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
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
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.
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 20th 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.
Think back to the first "Star Wars" movie you saw in cinemas- whether is was “Return of the Jedi”, “A New Hope 20th 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
What
I Learned Watching The Last Jedi Defeminized:
The
Court Martial of Poe Dameron
“The
Verge” article on Russian Bots and “The Last Jedi”
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