George Lucas Hits Back at Critics Who Say ‘Star Wars’ Wasn’t Diverse Enough
During a recent appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, Star Wars creator George Lucas hit back at the critics who have accused the franchise of lacking diversity.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,’” Lucas said of the films’ critics (via Variety). “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.”


Photo: Variety
Lucas would continue the discourse by noting that in a galaxy far, far away, the only beings were discriminated against were droids.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.’”


Photo: Lucasfilm
On the Topic of Race and Gender
Continuing on the topic of race, Lucas noted, “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.”
Finally, Lucas reached the topic of gender. Commenting on the depiction of women in Star Wars, the man who started it all had this to say:
“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.”


Photo; Lucasfilm
“You can’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,” he continued.


Photo: Lucasfilm
Lucas, who recently turned 80, may no longer own Star Wars, but it is always interesting to hear his thoughts on the franchise he brought to life.
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