Star Wars creator George Lucas is striking back against persistent attacks from leftists who say that his space opera is “racist” and anti-woman.
For years wokesters have attacked the original Star Wars films as having a lack of “diversity,” for having too many white men, and for diminishing female characters. But Lucas finally spoke out to knock down these attacks and characterized them as baseless during a reception at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival after he received the prestigious Palme d’Or on Saturday.
Lucas said he was thrilled to receive the award, but admitted he may never have expected such recognition, saying, “Obviously we have a lot of fans, but, in terms of Star Wars and stuff, I don’t make the kind of movies that win awards,” People Magazine reported.
He also admitted that when he was first breaking onto the business, making money was one of the last things on his mind. He said, “to be very honest with you, we weren’t really that interested in making money. We were interested in making movies.”
Lucas was also asked about the accusations that his Star Wars films made between 1977 and 2005 lack “diversity,” but he vehemently disagreed with that claim.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men. Most of the people are aliens!” Lucas said, according to Variety.
He also disagreed that he is pushing some sort of white supremacist message.
“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,” he continued. “The idea is all people are equal.”
He also pointed out that the only characters in his films that face any real discrimination are the droids, who are often the target of putdowns. And he said that was a conscious choice. But it is also something he thinks will happen in real life as robots become more common in society.
“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 explained. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.'”
Regardless, Lucas pushed back on the claim that there is no “diversity” in Star Wars.
“In the first one, there were a few Tunisians who were dark,” he explained, “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.”
He also blasted the claims that his female characters are less than his male characters, adding, “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories?”
“What do you think Princess Leia was?” he asked incredulously. “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.”
Later films also have strong women, he said, pointing out that “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.”
Lucas has long since sold his Star Wars franchise to the Disney Corporation, so he is no longer directly involved in the creation of the newer TV series and movies.
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