I successfully avoided learning too much about Rogue One before it was released and finally went to see it in theatres last night. Pretty great, right? ('Yes' is the correct answer).
But I couldn't help but notice the continued lack of diversity. It is a very white film. A very white male film. I suppose this isn't really a surprise. Diversity and lack of representation in movies has been a hot topic for some time now. I just find it funny, with so much potential to provide a diverse cast (plus, there are so many white background characters!), how does anyone think that it's just ok to flood the screen with anything but diversity? While the Star Wars franchise has done quite well historically for female representation (and continues to do so in The Force Awakens and Rogue One with strong female leads), I have yet to see a woman of colour cast in a named role (except for Maz Kanata,who is a computer generated character, voiced by Lupita Nyong'o. This is certainly an important casting choice, but I'm not one to decide whether that counts as on-screen diversity).
Anyway, as much as I loved the film and some of the very interesting characters (my favourite was blind, ass-kicking Chirrut Îmwe, played by Donnie Yen), it would be nice to see such a beloved and popular franchise take real steps towards diversity.
What did you think of the movie?
