Anti-woke voices share a social media saying when sanity returns to the culture, be it acknowledging that sex sells in ads or proof that Cancel Culture is on the run.
Nature is healing.
That rings true regarding the saga of Gina Carano. The MMA standout-turned-action heroine had it all – a burgeoning career, the adoration of fans and a plum gig on Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Then Disney fired her for “problematic” social media posts.
Carano just settled her lawsuit against the Mouse House with the suggestion that the two sides might work together on future projects. She didn’t land a knockout legal blow but staring down arguably the biggest company in Hollywood proved a victory all the same.
You might call it a healing moment.
She wasn’t destined for movie stardom, at least not during her MMA days. As fate would have it, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh saw something in Carano while watching her on TV. He eventually crafted an action thriller around her beauty and brawn via 2011’s “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1506999/">Haywire</a>.”
<div id="attachment_958907" style="width: 991px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-958907" class="wp-image-958907 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-139034717-981x576.jpg" alt="BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 15: Actors Antonio Banderas and Gina Carano attend the &quot;Haywire&quot; Press Conference during day seven of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival at the Grand Hyatt on February 15, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)" width="981" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-139034717-981x576.jpg 981w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-139034717-300x176.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-139034717-768x451.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-139034717.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 981px) 100vw, 981px" />Sean Gallup/Getty Images</div>
The film <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1506999/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">wasn’t a smash</a>, but it proved she could act alongside established stars like Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, and Michael Fassbender. The Hollywood door creaked open.
She kept working on screen, landing notable roles in “Deadpool,” “Fast &amp; Furious 6” and “Extraction.”
And then came “The Mandalorian.” Disney finally got the “Star Wars” magic right with the TV series starring Pedro Pascal as the title character. She joined the cast as Cara Dune, a loner seeking vengeance against the Empire for terminating her home planet of Alderaan. She quickly became a fan favorite, and buzz began to build that Disney+ would spin off her character into her own show.
Carano says “Mandalorian” director Jon Favreau of “Iron Man” fame told her, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/gina-carano-interview-madalorian-firing-elon-musk-disney-1235851597/">“your life is about to change.”</a>
<div id="attachment_958915" style="width: 862px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-958915" class="size-large wp-image-958915" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1187551494-852x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Ming-Na Wen, Pedro Pascal, Executive Producer Jon Favreau, Executive Producer/Director Dave Filoni, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Executive Producer Kathleen Kennedy and Werner Herzog arrive at the premiere of Lucasfilm's first-ever, live-action series, &quot;The Mandalorian,&quot; at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on November 13, 2019. &quot;The Mandalorian&quot; streams exclusively on Disney+. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)" width="852" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1187551494-852x576.jpg 852w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1187551494-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1187551494-768x519.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1187551494.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px" />Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney</div>
She was this close to stardom, the kind young actors can only dream about. Except Carano didn’t follow Hollywood’s progressive playbook. She wasn’t openly conservative, but she began questioning COVID-19 protocols on social media, echoing the thoughts of many Americans but not the Legacy Media or the Left.
She pushed for election reform, noting how fellow Americans lacked trust in the current system. Once again, a fairly mainstream view was suddenly deemed out of bounds following President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over Donald Trump.
She considered putting up a black square following the death of George Floyd, but she didn’t want to follow the crowd with empty posturing.
Worst of all to the woke Left, she refused to put her pronouns in her social media bio, instead using a trio of silly words – Beep/Bop/Boop.
The Left went into a frenzy over that stunt, while she defended her actions as a stand against <a href="https://x.com/ginacarano/status/1305301756792860674">social media bullying</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beep/bop/boop has zero to do with mocking trans people 🤍&amp; 💯 to do with exposing the bullying mentality of the mob that has taken over the voices of many genuine causes.
I want people to know you can take hate with a smile. So BOOP you for misunderstanding. 😊 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AllLoveNoHate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AllLoveNoHate</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qe48AiZyOL">pic.twitter.com/Qe48AiZyOL</a>
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) <a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1305301756792860674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @ginacarano/X
Carano later revealed that Team Disney stepped in, asking her to stop sharing her thoughts online. She added the company put her through media training and even wanted to set up a Zoom meeting between the starlet and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/gina-carano-interview-madalorian-firing-elon-musk-disney-1235851597/">45 LGBTQ+ Disney employees</a>, all angry at her refusal to share her pronouns.
Carano declined the offer, instead suggesting she have dinner with a much smaller group to reach across the cultural aisle. They refused, she contends.
Disney seemingly craved an excuse to cut ties with Carano. The company got it when she shared a plea for tolerance that evoked Nazi Germany.
<blockquote>Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors … even by children … Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?</blockquote>
Disney used the post as a pretext for termination. Disney&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gina-carano-lucasfilm-which-fired-her-pushing-her-for-an-emmy">explanation for her dismissal</a> angered many fans.
<blockquote>Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.</blockquote>
One problem? The post did no such thing. Another problem? Fellow Disney stars said far worse on social media sans punishment. 
Many called out Pascal for a post comparing <a href="https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/meet-the-double-standard-in-cancel">Trump voters to Nazis.</a>
Left unsaid? Disney worked with Bette Midler on “Hocus Pocus 2” following Carano’s dismissal, but Midler’s social media posts can be <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/disney-cancel-bette-midler-hocus-pocus-2/">cruel and dehumanizing</a>.
Disney opted not to punish either star or put them through media training.
Carano stopped working in traditional Hollywood. She next starred in The Daily Wire’s original western “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/terror-on-the-prairie?row=0&amp;elementPosition=28&amp;rowType=Square+Show+Carousel">Terror on the Prairie</a>” – a deal signed days after Disney’s dismissal. She also landed a small part in “My Son Hunter,” a Breitbart original film about Hunter Biden directed by Robert Davi.
<div id="attachment_395948" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395948" class="wp-image-395948 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Gina Carano in &quot;Terror on the Prairie.&quot; The Daily Wire/Bonfire Legend" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/D5B28657-62DD-4F0E-AA27-D4F70780BFC7-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Gina Carano in &#8220;Terror on the Prairie.&#8221; The Daily Wire/Bonfire Legend</div>
Her career appeared to be over, at least within official Hollywood corridors. Then Elon Musk caught wind of her story and offered to pay for Carano to sue Disney for wrongful termination.
That powerful backing made all the difference. <a href="https://people.com/gina-carano-settles-lawsuit-disney-mandalorian-firing-thanks-elon-musk-11787322">Disney’s official statement</a> following the settlement suggests she might return to the “Star Wars” galaxy at some point. A “Mandalorian” feature film is tentatively slated for a May 2026 release.
<blockquote>Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect… With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.</blockquote>
It’s unclear if Hollywood, still a relentlessly liberal enclave that discriminates against some conservatives, will hire Carano for new projects.
By standing firm and defending her right to speak freely, however, she can hold her head high no matter the direction her acting career takes from here.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

