![]() Rose Tico, who almost sacrificed her own life just to save Finn’s in The Last Jedi, is actually a prime example of Star Wars at its very best, in which a “normal” person becomes a hero by realizing that in this expansive galaxy, protecting someone else’s life is more important than selfishly preserving your own. Protecting and cherishing your relationship with your fellow man, even when you don’t understand them, is what these stories are all about. They all do this from a place of love and empathy. But empathy - actively caring about the well-being of everyone else in the galaxy - is what drives Luke Skywalker to leave Tatooine, what drives Han Solo to return and help the Rebels (in both A New Hope and Solo), and it’s also what causes Finn to help the Resistance instead of run away. LucasfilmĮvery important Star Wars story ever told is about how fear of something compels characters to run away from what we might as well call their destiny. Never forget that these are the good guys.Įnfys Nest and the Cloud-Rider gang appeared briefly in the 'Solo' trailer. As they all take their masks off, you see people of all shapes, sizes, genders, and even different alien races in the mix. Think about that scene in Solo when Enfys Nest is unmasked, and we find out that she and her crew are essentially founding the Rebellion. All of Star Wars essentially functions as a metaphor for World War II, and to reject diversity and unification is to reject the Light side of the Force. Rest assured, both the Empire and the First Order are Nazi regimes with different branding. Remember how the Rebels united with the Ewoks to fight the Empire in Return of the Jedi? It’s about the unlikely friendships and alliances between totally different people and species, bonding despite inherent differences to unite against the threat of oppression from an overwhelming military force. Read more of Lacina’s Star Wars analysis in the Washington Post.Whether or not these “manbabies” want to admit it or not, Star Wars has always been about diversity and inclusion, despite the original franchise focusing on three white people.Her Monkey Cage piece relies on data-driven analysis of tweets and websites. Lacina is a scholar of international relations, comparative politics, conflict, and Indian politics, with a specialty in civil and ethnic conflict. “There is no comparable left-wing media ecosystem where anti-TROS feeling can thrive and be monetized to the same extent.” Right-wing personalities sell Fandom Menace apparel,” writes Lacina. ![]() Popular anti-TLJ videos on YouTube have millions of hits, translating to tens of thousands of dollars for their creators. They also experience more online harassment, discouraging them from engaging the larger fandom.”Īnd it’s a question of monetary incentives: According to Lacina, one reason for the muted response is that “female, non-white, and queer fans control fewer fan outlets. Has there been a backlash by fans of TLJ to the latest movie? Not really. “This latest movie avoided that ire by moving Star Wars politically right,” writes Lacina. The latest Star Wars movie now largely eliminates Tran’s character. That’s why trolling of the film has been mild compared to the online backlash against TLJ.Īfter TLJ, the major character Rose Tico-played by Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran in TLJ-became the focus of Twitter harassment, much of it hate-driven, as Lacina, who conducted a formal analysis of the tweets, argued in 2018. In sharp contrast, she argues, TROS now deploys a fast-paced, sprawling plot, and conservative themes. “After TLJ, an online campaign took issue with the film’s feminism, leftism, and diverse casting,” writes Bethany Lacina, an associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester, in an analysis for the Washington Post’s “Monkey Cage” site. Unlike the penultimate release- The Last Jedi (TLJ) with its feminist story line and more diverse cast-the ninth movie returns to the tried and true. While Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (TROS) left critics lukewarm, some audiences have been more generous in their assessment of the latest installment of the epic franchise.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |