Star Wars is, for the most part, a timeless classic. Its characters, story, and themes all resonate across years and generations, and it’s as beloved now as it was upon its release in 1977. However, society has moved on in nearly five decades. The world is a very different place than when A New Hope came out.
There are certain parts of Star Wars – including every trilogy and material like The Clone Wars – that hasn’t held up as well as the rest of the franchise. Certain characters, choices, or bits of worldbuilding leave a bad taste in modern-day fans’ mouths. There are some problematic things that Star Wars wouldn’t get away with today.
10/10 Luke Skywalker And Leia Organa’s Incestuous Hints
Luke Skywalker is the hero of the original Star Wars trilogy, as is Leia Organa. As such, both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back have some romantic hints between the two. Leia kisses Luke in both films, while novels around the time also highlight the chemistry between the two. Infamously, they’re then revealed to be siblings in Return of the Jedi.
There is a reason for this sudden shift: Leia being Luke’s brother is a plot convenience for Return of the Jedi that retcons hints in earlier films. The prior films were made without this in mind. Nonetheless, it’s a notorious part of the original trilogy. It’s likely that nowadays, even if the films weren’t planned out, writers would stay away from accidental incest.
9/10 The Uneasy Balancing Of Anakin’s Worst Acts And Sympathy
The prequel trilogy shows Anakin Skywalker’s descent from a Jedi Knight to the villainous Darth Vader. However, the films aren’t very even with how they do it. Anakin isn’t particularly sympathetic from Attack of the Clones onwards. However, the films still expect Anakin to be sympathetic after some of his worst acts.
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin massacres a village of Tusken Raiders in revenge. This includes unarmed non-combatants and children. However, the film only dwells on that act as one of Anakin’s steps toward darkness. It still expects the audience to sympathize and relate to Anakin after he butchers children.
8/10 Stereotypical Accents For Aliens
Star Wars often uses aliens to stand in for other cultures. However, this is often done vaguely enough to not refer to specific cultures, such as with Tusken Raiders. The first films in the Prequel trilogy, however, face criticism for using stereotypical and recognizable accents for aliens.
For instance, the Trade Federation Nemoidians speak with exaggerated east Asian accents. Jar Jar Binks’ accent often gets likened to a racist minstrel show. To many people, these traits go beyond plausible deniability and become uncomfortable. Although they don’t erase some of the genuine representation in the prequel trilogy, they wouldn’t be tolerated today.
7/10 The Sequel Trilogy’s Poor Handling Of Characters Of Color
The sequel trilogy seems to attempt to improve on representation, compared to previous Star Wars trilogies. Of its three main characters, one is Latino and one is Black. However, most people agree that the sequel trilogy minimizes and misuses these characters.
Poe Dameron’s character undergoes a radical change that leans too closely to Latin American stereotypes. Finn is given very little to do in The Last Jedi or The Rise of Skywalker. This is in addition to minimizing his presence on the poster for certain countries. Both actors involved have spoken out against the trilogy. Despite its recency, it’s likely the sequel trilogy would face more scrutiny for this now.
6/10 The Significant Age Gap Between Anakin Skywalker And Padme Amidala
Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala form the central romance of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. However, there is a significant age gap between them. This is most significant in The Phantom Menace. When they first meet, Anakin is a nine-year-old child who looks up to the teenage Padme.
Padme and Anakin only start a romance over a decade later. There is nothing predatory about their romantic interactions, but many see it as increasingly uncomfortable that they meet when Anakin is so young. The relationship could easily be rewritten to be more equal and likely would be today.
5/10 Ahsoka Tano’s First Outfit In The Clone Wars
Star Wars is far from one of the worst franchises for unnecessarily sexualized or gendered outfits. There are moments like the infamous gold bikini or Padme’s torn outfit, but women in Star Wars often wear outfits that are practical or sensible. A strange exception to this is Ahsoka Tano in the early seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Before Season 3 of The Clone Wars, Ahsoka wears a skirt and a tube top. It’s a marked difference from Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi – or even Padme – for very little reason. In particular, her young age makes the outfit uncomfortable for many. More practical designs are much more warmly-received.
4/10 Watto Coming Across As A Specific Antisemitic Stereotype
There is one alien in the prequel trilogy who is notorious for his stereotypes, beyond just an accent. Few minor Star Wars characters have caused as much discourse as Watto. In the eyes of many, Watto embodies a great many traits of antisemitic caricatures.
In particular, elements such as Watto’s greed, his accent, and his enlarged facial features all evoke the worst kinds of mockery of Jewish people. Star Wars: The Clone Wars even goes out of its way to distance the rest of the Toydarian race from Watto. It’s likely that writers today would stay away from such problematic depictions.
3/10 A Lack Of Representation In The Original Trilogy
Star Wars has attempted to represent some groups well throughout its run. In particular, it has always had capable and realistic women. However, the original trilogy is somewhat infamous for its lack of racial representation. Almost every human character seen in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi is white.
Lando Calrissian is a notable example of a person of color in the original trilogy. Many hold him up as a great example of representation. He’s non-stereotypical and has a genuine character arc of his own. However, he’s a rare example of it.
2/10 The Jedi Recruiting And Raising Infants
The Jedi are unlike any real-world religion. They’re a Force-wielding monastic sect of peace-keepers. However, their recruitment tactics in the prequel trilogy veer into the uncomfortable. They take young children from their families and raise them in the ways of the Jedi, but they find that older children don’t take as well to the process.
This has always raised eyebrows from fans. Some liken it to indoctrination or even the use of child soldiers. However, it’s only become more of a sticking point against the Jedi as time has gone on. If the prequels were made in a more modern time, they might well veer away from the recruitment of very young children.
1/10 Ziro The Hutt’s LGBTQ+ Stereotyping
The Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie is infamous for many reasons. Ziro the Hutt, one of its secondary antagonists, is just one of them. Ziro is very unlike other Hutts seen in the franchise. However, this difference comes across in a very effeminate manner and a high-pitched voice.
Specifically, Ziro’s voice is an imitation of writer Truman Capote. Many see Ziro as an offensive LGBTQ+ stereotype. Ziro has never been popular, but in recent years, he has become more condemned for his uncomfortable mannerisms. Such a character would be handled differently today.
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