Star Wars boss Kathleen Kennedy claps back at ‘woke’ complaints
LucasfilmFollowing fan complaints about multiple Star Wars projects being too ‘woke’, boss Kathleen Kennedy officially clapped back in an interview.
The Star Wars timeline is in a relatively strong place, with The Acolyte set to join its ranks as the earliest live-action project in its history. However, when the trailer was released, an old argument came to the fore, with fans complaining that Star Wars had become too woke.
Original comments on The Acolyte’s trailer included: “Why are there so many women, girls, and minority characters increasingly dominating the ranks of Jedi?” with stars such as Daisy Ridley previously blasted for “ruining” the existing franchise.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, boss Kathleen Kennedy clapped back at remarks, claiming the franchise faced the same scrutiny during the release of The Force Awakens.
“I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with [toxic fandom attacks] a bit more,” she explained.
“Because of the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal… Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying.”
The Acolyte‘s showrunner Leslye Headland followed up “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.”
The series had previously been nicknamed “The Wokelyte” by fans, with opinion following Kennedy’s comments further divided.
Another fan disagreed on X/Twitter “She isn’t wrong, I love the Star Wars community but there is a large part of it that is incredibly misogynistic.”
“Wow. So a bunch of feminists took over a male-dominated franchise and were shocked when men didn’t like them turning it into a girlbrand,” another wrote.
However, others think it comes down to how Star Wars characters are written — though most of the core cast in The Acolyte will be completely new to the franchise.
“Natalie Portman & Carrie Fisher weren’t attacked because their characters were well-written and not lame Mary Sues,” a third weighed in.
Another agreed “It’s because Star Wars hasn’t written a good female character since the original trilogy Kathleen.”
The Acolyte heads to Disney Plus from June 4. Find out about more upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, the best Star Wars quotes, and more TV shows streaming this month.