FAN EXPO Canada 2024

The Rebel Returns: The Vindication Of Gina Carano

Acting

Cancel Culture

Disney

Elon Musk

Gina Carano

Hollywood

Star Wars

The Mandalorian

Years after firing Gina Carano from the “Star Wars” spinoff “The Mandalorian” in 2021, Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company have settled their dispute.
“The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit against the companies,” a Lucasfilm spokesperson said in a statement, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/gina-carano-disney-settle-mandalorian-firing-1236481982/">Variety</a>. 
“Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect. With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future,” the statement continued.
Carano reacted to the settlement with a <a href="https://x.com/ginacarano/status/1953575719554232400">post</a> on X, thanking Elon Musk and her lawyers.  “I am humbled and grateful to God for His love and grace in this outcome,” she wrote. “I’d like to thank you all for your unrelenting support throughout my life and career, you’ve been the heartbeat that has kept my story alive. I hope to make you proud.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I have come to an agreement with Disney/Lucasfilm <a href="https://twitter.com/Disney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@disney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Lucasfilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lucasfilm</a> which I believe is the best outcome for all parties involved. I hope this brings some healing to the force.
I want to extend my deepest most heartfelt gratitude to Elon Musk, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> a man I’ve never met,… <a href="https://t.co/qiAX7W1vgf">https://t.co/qiAX7W1vgf</a>
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) <a href="https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1953575719554232400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I am excited to flip the page and move onto the next chapter. My desires remain in the arts, which is where I hope you will join me,” Carano concluded. “Yes, I’m smiling.”
The actress was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-against-disneys-motion-to-dismiss-gina-caranos-wrongful-termination-suit?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Judge+Rules+Against+Disney%E2%80%99s+Motion+To+Dismiss+Gina+Carano%E2%80%99s+Wrongful+Termination+Suit">axed by Disney</a> in 2021 after she posted a screenshot of another social media post that warned of the political climate at the time resembling Nazi Germany. 
Her post said, “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?”
Disney faced massive backlash for its actions against Carano, while some of the actress’s fellow castmates defended her.
Shortly after the high-profile termination, Carano partnered with The Daily Wire for a movie deal that resulted in the feature film “Terror on the Prairie,” which premiered in June 2022.

‘Yes, I’m Smiling’: Disney Settles Lawsuit With Gina Carano Over ‘Mandalorian’ Firing

