I wouldn't be so down on Lego Friends. My oldest daughter is a huge fan of Lego and has different sets that are Friends and some that are Star Wars. She combines them and plays with them together. Han Solo has a dog and a cat. One of the girls flies the X-wing. It's pretty cute.
Girls love role-playing and Friends provides another outlet for them. My oldest daughter loves building and then she plays with what she created quite extensively.