Actor Simon Pegg spoke out against a certain fan base he said was "kind of toxic."
The veteran British actor and screenwriter who appeared in major sci-fi franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, recently expressed his objection to Star Wars diehards.
Mostly White cisgender male members of the fandom have been called out repeatedly for the racism, homophobia and misogyny that's rampant in the Star Wars fan spaces, especially online.
While the toxic members claim it's because they're passionate and protective of the original trilogy that launched the franchise in 1977, Star Wars actors and creatives have called bullsh*t on that excuse.
Their "protective" instincts flare on any whisper of diversity beyond White, male, cisgender heteronormativity.
Speaking to Jim Norton and Sam Roberts on SiriusXM, Pegg said:
“The Star Wars fan base really seems to be the most kind of toxic at the moment."
The 52-year-old comedian touched on the controversy in which actor Ahmed Best–who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy–considered suicide from the backlash incurred from portraying the universally loathed character.
Pegg expressed his regrets about being a part of the negativity.
“I’ve apologized for the things I’ve said about Jar Jar Binks because of course there was a f'king actor involved and he was getting a lot of flack,” he said, adding:
“It was a human being and because it got a lot of hay, he suffered and I feel terrible about being part of that.”
Star Wars fans also slammed the diverse cast members who joined the new trilogy–like African-British actor John Boyega, who played "Finn" and Vietnamese-American actress Kelly Marie Tran who played "Rose Tico."
Boyega boldly proclaimed Star Wars marginalized non-White characters. He claimed non-White actors were "pushed to the side" in the sequels to The Force Awakens and said Disney gave "all the nuance” to actors Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley.
Meanwhile, Tran sought therapy and deleted all of her social media posts in 2018 after being subjected to racist and sexist attacks from online trolls who insulted her for her ethnicity, looks and size since her appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Pegg found loyalty in another fan base who is and always has been more embracing of diversity.
“I find the Star Trek fans have always been very, very inclusive,” said Pegg–who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the three Star Trek reboot films starting in 2009.
“Star Trek’s about diversity. It has been since 1966, it always was."
"There’s no sort of like, ‘Oh, you’re suddenly being woke.’ No, ‘Star Trek’ was woke from the beginning.”
He added:
“This is massively progressive. Star Wars suddenly there’s a little bit more diversity, and everyone’s kicking off about it. And it’s, it’s really sad.”
The new Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series on Disney+ is the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise to become a target for toxic fans.
Racist trolls harassed actress Moses Ingram, who plays the character, Reva Sevander–an Imperial Inquisitor tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down surviving members of the fallen Order 66.
After facing much backlash for playing the character, Ingram took to social media to share some of the racist comments she's received online and the negative impact those comments had on her.
In response to the backlash, the official Star Wars Twitter account wrote:
"We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold."
"If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist."
The account said in another tweet:
"There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist."