Disney Settles Lawsuit With Gina Carano Over 'Mandalorian' Firing

Entertainment

Lawsuit

Matt Walsh is a man of many talents — a popular podcaster, a notable documentarian, a feared fisherman, and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyrDtgjAgII" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surprisingly good</a> &#8220;Mortal Kombat&#8221; player. There is one persistent trait, however, that must be addressed: his passionate hatred of &#8220;Star Wars.&#8221;
I discovered Walsh’s animosity for &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; in May of 2023 while listening to his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1156-princeton-professor-tries-to-debunk-biology-fails-hilariously?elementPosition=155&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">show</a>. After hearing I played a recently released &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; game, he looked dead into the camera and said he was “repulsed by (me) completely.” And then continued to call me a “complete and utter disgrace.” Harsh. 
Last Thursday, theaters nationwide <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DIbYlxVpJnc/">launched</a> a week-long re-release of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” to celebrate the film&#8217;s 20th anniversary. The film stands out not only for its stunning cinematography, one of a kind soundtrack, and compelling life-lessons, but also as the final “Star Wars” entry before progressive-infused Disney’s acquisition.
Walsh, apparently, did not recognize the exceptional film for what it is. After taking his children to see it in theaters, he <a href="https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1917266257956724823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took</a> to X and attacked the movie.
I will now address his unfounded criticisms.
His first issue is with the film’s dialogue. Walsh claims “Revenge of the Sith” has “the worst dialogue he’s ever heard in a mainstream Hollywood film.” To support his claim, he quotes a romantic scene between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala: 
<blockquote>Anakin: You’re so beautiful 
Padme: It’s only because I’m so in love
Anakin: No it’s because I’m so in love with you 
Walsh leaves out the second half of the scene, which reveals the lines are not poorly written, but instead an intentional foreshadowing of what is to come later in the film. The scene continues;
Padme: So love has blinded you?
Anakin: Well, that&#8217;s not exactly what I meant. 
Padme: But it’s probably true.</blockquote>
At this point in the film, Anakin believes his wife is going to die in childbirth because of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLb_k4Pz3CM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vision </a>he has in his sleep. As the primary antagonist, Emperor Palpatine (not Ovaltine) tells him that committing to the Dark Side is the only way to save her. This, and his blinding love for Padme, leads him to commit the atrocities he does later in the film. Pure genius from George Lucas, who Walsh claims should be arrested.
<div id="attachment_914885" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914885" class="size-large wp-image-914885" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-1024x576.jpg" alt="Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. Lucasfilm, Ltd. All rights reserved." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-35-PM-7863-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Lucasfilm, Ltd. All rights reserved.</div>
Walsh’s next criticism of the film is that it has “abysmal action choreography.” To me, this attack is the most absurd. 
The final <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3OtoO5zjjU&amp;t=358s">fight</a> between Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, master versus apprentice, is one of the most iconic fight scenes in cinema history. Numerous outlets such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VpsG7JA-jc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WatchMojo</a>, <a href="https://screenrant.com/best-movie-sword-fights-ranked/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ScreenRant</a>, and <a href="https://movieweb.com/best-one-on-one-sword-fights-in-movies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MovieWeb</a> all rank the battle as one of the greatest sword fights in movie history. The fight was choreographed by legendary stuntman Nick Gillard, and is not sped up at all. Both actors trained relentlessly to master each move shown on camera.
<div id="attachment_914883" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914883" class="size-large wp-image-914883" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-1024x576.jpg" alt="Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. Lucasfilm, Ltd. All rights reserved. " width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/MixCollage-01-May-2025-04-30-PM-8822-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Lucasfilm, Ltd. All rights reserved.</div>
Walsh specifically attacks the final move of the duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, saying the following;
<blockquote>Anakin jumps and flips through the air like Spider-Man but then at the end he loses because the other guy is standing on a small hill and has the higher ground. This was for some reason an insurmountable strategic advantage, even though Anakin had just seconds earlier leaped like 20 feet in the air while doing flips like an Olympic gymnast. So then Anakin decides to jump directly over top the other guy, close enough that he can just casually reach up and cut his legs off. He could have jumped anywhere else on the hill, or just a little higher, and avoided this issue.</blockquote>
Like many things Walsh has criticized in the film, the seemingly risky move Anakin used was intentional. Young Anakin Skywalker was fascinated by his master Obi-Wan’s triumph over Darth Maul in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” To defeat Maul, Obi-Wan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsAEdblcqU4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flipped over him</a> and cut him in half upon landing.
When Anakin fights Obi-Wan, his pride and ego is at an all time high. He wants to prove to his once-master that he is now his superior. This is why moments before the final move, Anakin tells Obi-Wan, “You underestimate my power!”
Obi-Wan can sense Anakin is going to try his own move against him, so he offers one final warning, “Don’t try it.” Anakin did not listen, and ended up getting his legs cut off.
Walsh also criticized where the battle takes place, on a lava planet “for some reason.” He clearly suffers from a lack of knowledge in &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; lore. It’s the same reason he doesn’t understand why Anakin jumped over Obi-Wan.
The planet they fought on, Mustafar, is <a href="https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mustafar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> by Wookiepedia as “powerful in the Dark Side of The Force.” Palpatine sent Anakin there so he could tap into the Dark Side more intensely as he slaughtered the separatists who were awaiting him. In the 2017 comic Darth Vader 5, Palpatine <a href="https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Vader_(2017)_5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instructs</a> Vader to return to Mustafar because it “is not like other planets. It is unique. Deep beneath its surface rests a locus for the Dark Side of The Force.&#8221;
Vader was so drawn to the planet’s Dark Side power that seven years after “Revenge of the Sith,” he built his <a href="https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Fortress_Vader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">castle</a>, Fortress Vader, there. 
Walsh’s final objection to the film was that it “took itself too seriously.” He expands on this by claiming “You can’t be campy and fun and also have mass child slaughter in the same film.”
Most of Walsh&#8217;s criticisms come from a lack of looking beneath the surface, taking everything at face value. “Revenge of the Sith” was always meant to be lighthearted in the beginning, and tragic in the end. After nearly three decades of fans left without a backstory, the purpose of the movie was to show how Hollywood’s most iconic villain, Darth Vader, transformed from a cunning warrior for good, to the embodiment of evil.
Following the classic hero&#8217;s journey literary archetype, we witness Anakin’s lighthearted upbringing in Episodes 1 and 2, his tragic fall in the second half of Episode 3, and his eventual redemption in Episode 6. A story that George Lucas brilliantly wrote and produced over 3 decades.
Walsh’s tweet thread ends on a lighter note, expressing that despite all of his concerns, his kids liked it. To me and countless other fans who believe “Revenge of the Sith” is one of the greatest films ever made, we can only hope Matt Walsh will read this piece and watch it again with an open mind.
* * *
Jacob Falach is an associate producer at The Daily Wire. You can find him on Instagram at: @jacobfalach.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Ray Park was the fight and stunt coordinator for the film. The actual fight and stunt coordinator for &#8220;Revenge of the Sith&#8221; was Nick Gillard.

Star Wars Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith Photocall In Japan

Why Matt Walsh Is Wrong About ‘Revenge Of The Sith’

Why Matt Walsh Is Wrong About 'Revenge Of The Sith'

Film Reviews

Matt Walsh

Movie Theaters

Movies

Opinion

The Daily Wire

Video Games

“Star Wars” fans are reeling from the unexpected rape scene in the new season of the popular series “Andor,” which just released the first three episodes of season two this week on Disney+.
So far, the “Star Wars” franchise has stayed away from sexual content beyond insinuations, but in episode three, that all changed. During the scene in question, an Imperial officer tries to rape the Rebel fugitive Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) when she’s hiding out in a farming settlement to avoid Imperial troops who are rounding up “undocumented” citizens, per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/andor-star-wars-season-2-bix-rape-interview-1236191397/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
Bix wins out in the life or death battle that ensues, then clarifies what just occurred when she screams, “He tried to rape me!”
“Andor” creator Tony Gilroy explained why he felt it was important to include the scene, saying it helped convey the realities of war.
“I get one shot to tell everything I know — or can discover, or that I’ve learned — about revolution, about battles, with as many incidents and as many colors as I can get in there, without having [the story] tip over,” Gilroy told the outlet. 
“I mean, let’s be honest, man: The history of civilization, there’s a huge arterial component of it that’s rape,” he added. “All of us who are here — we are all the product of rape. I mean armies and power throughout history [have committed rape]. So to not touch on it, in some way … It just was organic and it felt right, coming about as a power trip for this guy. I was really trying to make a path for Bix that would ultimately lead to clarity — but a difficult path to get back to clarity.”
Gilroy also noted that the studio didn’t give him pushback about including the topic. “No one ever ever said anything about it, ever,” the “Andor” creator said. “But I mean, we have limits on what we can do. We are very aware of what we can do sexually and violence wise. Those limits are made very clear.”
Arjona said she felt empowered during the scene. “The fact that I get to speak [the word rape] out [loud] — I felt so much power in that,” she told <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/andor-adria-arjona-bix-attempted-rape-1236375525/">V</a><a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/andor-adria-arjona-bix-attempted-rape-1236375525/">ariety</a>. “I felt it throughout the day. I felt it when I finished filming, and I went home.”
Fans had mixed reactions to the episode. 
“SA in SW feels unnecessary. You can portray power dynamics and making the audience hate the empire in other ways without taking it to such a disgusting place,” one X user <a href="https://x.com/realswtheory/status/1914896363051212849">wrote</a>. “Vader wouldn&#8217;t tolerate that sh** nor does the Empire condone it. It has no place in Star Wars. Period. Unnecessary.”
“[S]ome of you really do need to grow up because this is exactly what the empire would do, despite it making you uncomfortable. thats the POINT? an imperial officer using his unchecked power to attempt to rape someone he deems illegal is exactly what the empire condones,” another person <a href="https://x.com/kattywumpas_/status/1915027886953681353">argued</a>.

