I don’t like how the viability of Star Wars is under constant threat from people who Star Wars can never appease. Some fans—primarily men—have gatekept Star Wars for too long.

They like Star Wars, but not Return of the Jedi. They like Star Wars, but not the Special Edition. They like Star Wars, but not the prequels. They like Star Wars, but not the sequels. They like Star Wars, but not the animation.

Many of these fans—again, primarily men—who claim to like Star Wars actually don’t like most of it.

I don’t mind if people don’t like all of it. That’s fine. But some of the reasons for disliking the things they dislike continue to deeply trouble me.

If a Star Wars film or TV show has an increased amount of visible queer people, people of color, or women on screen with actual dialogue, the result will be an obnoxious amount of negative reviews, actresses will be harassed on social media, and some of these bozos will make three-hour-long YouTube videos about how bad Star Wars has become.

Frankly, I think Lucasfilm needs to publicly disown that very specific variety of “fans.” The best example of how this has been done correctly was from Ewan McGregor. He used his his power and influence to denounce this vile segment of the fanbase, by saying, “You’re no Star Wars fan in my mind.”

Star Wars posted his video on Twitter directly, which I think was one of their smartest social media moves.

For Star Wars to grow beyond what it has already been, it needs to stop trying to appeal to fans who are almost never satisfied. Lucasfilm should proudly produce films and shows that specifically appeal to new crowds.

The original film represents all of what Star Wars can be. Science fiction is not its genre, it’s the setting. It’s an adventure, a thriller, a drama, a Western, a romance, a comedy, a tragedy, including elements of horror, mystery, and gangster films.

By dialing up one or more of these genres, new Star Wars media will inherently appeal to different people. The magic of Star Wars is that ability to adapt its classic antifascist story to fit any genre and any blend of genres.

Therefore, new iterations of it may not appeal to certain crowds who liked previous iterations. They have to be fine with that, and Lucasfilm has to be fine with that. That’s our only hope for it to grow beyond.

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