Prejudiced views linked to dislike of diverse Star Wars characters

Star Wars fans with sexist and racist attitudes tend to have a greater dislike of the diverse characters from the most recent trilogy of films. That's according to a new study, published in Psychology of Popular Media, which suggests that much of the criticism of these characters might stem from viewers' own prejudices.

Compared to the original Star Wars trilogy, the newer films have a far more diverse cast. Finn, played by British-Nigerian actor John Boyega, and Rose Tico, played by Vietnamese-American actor Kelly Marie Tran, have been standout stars of the trilogy. Similarly, Rey, played by White British actor Daisy Ridley, is portrayed as strong and confident; she is never treated as a sexual object, unlike female characters from previous films.

While many fans have welcomed such changes in the Star Wars universe, others have found it more challenging to accept the new characters. Some detractors have claimed that they simply don't like how the characters are written. But others have directed racist and sexist comments towards the cast and crew, suggesting that at least some of the hostility towards these characters is informed by pre-existing biases.

To determine whether this is the case, Stephen Reysen at Texas A&M University-Commerce and colleagues recruited self-defined Star Wars fans from Star Wars-related websites and subreddits. First, participants indicated how much they agreed with various statements capturing both 'benevolent' sexism (e.g. "a good woman should be put on a pedestal") and 'hostile' sexism (e.g. "women are too easily offended"). Next, they indicated how much they agreed with statements tapping into racist attitudes, such as "racial discrimination is no longer a problem" or "racial minorities are responsible for racial tension".

Participants then rated how much they liked six Star Wars characters: three White characters from the older films (Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Padme Amidala) and three from the newer films (the aforementioned Finn, Rey, and Rose Tico) who have been the target of backlash on social media.

The results showed that stronger sexist and racist attitudes were associated with greater dislike of the new characters. Those who rated higher on hostile sexism specifically, and those who showed higher levels of racist attitudes showed a greater dislike of Finn, Rey and Rose.

Interestingly, these attitudes were also associated with a greater dislike of Leia, though to a lesser degree. The team suggests that her role in the original trilogy played more closely into gender stereotypes, where she was portrayed as a "damsel-in-distress, romantic love interest, and secondary to her male counterparts". However, in the more recent films, she is given more agency and power, which might cause resentment in those harbouring prejudices. On the other hand, participants' racist and sexist attitudes did not relate to how much they liked Luke or Padme.

Overall, therefore, those who had pre-existing racist and sexist opinions showed a stronger dislike of female characters or those portrayed by actors of colour. It may be these prejudices, rather than any genuine dislike of the way the characters are written, that is driving at least some of the pushback towards them.

However, the design of the research limits the conclusions that can be drawn. The correlational data can't show that participants' prejudices caused them to dislike these characters, for instance, and the researchers did not explore the extent to which fans might have felt these characters to be poorly written or disliked for non-discriminatory reasons. The team also notes that people might have liked the original characters for other reasons, such as feelings of nostalgia, though this would not explain the link between prejudiced attitudes and dislike for the newer characters.

Further research could also look at how fans can combat bigotry within their fandom. In fact, the team points out that diverse representation itself may be one way to change toxic attitudes. They point to other research that suggests exposure to more diverse casts can actually reduce prejudice: for instance, one study found that people who often watched Will and Grace reported lower levels of prejudice towards gay men. Diverse casts, therefore, may actually help shift people's views.