By Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy says she’s aware that there is something of a gender bias toward creatives in the “Star Wars” fandom.
A just-published feature piece in The New York Times speaks at length with Leslye Headland, the showrunner of the soon-to-launch “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte”.
Even now, before the release and before reviews have been published, the series has received a backlash – something not entirely unusual for any new “Star Wars” series.
This time however a chunk of the criticisms have used the phrase ‘The Wokelyte’ and have complained about the show’s diverse cast. Headland has found herself on the receiving end of direct criticisms in ways other male “Star Wars” showrunners like Joby Harold, Tony Gilroy or Jon Watts have not.
Kennedy says female creatives with the franchise have struggled with fan backlash to their respective film and TV franchise installments:
“Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation – it’s terrifying. I think Leslye has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of the women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”
Asked about the specific complaints of diversity in regards to “The Acolyte,” she said: “My belief is that storytelling does need to be representative of all people. That’s an easy decision for me.” Headland herself also discussed the criticisms she’s received:
“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some ‘Star Wars’ storytelling in the past has been. I’ve felt it myself. I stand by my empathy for ‘Star Wars’ fans. But I want to be clear. Anyone who engages in bigotry, racism or hate speech … I don’t consider a fan.”
Headland says creating the original story for “The Acolyte” was akin to “working on a razor’s edge” with all the lore, continuity, and more importantly fan expectation:
“You’re thinking, ‘This is what people want from ‘Star Wars’. This is what people don’t want’. It can mess with your head. During the creative process, I had to give myself the forgiveness, as an artist, to fall off the razor – as long as I got back up. That was my promise to myself.”
Female stars of the franchise in recent years, such as Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran, faced online harassment from toxic fans during the release of the “Star Wars” sequel film trilogy in the latter half of the 2010s. Parts of the “Star Wars” fandom have fought back against the trolls though.
As Indiewire points out, director J.J. Abrams said in a quote from back in 2018 that the problem isn’t with the franchise per se:
“You can sort of find almost anything you want to in ‘Star Wars.’ If you are someone who feels threatened by women and needs to lash out against them, you can probably find an enemy in ‘Star Wars’… Anyone who wants to find a problem with anything can find the problem. The internet seems to be made for that.”
“The Acolyte” is set to hit Disney+ this coming Tuesday June 4th with the first two episodes releasing on that day.
The post Kennedy On “Star Wars” Fandom Backlash appeared first on Dark Horizons.
