Star Wars has a racism problem and there’s not much it can do about it. At least that’s what you’re meant to believe. I want to pretend and say that I’m not sure when or how Star Wars got hijacked by racists and bigots, but the truth of the matter is that it’s probably always been revered by racists and bigots, we just never faced it because… Star Wars, I guess. Now the reckoning is at hand as a result.
Whatever we’ve been doing isn’t working because it’s now becoming a trend for minority actors in the Star Wars universe to face unrivaled and unrepentant racism in the face of a product designed around liberating the oppressed from the mechanisms of a tyrannical system hell bent on keeping them down. Somehow, someway, that message has turned into a bunch of heathens who would otherwise be signing up to embrace the Imperial Forces ideology believing the product belongs to them and them alone.
I can’t be sure when that happened because I wasn’t paying attention to its rise and that’s why I am definitely part of the problem and now owe it to others to be part of the solution. This rise of racism in the Star Wars community is something that deserves to be called out, stamped out, and otherwise nuked from our spaces. If that means making a few people who are signed up for the 501st kick rocks, so be it. That’s what needs to be done.
There are plenty of spaces for Star Wars, official and otherwise, that could begin a zero tolerance policy toward these bigots. Places like Disneyland and Disneyworld are epic destination vacation spots and could easily implement a rule that bans people participating in hate while in an official space designated for Star Wars events from ever being able to step foot on a Disney property again. It might not seem like much, but it could prove to be really effective.
Sure, some may not care. But years down the line when they try to take their kids to Disneyland for a vacation, they’ll find that the constant abuse they sent to Moses Ingram online through Twitter or the fans they harassed at Star Wars Celebration in 2019 means their kids can’t go that day. Then daddy has to explain to Karen and Chet that the reason why they can’t have a day with Mickey is because their father is a piece of trash bigot and has been banned from the park as a result.
Trust me, if the Golden Nugget can keep you off their property, Disney can keep you out of their parks using a similar piece of software and likely already has access to something similar for national security reasons. There are plenty of state visitors to Disneyland and many high-ranking officials love to spend time at the Magic Kingdom. It is possible to keep out people with a history of causing trouble, even if it’s done through electronic surveillance and facial recognition.
You might be wondering why I would advocate for such “drastic” measures, but after Uvalde and Buffalo, can you really rule out Disneyland as a potential target for someone’s rage. In all honesty, I’m damn shocked it hasn’t happened already. Disneyland and Disneyworld are somewhat secure, but Fort Knox they are not and if someone wanted to go on a massive killing spree, Disneyland would be a wet dream for some of these psychos. That’s exactly why Disney should start banning these people and enforcing it. One of them is going to push the limit and it’s going to be too late.
The only thing Moses Ingram has done since taking over the role of Reva is portray the greatest Sith we’ve seen in a film since Anakin’s turn in Revenge of the Sith. She’s nailed the demeanor of some of the greatest Sith the Legacy Universe has to offer and should be receiving her flowers and praise. Instead she’s probably wondering if it was worth it to take this role. She’s probably wondering if Star Wars will ever be a safe place for the people it was created for and honestly, only Disney can help make that possible. It’s past time they do so loudly and effectively.