Adria Arjona

‘Andor’ Creator Discusses Rape Scene In ‘Star Wars’ Series: ‘We’re All The Product Of Rape’

'Andor' Creator Discusses  Rape Scene In 'Star Wars' Series: 'We're All The Product Of Rape'

Rape

Television

U.S.

A 1977 version of “Star Wars,” which George Lucas refused to put on the big screen, is heading to theaters. 
The original release, then called just “Star Wars,” now referred to as “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” was constantly tweaked after its original release by Lucas. The filmmaker referred to these new, slightly altered versions as “Special Editions.” According to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-original-cut-edit-screening-george-lucas-1236191847/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, some of those changes were subtle while others were more significant. 
In June, the British Film Institute’s Film on Film Festival will include a screening of one of the Technicolor prints from the original “Star Wars” run. The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/star-wars-original-print-george-lucas-bfi/">noted</a> that this represents the first time this version of the iconic space drama has been shown on the big screen since December 1978.
“We’re delighted to announce the programme for the second edition of the BFI Film on Film Festival, taking place at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from 12 to 15 June 2025 and opening with Star Wars (1977), screening publicly for the first time in decades in its original 1977 version,” BFI <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/bfi-film-film-festival-line-up-star-wars-twin-peaks">wrote</a> in the announcement.
The print is an “original, unfaded dye transfer IB Technicolor British release print of Star Wars (1977), preserved in the BFI National Archive, and ready to transport us to a long time ago, and a galaxy far, far away, back to the moment in 1977 when George Lucas’s vision cast a spell on cinema audiences,” the organization wrote, adding that attendees can also “view material from the original continuity script for Star Wars, which includes rare on-set Polaroids, annotations and deleted scenes.” 
While some copies of the unaltered original do exist and have circulated for home use, Lucas has been adamant about only allowing the Special Edition to be seen in theaters. He discussed the subject during a 2004 <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/lucas-talks-star-wars-trilogy-returns-wbna6011380">interview</a> with The Associated Press.
“The Special Edition, that’s the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it’s on VHS, if anybody wants it. I’m not going to spend the — we’re talking millions of dollars here — the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn’t really exist anymore,” Lucas said at the time.  
“It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry you saw a half-completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I’m the one who has to take responsibility for it. I’m the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they’re going to throw rocks at me, they’re going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.”
Disney purchased the entire “Star Wars” franchise from Lucasfilm in 2012 for just over $4 billion. The last release, “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker,” made more than $1 billion despite lackluster critical reviews. Next up, Disney will try again with “The Mandalorian &amp; Grogu,” which is expected in May 2026.

Original ‘Star Wars’ Version George Lucas Banned Will Hit Screens For First Time In Decades

Original 'Star Wars' Version George Lucas Banned Will Hit Screens For First Time In Decades

George Lucas

Actor John Boyega claims that “Star Wars” fans are prejudiced against black actors and will only tolerate them being cast in minor roles.
The 33-year-old British star achieved global fame for his role as Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015). Boyega made the remarks during the new Apple TV+ documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood.”
&#8220;Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest [sic], elite space,&#8221; the actor said, per <a href="https://ew.com/john-boyega-mocks-racist-star-wars-fans-11704825">Entertainment Weekly</a>. &#8220;It&#8217;s a franchise that&#8217;s so white that a black person existing in [it] was something.&#8221;
Boyega said “Star Wars” movies did have black stars such as himself in them, but complained the roles were secondary and both the fans and the franchise heads were too quick to celebrate the inclusion. 
&#8220;You can always tell it&#8217;s something when some Star Wars fans try to say, &#8216;Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L. Jackson!'&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It&#8217;s like, they just scattered that in there, bro!&#8221;
Boyega added, &#8220;They&#8217;re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it&#8217;s like, &#8216;Oh my God, it&#8217;s just a bit too much! They&#8217;re pandering!'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Star Wars actor John Boyega attacks fans of the franchise as racist white elitists <a href="https://t.co/s9zxszFwiR">pic.twitter.com/s9zxszFwiR</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1906883888216957166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He was upset that his character was not better developed and concluded that the fans didn&#8217;t want that to happen. Several commenters took issue with Boyega blaming the fans for his role being diminished, pointing out that they were also annoyed by Disney’s treatment of the franchise.
“John Boyega blaming fans instead of Disney’s disastrous handling of Star Wars is just lazy,” one person <a href="https://x.com/Manic_Doge/status/1906926828310421721">noted</a>. “Fans aren’t rejecting the franchise because of race—they’re rejecting it because Hollywood keeps shoving a woke agenda down their throats at every turn. People are tired of studios prioritizing identity politics over good storytelling, and the box office numbers prove it. Instead of attacking the audience, maybe he should ask why so many lifelong Star Wars fans have walked away.”
“What’s terrible about this take is it is the complete opposite,” another person <a href="https://x.com/Aku_700/status/1906885789025190033">agreed</a>. “Star Wars fans WANTED him to take up a bigger role, and work his way into becoming a Jedi. They completely shafted him for Rey’s BS story arc.  His problem is with the fans and not the writers??”
“Another Hollywood crybaby playing the race card because his career isn’t skyrocketing. Star Wars fans don’t care about your skin color. They care about good stories, something Disney stopped delivering years ago,” <a href="https://x.com/OneXOneY/status/1906885144713343431">echoed</a> a third.
This isn’t the first time the actor has voiced his issues with the role he played in “Star Wars.” During a 2020 <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/john-boyega-interview-2020">interview</a> with British GQ, Boyega said he was disappointed that the character of Finn had a more prominent part in “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” (2017) compared to his part in “The Rise of Skywalker&#8221; (2019). 
&#8220;What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It&#8217;s not good,&#8221; he told the outlet at the time. 
“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” he continued, saying those actors got all the “nuance” while his character did not. “You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience&#8230;’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience.”

