Stars Wars franchise needs more diversity

This past week, Lucasfilm and Disney released a teaser trailer for one of its upcoming Star Wars offshoot films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I don’t pretend to be the biggest Star Wars fan; in fact, I’m not one at all. It wasn’t a series that I grew up with as a kid, although I can recognize the films for both their cultural impact and aesthetic sensibilities. So, when the J. J. Abrams reboot Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrived this past winter, I simply mosied to the theater. I wasn’t in any hurry, but the aspect of it intrigued me. I say all this to assert that I can either take or leave the movies themselves. I wouldn’t be upset if the filmmakers disrespected a character’s foundation or wrote plot holes into a universe that has been watched, read and written about more so than most pop culture artifacts of our time. I am not faithful to the series by any means, which is maybe why I can say what I’m going to say next.

Giving credit where credit is due, Abrams did a great job hiring two “minorities” (as viewed by the Hollywood system) as the protagonists. The fact that the lead Rey (Daisy Ridley) was a woman probably changed the industry in ways we haven’t yet seen. Furthermore, with the addition of Oscar Isaac to film, we have a cast that is as racially diverse as it is fascinating to watch, which is why I can’t believe what I’m about to say: there is a lot to be thankful for in terms of progressive casting and radical change within the industry.

Completely ignoring the fact that the director for Rogue One (Gareth Edwards) is a male with only one big budget credit to his name, I want to focus in on the casting here. Because once again, we’re given quote on quote “progressive casting.” Which it is. Except when you look closer at the details.

According to a quick Google search, Rogue One tells the story of resistance fighters who “embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire’s plans for the Death Star.” The resistance fighters in question are played by British actress Felicity Jones and Mexican actor Diego Luna. Jones shares a lot of similarities with her Star Wars predecessor Ridley. They’re brunette, white and British. And that, to me, is a huge, huge problem.

Even I, as little of a Star Wars fan as I am, know that the other women cast throughout the series have also been brown-haired, white women. Princess Leia played by Carrie Fisher is almost infamous for her porcelain skin and cinnamon-bun rolled brown hair. Natalie Portman’s Padme Amidala was equally fair-skinned and dark-haired. The only black actress to be featured in the Star Wars saga as of now has been Lupita N’yongo, who was turned into the alien Maz Kanata through the use of some spectacular CGI, so much so that it can be said that only N’yongo’s voice was used, and not her face at all.

This is further complicated by the fact that John Boyega, Isaac and Luna are all actors of color. It should also be noted that Isaac and Luna are both Latin actors, which is great, because it means that some producers and filmmakers out there with big, powerful influence have been able to transcend the casting bias that has plagued Hollywood for decades. We are no longer relegated to the white, male actor as our leading man. (At least not in Star Wars.) But that same theory just doesn’t apply to the women involved at all.

While Rey has been viewed as this inspirational, aspirational character to young girls and women everywhere, the addition of Jones to the Star Wars universe unfortunately complicates the problem because the similarities are just too apparent. That same legion of girls who were so inspired by Rey may feel a little confused with the release of this second film, because instead of diversity, the Star Wars filmmakers have now seemed to come up with their own trope: the brown haired, white woman is the only one that can possibly save the day. And if she also happens to have a British accent, then she is more likely of being cast in Star Wars, apparently. Instead of taking the chance to diversify their female leads, the Star Wars filmmakers have done nothing but create and now perpetuate their own stereotype. To be a strong, leading woman in the largest franchise known to date, you must be brown haired, and above all, you must be white. And if you are not, then you will be CGIed to the point of unrecognizability.

Luckily (or maybe unfortunately, because it all still remains to be seen), there are several more Star Wars movies in the works, which means more opportunity to radicalize and inspire, instead of fall into the same pitfalls to which we’ve become so accustomed.

Minnie Schedeen is a a junior majoring in cinema and media studies.  Her column, “Film Fatale,” runs on Mondays.