When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, George Lucas effectively retired and left Star Wars, his signature creation, behind him. But that doesn’t mean Lucas has forgotten about all of the criticisms he received about the original trilogy and the prequels. While speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Lucas took the opportunity to share his thoughts about the critics who claimed that his films were all about white men.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” said Lucas via Variety. “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 also addressed the critics who slammed his portrayals of women in the first two trilogies.
“Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion,” noted Lucas. “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.”
Finally, Lucas revealed his belief that the only beings in the Star Wars universe who are discriminated against are the droids.
“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,” noted Lucas. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.'”
The mistreatment of droids in the Star Wars universe is something that’s continued even after Lucas’ retirement, including the most recent movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In that film, C-3PO’s memories are wiped without his permission just so the heroes of the Resistance can translate an ancient text. At some point, there really should be a robot uprising the Star Wars universe so the droids can get equal rights as sentient beings. But that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for now.
Image credit: Getty Images/JB Lacroix/Contributor
