Lucasfilm president talks sexism in the Star Wars fandom ahead of The Acolyte

Ever since nerd culture blew up alongside the explosion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2010s, people have had to grapple with the misogynistic strains within many popular fandoms. The Star Wars fandom is a good example. Is it wrong, for example, to dislike the Star Wars sequel trilogy starring Daisy Ridley as Rey? No, there are plenty of good reasons to grouse about those movies, and I would never dream of telling nerds not to complain; it's one of our favorite things. But was the amount of online hatred directed towards Ridley and cast member Kelly Marie Tran wildly disproportionate and unacceptable? Very much yes. It's a complicated morass up in here.

That strain is still there. Take The Acolyte, a new Star Wars show that has several women among its ensemble of actors, including Amandla Stenberg, Carrie Anne-Moss, and Jodie Turner-Smith. It's not hard to find people treating this as an attack or affront. "Why are there so many women, girls and minority characters increasingly dominating the ranks of Jedi?" reads a comment on the trailer, asked as if women don't make up half the population on the planet Earth. Why would the Jedi council be different? According to a new interview with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in The New York Times, some have taken to calling the show "The Wokelyte," which is pretty weak, so far as reactionary pun names go.

Kennedy, who has been president of Lucasfilm since 2012, said she is aware that female fans are often attacked online more than men “because of the fan base being so male dominated.”

"Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying. I think [The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland] 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."

“As a fan myself, I know how frustrating some ‘Star Wars’ storytelling in the past has been," Kennedy continued. "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.”

This topic is always touchy whenever it comes up, and it comes up a lot, because sexism remains very much a part of many fandoms and it's pretty much an immutable law of the internet that women get harsher criticism online than men. Call it the Gamergate Principle.

At the same time, there are reasons to be suspicious of a show like The Acolyte that have nothing to do with reactionary pearl-clutching "just asking questions"-type sexism. I'm not particularly excited about it, because after meh Star Wars shows like The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi (and decent-but-not-thrilling ones like Ahsoka and even the more recent seasons of The Mandalorian), at this point I take a wait-and-see approach to anything bearing the name Star Wars (except for Andor, which has my full attention). But it's important to specify your reasons like this, since otherwise you risk getting lumped into the faction of people who hate the show because ladies. Complicated. Morass.

George Lucas defends Star Wars movies from accusations of under-representation

It's interested that Kennedy made her comments about "frustrating" Star Wars storytelling not long after Star Wars creator George Lucas was at the Cannes Film Festival defending his films from accusations that they didn't include enough women or people of color in their casts. “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories?" he asked in front of a crowd. "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."

Somehow I don't think this back-and-forth is ending anytime soon. In the meanwhile, The Acolyte premieres on Disney+ on Tuesday, June 4.

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h/t Variety