The Road to Episode Infinity: Why Russia Wants to Kill Star Wars (And How They’ve Succeeded So Far)

Throughout the 2016 election season the Russian government focused on dismantling US institutions and deepening the political divide of these United States. We now know that one of the American institutions that Russia wants to destroy is the “Star Wars” fan base.

When “The Last Jedi” released in December of 2018, there was initially a feeling of accomplishment. It was a critical success, good word of mouth and most fans seemed to generally like the film. The first sign of trouble, however, came with the Rotten Tomatoes “Audience Score”. Though the critics were praising the film, the audience score started to plummet. And then the tweets started. Suddenly certain aspects of fandom were lambasting the film, calling for the head of Rian Johnson, the firing of Kathleen Kennedy, and a boycott of all future Star Wars films.

“The Last Jedi” was more polarizing than any previous entry to the Saga, but why? If there was going to be backlash over female characters and a “PC agenda” why now? Why not during the release of “The Force Awakens” or “Rogue One”, why was this the film that split fandom?

The answer (at least partially) we now know is… Russian Trolls. A recent study has shown that over a third of Twitter Accounts complaining about the film were accounts with a clear political agenda. Furthermore around one-tenth of Twitter accounts complaining about the film were identified as know Russian trolls tasked with destroying the trust in US institutions.

The facts are that every Star Wars film released since the seventies has “split the fan base”, but “The Last Jedi” is the first film where that split has been fueled by Russian bots. The result is exactly what Russia intended; an uproar of hate, fans turning against each other, actors and producers of the film being attacked online… and ultimately harm to the franchise.

There is no doubt that the “infighting” of the fanbase at least partially led to the following consequences:

1) “Solo” did not have a great box office

2) Disney cancelled all future “Solo” films

3) Disney put all future “Star Wars Story” movies on hiatus

4) There will be no 2020 Star Wars film

5) Rian Johnson’s future Star Wars films have been cancelled or put on hiatus

6) Kathleen Kennedy almost lost her job and probably lost power in making creative decisions for the franchise.

Now if you truly hate every Star Wars film that has released since the original trilogy (or prequel trilogy for those who grew up with those), the downfall of Star Wars might be good news to you. But if you are someone who has enjoyed any of the four new era of Star Wars films, this is not good news.

Yet, the danger of Russia (or anyone else) politicizing Star Wars isn’t really a problem for our generation. The impact is really going to be on the youngest generation.

Think back to the first "Star Wars" movie you saw in cinemas- whether is was “Return of the Jedi”, “A New Hope 20^th Anniversary” or “Revenge of the Sith”- That moment was magical for you as a young person. Now imagine that magical moment was tainted by politics and Russian trolls. That’s what has happened already to the future generation of Star Wars fans.

I’ll say it again: Russia (and grown man babies) have had a negative impact on the "Star Wars" experience of children- Yes, children, the group of individuals that these films are actually meant for- The group that will determine the future of the franchise's survival (or whether the franchise will survive at all).

Every generation has a battle they must fight. Darkness never disappears entirely; balance is never achieved for long. The great culture war of our generation has just begun. Will the republic fall? Will democracy fail? Will the guardians of peace and justice be wiped out in one fell swoop? If you love something you have to protect it. And now it is up to us, not to give in to hate, not to let fear guide us.

In these dark times, my friends, let us cling to our deeply held virtues.

“Yes, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice.” ~Master Yoda