This came up in the military subreddit a few months ago and no one could actually find a real-world example. The general consensus ended up being that it was a weird science-fiction thing.
In Kenobi, a female Imperial officer who is secretly a rebel chews a subordinate out when she nearly gets caught and tells him that he will address her properly as Sir, so I assume that that's regulation in the Republic/Imperial military and the real question is why any female officers are called Ma'am. Shaak Ti is a General.
Ahsoka was accepted into the order when she was extremely young. Anakin was accepted when he was nine years old, quite old for a youngling/padawan. So despite Anakin being her senior, Ahsoka has been a Jedi for longer
In general Anakin is very young for someone of his status and rank
In the revenge of the sith doesn't obi say that no one has been granted the title master at such a young age like Anakin was. Or something along those lines I've been meaning to do a trilogy rewatch my memories are too foggy.
The term "sir" was used to simplify communications between the clones and their Jedi Generals who would belong to different species each with its own customs and languages. Really, they're just following regulation.
Can you name any of them? A variant of this question got asked a few months ago in the military subreddit and no one could actually name a real-world example.
The clones call anyone who outranks them Sir. She’s a jedi padawan so she’s automatically a Commander in the GAR. If you’re asking why they call HER a SIR, its just the title they give to any officer, regardless of gender
It’s like that irl too i think. Never been in the military but I think it’s just what you call people with a higher rank? Again I’m not a military person. Too fucked medically. So I don’t know anything for certain.
Okay. Thats what I’ve found as well, that’s it’s purely a sci-fi thing. Every now and then someone will mention “some militaries” in the real world that do it but no one can give specifics.
I can't speak for everyone, but from my experience in martial arts we'd usually refer to a higher rank as "sir" regardless of gender. It's used as a sign of respect and how you see them rather than a gender with "sir" usually being a more hands on title and "ma'am" typically meaning that person is more gentle overall. Ahsoka can be gentle, but get her on the battlefield and she'll kick ass
It's probably just a star wars universe thing. In the Star wars the old Republic mmo and the Kenobi series, the higher ranking female personnel are all referred to as "sir" same as the males
I know Swtor isn't canon anymore though but that just seems to be how it works in universe
Pretty sure it's a reference to how sir wasn't originally used to address men in a formal manner, it was instead used to address knights in the middle ages. I could be wrong though, maybe it's just cause the military or smth
It’s sometimes a science fiction thing to use sir as a gender neutral term in the military. Star Trek did it. Orville does it. I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice it unless it’s pointed out.
When I was in the military, women were allowed to be referred to as sir or ma'am, it was up to them what they preferred, I had plenty of women commanding officers prefer to be called sir.
Standard GAR procedure seems to be that all officers, regardless of their sex, are referred to as sir. This goes for both Jedi generals/commanders as well as non-clone Navy and Army officers.
Star Wars has never really been consistent with following modern military standards. In Star Wars resistance, Captain Phasma gives orders to a character with the rank of major. Major is way above captain
Major is one rank above captain. But yes, captain is only a company grade officer whereas major is a field grade and not organic to any company sized elements and only organic to battalion-sized or larger.
I believe they should canonize the Old Republic games so we could understand why the Jedi never went to their archives and found every ounce of what the Old Republic Jedi did in combat and use that as their basis for military ranks.
Some militaries have all officers be referred to as sir. I know the army doesn't, but from my experience in the air force they do refer to everyone as sir. Even ncos. It's fucking weird
It’s a common misunderstanding on the parts of the writers that female military officers are referred to as “sir.” In the vast majority of IRL militaries, including the US military, female officers are called “ma’am.”
Before women were allowed in the military, all superior officers were called sir. In some cases it can be a sign of respect to call all superior officers sir as a way of saying that sex does not matter or saying that you are so good they might have made an exception for you in the old times.
Because a lot of SF writers don't have a terribly firm grasp of military protocols and think that's how it's done.
It's how you get those awful scenes where a female officer berates a subordinate for calling her "ma'am".
You say you're in the military? Which branch?
Whichever it is, you should prolly know in advance the military works differently in Star Wars; at least, last I checked, "commander" isn't an official rank.
"or a my"?
Also, that's hurtful, you calling me an idiot. I meant no offense with what I said earlier (especially given I've a deep respect towards military, especially the army).
Sir is pretty much the universal way of addressing a superior officer. Maybe if the officer tells you to call them something else like “sarge” “LT” or “cap” then you could use that but sir is the default way to address anyone who’s a higher rank.
My theory is the star wars universe defaults to "sir" unless specified. Sir would work well as a universal considering there may be species that don't have gender or do not even conform to typical life standards. As such a Sir is a standard.
Star Trek is the same way. All officers are “sir.” Captain Janeway doesn’t like it.
>JANEWAY: Gentlemen, welcome aboard Voyager.
>KIM: Thank you, sir.
>JANEWAY: Mister Kim, at ease before you sprain something. Ensign, despite Starfleet protocol, I don't like being addressed as sir.
>KIM: I'm sorry, ma'am.
>JANEWAY: Ma'am is acceptable in a crunch, but I prefer Captain.
