When "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hit theaters, it was praised for its diverse casting. We live in a world of variety, and our biggest entertainment offerings should reflect that. But GLAAD is asking the "Star Wars" franchise to take the next step in its representation of all different walks of life by including gay characters in "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
To this point, there have been no clear indications that any "Star Wars" character throughout the series' seven films was gay. Will that change going forward?
The organization recently put together a studio responsibility index which examines how every major film provider portrayed gay characters in 2015. Disney was one of only two studios on that last, along with Paramount, that did not include any gay characters in their movies last year. GLAAD is hoping Disney will reverse this trend, starting with "Star Wars: Episode VIII."
"As sci-fi projects have the special opportunity to create unique worlds whose advanced societies can serve as commentary on our own, the most obvious place where Disney could include LGBT characters is in the upcoming eighth 'Star Wars' film," the organization said in a statement.
This is a distinct possibility, as director J.J. Abrams, who helmed "The Force Awakens," said a few months ago that gay characters were included in the diversity that the new franchise is hoping to portray. There is no official word, however, on when and how these characters may be incorporated, so it is unknown if "Episode VIII," directed by Rian Johnson, will kickstart this trend. This year's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" could feature gay characters, given the little information we have about the film. It's also possible that characters we already met in "The Force Awakens" are gay, though there were no underlying romantic subplots outside of Finn and Rey's brief banter.
Disney is well-regarded as a diversity-promoting studio, so it is a bit surprising that there was not a single gay character in any of its films last year. Earlier this year, the company threatened to pull filming at Pinewood Studios in Georgia due to a bill that could have been used to discriminate against homosexuals was passed by the state's legislature. The governor later vetoed the bill.
We'll have to wait and see how Disney handles this going forward.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will arrive on Dec. 15. "Star Wars: Episode VIII" will hit theaters on Dec. 17, 2017.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
