“They Would Say, ‘It’s All White Men”: George Lucas Fires Back at Critics Claiming the Lack of Diversity in First Six Films

It’s no secret that Disney and Star Wars currently have sort of a reputation of being “woke.” But before there were woke critics, on the opposite side of the spectrum there were fans who noticed a complete lack of diversity in the first six movies.

At the Cannes Film Festival, George Lucas opened up about criticism of the first six “Star Wars” films, acknowledging negative feedback he has received over the years. Especially negative feedback related to race and the fact that basically, almost all important people in the Galaxy far away were – men.

They would say, It’s all white men. 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.

Star Wars were always political in nature, and Lucas admitted that robots are heavily discriminated against in the franchise, something that we’re starting to see today with the rise of AI.

Lucas also addressed the lack of important women with a legitimate argument that Princess Leia was and still is one of the cornerstone characters of the franchise.

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 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.

Do you agree with Lucas? Let us know in the comments below!

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