicated characters, fighting and winning and losing sometimes, and you know, just the things that happen to real people. That was what I always craved.”
Carrero adds that having a female executive producer and showrunner has been exactly what the show needs, especially in today’s world. “Noelle has captured something. I think we’re going to look back on this show in a few years and say ‘oh she understood something about what was happening currently in this alternate world. But also, like, in our society.’”
One of the biggest changes for the reboot is the title. It is no longer She-Ra: Princess of Power but She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, turning the quest for the honor of Greyskull into a team effort.
“I think that the original show had it as well,” Stevenson explains. “This is just more, and a more deliberate focusing on the teamwork aspect…it obviously revolves around Adora’s journey and Bow and Glimmer and Catra as well. But the princesses, it is about this coming together. It’s about teamwork, and what’s great about them is when you have so many opportunities to showcase characters no one has to be ‘THE girl.’”
While having a team of princesses with lots of power is nice, it isn’t always easy.
“Power is something that you sort of work toward,” says Carrero. “I think for [Adora] and it’s so much less about the prestige of power and the control of power. It’s more about the sacrifice of power and the cost of power. And that’s something that again brings me back to, what is our responsibility when we have that power? So you have to work for it. It’s not easy.”
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is set to debut on November 16 on Netflix.