I think this is a British American thing. Americans call all of their officers sir regardless of gender. In Britain we call male officers sir and female officers ma'am.
You may be from a different nation but the same reasoning still applies.
Because there's a Hollywood myth that in the military all officers are "sir" regardless of gender. It's especially prevalent in sci fi. It happens a ton in Battlestar Galactica
Star Trek definitely does it as well. I vaguely remember an episode of Star Trek Voyager where Janeway tells someone that she doesn't like being called "sir" despite it being protocol. I know Starship Troopers and The Orville do it as well, but those are both parodies, so it's hard to tell if they are following the trope or making fun of it.
All Jedi are “sir” I think, they don’t really have “ma’am”
The only female Jedi called ma'am was Shak-Ti. All the female Kaminoans a ma'am to the clones
I wonder, did shaak to have a military rank? Ahsoka definitely did as commander, so the sir makes sense there.
All Jedi Knights and Masters automatically had the rank of general, I believe
She was a general
Anakin was a general, Ahsoka was only a commander
I was referring to Shaak Ti
By she I mean Shaak Ti
Nah. Ahsoka got a dong confirmt.
Standard in some militaries
Including martial arts too. One of my taekwondo instructors is a woman and we refer to her as sir.
This came up in the military subreddit a few months ago and no one could actually find a real-world example. The general consensus ended up being that it was a weird science-fiction thing.
In Kenobi, a female Imperial officer who is secretly a rebel chews a subordinate out when she nearly gets caught and tells him that he will address her properly as Sir, so I assume that that's regulation in the Republic/Imperial military and the real question is why any female officers are called Ma'am. Shaak Ti is a General.
Because she outranks them
In my book, experience outranks everything.
At that point in the war she’d probably be more experienced than most of them.
From a certain point of view, this means Ahsoka outranks Anakin she's technically been in the Jedi Order for longer (I think that's hilarious)
i don’t get it . how has she been in the order longer
Ahsoka was accepted into the order when she was extremely young. Anakin was accepted when he was nine years old, quite old for a youngling/padawan. So despite Anakin being her senior, Ahsoka has been a Jedi for longer In general Anakin is very young for someone of his status and rank
i see . i’ve never thought about that . ofc that really doesn’t work since she wouldn’t have commanding experience but that is a crazy fact
In the revenge of the sith doesn't obi say that no one has been granted the title master at such a young age like Anakin was. Or something along those lines I've been meaning to do a trilogy rewatch my memories are too foggy.
To be granted a seat on the council at your age is a great honor.
She is older than them....
Well then I definitely outrank you
she's also older than them
The term "sir" was used to simplify communications between the clones and their Jedi Generals who would belong to different species each with its own customs and languages. Really, they're just following regulation.
In some militaries you just call all superiors “sir” regardless of their gender.
This is the correct answer. These comments are wild.
Yep, in ASoIaF all knights are sirs (or sers I guess).
Not really, it’s mostly just a goofy sci-fi thing,
Can you name any of them? A variant of this question got asked a few months ago in the military subreddit and no one could actually name a real-world example.
I don’t know if it’s true or not it’s just what I heard. Maybe it’s just a hollywood thing
No real world militaries. Only sci-fi and fantasy ones.
The GAR is literally like 99.999 percent men
99.999% man*
The clones call anyone who outranks them Sir. She’s a jedi padawan so she’s automatically a Commander in the GAR. If you’re asking why they call HER a SIR, its just the title they give to any officer, regardless of gender
Because Snips was already taken by Anakin.
In respect of her command
It’s like that irl too i think. Never been in the military but I think it’s just what you call people with a higher rank? Again I’m not a military person. Too fucked medically. So I don’t know anything for certain.
IRL it depends on gender. You call a male officer sir and a female officer ma’am.
its a military term for someone above you in rank, as far as ive gathered. it has nothing to do with the persons gender
In every military I can find, you call male officer “sir” and female officers “ma’am.”
i shouldve said media/shows. star trek and the orville also do it
Okay. Thats what I’ve found as well, that’s it’s purely a sci-fi thing. Every now and then someone will mention “some militaries” in the real world that do it but no one can give specifics.
She is a knight. Is that not the standard for knighted individuals?
She was never knighted, but I see your logic.
I can't speak for everyone, but from my experience in martial arts we'd usually refer to a higher rank as "sir" regardless of gender. It's used as a sign of respect and how you see them rather than a gender with "sir" usually being a more hands on title and "ma'am" typically meaning that person is more gentle overall. Ahsoka can be gentle, but get her on the battlefield and she'll kick ass
It's probably just a star wars universe thing. In the Star wars the old Republic mmo and the Kenobi series, the higher ranking female personnel are all referred to as "sir" same as the males I know Swtor isn't canon anymore though but that just seems to be how it works in universe
Pretty sure it's a reference to how sir wasn't originally used to address men in a formal manner, it was instead used to address knights in the middle ages. I could be wrong though, maybe it's just cause the military or smth
It’s sometimes a science fiction thing to use sir as a gender neutral term in the military. Star Trek did it. Orville does it. I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice it unless it’s pointed out.
