Ahead of receiving an honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, George Lucas has rejected criticism suggesting that the first six Star Wars films are ‘all white men’, stating ‘Most of the people are aliens!’ and you should ‘accept people for what they are’.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,’” Lucas said of the films’ critics. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
Lucas went on to say that the only beings in the “Star Wars” universe who were discriminated against were the robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.’”
As for the issue of race, Lucas said, “In the first one, there were a few Tunisians who were dark, and in the second one I had Billy Williams, and the [prequels], which they were also criticizing, I had Sam Jackson. He wasn’t a scoundrel like Lando. He was one of the top jedi.”
Lucas also responded to criticism about the depiction of women in the “Star Wars” films, saying: “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion. She’s the one that’s taking this young kid who doesn’t know anything and this boisterous, I-know-everything guy who can’t do anything and trying to save the rebellion with these clowns … And it’s the same thing with Queen Amidala.”
He continued, “You can’t just put a woman in pants and expect her to be a hero. They can wear dresses, they can wear whatever they want. It’s their brains and their ability to think and plan and be logistical. That’s what the hero is.”
Lucas will be presented with an honorary Palme d’Or at the festival’s closing ceremony tomorrow (May 25th).
Image: Getty Images
