George Lucas Rejects Criticism That Star Wars Is ‘All White Men’: ‘Most of the People Are Aliens!’

(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

George Lucas rejected criticism that his Star Wars movies are “all white men” and non-inclusive while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival.

Lucas, 80, has been in semi-retirement when it comes to filmmaking since selling his LucasFilm to Disney in 2012. He was invited to Cannes to receive an honorary Palme d’Or.

The filmmaker spoke with Variety and opened up about some of the past criticism of his work, particularly for the Star Wars prequel trilogy, releasing from 1999 to 2005.

“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said about backlash to his sci-fi saga. “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.”

Since Disney’s takeover of LucasFilm, there has been far more Star Wars content produced than ever before and the main film franchise took to following a female protagonist, beginning with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.

Lucas explained that the treatment of robots or droids in the universe was meant to represent discrimination.

“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.

The director noted there were significant roles in his movies for Black actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Billy Dee Williams. He also pushed back against criticism of his franchise’s depiction of women, praising the late Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, a role she reprised after Disney took over the Star Wars rights.

“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,” he said.