![]() In our world (and in most of the movies we make) white men have power. This not only works on a narrative level as something different in a sea of movies about white male heroes, but also on a thematic level. Rogue Onetakes this diversity one step further, including zero white male characters in its ragtag team of hero protagonists (though Alan Tudyk does voice droid K-2SO), a choice that it so rarely seen in a Hollywood movie of this size, budget, and cultural influence that I cannot come up with another example of it.įurthermore, pretty much every white male character in this movie (with a few exceptions) is a villain and/or works for the Empire (in Galen Erso’s complicated case). This continues a trend that began with The Force Awakens,which, like Rogue One,has a woman and a man of color as its central protagonist-team. Rogue Oneis the first Star Warsfilm that has Asian main characters. Rounding out the main cast of heroes are Chinese martial artist Donnie Yen, British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed, and Chinese actor Jiang Wen. Not only does Rogue One have a woman in the lead role ( and paid her the most money in reflection of that fact) in Felicity Jones, but its secondary lead, Cassian Andor, is played by Mexican actor Diego Luna. How does one put in some variety, some human variety? The same way you put in your barrage of allusions to other films, i.e., you just do it and don’t make a big thing.įor Delany, and many other Star Warsfans, the franchise’s lack of diversity represents not only a failure to include many fans’ identities in this fictional world, but also a lack of imagination in a genre that prides itself on pushing social boundaries and serving as a reflection of our real world. And the variation and invention suddenly turn out to be only the province of the set director and special effects crew. When you travel across three whole worlds and all the humans you see are so scrupulously caucasian male, Lucas’ future begins to seem a little dull. When science fiction author Samuel Delany first reviewed Star Wars(now known as A New Hope) back in a 1977 issue of Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy, his review was overwhelmingly positive, save for one, major caveat: the lack of diversity in George Lucas’ vision of this faraway, long ago galaxy. This article contains spoilers for Rogue One… ![]()
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