John Boyega

‘Star Wars’ Actor Comes After Fans, Calls The Franchise ‘The Most Whitest, Elite Space’

'Star Wars' Actor Comes After Fans, Calls The Franchise 'The Most Whitest, Elite Space'

Racism

World

In 2012, George Lucas handed the reins to Lucasfilm, and America’s favorite film franchise &#8220;Star Wars,&#8221; over to acclaimed Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy.
On paper, Kennedy was a logical choice. The eight-time Academy Award nominee&#8217;s career has arguably made her the most successful female movie producer in the history of Hollywood. Her resume is packed with iconic films including “Jurassic Park,” the “Indiana Jones” franchise, “E.T.,” “War of the Worlds,” “Poltergeist,” “Schindler’s List,” and the “Back to the Future” franchise.
Earlier this week, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kathleen-kennedy-retiring-from-disney-presided-over-last-10-years-of-star-wars-films" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> circulated that Kennedy plans to leave her role as President of Lucasfilm after 13 years. Yesterday, she <a href="https://gizmodo.com/kathleen-kennedy-star-wars-retirement-lucasfilm-2000569670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set</a> the record straight speaking to Deadline:
<blockquote>I will never retire from movies. I will die making movies. That is the first thing that’s important to say. I am not retiring. What’s happening at Lucasfilm is I have been talking for quite some time with both [Disney’s] Bob [Iger] and Alan [Bergman] about what eventual succession might look like.</blockquote>
Despite being such an accomplished Hollywood executive, &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; fans <a href="https://x.com/joe_b_smitty/status/1894267940272308463" target="_blank" rel="noopener">everywhere</a> have been celebrating the news of Kennedy’s eventual departure from the brand. The question is why?
Over the past decade, during the rapid rise of identity politics, much of the &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; content released on Kennedy’s watch has not only shoved Left-wing politics down the throats of the franchise’s fans, but desecrated the story George Lucas spent nearly four decades building. Here are some examples.
<h3>The Sequel Trilogy</h3>
From 2015 to 2019, Disney adhered to the traditional &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; movie release style with its own new trilogy. Many fans were optimistic that &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; was returning after a decade, but were ultimately left <a href="https://medium.com/far-from-professional/when-sequels-suck-the-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-2888af90d8b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enraged</a> by the new stories.
Criticism largely focused on Rey, a scavenger who became a powerful Jedi with unprecedented speed, leading many to label her a &#8220;Mary Sue&#8221; — a character instantly good at everything, as <a href="https://davidandersontheauthor.com/2022/06/23/writing-tips-the-dreaded-mary-sue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defined</a> by author David Anderson.
Further examples also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-eEKGt-26I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> her outmaneuvering skilled Imperial pilots minutes after entering a cockpit for the first time, and understanding Chewbacca’s complex language without any explanation of how.
The need for a strong female lead should not come as a surprise, as Disney unapologetically hired Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to direct a now <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/star-wars-removes-rey-movie-2026-release-date-1235169461/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delayed</a> future film centered around Rey. In 2015, Obaid-Chinoy publicly <a href="https://thatparkplace.com/upcoming-star-wars-director-sharmeen-obaid-chinoy-i-like-to-make-men-uncomfortable-i-enjoy-making-men-uncomfortable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, “I enjoy making men uncomfortable.”
The other main criticism of Disney’s trilogy, however, is how its finale undermines the legacy of the franchise’s main character.
In “Return of the Jedi” (1983), Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one, fulfills his destiny by destroying Emperor Palpatine. However, Disney’s trilogy reveals Palpatine survived, only for Rey to ultimately defeat him, cementing her role as the franchise’s new “boss-girl” hero.
<h3>&#8220;Star Wars: Secrets of the Clone Troopers&#8221;</h3>
In &#8220;Star Wars&#8221;, the Grand Army of the Republic consisted of genetically cloned male soldiers who were biologically indistinguishable from each other. Alongside the Jedi, they fought on all fronts across a war-torn galaxy.
They were bred from birth to be warriors, both mentally and physically. Yet, despite their specific design, Kennedy found it logical to reveal a transgender clone named ‘Sister’ in their 2024 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Secrets-Clone-Troopers/dp/B0D1CV87NN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book</a>, &#8220;Star Wars: Secrets of the Clone Troopers.”
In the book, Captain Rex, a leader among the Clone Troopers, <a href="https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sister" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> Sister’s coming out to them:
<blockquote>When one of our kind expressed her gender identity differently than her fellow troopers, she feared she&#8217;d have to hide who she truly was inside. Fortunately, her brothers in the 7th Sky Corps gave her the name Sister as a constant reminder that she belonged.</blockquote>
Whether you believe gender is a social construct, or you believe it is biological, neither makes sense when it comes to a clone trooper. By design, both socially and biologically, “Sister” is indistinguishable from all of his comrades.
<h3>“The Acolyte”</h3>
<div id="attachment_884991" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-884991" class="size-large wp-image-884991" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2154396022-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland, Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm's new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2154396022-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2154396022-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2154396022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2154396022.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney</div>
“The Acolyte” is by far one of Kennedy’s greatest failures. A prequel to George Lucas’ own prequel trilogy, the show takes place around a century before the events of &#8220;Star Wars  Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”
The show is infested with forced, in-your-face politics. There is an obese Jedi, a matriarchal undertone, no significant straight white characters, and a coven of “communist lesbian space witches.”
Yes, you read that right. Communist lesbian space witches.
Despite being one of the <a href="https://www.darkhorizons.com/the-acolyte-budget-was-230m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most expensive</a> TV shows ever made, costing $28.8 million per episode, the show received a humiliating 14% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.
One IMDB user <a href="https://m.imdb.com/review/rw9844497/?ref_=m_tt_urv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rated</a> the series 1/10, writing:
<blockquote>The Acolyte, the latest installment in the Star Wars  franchise, is a devastating blow to the fandom. It completely misses the essence that made Star Wars a cultural phenomenon. The characters are shallow, the plot is incoherent, and the series seems to prioritize ticking boxes over crafting a compelling story.</blockquote>
In light of its failure, Lucasfilm <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-acolyte-canceled-season-2-star-wars-1236111608/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> to cancel “The Acolyte” and not make a season 2.
When Kennedy took over &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; in 2012, she promised George Lucas she was going to honor his vision. Instead of doing so, to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWhsjai-OVE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quote</a> an episode of South Park dedicated to her, all Kennedy did was “put a chick in it and make it gay.”
Kennedy’s resignation is not only a harbinger for fans, but also the culture in general. The tide is changing, and society is beginning to distance itself from far-Left politics. Hopefully in the eventual absence of Kennedy, &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; can return to the former glory it once knew.
And may the far-Left influence on the franchise be shuttled to a galaxy far, far away.
* * *
Jacob Falach is an associate producer at The Daily Wire. You can find him on Instagram at: @jacobfalach.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Launch Of Disney+ And Lucasfilm New TV Series “The Acolyte”

