A franchise having a passionate fanbase can be wonderful, there exists the potential for the development of a fun community created by people who all love the same thing – but, unfortunately, it can also be venomous and awful. Passion can inspire some people to do ugly and terrible things when feelings turn negative, and we've seen some terrible consequences of it in the social media era.
Of course, no group ever wants to be represented by the worst among them, and we see that in the Star Wars fandom. The online treatment of Kelly Marie Tran following her turn in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, for example, was a toxic example, forcing her to leave social media – but filmmaker Deborah Chow is hopeful that the best of what the Star Wars community has to offer in terms of inclusivity will ultimately outweigh the loud minority of trolls.
Deborah Chow, the creator of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, was at Star Wars Celebration this past week, and when CinemaBlend's Law Sharma caught up with her on the press line at the event, she talked about Star Wars fanhood and the power that the franchise has to bring people together from all walks of life. Said the filmmaker,
One thing with Star Wars I’ve always loved is it’s felt like a very inclusive galaxy. And everybody has a place in that galaxy. You know, we have creatures, we have droids, we have all sorts of planets. So everybody truly has a place in it. For us at least, making the show, having that sort of representation – in front of the camera, behind the camera – just felt very natural to Star Wars.
As far as the behind-the-camera part goes, Deborah Chow is very much part of that. All previous live-action projects in the Star Wars universe were directed by white men prior to the making of The Mandalorian, but the Disney+ show has launched a great initiative increasing diversity among filmmakers telling stories in the canon. Chow was part of the small group of directors who made episodes in the first season, her colleagues including Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard and Taika Waititi in addition to writer/producer Dave Filoni.
Now, Deborach Chow is the first director to helm every episode of a Star Wars Disney+ series, as she is credited with all six chapters of Obi-Wan Kenobi (which premiered on Thursday night – its first two episodes already delivering a great number of surprises)
Looking ahead, Deborah Chow hopes that this is all only the start of a larger trend for the Star Wars franchise, and although it's already one of the most popular and powerful brands in the world, she hopes that its influence only becomes stronger. She continued,
I hope that keeps moving forward. For anyone who’s out there who might not be feeling like not having the greatest day with us or whatnot, you do have a place here and you do have a place with us.
Star Wars Celebration may have come to an end on Sunday, but CinemaBlend's coverage of the 2022 event will continue in the coming days – so stay tuned for more stories and interviews. And to keep track of everything that is currently in the works when it comes to films and shows set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, you can keep track of all developments with our Upcoming Star Wars Movies and TV guide.
