Diversity in Rogue One
I successfully avoided learning too much about Rogue One before it was released and finally went to see it in theatres last night. Pretty great, right? ('Yes' is the correct answer).
But I couldn't help but notice the continued lack of diversity. It is a very white film. A very white male film. I suppose this isn't really a surprise. Diversity and lack of representation in movies has been a hot topic for some time now. I just find it funny, with so much potential to provide a diverse cast (plus, there are so many white background characters!), how does anyone think that it's just ok to flood the screen with anything but diversity? While the Star Wars franchise has done quite well historically for female representation (and continues to do so in The Force Awakens and Rogue One with strong female leads), I have yet to see a woman of colour cast in a named role (except for Maz Kanata,who is a computer generated character, voiced by Lupita Nyong'o. This is certainly an important casting choice, but I'm not one to decide whether that counts as on-screen diversity).
Anyway, as much as I loved the film and some of the very interesting characters (my favourite was blind, ass-kicking Chirrut Îmwe, played by Donnie Yen), it would be nice to see such a beloved and popular franchise take real steps towards diversity.
What did you think of the movie?
You have correctly analyzed the target market for Star Wars! White males have been buying Star Wars stuff since 1977. They have supported the franchise and it is made for them. If they change this too much, they could lose their market support which is risky. It is much harder to acquire a new customer than keep an existing one. That being said they still used a female lead. They could be more diverse still to your point. It was a great movie and a big improvement from The Force Awakens. (I am a white male and have seen it twice already, and prepping to go again lol I will have an indepth post on the movie up soon)
Thanks for your comment! I don't totally agree that white males are carrying the franchise... I know a lot of people (personally and from online articles) who are women and/or people of colour who LOVE Star Wars and already exist as a large customer base. I don't think it's such a delicate thing that adding in some diversity would harm the franchise. I think it's kind of a sad thought to believe that upping representation would somehow alienate white men. Are they so fragile that seeing a little less of themselves depicted in the movies would somehow cause them to abandon such an awesome universe?
But, seriously, thank you for your comment! I enjoy discussing this stuff :) Looking forward to reading your Rouge One post!