I think you're being too hard on Kira. As a child, she experienced the very traumatic event of seeing her mother and the last of the rest of her people-- the Gelflings -- wiped out; she knows that once a village is attacked by overwhelming numbers and strength, the only option is to retreat. During the terror of the village being invaded, she naturally calls out to her lover, Jen, the last of her race, the only other being on the planet that she can reproduce with. It may sound cold, but there are other Podlings; but there is only one other Gelfling (Jen).

As for the landstriders, I remember from reading the board on the old IMDB that there were others who would agree with you-- some of the people over there thought Kira was heartless and that she viewed the landstriders only as a means to an end. But, in my view at least, the landstriders were more like horses, not intelligent beings; and we have used horses in warfare for thousands of years, yes? It was sad watching those landstriders die, but such is war-- senseless death and carnage. I do not think Kira was a psychopath, but I have no doubt, after all these events have passed, and Kira and Jen live in peace-- no doubt with offspring of their own --that their dreams will often be filled with the horrors that they participated in; but again, such is war.

Thank you, Strannger18, for posting about this film; I've noticed that you've been posting about many movies from the 1980s and 90s here on TMDB, trying to get many of the boards for older movies to be active, like they were on IMDB; my hat goes off to you:)

Thanks. It's not been easy. I've been trying to make it feel like imdb again.