George Lucasis unquestionably one of the most influential and visionary creators to have worked in the film industry, not least for the creation of theStar Warsuniverse. While his work has inspired many, there are those who still call out the franchise as being racist and sexist, especially in its early years, but this is something that Lucas wholeheartedly refutes.
In a candid conversation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (as perVariety), Lucas hit back at the way those who criticizeStar Warswhen it comes to representation seem to have missed the fact that the saga has never just been about white male saviors. Taking aim at those critics, Lucas said:
“Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal… In the first one, there were a few Tunisians who were dark, and in the second one I had Billy Williams, and the [prequels], which they were also criticizing, I had Sam Jackson. He wasn’t a scoundrel like Lando. He was one of the top Jedi.”
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Lucas continued to add his view on how the role of women in theStar Warsuniverse is always overlooked when complaints are being made about the original trilogy/prequel trilogy’s lack offemale representation in meaningful roles. He continued:
“Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion. She’s the one that’s taking this young kid who doesn’t know anything and this boisterous, I-know-everything guy who can’t do anything and trying to save the rebellion with these clowns … And it’s the same thing with Queen Amidala. you may’t just put a woman in pants and expect her to be a hero. They can wear dresses, they can wear whatever they want. It’s their brains and their ability to think and plan and be logistical. That’s what the hero is.”
The Star Wars Franchise Gains Significant Backlash Over Representation in Modern Projects
Although Lucas’ feelings about theStar Warssaga hold some truth, it is impossible to deny that at the time the original movies were made, the roles of both women and people of color were very different to those of their modern counterparts, and that could have played a part in the overall lack of diversity in the early films. Others have also argued that if some movies can have a predominantly Black cast, female cast, gay cast, etc, then why is it categorically wrong that the earlyStar Warsmovies constantly featured mostly white stars?
It is unlikely that the arguments will stop anytime soon though, as anyStar Warsproject that attempts to diversify its castreceives a torrid time from that section of the fandom. At the same time, projects that do not offer a certain level of representation come under fire from other groups online.
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In the last several years, theracism shown towards Black actorsjoining theStar Warsfranchise has reached a level so bad that several stars were warned to expect backlash before even taking on any role in the saga. John Boyega, who played Finn in the sequel trilogy, found himself constantly on the receiving end of online abuse during his time in the franchise, something that also happened to Moses Ingram when she appeared inObi-Wan Kenobi, and several stars ofAhsoka.
It is clear from Lucas’ statement that theStar Warsfranchise was always meant to embrace all cultures, all colors, all races. While that is something that is still proving to be difficult almost five decades after the saga began, creators joining the story of the galaxy far, far away continue to attempt to bring Lucas’ vision of equality to screens.
TheStar WarsSaga is streaming on Disney+.
