Thanksgiving this year brought us more than we ever could ask for. No, I don’t mean spending time with our families and saying thanks for all we have. We were given our first official look at J. J. Abrams’ upcoming “Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens.”
Many, myself included, were looking forward to our first taste of a new “Star Wars” movie since Disney made the announcement. I sat gleefully at the TV as the trailer began. And then I watched it again. And again. I am finally excited for something in the Star Wars universe that is not a cartoon or video game.
What I did not expect was the backlash fans gave Abrams for 88 seconds of footage.
After its release, the Internet exploded into a frenzy as people complained about everything in the trailer, from the black stormtrooper to the design of the new lightsaber.
For the few who have not seen it yet, the trailer opens on the desert in Tatooine and a Stormtooper without his helmet, played by John Boyega, appears on screen. People began complaining about Boyega’s casting, who happens to be one movies main leads. This is not only blowing something out of proportion, it’s downright racist and juvenile.
No one complained because Samuel L. Jackson was one of the leaders of the Jedi order. Other than Han Solo, the other smoothest talking character in the original trilogy was Lando Calrissian, another black man. So why attack Boyega? It’s 2014; let’s get over this already. I think it is completely ignorant of people to complain about a black character in a movie. It’s Star Wars; keep racism out of it.
As for the other complaint, well, it’s more of a fanboy argument than anything. The new lightsaber shown included a crossguard similar to a claymore sword from the Middle Ages with two little beams coming from the sides. Crying foul, many attacked Abrams for ruining their childhood and explaining how having a crossguard like that would be counterproductive for anyone wielding it.
All right, Star Wars fans, let us calm down a bit here. This is not the end of the world. I see no problem with any of the footage that was shown; it had a similar feeling to episodes IV and V, the latter of which was written by the same writer as episode 7. (Irvin Kershner, you are my hero.)
Abrams has gifted us a tremendous treat with this footage, and we choose to condemn him for no other reason than a lightsaber and a black Stormtrooper? We have yet to see this lightsaber in action. Who knows what is in store for us when, what I assume is a Sith, actually wields that thing in battle? And Boyega is an up-and-coming actor who deserves the benefit of the doubt; MarkHamill was once an up-and-coming actor, too.
Even Roger Christian, the original creator of the lightsaber, said Abrams knows what he is doing and that everything in the trailer, including the so-called “broadsaber” had to be thought of before putting it in the trailer. He would not show it if it was not important.
So I say let us all put our torches and pitchforks away and breathe. We should all be rejoicing the fact that we have a new Star Wars movie that’s not done by George Lucas. We actually have a chance, folks, to get the movie we deserve and not some really bad CGI film. Let us come together, cross our fingers and hope that the return to a galaxy far, far away brings a new Empire for fanboys and girls to be happy about.
