Thus, when the Phantom Menace was released last spring, I watched, eyes rolling, nose raised, as people who I generally hold in high esteem rushed, like blinded zombies, to see the prequel (pretty clever marketing scheme, Mr. Lucas) to a fantasy saga.

Soon thereafter, I happened upon an e-mail from Montreal Webgrrl extraordinaire Nicole Parrot. Ms. Parrot was astounded at the attention her new Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade (DMEB) site received in just one weekend (2000 hits!). People had found the site strictly through word of mouth, she wrote, and, many, women in particular, were relieved that, finally, Princess Leia was not the only legitimate crush object for Star Wars fans.

The site features pictures, information and reader fantasies about Darth Maul, Sith apprentice, played by Ray Park. Not the typical action movie hunk, many women were embarassed by their fantasies about Darth Maul. In fact, a few visitors responded to DMEB in disgust, though they were all men.

Little did I know that DMEB was only the beginning. Miss Jedi, an events co-ordinator by day, created Star Wars Chicks after she read that JCPenny was targeting little boys in their promotion of the film. Hooked since she was 5, Miss Jedi knew that female Star Wars fans were out there (she estimates that 50% of Star Wars fans are women based on convention attendance and other fan activities), they just needed to make themselves heard.

Indeed, Star Wars Chicks has all types of reader input that is uniquely female like "How To Tell If You Are A Star Wars Chick" (You think your sexiest pieces of lingerie are your Princess Leia underoos, you would rather have a lightsaber than an engagement ring, etc.), "Everything A Chick Needs To Know She Can Learn From Star Wars" (Size matters not, be wary of men with double-bladed lightsabers, equal rights for women disappeared along with the Old Republic, etc.), reviews, recipes and charity events. Star Wars Chicks' support of Breast Cancer Research is also something that sets it apart from most Star Wars fan sites. Most female Star Wars fans are of the age when breast cancer starts to develop, Miss Jedi explained. Fortunately, the female fans have formed a tight-knit community: "We can do a lot of good with that kind of power and companionship," she added.

Despite this, Miss Jedi insists that men and women appreciate Star Wars in much the same way. Similarly, the sci-fi/male stereotype has developed only recently. To boot, Star Wars Chicks has only received positive feedback from fans of both sexes. While Miss Jedi doesn't consider her site feminist, she does believe that it provides essential empowerment for women who believe that they should only appreciate romance and drama films (the obsequious "chick flick").

Nicole Parrot sees the gender difference vis-à-vis Star Wars in a different light. She is awaiting the day that female Jedi will be included in the films and female fans will be consulted before a new movie is made. Women do view the movies differently, she insists, and that difference should be acknowledged. The women (and gay men) that participate in DMEB have found a true forum to express their fantasies, something that is essential to female empowerment, Parrot said.

Either way, the huge following that both sites have gained attests to the intense demand for female voices in science fiction and the entertainment world. Both sites did little, if any, initial advertisement, but were featured in Yahoo and USA Today, to name a few.

While the mass consumer culture of Star Wars still mystifies me, I now understand that Star Wars is more than flashing robots and metal bikinis. For many, it is a form of expression and fantasy that mirrors our existence on Earth. In effect, if Star Wars represents a fanstasy world, then women's desires, opinions and lives must be included in it.

If only life could immitate art.

• Find Star Wars Chicks at www.starwarschicks.com and the Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade at www.dmeb.net. Check out this issue's Junk Drawer for more excerpts.

Melanie