When I was in the military, women were allowed to be referred to as sir or ma'am, it was up to them what they preferred, I had plenty of women commanding officers prefer to be called sir.
Standard GAR procedure seems to be that all officers, regardless of their sex, are referred to as sir. This goes for both Jedi generals/commanders as well as non-clone Navy and Army officers.
Militaries do this. They don't see it as a gender pronoun, but as an appropriate way to address a superior officer.
I believe a padawan holds the rank of an officer and in the GAR all officers are addressed as sir
Just depends. For the clones probably because she outranks them, in rank and in power
Star Wars has never really been consistent with following modern military standards. In Star Wars resistance, Captain Phasma gives orders to a character with the rank of major. Major is way above captain
Major is one rank above captain. But yes, captain is only a company grade officer whereas major is a field grade and not organic to any company sized elements and only organic to battalion-sized or larger.
Because they don't assume someone's gender. Check your privilege bro. /PC Principal
Not military but in my job, ‘Sir(s)’ is used as a gender neutral.
they did the same with star wars resistance
I think that it’s common on Star Trek and Star Wars for high ranking females to be called sir. It’s a statement about equal treatment.
I believe they should canonize the Old Republic games so we could understand why the Jedi never went to their archives and found every ounce of what the Old Republic Jedi did in combat and use that as their basis for military ranks.
Sir isnt gender affirmative in their universe, meaning it is a title like General or Master
Some militaries have all officers be referred to as sir. I know the army doesn't, but from my experience in the air force they do refer to everyone as sir. Even ncos. It's fucking weird
The same way Harry called Janeway 'sir' in ST: VOY. It's a military formality
Isn’t she a knight? Ser would be the appropriate prefix if she is
Because it's normal in this world of psychic space ninjas.
If your commanding officer wants you to use sir instead of ma’am then that’s what you use
It’s a common misunderstanding on the parts of the writers that female military officers are referred to as “sir.” In the vast majority of IRL militaries, including the US military, female officers are called “ma’am.”
Before women were allowed in the military, all superior officers were called sir. In some cases it can be a sign of respect to call all superior officers sir as a way of saying that sex does not matter or saying that you are so good they might have made an exception for you in the old times.
Mods: NO! YOU MUST SUFFFEEERRRR!!! But in all seriousness, I think they call Ahsoka “Sir” just as a sign of respect to her Rank of General
You can’t lock the thread you must go down with the ship
I think the only Ma’am in Star Wars is Ma’am Mathma
Thank you for your service! But I have no idea 🫡
A lot of sci-fi military fiction features female officers being called “sir.” I’m not sure why.
1. Sign of respect 2. Ease of communication 3. It was endearing to call this little girl fighting battles beside you, “Sir”
In the real world some militaries treat Sir as gender neutral, some don't. So it's fine as is
Because a lot of SF writers don't have a terribly firm grasp of military protocols and think that's how it's done. It's how you get those awful scenes where a female officer berates a subordinate for calling her "ma'am".
You say you're in the military? Which branch? Whichever it is, you should prolly know in advance the military works differently in Star Wars; at least, last I checked, "commander" isn't an official rank.
You should or a my know in advanced that Commander is an O-4 in the Navy. You’re just an idiot though so that’s okay.
"or a my"? Also, that's hurtful, you calling me an idiot. I meant no offense with what I said earlier (especially given I've a deep respect towards military, especially the army).
Because there's no sexism in a galaxy far far away.
Sir is pretty much the universal way of addressing a superior officer. Maybe if the officer tells you to call them something else like “sarge” “LT” or “cap” then you could use that but sir is the default way to address anyone who’s a higher rank.
My theory is the star wars universe defaults to "sir" unless specified. Sir would work well as a universal considering there may be species that don't have gender or do not even conform to typical life standards. As such a Sir is a standard.
Star Trek is the same way. All officers are “sir.” Captain Janeway doesn’t like it. >JANEWAY: Gentlemen, welcome aboard Voyager. >KIM: Thank you, sir. >JANEWAY: Mister Kim, at ease before you sprain something. Ensign, despite Starfleet protocol, I don't like being addressed as sir. >KIM: I'm sorry, ma'am. >JANEWAY: Ma'am is acceptable in a crunch, but I prefer Captain.
I guess she had sir energy to them
Americans use Ma’am for female officers and in my experience they get really upset if you misgender them during basic training
I think this is a British American thing. Americans call all of their officers sir regardless of gender. In Britain we call male officers sir and female officers ma'am. You may be from a different nation but the same reasoning still applies.
Uh. We definitely call women “ma’am” in the American military…
I stand corrected. Apparently television has lied to me.
wtf are you talking about? Nvm you don’t know either. This was a mistake.
Because there's a Hollywood myth that in the military all officers are "sir" regardless of gender. It's especially prevalent in sci fi. It happens a ton in Battlestar Galactica
This is crazy. Had no idea. Any other examples?
Star Trek definitely does it as well. I vaguely remember an episode of Star Trek Voyager where Janeway tells someone that she doesn't like being called "sir" despite it being protocol. I know Starship Troopers and The Orville do it as well, but those are both parodies, so it's hard to tell if they are following the trope or making fun of it.