Summary
Since Disney purchasedStar Wars, a number of controversies have arisen, each coupled with severe backlash.Star Warsmovies and TV showsfaced intense scrutiny long before the Disney acquisition, with even the now-beloved prequels being viewed asStar Wars’worst movieswhen they were first released. However, tensions grew considerablywhen Disney boughtStar Wars, and the franchise has struggled to recover from the narrative thatStar Warshas been ‘ruined.’
Even withStar Wars’newer projects, this same refrain persists; in fact,this issue seems to have only grown with time. While part of the backlash is illegitimate and spurred on by internet trolling more than good-faith criticism, it’s irrefutable that DisneyStar Warshas made a number of decisions over the years that have created genuine controversy. Here are the 10 wildest controversies that have emerged out of DisneyStar Warsthus far.
What Has George Lucas Really Said About Disney Star Wars?
George Lucas created Star Wars and oversaw the franchise for decades, so what opinions has he shared publicly about Disney’s movies and TV shows?
Luke Skywalker
In truth, Luke Skywalker’s character in theStar Warssequel trilogy was disappointing. It was thrilling that the franchise had the opportunity to bring the original three heroes back together on screen, and many feel that opportunity was squandered, as Luke, Leia, and Han Solo never reunited in the sequels. However, other criticism about Luke in the sequels makes little sense.
Luke Skywalker’s character in theStar Warssequel trilogy was disappointing.
Yes, many were disappointed to see that Luke had fallen so far from the height he’d reached at the end ofReturn of the Jedi, but the plot line begun inStar Wars: The Force Awakensand continued inStar Wars: The Last Jediisn’t as egregious as it’s made out to be. While Luke’s decision to withdraw from the galaxy might have been incongruent with his optimistic, wide-eyed farm boy characterization in the original trilogy, plenty had happened sinceReturn of the Jedito change him.
The most prominent argument against this character development for Luke is that he had believed in Darth Vader’s goodness, so it made no sense for him to abandon the galaxy and lose faith. However, saving the galaxy and redeeming his father just to see history repeating itself is more than a little discouraging, and it’s reasonable that in the face of a new evil rising again, particularly within his own family, he would think there was no hope. Moreover,Luke wasn’t wrong about his criticism of the Jedi.
10 Prequel Jedi Mistakes That Prove Luke Skywalker Was Right About Them
10 mistakes the Jedi Order made in the Star Wars prequel trilogy prove that Luke Skywalker’s The Last Jedi criticism of the Order was accurate.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
TheStar Warssequel trilogy received significantly more heat forStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerthan it did forThe Force AwakensorThe Last Jediand, at times, for good reason. Arguably the biggest controversy to come out of the sequels was the shocking revelation that Emperor Palpatine had survived his fall down the reactor shaft and returned as little more than a zombie. However, while the execution was bad,the idea that Palpatine would return isn’t that unrealistic.
Palpatine made clear to Anakin inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Siththat he was intrigued by the idea of immortality. After all, that is in part why he told Anakin about Darth Plagueis and his ability to prevent others from dying. Yes, Palpatine wanted to convince Anakin that he could save Padmé via the dark side, but this was also an interest of Palpatine’s specifically. It’s therefore not that difficult to imagine that in the nearly twenty years betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope, he would have figured out a path to immortality.
Moreover, Darth Maul has also proved that a reactor shaft need not be the end of a character’s story, and his demise was much clearer (or so it seemed) than Palpatine’s. Of course,Rise of Skywalkerdid itself no favors by simply having Poe Dameron say,“Somehow, Palpatine returned,“but it nevertheless was believable that Palpatine would have had this trick up his sleeve. Sure,Star Warscould have put forth a much more compelling sequel trilogy villain, but this objective does at least make sense.
8Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Birthday Changed
Star Wars: The Acolyte
Star Wars’most recent addition,The Acolyte, has stirred up an astonishing number of controversies, although the online hatred for the show and review bombing began before the two-episode premiere even released. One of the largest, however, was really blown out of proportion. InThe Acolyte, prequel trilogy Jedi Council member Ki-Adi-Mundi made an appearance, enraging some viewers because it seemingly meant a retcon.
The Acolyteis set 100 years beforeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacein theStar Warstimeline, around 132 BBY. Ki-Adi-Mundi, however, was meant to have been born in 93 BBY,suggesting a major conflict between Ki-Adi-Mundi’s previously established age andThe Acolyte. Notably, though, this age had been confirmed in Legends, meaning thatStar Warswas no longer beholden to that timeline. Of course, the fact that this reflected the DisneyStar Warstakeover didn’t help matters, and many made their grievances with this decision known.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
One of the most confusing controversies followed the release of theObi-Wan KenobiTV show, set 10 years afterRevenge of the Sith. The show reveals that, following Order 66 and his brutal battle on Mustafar, Obi-Wan became effectively a hermit, living a quiet life removed from anyone else. Because of the threat the Empire posed, he had also completely stopped using the Force and refused even to help other Jedi who found their way to Tatooine.
Despite the fact that Obi-Wan was clearly entirely out of practice, audiences were outraged when Obi-Wan was struggling to use the Force and lost so severely to Darth Vader in their first encounter. However,this outcome makes perfect sense. Vader had been growing in the dark side more each day and frequently exercising his power and strength. It makes sense that, when they went head-to-head, Vader would win the day by a large margin.
