This is such a GREAT analysis of the racial politics highlighted by the casting of the recent Star Wars movies. It does a really thorough job of exploring the dynamics present in fandom reactions to characters of color and what these patterns point to. I love Star Wars and it’s my first fandom obsession, but because I love it, I want it to do better in this area. We can do better.
This point especially:
“Adel’s views are shared by other fans. “Lucasfilm itself, the media and the fandom have focused on Jyn as a female lead as a sign of “progressive” representation while completely ignoring the rest of the cast, which are all far more revolutionary in their own right, as men of color in a genre and particularly in a franchise that’s spent four decades profiting from nonwhite cultures without actually centering characters of those cultures,” said Andrea… These fans bring up important points that cannot be ignored. The four leading male characters are all far more revolutionary in a genre that too often relies on white men named Chris to round out their casts. This marks the first time that Star Wars, which borrowed heavily from Asian cultures to create “exotic” alien worlds, will feature Asian actors in prominent, multifaceted roles. Similarly, it will feature a Latino actor in a prominent role that isn’t stereotyped. As Diego Luna himself noted, he’s a Mexican actor in Star Wars who’s there for more than ten minutes. That’s a rarity in Star Wars, and in the sci-fi genre itself.”
Jyn Erso Isn’t Revolutionary; Her Co-Leads Are – Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl – Medium
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