Rian Johnson: Fans Are The Worst Thing To Happen To Star Wars Since George Lucas
The last few weeks have been tumultuous for Star Wars, and that‘s putting it mildly. Solo bombed at the box office, triggering a spate of backlash against those in charge of creating the new films. As the negative press mounted, a distraction appeared. Kelly Marie Tran, the young actress of Vietnamese descent who played the character of Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, suddenly deleted all of her Instagram posts.
Instantly, a very concerned fan speculated that Tran must have taken such extreme measures due to online bullying. Forget the fact that this was an unverified account not tied to Lucasfilm or Tran in anyway. The outrage train had left the station.
Within hours, the usual fandom blogs hopped on the clickbait bandwagon and churned our thought pieces blaming Star Wars fans, specifically a phantom “white male racist” group of haters. According to most of these stories and anyone tied to the Lucasfilm spin machine, there’s a small group of very vocal fans who are spoiling fandom for everyone.
No mention is ever made of legitimate criticisms aimed at the Disney films. No mention is made of the constant vitriol spewed at fans who are not in fact white, male or racist by some of the creators working on Star Wars films. Surely, they are exacerbating the situation by grouping everyone into a convenient enemy. The racist white man.
Speaking of white men… director Rian Johnson, fresh from proudly blocking people critical of The Last Jedi, sat down with FSW to discuss the state of Star Wars and why he thinks everyone who takes issue with Disney Star Wars is white, male and racist.
On why Star Wars fans are the worst:
“It’s not rocket science. The fans are the worst thing to happen to Star Wars. They’re entitled manbabies who expect us to produce the fantasies in their own heads, rather than take chances and expand the universe George gave us. And the bigger the fan, the more entitlement they have. Well, to them I say this: Hashtag Time’s Up! You need to check your white male fan privilege at the door.”
On what makes these white fans racist:
“They fear change, and anyone who fears change is inherently racist against the colors of the wind. Personally, I don’t identify as white anymore, because of these trolls.
On whether Star Wars or his own career could survive without fans:
“For a large part of my career, I had less than zero fans, so it’s not a big deal for me. I can always find work ghost writing thought pieces for my girlfriend or shooting smaller, independent films. As for the Star Wars brand, that one is tricky. It’s such a behemoth, it really does need fans to sustain its growth. But I think Kathy’s doing a great job replacing the problematic fans with a younger, more diverse group from all around the world.”
On whether new non-white, non-male fans actually spend money on Star Wars:
“I don’t have the numbers, but it’s naïve to think this is strictly a money game. There’s a cultural war going on. We are fighting for the hearts and minds of future generations. Persevering in the face of racist fans who are financially boycotting us… that sends a powerful message of hope to marginalized peoples.”
On the prevalence of online bullying within Star Wars fandom:
“It’s gross. Kathy tells them these movies are not for them. Yet they refuse to go away quietly. Instead they try to intimidate us into making the films they feel they deserve. By directing memes and hate speech at us. That’s not how this works. No one ever bullied someone into making the movie of their dreams. Think about that.”
On whether he’s responsible for Star Wars fatigue:
“There is no Star Wars fatigue. That’s fake news. What we have are toxic fans scaring people from showing up to the theaters. Do you want to sit next to a white guy bemoaning every callback, every set piece, and every bit of left wing propaganda? Most people don’t. And to that point, you’re going to see a huge lift in digital sales for Star Wars media… because the average human being doen’t enjoy sitting in a crowd of hateful manbabies spewing piss and vinegar every two seconds. I know, shocker!”
On why George Lucas was bad for Star Wars:
“He has lots of great ideas, that much is a fact. But without someone to tell him “NO GEORGE NO!” or to subvert his way of thinking, Lucas becomes his own worst enemy. I think that’s where the prequels went wrong. Sometimes you need to take a step back. When you’re just too close to something, and could use someone else’s perspective. I think if George came back, we could work magic together. I’d love to jam with him, and I’m not afraid to tell him“NO GEORGE NO!”
On whether Kathleen Kennedy should step down as president of Lucasfilm:
“Good lord no. Kathleen Kennedy should be celebrated, not reviled. She’s produced three billion dollar films in three years. Can anyone anywhere say that? Hell, if she steps down, I’m canceling my trilogy. There is no one else I want to work at her level. I’d follow her to the ends of the galaxy. I’m very much Team KK.”
Hopefully, our Q&A with Johnson helps clear the air among Star Wars fans. Thanks so much for your candid replies, Rian. Hope to see you at Celebration!
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