As Kathleen Kennedy Plots Her Departure, ‘Star Wars’ Fans Rejoice

As Kathleen Kennedy Plots Her Departure, 'Star Wars' Fans Rejoice

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Kathleen Kennedy

Woke Culture

After presiding over the Star Wars movies over the last twelve years for Disney, eliciting harsh criticism for the direction the series took under her direction, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy has announced she will <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-kathleen-kennedy-lucasfilm-1235282440/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retire</a> at the end of this year.
Kennedy launched her career in the film business as a secretary for director Steven Spielberg, later rising to become an associate to Spielberg for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and then associate producer on Spielberg&#8217;s production of &#8220;Poltergeist.&#8221; She was titled the producer on “E.T.” and founded Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg and her future husband, Frank Marshall. She became Spielberg’s executive producer for some projects he directed and produced, including “Schindler’s List,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Back to the Future.” She has garnered eight Oscar nominations as a producer.
In June 2012, Kennedy became co-chair of Lucasfilm with George Lucas. In October 2012, when Lucas sold his company to Disney, Kennedy was promoted to president. She served as a producer for the relaunching of the Star Wars franchise, with the films “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018), and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). She also was a producer for “The Mandalorian.”
Kennedy’s stewardship of the Star Wars franchise triggered harsh criticism from some quarters; one blogger <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/mlp-headstrong/journal/Kathleen-Kennedy-is-why-Star-Wars-is-Bad-994026113" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, “These days, the Star Wars franchise is a mess of live-action con jobs and Mary Sues, and we can all blame Kathleen Kennedy for her significant part in ruining the whole franchise. Kennedy was placed as the head of Lucasfilm by George Lucas to keep Star Wars from going off the rails. However, she wanted the Force to be ‘female’ and after she taking control of Lucasfilm, she set about manufacturing the template. &#8230; Utterly humiliate the characters people love and replace them with generic, thread-bare, overpowered self-inserts that the audience was supposed to love.&#8221;
“South Park” mocked Kennedy for her woke perspective and diversity “pandering” in October 2023. The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/south-park-disney-kathleen-kennedy-gina-carano-1235632407/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> of the show, “An alternate universe version of Kennedy keeps giving the same note on every franchise project (‘Put a chick in it! Make her lame and gay!’).”

39th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards

Kathleen Kennedy Retiring From Disney, Presided Over Last 10 Years Of Star Wars Films