Sabine Wren
TheAhsokashow did a number of things right, most notably the incredible meeting of Anakin Skywalker and his former Padawan Ahsoka Tano inthe World Between Worlds. For as great as that reunion was, though, the show became bogged down in criticisms mainly pertaining to one key choice in particular.Ahsokahad made Sabine Wren, who previously showed little to no Force sensitivity, a Jedi Padawan to Ahsoka.
Ahsokahad made Sabine Wren, who previously showed little to no Force sensitivity, a Jedi Padawan to Ahsoka.
While this was somewhat out of left field in light ofStar Wars Rebels, it was also in keeping with George Lucas' perspective on the Force. As made clear as early back asA New Hope, the Force lives in all things and binds life together. The Force does not just belong to the Jedi, and it’s certainly not only the Jedi who can wield it. Even so,Ahsokacreated quite the outrage with this choice, and the controversy became a very vocal one online.
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren was largely considered one of the best characters in theStar Warssequel trilogy, yet an issue with his character was one of the biggest controversies the trilogy faced. Specifically,some viewers were very bothered that Kylo Ren repeatedly showed emotion, at times even crying. However, this is ludicrous for a number of reasons. For one,Star Warshas never shied away from characters—men included—getting emotional. Anakin Skywalker, one ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedi(and eventually one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith), cried multiple times in the prequel movies.
For another, the moments when Kylo Ren shed a tear or two were not inconsequential. Rather, Kylo Ren first became emotional inThe Force Awakenswhen he was about to murder his father because he believed it to be the only path forward. While he did have somewhat embarrassing moments of rage akin to temper tantrums, Kylo Ren being emotional shouldn’t have created the controversy that it did.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Yet another sequel trilogy controversy occurred inThe Last Jediwhen Laura Dern’s Vice-Admiral Holdo made the incredible decision to save the Resistance by flying her ship directly into the First Order’s Supremacy nearly at lightspeed, killing herself in the process. Although this was a fantastic cinema moment (which made a very satisfying noise), it caused significant issues among viewers. Many found the move to be unrealistic, and it was largely mocked.
However,this criticism cannot be separated from the growing criticism around diversity inStar Wars. The sequel trilogy received quite a bit of this, and Vice-Admiral Holdo’s character was surely poorly received in part for this reason. Unfortunately,Star Warscontinues to have issues with viewers getting angry about characters who represent any marginalized group, which makes it difficult to separate out legitimate criticism of the shows and movies from vitriol pertaining to representation.
Star Warscontinues to have issues with viewers getting angry about characters who represent any marginalized group.
Grogu
One of the more lighthearted controversies DisneyStar Warshas faced shockingly pertained to Grogu, who is by all accounts an extremely beloved character. In fact, this is the only inclusion on this list fromThe Mandalorian, which had very positive reception early on and continues to be a fan favorite. However, evenThe Mandalorianhad its controversies, and Grogu’s ‘genocide’ of the Frog Lady’s eggs was perhaps the most massive of them all.
While it may seem like a funny concept,viewers truly were outraged that ‘Baby Yoda’ would eat the Frog Lady’s eggs, and it even had fans ofThe Mandalorianturning on the Child online. Interestingly,Star Warsseemed confident that this moment would be read in a comedic light, not a horrifying one, as the franchise had even made merchandise referencing the scene. Luckily, the show and Grogu have both recovered their reputations since then, but this was one of the more surprising controversies.
Rey Skywalker
Daisy Ridley and Rey both got an unfair shake when it came to their reception inStar Wars. Although the sequels undoubtedly had issues, that can’t be pinned on one character or one actor, yet Rey and Daisy Ridley are both frequently called out as though they are the problems with the entire trilogy. Sadly, this is almost certainly another case ofStar Warsaudiences pushing back against representation, as Rey was the first leading female Jedi in live-action.
Rey and Daisy Ridley are both frequently called out as though they are the problems with the entire trilogy.
Some have argued that this is about Rey specifically and isn’t a matter of gender, although those same arguments tend to be paired with the idea that Rey is a “Mary Sue.” Others point out that characters like Ahsoka and Princess Leia didn’t receive the same treatment and therefore it can’t be about gender. However, when Ahsoka first appeared inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, she was hated, and Princess Leia had a very different role inStar Warsthan Rey did—the slave outfit is proof enough of that.
Sol
Similar to the responsesaudiences have had to an increased number of women inStar Warsmovies and shows, many issues have arisen because of backlash against racial diversity inStar Wars. In fact,The Acolyteis currently an excellent example of this, as the show is being heavily criticized online for its cast, which includes many people of color as leading characters, Jedi included. It’s true thatStar Warshas become more diverse, as has modern television and cinema in general, and it’s been shocking to see how much outrage there is because of that.
Star Warsis set"a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,“and it has introduced myriad races far beyond the real world. It’s confounding to think that anyone could be shocked or angered by the existence of people of color in theStar Warsgalaxy yet so readily accept the many races the franchise has invented. Sadly, this also means brilliant stories and brand-new ideas are drowned out by backlash. Hopefully,Star Warswill eventually reach a turning point wherein controversy will not be so pervasive and the actors, shows, movies, and stories can shine.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
