George Lucas Rejects ‘Star Wars’ Critics Who Think the First Six Films Are ‘All White Men’: ‘Most of the People Are Aliens!’
variety.comEllise Shafer George Lucas got candid about criticism of the first six “Star Wars” films during a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.
When speaking about the success of the franchise ahead of receiving the festival’s honorary Palme d’Or, Lucas reflected on some of the negative comments he’s received over the years. “They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said of the films’ critics. “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.” Lucas went on to say that the only beings in the “Star Wars” universe who were discriminated against were the robots. “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.'” As for the issue of race, Lucas said, “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.
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