General

Donald Trump’s comeback has reshaped America’s cultural and political landscape in just a matter of weeks. In perhaps the greatest challenge to Andrew Breitbart’s popular adage that, “Politics is downstream from culture,” culture is proving to be highly responsive to political change, evidenced by the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/dei-rollback-companies-amazon-meta-mcdonalds">flurry</a> of major companies running for the exits on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. On Tuesday, it was reported that Disney is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-walks-back-dei-initiatives-changes-disclaimers-on-classic-films">slashing</a> its DEI programs and even redrawing strongly worded trigger warnings <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/disney-puts-negative-depictions-disclaimers-on-peter-pan-aristocats-4077702/">added</a> to classic films in October 2020, such as &#8220;Peter Pan,&#8221; &#8220;Dumbo,&#8221; and &#8220;The Aristocats&#8221; on the Disney+ streaming platform.
What’s happening here is not just CEOs recognizing DEI’s defeat in the court of public opinion and on Wall Street, but also a response to a rising tide of demand for heroes in a country that has been told for eight years to forget they exist. This is something President Trump seems to understand in his <a href="https://fox2now.com/news/national/trump-revives-plans-for-statue-garden-featuring-250-american-heroes-who-would-be-included/">stated recommitment</a> to open a National Garden of American Heroes.
The age of expecting young people to participate in the future of a country they’re <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/religious-extremism-mixed-with-white-nationalism-and-trumpism-is-straining-our-democracy-joy-reid-says-192835653781">told</a> is deeply racist, or hoping families will stream &#8220;Peter Pan&#8221; while also telling them that it’s an offensive story – is over.
Consider a recent underreported change at Disney Parks. <a href="https://x.com/DisneyParks/status/1887886608348611056" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Last week</a> it was revealed that a “new” character was coming to Disney’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge theme park: Luke Skywalker.
It’s hard to believe, but the titular hero of the &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; franchise has not been a part of the <a href="https://blooloop.com/theme-park/in-depth/cost-of-star-wars-galaxys-edge/#:~:text=Contractors%20set%20the%20valuation%20of,the%20region%20of%20%241%20billion.">$1 billion</a> expansion started in 2018. Disney was only three years into their ownership of the world’s most valuable intellectual property at the time, acquired under the first tenure of CEO Bob Iger, and its divisive second &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; was roiling Star Wars fans to a degree few could have imagined.
The 2017 film by Disney and director Rian Johnson, &#8220;Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,&#8221; <a href="https://ew.com/movies/rian-johnson-stands-by-luke-skywalker-the-last-jedi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infamously</a> transformed the classic Star Wars hero of Luke Skywalker into a curmudgeonly hermit who had lost all hope in the future. Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, was <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/star-wars-comments-mark-hamill-forced-to-apologise-for/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outspoken</a> for a time about his disdain for the treatment of his iconic character.
“I hate what you’ve done with my character” is about as unambiguous as Hamill could have been about Luke’s diminished stature in the movie, and Star Wars has truthfully never been the same since. Both in its cultural prestige and financial success, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2024/04/14/disneys-star-wars-box-office-profits-fail-to-cover-cost-of-lucasfilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Star Wars has faded</a>.
Heroes became unfashionable in Hollywood after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, an expression of elite cynicism over Hillary Clinton being roundly rejected by Americans along with core elements of Barack Obama’s legacy.
In a perfect cascade of nihilism that engulfed memorials to the Founding Fathers, Francis Scott Key, and Ulysses S. Grant, and then negatively tinged stories about Captain America, Luke Skywalker, Superman, and Indiana Jones, the fashionable thing in entertainment was to invert hero narratives and question the goodness of virtuous characters in popular stories.
How else do you arrive at <a href="https://theweek.com/articles/568897/tanehisi-coates-case-against-american-exceptionalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-American</a> author Ta-Nehisi Coates being asked to handle the Captain America character for a line of Marvel comics? For many years the consensus was that fictional heroes should be handled by creatives like Rian Johnson and Coates who wanted to subvert their narratives and turn fans into skeptics.
It’s why the Scientific American <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-term-jedi-is-problematic-for-describing-programs-that-promote-justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dedicated</a> space in its publication to 2021 to addressing how Star Wars’ Jedi Knights were “problematic,” “toxically masculine” and racist at their core.
The Left can’t build alternative heroes for American culture unless older ones are torn down first. This is as true of real-world political movements as it is of storytelling.
For Disney Parks, it made some degree of sense at the start of their Star Wars park to center the new characters driving their installments to the Star Wars universe, but it was always a defying of consumer demand to build a family experience around Kylo Ren, Rey, and the virtually unknown but “diverse” Vi Moradi, instead of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.
Disney joins the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/dei-rollback-companies-amazon-meta-mcdonalds">ranks</a> of Amazon, Meta, Boeing, Ford, Goldman Sachs, Bud Light, Harley Davidson, and others in rolling back or ending DEI commitments. For Disney that included the <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/disney-drops-controversial-reimagine-tomorrow-program-company-pairs-back-dei-initiatives">Reimagine Tomorrow</a> initiative for promoting stories on underrepresented groups, another way of saying they’d have fewer straight, white characters and employees. The America First Legal group filed a federal civil rights <a href="https://wdwnt.com/2025/02/breaking-disney-making-changes-to-dei-programs-ending-reimagine-tomorrow-initiative/">complaint</a> against Disney for “violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in illegal race, sex, and national origin discrimination.”
This is all connected.
It is not a coincidence that Luke Skywalker is coming out for family photo ops at the same time Disney is rethinking the usefulness of DEI to its bottom line. To recognize that kids (and parents) revere Luke Skywalker and would stand in a 2-hour long line to say &#8220;cheese” is to acknowledge they won’t do that for other characters.
DEI <a href="https://x.com/StephenKentX/status/1888605203026379183">failed</a> in its effort to reshape America’s belief in the goodness of the country, and so the business community appears to be getting back to doing business. This could be Disney’s last chance to reassert leadership in family entertainment and bring heroism back to Hollywood.
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Stephen Kent is a conservative commentator and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Force-Can-Fix-World/dp/1546000461" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How The Force Can Fix The World: Lessons on Life, Liberty &amp; Happiness From a Galaxy Far, Far Away.</a> Kent is the Media Director for the Consumer Choice Center. Follow him @<a href="https://x.com/StephenKentX">StephenKentX</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-13-Feb-2025-12-35-PM-2163

Disney Ditching DEI Signals A Return Of The Hero

Democrats

Donald Trump

Leftists

President Trump

“<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/star-wars">Star Wars</a>” actress Daisy Ridley said she believes that all the franchise&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/movies">films</a>, even the old ones, contain political messaging. 
The 32-year-old British <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">star</a> rose to fame while playing Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films “The Force Awakens” (2015), “The Last Jedi” (2017), and “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). Ridley is slated to appear in the latest sequel, currently called “New Jedi Order.”
Scriptwriter George Nolfi recently discussed the political aspects of the films, saying in an interview, “If you think about George Lucas, the six movies that he did, and the universe that he created, it’s actually very steeped in broad notions of politics. It’s not talking about today, per se, but there’s the Empire’s Nazism slash Roman Empire.”
Ridley spoke with <a href="https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-cleaner-star-wars-new-jedi-order">Inverse</a> recently, saying she agreed with Nolfi on that point. “I feel like [the Star Wars films] are all political. I feel like it&#8217;s the individual versus the big corporation or the big group, so I think they always have been,” the actress told the outlet. 
She continued, “And ultimately I think the films are emotional in that it&#8217;s good and evil, which we all can relate to very specifically in our day-to-day lives. But yes, I do feel those conversations are woven within the story, and I&#8217;m very excited to see what George [Nolfi] does.”
“Star Wars” fans have been impatient with the delays, leadership changes, and lack of details about “New Jedi Order,” which Disney first announced in 2023. Their waiting has not yet paid off, as Ridley told <a href="https://screenrant.com/star-wars-daisy-ridley-new-jedi-order-movie-filming-script-update/">Screen Rant</a> she hasn’t seen a script yet and that it likely won’t be her next project to go into production.
The studio is likely being cautious, the outlet noted, after having two major box office disappointments with “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) and poor critical reviews, plus mixed fan reviews of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019).
The next “Star Wars” release will be “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” slated to hit theaters in May 2026.  
Ridley is currently promoting a new movie called “Cleaner,” in which she plays an ex-soldier turned window cleaner who helps rescue hostages from an extremist planning a mass murder.

Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley Says ‘Star Wars’ Films Are ‘All Political’

Daisy Ridley Says 'Star Wars' Films Are 'All Political'

Celebrities

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/star-wars">Star Wars</a>”-themed hotel and immersive experience at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney-world">Disney World</a>, is reportedly being turned into an office building after closing following only 18 months of operation.
The highly anticipated concept experience opened on March 1, 2022, and closed the following September due to lack of bookings. <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/star-wars-hotel-disney-starcruiser-coverted-into-offices/">The Wrap</a> talked to an insider who said the building will now house employees who are part of Walt Disney Imagineering, a section of the company responsible for theme park attractions, retail locations, and cruise ships.
Originally, Galactic Starcruiser was billed as a two-night immersive experience, with many fans referring to it as the “Star Wars hotel.”  Starcruiser guests became part of the storyline and took part in themed meals, bars, entertainment, games, and interactive missions. They stayed in fully decked out cabins that looked like they were positioned in outer space.
A one-night stay cost $1,200 per night per guest, according to <a href="https://parade.com/1246692/alexandra-hurtado/star-wars-hotel-price/">Parade</a>, a price tag which even hardcore fans were reluctant to pay.
Before it closed, a Disney parks enthusiast named Jenny Nicholson made a four hour long YouTube video about why the hotel flopped, citing price as a major concern. She also took issue with the planned itinerary, which was always two days and two nights, leaving guests no options for making their own choices. She noted how other themed Disney spaces were a lot different and comparatively cheaper. Her video was massively popular, attracting <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/movies/jenny-nicholson-disney-star-wars-hotel-review.html">11 million views</a> on the platform.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T0CpOYZZZW4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nicholson complained, among other things, that she spent more than $6,000 for a two-person stay and had a tiny room. She also mentioned being seated behind a pole during a dinner show, which left her unable to see the alien singer Gaya.
This update on the building comes after fan speculation that the existing structure, which was built to resemble a ship from the films, would be reimagined as a restaurant or some other type of less expensive fan experience. But the source said that after testing that idea, it was found to be too difficult to access from other areas of the theme park, making the idea a nonstarter.
Disney took a tax writedown on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, The Wrap <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/disney-star-wars-starcruiser-depreciation/">noted</a> in August 2023. This meant they couldn’t use the building for anything for a period of time. The outlet said their sources put the cost of Galactic Starcruiser at more than $1 billion, but Disney claimed that figure was much lower.

Star Wars hotel

Shuttered ‘Star Wars’ Themed Disney Hotel Reportedly Being Converted To Office Space

Disney World

Happy New Year. It’s January, 2025, the beginning of the second quarter of the 21st century and the end of all your resolutions as you slowly sink back into a pear-shaped blob careening into oblivion like George Clooney in &#8220;Gravity&#8221; but without the paycheck.
So after you’ve canceled that gym membership and put all your new workout gear on eBay, let’s gather together around the crystal ball of the imagination while I pretend to gaze into the future so I can make ridiculous predictions that I hope you’ll forget by the time I get around to claiming I was right about everything.
In politics, I predict that Donald Trump will take office January 20, and on Day One, he’ll reduce corruption in government eighty percent by not being Joe Biden. I predict that on Day One, Trump will issue a blanket pardon of half the J6 demonstrators. The other half, who are undercover FBI agents, will be put in prison where they belong. And I predict that on Day One, Trump will issue a declaration that there are only two genders, and that men are the ones with testicles, unless they’re Republicans in the House of Representatives.
In journalism, I predict ABC will fire George Stephanopoulos for intimidating women into silence until they realize that&#8217;s why they hired him in the first place, then he&#8217;ll be rehired and assigned to &#8220;The View.&#8221; I predict that CNN will double its viewership when an old man in Milwaukee forgets how to use his remote. And I predict that the New York Times will save space by publishing nothing but Trump emojis followed by crap emojis followed by crying emojis, until the paper is so simplistic and repetitive it can be written by A.I. but without the I, so it’s just A, as in “A, this paper sucks, cancel my subscription.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Andrew Klavan Show</a></h3>
In the culture, I predict the Disney company will hire an armed security force to hunt down every last person who still occasionally feels inspired or delighted or even mildly entertained by a &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; movie and compel them to watch movies with unattractive lesbians in baggy clothes having totally absurd sword fights until the viewers confess there is no such thing as a god-like Force or Jedis or manhood and that everything is meaningless and they’re sorry they ever liked &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; in the first place and we should all just die.
I predict that a starlet will show up at a French film festival wearing a completely transparent dress, and a news site will describe the outfit as “shocking” even though no one is shocked or even particularly interested.
I predict June will be gay pride month, yet, in a stunning paradox, the entire month will pass without a single person feeling proud of being gay, although there will be a general sense of relief when it’s finally July and we can just drop the entire subject which has been making everyone feel oppressively uncomfortable.
Finally, I predict that in December, a pear-shaped man will go on eBay to buy some good-as-new workout gear and discover he has sent his money to himself and now has to dig the gear out of the closet and mail it to himself so he can put it on eBay.
Those are my 2025 predictions.
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This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-andrew-klavan-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Andrew Klavan Show</a>.”
Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. He is the bestselling author of the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fourth installment, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613165536?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_thcv_3&amp;storeType=ebooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A WOMAN UNDERGROUND</a>,” is now available. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan
The views expressed in this satirical article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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