George Lucas Slams ‘All White’ Criticisms of Star Wars

George Lucas has had enough of people saying the original Star Wars films aren’t diverse. Speaking at Cannes as he prepares to receive an honorary Palm d’Or at the festival’s closing ceremony this weekend, Lucas addressed those criticisms. “They would say, ‘It’s all white men.’ I’d say, it’s not. Most of the people are aliens,” he said, according to People. Lucas goes on to refer to notable characters of color in the series like Billy Dee Williams’ Lando Calrissian and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu, as examples of the series’ diversity. He also noted that messaging against discrimination is part of the story, in the way droids are treated. “The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green and whatever—the idea is all people are equal,” he said. Built into Star Wars, he said, is the idea that “people are always discriminating against something, and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen. We’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.’”